Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 33 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

दूरादपास्य स्वजनान्सुखमर्थकोटिं

सर्वेषु साधनवरेषु चिरं निराशः ।

वर्षन्तमेव सहजाद्भुत-सौख्यधारां

श्रीराधिका-चरणरेणुमहं स्मरामि ॥ ३३ ॥

dūrād apāsya svajanān-sukham artha-koṭiṁ

sarveṣu sādhana-vareṣu ciraṁ nirāśaḥ |

varṣantam eva sahajādbhuta-saukhya-dhārāṁ

śrī-rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇum ahaṁ smarāmi || 33 ||

“I have left far behind the hope for familial bliss and boundless wealth, and for a long time I have been indifferent to other sublime sādhanas. I now constantly remember the dust from Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, which rains down a natural and astonishing stream of joy.”

Remembering Śrī Rādhā’s Foot-Dust

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: At the end of his mystic vision, Śrīpāda’s heart and mind were overwhelmed with feelings of separation (viraha). He humbly prayed, “I long to serve you; please cast your merciful glance on me.” This is the highest level of trust. Though understanding the difficulty of attaining something, one must not abandon hope. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has discussed the trust of a bhakta in whom rati (love) has appeared. Śrīpāda is in the kingdom of mahābhāva, so his trust is very strong. “Without seeing you, I am unhappy and the days and nights pass slowly.” Śrīpāda’s condition is like this. Deeply humble, he thinks of himself as a sādhaka in whom rati has not appeared. There is no progress without mercy, so he longs for Śrī Rādhā’s merciful glance. In the next moment, he thinks, “How can I get Śrī Rādhā’s merciful glance?” He remembers the glory of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust. In this verse, he expresses his whole-hearted devotion to the dust of her lotus feet while in external consciousness.

He first says, dūrād apāsya svajanān-sukham artha-koṭim. “I have abandoned the desire for familial bliss along with the desire for boundless wealth, knowing them to be obstacles to remembering Śrī Rādhā’s lotus foot-dust. I now meditate on that dust.” In his sannyāsa life, Śrīpāda had acquired great vairāgya, giving up his desires for family, wealth and so on. By the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, his heart and mind were bathed in a stream of vraja-prema-bhakti and he became known as a bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa. He therefore had a natural distaste for anything other than Kṛṣṇa. When a sādhaka develops a natural distaste for worldly sense-objects such as sound and touch, that is true vairāgya. viraktir indriyārthānāṁ syād arocakatā svayam (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.3.30). kṛṣṇa-pāda-padma-gandha yei jana pāya, brahmaloka-ādi-sukha tāre nāhi bhāya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 6.136). Śrīpāda’s bee-like mind is enticed by the fragrance of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. After smelling the sweet aroma of her lotus feet, the sādhaka has no attraction to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone (without Rādhā). Needless to say, sense-enjoyment is insignificant to Śrīpāda because he is devoted to Śrī Rādhā. He does not want sense-enjoyment. He has no taste for any other spiritual goals or practices. Therefore, he said, sarveṣu sādhana-vareṣu ciraṁ nirāśaḥ. “For a long time I have been disinterested in the well-known sādhanas like sacrifices, worship, silent prayers, austerities and so on.” In the past, Śrīpāda had been a muktivādī (one who desires liberation). The result of performing sacrifices, worship and so on is to attain the heavenly worlds. Though being disinterested in that, his desire for mukti was strong. In the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata-Mahāpurāṇa, which is honored by the most devout, it is advised that even mukti should be abandoned, considering it to be hypocrisy and a powerful obstacle to bhakti. dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.2), praśabdena mokṣābhisandhir api nirasta (Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary). The meaning is that the only purpose of the parama-dharma ascertained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to satisfy Śrī Bhagavān. Never mind the desire for dharma, artha and kāma, even the desire for mukti is considered as deceit or fraud or darkest ignorance.

ajñānatamera nāma kahiye kaitaba |

dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa-bāñchā ādi saba ||

tāra madhye mokṣa-bāñchā kaitaba-pradhāna |

yāhā haite kṛṣṇa-bhakti haya antardhāna ||

“The darkest ignorance is called kaitava or deceit. It includes the desire for dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa (virtue, wealth, sense-enjoyment and liberation). Among them all, the desire for mokṣa is the foremost deceit. It causes one’s kṛṣṇa-bhakti to disappear.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 1.90, 1.92)

By Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s mercy, Śrīpāda has been blessed to find vraja-bhakti. Therefore, it is appropriate for him to abandon all practices and goals other than bhakti. The bhakta has no desire for the catur-varga or four goals of human life. Even though the catur-varga present themselves before him, the bhakta who is devoted to tasting bhakti-rasa has no interest.

ko nv īśa te pāda-saroja-bhājāṁ

sudurlabho’rtheṣu caturṣv apīha |

tathāpi nāhaṁ pravṛṇomi bhūman

bhavat-padāmbhoja-niṣevaṇotsukaḥ ||

Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya said, “O Bhagavān! Those who serve your lotus feet have no difficulty in attaining any of the four goals of life. Still, O Supreme Being, I have no desire for them; I am only eager to serve your lotus feet.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.4.15)

dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa āpani āise |

tathāpiha nā cāya nā laya mora dāse ||

“Virtue, wealth, sense-enjoyment and liberation all came to me. Still, I do not want them. I will not accept them as my servants.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam)(1)

This is the nature of Śrī Bhagavān’s devotees, but Śrīpāda is one of Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs. They have no interest in getting Govinda without Rādhā. Therefore, it goes without saying that Śrīpāda will spontaneously abandon all the chief sādhanas. Magnanimous Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas have no desire to even say the names of things to be attained through other great sādhanas.

puṇya ye sukhera dhāma, nā laio tāra nāma, puṇya mukti dui tyāga kari |

prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi, tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi, āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya | ityādi |

“Do not speak of virtue, which is the abode of happiness. I give up both virtue and liberation. Prema-bhakti is like an ocean of nectar; submerge yourself in it continuously. Everything else is like an ocean of salt.” (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 71-72) 

Prema-bhakti cannot tolerate a separate purpose. Bhakti means having the desire to serve Śrī Bhagavān. On the path of attaining prema-bhakti, even other sublime sādhanas are considered to be obstacles.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam |

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā ||

“The highest devotion, uttamā-bhakti, is service that is favorable to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, devoid of any other desire and not covered by jñāna, karma and so on.” (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.1.11)

Uttamā-bhakti reaches its peak in mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā. Even though taking shelter of such a pure path, a jīva like me is deprived of prema because of desires for profit, adoration, fame and so on. antarāya nāhi yāya ei se parama bhaya (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 39). “My greatest fear is that these obstacles will not go away.” If there are no other desires remaining, why in the yuga of Śrī-Śrī-Nitāi-Gaurāṅga, the incarnations of love, is there such a lack of prema seen in jīvas like me?

Śrīpāda’s heart and mind have gotten a taste of the supremely nectarous foot-dust of Śrī Rādhā. Because of this, he considers other pleasurable things to be insignificant. No one indulges in a lesser pleasure when he has found the greatest. If one finds gold, he is not enamored by the chickpeas in his fist. If one gets a cintāmaṇi (thought-gem) in his hand, is he still attached to searching for glass? When Śrī Bhagavān wanted to give him a boon, Śrī Dhruva Mahāśaya said, 

sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito’haṁ 

tvāṁ prāptavān deva-munīndra-guhyam |

kācaṁ vicinvann iva divya-ratnaṁ 

svāmin kṛtārtho’smi varaṁ na yāce ||

“O Lord! It is true that I engaged in austerities to attain a king’s throne, but in the end, I got you, who are hidden within the gods and sages. If someone searching for glass finds a heavenly gem, he will no longer desire glass. In the same way, by getting you I have attained success and no longer pray for a boon.” (Hari-Bhakti-Sudhodaya 7.28) Experiencing Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust is even more intense and it is said to be like a kāmadhenu(2) who bestows prema.

In this verse, Śrīpāda says, varṣantam eva sahajādbhuta-saukhya-dhārāṁ śrī-rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇum ahaṁ smarāmi. “I remember Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-foot-dust, which rains down a stream of natural and astonishing joy.” In this world, the jīva’s desires are limitless: bhinna rucir hi lokaḥ (Raghu-Vaṁśa 6.30), aneka lokera bāñchā aneka prakāra (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Antya 20.17). Still, everyone’s desires have one root. The philosophers have accepted a universal cause on which everyone’s desires are strung like flowers on a thread. sukhaṁ me bhūyāt dukhaṁ mābhūd iti. Everyone wants happiness. The hope is that misery will not be the rival of happiness. The infinitude of the joy of brahman has been ascertained at the end of the Ānanda-Mīmāṁsā in the Taittirīya-Upaniṣad. The bhakti-śāstras say that the joy of brahman is insignificant compared to that of bhakti.

brahmānando bhaved eṣa cet parārdha-guṇī-kṛtaḥ |

naiti bhakti-sukhāmbhodheḥ paramāṇu-tulām api ||

“If the joy of brahman were to be multiplied billions of times, it would still not compare with even one drop of the ocean of the joy of bhakti.” (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.1.38) Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written, brahmānando’nirvācyas tasmād apy ādhikyena bhajanānando’nirvācya-taraḥ, tatra ca premānando’nirvācya-tamaḥ, tatrāpi virahārti-dvārā jātaḥ san paramāntya-kāṣṭhā-viśeṣa-prāptyā parama-mahā-nirvācya-tama ity arthaḥ. (Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 1.7.126 Ṭīkā) If, according to the Ānanda-Mīmāṁsā, the joy of brahman is indescribable, then, because the joy of bhajana is greater than the joy of brahman, it will also be more indescribable. Moreover, bhajanānanda becomes concentrated and is converted into premānanda. Thus, premānanda will be the most indescribable. Vraja-prema is born from the pain of separation. Gopī-prema, specifically, is defined as the pinnacle and thus will be supremely indescribable. A stream of that supremely indescribable joy from Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust rains incessantly on those who remember or take shelter of it. That stream of joy is both natural and amazing. The stream of premānanda is natural because it is filled with pure mādhurya and is devoid of the scent of aiśvarya-jñāna. It is amazing because it is filled with wonder. This wonder is born from joy, not from fear. Wonder brings joy and joy thrills the heart. Then the spiritual world is sweet, the material world is sweet, Govinda is sweet and Śrī Rādhā is even sweeter. 

madhura haite sumadhura, tāhā haite sumadhura, tāhā haite ati sumadhura |

āpanāra eka kaṇe, byāpe saba tribhubane, daśa-dike bahe yāra pura ||

“Their forms, qualities and pastimes are sweeter than sweet, sweeter than that and even sweeter than that. A single drop of their sweetness pervades the three worlds in all directions.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.139) Śrīpāda said, “I remember Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust, which rains down a natural and amazing stream of joy.” One unfailing way to get prema is by serving the foot-dust of a great soul. Some curious person said to a great soul, “I have taken the dust from the feet of many great souls but I have not obtained prema.” In reply, that high-minded person smiled slightly and said, “You have no doubt smeared the foot-dust of great souls on your body, but you must also smear a little on your mind.” That service must be done with faith and trust, in a mind purified by true devotion. Śrīpāda wants to smear Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust on his mind; therefore, he says smarāmi, “I remember.” Or, with great humility, Śrīpāda considers Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust to be most difficult to attain and has thus resolved to remember it in its absence. It has also been indicated that when one remembers Śrīmatī’s foot-dust, one should also remember one’s own cherished sevās that are performed during the nectarous līlās. This is the best sādhana for the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas. sādhana-smaraṇa-līlā, ihāte nā kara hela, kāya-mane kariyā susāra. “Do not neglect the practice of līlā-smaraṇa; following this process with one’s body and mind is very powerful.” (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 14)

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1. I was unable to find this verse in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam.

2. A heavenly cow yielding all desires (Apte)

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 32 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

संकेतकुञ्जमनुपल्लवमास्तरीतुं

तत्तत्प्रसादमभितः खलु संवरीतुम् ।

त्वां श्यामचन्द्रमभिसारयितुं धृताशे

श्रीराधिके मयि विधेहि कृपाकटाक्षम् ॥ ३२ ॥

saṁketa-kuñjam anu pallavam āstarītuṁ

tat-tat-prasādam abhitaḥ khalu saṁvarītum |

tvāṁ śyāma-candram abhisārayituṁ dhṛtāśe

śrī-rādhike mayi vidhehi kṛpā-kaṭākṣam || 32 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! Please cast your merciful glance upon me. To quickly get your blessings, I want to spread a bed of fresh leaves for you in the trysting-bower and then bring you to the moonlike Śyāma.”

Śrī Rādhā’s Merciful Glance

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīpāda received Śrīmati’s compassion after serving her in his svarūpa. At the end of his mystic vision, he wept. He felt great suffering in the absence of sevā. Service to Śrī Rādhā is more desirable than service to Śrī Bhagavān. The desire in Śrīpāda’s heart for rādhā-dāsya caused an uncontrollable outburst of emotion. His intense longing for sevā has made him impatient. Weeping, he prayed, “O Rādhikā! When will I become your dāsī?” Deity worship will awaken the sādhaka’s consciousness as much as possible. Observing the sādhaka’s emotion, it seems that his iṣṭadeva is taking him by the hand. Realization is inevitable in rāgānugā-bhajana, particularly in rādhā-dāsya-bhajana. If there is no realization, sādhana-bhakti will seem lifeless. “Thus is the plight of a jīva like me. My svarūpa has not awakened and I am deeply engrossed in this body, the opposite of bhāva. If I cannot get to know her even a little, then what a big failure my sādhana-life is!” The sādhaka’s intense desire to be near Śrī Rādhā will pull him toward his goal. The eager sādhaka can never relax blithely into the bliss of food and sleep. An incessant prayer awakens: “O Svāminī! If you would just once enter my thoughts or dreams, I would feel reassured. Please respond, Svāminī! Just once, say, ‘You are mine.’ This is my only hope!” Compared to this yearning desire, everything else becomes insignificant. Through experience, the sādhaka is gradually pulled toward her lotus feet. 

Śrīpāda’s strong feelings of separation are the apex of longing. Weeping, he says, “Śrī Rādhikā! When will I become your dāsī?” Suddenly, the goddess of Śrīpāda’s mystical vision appeared before his eyes with boundless beauty. He experienced a vision of Śrī Rādhā’s most affectionate abhisāra-līlā.(1) The passionate girl has walked to the trysting-bower to meet her lover. Śrīpāda walked behind her in his kiṅkarī form, carrying articles for sevā such as candana, kuṅkuma and tāmbūla.(2) Svāminī feels anxious and looks nervously about. Vṛndāvana is beautified by the beauty of her eyes. The kiṅkarī encourages her, “Why are you afraid? Let’s go; if you get scared, just look at me.” Svāminī’s dāsī gives her courage. She causes the abhisāra by transferring her śakti (energy) into the heart of the mūla-śakti (original energy). Love-struck Śrī Rādhā has arrived at the meeting bower. At Śrīmatī’s signal, the dāsī prepared a comfortable pleasure-bed of fresh sprouts and leaves. Śyāmasundara has not yet arrived. Śrīmatī longs for her lover. tvāṁ śyāmacandraṁ prati abhisārayituṁ dhṛtāśe, yadvā tvāṁ tathā śyāmacandram abhisārayituṁ dhṛtāśe. “I want to lead you to Śyāmasundara,” or, “I want to bring you and Śyāmasundara together.” Seeing Śrīmatī’s distress, the kiñkarī went to search for Śyāma. Śrī Rādhā’s viraha-afflicted lover had forgotten the path to the bower and was searching for her in a different direction. A Vṛndāvana breeze carried Svāminī’s bodily fragrance from a distance and caused it to enter Śyāma’s nostrils. The aroma brought him to his senses and led him to the path. The kiṅkarī spotted the anxious nāgara from not far away. She was gratified to see Śyāma so eager to find Rādhā. The nāgara’s pain of separation was evident in his face and eyes. From her hiding place, the kiṅkarī relished the sweetness of Śyāma’s form. In her eyes, Śyāma is very handsome when he longs for Śrī Rādhā. Suddenly, the nāgara’s searching gaze fell upon Rādhā’s kiṅkarī and hope returned to his despondent heart. Delighted, he ran to the kiṅkarī and said, “O friend! Where is your leader? I was so eager and anxious to see her that I forgot the path to the meeting bower. Now I am walking around looking for her. Where is she? Please take me there!” Wanting to see Kṛṣṇa show a little more longing, the maidservant of rasa said, “O king of gallants! Your wish will remain unfulfilled. The jewel of nāgarīs is staying home today.” Distressed, Kṛṣṇa asked, “Will she not come to the forest?” The kiṅkarī replied, “She is doing housework today on the order of her elders.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “What is she doing right now?” The kiṅkarī: “She churned a pot of water, thinking it to be yogurt.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “What happened then?” The kiṅkarī: “When Jaṭilā saw her churning the water, she thought that perhaps it was her love for you that caused her mental disorder, so she scolded her and confined her to the house.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “But I can smell the aroma of her body.” The kiṅkarī: “O Nāgarendra! I am wearing her prasādī clothing and her aroma has clung to it. This is what you smell.” Considering the kiṅkarī’s words to be true, Kṛṣṇa felt dejected and said, “Alas, will that lightning in the form of Rādhā not beautify my cloud-like heart today?” When the kiṅkarī saw that Kṛṣṇa was beginning to slip into a swoon, she infused hope into his burning heart to reassure him. Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī is shining a light of hope into the dark, despair-filled heart of an entity made of condensed transcendental joy. Such is the greatness of her kiṅkarī. She must infuse joy into the heart of the one made of joy, so how much power is in her heart? Mādanākhya-mahābhāva is the product of their hands, so great is the glory of Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs.

After reassuring Śyāma, the kiṅkarī brings him to Śrīmatī’s kuñja. Meanwhile, Śrīmatī is also delighted by Śyāmasundara’s aroma. She praises the wind: “O fragrance-bearer! What austerities have you performed that led you to touch the body of Śrī Gokulacandra? This is very rare. If I had known about these austerities, I would have tried performing them to obtain good fortune like yours.” In Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ, 14.149, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has said that the powerful desire to take birth even in an inanimate form just to smell Kṛṣṇa’s aroma is a type of affection.(3) The kiṅkarī has succeeded in bringing the eager couple together and Śrīmatī is thoroughly pleased. Some reward must be given. Śyāmasundara places his chewed tāmbūla lovingly in Śrī Rādhā’s mouth. Śrīmatī scrunches up her face and says, “No way! I will not drink the nectar of your lips, which bear the remnants from a hundred lustful girls.” After glancing at her kiṅkarī, she placed that chewed tāmbūla on a leaf that had fallen into the bower house. This is rasa’s reward to rasa’s dāsī. tat-tat-prasādaṁ śrī-śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇayoḥ prasāda-nirmālyam abhitaḥ śīghraṁ prāptavyam ity arthaḥ. In this way, the kiṅkarī obtains rasa through Śrī Yugala’s prasādī garlands and so on. Or, prasāda could mean ājñā-sevā, or service based on an order. Śrī Yugala ask the kiṅkarī to perform various kinds of service out of affection for her. ājnāya āniyā kabe bibidha phulabara, bacana śunaba duṅhu miṭhi (Ṭhākura Mahāśaya). “When will I hear their sweet speech after bringing the flowers they requested.” The phrase saṁketa-kuñjam anu means “in each kuñja.” The pleasure-bed has been crushed. With an eye gesture, Śrīmatī directs the kiṅkarī to perform sevā: “Go make another pleasure-bed in the kuñja.” At Śrīmatī’s direction, the kiṅkarī again made a bed with soft leaves and sprouts. The rasika couple sported freely from bower to bower like an elephant king and his queen. Along with seeing the sweet pastimes, the kiṅkarī was blessed with śrī-yugala-sevā. Śrīpāda’s vision of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa has ended. Sobbing, he prays, “I wait here hoping to serve you; please make that tree of hope fruitful. O Rādhā! Without your mercy, it is impossible for my tree of hope to bear fruit. Therefore, śrī-rādhike mayi vidhehi kṛpā-kaṭākṣam: Cast your merciful glance on me.”

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1. Rendezvous with her lover

2. Sandalwood paste, saffron and betel

3. paraspara-vaśī-bhāvaḥ prema-vaicittyakaṁ tathā | aprāṇiny api janmāptyai lālasā-bhara unnataḥ | vipralambhe’sya visphūrtir ity ādyāḥ syur iha kriyāḥ ||

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 31 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

निर्माय चारुमुकुटं नवचन्द्रकेण

गुञ्जाभिरारचित-हारमुपाहरन्ती ।

वृन्दाटवी-नवनिकुञ्जगृहाधिदेव्याः

श्रीराधिके तव कदा भवितास्मि दासी ॥ ३१ ॥

nirmāya cāru-mukuṭaṁ nava-candrakeṇa

guñjābhir āracita-hāram upāharantī |

vṛndāṭavī-nava-nikuñja-gṛhādhidevyāḥ

śrī-rādhike tava kadā bhavitāsmi dāsī || 31 ||

“O Rādhikā! You are the goddess of the new bower-cottage in the forest of Vṛndā. When will I become your maidservant? When will I bring you the beautiful crown of peacock feathers and the guñjā-seed necklace I made for you?”

The Goddess of the Cottage in the Bower

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda has received amazing visions of līlā-rasa while absorbed in his svarūpa, but then they end. It has been going on continuously. He simultaneously experiences extraordinary joy and anguish. This condition is like the meeting of poison and nectar in one place. A wonderful experience lies within such pain. Only one who feels it can understand. ei premā yāra mane, tāra bikrama sei jāne, yena biṣāmṛte ekatra milana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.51). “Only one who has prema in his heart knows its intensity. It is like the union of poison and nectar.” Even though Śrīpāda is a nitya-siddha-parikara,(1) he experiences his current state as being just like pūrva-rāga.(2) At every moment, he feels the lack of a direct meeting. Even though he is a companion of Mahāprabhu, Śrīpāda is teaching us about the astonishing nature of tasting sādhana-rasa through his activities as a sādhaka. One’s svarūpa must be awake before one can understand. Where is the awakening of a guru-given-svarūpa for a jīva like me? Having accepted this body and all that goes with it, I have become mad. I have so much pride in my own knowledge and intellect, but I do not know myself. The experience of thinking of oneself as Śrī Rādhā’s maidservant is amazing. Śrīpāda’s heart and mind are always filled with the taste of that rasa. In the previous verse, he had a vision of Śrī Rādhā going to Nandīśvara and then wept when it ended. Unbearable pain arose in his heart from the intense feelings of separation. To alleviate the burning grief, he expressed his wish to always keep the beautiful Śrī Rādhā in his heart. This infused his viraha-stricken heart with boundless coolness and the vision came again.

In his siddha-svarūpa, Śrīpāda has arrived at the meeting bower with Śrī Rādhā, who is most eager to join her lover. Mādhava had arrived there a little earlier today and decorated the cottage with his own hands. He decorated it according to his desires for līlā. When his lover sees the beautiful cottage, the same desire for vilāsa will awaken in her heart. Because Priyājī will be sitting there, Kṛṣṇa fashioned a seat for her with stemless flowers. He sprinkled the flowers with teardrops of love. It is as though his love for Priyā has manifested as beauty throughout the cottage. He decorated with the intention that “I will sit here like this with Priyā.” What astonishing skill he has in prema-sevā! Śrī Hari has enhanced the bower with his beauty, qualities and artistry. Just as Svāminī, in the mood of a vāsaka-sajjikā, nicely decorates the bower-cottage and then sits waiting for Sundara Kṛṣṇa,(3) today the reverse of that occurs. The reciprocal service of love!

Śrīmatī has arrived at the bower-cottage with her kiṅkarīs and is surprised by its beauty. It is called Madana-Sukhadā-Kuñja, the bower that brings happiness to the god of love. Moreover, the transcendental young god of love has decorated it with his own hands. Svāminī asks, “Mādhava! Who has decorated the kuñja?” Śyāma replies, “How would I know? You tell me.” Svāminī says, “You have done this. This is not the work of another. You worked so hard because you knew I would be coming! I should have decorated it with you.” Śrī Hari has stolen the mind of the naturally coy Śrī Rādhā with his youthful charm. Today is a great day. Śyāmasundara respectfully took Svāminī to her seat. Each one’s love melted the other’s heart. caḍi gopīra manorathe, manmathera mana mathe, nāma dhare madana-mohana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 21.107). “He who mounts the chariots of the gopīs’ minds and churns the mind of the god of love is called Madana-Mohana.” We worship the one who rests his radiant arm on Śrī Rādhā’s shoulder. Śrī Yugala’s pastimes are intense! They each become intoxicated by the other’s presence. In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda relishes the sweetness of Śrī Yugala’s pastimes by peering through an opening in the bower. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has said, rādhā-mādhava-mādhurībhir abhitaś cittaṁ mamākramyatām. “Let my heart and mind be filled with the sweetness of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava at all times and in every way. Let there be no trace of anything in my heart and mind other than that indescribable sweetness.” They are radiant with gold and dark-blue lusters. Their eyes dance in a pure festival of amorous sport. Their forms are smeared with expertise in countless arts of love. Each is perfumed with the nectarous fragrance of the other’s affection. The mind of one in whose heart such mādhurī exists can never give up its sweet and pleasant taste.

Their love-making has ended. The kiṅkarīs know it is time for sevā and have entered the bower. Sundara Kṛṣṇa’s peacock-feather crown has fallen off and his pearl necklace has broken. Seeing his condition, Svāminī says, “Okay Sundara, I’m dressing you today. I ruined your ornaments, so I’ll redecorate you.” After saying this, she gathered some flowers, made them into ornaments and affectionately adorned her beloved Kṛṣṇa. He is thoroughly submissive to her. Svāminī is like the goddess of the beautiful bower-house.

In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda then decided he would offer two delightful gifts to Svāminī: a crown made of peacock feathers and a necklace of guñjā seeds. These are not suitable gifts for Svāminī, but rather for her darling Śyāmasundara. They are gifts that are harmonious with Śrīmatī’s desires. These precious articles will be for her service to Śyāmasundara. This sevā comes from the hearts of Śrī Rādhā’s dāsīs. By Śrīmatī’s grace, they capture her heart. After entering Vṛndāvana, the kiṅkarī gathered fresh, beautiful peacock feathers and guñjā seeds and brought them here. She displayed her amazing artistry by creating an enchanting crown with the peacock feathers and a lovely necklace with the guñjā seeds. Understanding Svāminī’s mind, the kiṅkarī gave these two wonderful gifts to her as she dressed Śyāmasundara and received a compassionate look in return. A cascade of mercy was pouring from Svāminī’s eyes. The kiṅkarī considered herself fortunate and successful. Śrīmatī floated in an ocean of joy after decorating her sweetheart with the gifts from her kiṅkarī. The kiṅkarī can feel Svāminī’s happiness in her own heart. Blessed rādhā-dāsya! The sādhaka must also inquire whether his sevā has brought happiness to his cherished one. The best article of worship is pure prema meant to please one’s deity. This prema-rasa combined with the article of worship makes every offering pleasing to Śrī Bhagavān. If the sādhaka has other desires, such as for profit, adoration or fame, the articles he offers will not bring happiness to his deity. If the sādhaka performs earnest bhajana, Śrī Bhagavān will make his heart and mind suitable for sevā. “I have taken shelter of bhakti; what can māyā do to me?” I want such a fearless mind.

As Śrīmatī dressed her lover with the gifts from her kiṅkarī, she began to float in an ocean of joy. Suddenly, Śrīpāda’s vision ended. Filled with humility, he prayed, “O Śrī Rādhikā! When will I become your dāsī?”

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1. Eternal companion of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa 

2. Dawning or incipient love, occurring even before the lovers’ meeting (Apte)

3. Sundara means handsome and charming.