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     My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through May 9, 2025. Use the code CREATEBOOKS15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only.

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 37 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

पत्रावलीं रचयितुं कुचयोः कपोले

बद्धुं विचित्रकवरीं नवमल्लिकाभिः ।

अङ्गं च भूषयितुमाभरणैर्धृताशे

श्रीराधिके मयि विधेहि कृपावलोकम् ॥ ३७ ॥

patrāvalīṁ racayituṁ kucayoḥ kapole

baddhuṁ vicitra-kavarīṁ nava-mallikābhiḥ |

aṅgaṁ ca bhūṣayitum ābharaṇair dhṛtāśe

śrī-rādhike mayi vidhehi kṛpāvalokam || 37 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! I long to paint leaves on your breasts and cheeks, to bind your beautiful braid with a jasmine garland, and to decorate your limbs with ornaments. Please cast your merciful glance upon me.”

Desire for Service

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s stream of visions has not ended. After being overwhelmed by the beauty of Śrī Rādhā’s breasts, which are a treasure trove of good qualities, Śrīpāda offers obeisance to them. They drive Śyāmasundara mad during love-play, though he is the embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss. The sādhaka must join his mind with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s and taste the sweetness of remembering their pastimes. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrīpāda Śuka Muni has said that when Uddhava Mahāśaya arrived in Vṛndāvana with a message from Kṛṣṇa, he met privately with a group of vraja-gopikās and answered their questions. rahasy apṛcchat (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.3). It is natural to ask how one can be private when in the company of innumerable Vraja girls. In the Vaiṣṇava-Toṣaṇī commentary it says that all of their heartstrings are tuned to the same note; there are no outsiders present. For this reason the word nirjana (private) has been used. rahasi vijātīya-bhāvāgocare. In the same way, the rāga-mārga-sādhaka is a follower of those who are dear to his beloved Kṛṣṇa, so he tunes his own heartstrings to the bhāva of their heart-vīṇās. This harmonious sound will awaken the vibrations of compassion in Śrī Yugala’s heart. Without mercy, one cannot realize the confidential truths of yugala-līlā. If one’s mundane mentality is reawakened, he may be submerged again in the ocean of saṁsāra. Śrīmad Dāsa Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his Abhīṣṭa-Sūcanam:

ābhīra-pallī-pati-putra-kāntā-

dāsyābhilāṣātibalāśva-vāraḥ |

śrī-rūpa-cintāmala-sapti-saṁsthā 

mat-svānta-durdānta-hayecchur āstām ||

“Let my unruly mind-horse join the pure thought-horses of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda. He is like a powerful horseman, the embodiment of the desire to serve Śrī Rādhā, the lover of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda, the king of Vraja.” The meaning is that in the matter of obtaining rādhā-dāsya, my own thoughts are not so good. Let my mind, immersed in the pure stream of Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s thoughts, be engaged in service to Śrī Rādhā. Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are very compassionate. After personally experiencing their pure feelings, they deposited them in the author.

In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda has been blessed to taste with his eyes the juicy sweetness of yugala-vilāsa through an opening in the bower. The pastime has come to an end; understanding that the time for sevā had arrived, the kiṅkarī entered the bower-house. The sweet sevā of the sweet couple at the end of the līlā is the exclusive treasure of the kiṅkarīs. This is how the kiṅkarīs differ from the sakhīs.

rati-raṇe śrama-yuta, nāgarī nāgara, mukha bhari tāmbūla yogāya |

malayaja kuṅkuma, mṛga-mada karpūra, militaṅhi gāta lāgāya ||

aparūpa priya-sakhī prema |

nija prāṇa-koṭi, deha niramañchai, naha tula lākhabāna hema ||

manohara mālya, duṅhu gale arpai, bījai śīta mṛdu-bāta |
sugandhī śītala, jala karu arpaṇa, yaiche hoyata duṅhu śānta ||

“The two sweethearts are exhausted from their battle of love. Their bodies are more lustrous than gold smelted 100,000 times. Their priya-sakhīs give them tāmbūla to chew and anoint their bodies with sandalwood paste, saffron, musk and camphor. They love Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa more than millions of their own lives. They place beautiful garlands on their necks, fan them to make a gentle breeze and offer cool, fragrant water to their satisfaction.” (Mahājana)

Because of so much love-play, Śrī Rādhā’s clothing and ornaments have become undone. She said to Kṛṣṇa, “Quickly dress and decorate me; if my sakhīs come, they will make fun of me.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the best of lovers, was completely overwhelmed by the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā’s rasa. He must paint leaves on her breasts, but when he saw how beautiful they were, he became so helpless that his hands went limp and his body erupted in goosebumps. When Śrī Rādhā, the jewel of intriguing girls, saw his condition, she smiled softly and said to the kiṅkarī, “Dress me quickly; my lover is not able to do it.” The kiṅkarī gave Kṛṣṇa a gentle push and said, “Go; you won’t be doing this today.” Kṛṣṇa thought, “Alas, I am so inept. If only I had been blessed with the good fortune of a kiṅkarī!” With great skill, the kiṅkarī painted leaves on Śrī Rādhā’s breasts and cheeks. She performs her sevā with deep affection. The love in her heart takes shape in service. Enchanted, the helpless lover watches the kiṅkarī’s skillful sevā. The dāsī arranged Rādhā’s disheveled hair into a braid and bound it with a garland of jasmines. She adorned her lovely limbs with various kinds of ornaments. As Kṛṣṇa watched the sevā methods of the highly skilled kiṅkarī, a powerful desire awakened in him to become Śrī Rādhā’s maidservant. When he incarnated in the form of Śrī Gaura to taste the sweetness of Rādhā’s bhāva, he relished the sweetness of her viraha in the gambhīrā-līlā. At that time, he saw how the mañjarīs served Śrī Rādhā in a Vṛndāvana bower and the desire for such service awakened in him. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda said in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 17.305-306:

ithe tarka kari keha nā kara saṁśaya |

kṛṣṇera acintya-śakti ei mata haya ||

acintya adbhuta kṛṣṇa caitanya bihāra |

citra-bhāba citra-guṇa citra-byabahāra ||

“Let no one argue or raise doubts in this matter. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unfathomable power is like this. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya’s pastimes are inconceivable and astonishing; his nature, qualities and behavior are wonderful.”

When Mahāprabhu saw the Caṭaka Mountain, because he was intoxicated with prema, he thought it to be Govardhana and started running toward it. He was attacked simultaneously by the astonishing eight sāttvika-vikāras (ecstatic transformations). After being cared for by his companions, he began to regain consciousness and spoke incoherently in a half-external state.

iṅhā haite āji mui geluṅ gobardhana |

dekhoṅ yadi kṛṣṇa kare godhana-cāraṇa ||

gobardhane caḍhi kṛṣṇa bājāilā beṇu |

gobardhanera caudike care saba dhenu ||

beṇu-dhvani śuni āilā rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī |

tāṅra rūpa bhāba sakhi! barṇite nā jāni ||

rādhā lañā kṛṣṇa prabeśilā kandarāte |

sakhī-gaṇa kahe more phula uṭhāite ||

hena-kāle tumi saba kolāhala kailā |

tāṅhā haite dhari more iṅhā laiyā āilā ||

“Today I went to Govardhana to see if Kṛṣṇa was tending the cows. He was playing his flute as he climbed the hill, surrounded by the grazing cows. After hearing the sound of his flute, Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī arrived there. Friend! I don’t know how to describe her beauty and nature. Kṛṣṇa then took Rādhā into a mountain cave; the sakhīs told me to go and pick some flowers. At that time, you all made a tumultuous noise and carried me back here.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Antya 14.106-110)

The sakhīs directed the kiṅkarīs to pick flowers for yugala-sevā. Therefore, through this, we get a clear idea of bhakti-rasa-avatāra Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s experience of rādhā-kiṅkarī-bhāva. Moreover, when he fell into the ocean, he rambled on, half-conscious, as follows:

kālindī dekhiyā āmi gelāma bṛndābana |

dekhi—jala-krīḍā kare brajendra-nandana ||

rādhikādi gopī-gaṇa saṅge eka meli |

yamunāra jale mahāraṅge kare keli ||

tīre rahi dekhi āmi sakhī-gaṇa saṅge |

eka sakhī dekhāya more sei saba raṅge ||

“I went to Vṛndāvana and saw the Kālindī. I saw Vrajendranandana enjoying water-sports with Śrī Rādhikā and the other gopīs in the Yamunā. I remained on the bank and watched with the sakhīs, one of whom showed me all the fun.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Antya 18.80-82) This rādhā-dāsya is Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s gift of mercy. Having personally experienced this, he has left instructions for the sādhakas of the world:

āpane kari āsvādane,             śikhāila bhakta-gaṇe, 

prema-cintāmaṇira prabhu dhanī |

nāhi jāne sthānāsthāna,            yāre tāre kaila dāna,

mahāprabhu dātā śiromaṇi ||

aiche gupta-bhāba-sindhu,            brahmā nā pāya yāra bindu,

hena dhana bilāila saṁsāre |

aiche dayālu abatāra,            aiche dātā nāhi āra,

guṇa keho nāre barṇibāre ||

kahibāra kathā nahe,            kahile keha nā bujhaye,

aiche citra caitanyera raṅga |

se-i se bujhite pāre,            caitanyera kṛpā yāre,

haya tāra dāsānudāsa-saṅga ||

“After tasting it himself, he taught the bhaktas. Mahāprabhu is rich in prema-cintāmaṇi (thought-gems of love). He does not consider whether a recipient is suitable or not; he offers his gift to all. Mahāprabhu is the greatest benefactor. Brahmā got not a drop of this secret ocean of love. Mahāprabhu distributed this wealth in the world. He is the most compassionate avatāra; there is no greater benefactor. No one can describe his qualities. There are no words to describe them. If someone tries, no one will understand. Such pastimes of Śrī Caitanya are wonderful. Only one who has the mercy of Śrī Caitanya can understand. He gets the association of the servants of his servants.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 2.81-83) Śrīpāda’s vision ended after Śrī Rādhā was dressed. In sādhaka-consciousness, he offered this prayer: “O Śrī Rādhikā! I sit here bearing hope to someday dress you. Please quickly make my tree of hope fruitful with your merciful glance.”

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 36 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

क्रीडासरः कनकपङ्कज-कुड्मलाय

स्वानन्दपूर्णरसकल्पतरोः फलाय ।

तस्मै नमो भुवनमोहन-मोहनाय

श्रीराधिके तव नवस्तनमण्डलाय ॥ ३६ ॥

krīḍā-saraḥ kanaka-paṅkaja-kuḍmalāya

svānanda-pūrṇa-rasa-kalpa-taroḥ phalāya |

tasmai namo bhuvana-mohana-mohanāya

śrī-rādhike tava nava-stana-maṇḍalāya || 36 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! I bow to your youthful breasts, which are like golden lotus buds in a pastime lake. They are like nectarous fruits from a tree that fulfills your desires and are the enchanters of the world-enchanting Śyāmasundara.”

The Fruit of a Rasa-Kalpa-Taru

 

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s stream of visions continues. Enticed by the mādhurya of Śrīmatī’s breasts, he repeatedly relishes the stream of sweetness within the visions. Just as experiencing a vision is wonderful, the lack of experiencing a desired object causes the mind to scatter. The premika’s life is based on a series of experiences obtained by meditation, dreams and visions. kṣaṇaṁ caraṇa-vicchedāc chrīśvaryāḥ prāṇa-hārinīm. The kiṅkarī feels deep sorrow if she is away from Īśvarī’s lotus feet for even a moment. This condition comes spontaneously to Śrīpāda. A sādhaka must first make some endeavor; after that, it becomes spontaneous. The experience of being situated near to Śrī Rādhārāṇī while in a state of spiritual absorption is so pleasant! After the vision finished, Śrīpāda’s heart was filled with anguish. He cried, “O Rādhā! Just once take me to the kingdom of līlā. I have no one in this world but you.” By Śrīmatī’s mercy, he obtained a vision of the remainder of the līlā.

Śrī Yugala are sporting on the bank of the Yamunā and have entered a secluded bower. The kiṅkarī follows them like a shadow, always engaged in sevā. Śyāma is overwhelmed by the beauty of Rādhārāṇī’s form. The free-spirited Śrī Kṛṣṇa has no control; even he is controlled by Śrī Rādhā’s boundless beauty. Śrīpāda said, śrī-vṛndāvana-candra-durmada-manaś-caurīṁ kiśorīṁ smara (Saṅgīta-Mādhava 2.43). “O mind! Always remember that jewel of adolescent girls who has stolen Śrī Vṛndāvanacandra’s heart by her beauty and sweetness.” Śrī Yugala are eager for vilāsa (love-play). Understanding that their vilāsa had begun, the kiṅkarī comes outside the bower. She relishes the sweetness of their love-play by watching through an opening in the bower. She is blessed to relish the beauty of Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts as she restored Śyāmasundara’s tilaka on the bank of the Yamunā. She experiences them now as golden lotus buds in a pastime lake. The golden lotuses make the lake more beautiful. Śrī Rādhā’s breasts nourish the supreme beauty of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastime lake. Other than her rasikā-sakhīs and mañjarīs, no one knows this secret. Śrī Rādhā is an ocean of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nectarous pastimes. A wealth of Kṛṣṇa’s sweet and endless play exists within her. Engrossment in the body and things related is not the way to experience this secret. The great teachings of the ācāryas support the weak sādhaka. They remove the deep engrossment in the body and establish engrossment in the svarūpa. Having experienced ecstasy within the pastimes, the kiṅkarī understands the secret. Śrī Rādhā’s breasts are svānanda-pūrṇa-rasa-kalpa-taroḥ phala. They are like the fruits of a kalpa-taru that fulfill Kṛṣṇa’s desire to taste śṛṅgāra-rasa. The truth of this is demonstrated through the transcendental līlā. The pure intuition of the kiṅkarīs is an example of that. They are blessed to relish the sweetness of each of Śrīmatī’s limbs through Śyāmasundara’s enjoyment on the field of līlā. Just as the juicy fruit of a kalpa-taru is most delicious, this fruit of the rasa-kalpa-taru is most delicious to Śyāmasundara. Śrī Rādhā’s breasts enchant Śyāmasundara, the enchanter of the world. The world is moonstruck by his form, qualities and pastimes. ye rūpera eka-kaṇa, ḍubāya sarba bhubana, sarba prāṇī kare ākarṣaṇa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.102). “One drop of his beauty drowns the entire world and attracts all the living creatures.” rūpa dekhi āpanāra, kṛṣṇera haya camatkāra, āsvādite mane uṭhe kāma (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.104). “Kṛṣṇa was amazed to see his own beauty and wished to relish it.” Such all-enchanting beauty can be found nowhere else. After experiencing it for themselves, the vraja-gopikās said, trailokya-saubhagam idaṁ ca nirīkṣya rūpaṁ yad-go-dvija-druma-mṛgāḥ pulakāny abibhran (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.40). “O dear one! After seeing your world-charming beauty, not only men and women, but cows also gaze at your face with unblinking eyes. Parrots, mynahs and other birds sit on tree limbs meditating on your form, like sages with closed eyes. The deer worship your form with offerings of love made through their gazes. With hearts delighted by prema, the trees and creepers reveal their joy by showering you with a stream of nectar.” Govinda Ācārya has said, ḍhala-ḍhala kāṁcā aṅgera lābaṇi abanī gaḍiyā yāya, (yāra) īṣat-hāsira taraṅga-hillole madana mūrachā pāya. “The earth is intoxicated by the beauty and charm of Kṛṣṇa’s youthful body. Madana, the god of love, swoons in the waves of Kṛṣṇa’s subtle smile.” Śrī Rādhā’s breasts are the enchanters of Śyāmasundara, the enchanter of the world.

ghana ghana āṁcara, kuca-giri kāṁcara, hāsi hāsi tahi puna heri |

janu majhu mana hari, kanayā-kumbha-bhari, muhari rākhali kata beri ||

yaba mana bāndhala, indriya phāṁphara, tāhi milala āna āna |

kāṭhaka putali, aiche muruchāyata gobinda-dāsa paramāṇa ||

In pūrva-rāga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “After I saw the bodice covering her breasts, it seemed as though my mind had been stolen, poured into two golden pots (golden breasts) and sealed with lac (reddish nipples). When my mind had been captured, my senses also became perplexed and joined it. The mind is the king of the senses. Therefore, along with the mind, the senses were captured. If by seeing her breasts even a heartless wooden puppet swoons, what can be said of the sentient?”

One thing worth noting here is that Parabrahma Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not some henpecked male. He cannot be subdued by any means other than prema. All of Śrī Rādhā’s limbs are formed from the essence of mahābhāva. Therefore, Śrī Rādhā’s limbs are most capable in the matter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s absolute submission. This secret is mentally perceptible by the vraja-rasa-worshiping bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas. Karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs and even bhaktas endowed with wealth and knowledge are forever deprived of this rasa. Even among the devotees of vraja-rasa, only those who follow the bhāvas of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs and mañjarīs understand the meaning of this. After seeing in līlā the amazing power of Rādhā’s breasts to give happiness to Kṛṣṇa, Śrīpāda joyfully exclaimed, “I bow to Śrī Rādhā’s breasts!”

My books are 15% off through March 28, 2025.

     My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through March 28, 2025. Use the code MOREBOOKS15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only.

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 35 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

सान्द्रानुराग-रससार-सरःसरोजं

किंवा द्विधा मुकुलितं मुखचन्द्रभासा ।

तन्नूतनस्तनयुगं वृषभानुजायाः

स्वानन्दसीधु-मकरन्दघनं स्मरामि ॥ ३५ ॥

sāndrānurāga-rasa-sāra-saraḥ-sarojaṁ

kiṁvā dvidhā mukulitaṁ mukha-candra-bhāsā |

tan-nūtana-stana-yugaṁ vṛṣabhānu-jāyāḥ

svānanda-sīdhu-makaranda-ghanaṁ smarāmi || 35 ||

“I remember Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts, which are filled with the nectar of personal joy. They are like lotus buds born in a lake of the highest rasa of love and nourished by the glow from her moonlike face.”

Lotuses in a Lake of Love

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s mind is absorbed in Śrī Rādhā’s mādhurya. In the previous verse, he relished the beauty of Śrīmatī’s breasts while serving Śrī Yugala in one end-of-night pastime. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of mahābhāva. Her form is shaped by mahābhāva. There is no experience of that form outside of bhāva (love), so it must be understood through bhāva. It is not like a woman’s body made of the seven elements of the material world. Śrī Rādhā is most beautiful when she is with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Her beauty is the essence of all beauty. One must experience her form with a pure heart. kṛṣṇera biśuddha-prema-ratnera ākara; nirupama-guṇa-gaṇa pūrṇa kalebara (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.181). “Rādhā is like a mine replete with jewels made of pure love for Kṛṣṇa. Her body abounds with incomparable qualities.” You must awaken your svarūpa and understand it. You must erase the mundane male-female concept from the heart and become a mañjarī.

sādhanao ekhāne siddhio ekhāne, bhābera gocara se |

ekhāne yadi tā, dekhite nā pāo, marile dekhibe ke || 

“Sādhana is for this world; siddhi is also for here. That is attainable by bhāva. If one cannot experience it here, how will he experience it just by dying?” (Sādhu-Vāṇī) Śrīpāda has submerged his mind in the beauty of Śrīmatī’s breasts without hesitation. There is not even a trace of bodily consciousness. Although his body is spiritual because he is one of Mahāprabhu’s companions, he has forgotten everything in the mood of a rādhā-dāsī. So much tenderness and sweetness are aroused in the sādhaka’s heart when he conceives of himself as one of Rādhā’s dāsīs. As the fortunate sādhaka continues to devote himself to Śrīpāda’s lofty teachings, an eagerness for tasting vraja-rasa will awaken in his heart. Śrīpāda’s words have great power. They will awaken a profound longing in the sādhaka’s heart and bless him with a taste of the subject matter’s sweetness. 

When Śrīpāda’s mystic vision ended, a cry of lamentation arose from within his heart. He felt an intense burning sensation. dīnā dāsīke ekabāra līlā-rājye laiyā yāo. dekhā diyā prāṇa rākha, maritechi ei dekha, karuṇā-kaṭākṣa kara dāna. “Just once take this poor dāsī to the kingdom of līlā. Show it to her and save her life. I’m dying; please look at me. Bless me with your compassionate glance.” He was crying in anguish. Like lightning, a vision of līlā suddenly appeared. Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma were roaming about on the banks of the Yamunā, which were illuminated by their beautiful lusters of blue and gold. They were engrossed in leisurely play. None of their sakhīs were present, so they enjoyed without hesitation. Śrīpāda was there in the form of a loyal maidservant. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa consider the kiṅkarī to be the embodiment of devotion to their amorous play. Therefore, they have no hesitation in their play; rather they immerse themselves more deeply. These girls are called mañjarīs (meaning sprigs, sprouts or shoots) and are also mañjarīs by nature. They increase the king of bees’ yearning for the fully blossomed flower. They express the beauty and sweetness of the flower. What a pleasant nature! This is the highest stage of disinterest in sensual pleasures.

Exhausted from their love-play, Śrī Yugala sat on the jeweled steps of a Yamunā ghat. To please them, the Yamunā’s banks and water have arrayed a collection of incomparably beautiful things. Countless flowers like red and blue lotuses and white water-lilies have bloomed in the blue waters of the Yamunā. Joyful ganders sport freely with their geese. A cooling and fragrant breeze bearing droplets of Yamunā water has been blessed with yugala-sevā. Various kinds of trees and creepers on the riverbank were blossoming with abundant flowers. The area resounded with the chirping of birds. The cuckoos sang and the peacocks danced. The buzzing bees enjoyed the nectar of various flowers. The couple engaged in so many juicy conversations. Through sevā-rasa, the kiṅkarī succeeded in tasting Śrī Yugala’s unique beauty and sweetness. Śrī Rādhā looked at Śyāma’s face and saw that the tilaka on his forehead had been slightly smeared by the drops of perspiration from their love-play. Śrīmatī decided that she wanted to restore those tilaka lines. Understanding her svāminī’s mind, the kiṅkarī brought her a jeweled tray bearing a paintbrush and paint made from yellow orpiment (haritāla). With deep concentration, Śrīmatī recreated the tilaka on Śyāma’s forehead. She placed drops of paint, one by one, above his eyebrows. This concentration took shape in Śrīmatī’s face and eyes. The sādhaka should meditate on her painting: “I want to experience this form, this mood, this attentiveness in my heart and mind.” A gentle smile appeared on Śyāma’s face when he saw Śrīmatī’s absorption. The kiṅkarī got a taste of hāsya-rasa (the rasa of smiling or laughing). Suddenly, Śyāma threw the bowl of haritāla into the deep waters of the Yamunā. Surprised, Svāminī said, “Oh! What have you done? There are still two or four dots left to replace on your tilaka.” The kiṅkarī said, “Rādhā! There is no more haritāla paint here.” Then, Śrīmatī carefully removed some of the haritāla used to paint dolphins on her breasts and created the remaining dots on Śyāma’s tilaka. It seemed to the kiṅkarī at that time that profound love in the form of Rādhā’s breasts had appeared as a pair of golden lotus buds in a lake of the highest rasa, nourished by the glow from her moonlike face. When they saw the beauty of Śrīmatī’s breasts, both Śyāmasundara and the kiṅkarī felt they had attained success. Mahābhāva is the condensed nectar of love. The essence or most delightful part of that is mādana. Śrī Rādhā’s heart-lake is full of mādana-rasa. In the lake of mādana-rasa, the golden lotus buds are Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts. It is as though the essence of rasa in her heart has manifested externally. It is experienced through līlā (pastimes). Svāminī and Śyāmasundara abound in līlā. Without līlā, one gets no experience of their forms, qualities and so on. Every experience of such things comes from tasting līlā-rasa.

There is no possibility of nectar in a budding lotus, but these amazing golden lotus buds are filled with the nectar of svānanda, personal joy. That nectar is cooling, delicious and intoxicating. The gopīs do not seek their own happiness; therefore, it goes without saying that Śrī Rādhā, the crown jewel of gopikās, does not seek personal happiness. The glow of Śyāma’s happiness is reflected in Śrīmatī. gopikāra sukha kṛṣṇa-sukhe paryavasāna. “The gopikās are happy when Kṛṣṇa is happy.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 4.189) Or, the word sva can also mean a person’s loved ones. Her breasts are the embodiment of condensed rasa meant to bring joy to Śyāmasundara, who is a million times dearer to her than her own life. Or, the word ghana can mean cloud. Like a group of clouds, Rādhā’s breasts shower her beloved Śyāmasundara with a stream of nectar, cooling his viraha-burned heart and giving him supreme joy. The rasa of Śrīpāda’s vision has manifested in verse form. Suddenly, his vision ended. In external consciousness he prayed, “I remember Śrī Rādhā’s golden lotus-bud breasts.” Praying focuses the mind. In the sweetness of prayer, there is no connection with the external world. In order to taste this sweetness, the sādhaka also must be silent about external matters.

yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī |

yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyato muneḥ ||

“Where a worldly person is asleep to self-realization or the kingdom of līlā, a contemplative sādhaka remains awake. Where the world is awake to external matters, the contemplative sādhaka ever sleeps.” (Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 2.69)