Vrajadhāma: Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Go to Gupta-Kuṇḍa
Śrī Rādhā was sleeping with her sakhīs at Nandīśvara in Vraja. After resting for a while, everyone awoke and got up. At Śrī Gurudevī’s signal, the sādhaka-dāsī brought scented water in a golden pitcher along with a golden basin so Śrī Rādhā could wash her hands and face. The sakhīs then washed their hands and faces and sat in a circle around Śrīmatī. Meanwhile, Dhaniṣṭhā arrived and gave to Viśākhā the blue cloth that Śrī Rādhā had accidentally exchanged at the end of night. Viśākhā gave Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s yellow cloth to Dhaniṣṭhā to be transferred to Subala. At that time, the sakhīs began to joke and laugh about Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma’s exchange of clothing, and for a little while everyone was submerged in ānanda-rasa. Meanwhile, Tuṅgavidyā whispered something into Viśākhā’s ear and Viśākhā expressed her approval with a gentle smile and a graceful gesture of her neck. When Śrī Rādhā saw them both smiling, she understood their mood and said, “O friends! When I see you smiling and whispering with your fingertips on your lips, it occurs to me that your intentions may not be good. I am an innocent girl and a virtuous wife; therefore, it is not proper for me to stay here any longer.” After saying this, Śrīmatī stood up and was about to depart for home when Śrī Viśākhā blocked her and said with a smile, “My dear friend, are you expressing your desire for your lover under the guise of fear? Otherwise, why does our whispering cause you to worry about your future?” Meanwhile, crafty Dhaniṣṭhā said to Śrī Rādhā, “Sakhī Rādhā! These girls are deceitful. Leave them and come with me through the rear gate to the garden to pick bandhūka flowers for sūrya-pūjā.” After saying this, Dhaniṣṭhā took Śrīmatī to a beautiful six-season grove in a valley of Nandīśvara Hill to the west of Nandīśvara Pura.
In that grove there are mango, jackfruit, coconut, betel-nut, date palm, kadamba, pārijāta and other trees laden with fruits and flowers and covered with mādhavī, mālatī, yūthī and navamallikā creepers (types of jasmine). The area resounds with the sweet calls of cuckoos and other birds and the pleasant humming of bees. The path that leads from the western gate of the village to the grove is like a beautiful terrace inlaid with multicolored gemstones from Nandīśvara. On rows of trees that line both sides, various kinds of creepers have grown into an umbrella shape above the path, their leaves arrayed to create a dense shade. Beautiful gem-studded benches surround the bases of all the trees. In the middle of the grove is a delightful lake named Gupta-Kuṇḍa that is surrounded by a terrace inlaid with jewels. The lake is filled with pure water and beautified by white, blue, yellow and red lotuses. The sweet sounds of swans, storks and other birds fill the air. The jeweled ghāṭa is adorned with a beautiful pavilion, a swing, a terrace and so on. It is surrounded by charming bowers and multicolored jeweled benches. On the western side of the lake there is a nikuñja-mandira called Aśokānandada. It was constructed by a vanadevī(1) named Vīrā for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and contains a lovely flower bed and so on. Four desire-fulfilling trees in the four corners of the nikuñja-mandira joined their limbs above to form a beautiful and colorful canopy covered by flowering creepers. The bees move from one flower cluster to another, attracted by their sweet fragrance. The amazing madana-rasa (the erotic mood) has been awakened by the melodious cooing of the cuckoos. On the four sides of the kuñja are four entrances with doors made of flowers. In the middle of the kuñja is a jeweled bedstead bearing a mattress strewn with stemless flowers. The bedstead is surrounded by golden benches furnished with a cāmara, a fan, a bowl of tāmbūla, a golden pitcher filled with scented water, a spittoon and other articles.
------------------------
1. A forest goddess
No comments:
Post a Comment