Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 40 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

तस्या अपार-रससार-विलासमूर्ते-

रानन्दकन्द-परमाद्भुत-सौम्य-लक्ष्म्याः ।

ब्रह्मादि-दुर्गमगतेर्वृषभानुजायाः

कैङ्कर्यमेव मम जन्मनि जन्मनि स्यात् ॥ ४० ॥

tasyā apāra-rasa-sāra-vilāsa-mūrter

ānanda-kanda-paramādbhuta-saumya-lakṣmyāḥ |

brahmādi-durgama-gater vṛṣabhānu-jāyāḥ

kaiṅkaryam eva mama janmani janmani syāt || 40 ||

“Let me be a maidservant of the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu in life after life. She is the embodiment of the love-play of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the embodiment of boundless nectar. She is Nandanandana’s most wonderful and gentle Lakṣmī, but is inaccessible to Brahmā and others.”

Being Śrī Rādhā’s Maidservant

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: After Śrīpāda’s mystic vision ended, a deep feeling of humility arose in his heart. Filled with anguish, he prays in sādhaka consciousness to become Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī. “In life after life, let me be Rādhā’s maidservant; I have no other desire.” His mind is enchanted by the sweetness of servitude to Śrī Rādhārāṇī. As the kiṅkarī is a vessel for sweetness, her inner nature is also sweet. “While you are sporting in the bower, the beauty of your eyes will cause your lover to swoon in joy. Let this be the object of my meditation. Your sidelong glance will cause your lover’s flute, crown and cloth to fall off. To drive away his swoon of joy, you will even acknowledge defeat. Then you will require my loyal service. I wish to be your loving maidservant in life after life.” The sādhaka also must taste this sweet service in meditation. A person absorbed in the body will not get a taste of this service. rūpe guṇe ḍagamagī, sadā haba anurāgī, basati kariba sakhīra mājha. “I will live among the sakhīs, who overflow with beauty and good qualities, and to whom I am ever devoted.” The sādhaka must identify with his guru-given siddha-svarūpa and remain submerged in it. For this reason, the transcendental young god of love is worshiped through the kāma-bīja and kāma-gāyatrī. Why is it called gāyatrī? gāyantaṁ trāyate yasmāt gāyatrī tu tataḥ smṛtaḥ. “Because it liberates one who sings it, it is known as gāyatrī.” (Agni-Purāṇa) Through meditation, the sādhaka-self is released from the form made of five elements and given a body, mind and spirit suitable for the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda. Śrīpāda is on the level of mahābhāva. Therefore, even in external consciousness, he feels the low hum of rādhā-dāsya. In this verse, the deep love in Śrīpāda’s heart has awakened a vision of Rādhārāṇī’s wealth of mādhurya. The characteristic of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Ācāryas, who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, is that even the opulence of Śrī Vṛndāvana does not cause them to hesitate due to awe and reverence. It is experienced by them in a pleasant, desirable and enjoyable way. madhuraiśvarya-mādhurya-kṛpādi-bhāṇḍāra (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.44). Vrajadhāma is the abode of mādhurya. Therefore, the devotees here experience both aiśvarya and mādhurya as sweet.

Śrīpāda describes Śrī Rādhā as apāra-rasa-sāra-vilāsa-mūrti. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of the love-play of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the essence of all rasas. Every form of Śrī Bhagavān is a rasa-svarūpa.(1) Śruti says raso vai saḥ, ānandaṁ brahma, but akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti(2) Śrī Govinda is the essence of rasa. He is the foremost of rasikas. Though being a rasa-svarūpa, Brahman is a motionless ocean of joy only and does not taste rasa. Although other forms of Bhagavān taste rasa, they taste the aiśvarya-jñāna-filled contracted love of a bhakta. They are rasikas, but they are not the essence of rasa or the best of rasikas. Because Śrī Kṛṣṇa tastes the pure love of the vrajavāsīs, which is devoid of aiśvarya-jñāna, he is the essence of rasa and the foremost of rasikas. Specifically, because he gets the unabated experience of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s mādanākhya-rasa, which is the highest level of the parakīya-bhāva-filled pure love of the girls of Vraja, he is the foremost of rasikas and the essence of boundless rasa. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of his unabated love-play. Here, the meaning of the word vilāsa is that among the devotees who have taken shelter of dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and madhura-rasas, some will develop a powerful desire for bhagavat-sevā. The prema in their hearts causes the desire for their sevā to awaken accordingly in the heart of Śrī Bhagavān, the embodiment of condensed existence, consciousness and joy. The characteristic of the prema-sevā of the kāntās (lovers), who have taken shelter of madhura-rasa, is that they desire to serve Śrī Bhagavān with their bodies or their youthful beauty by offering him the gift of blissful union. Their prema awakens a corresponding desire for vilāsa in Śrī Govinda’s mind. Śrī Rādhā’s mādanākhya-prema causes a powerful longing to awaken in the heart of Śrī Govinda, the embodiment of condensed joy. Although being most powerful, to get Śrī Rādhā, who is difficult to attain, he sometimes hides in a corner of her courtyard in fear of old Jaṭilā. Though being the embodiment of all happiness, when he longs for the pleasure of Śrī Rādhā’s company, he forgets everything else and waits in the bower-house, gazing in the direction of her arrival path. Startled by the rustle of a falling leaf, his heart is filled with delight at the possibility of Priyājī’s arrival. Sometimes, even though he is the embodiment of truth, Śrī Govinda disguises himself (in a false form) in the hope of getting Śrī Rādhā’s touch. yogī bhogī nāpitānī, tomāra lāgiyā dānī, ojhā hailāma tomāra kāraṇe. “For your sake, I have become a yogī, a bhogī, a female barber, a tax-collector and a shaman.” (Mahājana) Though he is the embodiment of complete knowledge, he sometimes embraces a creeper, thinking it to be Śrī Rādhā, and becomes overwhelmed with happiness. kanaka-latā, dhari āliṅgaye, tuyā kalebara bhāṇe; paraśe bibaśa, bhaigela mādhaba, mūrache madana bāṇe. “Mādhava embraced a golden creeper, thinking it to be your body. He was rendered helpless by your touch and fell into a swoon from Cupid’s arrows.” (Mahājana) He has a powerful desire for Śrī Rādhā. If he met with some other vraja-sundarī, it would not be fruitful because the other vraja-sundarīs do not possess mādanākhya-mahābhāva. śata-koṭi-gopīte nahe kāma nirbāpaṇa, ihātei anumāni śrī-rādhāra guṇa. “His desire is not allayed among countless gopīs. From this we can infer the qualities of Śrī Rādhā.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.116) Śrī Rādhā’s mādana-bhāva causes the desire for union to awaken in Govinda’s heart. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of the fulfillment of that desire. Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī Śrī Rādhā satisfies Śrī Kṛṣṇa by giving him more indescribable joy than he could even imagine. A mahājana has created a sweet depiction of Śrī Rādhā’s recollection of Śrī Govinda’s efforts to unite with her that is truly unique in the kingdom of prema.

buke buke mukhe, caukhe lāgi thāke, tamū satata hārāya |

o buka ciriyā, hiyāra mājhāre, āmāre rākhite cāya ||

hāra nahoṁ piyā, galāya paraye, candana nahoṁ mākhe gāya |

aneka yatane, ratana pāiyā, thuite ṭhāṁi nā pāya ||

karpūra tāmbūla, āpani sājiyā, mora mukha bhari deya |

hāsiyā hāsiyā, cibuka dhariyā, mukhe mukhe diyā leya ||

sājāñā kācāñā, basana parāñā, ābeśe laiyā kore |

dīpa laiyā hāte, mukha nirakhite, titila nayāna-lore ||

caraṇe dhariyā, yābaka racai, āulāñā bāndhaye keśa |

“We embrace, he gazes at my face, but he still always misses me. He wants to place and keep me in his heart. He adorns my throat with a necklace and smears my body with candana. With great effort he obtains a jewel but doesn’t find a place to put it. He prepares camphor and tāmbūla. Smiling, he holds my chin and puts some in my mouth and some in his. With rapt attention, he dresses and decorates me, then places me on his lap. He holds a lamp in his hand so he can see my tear-moistened face. He applies lac-dye to my feet and ties up my disheveled hair.”

Śrī Rādhā keeps Śrī Govinda bewildered by offering him the possibility of boundless, indescribable lovemaking joy. Because of this, Śrī Rādhā has been called the embodiment of the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the essence of boundless rasa. rātri dina kuñja krīḍā kare rādhā saṅge, kaiśora bayasa saphala kaila krīḍā-raṅge. “Day and night, Kṛṣṇa sports in the bowers with Rādhā, thus making his adolescent years fruitful.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.189)

Moreover, Śrīmatī is ānanda-kanda-paramādbhuta-saumya-lakṣmī. Śrī Rādhā is Śrī Nandanandana’s most wonderful and gentle Lakṣmī. In śruti, the joyful nature of Brahman has been ascertained as ānandaṁ brahma, ānandam amṛtaṁ yad vibhāti, ānandaṁ brahmaṇo rūpam and so on. Nandanandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the kanda or root of that joy because he is Svayaṁ Bhagavān. sei rūpa brajāśraya, aiśvarya-mādhuryamaya, sarba-guṇa-gaṇa ratnālaya, ānera baibhaba sattā, kṛṣṇa-datta bhagabattā, kṛṣṇa sarba-aṁśī sarbāśraya. “That form resides in Vraja, full of both aiśvarya and mādhurya. He is a treasure trove of good qualities and the origin of others’ power. He is the source and refuge of all.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.120) ananyāpekṣi yad-rūpaṁ svayaṁ-rūpaḥ sa ucyate (Laghu-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 1.12). Because his form does not depend on another, he is the root of joy. He is the direct embodiment of bliss. Śrī Śuka Muni said, yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.32). There is no comparison to the good fortune of the vrajavāsīs, whose friend is the absolute Brahman and eternal embodiment of transcendental joy. paramānandaṁ yat tad eva yeṣāṁ mitram (Vaiṣṇava-Toṣaṇī ṭīkā). Śrī Rādhā is ānanda-kanda Śrī Nandanandana’s gentle and wonderful Goddess of Fortune. Lakṣmī, the Goddess of Vaikuṇṭha, is restless and proud of her opulence. Śrī Rādhā, the prema-lakṣmī of Vraja, has a sweet and calm nature. Having experienced her greatness, Bhāgavata Paramahaṁsa Mahāmuni Śrī Śukadeva has introduced her in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the principal gopikā. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the independent Bhagavān himself, in the same way, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the highest state of the parā-śakti. In prema, she is filled with Kṛṣṇa; in rasa, she is Gaurāṅgī; in aiśvarya, she contains all the lakṣmīs; in mādhurya, she is the principal gopikā. Śrī Rādhā, the embodiment of prema, is a calm and gentle lakṣmī. Therefore, she is most amazing. Prema is an extraordinary thing. Śrī Rādhā is the true essence of prema-rasa and the highest refuge of mādana-rasa. Therefore, she is paramādbhuta-saumya-lakṣmī.

Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī Śrī Rādhā is impossible for even Brahmā and others to attain. Without taking shelter of sakhī-bhāva, it is impossible to get the mercy of this vraja-lakṣmī.

rādhā-kṛṣṇera līlā ei ati gūḍhatara | dāsya-bātsalyādi bhābera nā haya gocāra ||

sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihāṁ adhikāra | sakhī haite haya ei līlāra bistāra ||

sakhī-binā ei līlāya anyera nāhi gati | sakhī-bhābe yei tāṁre kare anugati ||

rādhā-kṛṣṇera kuñja-sebā-sādhya sei pāya | sei sādhya pāite āra nāhika upāya ||

“The pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are profound. They are not within the range of dāsya, vātsalya and the other bhāvas. Only the sakhīs are qualified; from them the līlā expands. Without the sakhīs, there is no progress in the līlā. One who follows them attains his goal of serving Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the bower. There is no other way to attain such a goal.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.201-202, 204-205)

Brahmā, who is a servant of aiśvarya-jñāna (awe and reverence), has no adhikāra (qualification) for the madhura-rasa of Vraja. Even though Brahmā wanted to taste the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s boyhood pastime of eating lunch with his friends on the beach, he was not able to understand or appreciate the difficult-to-attain vraja-līlā. Therefore, he became an offender by stealing Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boys and calves. Needless to say, the kaiśora-līlā (adolescent pastimes) of Kṛṣṇa with the vraja-gopīs, particularly his most confidential nikuñja-līlā with Śrī Rādhā, is in every way difficult to attain. If one cannot drive aiśvarya-jñāna completely from his heart, he has no hope of tasting vraja-mādhurī. It is impossible for Brahmā and the other high-ranking devatās to renounce their aiśvarya-jñāna. Therefore, experiencing the sweetness of Vraja is not within the range of possibility for them.

tādṛg bhagavati premā pāramaiśvarya-dṛṣṭitaḥ | 

sadā sampadyate naiva bhaya-gaurava-sambhavāt ||

kevalaṁ laukika-prāṇa-suhṛd-buddhyā sa sidhyati |

lokālokāt taro yo’sāv atilokottaro’pi yaḥ ||

In their discussion about ascertaining who is qualified for vraja-prema, Śrī Nārada said to Gopakumāra, “Those who regard Śrī Kṛṣṇa as parameśvara (supreme lord) can never attain vraja-prema because of their aiśvarya-jñāna. Those who experience Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a human best friend realize vraja-prema. Though vraja-prema resembles earthly love, it is the greatest treasure beyond both the visible and invisible worlds.” (Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.82-83) Vraja-rasa-bhajana exists at the highest stage of vraja-prema under the shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet or in sakhī or mañjarī-bhāva. Therefore, it is in every way an inaccessible reality for Brahmā, Rudra and so on. By Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s mercy, that supreme truth has now become the goal for miserable kali-yuga-jīvas. Therefore, Govinda Dāsa has said,

madhura bṛndā, bipina mādhurī, prabeśa cāturī sāra |

baraja yubati, bhābera ārati, śakati haita kāra |

yadi gaura nā ha’ta |

ati satya ei mahābāṇī! jaya gaurahari! mukta-haste braja-prema-dāne tumi-i ati sudakṣa |

baraṇa āśrama, kiñcana akiñcana, kāra kona doṣa nāhi māne |

kamalā-śiba-bidhi, dulaha prema-nidhi, dāna karaye jaga-jane ||

“To enter the sweet forest of Tulasī, intelligence is essential, along with the desire to follow the bhāva of the Vraja girls. If not for Gaura, who would have the power to do so? These great teachings are true. Jaya Gaurahari! You are expert in bestowing the gift of vraja-prema with open hands. Whether one follows varṇāśrama, has little wealth or none, you see no fault. Though the treasure of prema is difficult to attain by Lakṣmī, Śiva and Brahmā, you give it freely to the people of the world.”

Śrīpāda is a dear companion of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the embodiment of kindness. Therefore, although vraja-prema is an unattainable goal for Brahmā and others, it is natural that they pray to be Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s maidservants. The word kaiṅkarya implies “What can I do? What kind of sevā shall I do?” An intense desire for sevā is expressed by the word kaiṅkarya. In the phrase kaiṅkaryam eva, the word eva (indeed, truly) indicates pure rādhā-dāsya or mañjarī-bhāva. They have no interest in physical contact with Kṛṣṇa. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has said, “I bow to your sakhyam (friendship); I take your sakhyam on my head. But my eternal desire is for your dāsyam (servitude).” sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ, dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam (Vilāpa-Kusumāñjaliḥ 16). This kind of pure dāsyam has been indicated by the word eva. “Let me be a maidservant of the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu in life after life.” Śrīpāda’s heart is full of this intense desire to be Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī.

-------------------

(1) Rasa-svarūpa means “embodiment of rasa.”

(2)  Raso vai saḥ means ‘he is indeed rasa,’ ānandaṁ brahma means ‘Brahman is joy’ and akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti means ‘the embodiment of all nectarous rasas.’