अतिस्नेहादुच्चैरपि च हरिनामानि गृणत-
स्तथा सौगन्धाद्यैर्बहुभिरुपचारैश्च यजतः ।
परानन्दं वृन्दावनमनुचरन्तं च दधतो
मनो मे राधायाः पदमृदुलपद्मे निवसतु ॥ ५५ ॥
atisnehād uccair api ca hari-nāmāni gṛṇatas
tathā saugandhādyair bahubhir upacāraiś ca yajataḥ |
parānandaṁ vṛndāvanam anucarantaṁ ca dadhato
mano me rādhāyāḥ pada-mṛdula-padme nivasatu || 55 ||
“May my mind always joyfully remain at the soft lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā. As I attend to her in Vṛndāvana, I will affectionately sing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names in a loud voice and worship her with fragrant substances.”
Serving Vraja-Rasa
Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: The sweetness of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet has agitated Śrīpāda’s heart and mind. The whole world seems empty without those lotus feet. After his mystic vision ended, he felt profoundly humble and unworthy. It seemed to him that Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet are most difficult to attain. He felt that the good fortune of directly seeing and serving those extraordinary feet is likely impossible for him. “At least let my mind be blessed to stay at Śrī Rādhā’s soft lotus feet.” The next moment he thinks, “Alas! How can I keep my restless mind on her feet at all times? Having the mind fixed on the feet of one’s cherished deity is a result of śuddha-bhakti. I am not steadily devoted to any limb of bhakti. How will my mind get the good fortune of staying at Śrī Rādhā’s feet, which are most difficult to attain?” Even though Śrīpāda is a nitya-parikara (eternal companion), he humbly prays for bhajana-niṣṭhā (steadiness in bhajana) so his mind will remain fixed on Śrīmatī’s lotus feet. He is teaching the people of the world about bhajana-niṣṭhā through his own conduct. Bhajana is the way; bhajana is the goal. We seek bhajana through bhajana. Before loving Bhagavān, the sādhaka must first love bhajana. If one learns to love bhajana, then love for the worshipable Śrī Bhagavān will come spontaneously. Love for bhajana means the effort to perform bhajana properly and in the company of devotees. In this verse, the topic of steadiness in bhajana performed with others has been mentioned. Therefore, for those who desire success in bhajana, this verse is most beneficial, like a nectar that restores one’s life.
In Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.238 and 244, Śrīpāda Rūpa Gosvāmicaraṇa has referred to five of the sixty-four types of bhajana as having extraordinary transcendental power:
durūhādbhuta-vīrye’smin śraddhā dūre’stu pañcake |
yatra svalpo’pi sambandhaḥ sad-dhiyāṁ bhāva janmane ||
alaukika-padārthānām acintyā śaktir īdṛśī |
bhāvaṁ tad-viṣayaṁ cāpi yā sahaiva prakāśayet ||
The meaning is that these five limbs of bhakti are esoteric and extraordinarily powerful: satsaṅga, nāma-saṅkīrtana, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, worshiping the deity and living in Vraja. Not to speak of full faith in these limbs, if an innocent person develops even a slight connection with them, bhāva will quickly appear in his heart. One may ask how it is possible for such a rare state as bhāva or rati to appear in the sādhaka’s heart through methodical sādhana-bhajana with only minimal contact with these five aṅgas. Śrī Rūpa has answered that these transcendental sādhanas have such inconceivable power that through only a slight connection with them, both bhāva and the object of bhāva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) appear at the same time. Among these five sādhanas, Śrīpāda is expressing here his faith in nāma-saṅkīrtana, vigraha-sevā and residence in Vraja.
First, he resolves to lovingly perform nāma-saṅkīrtana in a loud voice. The reason is that among all the limbs of bhajana, śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana is supreme and independent.
bhajanera madhye śreṣṭha naba-bidhā bhakti |
kṛṣṇa-prema kṛṣṇa dite dhare mahāśakti ||
tāra madhye sarba-śreṣṭha nāma-saṅkīrtana |
niraparādhe nāma laile jība pāya prema-dhana ||
“Among the types of bhajana, the nine limbs of bhakti are the best. They have the great power to bestow both love for Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa himself. Among them, the greatest of all is nāma-saṅkīrtana. If a jīva chants the Holy Names without offense, he or she will attain the treasure of spiritual love.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Antya 4.70-71)
kṛṣṇa-nāma-gāne bhāi, rādhikā-caraṇa pāi,
rādhā-nāma-gāne kṛṣṇa-candra |
saṁkṣepe kahinu kathā, ghucāo manera byathā,
duḥkhamaya anya-kathā dhanda ||
“O brother! By singing Kṛṣṇa’s name, you will get Rādhikā’s lotus feet. By singing Rādhā’s name, you will get Kṛṣṇacandra. I have spoken briefly about this. End the troubles of your mind. All other topics are full of misery and confusion.” (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 110)
This method is the best way to attain Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Śrī Nāma is an incarnation of Śrī Bhagavān’s great compassion. avatārāntaravat parameśvarasyaiva varṇa-rūpeṇāvatāro’yam iti (Bhagavat-Sandarbha 48). Like Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rāma, Śrī Nṛsiṁha and others, Śrī Nāma must be understood as an avatāra of Śrī Bhagavān’s mercy in the form of letters. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written in his Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Nāmāṣṭakam: nikhila-śruti-mauli-ratna-mālā-dyuti-nīrājita-pāda-paṅkajānta. “The luster from all the Śrutis’ crown-jewels illuminates the tips of Śrī Nāma’s lotus feet.” By these words we can understand that Śrīpāda is not seeing Śrī Nāma in the form of letters. He is seeing him in the form of Śrī Vigraha, who is endowed with hands, feet, beauty and sweetness. Therefore, the experience of endless joy in Śrī Bhagavān, the embodiment of rasa, is also embedded in Śrī Nāma. The experiences of noble souls are the best evidence of this. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, ataevānanda-rūpatvam asya mahad-dhṛdaya-sākṣikaṁ yathā śrī-vigrahasya. “Like a visible mūrti of Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Bhagavān’s names are also the embodiments of joy. The experiences of great souls are the best pramāṇa of this.” The bhakta realizes,
kṛṣṇa-nāme ye ānanda-sindhu āsvādana |
brahmānanda tāra āge khātodaka sama ||
“Compared to tasting the ocean of joy in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, the joy of brahman is like water in a pond.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 7.97) When irreverent asuras see the joyful form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they are unable to experience his beauty and sweetness. In the same way, the tongue of an offender cannot experience the joyful form of Śrī Nāma. Therefore, although chanting Śrī Nāma mechanically, they do not obtain śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema, the fruit of nāma-bhajana. If an offensive person chants Śrī Nāma and does not see any results, he may harbor some doubt about the glory of Śrī Nāma. This is an impediment to his Vaiṣṇavism and a great aparādha. On the other hand, if one spreads the glories of Śrī Nāma, he will attain the highest devotion to Bhagavān. nāma-kīrtana-pracāra-prabhāvenaiva parama-bhagavat-parāyaṇatva-siddhir darśitā. (Bhakti-Sandarbhah 274 Anuḥ)
Śrīpāda longs to lovingly perform śrī-nāma-kīrtana so he can feel the fruits of Śrī Nāma quickly. The sādhaka must practice śrī-nāma-kīrtana with love and concentration, with the goal of experiencing Śrī Nāma, rather than chanting inattentively like a machine with the goal of just finishing a prescribed number of mantras. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, śrī-bhagavān-nāma-grahaṇaṁ khalu dvidhā bhavati, kevalatvena sneha-saṁyuktatvena ca. tatra pūrveṇāpi prāpayaty eva sadyas tal-lokaṁ tan-nāma. pareṇa ca tat sāmīpyam api prāpayati. mayi bhaktir hi bhūtānām amṛtvāya kalpate. diṣṭyā yad āsīn mat-sneho bhavatīnāṁ mad-āpana iti tad-vākyāt. (Krama-Sandarbha commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.20) “Śrī Bhagavān’s names can be chanted in two ways. First is by merely chanting the names and second is by chanting the names with affection. By chanting without affection, an offenseless person immediately attains Bhagavān’s abode. By chanting with affection, such a person will immediately be brought near to Bhagavān or be engaged in his service. When the vraja-gopīs arrived at Kurukṣetra, Kṛṣṇa said to them, “O beautiful girls of Vraja! Devotion to me has been created as a path to immortality for the jīvas. Therefore, the affection you have for me draws me by force to your presence.” From these words of Śrī Bhagavān, we can understand that the best way to attract him is to have affection for him. In the same way, if a devotee chants Śrī Nāma with affection, Śrī Nāma will attract the named person (in this case, Kṛṣṇa) and cause him to manifest in visible form. A sādhaka who has taken refuge in Śrī Nāma, who is focused on its enjoyable sweeter-than-sweet nature, and who sings nāma-kīrtana with love is bathed in a stream of boundless compassion. Filled with love, Śrīpāda has expressed in a loud voice his desire for nāma-saṅkīrtana. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, nāma-kīrtanaṁ cedam uccair eva praśastam. “Singing nāma-kīrtana in a loud voice is especially praiseworthy.” Śrīpāda Gosvāmicaraṇa has also shown the reason for this, along with evidence. te ca prāṇimātrāṇām eva paramopakartāraḥ kim uta sveṣām; yathoktaṁ nārasiṁhe śrī-prahlādena—te santaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ nirupādhika bāndhavāḥ. ye nṛsiṁha bhavan-nāma gāyanty uccair mudānvitāḥ iti. “Those who sing nāma-kīrtana loudly bring the highest benefit to not only themselves but to all living beings. In the Nṛsiṁha-Purāṇa, Śrī Prahlāda Mahāśaya thus praised Śrī Nṛsiṁhadeva, ‘O Lord! Those great souls who blissfully perform śrī-nāma-kīrtana in loud voices shall be known as unconditional friends of all jīvas.’” (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 269 Anuḥ) In a description of the glories of loud kīrtana, Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura has said,
japile se kṛṣṇa-nāma āpani se tare |
ucca-saṅkīrtane para-upakāra kare ||
ataeba ucca kari kīrtana karile |
śata-guṇa phala haya sarba śāstre bale ||
jihvā pāiyāo nara bine sarba-prāṇī |
nā pāre balite kṛṣṇa-nāma hena dhvani ||
byartha-janma ihārā nistāra yāhā haite |
bala dekhi kona doṣa se karma karite ||
keho āpanāre mātra karaye poṣaṇa |
keho bā poṣaṇa kare sahasreka jana ||
duite ke baḍa, bhābi bujhaha āpane |
ei abhiprāya guṇa ucca-saṅkīrtane ||
“If you chant japa of kṛṣṇa-nāma, that is for your benefit, whereas loud saṅkīrtana also benefits others. Therefore, all the śāstras say the result of performing loud kīrtana is a hundred times greater. Even though having tongues, no living beings but humans are able to speak Kṛṣṇa’s names. Tell me, is there any fault in performing some action that would rescue them from a fruitless life? Someone may enrich only himself while someone else may enrich a thousand people. Think about this for yourself and try to understand which of these two is greater. This is the virtuous intention of loud saṅkīrtana.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādi, 14th chapter)
Besides this intention, there is another one hidden within the sādhaka’s loud kīrtana. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written the following in Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.3.167:
nāmnāṁ tu saṅkīrtanam ārti-bhārān
meghaṁ vinā prāvṛṣi cātakānām |
rātrau viyogāt sva-pate rathāṅgi-
vargasya cākrośanavat pratīhi ||
“Just as cātaka(1) birds long for the clouds in the rainy season and ruddy geese cry out in separation for their lovers at night, the bhakta-sādhaka also cries out hare, kṛṣṇa and other names of Bhagavān with love.” By chanting Śrī Nāma loudly like this, the sādhaka will very quickly be blessed with prema.
Śrīpāda is also expressing his desire to lovingly perform arcanā with various kinds of fragrant offerings. A sādhaka devoted to Śrī Nāma considers it to be a direct, merciful avatāra of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in letter form and thus sweeter than sweet. With this conviction, the sādhaka will be blessed with the highest joy through nāma-kīrtana. In the same way, a sādhaka worshiping Śrī Vigraha thinks, pratimā naha sākṣāt tumi brajendra-nandana. “You are not a statue; you are directly Vrajendranandana.” Having such faith, he will be blessed with the loving service of Śrī Vigraha. Even though being a merciful avatāra of Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Nāma is considered by aparādhīs to be composed of ordinary letters. Similarly, although Śrī Vigraha is a direct form of Śrī Bhagavān, he appears through the material senses of an aparādhī to be an image made of wood or stone. In fact, Śrī Bhagavān personally resides in the homes of his bhaktas as deities to accept their prema-sevā and fulfill their desires. Therefore, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, paramopāsakāś ca sākṣāt-parameśvaratvenaiva tāṁ paśyanti, bheda-sphūrter bhakti-vicchedakatvāt tathaiva hy ucitam. “The best of devotees perceive Śrī Vigraha as a direct form of the Supreme Lord. Because an expression of distinction between them would interrupt the flow of bhakti, seeing them as one is appropriate.” (Bhakti-Sandarbhah 286) It is harmful to bhakti to think that the deity is not Śrī Bhagavān himself, but that Bhagavān only resides in that form.
nāma, bigraha, svarūpa, tina eka-rūpa |
tine bheda nāi—tina cid-ānanda-rūpa ||
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, form and nature are all identical. There is no difference in the three—they are all expressions of spiritual joy.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 17.131)
The pure experiences of the bhaktas are glowing examples of the truth of this. In the form of a deity, he has enjoyed the offerings given by countless bhaktas, has conversed with them, and moved by their devotion, has come and gone to various places. To give testimony for the sake of his bhakta, Bhakta-Vatsala(2) Śrī Gopāla walked in deity form from Śrī Vṛndāvana to Vidyānagara. Then, due to the devotion of Śrī Puruṣottama Deva, the king of Orissa, he traveled from Vidyānagara to Cuttack. The queen arrived to see Gopāla, wishing to adorn him with the precious pearl from her nose. She mused,
ṭhākurera nāsāte yadi chidra thākita |
tabe ei dāsī muktā nāsāte parāita ||
eta cinti namaskari gelā svabhabane |
rātri-śeṣe gopāla tāṁre kahena svapane ||
bālaka-kāle mātā mora nāsā chidra kari |
muktā parāiyāchilā bahu yatna kari ||
sei chidra adyāpi mora āchaye nāsāte |
sei muktā parāha—yāhā cāhiyācha dite ||
“‘If there were a hole in the deity’s nose, I could decorate him with this pearl.’ Thinking thus, she offered obeisance and returned to her palace. At the end of night, Gopāla spoke to her in a dream, saying, ‘When I was a child, my mother pierced my nose and carefully placed a pearl in it. That hole remains in my nose even now, so you may insert the pearl you wished to give me.’” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 5.127-130)
During Gopāla’s childhood, Mother Yaśodā pierced his nose so she could adorn it with a pearl. That hole is still there. Hence Gopāla is personally saying here that there is no difference between himself and his deity form. Therefore, the greatest devotees understand that, “You are not a statue; you are directly the son of the king of Vraja.” By serving Śrī Vigraha with devotion, they are soon blessed with his mercy.
Finally, Śrīpāda joyfully reveals his desire to live in Śrī Vṛndāvana. “I am in the place of Śrī Rādhā’s pastimes.” Living in Vraja with such a feeling is most blissful. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has expressed his eagerness to live in Vraja in this way:
hari hari! kabe mora haibe sudina |
phala-mūla bṛndābane, khāñā diba abasāne, bhramiba haiyā udāsīna ||
śītala yamunā-jale, snāna kari kutuhale, premābeśe ānandita haiyā |
bāhura upara bāhu tuli, bṛndābane kuli kuli, kṛṣṇa bali beḍāba kāṁdiyā ||
dekhiba saṅketa sthāna, juḍābe tāpita prāṇa, premābeśe gaḍāgaḍi diba |
kāṁhā rādhā prāṇeśvari, kāṁhā giri-bara-dhāri, kāṁhā nātha baliyā ḍākiba ||
mādhabī-kuñjeropari, sukhe basi śuka-sāri, gāibeka rādhā-kṛṣṇa-rasa |
taru-mūle basi tāhā, śuni juḍāibe hiyā, kabe sukhe goṅāba dibasa ||
“Hari Hari! When will that auspicious day be mine? I will reside in Vṛndāvana, eating fruits and roots, wandering about indifferent to worldly interests. I will bathe in the cool water of the Yamunā with great delight, engrossed in the joy of prema. With my arms crossed upon my chest(3), I will wander from lane to lane in Vṛndāvana, saying ‘Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa!’ Weeping, I will behold the places of Śrī Yugala’s meetings and cool my burning soul. I will roll on the ground in the ecstasy of prema. I will cry out, ‘Where is Rādhā, the Goddess of my life? Where is Girivaradhārī? Where is my Lord?’ Male and female parrots will perch happily above a mādhavī bower and sing songs of rādhā-kṛṣṇa-rasa. I will spend the day sitting at the base of a tree listening to those songs and my heart will be soothed.” (Prārthanā 24)
This is a sweet image of his eagerness to live happily in Vṛndāvana. Though living in Vraja, a jīva like me has no realization of it. It never enters my mind that the ground here is marked with Śrī Rādhā’s footprints. The birds resound with songs in praise of Śrī Rādhā. Where can I hear that? Everything seems ordinary to me. How will Śrī Dhāma’s transcendental form of condensed spirit be revealed to a jīva like me, whose ordinary senses are corrupted by the desire for material enjoyment? aprākṛta-bastu nahe prākṛta-gocara. “A transcendental reality is not within the range of the material.” The bhaktas who through their transcendental senses experience Śrī Dhāma’s charming spiritual form are blessed to reside there in bliss. Śrīpāda is saying, “In this way, if I am able to practice these three limbs of bhajana, my mind will remain always at Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet.” Or, Śrīpāda is resolving to chant Śrī Nāma, perform arcanam and smaraṇam, and to live in Vraja. The meaning of the verse can also be savored in this way.
Apart from the meaning of the verse regarding a sādhaka’s desire for bhajana, a sweet meaning regarding the siddha state can also be relished. At the end of his vision in the previous verse, Śrīpāda, in sādhaka-state, made known his desire to serve Svāminī’s lotus feet. Suddenly, another vision appeared before him. Śrīpāda, in his kiṅkarī-form, was engaged in serving Śrīmatī in Yāvaṭa. Śrī Rādhā’s heartache has increased due to separation from her lover. She has fallen into a stupor. To drive it away, Śrīpāda began to affectionately but in a loud voice speak Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name in her ear. One excellent way to revive Śrī Rādhā is to sing śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma in her ear.
mūrchām āpnuvatī praviśya madhupair gītāṁ kadambāṭavīm |
nāma vyāharatā hareḥ priya-sakhī-vṛndena saṁdhukṣitā ||
“When Śrī Rādhā entered the kadamba forest, she fainted upon hearing the singing of the bees. Her dear sakhīs revived her by chanting Hari’s name.” (Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 15.46)
harināmāni gṛṇataḥ. The kiṅkarī chants harināma, meaning the hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa and so on thirty-two-syllable nāma. When Śrī Rādhā feels separation from her beloved, she also chants this nāma along with savoring its wonderfully sweet meaning.
ekadā kṛṣṇa-virahāt dhyāyantī priya-saṅgamam |
mano-bāṣpa-nirāsārthaṁ jalpatīdaṁ muhur muhuḥ ||
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare |
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare ||
“One day, feeling separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa and wishing to be with him, Śrī Rādhā chanted hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare, hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare again and again to drive away her anguish.”
Śrīmatī’s sweet explanation of the relishable hare kṛṣṇa nāma is also amazing. “As soon as I hear the name hare, you steal my mind; with the name kṛṣṇa, you cause me to hear the sound of the flute and draw me from my home to the forest; with the name hare you steal my shyness and patience; with the name kṛṣṇa, you attract me with your fragrance; with the name kṛṣṇa, you attract me with your alluring charm; with the name kṛṣṇa, you attract me with the highest joy; with the name hare, you bind me with your arms and lead me to the bed of flowers; with the name hare, you place me on the bed and eagerly remove my lower garment.” Like this, understanding the most relishable and confidential meaning of the words, Śrīmatī longingly chants hare kṛṣṇa hare rāma and so on. Now, seeing Śrīmatī’s condition, the kiṅkarī tasted the sweetness of that meaning in her own heart, melted by affection. Considering how to drive away Śrī Rādhā’s viraha-born stupor, she began to sing Śrī Nāma. Then she placed sandalwood paste, camphor, moss, lotus stalks and many other cool and fragrant substances on Śrīmatī’s burning limbs. saugandhādyair bahubhir upacāraiś ca yajataḥ. When the sakhīs saw that the stupor had not gone away, they became anxious. Knowing that without the touch of the most joyful Śrī Govinda’s body, this pain of separation would not leave, the sakhīs dispatched a kiṅkarī to bring him there. parānandaṁ vṛndāvanam anucarantam. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the supreme joy, is now wandering in Vṛndāvana; therefore he must be brought here. Śrī Śuka Muni has also said, yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam. “That friend is the supreme joy, the complete and eternal brahman.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.32) The kiṅkarī dressed Kṛṣṇacandra as a woman and brought him to Śrīmatī in Yāvaṭa. By driving away her stupor born of viraha, she has performed the greatest service. At the end of Śrīpāda’s vision, he humbly said, mano me rādhāyāḥ pada-mṛdula-padme nivasatu. “May my mind always dwell at the soft lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā.”
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1. The cātaka is a type of cuckoo said to subsist solely on raindrops.
2. Affectionate to his devotees
3. This is called a doḥsvastika or ‘arm-svastika’ that signifies deep humility.
