Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 114 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

গৌরহরি অবতরি,        প্রেমের বাদর করি,

সাধিলা মনের নিজ কাজ ।

রাধিকার প্রাণপতি,        কি ভাবে কান্দয়ে নিতি,

ইহা বুঝে ভকত-সমাজ ॥ ১১৪ ॥

gaurahari abatari,        premera bādara kari,

sādhilā manera nija kāja |

rādhikāra prāṇa-pati,        ki bhābe kāndaye niti,

ihā bujhe bhakata-samāja || 114 ||

     Gaurahari incarnated to shower prema and fulfill his heart’s desires. Only the bhaktas understand the constant weeping of Rādhikā’s lover.

Gaurahari’s Accomplishments

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: After stating the cause of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s incarnation, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now speaks of his actions: gaurahari abatari, premera bādara kari, sādhilā manera nija kāja. Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s mind was occupied in two ways—one primary and the other secondary. In the previous verse, he stated that he intended primarily to enjoy the fulfillment of his three wishes and secondarily to bless the people of the world with prema. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya said the following to Śrīman Mahāprabhu in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.279:

rādhikāra bhāba-kānti kari’ aṅgīkāra | 

nija-rasa āsvādite kariyācha abatāra ||

nija-gūḍha-kārya tomāra prema āsvādana | 

ānuṣaṅge premamaya kaile tribhubana ||

     “You have accepted Rādhikā’s mood and complexion and have descended to relish your own rasa. Your deepest motive is to taste prema and secondarily to fill the three worlds with it.” 

     It is not at all difficult for Śrīman Mahāprabhu to fill the world with prema; he is Gaurahari. hari-śabdera nānā artha, dui mukhyatama, sarba amaṅgala hare, prema diyā hare mana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 24.59). “The word hari has various meanings, two of which are most important. One is that he destroys all inauspiciousness and the other that he steals one’s mind through love.” Gaurahari displayed Premamayī Śrī Rādhā’s golden complexion on his own body and immediately destroyed the inauspicious desire for sense objects in everyone’s hearts. Then he stole their minds with the gift of prema. In the month of Śrāvaṇa, clouds pour streams of water everywhere, moistening and cooling the heat-afflicted world. In the same way, Premamaya Gaurahari caused a raincloud to appear in the world’s sky that rained down prema on everyone, alleviating their three kinds of suffering and submerging them in a flood of prema. In the teachings of the mahājanas we see the words hema jalada-kāya, prema-dhārā bariṣaya. The flood of prema with which Śrī Gaurahari inundated the world, a type of Vraja’s madhura-rasa consisting of mañjarī-bhāva, is very difficult for even Brahmā and Śiva to obtain. Therefore, a mahājana sang the following in Pada-Kalpa-Taru:

patita heri’ kānde, thira nāhi bāndhe, karuṇa nayāne cāya |

nirupama hema jini’, ujora gorā-tanu, abanī ghana gaḍi’ yāya ||

gaurāṅgera nichani laiyā mari |

o rūpa-mādhurī, pīriti-cāturī, tila-ādha pāsarite nāri ||

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

kamalā-śiba-bidhi, dulaha-prema-nidhi, dāna karaye jagajane ||

aichana sadaya, hṛdaya rasamaya, gaura bhela parakāśa |

prema-dhanera dhanī, kayala abanī, bañcita gobinda dāsa ||

     “Seeing the fallen people, he cries, unable to maintain his calm; he looks with compassionate eyes. His fair complexion is more radiant than the finest gold. He sometimes rolls on the ground. I would die for Gaurāṅga! I cannot forget for half a moment his sweet form, joy and intelligence. Regardless of one’s varṇa or āśrama, or whether one is rich or poor, Gaura sees no fault in anyone. He gave the treasure of prema, which is difficult for even Lakṣmī, Śiva and Brahmā to attain, to the people of the world. Kind-hearted, charming Gaurasundara became manifest and made the earth rich with prema. Only Govinda Dāsa was deprived.”

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, rādhikāra prāṇa-pati, ki bhābe kāndaye niti, ihā bujhe bhakata-samāja. The embodiment of concentrated joy Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana accepted the bhāva of Śrī Rādhā. Though being the lord of Śrī Rādhā’s life, absorbed in her mood he only cries day and night. kāṅhā karoṅ, kāṅhā pāṅ brajendra-nandana, kāṅhā mora prāṇanātha muralī-badana; kāhāre kahiba, kebā jāne mora duḥkha; brajendra-nandana-binu phāṭe mora buka (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.15-16). “Where shall I go? Where will I find Vrajendranandana? Where is the lord of my life, the player of the flute? To whom shall I speak? Who can understand my suffering? My heart breaks without him.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu chiefly relished Śrī Rādhā’s sweet love by adopting her viraha-bhāva, or mood of separation, because the ocean of prema is churned most in viraha; therefore, the experience of it is astonishing.

     Human language cannot express the extraordinary moods that appear in Premamayī Śrī Rādhāraṇī’s heart when she feels separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When Śrī Rādhā suffers viraha from Śrī Kṛṣṇa she becomes distraught and filled with Kṛṣṇa inside and out. Kṛṣṇa is all she knows, Kṛṣṇa is all she thinks about, Kṛṣṇa is her life. Kṛṣṇa pervades her entire heart. The external world is hidden to her. She roams about the dense groves of Vraja like a madwoman, crying, “O Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa!” She ignores the thorns piercing her flower-soft feet. In front of her a venomous snake expands its hood and hisses. Though seeing it, she does not see it. Eager to find Kṛṣṇa, she thinks only of him. Her sakhīs somehow sustain the life of this girl maddened by love. 

     After accepting Śrī Rādhā’s bhāva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga relished the emotional state of this girl possessed by divine madness in the gambhīrā-līlā at Nīlācala. No one can understand this incomprehensible state; pure bhaktas experience it according to their devotion. rādhikāra prāṇa-pati, ki bhābe kāndaye niti, ihā bujhe bhakata-samāja. Never mind others, even Śrī Kṛṣṇa is unable to completely understand the bhakta’s act of seeking prema. Who can understand Mahābhāvamayī Śrī Rādhā’s efforts for the sake of love? To understand this prema-seeking, Śrī Kṛṣṇa assumed Śrī Rādhā’s bhāva and became Gaura. Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 18.15 describes it:

bhaktera prema-bikāra dekhi kṛṣṇera camatkāra |

kṛṣṇa yāra nā pāya anta kebā chāra āra ||

bhakta-premera yata daśā ye gati prakāra |

yata duḥkha yata sukha yateka bikāra ||

kṛṣṇa tāhā samyak nā pāre jānite |

bhakta-bhāba aṅgī kare tāhā āsvādite ||

kṛṣṇere nācāya prema bhaktere nācāya |

āpane nācaye—tine nāce eka-thāñi ||

premera bikāra barṇite cāhe yei-jana |

cānda dharite cāhe yena haiyā bāmana ||

bāyu yaiche sindhu-jalera hare eka kaṇa |

kṛṣṇa-prema-kaṇera taiche jībera sparśana ||

kṣaṇe kṣaṇe uṭhe premāra taraṅga ananta |

jība chāra kāṅhā tāra pāibeka anta ||

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya yāhā kare āsvādana |

sabe eka jāne tāhā svarūpādi gaṇa ||

jība hañā kare yei tāhāra barṇana |

āpanā śodhite tāra choṅya eka kaṇa ||

     “Kṛṣṇa is astonished to see the love-born transformations in his bhaktas. If he cannot fully understand them, who could? Kṛṣṇa could not completely understand the different stages of the bhaktas’ love or the different methods, the miseries, joys and transformations, so he accepted the mood of a bhakta to experience them for himself. Prema makes both Kṛṣṇa and the bhaktas dance, and she herself also dances—the three of them dance in one place. One who wants to describe the transformations born of prema is like a dwarf who wants to capture the moon. As a breeze can carry away a drop of ocean water, so the jīva can touch a drop of kṛṣṇa-prema. Endless waves of prema rise from moment to moment. How can an insignificant jīva find the end of such an ocean? Only Svarūpa-Dāmodara and his associates can understand what Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya experiences. By narrating these pastimes, a jīva can purify himself and touch a drop of that ocean.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 113 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

নবদ্বীপে অবতার,        রাধা-ভাব অঙ্গীকার,

তাঁর কান্তি অঙ্গের ভূষণ ।

তিন বাঞ্ছা অভিলাষী,        শচী-গর্ভে পরকাশি,

সঙ্গে সব পারিষদ-গণ ॥ ১১৩ ॥

nabadvīpe abatāra,        rādhā-bhāba aṅgīkāra,

tāṅra kānti aṅgera bhūṣaṇa |

tina-bāñchā-abhilāṣī,        śacī-garbhe parakāśi,

saṅge saba pāriṣada-gaṇa || 113 ||

     After accepting Śrī Rādhā’s mood and adorning his body with her golden luster, Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in Navadvīpa from within Śacīdevī’s womb. He wished to fulfill three desires in the association of his dear companions.

Three Wishes

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya specifies the principal reason for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation as Śrīman Mahāprabhu. First he says, nabadvīpe abatāra, rādhā-bhāba aṅgīkāra, tāṅra kānti aṅgera bhūṣaṇa. After accepting Śrī Rādhā’s mood and adorning his body with her golden luster, Śrī Rādhikā’s beloved Vrajendranandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa incarnated in Navadvīpa in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga. Eager to taste Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s sweet bhāva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa adopted her unique moods like mādana, modana, mohana and so on. He covered his own dark complexion with Śrī Rādhā’s golden hue, as though it were an ornament for his body. He manifested himself as Kṛṣṇa within and Gaura without. No matter which color is mixed with black, it does not have the power to conceal the black. But Rādhārāṇī’s golden luster has such astonishing power that it can fully conceal even Kṛṣṇa’s darkness. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dark complexion cannot mute Śrī Rādhā’s molten-gold complexion in the slightest. For this reason, it is said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa accepted Śrī Rādhā’s golden color as an ornament on his own body.

     Śrī Kṛṣṇa tastes his own sweetness in the mood of Śrī Rādhā after being adorned with such ornaments as her tears, goosebumps and other sāttvika-bhāvas and amazing anubhāvas like dancing, rolling on the ground, taking the form of a tortoise, the dislocation of his limbs and so on. In his narration of Śrīman Mahāprabhu dancing before the cart in Nīlācala (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 13.101-108), Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has described Mahāprabhu’s unprecedented ornaments of ecstatic emotion (bhāvālaṅkāra):

uddaṇḍa-nṛtye prabhura adbhuta bikāra | 

aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhābodaya haya sama-kāla ||

māṁsa-braṇa saha roma-bṛnda pulakita |

śimulīra-bṛkṣa yena kaṇṭake beṣṭita ||

ekeka dantera kampa dekhi’ lāge bhaya |

loke jāne—danta saba khasiyā paḍaya ||

sarbāṅge prasveda chuṭe—tāte raktodgama |

jaja gaga jaja gaga-gadgada bacana ||

jala-yantra-dhārā yena bahe aśru-jala |

āśapāśa loka yata bhijila sakala ||

deha-kānti gaura kabhu dekhiye aruṇa |

kabhu kānti dekhi’ yena mallikā-puṣpa-sama ||

kabhu stabdha, kabhu prabhu bhūmite loṭāya |

śuṣka-kāṣṭha-sama hasta-pada nā calaya ||

kabhu bhūmi paḍe, kabhu haya śvāsa-hīna |

yāhā dekhi’ bhakta-gaṇera haya prāṇa-kṣīṇa ||

     “Dancing with his hands lifted, Mahāprabhu experienced the astonishing eight sāttvika-bhāvas or transformations simultaneously. Goosebumps appeared on his body and his hairs stood on end like a silk-cotton tree covered with thorns. When people saw how his teeth chattered, they feared he would lose them. Perspiration mixed with blood poured from his body. He stammered jaja gaga jaja gaga and tears shot from his eyes as though from a syringe, soaking everyone nearby. Sometimes his complexion was seen to be golden, sometimes reddish and sometimes like a jasmine flower. Sometimes Mahāprabhu stood rigidly and sometimes he rolled on the ground. Sometimes his hands and feet would become like dry pieces of wood and he could not walk. Sometimes he fell on the ground; sometimes he was breathless. The bhaktas who saw this felt lifeless.”

     Next Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya gives the reason for Kṛṣṇa’s descent in the form of Gaura, having accepted Rādhā’s mood and complexion: tina-bāñchā-abhilāṣī, śacī-garbhe parakāśi, saṅge saba pāriṣada-gaṇa. Śrīpāda Svarūpa-Dāmodara was Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s second form. In the context of describing in his chronicle the principal reason for Mahāprabhu’s descent, Svarūpa-Dāmodara mentioned three wishes, which are quoted in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 1.6:

śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-

svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ |

saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt

tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ ||

     “What is the greatness of Śrī Rādhā’s love? What is the amazing sweetness that she experiences in me through her love? What is the joy that she feels in tasting my sweetness? Out of eagerness for these three, Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra appeared from the ocean of Śacī’s womb fully in the mood of Śrī Rādhā.” These three desires regarding Śrī Rādhā’s prema caused a deep longing to awaken in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s heart. Even after much endeavor, he was unable to fulfill these three wishes in vraja-līlā. Therefore, he made a firm decision to accept Śrī Rādhā’s mood and complexion and descend in the form of Śrī Gaura. Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.264-272 : 

rasa āsvādite āmi kaila abatāra | prema-rasa āsvādila bibidha prakāra ||

rāga-mārge bhakta bhakti kare ye prakāre | tāhā śikhāila līlā ācaraṇa dvāre ||

ei tina tṛṣṇā mora nahila pūraṇa | bijātīya-bhābe nahe tāhā āsvādana ||

rādhikāra bhāba-kānti aṅgīkāra bine | sei tina sukha kabhu nahe āsvādane ||

rādhā-bhāba aṅgīkari dhari tāra barṇa | tina sukha āsvādite haba abatīrṇa ||

sarba-bhābe kaila kṛṣṇa eita niścaya | hena-kāle āila yugābatāra-samaya ||

sei kāle śrī-advaita karena ārādhana | tāṅhāra huṅkāre kaila kṛṣṇa ākarṣaṇa ||

pitā mātā guru-gaṇa āge abatāri | rādhikāra bhāba-barṇa aṅgīkāra kari ||

nabadvīpe śacī-garbha-śuddha-dugdha-sindhu | tāhāte prakaṭa hailā kṛṣṇa pūrṇa indu ||

     “‘I incarnated to taste rasa. I delighted in various kinds of prema-rasa. Through my pastimes and behavior, I taught the devotees how to perform bhakti on the rāga-mārga. But my three desires had not been fulfilled; I could not taste rasa in the contrasting moods. Without accepting Rādhikā’s mood and complexion, I could never experience those three kinds of happiness. To enjoy them I must accept Rādhā’s mood and complexion and incarnate on earth.’ Kṛṣṇa committed himself wholeheartedly to his decision. The time for his yugāvatāra then arrived. At that time, Śrī Advaita began to pray and his loud cries attracted Kṛṣṇa.  Kṛṣṇa’s father, mother and elders all incarnated before him. Having adopted Rādhikā’s mood and complexion, the full moon Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in Navadvīpa from the ocean of pure milk that is Śacī’s womb.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 112 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্যদেব,        রতি-মতি তারে সেব,

প্রেম-কল্পতরু-দাতা ।

ব্রজরাজ-নন্দন,        রাধিকার প্রাণধন,

অপরূপ এই সব কথা ॥ ১১২ ॥

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-deba,        rati-mati tāre seba,

prema-kalpa-taru-dātā |

 braja-rāja-nandana,        rādhikāra prāṇa-dhana,

aparūpa ei saba kathā || 112 ||

     Serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva with your love and intellect. He bestows the desire tree of prema. He is the son of the king of Vraja and the treasure of Śrī Rādhikā’s life. Everything about this topic is amazing.

The Giver of the Desire Tree of Love

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has described in detail the topic of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhana, a type of bhakti filled with the transcendental, lofty and glorious vraja-rasa. This was the unprecedented gift of compassion from Śrīman Mahāprabhu Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva. Without his mercy or service to him, no one can attain vraja-bhakti. Therefore, the illustrious author has addressed the topic of Śrīman Mahāprabhu in three verses.

     First, he speaks about the worship of Śrīman Mahāprabhu and about his pastimes of bestowing prema. śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-deba, rati-mati tāre seba, prema-kalpa-taru-dātā. Śrīman Mahāprabhu is referred to here as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva because kṛṣṇa jānāiyā yei jagata kaila dhanya, ataeba nāma haila śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 3.34). “Because he blessed the world with knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he became known as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.” Although Śrī Vyāsa, Śuka, Nārada and other ācāryas of the bhakti path have no doubt informed us about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, only Śrīman Mahāprabhu is śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya or ‘Śrī Kṛṣṇa-consciousness.’ The reason is that even though other ācāryas have taught about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their bhaktas only obtain full knowledge when they reach prema through bhajana-sādhana. But if one simply sees Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the observer immediately attains prema and achieves full knowledge without effort. Mahāprabhu is a deva or shining one. His body is covered by Śrī Rādhā’s divine luster.

     The sādhaka must perform sevā or bhajana keeping her love and intellect at the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva. Otherwise, it is impossible to attain vraja-bhāva: rati-mati tāre seba. In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his companions in Navadvīpa are to be worshiped alongside Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and their companions in Vraja. At the end of Śrīla Kavi Karṇapūra’s Śrī-Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭakam (10.74), Śrīman Mahāprabhu spontaneously said the following to Śrī Advaitācārya in the context of giving a blessing:

vṛndāraṇyāntara-sthaḥ sarasa-vilasitenātmanātmānam uccair

 ānanda-syanda-bandīkṛta-manasam urīkṛtya nitya-pramodaḥ |

vṛndāvanaika-niṣṭhān sva-ruci-sama-tanūn kārayiṣyāmi yuṣmān

ity evāste’viśiṣṭaṁ kim api mama mahat-karma-tac-cātaniṣye ||

     “O Ācārya, I live in Vṛndāvana, where with great pleasure I absorb myself in charming love-sports. My mind is constantly submerged in joy. I shall cause all of you who are devoted to Vṛndāvana to assume a body of your own choice there and taste the sweet nectar of Vraja. This great work remains for me; I will complete it.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu is the combined form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In Vṛndāvana, he is always submerged in nectarous pastimes in the form of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In navadvīpa-līlā, he also gives a taste of madhura-rasa to his companions who contemplate themselves as Śrī Rādhā’s maidservants in the bowers of Vraja. This is Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s final work. After hearing Mahāprabhu’s words, Advaitācārya replied, 

nijecchayā prāpaya yad yad eva sthalāntaraṁ no vapur antaraṁ vā |

tavaitad āścarya-caritram eva jāti-smarā eva ciraṁ smarāmaḥ ||

     “O master, you will give us another place or another body by your own free will, but like those who remember their past lives, we will always remember the wonderful pastimes of Śrī Gaura.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has also said, mano-bāñchā siddhi tabe haṅ pūrṇa-tṛṣṇa, hethāya caitanya mile sethā rādhā-kṛṣṇa (Prārthanā 43). “My heart’s desire will be attained and my thirst sated. In Vṛndāvana they are Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and they unite in Navadvīpa as Caitanya.”

     Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva is prema-kalpa-taru-dātā, or one who bestows the desire tree of prema. Śrīman Mahāprabhu is himself a desire tree of prema, and through his own acintya-śakti, a gardener of that tree and a giver of its fruit: nijācintya-śaktye mālī haiyā skandha haya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 9.12). The following is found in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 9.25-30:

uḍumbara-bṛkṣa yaiche phale sarba-aṅge | 

ei mata bhakti-bṛkṣe sarbatra phala lāge ||

mūla-skandhera śākhā upaśākhā-gaṇe | 

lāgila ye prema-phala amṛtake jine ||

pākila ye prema-phala amṛta-madhura | 

bilāya caitanya-mālī nāhi laya mūla ||

trijagate yata āche dhana-ratna-maṇi | 

eka phalera mūlya kari tāhā nāhi gaṇi ||

māge bā nā māge keha pātra bā apātra | 

ihāra bicāra nāhi jāne deya mātra ||

añjali añjali bhari phele catur-diśe | 

daridra kuḍāñā khāya mālākāra hāse ||

     “Just as the fig tree bears fruit on all its limbs, the tree of bhakti bears fruit in all times and places. The fruit called prema, which is more delicious than nectar, forms on all the limbs and branches. When it ripens, this prema-fruit is sweet like ambrosia. Caitanya the gardener then distributes it at no cost. One such fruit is more precious than all the riches in the three worlds, but Caitanya simply gives them away without considering whether someone has asked for or deserves them. He distributes handfuls of fruits in every direction. The poor collect and eat them; the gardener smiles.”

     Not only that, in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 9.34-36, Caitanya the gardener also gave the following order to Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita Prabhu and so on, who comprise the tree-trunk, and to the world-wide branches and sub-branches:

ekalā mālākāra āmi kāṅhā kāṅhā yāba | 

ekalā bā kata phala pāḍiyā bilāba ||

ekalā uṭhāñā dite haya pariśrama | 

keha pāya keha nā pāya rahe mane bhrama ||

ataeba āmi ājñā dila sabākāre | 

yāṅhā tāṅhā prema-phala deha yāre tāre ||

    “I am a lone gardener; where shall I go? Alone, how much fruit can I pick and give away? Picking and distributing requires great effort. It is confusing to know who should get it and who should not. Therefore, I order all of you to just give this prema-fruit to everyone, wherever you go.”

     The most wonderful and generous prema-desire-tree and prema-fruit-giver Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya gave madhura-prema, filled with the sweetness of Vraja, or the prema of mañjarī-bhāva in the form of śrī-rādhā-dāsya, to the whole world, regardless of whether the recipients were deserving or not, or performed sādhana or not. Therefore, without worshiping him, no one is able to taste vraja-prema-mādhurī. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī wrote the following in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 17.67-69:

adbhuta nigūḍha premera mādhurya-mahimā | 

āpani āsvādi prabhu dekhāila sīmā ||

adbhuta dayālu caitanya, adbhuta badānya | 

aiche dayālu dātā loke nāhi śuni anya ||

sarba-bhābe bhaja loka! caitanya-caraṇa | 

yāhā haite pābe kṛṣṇa-premāmṛta-dhana || 

     “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally experienced the glories of the wondrous, profound sweetness of prema and showed us the limit. He is amazingly compassionate and generous. We have not heard of a more merciful or charitable person in the world. O humanity, worship the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and attain the treasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nectarous love.”

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, braja-rāja-nandana, rādhikāra prāṇa-dhana, aparūpa ei saba kathā. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of the king of Vraja and the treasure of Śrī Rādhikā’s life, incarnated as Śrī Gaurāṅga. In the mood of a bhakta, he personally tasted vraja-prema-mādhurī and then gave it to the world. Everything about this topic is amazing. The following is written in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 17.302-306:

teṅho śyāma baṁśī-mukha gopa-bilāsī | 

iṅho gaura—kabhu dvija kabhu ta sannyāsī ||

ataeba āpane prabhu gopī-bhāba dhari’ | 

brajendra-nandane kahe—‘prāṇa-nātha’ kari’ ||

sei kṛṣṇa sei gopī—parama birodha | 

acintya-caritra prabhura—ati sudurbodha ||

ithe tarka kari’ keho nā kara saṁśaya | 

kṛṣṇera acintya-śakti ei mata haya ||

acintya adbhuta kṛṣṇa-caitanya-bihāra | 

citra bhāba, citra guṇa, citra byabahāra ||

     “There, he has a dark complexion, plays the flute and sports with the cowherds. Here, he is golden. He acts sometimes as a brāhmaṇa and sometimes as a sannyāsī. Therefore, after personally accepting the mood of a gopī, Mahāprabhu called out to Vrajendranandana, ‘O lord of my life!’ He is Kṛṣṇa, but he is also a gopī. It is a great contradiction. Mahāprabhu’s inconceivable nature is difficult to comprehend. We should not argue or entertain doubt about this. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s acintya-śakti is like this. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya’s pastimes are inconceivable and astonishing: amazing moods, amazing qualities and amazing behavior.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 111 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

অহঙ্কার অভিমান,        অসৎসঙ্গ অসৎজ্ঞান,

ছাড়ি ভজ গুরু-পাদপদ্ম ।

করি আত্ম-নিবেদন,        দেহ গেহ পরিজন,

গুরু-বাক্য পরম-মহত্ত্ব ॥ ১১১ ॥

ahaṅkāra abhimāna,        asat-saṅga asat-jñāna,

chāḍi bhaja guru-pāda-padma |

kari ātma-nibedana,        deha geha parijana,

guru-bākya parama-mahattva || 111 ||

     Give up false ego, pride, unwholesome association and false knowledge. Worship the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, offering yourself, your body, home and family. Śrī Guru’s words are most sublime.

     टीका—अहङ्कार अभिमान इत्यादि–“विद्याधनागार कुलाभिमानिनो देहादिदायात्मज नित्यबुद्ध्ययः । इष्टान्यदेवान् फलकाङ्क्षिणो ये जीवन्मृतास्ते न लभन्ति केशवम् ।” “ततो दुःसङ्गमुत्सृज्य सत्सु सज्जेत बुद्धिमान्” इति श्रीमद्भागवतोक्तेः ॥

Śrī Guru’s Words Are Most Sublime

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has given another valuable lesson on how to attain one’s desired success. First he says, ahaṅkāra abhimāna, asat-saṅga asat-jñāna, chāḍi bhaja guru-pāda-padma. Here, the words ahaṅkāra and abhimāna are not synonymous. Ahaṅkāra means the pure-souled jīva’s “I and my” psychology regarding the inanimate body and things related. Abhimāna means the self-concept born of that in regard to wealth, people, noble birth and so on. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.11.10 says,

daivādhīne śarīre’smin guṇa-bhāvyena karmaṇā |

vartamāno’budhas tatra kartāsmīti nibadhyate ||

     “An ignorant person, situated in a body controlled by its previous karma, thinks ‘I am the doer.’ Because of this ego, he is bound to the body by actions born of the guṇas.” Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 3.27 says,

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ |

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate ||

     “A person bewildered by ego thinks he performs actions which are actually executed by the constituents of nature.” As a result of this, he becomes intoxicated by the pride of controlling wealth, people and so on. This is the jīva’s state of bondage. Those sādhakas who are awake in knowledge of their svarūpa and who desire their own well-being must abandon this illusory self-concept. There is a śloka in Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda’s commentary on this verse regarding the harmful effects of ahaṅkāra and abhimāna:

vidyā-dhanāgāra-kulābhimānino 

dehādidārātmaja-nitya-buddhyayaḥ |

iṣṭānya-devān phala-kāṅkṣiṇo ye 

jīvan-mṛtās te na labhante keśavam ||

     “Those whose self-concept is rooted in materialistic knowledge, wealth, home, family and so on; whose minds are always fixed on the body and body-related spouses and children; those who desire other devatās and those who desire material success, they are the living dead. They are unable to attain Śrī Keśava.” Previously it was said, abhimānī bhakti-hīna, jaga-mājhe sei dīna, vṛthā tāra aśeṣa bhābanā. “A prideful person, devoid of bhakti, is the most miserable creature in the world. His endless thoughts are useless.” 

     Just as a sādhaka who desires auspiciousness must give up egotism and false pride, he must also abandon unwholesome company. Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.87 says, asat-saṅga tyāga ei baiṣṇaba-ācāra. “A Vaiṣṇava must give up unfavorable association.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.26.26 says, tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya satsu sajjeta buddhimān, santa evāsya chindanti mano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ. “An intelligent person must abandon bad company completely and associate with saintly people, because the sādhus’ teachings sever the adverse attachments of the mind.” santa evety eva-kāreṇa sukṛta-tīrtha-deva-śāstra-jñānādīnāṁ na tādṛśaṁ sāmarthyam iti jñāpitam (from Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda’s commentary). In the phrase santa eva it should be understood by the word eva (indeed, truly) that performing pious deeds, visiting holy places, worshiping gods, learning śāstra and so on do not have such power. Therefore, along with abandoning the association of unwholesome people, the sādhaka must associate with saintly people. Even though giving up asat-saṅga, if one fails to engage in sat-saṅga, there will be neither loss nor gain on the path of bhakti. Incidentally, it should be understood that progress on the path of bhakti is undoubtedly very quick in the association of like-minded sādhus.

     In the same way, the bhakta-sādhaka must also give up asat-jñāna, or false knowledge. The word sat is derived from the verbal root as. The root as denotes existence, so whatever is real is called sat. Illusory or māyika things have no existence in the past, present or future without the power of Bhagavān and his cit-śakti, his dhāma, bhakti and bhaktas. Therefore, asat-jñāna is knowledge of transitory things created by māyā. If the mind remains absorbed in this asat-jñāna, it does not become absorbed in sat-jñāna, meaning knowledge related to Bhagavān, bhakti and the bhaktas. Hence, the sādhaka who seeks well-being must also give up the study of asat-jñāna.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, chāḍi bhaja guru-pāda-padma, kari ātma-nibedana, deha geha parijana, guru-bākya parama-mahattva. Having abandoned all this, the bhakta-sādhaka will devote himself to Śrī Guru’s lotus feet, the source of all sādhya-sādhana (end and means). In verse four of this book, he said, śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttamā-gati, ye prasāde pūre sarba āśā. “Attachment to Śrī Guru’s lotus feet is the best way to achieve success. By his mercy, all your hopes will be fulfilled.” When the sādhaka who is fully devoted to Śrī Guru’s lotus feet awakens to the sublimity of Śrī Guru’s words, he takes complete shelter of Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet as instructed by Śrī Guru. He offers his pure soul, body, home and family at Śrī Bhagavān’s feet and constantly worships Śrī Hari without worry.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 110 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

কৃষ্ণনাম-গানে ভাই,        রাধিকা-চরণ পাই,

রাধানাম-গানে কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র ।

সংক্ষেপে কহিনু কথা,        ঘুচাও মনের ব্যথা,

দুঃখময় অন্য-কথা ধন্দ ॥ ১১০ ॥

kṛṣṇa-nāma-gāne bhāi,        rādhikā-caraṇa pāi,

rādhā-nāma-gāne kṛṣṇacandra |

saṁkṣepe kahinu kathā,        ghucāo manera byathā,

duḥkhamaya anya-kathā dhanda || 110 ||

     O brother! By singing Kṛṣṇa’s name you will get Rādhikā’s lotus feet. By singing Rādhā’s name, you will get Kṛṣṇacandra. I spoke briefly about this. End the troubles of your mind. All other topics are full of misery and confusion.

The Method of Yugala-Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, the illustrious author said he did not want to even hear the name of a person who neglects Śrī Rādhā and worships Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī has also called such people arrogant and insincere; he is determined to abandon their impure association. Now the question will be, are we to also abandon the company of those who worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone following one of his nitya-siddha companions in Vraja, in either dāsya, sakhya or vātsalya-rasa? Anticipating this kind of question, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, kṛṣṇa-nāma-gāne bhāi, rādhikā-caraṇa pāi. Aversion or neglect toward Śrī Rādhā can never appear in those who have taken shelter of authentic śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. This is because by singing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, they attain Śrī Rādhikā’s lotus feet and then get the corresponding bhāva. It should be understood that the words rādhikā-caraṇa have been placed here reverentially; therefore, to get Śrī Rādhikā’s lotus feet means to get Śrī Rādhikā. Those who are bhaktas of Vraja’s dāsya and sakhya-rasas worship Śrī Rādhā by thinking of her as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s greatest devotee. Among the bhaktas of sakhya-rasa, Subala, Madhumaṅgala and the other priya-narma-sakhas have a particular role in serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved Śrī Rādhā in madhura-rasa. The bhaktas of vātsalya-rasa, following Nanda and Yaśodā, feel parental affection toward Śrī Rādhā. Therefore, it is certain that those who worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa but are averse to Śrī Rādhā or disrespectful to her are not doing śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana at all. For this reason, the mahājana has said, kṛṣṇa-nāma-gāne bhāi, rādhikā-caraṇa pāi. 

     Moreover, if someone worships Śrī Rādhā but not Śrī Kṛṣṇa, even that person’s rādhā-bhajana is not appropriate because by singing rādhā-nāma, one inevitably attains Śrī Kṛṣṇa. rādhā-nāma-gāne kṛṣṇacandra. Yugala-nāma is a type of mahāmantra that attracts both of them. In this yuga, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas who are sheltered at his lotus feet blessed the people of the world by introducing the most profound and esoteric worship of the Divine Couple, which was unattainable for humans of other yugas. Chanting rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nāma is an easily accessible way for them to worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Śrīman Mahāprabhu personally taught people to chant day and night the thirty-two-syllabled hare-kṛṣṇa-nāma-bhajana, an invocation consisting of sixteen names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. We have mentioned this previously.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, saṁkṣepe kahinu kathā, ghucāo manera byathā, duḥkhamaya anya-kathā dhanda. “I briefly spoke of this most important topic, the essence of which is that nāma-saṅkīrtana is the yuga-dharma of the age of Kali.” Like Śrī Bhagavān himself, his name is by nature saccidānanda because there is no difference in the name and the named. In that respect, all of Śrī Bhagavān’s names are equal, but if one judges in terms of the magnanimity of nāma, the preeminence of śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma can be understood. It is known that the name of Rāma is greater than the names of Matsya, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana and so on because śrī-rāma-nāma is equal to a thousand names of Viṣṇu. In Padma-Purāṇa, Śrīman Mahādeva said to Śrī Gaurīdevī, sahasra-nāmabhis tulyaṁ rāma-nāma varānane. In Brahmāṇḍa-Purāṇa it is seen that by speaking Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name once a jīva receives the result of reciting the thousand names of Viṣṇu three times. sahasra-nāmnāṁ puṇyānāṁ trir āvṛtyā tu yat phalam, ekāvṛtyā tu kṛṣṇasya nāmaikaṁ tat prayacchati. Therefore, Śrīman Mahāprabhu said, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam, which is a brief statement teaching the importance of śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Moreover, it teaches the importance of yugala-nāma-kīrtana, or chanting Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name along with Śrī Rādhā’s name, which is very attractive to him. Therefore, abandon all mental anguish produced by the body and things related, or all mental anguish regarding sādhya-sādhana, meaning unfavorable thoughts regarding whether sādhya-sādhana on the path of bhajana is possible, and give up all other misery-filled topics that are untrue, full of mistakes and confusion. The only way to get your desired object is to sing the names of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. This is the most essential teaching.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 109 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

তার ভক্ত-সঙ্গে সদা,        রসলীলা-প্রেম-কথা,

যে করে সে পায় ঘনশ্যাম ।

ইহাতে বিমুখ যেই,        তার কভু সিদ্ধি নাই,

না শুনিয়ে তার যেন নাম ॥ ১০৯ ॥

tāra bhakta-saṅge sadā,        rasa-līlā-prema-kathā,

ye kare se pāya ghanaśyāma |

ihāte bimukha yei,        tāra kabhu siddhi nāi,

nā śuniye tāra yena nāma || 109 ||

     One who, in the company of Śrī Rādhikā’s devotees, always hears, sings or discusses her nectarous pastimes and topics describing her love undoubtedly attains Ghanaśyāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Those who are averse to this will never attain success. We should not even hear their names.

Discussing Their Nectarous Pastimes of Love

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has proclaimed the glory of hearing and singing about Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s names, qualities and so on, taking shelter of her lotus feet and serving the dust of her lotus feet. Someone may say, “If a person does this, will he or she have no desire to worship and attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa?” In reply, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, tāra bhakta-saṅge sadā, rasa-līlā-prema-kathā, ye kare se pāya ghanaśyāma. “One who, in the association of Śrī Rādhikā’s bhaktas, always hears, sings or discusses her nectarous līlā-kathā and topics describing the greatness of her love undoubtedly attains Ghanaśyāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” A question may arise here. It is a scriptural rule that one attains the deity to whom worship is offered. It is not possible to attain one devatā by worshiping another. In reply it can be said that the greatness of Śrī Rādhā’s pastimes and love is that they include Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is impossible to speak of Rādhā without Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, by worshiping Śrī Rādhārāṇī through hearing and singing her stories, the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also naturally accomplished. Not only that, but the kind of joy that Kṛṣṇa gets when Rādhā is worshiped, and the satisfaction he feels toward her devotees, he never feels toward those who worship only him. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his commentary to Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.7.11: śrī-rādhājñā-pratipālanenaiva śrī-kṛṣṇasya vaśīkaraṇāt svayam evādhikādhika-tat-saṅga-sukha-saṁsiddher iti dik. In Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam, Gopakumāra was a devotee of Vraja’s sakhya-rasa (friendship), but he obeyed Rādhā’s order instead of waiting to get the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa’s company. In this context, Śrīla Gosvāmipāda has concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa becomes thoroughly obedient to someone who follows Śrī Rādhā’s order. Therefore, even though not waiting for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s company, Gopakumāra attained the happiness of getting it to an even greater degree. Like this, the worship of Rādhārāṇī causes Kṛṣṇa to be more submissive than from even his own worship. Through it, the worship of Kṛṣṇa himself is accomplished.

     It is most pleasant and enjoyable, when in the company of devoted and earnest rasika-bhaktas, to hear and sing Śrī Rādhā’s delightful līlā-kathā, meaning Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s charming amorous pastimes, and Śrī Rādhā’s prema-kathā, meaning stories of separation and union with an endless variety of mohana (infatuation), modana (joy) and mādana-bhāva (intoxication), which are the ultimate expressions of mahābhāva, the transcendental essence of prema. The most intimate bhajana of the rāgānugīya-bhakta is to take up residence in Vraja and to hear and sing these confidential stories in the company of great souls who are singularly devoted to Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, who have a similar intention, are more advanced and are friendly. This is the thing most desired by rāga-bhaktas. Not to speak of the bhaktas, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself previously accepted rādhā-bhāva and incarnated in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga. He was submerged day and night in relishing prema-kathā and Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s rasa-kathā in the company of rasika-bhaktas.

caṇḍidāsa bidyāpati, rāyera nāṭaka-gīti, 

karṇāmṛta śrī-gīta-gobinda |

svarūpa-rāmānanda-sane, mahāprabhu rātri-dine,

gāya śune parama ānanda ||

     “Along with Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya, Śrīman Mahāprabhu would sing and hear Śrī-Gīta-Govinda, Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛta and the songs and dramas of Rāmānanda Rāya, Vidyāpati and Caṇḍidāsa throughout the day and night.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.77)

     Then he said, ihāte bimukha yei, tāra kabhu siddhi nāi, nā śuniye tāra yena nāma. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has determined that by taking shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet and worshiping her whole-heartedly, Ghanaśyāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa will be duly obtained. Now he says that those who are averse to taking shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet or worshiping her may continue trying to experience Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness, but they have no chance of success. The best way to experience Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the condensed form of śṛṅgāra-rasa (amorous love), is to worship Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Other than this, there is no way for someone to relish Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. We have nothing to do with those who try to relish Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurī but disregard Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Not to speak of seeing or touching, we should never even hear their names. nā śuniye tāra yena nāma. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his Svaniyama-Daśakam, verse 6:

anādṛtyodgītām api muni-gaṇair vaiṇika-mukhaiḥ 

pravīṇāṁ gāndharvām api ca nigamais tat-priyatamām |

ya ekaṁ govindaṁ bhajati kapaṭī dāmbhikatayā

tad-abhyarṇe śīrṇe kṣaṇam api na yāmi vratam idam ||

     “They are insincere and arrogant who worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone, neglecting his beloved Śrī Rādhārāṇī, who is a skillful singer and is celebrated by the Vedas and the sages led by Nārada. I will not remain in their impure company for even a moment.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 108 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

জয় জয় রাধা-নাম,        বৃন্দাবন যার ধাম,

কৃষ্ণসুখ-বিলাসের নিধি ।

হেন রাধা-গুণগান,        না শুনিল মোর কান,

বঞ্চিত করিল মোরে বিধি ॥ ১০৮ ॥

jaya jaya rādhā-nāma,        bṛndābana yāra dhāma,

kṛṣṇa-sukha-bilāsera nidhi |

hena rādhā-guṇa-gāna,        nā śunila mora kāna,

bañcita karila more bidhi || 108 ||

     Glory to the name of Rādhā, whose abode is Vṛndāvana. She is an ocean of playful pastimes that bring happiness to Kṛṣṇa. My ears have never heard the singing of Rādhā’s virtues; providence has deprived me.

The Ocean of Kṛṣṇa’s Happy Pastimes

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: To reveal the glory of Śrī Rādhā’s name, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya then said, jaya jaya rādhā-nāma, bṛndābana yāra dhāma, kṛṣṇa-sukha-bilāsera nidhi. The word jaya denotes excellence and obeisance. “Śrī Rādhā’s name is preeminent above all; therefore I bow to rādhā-nāma again and again.” Why is rādhā-nāma so excellent and glorious? Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda wrote the following in Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 95:*

yaj-jāpaḥ sakṛd eva gokula-pater ākarṣakas tat-kṣaṇād

yatra premavatāṁ samasta-puruṣārtheṣu sphuret tucchatā |

yan-nāmāṅkita-mantra-jāpana-paraḥ prītyā svayaṁ mādhavaḥ 

śrī-kṛṣṇo’pi tad adbhutaṁ sphuratu me rādheti varṇa-dvayam ||

     “Let the two astonishing syllables rā and dhā always appear on my tongue. If someone chants them once only, Nandanandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is immediately attracted. If one develops love for them, all other goals of life seem insignificant. Even Mādhava Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself lovingly chants a mantra adorned with her name.” The favorite mantra of Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana, the supreme deity of the entire creation, is rādhā-nāma. Therefore, Rādhā’s name is filled with excellence and glory. We see the following in Brahma-Vaivarta-Purāṇa:

rā-śabdoccāraṇād eva 

sphīto bhavati mādhavaḥ |

dhā-śabdoccārata paścād

dhāvaty eva sasambhramaḥ ||

     “If someone speaks the syllable rā, Kṛṣṇa is overjoyed and immediately rises to go to him. When the person says dhā, Kṛṣṇa eagerly runs after him without delay.”

     Vṛndāvana is the abode of rādhā-nāma—bṛndābana yāra dhāma. Vṛndāvana is the land of Rādhā’s supremely sweet pastimes and the home of the sweeter than sweet rādhā-nāma. Because rādhā-nāma is Kṛṣṇa’s favorite mantra, the residents of Vṛndāvana consider it worthy of worship, to be sung, chanted, heard and remembered. Rādhā-nāma is in everyone’s mouth in Vṛndāvana. They speak it when addressing each other, when conversing, when paying respects, in commercial transactions—everyone says rādhā-nāma during all activities. Sweet rādhā-nāma is written on the walls of houses, on trees and so on. It is said that when the illustrious poet Śrī Tulasī Dāsa, author of Rāma-Carita-Mānasa, arrived in Vṛndāvana, he was astonished to hear śrī-rādhā-nāma coming from everyone’s mouth. Thoughts of Rāmacandra’s abode Ayodhyā came to his mind. He mused that in Ayodhyā, everyone speaks the name of Rāma. There, no one utters the pure name of Śrī Sītā, although they do say Sītā-Rāma. The difference is that in Vṛndāvana everyone always speaks the pure name of Śrī Rādhā. jaya jaya rādhā-nāma, bṛndābana yāra dhāma.

     Once, a Bengali lady came for darśana of Śrī Vṛndāvana. Her name was Rādhā. When she was out on the street, she heard some residents of Vṛndāvana calling out jaya rādhe, jaya rādhe to each other. Startled, she looked in that direction to see if someone was addressing her. Then she could understand that everyone here, whether woman or man, greets each other by saying rādhe rādhe. It is the custom for everyone to invoke rādhā-nāma in all activities and conversations. One day she asked a devotee the reason for this. The Vaiṣṇava said to her, “Mother! On this earth there is a place where the custom is to speak sweet words before saying anything else. For example, if a person goes there to reprimand someone, he must first speak pleasantly to him. Vṛndāvana is that place. Here, there is nothing so sweet as rādhā-nāma. Therefore, everyone addresses each other with rādhā-nāma before speaking or doing anything else.” Truly, there is nothing in the world as sweet as rādhā-nāma. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has said, rādheti nāma nava-sundara-sīdhu-mugdham. “This name Rādhā is fresh, beautiful and nectarous.” For this reason, rādhā-nāma is dearer to a Vrajavāsī than his or her own life. jaya jaya rādhā-nāma, bṛndābana yāra dhāma. Śrī Vṛndāvana is the abode of rādhā-nāma.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, kṛṣṇa-sukha-bilāsera nidhi. Śrī Rādhā is an ocean of playful pastimes that bring happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa no doubt sports with Candrāvalī and the other beautiful girls of Vraja. But just as the ocean is the source of all rivers, streams, lakes and so on, in the same way, Śrī Rādhā is the source of pastimes that make Śrī Kṛṣṇa happy. The other gopīs exist only to nourish Kṛṣṇa’s loving pastimes with Rādhā. Śrī Rādhā is an inexhaustible storehouse of ingredients for sporting with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of the deep erotic sentiment (śṛṅgāra-rasa). kimbā kṛṣṇa-krīḍā-pūjāra basati nagarī (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.84). She is the abode of Kṛṣṇa’s worship and play. Śrī Rādhā’s name is also an ocean of pastimes meant for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure because the name and the named are one. We see the following in the sixth act of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s Vidagdha-Mādhava-Nāṭakam: After going to Vṛndāvana to search for Rādhā, Kṛṣṇa mistakenly ran to embrace a group of land-lilies and yellow amaranths he mistook to be her. Then, Kṛṣṇa’s dear friend Madhumaṅgala joked that he would give him Rādhā in the palm of his hand, so he wrote her name on a leaf and placed it in Kṛṣṇa’s hand, saying, “Here is Rādhā.” When Kṛṣṇa saw Rādhā’s name, he said to Madhumaṅgala, “Friend, I have truly obtained the highest satisfaction from this gift, because—

kramāt kakṣām akṣṇoḥ parisara-bhuvaṁ vā śravaṇayor

manāg adhyārūḍhaṁ praṇayi-jana-nāmākṣara-padam |

kam apy antas toṣaṁ vitarad avilambād anupadaṁ

nisargād viśveṣāṁ hṛdaya-padavīm utsukayati || (VMN 6.45)

     “If a man sees or hears the letters of his lover’s name, then naturally those letters immediately create satisfaction and great eagerness in his heart.” A mahājana sang the following in Kṛṣṇa’s words:

śuna rādhe ei rasa, āmi se tomāra baśa, tomā bine nāhi bhāya mane |

japite tomāra nāma, dhairaja nā dhare prāṇa, tuyā rūpa kariye dheyāne ||

‘śrī-rādhe’ śrī-rādhe’ bāṇī, ye dike yāra mukhe śuni, sei dike dhāya mora mana |

cātaka phukāre yena, ghana cāhe bariṣaṇa, tena heri o cānda-badana ||

karete muralī thāke, ghana rādhā bali ḍāke, yata-kṣaṇa nā pāya dekhite |

tomāra nūpura-dhvani, āpana śrabaṇe śuni, tabe mora kṣamā haya cite ||

rādhā-kṛṣṇa duṭi nāma, tāhe tumi āguyāna, āmi kari tomāri bharasā |

tabe se saphala haba, tuyā pada parasiba, dāsa bṛndābanera e āśā ||

     “Listen, O Rādhā, to this rasa. I am under your control; without you, there is no light in my mind. My heart becomes restless when I say your name or think of your form. My mind races toward those who say the words ‘Śrī Rādhā, Śrī Rādhā.’ I gaze at you, O Moonface, like a weeping cātaka gazes at a raincloud. My flute stays in my hand; it constantly cries out ‘Rādhā!’ so long as it cannot see you. My mind becomes tranquil when I hear the sound of your anklets. Of the two names Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, you come first. I rely upon you. I will attain success when I touch your feet.” Vṛndāvana Dāsa dreams of this.

     This desire has been expressed: May that most excellent, sweeter than sweet nectar-filled rādhā-nāma appear constantly on my tongue. Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, hena rādhā-guṇa-gāna, nā śunila mora kāna, bañcita karila more bidhi. Even though his heart has gone to Rādhā, due to humility or the non-sating nature of bhakti, he says, “My ears have not heard the singing of the virtues of Śrī Rādhā, whose name is glorious. Alas, it is nothing more than a trick of providence on an unfortunate creature like me.” Actually, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is teaching something to the sādhakas of the world. The great goal of life for the sādhakas is to hear and sing of the names, qualities, pastimes and so on of Śrī Rādhā, who is the embodied presiding deity of prema, and whose names, qualities and pastimes are the supreme attractor and great enchanter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In this, the tongue, ear and other senses attain true success. One who has been deprived of the hearing and singing of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s names, qualities and pastimes shall be known in the world as having truly been deceived by fate.

*(Author’s note) See the Rasa-Varṣiṇī commentary on this verse in my edition of Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhi.