My books are 15% off through July 15.

My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through July 15. Use the code MANGA15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only. 

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 7 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

तन्नः प्रतीक्षण-चमत्कृत-चारुलीला-

लावण्य-मोहन-महामधुराङ्गभङ्गि ।

राधाननं हि मधुराङ्गकलानिधान- 

माविर्भविष्यति कदा रससिन्धुसारम् ॥ ७ ॥

tan naḥ pratīkṣaṇa-camatkṛta-cāru-līlā-

lāvaṇya-mohana-mahāmadhurāṅga-bhaṅgi |

rādhānanaṁ hi madhurāṅga-kalā-nidhānam 

āvirbhaviṣyati kadā rasa-sindhu-sāram || 7 ||

“When Śrī Rādhā sees Śrī Kṛṣṇa, many wonderful, charming and playful expressions appear on her beautiful face. When will that incomparably sweet moonlike face, the essence of the ocean of rasa, appear before us?”

Śrī Rādhā's Face is the Essence of the Ocean of Rasa

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda, absorbed in his svarūpa, perceived his beloved Goddess as nikuñjadevī. The word devī means “to be worshipped.” The worship that Rasikendra(1) performs within the kuñja is even more astonishing than that of the sakhīs and mañjarīs. Therefore, she who is worshipped by Rasika-Śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called devī. When Kṛṣṇa entered the well-decorated kuñja with Priyājī, his heart filled with love for her. He has perceived Priyājī as kuñjadevī, so now he wants to do some sevā for her. After washing Priyājī’s feet with the help of a kiṅkarī, he affectionately dried them with his yellow cloth. Knowing Śyāmasundara’s mind, a kiṅkarī had brought some flower petals. Saying jaya premamayī, Śyāma offered the flowers at Śrīmatī’s feet and bowed before her! Tears streamed from his eyes. pāda-sparśa-rasotsavaṁ praṇatibhiḥ (verse 61). “Bowing to touch Śrī Rādhā’s feet is a festival of rasa for Śyāmasundara.” Śrīmatī revealed her incomparable beauty when she saw her devoted lover’s face! So much erotic līlā emerged from her own sweet face! Many wonderful, charming and lovely expressions appeared in her eyes, eyebrows and so on. From Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ, Uddīpana 28:

muktā-phaleṣu chāyāyās taralatvam ivāntarā | 

pratibhāti yad aṅgeṣu lāvaṇyaṁ tad ihocyate ||

“If a luster or radiance emerges from the different parts of the body, like the splendor from a pearl, that is called lāvaṇya.” A beautiful radiance emerges from Śrīmatī’s countenance. What wonderful facial expressions! She is adorned with the ornament of charm. From Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ, Anubhāva 56:

vinyāsa-bhaṅgir aṅgānāṁ bhrū-vilāsa-manoharā | 

sukumārā bhaved yatra lalitaṁ tad-udīritam ||

“The appearance of alluring, playful movements of the eyebrows along with attractive gestures of the limbs of the body is called lalita, the ornament of charm.”

Moreover, Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face is the essence of the ocean of rasa. Just as during the churning of the ocean of milk, its essence manifested as the nectar-bearing moon, in the same way, the essence of the ocean of prema-rasa is Śrī Rādhā’s spotless moonlike face. At the appearance of just one drop of prema-rasa, even the brahmānandīs’ minds are immediately drawn away from the joy of brahman and intoxicated with premānanda(2).

yasya sphūrti-lavāṅkureṇa laghunāpy antar munīnāṁ manaḥ

spṛṣṭaṁ mokṣa-sukhād virajyati jhaṭity āsvādyamānād api |

premṇas tasya mukunda! sāhasitayā śaknotu kaḥ prārthane

bhūyāj janmani janmani pracayinī kintu spṛhāpy atra me ||

“Even the experience of a slight blossoming of such divine love causes the introspective minds of the brahmānandī sages to instantly lose interest in the joy of liberation. O Mukunda! Who will be bold enough to pray for such love? Please, therefore, bless me that in birth after birth my longing for prema continually increases.” (Stava-Mālā)

Just one particle of prema-rasa has such great power! Prema is so very rare, and the essence of that vast ocean of prema-rasa is Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face. The luminosity of her face is not like a light beam produced from some shiny object, but is rather a natural manifestation of mahābhāva-rasa. Such examples as “a face like the moon, eyes like lotuses and a nose like a sesame flower” are useless there. Mahābhāva must be understood through bhāva: there is no other language. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of prema. Her beauty is revealed in her amorous pastimes with Kṛṣṇa. Her beauty is the essence of all beauty. When, by the mercy of Śrī Rādhā, viśuddha-sattva(3) appears within the heart of a bhakta, he gets a slight realization of that self-luminous form. This is most likely the meaning intended by the phrase rasa-sindhu-sāram (the essence of the ocean of rasa). Her moonlike face is madhurāṅga-kalānidhānam (a spotless moon). Unlike the moon of this world, Śrī Rādhā’s face is unblemished by spots or pallor. Having returned to sādhaka-consciousness after his vision ended, Śrīpāda said, “Will that moonlike face ever appear before us?”

Or, the sweetness of this verse can be tasted in another way: “When will Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face become visible to our eyes? Her sweet form is the repository of all artistic skills and is the essence of the ocean of rasa. It even causes Śyāmasundara’s sweet form to bend in three places, though he forever infatuates the world with his wondrous and captivating pastimes.” While in the form of a kiṅkarī, Śrīpāda witnessed Śrī Śyāmasundara’s service to Nikuñjadevī and realized his charming pastimes are amazing at every moment. The utmost wonder of Śyāmasundara’s līlā is revealed to the kiṅkarīs’ eyes. In that līlā, he remains thoroughly subjugated by Śrī Rādhā. All of Mādhurya-Mūrti Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlās are sweet, but in his romantic pastimes with Śrī Rādhā, the boundless attributes of his līlā-śakti are well-preserved. Moreover, when the kiṅkarīs see śṛṅgāra-līlā wherein Śrī Kṛṣṇa is completely submissive to Śrī Rādhā, their Prema-Mandākinī(4) surges toward the heavens in continuous waves through a fountain with a hundred mouths. In such līlā, there is wonder at every moment! Therefore it has been said that Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face enchants even Kṛṣṇa, whose beautiful pastimes are astonishing at every moment, and causes his sweet form to bend in three places. Why does Śyāma bend in three places? Enchanted by seeing the sweetness of Rādhā’s face, he bends in three places to touch the border of her skirt with his heel. In this threefold bending posture, he leans slightly to the left and his eyes move slightly toward their corners. It seems as though his body bends in three places because it cannot bear the weight of tasting Rādhā’s sweetness. That pose is charming and most enjoyable. However, the bhakta experiences it according to his prema. āmāra mādhurya nitya naba-naba haya, sva-sva-prema-anurūpa bhakte āsvādaya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.143). “My sweetness is always fresh and enjoyable to the bhakta, according to his love.”

Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s most exalted prema is the ultimate stage in the tasting of mādhurya. Because of her extraordinary mādanākhya-prema, her experience of Kṛṣṇa’s endlessly fresh sweetness is unsurpassed. ei prema-dvāre nitya rādhikā ekali, āmāra mādhuryāmṛta āsvāde sakali (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.139). “Through her prema, Śrī Rādhikā alone always tastes my sweet nectar in full.”

Rādhā’s love and Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness nourish each other such that both continually increase.(5) gopī-preme kare kṛṣṇa-mādhuryera puṣṭi, mādhurya bāḍāya premā haiyā mahā-tuṣṭi (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.198). “As a result of the gopīs’ love, Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness is nourished; his sweetness causes their love to increase and they become most satisfied.”

In this way, the sakhīs and mañjarīs enjoy tasting the constantly increasing mādhurya of Śrī Yugala-Kiśora. Therefore, it has been said that when Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees Śrī Rādhā, the sweetness of his tribhaṅga form becomes even sweeter. Hence, it is called mahā-madhura (really, really sweet)! From Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam 92:

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vapur asya vibhor 

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vadanaṁ madhuram |

madhu-gandhi mṛdu-smitam etad aho 

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuram ||

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is sweet, his face is sweet and the smile on his face is sweeter than sweet. Of the beautiful, everything is beautiful, and of the sweet, everything is sweet! madhurādhipater akhilaṁ madhuram. Such sweetness blossoms in the presence of Śrī Rādhā.

Also, rādhānanaṁ hi madhurāṅga-kalā-nidhānam: Śrī Rādhā’s face is the kalā-nidhānam (abode of fine arts) for Śrī Kṛṣṇa's sweet form, meaning it amplifies the romantic desire in his body. (By the combination of the letters ka and la, the kāma-bīja is indicated.) The twenty-four and a half syllables of the kāma-gāyatrī-mantra are present in the form of moons in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s bodily limbs. This means that even Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose sweet body radiates moonlight that fills the world with romantic desire, even he feels his kāma increased by seeing the beautiful face of Śrī Rādhā.

kāma-gāyatrī-mantra-rūpa, haya kṛṣṇa-svarūpa, sārdha cabbiśa akṣara tāra haya |

se akṣara candra haya, kṛṣṇe kari udaya, trijagat kaila kāmamaya ||

sakhi he! kṛṣṇa-mukha dvija-rāja-rāja |

kṛṣṇa-bapu siṁhāsane, basiyāche rājya-śāsane, saṅge kari candrera samāja ||

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

ei cāṅdera baḍa nāṭa, pasāri cāṅdera hāṭa, binimūlye bilāya nijāmṛta |

kāṅho smita jyotsnāmṛte, kāhāke adharāmṛte, saba loka kare āpyāyita ||

bipula āyatāruṇa, madana-mada-ghūrṇana, mantrī yāra ei dui nayana |

 lābaṇya-keli-sadana, jana-netra-rasāyana, sukhamaya gobinda-badana ||

“The kāma-gāyatrī is Kṛṣṇa in the form of a twenty-four and a half syllable mantra. These syllables are like moons that rise in Kṛṣṇa to fill the three worlds with romantic desire. O Sakhī! Kṛṣṇa’s face is the king of moons and his body is the throne from which he rules his kingdom of moons. (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 21.125-126)

“There is much dancing by this moon, and like a shopkeeper in a market of moons, he freely distributes his own nectar. The whole world is pleased, some by the nectarous moonlight of his gentle smile, some by the nectar of his lips. His broad reddish rolling eyes, drunk with desire, are this king’s ministers. Śrī Govinda’s joyous face is the abode of charming pastimes and the elixir for everyone’s eyes.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 21.130-131)

Moreover, just as when the moon appears, the ocean’s waves swell and surge, in the same way, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face, the waves of the transcendent young God of Love’s ocean of erotic desire also swell and surge! After experiencing this mādhurya while in his siddha-svarūpa in the realm of līlā, Śrīpāda’s vision ends and he once again enters sādhaka-consciousness. He prays, “When shall we see that beautiful moonlike face of Śrī Rādhā?” The deeper meaning of this prayer is that he is asking when he will be blessed to obtain his cherished sevā and taste the playful couple’s ever-increasing līlā-mādhurī, rūpa-mādhurī and prema-mādhurī(6), which arise as Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face and his desire for vilāsa(7) grows stronger. By saying “present before us” he is praying that all the yugala-rasa-bhaktas of the world may be blessed with such devotion. This profound āśīrvāda(8) gives us a glimpse of Śrīpāda’s deep compassion.

(1) Kṛṣṇa, the king of rasikas
(2) The joy of divine love
(3) Pure goodness
(4) Mandākinī is another name for the Gaṅgā, which usually flows from the heavens to earth, but here, the kiṅkarīs’ prema flows toward the heavens.
(5) And Kṛṣṇa’s love and Rādhā’s sweetness nourish each other and they both increase.
(6) Pastime sweetness, form sweetness and love sweetness
(7) Amorous sport
(8) Blessing, benediction

My books are 15% off through July 1.

My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through July 1. Use the code HUSTLE15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only. 

Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 12

Outside the golden walls, the house is surrounded first by a banana grove, then a flower grove and then a fruit grove. The Three Prabhus’ toilets are situated within the banana grove on the northern side of the house. Four gem-studded paths lead from the house’s four gates to the banks of the Gaṅgā. Rows of bakula trees line each side of the paths. Navadvīpa Dhāma is encircled by the Gaṅgā and her tributary. The bhaktas each entered Mahāprabhu’s house from the direction of their respective homes. The gosvāmīs arrived through the northern gate. By their order, the sādhaka-dāsa cleaned the courtyards, benches and so on with fragrant water and a golden broom. He placed water and aromatic soil in golden vessels for the Three Prabhus’ toilets. Scented tooth-powder in a soft mango-leaf cup, a golden tongue-scraper, scented water in a golden pot, and a small golden basin were arrayed for each of them on the tooth-brushing platforms. He placed bathing cloths and fragrant Nārāyaṇa massage oil on the Three Prabhus’ bathing platforms. On their dressing and decorating platforms he placed aguru, incense holders, jeweled mirrors, combs, pairs of yellow cloths, garlands, sandalwood paste, ornaments and so on. After cleaning the meeting room, the sādhaka-dāsa placed a vyāsāsana for the Bhāgavata speaker and āsanas for the Three Prabhus and the bhaktas.

At that time, Śacī Mātā arrived from her inner chambers to wake Mahāprabhu. The Two Prabhus, the bhaktas and the sādhaka-dāsa all offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma to her. Śacī Mātā’s heart melted with vātsalya-prema as she entered Mahāprabhu’s bedroom, calling out his name to wake him. She placed her left hand on the bedstead to bear her body-weight and caressed Prabhu with her right. She said, “O Viśvambhara, my son! O Nimāi! Get up quickly; the morning has come. Śrīvāsa and your other dear bhaktas have arrived, eager to see you. They are all waiting in the courtyard.” Then Śacī Mā saw the wounds on Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s body, received during the previous night’s singing and dancing. She said, “Hāy! Hāy! My son, how have you suffered so many injuries?” Then, with her eyes full of tears, she anxiously began to caress him. Mahāprabhu got out of bed and offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma at his mother’s lotus feet. Then he sat on the bed again with his feet on the floor. Śacī Mā gave the servants their morning duties regarding Gauracandra’s bath and so on and then returned to her inner chambers. When the Two Prabhus and the bhaktas entered his bedroom, Mahāprabhu embraced the Two Prabhus and had them sit on āsanas. Śrīvāsa, Murāri and the other bhaktas offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma at Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet. When they inquired about his well-being, he described his dream about Vraja’s sweetness and was overwhelmed with prema. Understanding Mahāprabhu’s bhāva, Svarūpa Gosvāmī sang songs about Mukharā coming to see Śrī Rādhā in Yāvaṭa, Śrī Rādhā being wakened, her conversation with Śyāma Sakhī about Kṛṣṇa, the arrival of Madhurikā and so on. Hearing this, Mahāprabhu became overjoyed in rādhā-bhāva, exhibiting tears, trembling and other ecstatic symptoms. The bhaktas all absorbed themselves in their respective siddha-svarūpas in vraja-līlā.

My books are 15% off through June 17.

My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through June 17. Use the code PRIDE15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only. 

Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 11

 Navadvīpa: The Three Prabhus Go Home and Take Rest

Here in Navadvīpa, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his bhaktas were absorbed in bhāva on the veranda of the sleeping mandira in Śrīvāsa’s flower garden. Svarūpa Gosvāmī sang songs describing Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and their sakhīs going to their respective homes and going to bed. After hearing this, Mahāprabhu let out an ecstatic roar and returned to semi-external consciousness. Svarūpa Gosvāmī finished his singing. Mahāprabhu and his companions then went to their homes. Śrīman Mahāprabhu arrived at the town’s eastern lion-gate with Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu on his right, Śrī Advaita Prabhu on his left and the bhaktas behind. Absorbed in vraja-bhāva, he looked this way and that way with fearful eyes, sometimes walking quickly and sometimes slowly. Mahāprabhu lovingly embraced the two prabhus and the bhaktas as appropriate, said goodbye and entered the town. Although everyone went to their respective homes, out of an abundance of prema, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu entered Mahāprabhu’s house along with him. Following them, the sādhaka-dāsa entered the house along with the gosvāmīs and gurus. He sat Mahāprabhu on a golden stool on the veranda of his sleeping mandira, washed his feet with scented water and then dried them with his upper cloth. Mahāprabhu then went inside and lay down on a jeweled bed, where the sādhaka-dāsa massaged his feet. When Mahāprabhu fell asleep, the sādhaka-dāsa massaged the feet of everyone from Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu to Śrī Gurudeva. After they were all asleep, he went to his own home and took rest.

Thus ends the niśānta-līlā of Śrī Navadvīpa.

Prātar-Līlā: Navadvīpa (2 Hours 24 Minutes)

From 6:00 AM to 8:24 AM

Śrī-Navadvīpa-Prātar-Līlā-Sūtra:

paśyantīṁ svasutaṁ śacī bhagavatī saṅkīrtane vikṣataṁ

prātar hā katham eva te vapur idaṁ sūno babhūva kṣatam |

itthaṁ lāpanataḥ svaputra-vapuṣi vyagrā spṛśantī muhus

talpāj jāgarayāṁ cakāra yam ahaṁ taṁ gauracandraṁ bhaje ||

“I worship Śrī Gauracandra. In the early morning, when Bhagavatī Śacī Mātā saw that her son Viśvambhara had been injured during saṅkīrtana, she cried out, ‘Hāya Hāya! My son! How have you been wounded?’ Then she anxiously touched his body and repeatedly caressed it as she roused him from his bed.”

bhaktaiḥ sārdham upāgatair bhuvi nataiḥ śrīvāsa-guptādibhiḥ

pṛcchadbhiḥ kuśalaṁ prage parimilan prakṣālya vaktraṁ jalaiḥ |

puṣpādi-prativāsitaiḥ sukathayan svapnānubhūtāṁ kathāṁ

snātvādyād dhari-śeṣam odana-varaṁ yas taṁ hi gauraṁ bhaje ||

“I worship Śrī Gauracandra. In the early morning, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Murāri Gupta and the other bhaktas came to Śrī Gaurāṅga, offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma and inquired about his well-being. Śrī Gaurāṅga washed his face with water perfumed with flowers and so on and then met with the devotees. He spoke emotionally to them about a dream he had just experienced. Then he bathed and took śrī-kṛṣṇa-prasāda.”

Navadvīpa: Mahāprabhu Rises from Bed and Becomes Absorbed in Bhāva

In the early morning in Śrīdhāma Navadvīpa, the sādhaka-dāsa rose from bed, repeatedly saying Śrī Gaura’s name. After brushing his teeth and finishing his other morning duties, he cleaned the toilets and so on of his gurus, the gosvāmīs and the Three Prabhus with scented water. Then he perfumed the area with incense, washed his hands and feet and went to bathe in the Gaṅgā. After bathing, he recited prayers and songs of praise. When he arrived at home, he applied tilaka to his body and then went to clean the courtyard of his guru’s sleeping mandira with a golden broom. On the platform for brushing teeth, he placed a golden stool, a pot of scented water, a fine cloth towel, a mango-leaf cup, fragrant tooth-powder and a golden tongue-scraper. In the toilet he placed a pot full of scented water along with a container of soft, fragrant soil. Then he went into his gurudeva’s sleeping room and woke him by massaging his feet. After Śrī Gurudeva finished his morning duties such as brushing his teeth and so on, he went to the Gaṅgā to bathe. The sādhaka-dāsa walked behind him carrying a water-pot. Śrī Gurudeva offered obeisance to the Gaṅgā and sprinkled water on his head. After finishing his bath, he got out of the water and the sādhaka helped him to dry his body and put on a fresh cloth. Śrī Gurudeva recited prayers as he walked home, followed by the sādhaka-dāsa carrying the water-pot and his damp cloth. When Śrī Gurudeva arrived at his home, the sādhaka-dāsa washed his feet, sat him on an āsana and dressed and decorated him with tilaka and so on. (In this way, all the gurus and gosvāmīs are served by their respective sevakas.) After that, Śrī Gurudeva sprinkled water on Tulasī Devī, did parikramā and offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma. The sādhaka-dāsa also followed Śrī Gurudeva in performing these actions. Then the sādhaka-dāsa went with Śrī Gurudeva to meet with the rest of the guru-varga, where he offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma to each of them. Then they all went to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu’s sleeping mandira together where they prepared the articles for morning sevā and kept them in the proper places. Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu rose from bed, finished his morning duties and went with his companions to Mahāprabhu’s sleeping mandira. Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and the other bhaktas finished their morning duties and entered Mahāprabhu’s house, admiring its beauty.

The walls of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s home are made of gold. It has four sides and four gates. Each gate is adorned with an arch, a fastening cord and flower garlands. Four broad walkways come from the four gates and meet in the middle. Beautiful bejeweled trees and creepers are planted on both sides of each walkway. On the eastern side is a beautifully ornate lion-gate. The pinnacle of the house is decorated with a golden waterpot, flags and pennants. The house contains thirty rooms divided into four groups. Śacī Mātā’s section consists of six rooms in the northeast corner. In the northeast corner of that section is a well room. To the south of that is Śrī Jagannātha Miśra’s room and to the west of that is Śacī Mātā’s room. To the west of that is the dressing room of the Three Prabhus. To the north of that is the Three Prabhus’ toothbrushing and bathing room and to the east of that is Īśāna Dāsa’s room. Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s section is comprised of twelve rooms in the southeast corner. His bedroom is in the northwest part of that section. To the south of that lies his dining room. To the south of that is the Nārāyaṇa Mandira. To the south of that is the gem repository. To the east of that is a candraśālā (a room atop the house). To the north of that is a dance hall, where Bhāgavata recitations, kīrtanas and so on take place. To the north of that is a room for sitting with friends. To the north of that is the yogapīṭha flower garden. To the east of that is an empty room where the bhaktas gather. To the south of that is a room for visitors. To the south of that is a room for the servants and to the south of that a room containing a well. Viṣṇupriyā Devī’s section consists of eight rooms in the southwest corner. In the northeast part of that is the dining room for Śacī Mātā, Sītā Devī, Mālinī and so on. To the south of that is Viṣṇupriyā’s sitting room and to the south of that is her kitchen. To the west of that is her gem repository. To the north of that is a room for her maidservants. To the north of that is Viṣṇupriyā’s bedroom and to the north of that is a room containing a well, a pool, platforms for bathing, dressing and decorating, a pavilion and a six-season garden. Śrī Lakṣmīpriyā’s section consists of four rooms in the northwest corner. In the northeast part of that is her gem repository. To the south of that is her sitting room. To the west of that is her bedroom and to the north of that is a room for her maidservants.

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 6 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

दिव्य-प्रमोद-रससार-निजाङ्गसङ्ग-

पीयूषवीचिनिचयैरभिषेचयन्ती ।

कन्दर्पकोटि-शर-मूर्छित-नन्दसूनु-

सञ्जीवनी जयति कापि निकुञ्जदेवी ॥ ६ ॥

divya-pramoda-rasa-sāra-nijāṅga-saṅga-

pīyūṣa-vīci-nicayair abhiṣecayantī |

kandarpa-koṭi-śara-mūrchita-nanda-sūnu-

sañjīvanī jayati kāpi nikuñjadevī || 6 ||

“By the touch of her body, this preeminent Goddess of the Bowers rejuvenates Śrī Nandanandana as he swoons from the countless arrows sent by the god of love. She bathes him in waves of the nectar of transcendental joy.”

The Goddess Who Rejuvenates Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous three verses, the respected author has in the mood of a sādhaka described the glories of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust. By the grace of that foot-dust, he thinks of himself in his siddha-deha, near to his beloved Śrī Yugala and filled with the joy of prema. How sweet rādhā-dāsya is! Even while he is absorbed in the mood of a sādhaka, the low hum of his siddha-deha remains. If the state of engrossment is deep enough, no separate effort is needed to experience the desired object because in the siddha-deha the desired object appears to be nearby. While in the realm of sādhana, the sādhaka remains aware of both his svarūpa* and his physical body, and he remembers the history of his body and things related to it. In bhakti-sādhana, when the sādhaka reaches the level of bhāva or rati, he becomes jīvan-mukta, or liberated while still in his physical body. In the seventh shower of his book Mādhurya-Kādambinī, Śrīpāda Viśvanātha Cakravartī describes the condition of a sādhaka’s mind in the state of bhāva-bhakti: ahaṁtā ca prāpsyamāne sevopayoginī siddha-dehe praviśantīva sādhaka-śarīraṁ prāyo jahātīva virājeta. mamatā ca tac-caraṇāravinda-makaranda eva madhukarī bhavitum upakrameteti. At the stage of bhāva-bhakti, the self-concept of the sādhaka is that he has entered a siddha-deha that is appropriate for sevā. He has to a great degree abandoned his sādhaka-deha, and with a sense of ownership (mamatā), he becomes eager to drink the nectar of Śrī Yugala’s lotus feet. At the level of prema, he remains profoundly absorbed in his svarūpa and the flow of līlā continues without interruption. Rādhā’s dāsīs reside within the circle of her mahābhāva; thus, their absorption is the deepest. If one is not familiar with the bhāva of Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs, he will have no possibility of following them in his contemplation of sevā. Moreover, without following the bhāvas of Kṛṣṇa’s dearest ones, one has no chance of experiencing vraja-rasa. In Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s Prārthanā 33 we find the following:

prāṇeśvari! eibāra karuṇā kara more |

daśanete tṛṇa-dhari, añjali mastake kari, ei jana nibedana kare ||

priya-sahacarī saṅge, sebana kariba raṅge, aṅge beśa karibeka sādhe |

rākha ei sebā-kāje, nija-pāda-paṅkaje, priya-sahacarī-gaṇa mājhe ||

sugandhi candana, maṇimaya ābharaṇa, kauṣika basana nānā-raṅge |

ei saba sebā yāṅra, dāsī yena haṅa tāṅra, nirantara thāki tāṅra saṅge ||

“O Goddess of my life! Please give me your mercy now. I dedicate myself to you with straw in my teeth; my hands are folded at my head. Along with my dearest friends,# I will lovingly dress and decorate your beautiful limbs. Please keep me in this service at your lotus feet. Among my companions, I will adorn you with fragrant sandalwood paste, jeweled ornaments and a colorful silken dress. Let me remain always with those who serve you in this way as maidservants.”

The lives of Śrī Rādhikā’s kiṅkarīs are sustained by their longing for such loyal service. This is the beauty of the rāga-sādhaka’s worship. The esteemed author is one of Śrī Rādhā’s nitya-siddha companions. One follows in their footsteps by hearing and singing their enlightened words.

Immersed in the rasa of remembering Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s foot-dust, Śrīpāda’s heart and mind have gone to the realm of līlā. One sweet pastime unfolded before him: It was a full-moon night in springtime. Seeing the moon rising in the sky, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was reminded of Śrī Rādhā’s lovely face. Arriving secretly in the Vṛndāvana forest, he began to play his captivating flute to attract the minds of the vraja-sundarīs. Drawn by the sounds of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, Śrī Rādhā and the other girls all joined him on the banks of the Yamunā and began their rāsa dance. śliṣyati kām api cumbati kām api kām api ramayati rāmām. “Śrī Hari is embracing one beautiful gopī, kissing another and making love to another.” Seeing such romantic behavior, Śrīmatī was angered somewhat as she felt Kṛṣṇa’s love should only be for her.

sādhāraṇa-preme dekhi sarbatra samatā | 

rādhāra kuṭila-preme haila bāmatā ||

krodha kari rāsa chāḍi gelā māna kari | 

tāṅre nā dekhiyā byākula hailā śrī-hari ||

“In ordinary prema, we see equanimity in all cases, but Śrī Rādhā’s crooked love is contrary by nature. Becoming angry, Śrī Rādhā left the rāsa dance in a huff. No longer able to see her, Śrī Hari became anxious.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.110, 112)

Seeing the rāsa-maṇḍala as empty without Śrī Rādhā, Śyāmasundara left the company of countless Vraja girls and went to search for her.

itas tataḥ bhrami kāhāṅ rādhā nā pāiyā | 

biṣāda karena kāma-bāṇe khinna haiyā ||

śata-koṭī gopīte nahe kāma nirbāpaṇa |

 ihātei anumāni śrī-rādhāra guṇa ||

“Wandering here and there, Kṛṣṇa was unable to find Śrī Rādhā and became dejected, pierced by Kāmadeva’s arrows. Even countless other gopīs could not allay his desire. We can only imagine Śrī Rādhā’s qualities.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.115-116)

If he so desired, Kṛṣṇa could have easily united with countless vraja-gopīs. But the transcendental youthful God of Love, Śyāmasundara, was stricken by the arrows of passion and longing for Śrī Rādhā. He cried, “Hā Rādhe, Hā Rādhe!” and fell to the ground in a swoon. In Vṛndāvana, there is no mundane god of love; there is nothing mundane at all in Vṛndāvana. Therefore, the meaning of “Kāmadeva’s arrows” here is that, even though Saccidānanda-Vigraha Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma (self-satisfied), he still always longs for the prema-sevā of his bhaktas. The degree to which Śrī Kṛṣṇa wants to receive sevā also depends upon the type and extent of the bhakta’s prema. Even though the state of mahābhāva exists abundantly in the vraja-sundarīs, the heroines of madhura-rasa, Śrī Rādhārāṇī overflows with it. Thus, the extraordinary mahābhāva known as mādana^ exists only in her. No other gopī has it. When Śrī Rādhā’s mādanākhya-bhāva awakens Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eager desire for her mādana-rasa-sevā, he is no longer satisfied in the company of other vraja-sundarīs. For this reason, even if he cannot get Śrī Rādhā, he does not go to the other gopīs. He therefore swoons because of his intense longing to receive her sevā. This has been described as “Kāmadeva’s countless arrows.”

Meanwhile, Śrī Rādhā became agitated by seeing Śyāmasundara in the beautiful springtime forest, so she left him in a huff and entered Vṛndāvana. Śrīpāda always remains close to Śrīmatī as a kiṅkarī engaged in her service. Seeing Īśvarī’s distress caused by her separation from Kṛṣṇa, the kiṅkarī went searching for him. After finding him insensible in the gentle breeze, she returned to Śrīmatī and, without mentioning Kṛṣṇa’s fainting, immediately told her of his distressed condition and urged her to go to him.

vahati malaya-samīre madanam upanidhāya | 

sphuṭati kusuma-nikare virahī-hṛdaya-dalanāya ||

sakhi he! sīdati tava virahe vanamālī |

dahati śiśira-mayūkhe maraṇam anukaroti | 

patati madana-viśikhe vilapati vikalataro’ti ||

dhvanati madhupa-samūhe śravaṇam apidadhāti | 

manasi kalita-virahe niśi-niśi rujam upayāti ||

vasati vipina-vitāne tyajati lalita-dhāma | 

luṭhati dharaṇī-śayane bahu vilapati tava nāma ||

“O Rādhā! I have returned after seeing your Vanamālī, who suffers deeply from the pain of separation. The fragrance of the spring flowers has joined with the Malaya breeze to intensify his anguish. In your absence, the touch of the moon’s rays has brought him near to death. He wails in agony, stricken by the merciless arrows of the god of love. Hearing the humming of the bees, he covers his ears. His agony increases throughout the night; even a moment without you has become unbearable. Having abandoned his comfortable home for you, he cries out your name as he rolls on the thorny ground of the woods.” (Gīta-Govinda) 

In this way, the kiṅkarī strongly urged and encouraged Śrīmatī to relieve the burning in Śyāmasundara’s heart. Anxious after hearing of her prāṇanātha’s suffering, Śrīmatī went with the kiṅkarī to see her swooning lover, stricken by Kāma’s arrows in the guise of a gentle breeze. When Śrīmatī saw her beloved Śyāmasundara’s condition, she became extremely distressed and tried to allay his swooning with the touch of her own body, which is the manifest essence of ānanda-cinmaya-rasa: divya-pramoda-rasa-sāra-nijāṅga-saṅga-pīyūṣa-vīci-nicayair abhiṣecayantī. “She bathes him in waves of the nectar of transcendental joy.“ ānanda-cinmaya-rasa premera ākhyāna (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.159). “The word prema means ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, or joyful spiritual love.” The essence of that prema-rasa is the touch of her body. premera parama-sāra mahābhāva jāni, sei mahābhāva-rūpā rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.160). “The true essence of prema is mahābhāva, and Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī is the embodiment of that mahābhāva.” Mahābhāva Svarūpā Śrī Rādhā is in every way bathing her swooning lover in the waves of the surging ocean of mādana-rasa. Binding Kṛṣṇa with the ropes of her lotus-stalk arms, Śrīmatī began to kiss his face, sprinkling it with the sweet nectar from her lips. A heroic man, swooning from the strikes of his enemy’s arrows, regains consciousness after being sprinkled with cool water infused with some invigorating medicine. Getting his strength back, he once again becomes enthusiastic for battle. In the same way, by the power of his beloved’s sweet fragrance and nectarous lips, this swooning king of lovers once again came to his senses and blossomed with prema. Seeing the immediate delight of the swooning lover's five senses upon their contact with the rasa of Śrīmatī’s form and so on, the author has described the scene with the words pīyūṣa-vīci-nicayair abhiṣecayantī, or “bathed with waves of nectar.” One mahājana has sung,

saṅginī sahacarī,        dūrahi parihari,

rāi ekākinī kuñje |

ballabha mūrchita,        heri jiyāota,

rūpa sudhā-rasa puñje ||

“After abandoning her companions, Śrī Rādhikā entered the kuñja alone. Seeing that her sweetheart had fainted, she revived him with the nectar of her form.”

After that, Śrī Yugala entered a secluded bower. Understanding that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa would go there for vilāsa, the dāsīs had previously prepared and decorated the place. They created a beautiful bed of flowers, with soft pillows also made of flowers. The bed was covered by a canopy of fragrant flowers, illumined by lamps made of jewels and shaped like campaka buds. Garlands, tāmbūla, pots of scented water, aguru, candana, musk, red lac and other ingredients for dressing and decorating were all placed in a beautiful arrangement. On the gateway into the kuñja, the dāsīs had created stimulating erotic pictures with paint made of ground saffron. Inside the kuñja, the dāsīs had placed garlanded paintings depicting Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s pūrva-rāga. How beautiful Śrīmatī looked within that kuñja! Śyāmasundara sees her as the Goddess of the Bower. debī kahi dyotamānā paramā-sundarī, kiṁbā kṛṣṇa-krīḍā-pūjāra basati nagarī (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.84). “Devī means ‘the most resplendent and beautiful girl,’ or it can also mean ‘the abode where Kṛṣṇa and his pastimes are worshipped.’” After witnessing the sweet pastimes while absorbed in his svarūpa, Śrīpāda praised Śrī Nikuñja Devī, saying jayati kāpi nikuñjadevī: “Glory, glory to the Goddess of the Bower! You are the greatest of all!” The use of the present tense jayati here also indicates the perpetuity of līlā.

*True spiritual form

# In his commentary on this Prārthanā verse, Śrī Ananta Dāsa Bābājī has explained that in this context, the word priya-sahacarī, or dear companions, refers to the other kiṅkarīs.

^ Mādana means related to Madana, the god of love. It also means intoxication, exhilaration.

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Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 10

Vrajadhāma: Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Go Home and to Bed

When the sakhīs saw Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s ārati in the Vraja bower, they danced and sang and forgot to go home. Alarmed, Śrī Vṛndādevī signaled the mynah named Śubhā to send them on their ways. Śubhā said, “O lotus-eyed one! Your mother-in-law has already risen from bed. She will soon say to you, ‘O Rādhā! Your husband is coming now with his servants as they carry milk from the cowshed. Quickly, get up and do your housework!’ O friend, before this happens, you must leave the kuñja and go secretly to your bedroom.” Then Śubhā said to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “O Kṛṣṇa! Śrīmatī’s mother-in-law is always suspicious about her behavior. Abhimanyu also lives up to his name by constantly being angry and therefore rude in speech and critical of others. Moreover, her dull-headed sister-in-law is forever grumpy and uselessly slanders her. The night is almost over; why do you not part with this innocent girl?” When the Mandara Mountain of the mynah’s words came crashing down, the ocean of Śrī Rādhā’s heart began to churn and her eyes whirled about like restless minnows. Distressed that she must leave Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she rose from the bed with his yellow upper cloth still on her body. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the fear and anxiety in Śrīmatī’s restless eyes and the pleasing luster of her lovely face, he took her blue cloth and also rose from the bed. Holding hands, they emerged apprehensively from the kuñja. Śrī Kṛṣṇa held Priyājī’s hand in his left hand and his flute in his right. They were beautiful, like a new raincloud beset with a streak of lightning. Then her devoted sakhīs emerged from the kuñja, carrying various things. Someone brought a golden pitcher; someone else brought a fan with a golden handle. Another sakhī carried a jeweled mirror, while another carried a tray of kuṅkuma and candana. Someone else brought a jeweled tray of tāmbūla, and yet another carried a caged mynah. Someone brought a small box of vermilion; someone else had gathered up the pearls from their broken necklaces and tied them in the border of her dress. Śrī Rati Mañjarī brought Śrīmatī’s ear-ornament from the bed and placed it on her ear again. Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī brought Śrīmatī’s bodice from the bed and gave it to her privately. Śrī Guṇa Mañjarī brought Śrī Yugala’s chewed tāmbūla from the spittoon and passed it out to the mañjarīs as she walked. Mañjulālī Mañjarī distributed the remnants of Śrī Yugala’s broken garlands, candana and so on to the kiṅkarīs. When the sakhīs saw the blue cloth on Śyāma’s body and the yellow cloth on Rādhā’s, they with great delight covered their mouths with their cloths and began to laugh and make eye-gestures at each other. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa could not understand the reason for this, so they just looked at each other and stood there perplexed. 

Then Śrī Lalitā Sakhī reproached the sun for disrupting their enjoyment of Śrī Yugala’s nectarous pastimes: “O Rādhā, look at that! Although Aruṇa’s legs have melted from leprosy due to his sin of ending the play of young lovers, he still cannot abandon his nature in the morning. Therefore, the mahājanas’ statement that ‘giving up one’s nature is difficult for everyone’ is true.” Śrīmatī replied with a smile, “Lalitā, although Aruṇa has no legs, within half a moment of sinking below the horizon, he crosses the sky and again rises in the east. If he had legs, the night would lose even its name.” After Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw Vṛndāvana’s morning beauty, he began to describe it to Priyājī in an erotic way. “O dear one, look there! When a nāyikā sees her lover arrive in the morning marked by the passion of another woman, she turns red with jealousy. In the same way, when the eastern sky sees her husband the sun arrive in the morning, his form tinged crimson from contact with another lover,* she turns red with jealousy. When a nāyikā is making love with her nāyaka, she sometimes makes a sound by quickly drawing in her breath.# This forest, under the guise of doves’ cooing, makes such a sound at the arrival of her lover the springtime. Look there! A ruddy goose longing for the arrival of her lover is joyfully kissing a red lotus brightened by the rays of the sun. A cool vernal breeze perfumed by lotuses blows gently to teach the creepers how to dance and to dry the perspiration of the beautiful girls.” Seeing that Śrī Yugala were engaged in playful banter with their sakhīs and had forgotten to go home, Vṛndādevī signaled for the old monkey named Kakkhaṭī. Kakkhaṭī sat up in a tree and began to speak. “A virtuous and honorable female ascetic has arrived as the morning twilight, dressed in red cloth and emanating rays of matted locks (jaṭilā).” As soon as Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa heard the syllables ja-ṭi-lā,^ they were filled with fear. They gathered up their disheveled clothes, hair and garlands and ran away on separate forest paths. Startled to see them running, the sakhīs also dashed off in all directions. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava dreaded the separation from each other, so their lotus faces appeared ashen. Agitated by the unbearable pain of separation, they each anxiously drank in the sight of the other’s face. 

Understanding the situation, the sakhīs tried to console them with assurances of their reunion. In this way they arrived in great distress at Kadamba-Khaṇḍi, where with a heavy heart Śrī Kṛṣṇa headed in the direction of Nandīśvara and Śrī Rādhā and her sakhīs headed toward Yāvaṭa.+ Naturally eager for love, Śrīmatī said to Lalitā, “Friend! After enticing me to get the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s touch, you took me from my home and now you’re bringing me right back again. Why?” The sakhīs understood that Śrīmatī had forgotten everything due to her powerful thirst for love, so they took her on home, joking all the way. In this way, Śrī Rādhā entered the village through a hidden back gate without her elders knowing. The sakhīs then also came through this gate and went to their respective homes. After Śrī Rādhā entered her home along with Viśākhā, the sādhaka-mañjarī sat her on a golden stool on her bedroom’s veranda. She washed Śrīmatī’s lotus feet with scented water and then affectionately dried them with her own scarf. Śrī Rādhā entered her bedroom and lay on a jeweled bed, where a kiṅkarī began to massage her lotus feet. Śrīmatī felt anxious about being away from Kṛṣṇa, so in hopes of seeing him in a dream, she fell asleep. Then the mañjarīs, the guru-mañjarīs and the sādhaka-kiṅkarī all went to their respective homes. The sādhaka-dāsī helped the mañjarīs and guru-mañjarīs get in their beds and one by one she massaged their feet until they went to sleep. Afterwards, she went to her own home and fell asleep.

* A different direction

# The Sanskrit word used here is śītkāra, which is described as a sound made by drawing in the breath to express any sudden thrill of pleasure or pain, and especially pleasurable sensations during sexual enjoyment. Monier-Williams

^ Jaṭilā means having matted hair, but is also the name of Rādhikā’s mother-in-law.

+ During the time Śrī Rādhā resides in Varṣāṇā they separate when they reach the Dyumana Forest.