Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 22 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

सत्प्रेमसिन्धुमकरन्द-रसौघधारा-

सारानजस्रमभितः स्रवदाश्रितेषु ।

श्रीराधिके तव कदा चरणारविन्दं 

गोविन्दजीवनधनं शिरसा वहामि ॥ २२ ॥

sat-prema-sindhu-makaranda-rasaugha-dhārā-

sārān ajasram abhitaḥ sravad āśriteṣu |

śrī-rādhike tava kadā caraṇāravindaṁ 

govinda-jīvana-dhanaṁ śirasā vahāmi || 22 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! A stream of nectar from the eternal ocean of love always pours from your lotus feet upon those who have taken shelter of you. When shall I bear those lotus feet, the treasure of Śrī Govinda’s life, upon my head?”

Rādhā’s Feet: The Treasure of Govinda’s Life

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: The divine stream of Śrīpāda’s visions has been flowing! His intense longing and anxiety for sevā have been expressed in each verse. It is universally accepted that one acquires a desired object according to the degree he longs for it. tīvra-saṁvegānām āsannaḥ (yoga-śāstra). The meaning is that samādhi is imminent for those who are able to intensely perform dhyāna and dhāraṇā (meditation and concentration). The degree of a bhakta’s desire determines the degree of his delight. Through this intense thirst, Śrīpāda has received visions of divine līlā and directly tasted sevā-rasa in his siddha-svarūpa. Even at the sādhana stage, one can have some experience of it. If the sādhaka gets some realization during meditation, he thinks, “I got a little response.” The ācāryas have also experienced sevā-rasa and propagated it. Just as Śrīpāda is getting wonderful experiences of rādhā-rasa through his visions, the bhāva-filled, charming madhura poetry and knowledge of līlā-rasa flowing from his pen are attracting the admiration of the great rasika devotees of the world.

In the previous verse, Śrīpāda has done wonderful sevā by calling out to Śrī Rādhā and expressing his feelings to her. By addressing her in such terms, he brings the līlā to her eyes. Śrīmatī has been running like a madwoman to meet with Śyāma. She has lost all sense of direction. The kiṅkarī is distraught, thinking that Śrīmatī’s lotus feet may be injured. The prospect that her dear one’s tender feet may suffer pain was truly unbearable. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa disappeared from the rāsa-līlā, the vraja-sundarīs became distressed and anxious to see him. Disturbed that he may hurt his tender feet while roaming through areas of Vṛndāvana that were strewn with gravels and thorns, they said,

yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu 

bhītāḥ śanaiḥ priya dadhīmahi karkaśeṣu |

tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate na kiṁ svit 

kūrpādibhir bhramati dhīr bhavad āyuṣāṁ naḥ ||

“O darling! We fear that as you roam through the forest tonight, you may injure your delicate lotus feet, those beautiful feet that we held so gently upon our firm breasts. You are our life, and our minds reel with the thought that you may be pained by stepping on stones or thorns.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.31.19)

One manifestation of mahābhāva is that wherever there is the possibility of happiness, there is also the anxiety that there may be pain. For this reason, the vraja-sundarīs hold Kṛṣṇa’s feet gently to their bosoms, concerned that his feet may be injured by the touch of their firm breasts. It is easy to deduce that in a situation where there may be genuine pain, their minds become very disturbed. Particularly, when there is the possibility of some type of pain for Śrī Rādhā, who is the wish-yielding creeper of kṛṣṇa-prema, the soft-hearted sakhīs and mañjarīs, who are like her branches and leaves, feel truly indescribable misery.

Absorbed in his kiṅkarī-svarūpa, Śrīpāda said, “O Rādhā! In your rapture of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa, you have forgotten your own body. But your feet, more delicate than śirīṣa flowers, are being injured by walking where there is no good path.” Thinking like this, the poor dāsī is losing her mind.

yo thala-kamala paraśe ati komala jhāmara bhai upacaṅka |

so aba yāṅhā tāṅhā kaṭhina dharaṇī māhā ḍārata bhai niśaṅka ||

“Those same delicate feet that turn pale when startled by the touch of a land-lily are now being placed fearlessly upon the hard earth.” (Rādhāmohana Ṭhākura)

These lotus feet, which are more precious to her than millions of lives, always remain within her gentle heart. How can the kiṅkarī’s love tolerate such hardship for them? She says, “O Rādhikā! Please place your lotus feet upon my head! Do not step on the hard ground of Vraja again. I shall take those feet to Śyāmasundara, bearing them on my head as though they were millions of my lives.” At the appearance of pure devotion to her lotus feet, by the mercy of those feet, their qualities are spontaneously revealed within the heart. This has been described in the verse by two adjectives. sat-prema-sindhu-makaranda-rasaugha-dhārā-sārān ajasram abhitaḥ sravad āśriteṣu. The meaning is that a stream of nectar from the ocean of eternal love flows through her lotus feet to continuously shower those who have taken shelter. Here, the words sat-prema should be understood to mean absolutely pure love, devoid of any desire for one’s own enjoyment and devoted to the beloved’s happiness. Actually, only the mādhurya-saturated love of Vraja is completely pure. biśuddha brajera prema, yena jāmbū-nada hema; ātma-sukhera yāṅhā nāhi gandha. “Vraja-prema is completely pure, like gold from the Jambū River. There is not even the scent of desire for one’s own happiness.” 

This pure love reaches its zenith in the mañjarīs. Because they have taken exclusive shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, a stream of nectar flowing from the ocean of pure love continuously rains upon them. They have reached the highest stage of purity. They are called mañjarīs, and by nature they are also mañjarīs. The mañjarī, or sprig, does not give enjoyment to the bee. Just as a creeper’s sprig increases a bee’s desire for its fully bloomed flowers, in the same way, these mañjarīs, by their skillful sevā and charming natures, increase Madhusūdana Śyāmasundara’s desire for Śrī Rādhārāṇī. This is the power of taking exclusive shelter at Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. The nectar of pure love always falls from Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, and this nectar does not consist of just a few drops like the nectar of a lotus of this world. This nectar pours like a waterfall in an endless stream upon those who have taken shelter.

sāndrānanda-ghanānurāga-laharī-nisyanda-pādāmbuja-

dvandve śrī-vṛṣabhānu-nandini sadā vande tava śrī-padam |

“O Daughter of Vṛṣabhānu! I forever adore your lotus feet, from which waves of concentrated joyful love flow like nectar.” (Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 94)

Or the word sat could mean Śrī Kṛṣṇa. From Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet comes a continuous flow of love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In his Svasaṁkalpa-Prakāśa-Stotra, Śrīpāda Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmicaraṇa has written,

anārādhya rādhā-padāmbhoja-reṇum 

anāśritya vṛndāṭavīṁ tat-padāṅkām |

asambhāṣya tad-bhāva-gambhīra-cittān 

kutaḥ śyāma-sindho rasasyāvagāhaḥ ||

“One who does not worship the dust from Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet; or who has not taken shelter at her feet; who does not take shelter of Śrī Vṛndāvana, which is marked with her footprints; or who does not associate with the profound rāga-mārga-sādhakas whose hearts long for rādhā-dāsya, will never be able to taste the sweet rasa of the ocean that is Śyāma.” Śrīpāda has himself said,

rādhā-dāsyam apāsya yaḥ prayatate govinda-saṅgāśayā

so’yaṁ pūrṇa-sudhā-ruceḥ paricayaṁ rākāṁ vinā kāṅkṣati |

kiṁ-ca śyāma-rati-pravāha-laharī-bījaṁ na ye tāṁ vidus

te prāpyāpi mahāmṛtāmbudhim aho binduṁ paraṁ prāpnuyuḥ ||

“One who tries for a relationship with Govinda without serving Śrī Rādhā is like one who wants to experience the nectarous splendor of the full-moon without the full-moon night. Alas, unmindful of her being the source of the waves in the river of love for Śyāma, they are able to obtain no more than a drop of the great ocean of nectar.” (Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 80)

Moreover, those feet are the treasure of Govinda’s life. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s senses are always submerged in the mādhurya of Rādhā’s form, rasa and so on. For this reason, his name is Govinda.

nirdhūtāmṛta-mādhurī-parimalaḥ kalyāṇi bimbādharo

vaktraṁ paṅkaja-saurabhaṁ kuharita-ślāghā-bhidas te giraḥ |

aṅgaṁ candana-śītalaṁ tanur iyaṁ saundarya-sarvasva-bhāk

tvām āsvādya mamedam indriya-kulaṁ rādhe muhur modate ||

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to Śrī Rādhā, “O prosperous one! Your lips, red as bimba fruits, are sweeter and more fragrant than nectar. Your lovely face is sweet-scented like a lotus, and your speech is sweeter than the cooing of a cuckoo. Your body is cooler than sandalwood paste; indeed, it is the reservoir of all beauty. Having tasted your sweetness, O Rādhā, my senses rejoice again and again.” (Lalita-Mādhava 9.9) Even though Govinda always desires Rādhā like this, to nourish the rasa, Yogamāyā utilizes parakīya-bhāva to make Rādhā extremely hard for him to get. kabhu mile kabhu nā mile daibera ghaṭana: “Whether they meet or not is a matter of luck.” Whenever the nāyikā is hard to get, a strong attachment arises in the heart of the nāyaka. Therefore, hoping to embrace Nāgarīmaṇi Śrī Rādhā, Nāgara-Śiromaṇi Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the nikuñja-mandira meditating on her lotus feet like the king of yogīs. kālindī-taṭa-kuñja-mandira-gato yogīndravad yat-pada-jyotir dhyāna-paraḥ (Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 96). Once, to calm sulking Rādhā’s anger by holding her feet on his head like an ornament, he requested, dehi pada-pallavam udāram: “Please give me your lovely lotus-bud feet.” When Govinda desires the touch of her lovely feet, a wave of rasa rises in his heart: hiyāra mājhāre uṭhe rasera hilloli, (yabe) paraśite cāhi tomāra pāyera aṅgulī. After tasting all this rasa-mādhurya in līlā, Śrīpāda declared that Śrīmatī’s lotus feet are the treasure of Govinda’s life. Loving devotion to God, who is eternal, omniscient and ever blissful, has been celebrated for a long time. His acceptance of the feet of the one who loves him most as his greatest treasure is the very lifeblood of his divinity. This in no way diminishes him, but is rather a sign of his nobility.

“O Rādhā! How can I bear knowing that your feet, the treasure of Govinda’s life, might be pained by the hard ground of Vraja? Please climb on my head; I will carry you to meet your lover. Your beautiful body is as light as a ball of cotton, so it’s not hard for me to carry you. Besides, I’ll be bathed in a constant stream of prema-rasa.” If Śrī Rādhā says, “I’ll know whether my feet hurt or not; why do you worry so much?” In response, I will say, “You’re delirious; you won’t even know your own condition! You are going to meet Govinda to serve him, but the treasure of his life is feeling pain. Have you considered that? So just put the treasure of Govinda’s life on my head and he’ll be happy.” Longing to get Śrīmatī’s lotus feet on her head, the kiṅkarī points Śrī Rādhā in the direction of Govinda’s happiness. Countless figurative expressions like this have been placed in these ślokas. Blessed is the kiṅkarī; blessed is her sevā!

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Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 30

Śrī Rādhā and Dhaniṣṭhā entered the grove through the back gate, followed by the sakhīs and mañjarīs. Taking in the captivating beauty of the grove as she walked, Śrīmatī soon arrived at the banks of Gupta-Kuṇḍa. There she became extremely restless, anxious to meet with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When she saw the beauty of the grove and the lake, her passion became inflamed. Meanwhile, Kṛṣṇa was also eager to meet with Śrī Rādhā as they had previously agreed. Seeing the beauty of the forest through the back gate, he left his bedroom in secrecy. At that time, the peacocks saw Kṛṣṇa and inhaled his aroma. They spread their plumage, cried ke-kā and began to dance. The birds and bees began to sing in sweet voices. When Śrī Rādhā saw Kṛṣṇa and heard the sweet tones of his anklets, she felt drunk with love and mistakenly said, “O Lalitā! O Viśākhā! One amazing new cloud has unseasonably appeared before me. In it I can simultaneously see steady lightning, a rainbow and a row of herons. I can hear the sweet sounds of swans, storks and other birds.” Hearing that, Lalitā replied, “O lovely one! What you said is not quite correct. It is your beloved, whose form is beautiful like a new cloud, that has just arrived. You have mistaken the peacock feathers on his topknot to be a rainbow, his yellow cloth to be steady lightning and his pearl necklace to be a row of herons. You have mistaken the sounds of the small bells on his waist and his anklets to be the calls of swans, storks and other birds.” After hearing Lalitā’s words, Śrīmatī silently disappeared within the Aśokānandada Kuñja prepared by Vīrādevī.

Not seeing Śrī Rādhā among the sakhīs when he arrived, Śrī Kṛṣṇa asked them for news about her. The sakhīs replied, “Śyāma! She’s not here.” Kṛṣṇa: “Then from where is her aroma coming?” Sakhīs: “We’re with her all the time, so her fragrance has clung to our bodies.” Kṛṣṇa: “It’s not possible for all of you to come here without Śrī Rādhā. Is it possible for moonlight to appear without the rise of the moon?”Sakhīs: “Hey! There is no moonrise (appearance of Candrāvalī). This is the unprecedented rise of the opulence of the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu.” The sakhīs began to make various jokes like this. When Kṛṣṇa became dejected from not being able to see Śrīmatī, Vīrādevī directed him with an eye gesture toward the kuñja. Kṛṣṇa entered the kuñja and saw everything there as Śrī Rādhā, so he began to embrace the trees and creepers. When Premamayī Śrī Rādhā saw that, she stood before him and his love-born delusion disappeared. The meeting of Rasarāja and Mahābhāva caused the ocean of prema-rasa to overflow. Both sank deep into the ocean of keli-rasa (love-sports). The minnow-like eyes of the fortunate sakhīs and mañjarīs began to happily swim in the waves of this ocean of sweetness.

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  My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through October 20, 2023. Use the code TREATS15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only.

Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 29

 Vrajadhāma: Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Go to Gupta-Kuṇḍa

Śrī Rādhā was sleeping with her sakhīs at Nandīśvara in Vraja. After resting for a while, everyone awoke and got up. At Śrī Gurudevī’s signal, the sādhaka-dāsī brought scented water in a golden pitcher along with a golden basin so Śrī Rādhā could wash her hands and face. The sakhīs then washed their hands and faces and sat in a circle around Śrīmatī. Meanwhile, Dhaniṣṭhā arrived and gave to Viśākhā the blue cloth that Śrī Rādhā had accidentally exchanged at the end of night. Viśākhā gave Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s yellow cloth to Dhaniṣṭhā to be transferred to Subala. At that time, the sakhīs began to joke and laugh about Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma’s exchange of clothing, and for a little while everyone was submerged in ānanda-rasa. Meanwhile, Tuṅgavidyā whispered something into Viśākhā’s ear and Viśākhā expressed her approval with a gentle smile and a graceful gesture of her neck. When Śrī Rādhā saw them both smiling, she understood their mood and said, “O friends! When I see you smiling and whispering with your fingertips on your lips, it occurs to me that your intentions may not be good. I am an innocent girl and a virtuous wife; therefore, it is not proper for me to stay here any longer.” After saying this, Śrīmatī stood up and was about to depart for home when Śrī Viśākhā blocked her and said with a smile, “My dear friend, are you expressing your desire for your lover under the guise of fear? Otherwise, why does our whispering cause you to worry about your future?” Meanwhile, crafty Dhaniṣṭhā said to Śrī Rādhā, “Sakhī Rādhā! These girls are deceitful. Leave them and come with me through the rear gate to the garden to pick bandhūka flowers for sūrya-pūjā.” After saying this, Dhaniṣṭhā took Śrīmatī to a beautiful six-season grove in a valley of Nandīśvara Hill to the west of Nandīśvara Pura.

In that grove there are mango, jackfruit, coconut, betel-nut, date palm, kadamba, pārijāta and other trees laden with fruits and flowers and covered with mādhavī, mālatī, yūthī and navamallikā creepers (types of jasmine). The area resounds with the sweet calls of cuckoos and other birds and the pleasant humming of bees. The path that leads from the western gate of the village to the grove is like a beautiful terrace inlaid with multicolored gemstones from Nandīśvara. On rows of trees that line both sides, various kinds of creepers have grown into an umbrella shape above the path, their leaves arrayed to create a dense shade. Beautiful gem-studded benches surround the bases of all the trees. In the middle of the grove is a delightful lake named Gupta-Kuṇḍa that is surrounded by a terrace inlaid with jewels. The lake is filled with pure water and beautified by white, blue, yellow and red lotuses. The sweet sounds of swans, storks and other birds fill the air. The jeweled ghāṭa is adorned with a beautiful pavilion, a swing, a terrace and so on. It is surrounded by charming bowers and multicolored jeweled benches. On the western side of the lake there is a nikuñja-mandira called Aśokānandada. It was constructed by a vanadevī(1) named Vīrā for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and contains a lovely flower bed and so on. Four desire-fulfilling trees in the four corners of the nikuñja-mandira joined their limbs above to form a beautiful and colorful canopy covered by flowering creepers. The bees move from one flower cluster to another, attracted by their sweet fragrance. The amazing madana-rasa (the erotic mood) has been awakened by the melodious cooing of the cuckoos. On the four sides of the kuñja are four entrances with doors made of flowers. In the middle of the kuñja is a jeweled bedstead bearing a mattress strewn with stemless flowers. The bedstead is surrounded by golden benches furnished with a cāmara, a fan, a bowl of tāmbūla, a golden pitcher filled with scented water, a spittoon and other articles.

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

1. A forest goddess

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 21 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

श्रीराधिके सुरतरङ्गिणि दिव्यकेलि-

कल्लोलमालिनि लसद्वदनारविन्दे ।

श्यामामृताम्बुनिधि-सङ्गमतीव्रवेगि-

न्यावर्तनाभिरुचिरे मम सन्निधेहि ॥ २१ ॥

śrī-rādhike surata-raṅgiṇi divya-keli-

kallola-mālini lasad-vadanāravinde |

śyāmāmṛtāmbu-nidhi-saṅgama-tīvra-vegi-

ny āvarta-nābhi-rucire mama sannidhehi || 21 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! O one who delights in making love! O one garlanded by the joy of her wonderful pastimes! O one with a radiant lotus face and a lovely navel! Like a powerful river you rush to join with the ocean of nectar that is Śyāmasundara. Please stay close to me.”

Śrī Rādhā Rushes to Her Rendezvous. 

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Absorbed in his svarūpa, Śrīpāda is getting visions of Śrī Rādhā’s abhisāra-līlā one after the other. The enjoyment obtained from a vision is amazing. For those who are siddha, experience (anubhava) is everything. Their lives are a continuous flow of enjoyable feelings. A series of anubhavas comes even to those who are only a little advanced in bhajana. Otherwise, how can they continue to follow? Śrīpāda’s absorption in his svarūpa is natural; there is nothing artificial about it. First, the sādhaka must make some effort; after that, absorption in one’s svarūpa comes naturally. Absorption in the svarūpa (svarūpāveśa) is spontaneous for a bhakta whose love has evolved (jāta-rati). On the level of rati, the sādhaka’s self-concept is that he has taken shelter of his siddha-deha in such a way that he has, as it were, nearly abandoned his sādhaka body. How sweet it is to be near Śrī Rādhārāṇī while absorbed in spiritual consciousness! Śrīpāda always thinks he is near to his beloved Rādhā! In the previous verse, he encouraged Īśvarī to go on her abhisāra. The experience of sevā-rasa (the nectar of service) is given along with the enjoyment of Śrī Rādhā’s mādhurya. Service to Śrī Rādhā is amazing!

The sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, which attracts the whole world, is today resonating to attract Śrī Rādhā’s heart. This indescribable magnetism has caused Śrīmatī to run like a rushing river to unite with the Śyāma ocean. A river swollen with rainfall floods both banks with her powerful waves, then, overwhelmed by her own nature, rushes out to sea with a roar. In the same way, Śrī Rādhā Mandākinī,(1) filled with passion for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is today flooding over both her banks (her father’s family and her father-in-law’s family), as the waves of her transcendental beauty rise higher and higher. Overwhelmed by Kṛṣṇa’s love, she runs swiftly to unite with the dark ocean. Śrīpāda is comparing abhisārikā Śrī Rādhā to the Gaṅgā (sura-taraṅgiṇī).(2) She moves so fast! This lover’s journey has such irrepressible power! All obstacles and dangers are trampled by the powerful urge of her love for Śyāma. She abandons all dharma and runs like a madwoman through the forest filled with gravels and thorns. The poet Vidyāpati has sung,

naba anurāginī rādhā | kichu nāhi mānaye bādhā ||

ekali karali payāna | pantha bipatha nāhi māna ||

tejala maṇimaya hāra | ucakuca mānaye bhāra ||

kara sañe kaṅkaṇa mudari | panthahi tejali sagari ||

maṇimaya mañjīra pāya | durahi teji cali yāya ||

yāminī ghora āndhiyāra | manamatha hiyā ujiyāra || 

bighini bithārala bāṭa | premaka āyudhe kāṭa || 

bidyāpati mati jāna | aiche nā heriye āna ||

“Young and in love, Rādhā yields to no impediments. She departs alone without knowing the way. She discards her jeweled necklace. She regards her lovely breasts to be a burden. She removes the bangles and rings from her hands and drops them on the path. She removes her anklets, throws them away and runs on. The night is dreadfully dark, but her heart glows with passion. She clears away all obstacles with her weapon of love. Vidyāpati realizes he has never seen anything like this.”

Śrīpāda has been following behind Śrīmatī in the form of a sakhī devoted to sevā. With sweet reminders, she is giving Śrīmatī, maddened with prema, a taste of śyāma-rasa, hoping to unite her with the Śyāma ocean. Within each appellation lies a rapturous intoxicating power. She says, “O Rādhikā! You are so expert in serving Kṛṣṇa! Because you perform sevā that fulfills all of Kṛṣṇa’s desires, your name is Rādhikā.” kṛṣṇa-bāñchā-pūrti-rūpa kare ārādhane, ataeba rādhikā nāma purāṇe bākhāne (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.87). The lovers’ tryst, or abhisāra, is one of the main components of her service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. At the stage of pūrva-rāga,(3) she must have regularly practiced this service to him with great effort. The mahājana Govinda Dāsa has said,

kaṇṭaka-gāḍi kamala sama pada-tala mañjīra cirahi jhāṅpi |

gāgari bāri ḍhāri kari pichala calatahi aṅguli cāpi ||

hari abhisāraka lāgi |

dūtara pantha gamana dhani sādhaye mandire yāminī jāgi ||

kara-yuge nayana mudi calu bhābinī timira payānaka āśe |

maṇi-kaṅkaṇa-paṇa phaṇi-mukha-bandhana śikhai bhujaga-guru pāśe ||

guru-jana-bacana badhira sama mānai āna śunai kaha āna |

parijana bacane mugadhi sama hāsai gobinda-dāsa paramāṇa ||

The meaning is that Śrī Rādhikā is going to meet with Śyāma, but to get to him, she must walk on a slippery path through a forest of thorns in the dark of night. Therefore, she prepares at home for the rendezvous. She plants thorns in her courtyard and practices walking on them. She wraps her ankle-bells in cloth and practices walking silently. After pouring water from a pitcher onto the courtyard, she practices walking on a slippery path, and waking up in the middle of the night, she goes for long walks to increase her stamina. She covers her eyes with her hands and walks around, preparing for her journey in the darkness. For protection against snakebites on a forest path infested with wild animals, she gave a jeweled bangle to a snake-charmer in exchange for a mantra that binds a snake’s mouth, and she repeatedly practices pronouncing it properly. When her elders speak to her, she hears one thing and then replies to something completely different, as though she were deaf. When her family members criticize or reprimand her, she just laughs like a simpleton. Even the boundless misery she experiences for the sake of Śyāmasundara becomes boundless happiness to her.

In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda calls, “Hey Sura-Taraṅgiṇī! Like the Gaṅgā, you have been rushing to unite with the Śyāma ocean, surging with countless waves of attraction for his form. śyāma-rūpa jāgaye marame, kibā niśi kibā diśi śayane svapane (mahājana). The endless awareness of Śyāma’s form within your heart, day and night, is the root cause of the abhisāra. When, because of constant rains, the Gaṅgā swells and overflows both banks, she rushes toward the sea as though she has no other way. Similarly, what way is there for you other than to go on this impetuous journey to meet your lover? You are also properly called Surata-Raṅgiṇī. You delight most in your love sports with Śyāmasundara. The waves of your joy in making love play upon all your limbs.”

“Hey Divya-Keli-Kallola-Mālinī! There is no dearth of similarities between you and the Sura-Taraṅgiṇī Gaṅgā. Just as in the rainy season the Gaṅgā swells with surging waves, in the same way, you are garlanded with divine, surging waves of amorous play meant to make Śyāma happy.” These names used by the kiṅkarī to address Śrī Rādhā are all connected with sweet memories of her former pastimes with Kṛṣṇa. By awakening so many delightful memories within virahavatī Rādhā, she is exciting the power of the mūlā-śakti. These are the eternal kiṅkarīs. From them, the sādhaka learns the skills of sevā. priya sahacarī saṅge, sebana kariba raṅge. “She happily performs sevā alongside her dear friends.” (Prārthanā 33)

“Hey Lasad-Vadanāravindā! Full-blown lotuses illuminate the bosom of the Gaṅgā, attracting by their sweet fragrance the hearts and minds of the bees. In the same way, your lotus face upon your golden lotus-stalk body bewilders by its beauty and aroma the heart and mind of Madhusūdana!” In describing the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā’s face, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has said, mukhollāsaḥ phullaṁ kamala-vanam ullaṅghayati. “The beauty and fragrance of her face surpass that of a forest of blooming lotuses.” “Moreover, just as there are whirlpools in the Gaṅgā, your navel is in the shape of a beautiful whorl: a whirlpool of rasa in a river of rasa. Having fallen into that whirlpool, Mādhava’s mind twirls continuously like a piece of straw. Also, just as the Gaṅgā rushes with a roar to unite with the ocean, you also rush to unite with the ocean of Śyāma-nectar.” Here, the suggestion is that just as the place where a river meets the sea is considered a pilgrimage site for Hindus, in the same way, for the bhaktas, Śrī Yugala’s meeting place is a great tīrtha that fulfills all desires. The sakhīs and mañjarīs feel transcendental bliss by always bathing in this mahātīrtha. The purport is that as the bhaktas always bathe their minds in the waters of this mahātīrtha, they also become sanctified and competent for serving Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

Attracted by the sound of Śyāmasundara’s flute, Śrīmatī ran like a madwoman at the speed of a howling gale, without knowing in which direction she was going. From behind, her kiṅkarī called, “O Rādhā! Wait for me! You shouldn’t run so fast on the abhisāra path. It’s very rough, strewn with gravels and thorns. Slow down or you’ll hurt your tender feet!”

rādhe! pathi muñca sambhramam abhisāre |

cāraya caraṇāmburuhaṁ dhīraṁ sukumāre ||

“O delicate young Rādhā! You are going so quickly to meet your lover. Please make your lotus feet move a little more slowly!” (Mahājana)

“If you injure your delicate feet, it will interfere with your abhisāra. Moreover, I’m falling behind; I can’t run fast like you. You should just walk along with me.” Saying mama sannidhehi (stay close to me), the distressed kiṅkarī is trying to get Śrīmatī to slow down, anxious that some harm may come to her. Because she knows that Śrīmatī is very affectionate to her dāsīs, the kiṅkarī hopes that by expressing her frustration at not being able to run so fast, Śrīmatī’s compassion will be aroused.

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1. The heavenly Gaṅgā

2. Surataraṅginī can be divided as either surata-raṅginī, as in my translation of the verse, or sura-taraṅginī, as here in the commentary.

3. Amorous attraction felt even before acquaintance with the lover (Samsad)

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Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 28

Navadvīpa: Mahāprabhu Takes His Meal and Rests with His Friends

In Navadvīpa, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his companions were in the assembly hall of the Śrī Nārāyaṇa Mandira absorbed in songs describing Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s meals. At that time, Śacī Mātā arrived and said, “O Nimāi! It’s getting late; finish the kīrtana and bring everyone to take prasāda.” Hearing this, Śrīman Mahāprabhu roared with a gar gar sound and returned to his external state. Svarūpa, Rāmānanda and the others then concluded the kīrtana. After Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī finished offering food to Śrī Nārāyaṇa, he gave him water to sip and offered tāmbūla. Then he performed ārati and offered the ṭhākura a bed. Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the two prabhus and the bhaktas all entered the dining hall and sat on āsanas. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu sat on Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s right side and Śrī Advaita Prabhu sat on his left. The twelve gopālas sat in front and on the two sides sat Svarūpa and the other mahāntas, Gadādhara, Jagadānanda, Murāri and so on. Haridāsa Ṭhākura sat in the courtyard. Śacī Mātā and Mālinī Devī began to serve their meals. Śrī Jāhnavā, Viṣṇupriyā and others brought rice, vegetables and so on from the storeroom and put them in their hands. Mātā began to carefully distribute them, one after another. Immersed in vraja-bhāva, Śrī Rūpa and the other gosvāmīs, the śrī-guru-varga and so on began to watch the prabhus’ bhojana-līlā from the courtyard, while the dāsas became immersed in the rasa of serving vegetables and so on. Because he was absorbed in vraja-bhāva, Mahāprabhu would occasionally stop eating for a while. When Śacī Mātā saw this, she felt anxious and said to him with affection, “Nimāi, my son! Why do you have such a poor appetite? Only if you eat your favorite śuktā, śāka,(1) rice, vegetables and other delicious sweets and cooked foods will the cooking be successful. Seeing this will make me happy, so please, O child, try to eat a little more.” When Mahāprabhu heard his mother’s tender words, he concealed his ecstasy and began to enjoy the meal. Mātā was also pleased and resumed serving the excellent foods. After the meal, the dāsas provided scented water for rinsing their hands and mouths and soft towels for drying them. Then they all went to their respective bedrooms and sat on jeweled couches, where the dāsas served them tāmbūla and so on. When Mahāprabhu lay down, the sādhaka-dāsa began to massage his lotus feet, as instructed by his gurudeva. Meanwhile, at Śacī Mātā’s invitation, the śrī-gosvāmī-varga and the śrī-guru-varga all took their meals. After rinsing their hands and mouths, they took rest in their respective bedrooms. When Mahāprabhu had fallen asleep, the sādhaka-dāsa massaged the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and the śrī-guru-varga, one after another. When Mā asked the sādhaka-dāsa when he would take prasāda, the sādhaka told her he would do so after finishing his duties. Pleased to hear this, Mā put aside some prasāda for him. The sādhaka took everyone’s food remnants and placed them in his room. After cleaning the dining area, the pots and so on, he sat at the feet of his gurudeva.

Having rested for a short while, Mahāprabhu roared with a gar gar sound, awakened by the fragrance of the flowers in the six-season forest and the sounds of the bees, cuckoos and so on. When the two prabhus and the bhaktas heard that, they woke, got out of bed and went to see Mahāprabhu. Mahāprabhu rose from his bed and sat on the verandah with the two prabhus. The sādhaka-dāsa brought a golden basin and scented water in a golden pitcher so the three prabhus could wash their hands and faces. The dāsas served them tāmbūla and began to fan them and perform other services. Knowing Mahāprabhu’s mind, Svarūpa Gosvāmī began to sing about Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s rendezvous at Gupta-Kuṇḍa, in the six-season forest to the west of Nandīśvara in Vraja. Hearing this, everyone became absorbed in vraja-bhāva.

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1. Śuktā is a bitter vegetable and śāka is any edible herb, creeper or leaf such as spinach.

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