Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 80 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

জল বিনু যেন মীন,        দুঃখ পায় আয়ুহীন,

প্রেম বিনু সেই মত ভক্ত ।

চাতক জলদগতি,        এমতি একান্তরীতি,

যেই জানে সেই অনুরক্ত ॥ ৮০ ॥

jala binu yena mīna,        duḥkha pāya āyu-hīna,

prema binu sei mata bhakta |

cātaka jalada-gati,        emati ekānta-rīti,

yei jāne sei anurakta || 80 ||

     Like a fish without water, a bhakta without prema becomes miserable and lifeless. One who understands the ways of an ekānti-bhakta becomes devoted to prema, like a cātaka bird taking refuge of the clouds.

The Nature of the Singleminded Bhakta

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has previously given instructions to the eager sādhakas regarding how to become fixed in prema after giving up all other desires. Here, in this verse, he firmly demonstrates that through the example of ekānti-bhaktas (singleminded devotees). jala binu yena mīna, duḥkha pāya āyu-hīna, prema binu sei mata bhakta. Those who have completely given up all desires for anything other than prema, and have been able to devote themselves singlemindedly to prema, are qualified to attain prema. Fish are only truly satisfied in the water; water is their life. If removed from the water, they flop about in great misery and soon die. Bhaktas who are devoted to prema must be like that. Prema must be their life, and they must desire nothing else in the world. Nārada said to Śrī Vyāsa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.18:

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido 

na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ |

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ 

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā ||

     “A wise person should endeavor for bhagavat-prema, which cannot be attained by wandering from the highest wombs, such as of the gods, to the lowest, like the immobile trees. Because of ancient karma, sensual pleasure is obtained in due course without effort, as is misery.” Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Prīti-Sandarbha: tasmāt tat-tad-bhaktānāṁ tat-prīti-manoratha evopādeyaḥ. tad-anyas tu sarvo’pi heya ityāha–kim alabhyaṁ bhagavati prasanne śrī-niketane, tathāpi tat-parā rājann iha vāñchanti kiñcana. yathaivāha–punaś ca bhūyād bhagavaty anante rati-prasaṅgaś ca tad-āśrayeṣu. mahatsu yāṁ yām upayāmi sṛṣṭaṁ maitras tu sarvatra namo dvijebhyaḥ. ataevāha–na vai mukundasya padāravindayoḥ rajo-juṣas tāta bhavādṛśā janāḥ. vāñchanti tad-dāsyam ṛte’rtham ātmano yadṛcchayā labdha-manaḥ samṛddhayaḥ. yadṛcchayā ānāyāsenaiva labdhā manaḥ samṛddhir yeṣāṁ te. svato bhakti-māhātmya-balena sarva-puruṣārtha-pratīkṣita-kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-leśā apīty arthaḥ. The bhagavad-bhaktas’ desire for bhagavat-prīti (love of Bhagavān) is admirable; everything else is insignificant to them. Śrī Śukadeva Muni said to Parīkṣit, “If one satisfies Bhagavān Śrīnivāsa, what remains unattainable for him? Still, those who are devoted to Bhagavān desire nothing.” Consumed by the brāhmaṇa’s curse, Mahārāja Parīkṣit petitioned the munis: “O brāhmaṇas, bowing at your feet, I ask the blessing that in whatever life I may take birth, my love for Bhagavān will remain and I will have the association of great devotees and friendship with all creatures.” The bhaktas’ only desire is for love of Bhagavān. Therefore, Śrī Maitreya Ṛṣi said to Vidura, “Dear one, bhaktas like you who worship the pollen of Śrī Mukunda’s lotus feet desire nothing but the nectar of his service. They are satisfied by whatever is easily obtained; no perception of scarcity remains in their minds.” The word yadṛcchayā means ‘by chance, unexpectedly, spontaneously.’ Other than prema, what more can be desired by those who are satisfied by that which is easily obtained? Due to the power of bhakti, all puruṣārthas (objects of human pursuit)* spontaneously wait for the merciful glance of such a devotee. Because bhaktas are most thirsty for prema and their lives are devoted to prema, which is the parama-puruṣārtha, a bhakta without prema has been compared to a fish without water.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, cātaka jalada-gati, emati ekānta-rīti, yei jāne sei anurakta. A cātaka bird is attached to drinking drops of water released from clouds. Though being thirsty, they do not drink water from rivers, streams, ponds and so on. Parched from the severe summer heat, they look toward the sky. When the rainy season arrives, they quench their intense thirst by drinking raindrops. In the same way, the ekānti-bhaktas desire nothing but prema at the feet of their cherished deity. Though there are various kinds of sensual pleasures and accomplishments that are desired by worldly people, like bhukti (enjoyment), mukti (liberation) and siddhi (supernatural powers), the ekānti-bhakta’s bird of life constantly thirsts only for a drop of prema.

     The following is written in Śrī-Garuḍa-Purāṇa in the discussion regarding the characteristics of an ekānti-bhakta: ekāntena sadā viṣṇau yasmād eva parāyaṇāḥ; tasmād ekāntinaḥ proktā tad-bhāva-gata-cetasaḥ. “Because the bhaktas whose hearts and minds are absorbed in love of Bhagavān are singlemindedly devoted to him, they are called ekāntī.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.3.20, Gajendra says, ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṁ vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat-prapannāḥ. “Those who have taken exclusive shelter of Śrī Hari do not want anything else from him.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.55, Śrī Rudra says, taṁ durārādhyam ārādhya satām api durāpayā ekānta-bhaktyā ko vāñchet pāda-mūlaṁ vinā bahiḥ. “O Bhagavān! You are difficult to appease, but who desires anything other than the soles of your feet after having worshiped you with ekānta-bhakti, which is rarely attainable for even the virtuous?”

     In Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, four kinds of exclusive devotion have been mentioned along with examples of each: neglect of dharma; complete disinterest in karma, jñāna and so on; devotion to love in spite of obstacles; and devotion to nothing but love. 

     (1) Examples of neglect of dharma:

ājñāyaiva guṇān doṣān 

mayādiṣṭān api svakān |

dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān 

māṁ bhajet sa ca sattamaḥ ||

     Śrī Bhagavān said, “O Uddhava! One who abandons all dharmas and worships me, though understanding that performance of one’s own dharma as taught in my Vedas leads to virtue and non-performance leads to vice; who considers the performance of such duties to be a distraction from his meditation on me; and who has the firm conviction that he will attain all success through bhakti, such a person is regarded as an uttama-sādhu (highest-level saint).” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.11.32)

sarva-dharmān parityajya 

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja |

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo 

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ ||

     “O Arjuna, abandon all duties prescribed by varṇāśrama and take refuge only in me. I will free you from all sins; do not grieve.” (Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 18.66)

     (2) Disinterest in karma, jñāna and everything else:

santo’napekṣā mac-cittāḥ 

praśāntāḥ sama-darśinaḥ |

nirmamā nirahaṅkārā 

nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ ||

     Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “O Uddhava! The sages are free from desire; their hearts and minds are devoted to me; they are peaceful, impartial, free from attachment and egotism; they are indifferent to the pairs of opposites and have no possessions.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.26.27)   

     (3) Devotion to love in spite of obstacles:

yasya kṛcchra-gatasyāpi-

keśave ramate manaḥ |

na vicyutā ca bhaktir vai 

sa vai bhāgavato naraḥ ||

āpadgatasya yasyeha 

bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī |

nānyatra ramate cittaṁ 

sa vai bhāgavato naraḥ ||

     “One who never abandons his attachment to Śrī Keśava even in times of difficulty, and whose devotion never falters, is without doubt a bhagavad-bhakta. Moreover, one who worships Śrī Kṛṣṇa with singleminded devotion even though in danger, and whose heart and mind are attracted nowhere else, is called a bhāgavata.” (Skanda-Purāṇa)

     (4) Devotion only to love:

ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā 

janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu |

gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu 

na prīti-yuktā yāvad arthāś ca loke ||

     Śrī Ṛṣabhadeva said, “Those who develop affection for me consider it to be the highest attainment of life; they are not attached to friends or relatives, nor to the worldly-minded, nor to home, spouse or children. These great souls desire only enough wealth to sustain their lives.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.3) Those who come to know the manners and customs of an ekānti-bhakta become singlemindedly devoted to prema, the fifth goal of life.

* Dharma (virtue), artha (wealth), kāma (enjoyment) and mokṣa (liberation)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 79 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

রাধাকৃষ্ণ কর ধ্যান,        স্বপ্নেও না বল আন,

প্রেম বিনা আন নাহি চাউ ।

যুগলকিশোর-প্রেম,        যেন লক্ষবান-হেম,

আরতি পীরিতি রসে ধ্যাউ ॥ ৭৯ ॥

rādhā-kṛṣṇa kara dhyāna,        svapneo nā bala āna,

prema binā āna nāhi cāu |

yugala-kiśora-prema,        yena lakṣa-bāna-hema,

ārati pīriti rase dhyāu || 79 ||

  Meditate upon Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa; do not speak of anything else, even in dreams. Desire nothing but prema. Yugala-Kiśora’s love is like gold smelted a hundred thousand times. Contemplate them with longing and love.

टीका–आरति पीरिति रसे ध्याउ–आर्त्या प्रीति-सुख-स्वरूपत्वेन ध्यानं कुरु । हे मन! इति शेषः ॥

Meditation Filled with Intense Longing

  Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is speaking of the internal sādhana of a rāgānugīya-mañjarī-bhāva-sādhaka. First he says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa kara dhyāna, svapneo nā bala āna. We see the following in Śrī-Padma-Purāṇa: dhyāyanti puruṣaṁ divyam acyutaṁ ca smaranti ye, labhante te’cyuta-sthānaṁ śrutir eṣā purātanī. “One who remembers or meditates on the divine person Śrī Acyuta attains the abode of Śrī Acyuta. This is the ancient teaching.” This verse has been quoted in the glorification of meditation in Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa 3.75. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his commentary: dhyāyanti śrī-pādābja-talam ārabhya śrī-keśāgra saundaryādi-sahitaṁ cintayanti. apy arthe cakāraḥ. dhyāyantīty etad astu ye smaranty api yathākathaṁcit bhagavati manaḥ saṁyojayanti te’pi. evaṁ dhyāne smaraṇayor abhedaḥ kalpanīyaḥ dhyāyantīti smarantīti pṛthak prayogāt. The purport is that dhyāna means the contemplation of Śrī Acyuta’s beauty, from the soles of his lotus feet to the top of his head. In the phrase acyutaṁ ca in the above-mentioned śloka, the word ca is used in the sense of api (also, moreover). By performing smaraṇa, or by concentrating the mind on Śrī Bhagavān through some other means, the abode of Acyuta is attained. There is no particular distinction here between dhyāna and smaraṇa, but because deep smaraṇa becomes dhyāna, they have been differentiated. 

  Deeply focusing the mind in a specific way is called meditation or dhyāna. This dhyāna is the life force of sādhana. The result of dhyāna or deep concentration is astonishing in that even the shape of the material body undergoes transformation. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.9.23:

kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtaṁ dhyāyan 

kuḍyāṁ tena praveśitaḥ |

yāti tat-sātmatāṁ rājan 

pūrva-rūpam asantyajan ||

  Śrī Avadhūta Mahāśaya said to Yadurāja, “When a wasp or kumārikā insect attacks a worm, it confines it within a hole. Then, because of fear, that weakened worm always meditates upon the wasp. As a result of this, without even dying, the worm obtains a form similar to the wasp’s. In other words, the worm’s body is transformed into the body of a wasp.” The body of a meditator becomes similar in form to the object of meditation. This is the inconceivable power of dhyāna. If this kind of transformation of the material body is possible through dhyāna, is there any doubt that as a result of meditating upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of condensed sac-cid-ānanda, the body of the sādhaka will attain the state of spiritual cognition and joy? In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it has been described that by the power of continuous meditation on Śrī Bhagavān, Śrīla Dhruva Mahārāja’s sādhaka body attained a state of spiritual bliss.

  Undisturbed contemplation of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s forms, qualities, pastimes, sevā and so on is called dhyāna. Therefore, there are four kinds of dhyāna: rūpa-dhyāna, guṇa-dhyāna, līlā-dhyāna and sevā-dhyāna. Rūpa-dhyāna means meditation on the rūpa-mādhurī or boundless beauty of every part of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s bodies, from the tips of their toes to the tops of their heads. For example, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has described Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s rūpa-mādhurī at the end of Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Sandarbha:

gaura-śyāma-rucojjvalābhir amalair akṣṇor vilāsotsavair 

nṛtyantībhir aśeṣa-mādana-kalā-vaidagdhya-digdhātmabhiḥ |

anyonya-priyatā-sudhā-parimala-stomonmadābhiḥ sadā 

rādhā-mādhava-mādhurībhir abhitaś cittaṁ mamākramyatām ||

  “Let my heart and mind be constantly invaded from all sides by Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madhava’s sweetness. Their fair and dark complexions are radiant; their eyes dance in a festival of pure love-play; their bodies are anointed with infinite expertise in the art of love and they are always intoxicated by the nectarous aroma of their mutual affection.” The purport is that Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are radiantly beautiful, with golden and dark-blue complexions. The horizon is illumined by the molten gold gaura luster of Śrī Rādhā and the sapphire-conquering śyāma luster of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Animated by the wonderful movements of Śrī Rādhā’s right eye and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s left eye when the two lovers meet, the indescribable beauty of the Divine Couple appears to dance. Their incomparably beautiful bodies are covered with infinite expertise in the pastimes of mādanākhya-mahābhāva, meaning that by the influence of the god of love, their bodies are adorned with endless astonishing sweetness in the form of embraces, kisses and so on. They are intoxicated by the sweet, enchanting fragrance of the kuṅkuma of their mutual love. Let that indescribable united form of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava thus appear in my heart such that no trace of any other manifestation remains. The purport of the root of the word ākramyatām (let it be invaded) above is ‘so that form never leaves my heart or mind by any means.’ By this it is understood that the merciful, self-manifesting rūpa-mādhurī of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava is spontaneously revealed in the citta of the pure-hearted meditating bhakta. Now, guṇa-dhyāna: Even though Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are possessed of endless good qualities, for the bhakta who has taken shelter of madhura-rasa, there are twenty-five qualities of madhura-rasa to be contemplated. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities are as follows: he is delightful, sweet, bears all auspicious characteristics, is powerful, ever-youthful, eloquent, speaks pleasantly, is intelligent, well-educated, talented, calm, witty, skillful, happy, grateful, dextrous, submissive to love, deep, a leader, famous, charming to women, ever-fresh, has incomparable pastimes, is handsome and is the best flutist. Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s qualities are that she is sweet and ever-youthful, has restless eyes, is adorned with a lovely smile, has a beautiful mark of auspiciousness on her forehead, her bodily fragrance is intoxicating to Mādhava, she is expert in music, speaks pleasantly, is skilled in joking, is polite and filled with compassion, is intelligent, dextrous, modest, has a good reputation, is patient, deep, charming and playful, is filled with mahābhāva, is the dwelling place of the Gokulīs’ love, her fame has spread throughout the universe, she is devoted to her elders, is subservient to the love of her sakhīs and is chief among those dear to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is always subservient to her. Deep contemplation of all these qualities is called guṇa-dhyāna. Now, līlā-dhyāna: In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, līlā-dhyāna means the process of meditating on the aṣṭa-kālīya pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. With the help of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda’s brief līlā-sūtras, and after viewing Kavi Karṇapūra’s Kṛṣṇāhnika-Kaumudī, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda composed his book Śrī-Govinda-Līlāmṛtam, wherein he described Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s aṣṭa-kālīya-līlās in a more detailed way. After that, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Ācārya Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda, in his Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam, gave expanded descriptions of the abridged parts of Śrī-Govinda-Līlāmṛtam, thus further enriching the storehouse of meditations upon Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. In more recent times, after receiving the direct merciful order of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Govardhana resident Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Siddha Bābā composed Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta-Guṭikā in which he introduced the method of meditating on the pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava along with those of Śrī Gaura. After that, he compiled a huge anthology named Śrī-Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ so the līlās described in the Guṭikā could be experienced and enjoyed through the words of the mahājanas. Because the forms, qualities and so on to be contemplated in līlā-dhyāna are also ever connected to sevā-dhyāna, there is a distinct method of līlā meditation for rāgānugīya-sādhakas. 

  Sevā-dhyāna is also known as mānasa-sevā. A system has been introduced in the Gauḍīya Sampradāya for serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and their sakhīs within the yoga-pīṭha. Līlā is of two kinds: svārasikī and mantramayī. Svārasikī is like a river and mantramayī is like a lake. There is no difference between a lake and a river, but we see that they still have different natures and names. Aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā is svārasikī; the yoga-pīṭha-milana-līlā is mantramayī. This mantramayī-yoga-pīṭha-milana-līlā consists of contemplating the service of Śrī Yugala using mentally conceived articles of worship while absorbed in one’s siddha-svarūpa. In his commentary on Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has related one story from the Brahma-Vaivarta-Purāṇa to demonstrate the glory of mānasa-sevā. A poor brāhmaṇa from Pratiṣṭhānapura intensely desired to perform sevā and pūjā, but because of his poverty, he was unable to collect the materials for pūjā and thus couldn’t do the sevā. One day, as he was listening to a discussion about bhāgavata-dharma in a gathering of Vaiṣṇavas, he heard the statement, “If one serves a mental mūrti of Śrī Hari with mental articles of worship, Śrī Hari becomes pleased.” After hearing this, he resolved to perform mānasa-sevā. One day, after completing his bath and daily prayers in the Godavari River, he sat down in a solitary place. He established an image of Śrī Hari in his mind and mentally served him with kingly articles. This gave the brāhmaṇa great joy, so every day he performed sevā-dhyāna of Śrī Hari with ever-new mental articles and he began to feel extremely happy. Some time passed in this way and then one day he mentally prepared some excellent sweet-rice and placed it in a golden vessel. To cool it, he began to mentally fan it with palmyra leaves. After a little while, the brāhmaṇa stuck his finger into the sweet-rice to test whether it had cooled down yet. When he did this, his finger was burned by the heat of the mental sweet-rice. He considered that since his finger had been burned, the sweet-rice was unsuitable for offering to Śrī Hari. Feeling distressed, he was unable to sustain his samādhi. Then he discovered that externally also his finger had been burned and was now giving him pain. He didn’t mind the pain, but he began to lament that the materials for the Lord’s sevā had been wasted and that he had been unable to complete the sevā. Seeing his misery, Śrī Hari dispatched an aircraft that brought the brāhmaṇa to him in cinmaya-dhāma (the spiritual world).

  Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, svapneo nā bala āna, meaning that not only in the awakened state, but even in dreams you must not consider any topic unrelated to Śrī Hari. Hearing or speaking about information regarding something other than Kṛṣṇa causes the citta to be distracted or scattered. Concentrated meditation on Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is never possible if the citta is distracted by other topics. If one is to contemplate the pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a concentrated mind, concern for any other news must be abandoned in every respect and one must become devoid of any desire other than for prema. Prema binā āna nāhi cāu: the sādhaka who wants to attain prema must give up all desires for anything other than prema. Bhakti means service; therefore the bhakta desires nothing more than to serve his or her Deity. Without prema, that sevā is never pleasing to the Deity. Accordingly, the longing for prema awakens in the pure bhakta’s heart and mind. One who desires prema keeps his mind concentrated on sādhana-bhajana, which is the method to attain prema. He rejects things that are antagonistic to attaining prema. Therefore, the sādhaka’s thirst for attaining prema is one cause of his success.

  Then he says, yugala-kiśora-prema, yena lakṣa-bāna-hema, ārati pīriti rase dhyāu. After extracting the impurities from gold, goldsmiths heat it in fire for further refinement. In current vernacular, this is called bāna. Gold is graded according to the number of times it is heated in fire. With every bāna, the gold becomes purer and more lustrous. In pañca-bāna gold (heated five times), no more contaminants remain and it is as pure as it will get. So gold is never lakṣa-bāna (heated a hundred thousand times). The term lakṣa-bāna-hema denotes a state of being incomparable. Śrī Yugala-Kiśora’s love is so pure and glorious that it has no comparison. As there is no gold refined a hundred thousand times, so there is nothing comparable to the purity of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s love. Thus, it can easily be deduced that if the desire for anything other than prema still exists in the sādhaka’s heart, there is no worship of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, one must meditate with intense longing upon Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. The bhakta’s longing causes Śrī Bhagavān’s abundant mercy to flow. Intense yearning or longing for Śrī Bhagavān is called prema. The ultimate state of intense longing occurs in the sādhana of madhura-rasa, the highest vraja-rasa. To make the ocean of longing overflow, Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava have accepted parakīya-bhāva. Therefore, deep meditation filled with longing is a suitable sādhana for obtaining prema at the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, the embodiment of sweet love.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 78 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

সখীগণ চারি পাশে,        সেবা করি অভিলাষে,

সে সেবা পরম সুখ ধরে ।

এই মন-তনু মোর,        এই রসে সদা ভোর,

নরোত্তম সদাই বিহরে ॥ ৭৮ ॥

sakhī-gaṇa cāri pāśe,        sebā kari abhilāṣe,

se sebā parama sukha dhare |

ei mana-tanu mora,        ei rase sadā bhora,

narottama sadāi bihare || 78 ||

     Śrī Rādhā’s girlfriends are always near her, serving her with affection from all sides. Such service holds the highest joy. My mind-body is always immersed in this rasa. Narottama endlessly sports here.

The Joy of Service

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: The eminent author has revealed his desire to longingly weep for a vision of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s sweet forms. In Śrī Rādhā’s presence, Śyāma’s ocean of sweetness surges, and Śyāma’s form causes Śrī Rādhā’s sweetness to overflow! Śrī Kṛṣṇa says the following in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.140-142:

yadyapi nirmala rādhāra sat-prema-darpaṇa |

tathāpi svacchatā tāra bāḍe kṣaṇe kṣaṇa ||

āmāra mādhuryera nāhi bāḍite abakāśe |

e darpaṇera āge naba naba rūpe bhāse ||

man-mādhurya rādhā-prema doṅhe hoḍa kari |

kṣaṇe kṣaṇe bāḍe doṅhe keha nāhi hāri ||

     “Though the mirror of Śrī Rādhā’s love is spotless, its purity increases moment by moment. There is no room for my sweetness to expand, yet before this mirror it shines with ever-fresh beauty. My sweetness and Rādhā’s love both overflow and increase at every moment; neither can surpass the other.”

     Moreover, the strong winds of the sakhīs’ and mañjarīs’ services and their erotic jokes and laughter around Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa churn the ocean of yugala-mādhurī. In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya reveals his desire to become deeply absorbed in the service of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa along with their sakhīs in his internally conceived siddha-deha, submerged in the ocean of their sweetness. He first says, sakhī-gaṇa cāri pāśe, sebā kari abhilāṣe, se sebā parama sukha dhare. Though Īśvara (God) is eternal reality, without the assistance of the cit-śakti he does not attain full development. In the same way, Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love, though being eternal reality, does not fully develop without the help of the sakhīs. The sakhīs and mañjarīs can be regarded as blossoms on the branches of the wish-fulfilling creeper Śrī Rādhā, bestower of kṛṣṇa-prema. Just as the branches and blossoms of a creeper increase the creeper’s beauty, in the same way, the sakhīs and mañjarīs increase the beauty of the golden creeper Śrī Rādhā, attached by love to the tamāla tree Śyāma.

     Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā and the other sakhīs along with Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, Śrī Rati Mañjarī and the other mañjarīs always surround Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, serving them with ever-fresh desire. To understand the gradations of yugala-sevā among the sakhīs and mañjarīs, their classifications must first be known. Though Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs are countless, they have been divided into five groups. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 4.50:

asyāḥ vṛndāvaneśvaryāḥ sakhya pañca-vidhā matāḥ |

sakhyaś ca nitya-sakhyaś ca prāṇa-sakhyaś ca kāścana |

priya-sakhyaś ca parama-preṣṭha-sakhyaś ca viśrutāḥ ||

     Vṛndāvaneśvarī Śrī Rādhā has five kinds of sakhīs, namely sakhī, nitya-sakhī, prāṇa-sakhī, priya-sakhī and parama-preṣṭha-sakhī. These are again divided according to three kinds of temperaments: kṛṣṇa-snehādhikā (more affection for Kṛṣṇa), sama-snehā (equal affection for both) and rādhā-snehādhikā (more affection for Rādhā). Sakhīs such as Dhaniṣṭhā, Vindhyā and others have more affection for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Priya-sakhīs like Kuraṅgākṣī and others, along with the parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs including Lalitā and the rest of the aṣṭa-sakhīs, have equal affection for both. Although among these sama-snehā-sakhīs, Śrī Lalitā, Viśākhā and the rest of the eight parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs bear equal love for Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they maintain the mentality that, “We belong to Rādhā.” Because of the high level of their love for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, under certain circumstances, for a short time they may show more love for one than the other. For example, they show their love for Śrī Rādhā when she feels betrayed and angered by Kṛṣṇa’s infidelity. When she is in a bad mood and ignores Kṛṣṇa, they show their love for him. The prāṇa-sakhīs and nitya-sakhīs like Kasturī, Maṇi Mañjarī and others have more affection for Śrī Rādhā. They are also known as mañjarīs. The following is written in Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta 16.94 regarding the differences between the rādhā-snehādhikā-mañjarīs and all the other sakhīs:

ananya śrī-rādhā-pada-kamala-dāsyaika-rasa-dhī

hareḥ saṅge raṅgaṁ svapana-samaye nāpi dadhatī |

balāt kṛṣṇe kūrpāsaka-bhidi kim apy ācarati kā-

py adaśrur meveti pralapati mamātmā ca hasati ||

     “One who serves Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet with undivided attention will not engage in romantic pastimes with Śrī Kṛṣṇa even in her dreams. If Śrī Kṛṣṇa does something such as trying to remove her bodice by force, she will cry out, ‘No! No!’ with tearful eyes. Seeing this, my dearest Rādhā begins to laugh.” It should be understood that Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s laughter here arises from her seeing the mañjarī’s extraordinary devotion. Because of the firmness of their love, the mañjarīs have been blessed with the most confidential service of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. This sevā is rare or unobtainable for even Lalitā and the other parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs, not to mention the other sakhīs. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his Vraja-Vilāsa-Stava:

tāmbūlārpaṇa-pāda-mardana-payo-dānābhisārādibhir 

vṛndāraṇya-maheśvarīṁ priyatayā yās toṣayanti priyāḥ |

prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhī-kulād api kilāsaṅkocitā bhūmikāḥ 

kelī-bhūmiṣu rūpa-mañjarī-mukhās tā dāsikāḥ saṁśraye ||

     “I take shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s maidservants led by Rūpa Mañjarī. By actions such as offering tāmbūla, massaging her feet, bringing water, arranging trysts and so on, they provide perpetual satisfaction to Vṛndāvaneśvarī Śrī Rādhā. They are less hesitant than even Lalitā and the other prāṇa-preṣṭha-sakhīs when entering and leaving the places of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu and the ācāryas who have taken shelter of his lotus feet have propagated this mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā in the world. Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava obtain the greatest happiness from the mañjarīs’ pure and selfless service, and when the mañjarīs see them so happy, they float in an ocean of happiness themselves. se sebā parama-sukha dhare. There is no comparison anywhere to the joy they receive from seeing the playful couple at the time of their sevā. Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda wrote the following in Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta 1.54:

rādhā-nāgara-keli-sāgara-nimagnālī-dṛśāṁ yat-sukham |

no tal-leśa-lavāyate bhagavataḥ sarvo’pi saukhyotsavaḥ ||

     “All the happiness available in the kingdom of God cannot compare to even a tiny particle of the happiness of the sakhīs, whose eyes are submerged in Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s ocean of amorous play.”

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, ei mana-tanu mora, ei rase sadā bhora, narottama sadāi bihare. He prays, “May my mind-body, meaning my mentally conceived siddha-deha, be absorbed in mañjarī-bhāva-rasa so that it attains the great fortune of roaming with Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in their pastime places, always engaged in their service.” The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhakas establish their sense of self in this mind-body, the guru-given siddha-deha, and contemplate the service of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa during the eight daily time periods. This is the method of bhajana on the rāga-mārga. Externally, in their sādhaka-dehas, they perform śravaṇa, kīrtana, arcana, vandana and the rest of the nine processes of bhakti. Along with that, they always contemplate performing sevā in their mentally conceived siddha-svarūpas.

bāhya antara ihāra dui ta sādhana |

bāhya–sādhaka-dehe kare śrabaṇa-kīrtana ||

mane–nija siddha-deha kariyā bhābana |

rātri-dine kare braje kṛṣṇera sebana ||

     “There are two kinds of sādhana on this path, namely external and internal. Externally, in the sādhaka body, the sādhaka performs śravaṇa and kīrtana. Mentally, he contemplates his own siddha body and in it serves Śrī Kṛṣṇa day and night in Vraja.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.156-157)

     The revered author has used the words ei rase sadā bhora: always immersed in this rasa. The purport is that only those who have identified somewhat with their siddha-deha can understand the extraordinary degree of rasa-enjoyment here. Not to mention those who have obtained the great fortune of contemplating the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava while absorbed in their siddha-deha, siddhi comes to one who simply identifies with the siddha-deha, according to the doctrine of the Gosvāmīs: astu tāvad-bhajana-prayāsaḥ kevala tādṛśatvābhimānenāpi siddhir bhavati (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 344 anuḥ). Therefore, the rāgānugīya-sādhaka must give up any absorption in or reliance upon the material body made of five elements and remain absorbed in her own mind-body or siddha-deha. During the time of bhakti-sādhana, the sādhaka-bhakta must think, “I am the eternal servant of Śrī Bhagavān, and Śrī Bhagavān is my eternal master.” These truths remain inseparable in all circumstances. This master-servant relationship defines bhakti-dharma. Therefore, it is characteristic for an uttama-bhakta who is very dear to Śrī Hari to have established his or her sense of identity in a siddha-deha suitable for service to Śrī Bhagavān.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 77 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

হেম গৌরী-তনু রাই,        আঁখি দরশন চাই,

রোদন করিব অভিলাষ ।

জলধর ঢর ঢর,        অঙ্গ অতি মনোহর,

রূপে ভুবন পরকাশ ॥ ৭৭ ॥

hema gaurī-tanu rāi,        āṅkhi daraśana cāi,

rodana kariba abhilāṣa |

jaladhara ḍhara ḍhara,        aṅga ati manohara,

rūpe bhubana parakāśa || 77 ||

     I shall weep constantly, longing for a vision of the golden-hued Śrī Rādhā. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body is beautiful like a dark new raincloud. In this captivating form, he manifests himself on earth.

Longing to See the Beloved

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Filled with love, and longing to see his beloved Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, in this verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, hema gaurī-tanu rāi, āṅkhi daraśana cāi, rodana kariba abhilāṣa. “I shall weep constantly, longing for a vision of the golden-hued Śrī Rādhārāṇī.” The poets have compared Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s complexion to the luster of gold. But really, how can there be any comparison between the divine complexion of mahābhāvamayī Śrī Rādhā and gold, which is just an altered form of some mundane metallic substance? In his Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhi, Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda said, gātre koṭi-taḍic-chavi, meaning the luster from Śrī Rādhā’s body is like that of ten million lightning bolts. But lightning is a transformation of extremely bright light. A flash of lightning can dazzle the eyes and cause distress, whereas Śrī Rādhārāṇī bears the luster of love; the sight of her is cooling to one’s eyes. For this reason, Śrīla Prabodhānandapāda has used the word chavi (luster). Actually, all these descriptions of premamayī Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s bodily radiance being a brilliant yellow color like gold or extremely bright like lightning have only been endeavors to help the worldly people understand. The description of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s bodily luster as being like gold or lightning is not intended to be an example. The splendor of the mahābhāva in Śrīmatī’s body is incomparable. Śrīla Prabodhānandapāda has written the following in his Saṅgīta-Mādhava 1.2:

nava-campaka-gaurī-kāntibhiḥ

kṛta-vṛndāvana-hema-rūpatām |

bhaja kām api viśva-mohinīṁ

madhura-prema-rasādhidevatām ||

     “Just worship Śrī Rādhārāṇī, the enchantress of the world and presiding deity of the indescribably sweet rasa of love. With her fair complexion, yellowish like a fresh campaka flower, she transforms green Vṛndāvana into gold Vṛndāvana.” There is no comparison anywhere to the anxiety that awakens in a premika when he cannot see the youthful Goddess of Sweet Love, the world-captivating, gold-complexioned Śrī Rādhārāṇī, at whose lotus feet he has taken exclusive shelter and devoted his life. Not to mention Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha and the other nitya-pārṣadas, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, a sādhana-siddha resident of Śrī Govardhana, wrote the following regarding his anxiety to see Śrī Rādhā:

hāhā prāṇeśvari tuyā biccheda anale |

nirabadhi prāṇa mora dhikidhiki jvale ||

e duḥkha-sāgara haite uddhāra kariyā |

śrī-caraṇe rākha more kiṅkarī kariyā ||

hena dina ki habe taba śrī-mukhera bāṇī |

karṇete śuniba āra nūpurera dhvanī ||

tomāra lābaṇyāmṛta nayana-caṣake |

kabe bā kariba pāna parānanda-sukhe ||

āghrāṇa kariba taba aṅga parimala |

pulake pūrṇita habe mora kalebara ||

kabe tabocchiṣṭāmṛta dibe kṛpā kari |

pāiyā kṛtārthā habe e naba kiṅkarī ||

tumi mora japa tapa tumi mora dhyāna |

janmābadhi tomā binā nāhi jāni āna ||

kāntāli sahita tumi yathāya bihara |

kṛpā kari sei-sthāne more dāsī kara ||

kāñde dīna kṛṣṇadāsa dante tṛṇa dhari |

abhilāṣa pūrṇa mora kara hema-gauri ||

     “Alas, Goddess of my life! The fire of separation from you smolders endlessly in my heart. Rescue me from this ocean of misery and keep me as a maidservant at your lotus feet. When shall I hear the words from your lotus mouth, along with the jingling of your anklets? When shall I joyfully drink the nectar of your charm through the chalices of my eyes? I will smell the sweet fragrance of your limbs and my body will be filled with delight. When will you mercifully give me the nectarous remnants of your food? Receiving them, this new kiṅkarī will consider herself blessed. You are my silent prayer, my austerity and my meditation. Since birth, I have known no one but you. Please let me serve you wherever you sport with your lover and your friends. Weeping, poor Kṛṣṇadāsa holds a straw in his teeth. Please fulfill my desire, O fair one.”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, the embodiment of prema, is vowing to weep longingly for a vision of the golden-hued Śrī Rādhā. Crying in separation from one’s cherished deity is the best way to get a vision of the deity, and such crying is also most enjoyable. Crying in separation from ordinary friends and relatives of the world is miserable; but crying for premamayī Śrī Rādhārāṇī is of the nature of joy and pleasure. The Gosvāmīs have designated this feeling of separation as a rasa. Prema has two forms: union and separation. It goes without saying that when prema is an ingredient, a type of enjoyment will be deposited even in the feeling of separation. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has ascertained in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 1.7.126 that the enjoyment of viraha-rasa (separation) is greater and more plentiful than even the joy of union.

tathāpi sambhoga-sukhād api stutaḥ

sa ko’py anirvācyatamo manoramaḥ |

pramoda-rāśiḥ pariṇāmato dhruvaṁ

tatra sphuret tad-rasikaika-vedyaḥ ||

     “There is no doubt profound misery in the terrible grief and anxiety of one burning in the fire of separation from a loved one. Still, upon reflection of the matter, it seems that the misery born of separation is more praiseworthy than even the joy of union, because ultimately some indescribably delightful pleasure appears within it. This is only knowable by a rasika person who feels separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is therefore revealing his desire to cry longingly for a vision of Śrī Rādhārāṇī.

     Then he says, jaladhara ḍhara ḍhara, aṅga ati manohara, rūpe bhubana parakāśa. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is not desiring to see Śrī Rādhārāṇī alone; he wants to cry longingly for a vision of yugala-kiśora Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, in the last half of this verse he describes the sweetness of Śrī Śyāmasundara’s form. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful body, which is the color of a new raincloud, is radiant, charming and beautiful. The example is given that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incomparable complexion bears several similarities with a new raincloud. We see the following in the words of Śrīman Mahāprabhu in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya-Līlā 15.64-68:

naba-ghana snigdha-barṇa,        dalitāñjana-cikkaṇa, 

indībara-nindi-sukomala |

jini’ upamāna-gaṇa,        hare sabāra netra mana,

kṛṣṇa-kānti parama prabala ||

kaha sakhi ki kari upāya |

kṛṣṇādbhuta balāhaka,        mora netra-cātaka,

nā dekhi piyāse mari yāya ||

saudāminī pītāmbara,         sthira rahe nirantara,

muktāhāra baka-pāñti bhāla |

indra-dhanu śikhi-pākhā,        upare diyāche dekhā,

āra dhanu baijayantī-māla ||

muralīra kala-dhvani,        madhura garjana śuni,

bṛndābane nāce mauracaya |

akalaṅka pūrṇa-kala,        lābaṇya jyotsnā jhalamala,

citra-candrera tāhāte udaya ||

līlāmṛta bariṣaṇe,        siñce caudda-bhubane,

hena megha yabe dekhā dila |

durdaiba-jhañjhā-pabane,        megha nila anya-sthāne,

mare cātaka pīte nā pāila ||

     The meaning is that although the poets have likened Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion to a new raincloud, ground collyrium, a blue lotus and so on, in truth, his complexion is incomparable. Having defeated all analogies, he steals with his own amazing power the eyes and mind of one who sees him. In the example of a cloud, it says that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is an extraordinary cloud and his yellow clothing is lightning; but lightning of the world is inconstant. In this amazing cloud, the lightning in the form of his yellow cloth is permanent. His pearl necklace is a row of beautiful white herons on the chest of this cloud. The peacock-feather crown on his head and his garland of wildflowers are rainbows. The soft tones of his muralī flute, the enchanter of the three worlds, are the sweet rumblings of this astonishing cloud. When the peacocks of Vṛndāvana see this cloud and hear its thunder, they spread their tail feathers and dance in joy. Above this cloud, his flawless, full-moon face always remains risen, shimmering with moonlight charm. An ordinary cloud soaks the earth with showers of rainwater, but this amazing Kṛṣṇa-cloud soaks the fourteen worlds with showers of the nectar of his pastimes. The thirsty eyes of the gopīs are cātakī birds longing for a drop of the beauty of this amazing cloud. 

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, sei ḍhala ḍhala, meaning, the body of playful and charming Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which is the hue of a dark new raincloud, is very captivating. It is his nature to steal the minds of everyone in the world; for this reason, one of his names is Śyāma. śyāyate gacchati mano’sminn iti śyāmaḥ. The one in whose direction all minds go is named Śyāma. puruṣa yoṣit kibā sthābara jaṅgama; sarba-cittākarṣaka sākṣāt manmatha-madana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.139). The entire world is attracted by the transcendental beauty, sweetness, form and rasa of Śyāmasundara, the embodiment of joyful pastimes and enchanter of the god of love. The contemplative rasika devotees of the world are unable to remain tranquil because of that powerful attraction. When they arrive in Śrī Vṛndāvana, the līlā-dhāma of that transcendental cloud bank of sweetness, Śyāmasundara, they get to see śyāmera rūpe bhubana parakāśa, his earthly manifestation in the form of Śyāma. Those who become submerged in that ocean of beauty try to describe it, but language falls short. Still, that world-illuminating dark form awakens a great excitation in their hearts, so they must say something. Bathed in tears, that form-enchanted premika (in Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam 92) said,

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vapur asya vibhor

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vadanaṁ madhuram |

madhu-gandhi madhu-smitam etad aho 

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuram ||

     “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body is sweeter than sweet; his face is even sweeter. His fragrance is sweet; his smile is sweet. Ah! Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet!”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 76 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

রাধাকৃষ্ণ-সেবন,        একান্ত করিয়া মন,

চরণকমল বলি যাঁউ ।

দোঁহার নাম গুণ শুনি,        ভক্ত মুখে পুনি পুনি,

পরম আনন্দ সুখ পাঁউ ॥ ৭৬ ॥

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana,        ekānta kariyā mana,

caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu |

doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni,        bhakta mukhe puni puni,

parama ānanda sukha pāñu || 76 ||

     O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively. I am astonished by the sweetness of their lotus feet. By repeatedly hearing about their names, qualities and so on from the mouths of bhaktas, I shall attain the highest joy.

Dedicated Service

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya expresses his desire to obtain the highest joy by hearing from the mouths of bhaktas about the names and qualities of his beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and to engage in dedicated service to their lotus feet. First he says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana. “O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively.” Or, “I shall worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a focused mind.” Singleminded worship means devoting one’s life to exclusively worshiping Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in a focused way or with deep love. In Śri-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, four kinds of exclusive devotion (ekāntitva) have been mentioned: (1) indifference toward dharma (meaning varṇāśrama-dharma), (2) complete disinterest in karma, jñāna and so on, (3) devotion to love even during difficult times, and (4) devotion to nothing but love. In this way, service to one’s beloved deity is ekānta-sevana. The goal of worship is a life devoted to prema with no interest in anything else. upāsanaṁ tu yathā-śāstra-samāpitaṁ kiñcid ālambanam upādāya tasmin samāna-citta-vṛtti-santāna-karaṇam–tad-vilakṣaṇa pratyayāntaritam iti (from the preface of Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya’s commentary on Chāndogyopaniṣad). “After adopting an object of meditation established according to śāstra, one must thus establish continuous harmony, like a stream of oil, of the faculty of the mind with that object so that other, dissimilar conceptions cannot arrive in the form of obstructions or interruptions.” This is the goal of singleminded service to one’s chosen deity. In his Siddhānta-Ratna, Śrīpāda Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has explained the word sevana as constant pursuit of a goal with one’s body, mind and words. In Prīti-Sandarbha 129 anuḥ, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written sevanaṁ cittānuvṛttiḥ, meaning, the word sevana is defined as performing service after having understood the mind of the one to be served. This is true singleminded sevana. Externally, in one’s sādhaka-deha, perform arcana, vandana, śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on with love and devotion to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. In one’s mind, after understanding the mind of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, contemplate sevā in one’s siddha-deha while remembering the aṣṭa-kāla-līlā (eightfold daily pastimes).

     Then he says, caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu. “I am astonished by the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet.” My mind, like a greedy bee, is constantly absorbed in tasting the sweet nectar of their beautiful feet. The toes of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet are their petals; the beams of radiance coming from their nails are the stamens; their beauty is the nectar; their fragrance continuously perfumes the horizon. The bee-like eyes of the sakhīs and mañjarīs always relish with deep love the nectarous beauty of their lotus feet.

     Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava sādhakas cool their burning hearts by always remembering the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, which are adorned with nineteen symbols. The method of meditation upon the symbols on their lotus feet is as follows: There are eleven marks on the sole of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot, namely a barleycorn near the joint of his big toe; beneath that, a wheel; beneath that, an umbrella; a line running from between the big toe and the index toe to the middle of the foot; a lotus at the base of the middle toe; below that, a flag; an elephant goad at the base of the little toe; below that, a thunderbolt, and on the heel, an octagon surrounded by four swastikas between four ripened rose apples. On his left foot, there are eight symbols: a conch-shell at the base of the big toe; a symbol for the sky at the base of the middle toe; below that, a bow; below that, a cow’s hoofprint; below that, a triangle surrounded by four waterpots; below that, a crescent moon; below that, a fish. Thus, there are a total of nineteen different symbols on the soles of his feet.

     There are eleven symbols on the sole of Śrī Rādhā’s left foot: a barleycorn below her big toe; below that, a wheel; below that, an umbrella; a line running from between the big toe and the index toe to the middle of the foot; a lotus at the base of the middle toe; beneath that, a flag; beneath that, a flower; to its right, a bracelet; beneath that, a flower creeper; beneath that, a crescent moon; and an elephant goad at the base of the little toe. There are eight symbols on the sole of her right foot: a conch-shell beneath the big toe; a mountain beneath the middle toe; an altar beneath the ring toe and the little toe; below that, an earring; a chariot beneath the mountain, with a club to its right; a spear on the chariot’s left side, and on the heel, a fish. Thus, there are a total of nineteen different symbols on the soles of her feet. In the Skanda-Purāṇa, several specific marks on the soles of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are mentioned along with the reason for remembering them.

dakṣiṇasya pado’ṅguṣṭha-mūle cakraṁ vibharty ajaḥ |

tatra namra-janasyāri-ṣaḍ-varga-cchedanāya saḥ ||

madhyamāṅguli-mūle tu dhatte kamalam acyutaḥ |

dhātṛ-citta-dvirephānāṁ lobhanāyātiśobhanam ||

padmasyādho dhvajaṁ dhatte sarvānartha-jaya-dhvajam |

kaniṣṭhā-mūlato vajraṁ bhakta-pāpādri-bhedanam ||

pārṣṇi-madhye’ṅkuśaṁ bhakta-cittebha-vaśa-kāriṇam |

bhoga-sampan-mayaṁ dhatte yavam aṅguṣṭha-parvaṇi ||

tathā vāma-padāṅguṣṭha-mūlatas tan-mukhodaram |

sarva-vidyā-prakāśāya dadhāti bhagavān asau ||

padmādīny api cihnāni tatra dakṣiṇa-pādavat ||

     “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot bears a wheel-symbol (cakra) at the base of the big toe. By that, kāma and the other five enemies of the one who has taken shelter are destroyed. Remembrance of the lotus symbol at the base of his middle toe causes the bee of the bhakta’s mind to be allured. Remembrance of the flag symbol below the lotus causes the bhakta’s victory flag to fly, signifying his conquest over all anarthas. Remembrance of the thunderbolt symbol at the base of his little toe pulverizes the bhakta’s mountain of sins. Remembrance of the elephant goad symbol in the middle of the heel brings the elephant of the bhakta’s mind under control. Remembrance of the barleycorn symbol near the joint of his big toe endows the bhakta with enjoyment and prosperity. Remembrance of the conch-shell symbol at the base of the big toe of his left foot reveals all knowledge to the bhakta. In this way, the glory of the other symbols on both feet can also be understood.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that the beauty, qualities and glory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are indescribable.

     Then he says, doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni, parama ānanda sukha pāñu. The illustrious author is revealing that having heard repeatedly from the mouths of bhaktas about Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s names, qualities, pastimes and so on, he now desires to obtain such happiness. The greatness of hearing śrī-hari-kathā from the mouth of a high-minded bhakta has been repeatedly proclaimed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the cream of all vedānta. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.25, Bhagavān Śrī Kapiladeva said the following to his mother, Devahūti:

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama-vīrya-saṁvido

bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ |

taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani

śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati ||

     “O Mother, those who obtain the auspicious association of sādhus will receive the good fortune of hearing talks about my glories from them. Discussions about me heard from the mouths of such holy persons become an elixer for the listener’s heart and ears. As a result of this, faith, attachment and devotion to me gradually appear, accompanied by the destruction of ignorance, illusion and so on.” Repeated hearing of the naturally God-related conversations among the infinitely great kṛṣṇa-bhakta-mahāpuruṣas causes faith in Śrī Bhagavān to awaken in the jīva’s heart. The pure tan-mātras* issuing from the body of a sādhu bless even ordinary, non-religious persons with the extraordinary treasure of bhajana. Gradually, by hearing hari-kathā, ruci (taste) appears; then from the performance of the nine kinds of bhakti-sādhana, the eternally perfect kṛṣṇa-prema, the highest goal of life, appears in the citta (heart/mind). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.25, Śrīla Pṛthu Mahārāja says he wants no other boon from Śrī Bhagavān than to hear śrī-hari-kathā from the mouths of great souls:

sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto

bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā-kaṇānilaḥ |

smṛtiṁ punar vismṛta-tattva-vartmanāṁ

kuyogināṁ no vitaraty alaṁ varaiḥ ||

     “O illustrious one! Bearing drops of nectar from your lotus feet, the air flowing from the mouths of great souls, meaning the nectarous talk about you streaming from their mouths, bestows remembrance of you again to fallen yogīs like me who have forgotten the truth about you. Therefore, there is no need for any other boon.” However, please give me this blessing (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.24):

na kāmaye nātha tad apy ahaṁ kvacin

na yatra yuṣmac-caraṇāmbujāsavaḥ |

mahattamāntar-hṛdayān mukha-cyuto

vidhatsva karṇāyutam eṣa me varaḥ ||

     “O Lord! I do not desire the boon of liberation in which there is no hope of getting the nectar of your lotus feet, which flows from within the hearts of the greatest sādhus and out through their mouths. Therefore, please give me ten thousand ears for drinking the nectarous talks about you that pour from the mouths of these great souls. This is my request.” By this we are informed of his deep longing to relish śrī-hari-kathā from the mouth of a bhakta and the profound wonder and joy he experiences.

     Or, in the first half of this verse, which says rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana, caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya reveals his desire to serve Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a focused mind and to taste the sweetness of their lotus feet. Then he describes the means to attain that: doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni, parama ānanda sukha pāñu. If the names, qualities, pastimes and so on of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda are repeatedly heard with a joyful heart (or with enjoyment) from the mouth of a bhakta, resolute service to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is easily performed externally with body, mind and words and internally by loving contemplation of one’s service in the mentally conceived siddha-deha. This is an unfailingly powerful sādhana for attaining success or prema through rāga-bhajana.

*A subtle and primary element, such as sound, taste, touch, sight and smell from which the five mahābhūtas or grosser elements are produced.