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Correction to Gutika 23

 On the four sides there are four gates decorated with arches, binding cords, strings of pearls, flags and banners.

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Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 23

As they approached Śrī Nandīśvara, Śrīmatī had a sweet memory of the joy of seeing Kṛṣṇa. Her body became numb and her gait slowed. In an attempt to hide her condition from her sakhīs, she said, “Friend! I cannot walk quickly any more; there are sharp pebbles on the path.” Kundalatā joked, “Is there a pebble stuck in your foot or is it in your mind?” Another sakhī said, “There is a black pebble stuck in her mind.” Kundalatā pointed and said, “Look there! Your beloved Kṛṣṇa, embraced by the garland of his dark complexion, is standing by the village gate. His body is bent in three places, unable to bear the weight of his sweetness. The bees are excited by the fragrance of the forest garland round his neck. It seems his beautiful, restless eyes are teaching the earrings that touch his soft cheeks how to dance. The yellow luster of his cloth, blown by the vernal breeze, mingles with the natural blue luster of his body like in Prayāga, the meeting place of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā, thus fulfilling with a stream of charm all the desires of the adolescent girls wishing to bathe there. Sakhī Rādhā! Look! Your enchanting lover has placed his left arm on the shoulder of his dear friend Subala. Under the guise of twirling a līlā-kamala(1) in his right hand, he spins the minds of the beautiful girls.” Śrīmatī felt dazed as she drank in Kundalatā’s word-nectar and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty-nectar through the chalices of her ears and eyes. Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful aroma spread to her nostrils and brought her back to external consciousness. Intense waves of love for Kṛṣṇa surged through Śrīmatī’s heart. Adorned with goosebumps, tears, trembling and other ecstatic symptoms, she said, “Sakhī! Is there no other path for entering the village of the king of Vraja? I cannot go this way!” In response, clever Lalitā said, “O dear friend! You must face this debauchee because I see that out of fear your creeper-like limbs are covered with goosebumps and tears are falling from your lotus-like eyes. Why are you afraid? You have been ordered by your elders to go on this path, so by obeying them all of your faults will be removed. Let’s go, friend! We will enter Nandālaya by this path.” Mentally admiring Lalitā’s intelligence, Śrīmatī began to proceed slowly on the path. Under the guise of pulling on her veil, she stimulated Śyāmasundara by showing him her face and other limbs and at the same time got a glimpse of Śyāma’s sweetness for herself. The treasure of each one’s meditation was now directly visible. Śrī Kṛṣṇa began to relish the incomparable beauty of Śrīmatī’s form with unblinking eyes and insatiable desire. Śrīmatī also was overwhelmed as she gazed with unblinking eyes at the world-enchanting sweet form of her beloved. The joy of seeing each other caused an endless stream of sweetness to gush from the limbs of both. The minnow-like eyes of the sakhīs and mañjarīs began to swim happily in that stream of sweet nectar.

Śrīmatī was delighted to see Kṛṣṇa; the power of love caused sāttvika-bhāvas like numbness, lethargy and so on to appear in her limbs and her gait slowed even more. Then, to change Śrīmatī’s mental state, Tuṅgavidyā Sakhī began to describe the beauty of Nandīśvara Hill. “Sakhī Rādhā! Look there. Nandīśvara Hill is thirty-two miles high, sixteen miles long and four miles wide. It’s huge! Beautiful six-season-forests grow there, with mango, jackfruit, arjuna, betel-nut, coconut and other trees encircled by lovely mādhavī, mālatī, navamallikā(2) and other flowering creepers. The forests are filled with the soft warbling of cuckoos and other birds and the sweet humming of bees. There are beautiful white, red, blue and yellow stones lying all about. Waterfalls flow from the peak of the hill in colors matching those of the stones. Like the white Sarasvatī, the red Alakānandā, the blue Yamunā and the yellow Gaṅgā, the waterfalls spread their beauty and fill countless delightful lakes like Pāvana-Sarovara, Yaśodā-Kuṇḍa and others. Behold Nandīśvara Giri, adorned with white, blue, red and yellow lotuses, water-lilies and so on. It teems with herons, storks and other birds and is surrounded by large ponds and lakes filled with clear water and multicolored waves.” Tuṅgavidyā’s words put Śrī Rādhā into a different mood, so she and her sakhīs admired the hill’s beauty and then entered the village. It is surrounded on four sides by a golden wall inlaid with various kinds of gemstones. On the four sides there are four gates decorated with arches, binding cords, strings of pearls, flags and banners. The multicolored flags and banners are being stirred by the Malaya breeze as though beckoning to all travelers, inviting them to accept the hospitality of Nanda’s joyful home. On the eastern side stands a large lion gate with a diamond-studded golden door. On each side of that sits a large lion made of white marble, with a white mane and eyes of ruby or sapphire. The lion gate has five stories. On the first story, talented singers awaken Śrī Kṛṣṇa with songs of his qualities. Dancers perform on the second story as an orchestra plays on the third. On the fourth story a golden clock (or bell) chimes according to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Golden pots and flapping victory flags beautify the fifth story. Nanda’s palace is sublime and is surrounded by seven other beautiful palaces. The home of Urjanya Rājā is on the north side, Parjanya’s is on the south and Rājanya’s is on the east. These three are brothers; Nanda and his four brothers are the sons of Parjanya Mahārāja. To the south of Parjanya Mahārāja’s home are the homes of Sananda and Nandana. The homes of Upānanda and Abhinanda lie to the north of Urjanya Mahārāja’s. Śrī Nanda Mahārāja’s home is between them. An incomparably elegant royal court lies in the southern part of the palace. A walkway extends from the estate’s northern gate to its southern gate. The palace has forty-two rooms in two sections on the eastern side and two sections on the western, plus seven in the middle, making a total of forty-nine rooms.

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1. A lotus flower held in the hand as a plaything (Monier-Williams)

2. Helicopter flower and two kinds of jasmine

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 17 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

उज्जागरं रसिकनागरसङ्गरङ्गैः 

कुञ्जोदरे कृतवती नु मुदा रजन्याम् ।

सुस्नापिता हि मधुनैव सुभोजिता त्वं 

राधे कदा स्वपिषि मत्करलालिताङ्घ्रिः ॥ १७ ॥

ujjāgaraṁ rasika-nāgara-saṅga-raṅgaiḥ 

kuñjodare kṛtavatī nu mudā rajanyām |

susnāpitā hi madhunaiva subhojitā tvaṁ 

rādhe kadā svapiṣi mat-kara-lālitāṅghriḥ || 17 ||

“O Rādhā, when will you wake from a joyful night in the bower with your playful lover and let me bathe you, feed you delicious foods and massage your lotus feet as you again drift into pleasant sleep?”

The Service Mood of Rādhā’s Dāsīs

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīpāda, while absorbed in his spiritual form, has performed wonderful service by uniting Śrī Rādhā, adorned with the ornament of vilāsa, with Śyāmasundara, who was eager for the sweetness of her love. There is a distinct experience of sevā-rasa that sustains the lives of Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs. Without a distinct experience of this cherished substance, they would be attracted by worldly life. Till now, jīvas like us knew nothing of this substance. Seeing everything as our own, we have forgotten Śrī Kṛṣṇa and absorbed our minds in insignificant worldly matters. By their personal behavior, the ācāryas teach their students how to forget the world, take their cherished deities within their hearts and progress in the realm of sādhana. Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda and Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda were both intoxicated by rādhā-rasa. Day and night they cried, “Rādhārāṇī! Where are you? I am struggling in the ocean of misery; please save me with your merciful glance!” “Alas, Rādhā! I am drowning in a terrible sea of destruction. Please bless my eyes, even for a moment, with your tender mercy.” “I don’t want to die without seeing you. Please be kind and let me see you once before I die.” By considering the behavior of the ācāryas, the sādhaka should think, “When shall I feel anxious for want of my beloved?” For this reason he comes to Vṛndāvana. Bhajana must be performed after yearning awakens in the heart. The sādhaka’s intense longing causes Śrī Bhagavān to desire the sādhaka’s sevā. Just as a thirsty person wants water, Bhagavān thirsts for bhakti. When he gets the scent of the yearning bhakta’s devotion, Bhagavān comes running. But Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s mercy is boundless. If my soul is somehow beautiful to her, she will undoubtedly come searching for me. And how uniquely beautiful is Śrīpāda Sarasvatīcaraṇa’s soul! With his entire heart he cries out, “When shall I see you ornamented with the bhāva known as vilāsa?”

A vision of the previous līlā reawakens before anxious Śrīpāda’s eyes. After the union of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the kiṅkarī helped Śrīmatī bathe in the Yamunā and then brought her home. Śrīmatī has been well-bathed! On the one hand, she was bathed in the sweetness of śrī-kṛṣṇa-rasa, while on the other, she was bathed in the cool, invigorating waters of the Yamunā as her kiṅkarī entertained her with rasa-kathā. Having been bathed in both kinds of kṛṣṇāmṛta, Svāminī has truly been well-bathed! When Śyāmasundara left, the kiṅkarī brought her lovesick svāminī home, all the while speaking to her sweetly and reminding her of him. How can she so instinctively serve a girl mad with kṛṣṇa-prema? She understands her svāminī’s heart; only the skillful kiṅkarī can know such sevā. Even the sakhīs don’t have this extraordinary characteristic!

When Śrīmatī arrived at home, the sakhīs and mañjarīs dressed and decorated her as they continued to help her taste śrī-kṛṣṇa-rasa.(1) As they dressed her, the sakhīs told Śrīmatī many stories about Kṛṣṇa. When the decorating was finished, a kiṅkarī quickly fed her. Such abundant affection, or mamatā,(2) is the mark of their prema. In his gambhīrā-līlā, Kali-Pāvanāvatāra(3) Śrīman Mahāprabhu was overwhelmed by tasting the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā’s viraha-rasa. He neither slept nor ate, but was always submerged in tasting kṛṣṇa-kathā with Śrīpāda Svarūpa Dāmodara and Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya. Prabhu had not slept the entire night; it was past 9 a.m. and he had still not regained external consciousness. His servant Śrīla Govinda Dāsa fell in the dust and rolled about. Crying, he begged Śrīpāda Svarūpa Dāmodara, “Śrīpāda Svarūpa! Please make Prabhu just a little conscious. Alas! The day has passed its third prahara and I have been unable to put even a little water in his mouth.” This is the profound depth of mamatā of one whose life is sevā.

The sakhīs and kiṅkarīs have finished dressing Śrīmatī and fed her some sweets and other foods. Śrīmatī is madhunaiva subhojitā (well-fed with delicious foods). The kiṅkarī knows that Śrīmatī will eat nothing but kṛṣṇādharāmṛta, food that contains the nectar from Kṛṣṇa’s lips. So she gives sweets to her that have been secretly mixed with Kṛṣṇa’s lip-nectar, and Śrīmatī tastes that nectar as though it were directly from him. She distinctly feels the intoxicating power of Kṛṣṇa’s lips. One can comprehend the taste of food, but it is impossible to comprehend the taste of the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips. Some are able, even in Kṛṣṇa’s absence, to experience through deep meditation Kṛṣṇa’s form, rasa and so on as though he were directly present. For such a person, it is also possible to experience the intoxication of direct contact with Kṛṣṇa’s lips by tasting food mixed with his lip-nectar. While in rādhā-bhāva, Śrīman Mahāprabhu became intoxicated by tasting the prasāda from Śrī Jagannātha’s gopāla-vallabha-bhoga offering and taught the devotees that mahāprasāda soaked in Kṛṣṇa’s lip-nectar is truly powerful. Śrī Gaurāṅga was lost in ecstasy while describing the glory of mahāprasāda to the devotees. Sāttvika-vikāras(4) spread throughout his beautiful body. His eyes filled with tears and his limbs erupted in goosebumps. Delirious, in a voice choked with emotion, he said,

tanu-mana kare kṣobha,          bāḍāya surata-lobha,

harṣa-śokādi-bhāba bināśaya |

pāsarāya anya rasa,          jagat kare ātma-baśa,

lajjā dharma dhairya kare kṣaya ||

nāgara! śuna tomāra adhara carita |

mātāya nārīra mana,          jihvā kare ākarṣaṇa,

bicārite saba biparīta ||

“O lover! Listen as I describe the nature of your lips: they agitate one’s body and mind, increase the desire for romance and destroy both joy and sorrow. They cause one to forget any other rasas, bring the whole world under their control and destroy shyness, virtue and patience. They cause women to go mad, attract the tongue and make everything seem to be the opposite of what it is.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 16.121-122)

adharera ei rīti,          āra śunaha kunīti,

se adhara-sane yāra melā |

sei bhakṣya-bhojya-pāna,          haya amṛta-samāna,

nāma tāra haya kṛṣṇa-phelā ||

se phelāra eka laba,          nā pāya debatā saba,

ei dambhe kebā pātiyāya |

bahu-janma puṇya kare,          tabe ‘sukṛti’ nāma dhare,

se sukṛti tāra laba pāya ||

“Listen to more about the corrupting influence of these lips: whatever food or drink comes in contact with them becomes just like nectar. That food or drink is called Kṛṣṇa’s leftovers. None of the gods can get even one morsel of those leftovers. Whoever falls for this trickery must perform pious acts for many births, and by that sukṛti, they can then get a small amount.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 16.130-131) No one can comprehend Mahāprabhu’s incoherent state after he has floated so far in the stream of rādhā-bhāva-rasa. 

After being nicely fed, Śrīmatī washed her hands and mouth and sat down with her sakhīs. Chewing tāmbūla given by a kiṅkarī, Śrīmatī and her friends sank into the rasa of kṛṣṇa-kathā. In the form of a kiṅkarī, Śrīpāda is thinking that his svāminī needs to take some rest. Śrīmatī had in great happiness spent the previous night in the bower cottage with her rasika lover, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Wide awake (ujjāgaram), without naps or drowsiness, they had passed the night laughing and joking. In the kuñja, there was a bed made of young shoots with tender leaves, with a pillow made of flowers. Śyāmasundara rested his head upon the pillow while Śrīmatī used his left arm as her pillow. Lying on their sides, they faced one another and talked, admired the other’s beauty, laughed and pushed each other. So much rasa! Their hearts and minds flowed toward infinity in a stream of mutual love! Therefore they were wide awake. A kiṅkarī said, “Svāminī! You have been awake all night; you should take a little rest.” The sakhīs commended the kiṅkarī: “She knows how to serve you correctly; we had forgotten that you need to rest. Go now, Sakhī! Go take a nap.” Holding Śrīmatī’s hand, the kiṅkarī took her to a bed of roses she had prepared and made her lie down. To remind her of Śyāma, the kiṅkarī covered Śrīmatī’s body with a black cādara (shawl). In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda has gotten the good fortune of massaging Śrīmatī’s lotus feet. She is massaging them with the utmost tenderness. The word lālana means “affectionate service.” The kiṅkarī feels gratified seeing the beauty of Śrīmatī’s feet. Svāminī falls asleep. The kiṅkarī sometimes holds Svāminī’s feet to her bosom and sometimes kisses them. There is no limit to the joy of such a fortunate maidservant. Suddenly, the vision ends. In sādhaka consciousness, he humbly prays to obtain that sevā. rādhe kadā svapiṣi mat-kara-lālitāṅghriḥ?

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1. See the fourth chapter of Śrīpāda Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda’s Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam for a description of Śrī Rādhā’s dressing and so on in the early morning.

2. Considering a person or thing as one’s own (Samsad)

3. The incarnation that rescues us from the age of Kali

4. External manifestations of internal ecstasies

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 My translations of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ are both 15% off through May 5. Use the code GREEN15. Click on the book images on the right of the blog page. Applies to print copies only. 

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 16 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

पादाङ्गुलीनिहितदृष्टिमपत्रपिष्णुं

दूरादुदीक्ष्य रसिकेन्द्रमुखेन्दुबिम्बम् ।

वीक्षे चलत्पदगतिं चरिताभिरामां

झङ्कार-नूपुरवतीं बत कर्हि राधाम् ॥ १६ ॥

pādāṅgulī-nihita-dṛṣṭim apatrapiṣṇuṁ

dūrād udīkṣya rasikendra-mukhendu-bimbam |

vīkṣe calat-pada-gatiṁ caritābhirāmāṁ

jhaṅkāra-nūpuravatīṁ bata karhi rādhām || 16 ||

“Ah! When shall I see that most charming Śrī Rādhā, whose anklets jingle sweetly as she walks, and who looks bashfully at her toes upon seeing from afar the moonlike face of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the king of rasikas?”

Bashful Śrī Rādhā

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: When a vision becomes very deep, the devotee feels that he is directly perceiving Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, when the vision ends, he cries with heart-rending lamentation. During the vision, he is ecstatic from tasting sevā-rasa; when it ends and there is no more sevā, he feels sadness to the same degree. It can easily be deduced that if no sevā comes to those who are the embodiments of sevā-rasa, they will experience indescribable sadness. This feeling also comes to some degree in the sādhaka state. If there is no such feeling, then one’s bhakti is considered weak. In rādhā-dāsya-bhajana, this feeling is inevitable. Rādhārāṇī mercifully gives help and support. In a discussion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.33, Śrī Brahmā and the other gods said, 

tathā na te mādhava tāvakāḥ kvacid

bhraśyanti mārgāt tvayi baddha-sauhṛdāḥ |

tvayābhiguptā vicaranti nirbhayā

vināyakānīkapa-mūrdhasu prabho ||

“O Lord! O Mādhava! Though the sādhana of the jñānīs and yogīs is often impeded by obstacles, devotees who have taken shelter of your lotus feet are never overcome by such obstacles because you mercifully help them. By your mercy the devotees’ obstacles become like a staircase that leads them fearlessly to your feet.”

Rādhārāṇī is even more merciful; her mercy has no bounds. Those who are a little advanced in bhajana get to hear Rādhārāṇī’s call. She whose heart is soft with compassion beckons the bhakta in a tender voice! The bhakta then weeps uncontrollably. To attain this state, the sādhaka should offer a little prayer at his svāminī’s lotus feet: “Svāminī! Please respond! If you do not respond, how will I advance on the path of bhajana?” Śrīmatī’s compassion will gradually descend and the sādhaka will be blessed with a taste of her līlā-mādhurī in a dream. 

Śrīpāda’s heart was restless and impatient; at this time a vision came to him. In the first interpretation of the previous verse, Śrī Rādhārāṇī revealed her desire to go bathe in the Yamunā. After joking with her, the kiṅkarī received Śrīmatī’s mercy. Now, having obtained another vision of that līlā, she is taking Śrī Rādhā to bathe in the Yamunā. Meanwhile, Śyāmasundara finished milking the cows and heard from a parrot that Śrī Rādhā was going to bathe in the Yamunā. Under the pretext of going to see the beautiful groves near Nandīśvara Hill, he left his friends and came to the bank of the Yamunā. Svāminī saw Rasikendra’s moonlike face from some distance away. When she had at first seen the water of the Yamunā from a distance, it reminded her of Śyāmasundara and a powerful wave of affection for him danced in her heart. Seeing his face again now caused sweet and boundless love to surge within her. Śrī Rādhā was adorned with the ornament of love upon seeing Rasikendra’s moonlike face. Among the twenty ornaments that manifest upon her lovely form, one is known as vilāsa.

gati-sthānāsanādīnāṁ mukha-netrādi-karmaṇām |

tātkālikaṁ tu vaiśiṣṭyaṁ vilāsaḥ priya-saṅga-jam ||

“The particular way the nāyikā walks, stands, sits, gestures with her mouth, eyes and so on when she meets with her beloved is known as vilāsa.” (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 11:31) Śrīmatī is apatrapiṣṇum, meaning that because she is bashful, pādāṅgulī-nihita-dṛṣṭim, she has fixed her sight upon her toes. How sweet her modest nature is! Her sweetness swells and falls as though in gushes.

rādhā basi āche kibā bṛndābane yāya | 

tāṅhā yadi ācambite kṛṣṇa darśana pāya ||

dekhitei nānā-bhāba haya bilakṣaṇa | 

ei bailakṣaṇyera nāma bilāsa-bhūṣaṇa ||

lajjā harṣa abhilāṣa sambhrama bāmya bhaya | 

eta bhāba mili rādhāya cañcala karaya ||

“If Rādhā happens to be sitting somewhere or is on her way to Vṛndāvana and suddenly sees Kṛṣṇa, various amazing moods appear within her. This change of states is called the ornament of vilāsa and is marked by shyness, joy, desire, confusion, contrariness and fear. With so many moods mixing together, Rādhā becomes restless.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.185-186, 188)

puraḥ kṛṣṇālokāt sthagita-kuṭilāsyā gatir abhūt |

tiraścīnaṁ kṛṣṇāmbara-dara-vṛtaṁ śrī-mukham api ||

calat-tāraṁ sphāraṁ nayana-yugam ābhugnam iti sā |

vilāsākhya-svālaṅkaraṇa-valitāsīt priya-mude ||

“When Śrī Rādhā suddenly saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa before her, she immediately stopped walking and then began again, but on a zigzag course. She scrunched up her face and slightly covered it with her blue cloth. Her starlike eyes were wide, restless and modestly downcast. Beautified by her ornament known as vilāsa, Śrī Rādhā gave Śrī Kṛṣṇa great joy.” (Govinda-Lilāmṛtam 9.11)

ei bhāba-yukta dekhi’ rādhāsya nayana |

saṅgama haite sukha pāya koṭi-guṇa ||

“When Kṛṣṇa sees this mood expressed in Rādhā’s face and eyes, his happiness is a million times greater than through union with her.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta Madhya 14.179)

The function of mahābhāva is to make Śrī Kṛṣṇa happy. When love reaches an unbounded state, it destroys like the sun the dark desire for sense-gratification lying deep within one’s heart and stimulates thoughts of Kṛṣṇa’s happiness in one’s mind. That state is known as mahābhāva. Her form is shaped by this mahābhāva. Therefore, it is logical that all of her efforts are meant for Kṛṣṇa’s happiness.

When beautiful and affectionate Śrī Rādhā sees her lover’s face, she fixes her eyes on her feet and slowly walks zigzag along the path. The bells on her lotus feet are jingling. It seems the sight of her beloved has caused drops of sweet love to fall from the icon of mahābhāva. Ankle-bells made from this sweet love jingle melodiously on the feet of mahābhāva. Śrīpāda Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has described the sweet sound of Śrī Rādhā’s ankle bells in Utkalikā-Vallarī 27:

dhvasta-brahma-marāla-kūjita-bharair ūrjeśvarī-nūpura-

kvāṇair ūrjita-vaibhavas tava vibho vaṁśī-prasūtaḥ kalaḥ |

labdhaḥ śasta-samasta-nāda-nagarī-sāmrājya-lakṣmīṁ parām

ārādhyaḥ pramadāt kadā śravaṇayor dvandvena mandena me ||

“O Lord! When in great joy shall my defiled ears be blessed with the beautiful sound of your flute, which reigns like an empress over the city of all beautiful sounds. It is enriched by the tinkling of Śrī Rādhā’s ankle-bells and is sweeter than the warbling of Brahmā’s swan.” (Utkalikā-Vallarī 27)

The rāsa dance is under way. As Śrīmatī dances, her ankle-bells jingle. Śyāmasundara is also playing his flute. He is the lord of beauty and sweetness. The whole world has been submerged in only one drop of his sweetness, so the sweet sound of his flute is like no other. But even that sound is nourished and enriched by the sound of Śrī Rādhā’s ankle-bells. Suddenly, one of her anklets falls off. The tone of Kṛṣṇa’s flute is no longer so pleasing. What is missing? Why is the flute’s tone not being enriched like before? Kṛṣṇa searched for the cause and saw that one of Śrīmatī’s anklets had fallen off. Placing his flute in his waistband, Kṛṣṇa danced over to Rādhā and sat near her feet. He took her foot upon his chest and replaced the anklet, keeping with the rhythm of the dance. The charming ankle-bells on Rādhā’s feet jingled like before. As Śyāma began to play his flute again, he saw that the problem had been solved. The sound of Śrīmatī’s anklets have enriched even the tone of the flute that drives the whole world mad. 

The kiṅkarī observes that after Śrīmatī sees the moonlike face of her lover, she is now adorned with the ornament called vilāsa. The anklets on her feet are jingling and each jingle vibrates the strings of her dark lover’s heart. The kiṅkarī now realizes that Śrīmatī is caritābhirāmā, or one whose nature is pleasing to the minds and eyes of both Śyāmasundara and her dāsīs. By seeing Śrī Rādhā’s sweet and charming behavior, Śrīpāda experiences the fruit of his inner vision in sakhī-bhāva. The kiṅkarī has succeeded in bringing the heroine and her pleasure-hungry lover together. After uniting the couple in a nearby kuñja, the kiṅkarī is blessed with a taste of their combined sweetness. Suddenly, his mystic vision ends. The author has expressed his wish while in sādhaka consciousness to see Śrī Rādhā adorned with the ornament called vilāsa.

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Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 22

When Śrī Rādhā saw Kundalatā, a fountain of sweet nectar seemed to gush in her eager heart. Śrīmatī joyfully stood up and said with a smile, “Kundalatā, my friend! I think that under the guise of Vrajeśvarī Mā’s order some mercy nectar has been sent my way. After appealing to my mother-in-law, you have swiftly come to me.” When Kundalatā drank in the nectar of lovely-eyed Rādhā’s sweet and logical words, her heart and mind danced in delight. Moonlight beamed from the gentle smile on her parted lips. She said in earnest, “Sakhī Rādhā! After you have understood everything, you and your sakhīs should leave immediately for Vrajeśvarī’s home. O beautiful lotus-eyed one! The flavor of the food you cook makes even the nectar of heaven seem insignificant. Your expertise in cooking is well-known throughout Vrajapura. O friend! Maharṣi Durvāsā has given you the boon that whatever you may cook will be filled with nectar, and that whoever eats it will have a long life, good health and strength and be the subduer of Indra. Ever since Vrajeśvarī heard about the boon, she has wanted Kṛṣṇa to eat your hand-cooked food regularly. Young Kṛṣṇa has killed some powerful demons and she firmly believes this is due to the qualities of the food you cook. Furthermore, O Moonface! Listen, I will tell you a secret. Just as Vrajeśvarī becomes anxious when she cannot see her son, she also feels the same way when she cannot see you.” Śrī Rādhā’s heart was bathed in ānanda-rasa when she heard Kundalatā’s words, which were like an elixir for her ears. Still, Śrīmatī concealed the great rush of delight in her heart and with a quick, disinterested glance at Kundalatā, she replied, “Sakhī Kundalatā! Everything you say makes sense. But, O wise one! Is it reasonable for girls who are known for their virtue to go to another person’s home every day? Think about it. Especially when it is your brother-in-law—I hear he is always greedy for the family girls. For virtuous girls, the effort to protect their family dharma is the most important thing. Therefore, my friend, I have no desire to go there.”

Kundalatā understood that Śrī Rādhā was internally delighted but outwardly reluctant. Extremely pleased, she replied, “Sakhī Rādhā! Your desire to protect your family’s dharma will be easily realized. Since Durvāsā Muni is favorable toward you, by his mercy nothing inauspicious will happen. Therefore, go quickly, without delay!” Elderly Jaṭilā was listening to Rādhā and Kundalatā’s witty conversation from a distance. She heard Rādhā’s words about going to Nanda’s house and accepted them to mean she was reluctant. Then she approached the girls and said, “O chaste Kundalatā! I trust you completely; for this reason I have placed my daughter-in-law into your hands.”Although the old woman is sharp-tongued by nature, she looked at Śrī Rādhā and said in a serious but calm and sweet voice, “My child, since it is inappropriate for a chaste woman to go even one foot from her husband’s home, you should not in any way go near Kṛṣṇa, who is known as the crown jewel of debauchees. This is settled. Still, O Rādhā, how many times can the words of Devī Paurṇamāsī and the humble request of the wife of the king of Vraja be ignored? Therefore, unable to disobey them, I am asking you to go there. But do not worry; Bhagavān Śrī Hari, who preserves the dharma of virtuous girls, will protect you. So, O lovely one, I have placed you in his lotus hands and am now carefree.” Though Jaṭilā was referring to Śrī Nārāyaṇa when she mentioned the word Hari, the quick-witted sakhīs smiled slightly, taking the word to mean Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrīmatī stopped the sakhīs with a gesture and remained silent. Then Kundalatā pulled Śrīmatī’s hand and led her and her sakhīs away with delight.(1) Kundalatā walked in front of Śrī Rādhā, with Śrī Lalitā on the right, Śrī Viśākhā on the left and Anaṅga Mañjarī and the other sakhīs behind. Śrī Rūpa and the other principal mañjarīs came next, followed by the guru-mañjarīs. Behind them, the sādhaka-dāsī carried laḍḍus and other types of Kṛṣṇa’s favorite foods as directed by Lalitā.

Nandālaya lies to the southwest of Yāvaṭa. The sakhīs led Śrī Rādhā outside the village through the southern gate. Rows of bakula and other trees lined both sides of the bejeweled path and their limbs and branches intertwined above it. They were covered with various kinds of blossoming creepers providing dense shade. Śrīmatī and her sakhīs walked to Nanda’s house like swans, listening to the sweet sounds of cuckoos and other birds mixed with the humming of bees on the flower-scented path. The path was illumined by her radiant golden complexion. Charming Rādhā was absorbed in the joy of seeing Kṛṣṇa. Goosebumps covered her beautiful form, she walked with a slow gait and her clothing had become loose. Seeing the marks from last night’s love-play on Śrīmatī’s body, Kundalatā joked, “O Rādhā! Your husband Abhimanyu was away for three or four days. He returned yesterday evening and spent the night in the cowshed. Still, I see nail-marks on your body and wounds on your lips. It seems these are clear signs of your customary chastity.” After hearing Kundalatā’s words, Lalitā could see that although Rādhā had narrowed her eyes externally, she was jubilant within. Lalitā replied, “O Kundalatā! Yesterday in the forest an audacious parrot mistook Śrīmatī’s breasts for pomegranates and scratched them with his claws. That same parrot bit her on the lips, thinking them to be bimba fruits. So why are you concerned that it is something else?” As Śrīmatī listened to their conversation, a memory of her previous night’s pastimes appeared. Her heart was filled with delight and her body numbed by joy. In this way, everyone floated in a stream of happiness as they moved toward Nanda’s house engaged in playful banter.

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1. Author’s note: During the time when Śrī Rādhā resides in Varṣāṇā, Kundalatā takes her to Nanda’s home after getting permission from Kīrtidā Mā.