Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 19 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

दृष्ट्वैव चम्पकलतेव चमत्कृताङ्गी 

वेणुध्वनिं क्व च निशम्य च विह्वलाङ्गी ।

सा श्यामसुन्दर-गुणैरनुगीयमानैः 

प्रीता परिष्वजतु मां वृषभानुपुत्री ॥ १९ ॥

dṛṣṭvaiva campaka-lateva camat-kṛtāṅgī 

veṇu-dhvaniṁ kva ca niśamya ca vihvalāṅgī |

sā śyāmasundara-guṇair anugīyamānaiḥ 

prītā pariṣvajatu māṁ vṛṣabhānu-putrī || 19 ||

“When Śrī Rādhā hears the sound of the flute, her body becomes like an astonished and bewildered campaka creeper. May the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu be pleased by my singing of Śyāmasundara’s virtues. May she notice me. May she embrace me.”     

Śrī Rādhā Astonished by the Sound of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīpāda received a revelation of Śrī Rādhā’s sweet qualities while he was in sādhaka consciousness. Even the sādhaka state is very pleasant. One must be humble and eager to experience Śrī Bhagavān’s sweet forms, qualities and pastimes. For this reason, even his nitya-siddha companions desire to taste the nectar of sādhanā. Śrī Bhagavān also wants the bhakta to taste this sādhanā-rasa. He said to Śrī Līlāśuka, “Living as a sādhaka in Vṛndāvana is blissful. I shall cause you to experience that joy.” The virahī-sādhaka obtains the state of a proṣita-bhartṛkā, a woman whose husband has gone abroad. Such a woman does not visit others’ homes, attend community festivals or keep her hair or clothing tidy. Rather, she sits at home and cries, feeling acutely her husband’s absence. In the same way, the virahī-sādhaka experiences separation from Śrī Bhagavān. This condition deeply softens and sanctifies the sādhaka’s heart and makes him eager to experience Bhagavān’s mādhurya. The beauty and sweetness of the profound state of rādhā-dāsya, feeling oneself to be the servant of Śrī Rādhā, is incomparable. This is the highest experience of rasa-brahma (spiritual delight). Even the prayers of one in the sādhaka state are wonderfully sweet.

hari hari! āra ki emana daśā haba |

kabe bṛṣabhānu pure, āhirī gopera ghare, tanayā haiyā janamiba ||

jābaṭe āmāra kabe, e pāṇi-grahaṇa habe, basati kariba kabe tāya |

sakhīra parama-śreṣṭha, ye tāhāra haya preṣṭha, sebana kariba tāṅra pāya ||

teṅho kṛpābān haiyā, rātula-caraṇe laiyā, āmāre karibe samarpaṇa |

saphala haibe daśā, puribe manera āśā, sebi doṅhāra yugala-caraṇa ||

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

doṅhā mukha-candra dekhi, juḍābe tāpita āṅkhi, nayane bahibe aśru-dhāra || ityādi

“Hari! Hari! Will I ever reach such a state? When shall I be born as the daughter of a cowherd in the village of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu? When shall my marriage take place in Yāvaṭa? When shall I make my residence there and serve Śrī Lalitā and her beloved Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī? Being merciful, they will offer me at Śrī Rādhā’s crimson feet. My life will be successful, all my hopes will be fulfilled and I will serve Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Seeing their moonlike faces, my burning eyes will be cooled by a stream of tears.” (Śrī-Prārthanā 31)

Overwhelmed by emotion, Śrīpāda began to cry, pleading for Śrī Rādhā, the ocean of good qualities, to appear within his heart. Suddenly a vision came. It was evening. Śrīpāda, in his kiṅkarī form, was engaged in serving Śrīmatī in Yāvaṭa. The sound of Śyāmasundara’s flute arose in a distant forest, resonating the low, sweet tone of the all-attractive kāma-bīja-mantra. se dhvani caudike dhāya, aṇḍa-bhedī baikuṇṭhe yāya, bale paiśe jagatera kāṇe. sabā mātoyāla kari, balātkāre āne dhari, biśeṣata yubatīra gaṇe. dhvani baḍa uddhata, patibratāra bhāṅge brata, patikola haite ṭāni āne. baikuṇṭhera lakṣmī-gaṇe, ye bā kare ākarṣaṇe, tāra āge kebā gopī-gaṇe. “That sound runs in all directions, pierces the universe and goes to Vaikuṇṭha. By its great power, it enters everyone’s ears, intoxicates and captures them all, especially the young women. That sound is so powerful that it breaks the vows of devoted wives and pulls them from the laps of their husbands. It attracts even the Lakṣmīs of Vaikuṇṭha, not to speak of the gopīs.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 21.141-142) Kṛṣṇa’s flute is sounding Rādhā’s name! “Come, come” it calls. The sound of the flute is Kṛṣṇa’s unique mādhurya. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has said, kṛṣṇa-mādhuryasya premaika-svādyatvam. “Only through prema is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness realized.” In a life devoid of prema, there is no experience of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya. Moreover, it is not that all premika-bhaktas will get the same experience of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. yasya yāvat premā sa tāvat śrī-kṛṣṇa-mādhuryam āsvādayati, na tu sarve samānam. (Śrīla Viśvanātha) “The amount of prema one has determines the amount of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya one tastes.” Prema is at its highest level in Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Therefore, she also has the greatest capacity for tasting Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. rādhā-dhairya-dharādharendra-damane dambholir unmīlati. (Śrī Rūpapāda) “The sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute can pulverize Śrī Rādhā’s mountain of composure like a thunderbolt.” Simply by hearing the sound of his flute, Śrī Rādhā loses her composure. She becomes motionless. Her body is like an astonished campaka creeper. The wonder of mahābhāva within her heart becomes manifest in her body. When she hears the flute, she becomes astonished as though struck by a thunderbolt. This astonishment is the result of tasting rasa. rase sāraś camatkāro yaṁ vinā na raso rasaḥ. “If, when experiencing something, there is no state of wonder, that cannot be called rasa.” Śrīmatī feels astonished and bewildered. Her body becomes numb from the stupor produced by sāttvika-vikāras (ecstatic transformations). She must be brought back to consciousness so she can meet with Śyāmasundara. Her body is like an astonished campaka creeper, but with an extraordinary quality. Though an ordinary campaka creeper brightens the forest by its beautiful golden color, it remains far from the touch of a clever bee greedy for nectar. The nectar of a campaka flower is bitter, so the bee will not be attracted to it. Nevertheless, Śrī Rādhā is a campaka creeper with an amazing quality and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is a bee who is eager to drink her nectar, so he is trying to attract her to himself through his flute-tone humming. But who will revive his benumbed Śrī Rādhā, who is his mūla-śakti, or principal power, and bring her to him? By Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s mercy, her kiṅkarī is most expert in this matter. Her songs about Śyāmasundara’s sweet and loving pastimes awaken Śrīmatī’s mind and invigorate her body. When the kiṅkarī sees Śyāmasundara’s līlā, she paints it on the canvas of her own heart with the brush of love. Then, like a skilled artist, she tries to enliven Śrī Rādhā’s consciousness by painting those same pictures on the canvas of Śrī Rādhā’s heart. What wonderful skills the blessed maidservants of Śrī Rādhā have! Descriptions of līlā cause that līlā to appear before the eyes of one who has bhāva. Śrī Rādhā could not understand whether she was hearing or seeing the līlā. As her bewilderment passed, she slowly regained consciousness. When Śrīman Mahāprabhu, in the mood of Śrī Rādhā, became overwhelmed by separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, songs about kṛṣṇa-līlā were the only thing that would bring him back to consciousness.

utkaṭa biyoga-duḥkha yabe bāhirāya | 

tabe ye baikalya prabhura barṇana nā yāya ||

rāmānandera kṛṣṇa-kathā svarūpera gāna | 

biraha-bedanāya prabhura rākhaye parāṇa ||

dine prabhu nānā-saṅge haya anyamanā | 

rātri-kāle bāḍe prabhura biraha-bedanā ||

tāṅra sukha-hetu saṅge rahe dui-janā | 

kṛṣṇa-rasa-śloka-gīte karena sāntvanā ||

“There are no words to describe Mahāprabhu’s agitation when his agony of separation from Kṛṣṇa appeared externally. Rāmānanda’s stories about Kṛṣṇa, along with Svarūpa Dāmodara’s songs, kept Mahāprabhu alive at such times. In the daytime, he associated with various people and was preoccupied with other thoughts, but at night his suffering increased. To comfort and console him, the two devotees stayed with him, chanting verses and singing songs filled with kṛṣṇa-rasa.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 6.5-8)

In the form of a sakhī devoted to sevā, Śrīpāda brought Śrī Rādhā out of her stupor with a sprinkling of Kṛṣṇa’s sweet līlā-rasa. Śrīmatī got the strength to complete her journey to meet with Śyāmasundara! Her kiṅkarī was the physician who cured her of the disease of separation from Śyāma. Śrīmatī had personally taught her all these skills of sevā. Jubilant, Śrī Rādhā was thinking that the sweetness of Śyāma’s flute had overwhelmed her and made her incapable of going to meet him. By assisting Śrī Rādhā in accomplishing that, the kiṅkarī had done incomparable sevā. Satisfied by such service, Śrīmatī decided to reward her, so she glanced toward the kiṅkarī and smiled. So much mercy was showered upon the kiṅkarī by those beautiful eyes! Filled with affection, Śrīmatī tenderly embraced her and held her to her bosom. The dāsī was pleased to receive such a reward. Her merciful svāminī had given herself to the kiṅkarī in the form of an embrace. Who is more merciful than this? Śrīpāda is getting visions of this līlā, one after another.

Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 26

The cooking was complete. When Yaśomatī Mā went to the kitchen to see the finished preparations, Rohiṇī Mā praised “Nectar Hands” Śrī Rādhā’s cooking and showed Yaśodā the various kinds of rice, vegetables and sweets kept in vessels on a clean table. Astonished at the sight of all those fragrant, beautiful and delightful rices, vegetables, sweets and baked foods, Yaśodā Mā asked, “How have you prepared so many beautiful and delectable dishes in such a short time?” Śrī Rohiṇīdevī replied, “This is a quality of Śrī Rādhā’s hands: whatever she touches becomes like nectar.” When Śrī Rādhā heard the description of her skill in cooking, she bowed her head in modesty. Yaśomatī Mā’s heart melted with affection after seeing Rādhā’s body wet with perspiration from her hard work. She instructed the dāsīs to fan Rādhā and then went somewhere else. The sādhaka-dāsī removed Śrīmatī’s cooking dress, wiped her body with a soft, moist cloth and began to fan her. Mātā directed Rohiṇīdevī to take a little of each of the foods for Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s offering and then sent Kamala Dāsa to invite Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and their friends to come and eat. Meanwhile, Yaśomatī Mā directed Madhumaṅgala to offer tulasī and fragrant water to Śrī Nārāyaṇa along with the foods provided by Rohiṇīdevī.

Navadvīpa: Mahāprabhu’s State of Mind after Hearing about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s Meal

In Navadvīpa, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his companions were absorbed in vraja-bhāva as they listened to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Meanwhile, Īśāna Dāsa arrived, having been sent by Śacī Mātā. He said, “O Gauracandra, the food has been prepared for Śrī Nārāyaṇa. Mā is asking you to come for the offering.” Hearing that, Mahāprabhu roared and returned to his external state along with his companions. Paṇḍita Gosvāmī ended his recitation of the Bhāgavata. Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his companions then went to Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s assembly hall and began to sing the bhoga-ārati-kīrtana. Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī offered the food to Śrī Nārāyaṇa along with water and tulasī, according to the rules. Understanding Mahāprabhu’s mind, Svarūpa Gosvāmī began to sing verses about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s meal. Hearing this, Mahāprabhu was attacked by sāttvika-vikāras like tears and goosebumps and was overcome by vraja-bhāva. The bhaktas also became absorbed in their respective siddha-svarūpas and sank into vraja-rasa.

Vrajadhāma: Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Take Their Meals and Rest

After Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s meal was finished in Vraja, Śrī Madhumaṅgala offered tāmbūla to him and then had him lie down. Meanwhile, Kamala Dāsa brought Śrī Rāma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and their sakhas to take their meals. After washing their hands and faces, they all entered the dining hall, which was scented with the smoke of fine aguru incense. Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva enjoyed eating with their friends as they sat on beautiful seats at golden tables with golden pitchers of fragrant water placed here and there. Śrīdāma and Subala sat on Kṛṣṇa’s left, Baladeva on his right and Madhumaṅgala in front. Some of the other sakhas sat on his left, some on his right and some in front. First, Mā Yaśomatī gave Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and their friends delicious drinks, made from coconut water and sugarcane juice, that were brought by Citra Sakhī. Yaśodā had invited the mothers of Kṛṣṇa’s friends, and with deep parental love they brought sweets and cooked foods for Kṛṣṇa. Mā Yaśodā brought the foods on a golden platter and distributed them with great respect. Then everyone happily began to eat. Śrī Rādhā had brought a sweet called gaṅgājala from home for Kṛṣṇa. At Rādhā’s signal, Raṅgadevī gave it to Yaśodā and she put a portion on each person’s plate. As Kṛṣṇa and his friends were eating in a jovial mood, he glanced once toward Śrī Rādhā. Her sakhīs saw this and were delighted. Then Yaśodā Mā began to speak as she pointed out the different foods with her forefinger. “O child! This preparation is very good. This one is sweet and these are delicious. Eat some of these.” Kṛṣṇa smiled as he took from his own plate the food that each friend liked the most and then gave it to him. 

Noticing that Kṛṣṇa was eating slowly and Yaśodā was intently engaged in serving food, the brāhmaṇa jokester Madhumaṅgala said to her, “Mother! Kṛṣṇa is not eating anything. Just give all those foods to me. After eating, I will embrace him and his body will be nourished too. Because of his poor appetite, Kṛṣṇa is not able to eat foods cooked in ghee, so give those to me. Give him some easily digested rice and vegetables.” After hearing Madhumaṅgala’s words, Kṛṣṇa laughed and took five or six handfuls of cooked food from his own plate and filled Madhumaṅgala’s, saying, “Eat!” In great joy, Baṭu repeatedly struck his left elbow against his side and said, “Friend! Look at this. I’m eating everything.” Stuffing his mouth with two or three mouthfuls at once, he said, “Mā! Please give me a little yogurt.” When Mātā left to get some yogurt, Baṭu said to the sakhas, “Look there; a monkey is dancing in hopes of getting some cooked food.” As soon as they heard that, the sakhas all raised their heads and looked in that direction. Baṭu quickly took the foods from his own plate and placed it on theirs. Then he bragged, “Look; I’ve eaten everything!” When he saw Yaśodā enter with the yogurt bowl in her hand, he said, “Mā, I ate all the foods even without yogurt, so now please give me a big bowl of sweet-rice.” Then Rohiṇī Mā began to serve sweet-rice, rice and vegetables, tender breads, sweets and so on that Śrī Rādhā had brought from the storeroom. Seeing that the foods were tasty and abundant, Baṭu laughed again and said, “On the one hand, we have these amazing foods cooked by Lakṣmī herself. On the other, we have all these cowherds who know nothing about the flavors of foods.” Then Śrīdāma laughed and said, “Hey Baṭu! You became a brāhmaṇa for the sake of your belly. Now quickly fill it with food.”

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 18 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

वैदग्ध्यसिन्धुरनुरागरसैकसिन्धु- 

र्वात्सल्यसिन्धुरतिसान्द्रकृपैकसिन्धुः ।

लावण्यसिन्धुरमृतच्छविरूपसिन्धुः 

श्रीराधिका स्फुरतु मे हृदि केलिसिन्धुः ॥ १८ ॥

vaidagdhya-sindhur anurāga-rasaika-sindhur 

vātsalya-sindhur atisāndra-kṛpaika-sindhuḥ |

lāvaṇya-sindhur amṛta-cchavi-rūpa-sindhuḥ 

śrī-rādhikā sphuratu me hṛdi keli-sindhuḥ || 18 ||

“May Śrī Rādhikā appear within my heart. She is an ocean of wisdom, an ocean of passionate love, an ocean of affection, an ocean of deep compassion, an ocean of charm, an ocean of imperishable beauty and an ocean of amorous play.”

Śrī Rādhā as Seven Oceans

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: When his vision ended, Śrīpāda was filled with lamentation. Without direct sevā, he is suffering unbearable sorrow. He prays, “When shall I serve you, taking your crimson feet upon my chest?” His realization of sevā-rasa is evident. For a sādhaka devoted to contemplation, the object is to experience this sevā-rasa to some degree. This realization causes one to feel a constant need for direct sevā. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has said in his Prīti-Sandarbha that the desire to obtain sevā and friendship is always in the sādhaka’s mind. These desires cannot arise in a mind muddied by material intentions; they appear in a mind purified by sādhana-bhakti. By meditation, a smaraṇa-niṣṭha-sādhaka gets the association of his deity within his mind. Just as bhaktas associate with each other, the sādhaka wants to associate with the sakhīs and mañjarīs. The prefix upa means “nearby,” so the word upāsanā means “to remain nearby.” In meditation, the smaraṇa-niṣṭha-sādhaka performs each component of bhajana in his siddha-deha along with the sakhīs and mañjarīs. This bhajana in the association of friends is very pleasant.

In this verse, Śrīpāda’s intense feelings of separation in sādhaka consciousness have brought the mādhurya of Śrī Rādhā’s qualities to his mind. To engross the kiṅkarī’s mind in the mādhurya of her form, qualities and pastimes, Śrī Rādhā plays this game of hide-and-seek with her. She appears from time to time in a vision and then hides. Śrīmatī’s transcendentally sweet qualities are revealed in a mind saturated with viraha. Śrī Rādhā is like an ocean of good qualities, beautiful like the earth with seven seas, the wonderful gathering of seven seas in one place! The material world has oceans of salt water, sugar-cane juice, wine, ghee, yogurt, milk and sweet water. In contrast to this, Śrīpāda has cited the oceans of Śrī Rādhā’s seven transcendent qualities of wisdom, love, affection, compassion, charm, beauty and amorous play.

Śrīmatī Rādhā is a vaidagdhya-sindhuḥ, an ocean of wisdom. The word vaidagdhī means “expertise in the subject of rasa.” Rasikā-Maṇi Śrī Rādhā is like an ocean of such wisdom. Even Rasika-Śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇa learns about śṛṅgāra-rasa from her. rādhikāra prema guru āmi śiṣya naṭa; sadā āmā nānā nṛtye nācāya udbhaṭa. “Śrī Rādhikā’s love is my guru; I am its dancing student. It always makes me dance in extraordinary ways.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.124) Or, another meaning of vaidagdhī could be “expertise in various arts and pastimes.” kalā-vilāsa-digdhātmā vidagdha iti kīrtyate. “One skilled in various arts and pastimes is called vidagdha.” To illustrate Śrīmatī’s vaidagdhī, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Śrī Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 4.33:

ācāryā dhātu-citre pacana-viracanā-cāturī-cāru-cittā

vāg-yuddhe mugdhayantī gurum api ca girāṁ paṇḍitā mālya-gumphe |

pāṭhe śārī-śukānāṁ paṭur ajitam api dyūta-keliṣu jiṣṇur

vidyā-vidyoti-buddhiḥ sphurati rati-kalā-śālinī rādhikeyam ||

Kundalatā said to Gārgī, “O Devī! What more shall I say of Śrī Rādhā’s expertise? She is an ācāryā in the art of painting pictures with colored minerals. ācāryā na tu kadācid api kasyāścic chiṣyā… evaṁ sarvatra jñeyam (Ānanda-Candrikā Ṭīkā). The word ācāryā means one who does not learn this knowledge from another; all such knowledge must be known spontaneously. Śrī Rādhikā, who has a beautiful mind, is expert in cooking. She fascinates even Śrī Kṛṣṇa in debates. She is skilled in stringing flower garlands and well-versed in the language of parrots and mynahs. She conquers even the unconquerable Kṛṣṇa in playing dice, and her keen intellect illuminates all types of knowledge. Possessing all good qualities, she directly embodies the art of love.” Śrīmatī’s vaidagdhī quality is like sweet water and is the life of the sakhīs, mañjarīs and Rasarāja Śyāmasundara. For the rāgānugīya-sādhaka, it increases the thirst for things related to Śrī Rādhā and removes the thirst for anything else. 

Śrīmatī is the anurāga-rasaika-sindhuḥ, the one and only ocean of love. “Ocean of love” means mahābhāva. The reason is that when love reaches a boundless state knowable only by itself, when it is revealed by sāttvika-bhāvas like uddīptā and so on, and becomes a source of refuge, it is called mahābhāva. Here, the significance of calling her an ocean of love (anurāga) rather than the possessor of mahābhāva is that anurāga produces ever-fresh variety in familiar things. Even though she may be constantly experiencing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya, the love that grows from profound longing causes her to feel she has no perception of it, with the effect that the sweetness of her experience increases at every moment.

ko’yaṁ kṛṣṇa iti vyudasyati dhṛtiṁ yas tanvi karṇaṁ viśan |

rāgāndhe kim idaṁ sadaiva bhavatī tasyorasi krīḍati ||

hāsyaṁ mā kuru mohite tvam adhunā nyastāsya haste mayā |

satyaṁ satyam asau dṛg-aṅgaṇam agād adyaiva vidyun-nibhaḥ ||

One day, Lalitā and the other sakhīs brought Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa together. Kṛṣṇa was overwhelmed with joy from relishing Śrīmatī’s mādana-rasa. To poke fun at her delirious lover, Śrīmatī entered the kuñja and joined her sakhīs. When Kṛṣṇa’s name was mentioned during their conversation, Rādhā said to Lalitā, “O slender one! Who is that person whose name you spoke?” Lalitā replied, “Whoever he may be, why do you care?” Śrī Rādhā said, “Sakhī! There is a reason for knowing. We need to think of a plan to protect our family traditions from this person whose name destroys our forbearance when it enters our ears.” Śrī Lalitā replied, “O one blinded by love! What are you talking about? You are always playing on his chest!” Śrī Rādhā said, “Sakhī! Why are you teasing me? I know nothing about him!” Lalitā replied, “O bewildered one! Has your intelligence been overcome by desire? I just now placed you in his hands.” Śrī Rādhā then remembered and said, “Sakhī, you have spoken the truth. Just today, he was visible to me for only a moment, like lightning.” (Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 14.148) From this example we can understand that love causes a great thirst to awaken in the lover and makes her tasting of Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya ever-sweet and amazing. The reason for calling Śrīmatī the only ocean of love is that when love is further developed, it becomes mahābhāva. The highest state of mahābhāva is called mādana, and this mādanākhya-mahābhāva only exists in Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Or, just as the ocean is the original source and refuge of rivers, ponds and other bodies of water, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the original source of the mahābhāva present in the vraja-sundarīs. The vraja-sundarīs are all representative manifestations of Śrī Rādhā’s body meant to facilitate Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s enjoyment of the varieties of rasa. For this reason, Śrī Rādhā has been called the only ocean of love. Love has been compared to an ocean of milk. When milk is condensed, kṣīra remains; whenever love is condensed, mahābhāva remains.

Śrīmatī Rādhā is also an ocean of vātsalya-rasa. Great affection for an unfortunate or needy person is called vātsalya.(1) Just as she is an inexhaustible storehouse of madhura-rasa, she is also a vast ocean of vātsalya-rasa. The writers of rasa-śāstra have referred to vātsalya-rasa as being incompatible with madhura-rasa, but in Śrī Rādhā, even this incompatible rasa rises at the opportune moment and nourishes madhura-rasa. For example, when Rasika-Śiromaṇi Śrī Kṛṣṇa takes his meal, Śrī Rādhā’s deep vātsalya toward him appears and causes him, the sakhīs and mañjarīs to all feel great joy. The manifestation of Śrī Rādhā’s vātsalya toward her sakhīs is also wonderful. Because of her affection, she always feels herself subservient to them.

upadiśa sakhi vṛnde ballavendrasya sūnuṁ 

kim ayam iha sakhīnāṁ mām adhīnāṁ dunoti |

apasaratu saśaṅkaṁ mandirān māninīnāṁ 

kalayati lalitāyāḥ kiṁ na śauṭīrya-dhāṭīm ||

Even though in her heart she was eager to meet with Kṛṣṇa, to show her profound loyalty to her sakhīs, Śrī Rādhā spoke to Vṛndā in the mood of a kalahāntaritā:(2) “O Vṛndā, my friend! Please tell Vrajarāja-Nandana that I am obedient to my sakhīs. Why is he giving me unnecessary pain? We are honorable girls; it isn’t proper for him to be in our homes. Tell him to flee in fear. Does he not know of Lalitā’s power?” (Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 4.46) With these words, Sakhī-Vatsalā(3) Śrī Rādhā secretly advised Śyāmasundara to please her girlfriends if he wants to meet with her. Śrī Rādhā’s vātsalya toward her dāsīs or mañjarīs is beyond compare. Her kiṅkarīs remain thoroughly soaked by the waves in the ocean of her vātsalya, which is permeated by a sense of madīyatā(4) that makes her think of them as “my Rūpa Mañjarī or my Rati Mañjarī.” In the eighth śatakam of his Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta, Śrīpāda has drawn a charming picture of the nature of the mañjarīs, who are always bathed in the nectar of Śrī Rādhā’s boundless mercy. There is truly no comparison in the realm of love.

kṣaṇaṁ caraṇa-vicchedāc chrīśvaryāḥ prāṇa-hāriṇīm |

padāravinda-saṁlagnatayaivāhar-niśaṁ sthitām ||

preṣṭha-dvandva-prasāda-srag-vastra-bhūṣādi-mohinīm |

mahā-vinaya-sauśīlyādy-anekāścarya-sad-guṇām ||

rādhā-padābja-sevānya-spṛhā-kāla-trayojjhitām |

rādhā-prīti-sukhāmbhodhāv apāre buḍitāṁ sadā ||

rādhā-padāmbujād anyat svapnānte’pi na jānatīm |

rādhā-sambandha-sandhāvat-prema-sindhaugha-mālinīm ||

The meaning is that the mañjarīs nearly die if they are separated from their goddess Śrī Rādhā for even a moment. For this reason, they stay close to her lotus feet day and night. They look very beautiful wearing the prasādī(5) garlands, clothing, ornaments and so on from their beloved couple. They are adorned with many wonderful qualities like modesty and amiability. Whether in the past, present or future, or whether awake, asleep or in deep sleep, they have no other desire than to serve Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. Because of their deep love for her, they are always submerged in a boundless ocean of happiness. Even while dreaming, they perceive nothing but Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. Like rivers toward the sea, they always run lovingly toward anything related to her. Bathed in Śrī Rādhā’s vātsalya-rasa, they attain her sevā by following their own natures. Because of the abundance of sneha(6) in vātsalya, it has been likened to an ocean of yogurt.

Śrī Rādhā is an atisāndra-kṛpaika-sindhuḥ, meaning she is a deep ocean of compassion. At every moment, the nectar of mercy drips upon those who belong to Śrī Rādhā, the boundless sea of kindness. The proof of this lies in the experiences of those who are touched by this kṛpāmṛta. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has said, karuṇā-vidravad-dehā, meaning “one whose body is melted by compassion.” Generally, when one’s heart melts upon seeing another’s misery, that is called karuṇā, or compassion. So we hear of the heart being melted by compassion, but never of a body being melted. But Śrīmatī’s body is also melted by compassion. She constantly bathes in a stream of the nectar of kindness. Śrīman Mahāprabhu has accepted her mood and is just as merciful. Without considering whether they were qualified or not, he has generously given prema to all the jīvas of the world. His body is melted by compassion, the compassion from Śrī Rādhā’s storehouse, not Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s. In vraja-līlā, that compassion was secretly kept in mysterious Śrī Rādhā’s storehouse of mercy, but Śrīman Mahāprabhu, accepting Śrī Rādhā’s mood and complexion, has revealed it to the world. By accepting Śrī Rādhā’s compassionate mood, Śrīman Mahāprabhu showed the people of the world how kindness can even melt one’s body. Therefore, a mahājana has sung,

patita heri kānde, thira nāhi bāndhe, karuṇa nayane cāya |

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

gaurāṅgera nichani laiyā mari |

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

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

kamalā-śiba-bidhi,-dulaha prema-nidhi, dāna karaye jaga-jane ||

aichana sadaya, hṛdaya rasamaya, gaura bhela parakāśa |

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

“When Gaurāṅga sees the fallen, he weeps, loses composure and gazes at them with dolorous eyes. He rolls on the ground with his radiant fair-complexioned body, more beautiful than the finest gold. I would die to protect him from harm. He is so beautiful, affectionate and intelligent that I cannot forget him for even half a moment. Whether someone is a member of varṇāśrama or not, or whether he is rich or poor, Gaurāṅga sees no fault in him. He freely gives to the people of the world the treasure of prema that is so hard for Lakṣmī, Śiva and Brahmā to obtain. Kindhearted, full of wit and humor, Gaura appeared in the world, rich with the treasure of prema. Alas, poor Govinda Dāsa mistook this treasure for a lump of coal.” Because it makes the heart melt, compassion has been likened to an ocean of ghee.

Śrīmatī is also a lāvaṇya-sindhuḥ, meaning an ocean of grace and charm. Just as a beautiful radiance flows from within a pearl, if such a radiance emerges from the limbs of one’s body, that is called lāvaṇya.(7) Śrīmatī is like an ocean of such lāvaṇya. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, she has been called lāvaṇya-sāra. Though Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s minnow-like eyes always swim in the ocean of Śrī Rādhā’s loveliness, they never tire, but rather desire to swim more and more. Śrīpāda Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has said, lāvaṇyāmṛta-vīci-lolita-dṛśam (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam 3). śrī-rādhāyā eva lāvaṇyāmṛta-vīcibhir lolite satṛṣṇī-kṛte dṛśo yasya tam (Sāraṅga-Raṅgadā Ṭīkā). “Agitated by the waves of Śrī Rādhā’s charm, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eyes become extremely thirsty.” When Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees Śrī Rādhā’s beauty, he becomes intoxicated, and when the sakhīs and mañjarīs see Kṛṣṇa relishing Śrī Rādhā’s beauty, they also become intoxicated. Because of this, the nectarous ocean of charm has been likened to an ocean of wine. If the sādhaka-bhakta contemplates this lāvaṇya during sādhana, he or she also becomes oblivious to all matters of this life or the next and becomes intoxicated by the service of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet.

Śrīmatī is an amṛta-cchavi-rūpa-sindhuḥ, meaning that as Śrī Rādhā is the icon of nectar, she is like a vast ocean of beauty. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of mahābhāva, which has been compared to nectar. varāmṛta-svarūpa-śrīḥ svaṁ svarūpaṁ mano nayet. Just as among worldly substances, amṛta or nectar is the most enjoyable, among the different levels of prema, mahābhāva is the most enjoyable. The most concentrated state of love for Kṛṣṇa is mahābhāva. As a faculty of the hlādinī-śakti, love is by nature enjoyable, and as it becomes more intense, it naturally becomes even more enjoyable. Because mahābhāva is the most concentrated state of love, its inherent enjoyment is unequalled. As Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of mahābhāva, she has been called the icon of nectar. The enjoyment derived from experiencing Śrī Rādhā’s beauty is of a very high nature. Therefore, she is an ocean of imperishable beauty, a drop of which drowns the whole world, and in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the most attractive male, struggles to stay afloat.

koṭi kāma jini rūpa yadyapi āmāra | 

asamordhva mādhurya sāmya nāhi yāra ||

mora rūpe āpyāyita haya tribhubana | 

rādhāra darśane āmāra juḍāya nayana ||

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eimata jagatera sukhe āmi hetu | 

rādhikāra rūpa-guṇa āmāra jībātu ||

“Although my beauty conquers millions of gods of love, has no equal and satisfies the three worlds, my eyes are satisfied by seeing Śrī Rādhā. I am the cause of happiness in the world, but Śrī Rādhikā’s beauty and qualities are my very life.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.242-243, 248) Because of its great sweetness, Śrī Rādhā’s ocean of beauty has been compared to an ocean of sugarcane juice. 

Śrīmatī is also a keli-sindhuḥ, or ocean of amorous play. Her romantic pastimes with her beloved Śyāmasundara are known as keli. At their meeting place, Śrī Rādhā keeps Śyāmasundara submerged in the billowy ocean of delight. When waves of passion arise within Śrī Rādhā’s keli-sindhu, even the transcendental young god of love Śrī Kṛṣṇa is afraid to place the boat of his mind upon her surging ocean breasts. For example, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā, a helmsman plies his boat slowly along the shoreline, fearful that the beating of large waves may damage it. Kṛṣṇa is like that helmsman. Just as the ocean is the original source of the water in all rivers, ponds and so on, in the same way, Śrīmatī Rādhā is the original source of all the different consorts of Bhagavān, who cause their particular beloved form of Bhagavān to experience the sweetness of romantic pastimes. For this reason, she is an ocean of amorous play. The keli-sindhu has been compared to an ocean of salt water because by seeing, touching and bathing in salt water, piety is accumulated and the mind becomes purified, but if one drinks it, death occurs. In the same way, by faithfully hearing, chanting and contemplating Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda’s transcendental romantic pastimes, one attains the highest level of devotion at their lotus feet and the plague of material desires is destroyed. But if one ventures to behave like Kṛṣṇa, his eventual downfall is inevitable. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.30, at the conclusion of the rāsa-līlā, Śrīpāda Śuka Muni said,

naitat samācarej jātu manasāpi hy anīśvaraḥ |

vinaśyaty ācaran mauḍhyād yathārudro’bdhijaṁ viṣam ||

“O King! A jīva who considers the body to be his own should not even mentally imitate Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlā. Just as if anyone other than Rudra drinks poison, he will die, in the same way, if due to ignorance a jīva who is subservient to his body behaves like Kṛṣṇa, he will surely be destroyed.” In Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 3.24, Śrīpāda Rūpa Gosvāmicaraṇa said,

vartitavyaṁ śam icchadbhir bhaktavan na tu kṛṣṇavat |

ity evaṁ bhakti-śāstrāṇāṁ tātparyasya vinirṇayaḥ ||

“Those jīvas who seek auspiciousness should behave like bhaktas. They should never behave like Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as in enjoying with the gopīs). This is the purport of all bhakti-śāstras.”

While Śrīpāda was in sādhaka consciousness, a revelation of the splendor of Śrīmatī’s sweet qualities destroyed the gloom in his heart caused by feelings of unworthiness. He thinks, “Alas Svāminī! I have no skill in serving you. Where is my qualification for serving alongside your most devoted kiṅkarīs? You are an ocean of wisdom; please mercifully accept me and teach me to be expert in your service. Moreover, service must be done with love or it will not make you happy. You are an ocean of love, so just give me one drop and make me competent to serve. Even though I am most wretched, you are a boundless sea of affection. Sprinkle me with one drop of vātsalya-rasa and give me shelter at your lotus feet.” He further considers, “How arrogant of me! Being  unqualified, do I dare pray for Śrīmatī’s service and affection?” The next moment he thinks, “She is not only an ocean of affection, but also a deep ocean of compassion; so she will surely be merciful to someone in distress.” Forgetting his own unworthiness in this revelation of her compassion, he has expressed his prayer to bathe in the oceans of Śrīmatī’s charm, beauty and amorous play. Such a deeply felt prayer opens the door to the beloved one’s mercy. Praying like this is an essential practice for the sādhaka-bhaktas.

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1. Particularly showing affection toward children

2. A heroine separated from her lover in consequence of a quarrel (MW)

3. One who is affectionate to her girlfriends

4. My-ness

5. Previously worn by Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa

6. Sneha can mean either affection or smoothness, among other things.

7. muktā-phaleṣu chāyāyās taralatvam ivāntarā | pratibhāti yad-aṅgeṣu lāvaṇyaṁ tad ihocyate || (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 10.28)