Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 24 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja) UPDATED

 

गत्वा कलिन्दतनया-विजनावतार-

मुद्वर्तयन्त्यमृतमङ्गमनङ्गजीवम् ।

श्रीराधिके तव कदा नवनागरेन्द्रं

पश्यामि मग्ननयनं स्थितमुच्चनीपे ॥ २४ ॥

gatvā kalinda-tanayā-vijanāvatāram

udvartayanty amṛtam aṅgam anaṅga-jīvam |

śrī-rādhike tava kadā nava-nāgarendraṁ

paśyāmi magna-nayanaṁ sthitam ucca-nīpe || 24 ||

“O Rādhikā! When, after going with you to a secluded Yamunā ghat and massaging you with saffron and musk, will I see your youthful king of lovers sitting high in a kadamba tree gazing at your nectarous form, which gives life to the god of love?”  

A Secluded Ghat on the Yamunā

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the last few verses, while absorbed in his svarūpa, Śrīpāda has obtained a vision of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s ardent journey to meet Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When the vision ended, Śrīpāda wailed. He yearned for the object of his desire. The behavior of the gosvāmīs is like a polestar for the sādhaka and the best example of the path of sādhana. A sādhaka should not spend his life thinking his sādhana will be spontaneous like that of a siddha-bhakta. A little eagerness is required to attain one’s desired object. “I am satisfied with whatever little I am doing” is not the method of progressive prema-dharma. Insatiability is the nature of bhakti. If complacence comes to your bhajana, you must understand that your bhajana life is waning and your bhajana-vigraha (form) has become lifeless. Then you must hear and chant the stavas and stotras of the gosvāmīs, which are full of eagerness and longing. Their words have great power. By hearing and chanting these great teachings, the sādhaka also will be filled with eagerness. The gosvāmīs are nitya-siddha-parikaras, but the eagerness of the sādhaka-siddha-premikas is also wonderful. Filled with anguish, Govardhana resident Siddha Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja has prayed, 

hā-hā 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 dhvani ||

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 ||

kāṅde dīna kṛṣṇadāsa dante tṛṇa dhari | 

abhilāṣa pūrṇa mora kara hema gauri ||

“Alas, O Goddess of my life! My heart smolders endlessly in the fire of separation from you. Please rescue me from this ocean of misery, keep me at your lotus feet and make me your kiṅkarī. Will the day ever come when I hear the words from your lovely mouth, along with the tinkling of your anklets? When will I blissfully drink the nectar of your beauty from the chalice of my eyes? When will I be covered with goosebumps after inhaling the sweet fragrance of your body? This new kiṅkarī will feel herself successful when you kindly give her the nectarous remnants of your food. You are my japa and my tapa. You are my meditation. I have known only you since birth. Be merciful and make me your dāsī in the places where you sport with your lover and your friends. Weeping, this humble Kṛṣṇadāsa holds a straw in his teeth. O golden one! O Gaurī! Please fulfill my desire.”

Having obtained such an ācārya-mahājana, how am I spending my days? True sādhana will bring a transformation in one’s life—the heart becomes eager. How Śrīpāda wails! “When will I get to see your sweet līlā?” After looking and looking, a vision came.

Śrīpāda sees himself in his kiṅkarī form, in the company of Śrī Rādhā in Yāvaṭa. It is summertime, in the morning, and Śrīmatī wants to bathe in the Yamunā. They will bathe at a secluded ghat on the Yamunā. As a kiṅkarī, Śrīpāda is walking to the Yamunā with Śrī Rādhā. No other sakhīs or mañjarīs are with them. The kiṅkarī is enchanted by Śrīmatī’s movements as she walks. Śrīmatī looks all about. “I wonder if Kṛṣṇa is watching.” Vṛndāvana is made more beautiful by the beauty of her eyes. Meanwhile, in Nandīśvara, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his friends have been playing games since they finished milking the cows. Then a parrot secretly told Kṛṣṇa that Śrī Rādhā had gone to bathe at a secluded ghat on the Yamunā with only one dāsī. After getting that information, Śrī Kṛṣṇa told his friends he was going alone to see the beauty of a garden near Nandīśvara. Instead, he went to that secluded ghat on the Yamunā before Śrī Rādhā and her dāsī arrived. He climbed a tall kadamba tree and hid himself in an area densely covered by leaves.

Śrīmatī soon arrived at that Yamunā ghat with her kiṅkarī. Her delicate body was tired from walking. She sat on the gem-studded steps, her hair and clothing disheveled. The golden beauty of her form illuminated the Yamunā ghat. Śyāmasundara was excited to see the water of the Yamunā. Śrīmatī was overwhelmed by love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa; he pervaded her through and through. From his hiding place in the high treetop, Śyāmasundara is tasting without obstruction the sweetness of the embodiment of bhāva. At this solitary ghat, the kiṅkarī is preparing to anoint Śrīmatī’s body with oil. First, she untied Śrīmatī’s dark hair, moistened it with fragrant oil and then dressed it with a jeweled comb. Each hair is as precious to her as millions of her lives. Such heartfelt sevā! After combing her hair, she uncovered Śrīmatī’s lovely body and affectionately massaged her with nārāyaṇa and other fragrant oils. On some days, even the all-knowing Śyāma cannot get news about her. The one who bears a peacock feather atop his head has now resorted to a treetop, longing to relish the sweetness of her form. The kiṅkarī has deep insight into oil massages. She knows how Śyāma touches Śrīmatī with his hands, so she touches her in the same way. Svāminī is overwhelmed. After the oil massage, the kiṅkarī massages her with lotus and other flower pollens. Śyāmasundara is silently enjoying the beauty of Śrīmatī’s uncovered body from a branch of the tree. A stream of sweetness appears to be dripping from her lovely form. So much astonishing beauty! Her body is like nectar, an icon of nectar. Śyāma is drinking that nectar freely through the chalices of his eyes. In verse seventy-five of this book, Śrīpāda says, gaurāṅge mradimā smite madhurimā netrāñcale drāghimā vakṣoje garimā ityādi. Śyāma perceives her mādhurya in the softness of her golden form, the sweetness of her smile, the breadth of her eyes and the heaviness of her breasts. He relishes her languor from the rasa in her heart. gātre koṭi-taḍic-chavi pravitatānanda-cchavi śrī-mukhe (verse ninety-nine). Her body is more splendorous than millions of lightning bolts; joy radiates from her beautiful face. He enjoys it all unimpeded. He is tasting nectar through his eyes; therefore, his eyes are immersed in pleasure. This is not the nectar of heaven; this is mahābhāva, the supreme form of nectar. This is why sac-cid-ānanda is so enjoyable. mahābhāvojjvala-cintā-ratnodbhāvita-vigrahām (Premāmbhoja-Marandākhya-Stava). “Her form is born from the radiant thought-jewel of mahābhāva.” mahābhāva-cintāmaṇi—rādhāra svarūpa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.165). “Śrī Rādhā’s form is a thought-jewel of mahābhāva.”(1) Śrī Rādhā is unknowingly performing unprecedented service to Śyāmasundara with the sweet nectar of her beautiful form. Thus, the significance of the name Rādhikā. Another attribute of her form is given: anaṅga-jīvam. It gave Anaṅga, the god of love, a body and restored it to life; thus, anaṅga-jīvam. Anaṅga manifests the desires for sense-gratification in the hearts of worldly people. Therefore, kṛṣṇa-bhaktas try to give up their relation with Anaṅga in the beginning of their bhajana. If Anaṅga is not a medium for pure love, his vilification does not disappear, nor does he obtain a body. Because Śrī Rādhā’s prema is devoid of all kinds of limitations, her loving embraces and so on with Kṛṣṇa manifested Anaṅga’s form. It was as though his stain had been removed and he had been blessed with life and a body. When the transcendental young God of Love and enchanter of Anaṅga saw Śrī Rādhā’s body, it seemed as though the function of Madana had come to life in his heart. Therefore, her body is now anaṅga-jīvam.

The meaning is that in Vṛndāvana, there is no worldly god of love. Here, Śrīman Madana-Gopāla himself is the transcendental young God of Love. She who is the root cause of existence for both the worldly and transcendental Kandarpa is like a billowy ocean of naturally sweeter than sweet and boundless charm. Still, Śrī Brahmā said in his prayers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, “We eleven devatās are blessed to taste the nectar of your sweetness through the eleven sense-organs of the Vrajavāsīs.” Even though the worldly deities do not reside in the spiritual forms of the Vrajavāsīs, it seems that Brahmā has described it like that. There is no place in Śrī Vṛndāvana for the worldly god of love, so when Śrī Kṛṣṇa sees Śrīmatī’s beautiful form, he is transformed into Madana. Thus, her form has been called anaṅga-jīvam. Or, her form is the life of the transcendental young God of Love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus, anaṅga-jīvam. Whatever greatness the transcendental young God of Love possesses is due to the beauty and sweetness of Śrīmatī’s form. Otherwise, it is the ultimate defeat of his greatness.

rādhā-saṅge yadā bhāti tadā madana-mohanaḥ |

anyathā viśva-moho’pi svayaṁ madana-mohitaḥ ||

“When Śrī Kṛṣṇa is with Śrī Rādhā, he is Madana-Mohana. When he is not with her, even the world-enchanting Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself is enchanted by Madana.” (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 8.32) caḍi gopīra manorathe, manmathera mana mathe, nāma dhare madana-mohana. “The one named Madana-Mohana churns the mind of the god of love as he rides in the chariot of the gopī’s heart.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 21.107) The beautiful form of the one who enchants the mind of Madana-Mohana gives him life. After drinking nectar, a dying man regains his life and becomes active. In the same way, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, dying in the fire of love, feels the touch of Śrī Rādhā’s body and once again becomes alive and active.

mora aṅga-saṅga āśe,        lālasā pāiyā baise,

rase pahuṅ bale ‘jiluṅ jiluṅ’ |

nija-anugata-jane,        gaṇiyā rākhiha mane,

e tanu tomāre diluṅ diluṅ ||

“My Lord sits, longing for the touch of my body. Overcome by emotion, he says, ‘I have been rescued, I have survived!’ Regarding me as your own, keep this in mind: I gave this body to you.” (Govinda Ācārya) 

Suddenly, the kiṅkarī caught sight of Śyāmasundara. Śyāma prayed to the kiṅkarī with folded hands, “Please just give me a little taste.” Seeing his condition, the kiṅkarī immediately sank into rasa and the vision ended. In sādhaka-consciousness, Śrīpāda wailed and prayed to see the līlā again.

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1. A thought-jewel or cintāmaṇi is a “fabulous gem supposed to yield its possessor all desires.” MW

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Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 33

 Taking into account my age and health, I have decided to stop translating the Guṭikā and focus on Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ and Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ. The following is the last post I’ll make on the Guṭikā.

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Vrajadhāma: Yogapīṭha—Meeting and Sevā 

Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma are immersed in amorous pastimes in Aśokānandada-Kuñja, on the banks of Gupta-Kuṇḍa in Nandīśvara, Vraja. Through an opening in the bower, the minnow-like eyes of the sakhīs and mañjarīs swim happily in the endless waves of the surging oceans of bhāva and rasa. After their vilāsa had ended, Śrī Yugala left the kuñja and stood in the pericarp of the yogapīṭha lotus. The yogapīṭha-mandira is adorned with multicolored gems and is always served by the six seasons, giving happiness to all. It is beautified by a canopy with fringe made of pearls inlaid with various jewels. Though being brighter than countless suns, it is cooler than countless moons. A beautiful jeweled throne shaped like an eight-petaled lotus sits in the center. Soft mattresses and pillows are spread about its gem-studded pericarp. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, the oceans of endless beauty and sweetness, stood together lovingly on the pericarp, surrounded by the aṣṭa-sakhīs on the eight petals. Lalitā stands on the northern petal, Viśākhā on the northeastern, Citra on the eastern, Indulekhā on the southeastern, Campakalatā on the southern, Raṅgadevī on the southwestern, Tuṅgavidyā on the western and Sudevī on the northwestern petal. On the outer petals, Anaṅga Mañjarī stands on the northern petal, Kalāvatī on the northeastern, Śubhāṅgadā on the eastern, Hiraṇyāṅgī on the southeastern, Ratnalekhā on the southern, Śikhāvatī on the southwestern, Kandarpa Mañjarī on the western and Phullakalikā on the northwestern outer petal. On the stamens, Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī stood on the northern part, Mañjulālī Mañjarī on the northeastern, Rasa Mañjarī on the eastern, Rati Mañjarī on the southeastern, Guṇa Mañjarī on the southern, Vilāsa Mañjarī on the southwestern, Lavaṅga Mañjarī on the western and Kastūrī Mañjarī on the northwestern part. There are four doorkeepers on the four sides of the yogapīṭha. Muralādevī is on the northern side, Vṛndādevī on the eastern, Vṛndārikādevī on the southern and Menakādevī on the western. The sādhaka-mañjarī stood behind her gurudevī and her śrī-guru-mañjarī-varga, who surrounded Śrī Anaṅga Mañjarī on her outer petal.

At that time, the sādhaka-mañjarī’s gurudevī signaled her to bring the two golden trays she had prepared containing jeweled cups, tulasī, candana, saffron, flowers, garlands, incense, ghee lamps and so on (as in the description of the navadvīpa-yogapīṭha). Śrī Gurudevī took one of those trays and offered the tulasī, candana, flowers and garlands to Śrī Yugala-Kiśora and their sakhīs and mañjarīs respectively. She then performed ārati with the incense, ghee lamp and so on. After that, she performed sevā for each of the śrī-guru-mañjarīs and handed the prasādī tray to the sādhaka-mañjarī. The sādhaka-mañjarī then performed arcanā of her śrī-guru-mañjarī with the śrī-yugala-prasādī articles. First, she placed the prasādī-tulasīs and flowers in Śrī Gurudevī’s hand or on her head. After placing candana on her forehead and a garland around her neck, the sādhaka-mañjarī performed ārati. Then, she washed her hands and, with the permission of śrī-guru-mañjarī and the śrī-guru-mañjarī-varga, she happily entered the yogapīṭha pericarp carrying another golden tray. First, she placed eight tulasī-mañjarīs on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet (wiping her hand after each offering) and then offered flowers. She then applied candana to his forehead and placed a garland around his neck. She worshiped Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s lotus feet in the same way and then placed Kṛṣṇa’s prasādī-tulasīs and flowers in Śrī Rādhā’s hand or on her head. After that, she first worshiped Śrī Anaṅga Mañjarī on her outer petal with śrī-kṛṣṇa-prasādī-tulasī and flowers placed in her hands or on her head, followed by candana on her forehead and a garland around her neck. She then worshiped Lalitā and the rest of the aṣṭa-sakhīs on their petals, Kalāvatī and the other sakhīs on their outer petals, followed by Vṛndā and the other doorkeepers in the same way. After that, the sādhaka-mañjarī worshiped Śrī Rūpa and the rest of the aṣṭa-mañjarīs with Śrī Yugala’s prasādī articles and then worshiped the śrī-guru-mañjarī-varga in the same way. After that, she washed her hands and performed Śrī Yugala’s ārati with incense, ghee lamp and so on. Then she performed ārati for everyone else in the above mentioned order with the prasādī-dhūpa and dīpa. She then went and stood to the left of her gurudevī.

In this way, the sādhaka will perform yogapīṭha-mānasa-sevā and iṣṭa-mantra and gāyatrī-smaraṇa. Externally, he will worship Śrī Giridhārī, Śrī Vigraha or a picture. There are three yogapīṭhas: In Navadvīpa, Mahāprabhu and his companions meet in the morning at the yogapīṭha in his home. At noon, they meet in the mādhavī pavilion in Śrīvāsa’s flower garden, and at night they meet at the yogapīṭha in Śrīvāsa’s courtyard. In Śrī Vṛndāvana, they meet in the morning at the yogapīṭha in Gupta-Kuṇḍa. At noon, they meet at Śrī Madana-Sukhadā Kuñja in Śrī Rādhā-Kuṇḍa, and at night they meet at the mahā-yogapīṭha in the jeweled mandira at Govinda-Sthalī. The three types of yogapīṭhas are differentiated as uttama, madhyama and kaniṣṭha. The sādhaka will meditate on his sevā in the yogapīṭha according to personal taste and ability.

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 23 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

सङ्केतकुञ्जमनु कुञ्जरमन्दगामि-

न्यादाय दिव्यमृदुचन्दनगन्धमाल्यम् ।

त्वां कामकेलिरभसेन कदा चलन्तीं

राधेऽनुयामि पदवीमुपदर्शयन्ती ॥ २३ ॥

saṅketa-kuñjam anu kuñjara-manda-gāmi-

ny ādāya divya-mṛdu-candana-gandha-mālyam |

tvāṁ kāma-keli-rabhasena kadā calantīṁ

rādhe’nuyāmi padavīm upadarśayantī || 23 ||

“O Rādhā! O one who walks slowly like an elephant! When will you go to the trysting bower, eager for love-play? When will I follow you, carrying heavenly soft sandalwood paste and a fragrant garland? When will I guide you on the path?”

Eagerness for Love Play

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s stream of mystical visions while immersed in his svarūpa continues. Śrīpāda is no longer absorbed in his body, so he has become absorbed in his svarūpa. He considers himself to be one of Śrīmatī’s devoted kiṅkarīs. It is unnatural for him to be absorbed in the body because he is one of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s companions. His heart and mind are submerged in the self-concept of being one of Śrī Rādhā’s dāsīs. He has dedicated his heart and mind with unconditional love at the lotus feet of Vārṣabhānavī Śrī Rādhā. A stream of profound visions has been flowing due to Śrīmatī’s compassion.

In the previous verse, fearful that Rādhā will injure her lotus feet as she runs to Kṛṣṇa in the bower, the kiṅkarī requested that Śrīmatī allow her to bear them on her head. The course of Śrīmatī’s bhāva has changed. Overcome with joy from a memory of her love-play with Śyāmasundara, Śrīmatī began to walk slowly, like an elephant. From time to time she would stumble, or giddy with delight, leave the path to the meeting bower and go astray. Why so much unbridled joy? Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has said in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.188-189,

gopikāra nāhi nija-sukha-anurodha |

tathāpi bāḍaye sukha, paḍila birodha ||

e birodhera ekamātra dekhi samādhāna |

gopikāra sukha kṛṣṇa-sukhe paryabasāna ||

“A gopikā has no thought for her own happiness, but it increases nonetheless. This seems to be a contradiction. I see only one explanation: If Kṛṣṇa is happy, they are happy.” When she thinks of what might bring joy to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in his bower love-play, her body and mind become overwhelmed with happiness. In Vṛndāvana, this most prema-rasa-filled play is known as kāma-keli.

premaiva gopa-rāmāṇāṁ kāma ity agamat prathām ||

ity uddhavādayo’py etaṁ vāñchanti bhagavat-priyāḥ || 

“Only the prema of the gopīs has become known by the name kāma. Thus, even Uddhava and other sages dear to Bhagavān long for this.” (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.185-186) Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has said, eṣa (kānta-bhāvaḥ) eva kāma-tulyatvāt śrī-gopikāsu kāmādi-śabdenāpy abhihitaḥ. smarākhya-kāma-viśeṣas tv anyaḥ vailakṣaṇyāt. kāma-sāmānyaṁ khalu spṛhā-sāmānyātmakam. prīti-sāmānyaṁ tu viṣayānukūlyātmakas tad-anugata-viṣaya-spṛhādi-mayo jñāna-viśeṣa iti lakṣitam. tato dvayoḥ sāmānya-prāya-ceṣṭate’pi kāma-sāmānyasya ceṣṭā svīyānukūlya-tātparyā. tatra kutracid viṣayānukūlyaṁ ca sva-sukha-kārya-bhūtam eveti tatra gauṇa-vṛttir eva prīti-śabdaḥ. śuddha-prīti-mātrasya ceṣṭā tu priyānukūlya-tātparyaiva. tatra tad-anugatam eva cātma-sukham iti mukhya-vṛttir eva prīti-śabdaḥ. tad evaṁ smarākhya kāma-viśeṣa-kānta-bhāvākhya-prīti-viśeṣayoḥ spṛhā-viśeṣātmakatayā sāmye’pi tenaiva vaiśiṣṭyaṁ siddham (Prīti-Sandarbhaḥ). The meaning is that because this kānta-bhāva is similar to kāma,(1) in the gopikās it is also known by the word kāma. This is not the same as the type of kāma called smara, wherein there is a desire for the union of a man and a woman. There are many dissimilarities between them. Ordinarily, the word kāma is understood to mean desire or longing, and the word prīti is understood to mean wishing for the happiness of a dear one. Therefore, although the behaviors of both are mostly the same, the actions of kāma are meant to be favorable to oneself. Because of that, although the effort to give pleasure to the dear one is seen in some situations, the purpose behind that favor is the attainment of one’s own happiness. For this reason, in kāma, the word prīti is used in a figurative way. Only in pure prīti are actions meant to benefit the dear one. In that, support for one’s own happiness manifests accordingly. Therefore, the type of kāma known as smara (lust) and the kāma of the gopikās, which is a type of prīti (love) called kānta-bhāva, are similar in that both are of the nature of desire. But in respect to ānukūlya (favorable support), there is a great difference. For this reason, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has said the following in Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.284:

āsāṁ prema-viśeṣo’yaṁ prāptaḥ kām api mādhurīm |

tat-tat-krīḍā-nidānatvāt kāma ity ucyate budhaiḥ || 

“Their type of prema has an indescribable sweetness (devoid of the desire for sense-enjoyment). Since it is the original cause of various love-sports, the wise have called it kāma.” Externally, the actions are similar, but internally there is no desire for sense-enjoyment. This is an unfathomable mystery. In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda is walking behind Śrīmatī on the path to the trysting bower, continuously pointing out the way. Śrī Rādhā is joyful and beaming in anticipation of her love-play, so the kiṅkarī leads her to Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the rasa of countless stories about him and infuses her with its power. Carrying heavenly soft candana, fragrant garlands and other articles for yugala-sevā, the kiṅkarī arrived, having brought her svāminī with utmost care to the bower. When the eager nāgara sees the lovely form of the jewel of nāgarīs, he feels overwhelmed. The dāsī scolds Śyāma, “Making a madwoman of my svāminī with the tones of your flute is fine, but then you just sit silently in the kuñja. You have no idea how much effort it took me to bring this beautiful, love-maddened girl here!” Her reprimand is expressed in the gestures of her eyes and mouth. How sweet rādhā-dāsya is! No one but Śyāma understands the sweet taste of the dāsī’s scolding. After the kiṅkarī has calmed down, she is now ready to hand her svāminī over to Śyāmasundara. “Here is your sweetheart. Take her.” Suddenly Śrīpāda’s mystical vision ended; his hands were empty. He began to wail. In his sādhaka state, he prayed at his svāminī’s feet to see those līlās again.

Or, the verse may be relished by arranging the syntax in this way: he rādhe! saṅketa-kuñjam anu kuñjara-manda-gāminī ahaṁ divya-mṛdu-candana-gandha-mālyam ādāya tava padavīm (padāṅkam) upadarśayantī kāma-keli-rabhasena (vegena) calantīṁ tāṁ kadā anuyāmi (anugamiṣyāmi). “O Rādhā! When will I walk behind you slowly like an elephant as I carry a bundle of soft candana and fragrant garlands, watching for your footprints as you walk quickly to the trysting bower, eager for love-play with Śyāmasundara?” In the previous verse, Śrīpāda in kiṅkarī-form was concerned that swift-walking Śrīmatī may injure her lotus feet on gravels and thorns. So he begged to carry them on his head and also encouraged her to walk a little slower. But the overwhelming attraction of śyāma-rasa has excited Śrīmatī’s heart. How can she restrain her walking speed? If a boat without a sailor floats by on fast, loud waves, and if someone on the bank tries to stop it by calling out, “Stop, stop that boat,” how will the boat be stopped? Like that, from the powerful attraction of the sound of Śyāmasundara’s muralī flute, Śrī Rādhā’s body is floating like a boat without a sailor in a river of love. She has no power to control her speed. It is appropriate that the kiṅkarī arrives at the trysting bower with her svāminī because she is bringing the articles for yugala-sevā. But alas, the weight of the articles of sevā cause her to walk slowly and she cannot keep up with her svāminī. Gradually, Śrīmatī goes beyond the range of the kiṅkarī’s eyes. Now who will show Śrīmatī’s path to the kiṅkarī? Suddenly, the dāsī sees Śrīmatī’s footprints marked with symbols for the barleycorn, wheel, crescent moon, flower creeper and so on. After seeing the footprints, she rejoiced and began to follow them. In Vraja, the footprints of their beloved show the eager premikas the way. In the rope-binding pastime, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s yogurt-smeared footprints showed Yaśodā Mā his path. In the kāliya-damana pastime, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s footprints showed the anxious vrajavāsīs the path to Kāliya’s lake after they had seen unsettling omens and feared some danger had come to him. In the rāsa-līlā also, Kṛṣṇa’s footprints directed the viraha-stricken girls of Vraja to his path. The sādhaka-bhaktas also constantly remember their beloved’s footprints and overcome all obstacles. In due course, they are blessed to see their beloved.

In the form of a devoted maidservant, Śrīpāda has arrived at the trysting bower by following Śrīmatī’s footprints. Along with tasting the sweetness of Śrī Yugala’s meeting, he has tasted the rasa of sevā, and at the end of his vision, he prayed to see the līlā again.

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(1)  Kāma means wish, desire, longing, love, affection, pleasure, the god of love, etc.

Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 32

  Then, following his gurudeva’s instruction, the sādhaka-dāsa brought two golden trays he had prepared containing aguru, flowers, tulasī leaves, incense, ghee lamps, garlands, sandalwood paste and so on. He gave one tray to his gurudeva, who entered the pericarp of the yogapīṭha lotus with the permission of the guru-varga. Śrī Gurudeva then placed four tender tulasī-mañjarīs with leaves on both sides between the toes of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s right foot and then his left. After offering each tulasī-mañjarī, he wiped his hand with a moist cloth. He then placed a large rose dipped in sandalwood paste on the middle of the jeweled anklet on each of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s feet. (Thinking the prickly stems of the roses might touch Prabhu’s soft feet, the sādhaka-dāsa had tied two of them together with a string to make one big one for each foot.) Śrī Gurudeva then decorated Mahāprabhu’s feet with white flowers on each side of the roses and jeweled anklets. After that, he gracefully smeared fragrant candana on Prabhu’s brow with a flower. On his neck he placed a vaijayantī-mālā strung with flowers of five colors. Then he performed the worship of Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu in the same way. After that, he placed Śrī Gaurāṅga’s prasādī-tulasī-mañjarīs and flowers in the hand or on the head of Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita respectively. Then he smeared their brows with gaura-prasādī sandalwood paste and hung prasādī garlands around their necks. Then he worshiped Śrīman Nityānanda Śakti Śrī Jāhnavā Devī, Svarūpa and the rest of the eight mahāntas, Govinda and the other kavirājas, the four gatekeepers, the eight gosvāmīs headed by Śrī Rūpa, and finally the guru-varga in the same way with śrī-gaura-prasādī-tulasīs, flowers, candana and garlands. He then handed the prasādī tray to the sādhaka-dāsa who handed him a tray with incense and a ghee lamp in return. After washing his hands, Śrī Gurudeva offered ārati to Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu. Then, with the prasādī incense and ghee lamp, he successively offered ārati to all of their companions. Then, the sādhaka-dāsa worshiped his gurudeva with the tulasīs, flowers, garlands and so on that remained on the prasādī tray and offered ārati to him with the prasādī incense and ghee lamp. After washing his hands and picking up another tray with fresh articles of worship, he entered the pericarp of the yogapīṭha with the permission of his gurudeva and the guru-varga. Carefully following his gurudeva’s previous actions, he performed arcanā and ārati to Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his companions, including the guru-varga. Then the sādhaka-dāsa came and stood to the left of his gurudeva. Śrīman Mahāprabhu and his companions soon became absorbed in the pastimes of Gupta-Kuṇḍa at Śrī Nandīśvara.

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