radhakund glories

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VILAPA KUSUMANJALI, VERSE 15

 

 

yadA tava sarovaraM sarasa-bhRGga-saGghollasan

saroruha-kulojjvalaM madhura-vAri-sampUritam |

sphuTat-sarasijAkSi he nayana-yugma-sAkSAd-babhau

tadaiva mama lAlasAjani tavaiva dAsye rase ||15||

 

O Blooming lotus-eyedgirl (Radhe)! When my eyes directly saw Your pond

(Radhakunda) which is filled with sweet water and lotus flowers surrounded

by blissfully humming bees, then I really got the desire to taste the nectar

of Your service!

Notes: In the previous verse Sri Raghunatha dasa prayed to Srimati that he

may once see Her lotus feet anointed with lac-dye, and in this verse he

prays for the actual service of these anointed lotus feet, having become

greedy for that service. “O lotus-eyed Radhe! Ever since I got to see Your

lake I developed a liking for Your devotional service!” Sri Radhakunda is

the limitlessly beautiful crownjewel of Vraja (vraja mukutamani), Priyaji’s

Sarasi which is most dear to those whose everything is the service of Sri

Radhika’s lotus feet.

 

 

kundera madhuri heno radhara madhurima;

kundera mahima yeno radhara mahima

sei kunde eka bara yei kore snana;

tare radha sama prema krishna kore dana

 

(C.C. Madhya 18, 11-10)

 

“The kunda is as sweet as Radha’s sweetness and the kunda is as great as

Radha’s greatness. Sri Krishna will bestow a love equal to that of Radha’s

to anyone who bathes even once in this kunda”.

 

Only the experienced devotees understand the complete feelings of mine-ness

of the Radha-nistha devotees (those who are completely loyal to Radha), who

love Priyaji with their whole hearts and who have offered their hearts to

Her lotus feet, towards Sri Radhakuneda. It is here that Sri-Sri Radha

Madhava eternally play Their midday-pastimes, and there is no place so dear

to Them as this. The kunda is related to Svamini as being non-different from

Her, so along with the kunda those devotees who are surrendered to Her see

the lila.

 

When Sri Krishna is eager to meet Sri Radha and can find no means to see

Her, He takes shelter of Sri Radhakunda. The most fortunate souls can live

on the banks of Sri Radhakunda, and that fortune consists of Radharani’s

personal mercy upon them. In Vraja Vilasa Stava (101) Srila Dasa Gosvami

writes:

 

 

pura premodrekaih pratipada navananda madhuraih

krta sri gandharvacyuta carana varyarcana balat

nikamam svaminyh priyatara saras tira bhuvane

vasanti sphita ye ta iha mama jivatava ime

 

“Because of having worshiped the beautiful lotus feet of Sri Gandharva and

Acyuta with the ever-fresh sweetness of pure spiritual love in their

previous lives, some great souls are able to live on the bank of Svamini’s

dearmost lake (Sri Radhakunda). These great devotees are my life and soul!”

 

The bank of Radhakunda is really wonderful: There are divine Kadamba-,

Campaka-, Kunda-, Sirisa-, -Ketaki- and Kimsuka-trees as well as beautiful

Lavanga- (clove), Jati-, Yuthi- and Madhavi-vines. There are many different

fragrant flowers and Suka- and Sarika-parrots are sitting on the branches of

the trees, singing sweet songs (rasa-gana) about Radhika and Madhava.

Cuckoos sing in the fifth note, and bees are humming, so many birds are

chirping and the peacocks spread their tail-feathers out as they sweetly

dance and cry out: ‘ke ka!’.

 

The great branches of the trees, that beautify all the banks of the kunda,

are studded with goosepimples of ecstasy, which they show in the form of

their knots, and they shed tears of ecstasy in the form of the honey that

trickles from their flowers. The water that fills Radhakunda and Syamakunda,

sweet and filled with many colorful lotusflowers, is not actually water, it

is the splendid spiritual erotic flavour of Radha and Madhava’s pastimes!

These things can only be seen with spiritual eyes that are anointed with the

salve of love. Materialistic people cannot see it as it is. In antar dasa

(internal consciousness) we practise lilamaya bhakti (devotion that is

filled with the transcendental pastimes).

 

 

donhara ujjvala madhura ye rasa varna viparyaya kori;

bhakte sukha dite rahasya sahite ache sara nama dhari

 

“The syllables ra-sa stand for the sweet splendid love of the Divine Couple

Radha and Krishna, and when these syllables are reversed we get the word

sa-ra, or lake. This secret makes the devotees very happy.”

 

 

e karana bhakta sara kori vyakta se rase koriya snana;

krsnera krpaya radha sama prema labha kore bhagyavan

 

“Therefore the devotees reveal that sara (lake) by bathing in that rasa, and

by Krsna’s grace they become blessed by attaining a love for Krsna that is

equal to that of Sri Radha’s.”

 

 

sri krsna yokhon radha darasana lagi utkanthita hoy;

sakala upaya viphala hoiya radhakundasraya loy

 

“When Krishna becomes eager to see Radha, and all His endeavours fail, He

takes shelter of Radhakunda.”

 

 

tat kale radhara paya darasana emati kunda prabhava;

radhara-o temati syamakundasraye krsna sanga hoy labha

 

“At that moment He gets the audience of Radha on the strength of the kunda.

In the same way Radha also takes shelter of Syamakunda and thus attains the

company of Sri Krishna.”

 

Amazing lotusflowers, lilies and Kahlara-flowers are covering the sweet

water of the kunda, surrounded by buzzing bees that become intoxicated by

their fragrance. The chest (surface) of the kunda also bears many beautiful

lordly swans and cranes that sing beautiful songs. When Krishna sees this

Radhakunda He remembers Sri Radhika and when Sri Radhika sees Syamakunda She

similarly remembers Krishna. The kunda is related to Sri Radha in all

respects, and while Raghunatha describes the way he sees the kunda he

simultaneously describes the self-manifest pastimes that take place there.

 

At noontime Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami anxiously cries out of grief,

sitting on the bank of Radhakunda, as he suddenly perceives one very sweet

pastime: He sees Radha and Krishna playing in the water. The loser of this

watersplashing-game must give a prize to the winner. Kundalata is the

referee and the prize is nectar from the lips (kisses) of the loser. Radhika

first splashes Krishna. How beautiful Her eyes are!

 

 

tam siseca kara pankaja kosaih sambubhih samani kankana ghosaih

varunastram eva tat kusumesor atyasahyam abhavad vijigisoh

saslathe bhagavati vanamala hara yastir apatat suvisala

eka eva balavan priya dehe kaustubhah paribhavam na visese

 

(Krishnahnika Kaumudi 4/146, 149)

 

 

“How sweetly Her jewelled bangles jingle around Her lotuswhorl-like hands!

It is as if Cupid wants to defeat Krishna with His watermissile! It’s become

intolerable for Krishna! His garland of divine forestflowers loosens, His

big pearl necklace falls off and His stick falls out of His hand; only His

powerful Kaustubha-gem is able to tolerate this stream of water without

lamenting!”

 

Isvari thinks tender Syamasundara will suffer too much if She splashes in

His eyes, so She doesn’t do that, but cruel Syama, desiring victory, does

splash Sukumari’s (tender Radhika’s) eyes all too hard, saying: “Priye! See

if You can tolerate this!”

 

 

sahyatam ayam ayam mama pathah seka ity atha nigadya sa nathah

preyasi vadana eva saharsah sasmitah sarasam ambu vavarsah

 

(Krishnahnika Kaumudi 4,150)

 

Tulasl watches on the bank of the kunda how Radha and Syama have a huge

fight in the water. The sakhis rebuke Syama, saying: “Syama! Don’t splash

our sakhi like that! Has She ever done that with You? Just see how much She

suffers!”, but Syama does not listen. Svamini becomes mad from His

splashing, although She is normally so grave, and She backs away. What can a

sukumari (tender girl) do against such a powerful wrestler?

 

Sri Lilasuka (Bilvamangala Thakura) calls Krishna ananda (ecstasy), and on

the mouth of that ananda a sringara-rasa (erotic flavour) smile blooms up.

He does not play any other games than the games of sringara rasa. Rasamaya

Krishna and Rasamayi Radha shower Eachother with nothing else but rasa

during Their rasa-krida (delectable games), and the devotees that are fixed

in smarana are constantly showered with the sweet relish of this rasa-krida.

These pastimes can only be attended in svarupavesa. When the mind returns to

the external world this svarupavesa disappears, therefore Srila Narottama

dasa Thakura sings: sadhana smarana lila, ihate na koro hela, kaya mane

koriya susara “Do not neglect the practise of lila smarana; make it the

essence of everything for your body and mind!”

 

It is the nature of these transcendental pastimes to draw the mind towards

one’s siddha svarupa. That sacred greed that is the only and essential

requirement for entering into raganuga bhakti is also awakening the

revelation of these transcendental pastimes. When a fortunate devotee hears

about the sweetness of these feelings this sacred greed awakens in his

heart.

 

 

tat tad bhdvadi madhurye srute dhir yad apeksate

natra sastram na yuktim ca tal lobhotpatti laksanam

 

(Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhuh 1.2.292)

 

“The definition of the birth of transcendental greed is that when one hears

about the sweetness of the moods and pastimes of Krishna and His

Vraja-devotees one becomes attracted up to the point that one is not

sensitive to the instruction of the revealed scriptures anymore, nor to

logical arguments.”

 

Experience will come automatically while hearing about these sweet moods.

These topics while destroy bodily conciousness and will nourish the siddha

svarupa. One who becomes lusty after hearing these topics is unfortunate.

Sri Suka Muni says: “The topics of Radha and Madhava’s loving affairs will

cure the heart’s disease of lust and will bless the hearer with the highest

possible devotion to the Lord (which is undoubtedly manjari bhava).”

 

Syama claps in His hands and says: “You’re defeated! You’re vanquished! Give

Me My prize! I’m the victor!” But nobody, not even the parrots in the trees,

sings Krishna’s glories. All the creatures in Vraja feel sorry for Radhika.

How beautiful are Svamini’s eyes when Syama holds Her around the neck!

Although Her eyes are filled with water She still keeps them wide open. Sri

Raghunatha dasa addresses Her here as sphutat sarasijaksi: blooming

lotuseyed girl! Her eyes have become slightly reddish from all the water,

although they are usually compared to blue lotusflowers by the maha janas.

 

 

alasa locana heri kajare ujala;

jale bosi tapa kore nila utapala

 

“When they see Radhika’s languid eyes, made up with eyeliner, the blue

lotusflowers sit in the water and perform penances (to become as beautiful

as them).”

 

 

indivara vara garava garasita khanjana ganjana nayana

 

“These eyes (of Radhika) swallow the pride of the most excellent of blue

lotusflowers (in colour) and the wagtailbirds (in restlessness).”

 

How bold is our Nagara! When He collects His prize (of kisses) Svamini,

wanting to know what He’s doing exactly, does not close Her eyes completely,

but keeps them slightly opened. Then, when Syama has collected His prize,

Svamini dives under water, feeling ashamed before Her girlfriends. Nobody

noticed where She went. There are shining red, blue, white and golden

lotusflowers floating on the kunda (saroruha kulojjvalam) and Svamini

surfaces in a cluster of golden lotusflowers, where She remains unnoticed

(since Her face resembles a golden lotusflower also).

 

padme mukhe na pari cinite (C.C.) Suddenly the bees become attracted to Her

extraordinary fragrance and leave all the other lotusflowers to come to Her

face, humming sweetly and blissfully (sarasa bhrnga sanghollasat). The

sakhis meanwhile tell Syama: “What have You done to our sakhi ? Go and look

for Her!”

 

Our Hero sees the many bees buzzing around the golden lotuses, so He goes

there and catches Srimati. The sakhis also go there. Syama brags: “Priye! If

I would hide like this, You and Your girlfriends would never find Me!”

 

Svamini proudly says: “O yes? Allright, hide out then! I’ll surely find

You!”

 

Syamasundara dives into a cluster of blue lotusflowers. While searching,

Svamini notices that the monkeys, that sit on the branches of the trees that

hang over the kunda, are staring at this cluster of blue lotusflowers. She

understands that Syama must be hiding there, so She goes there and catches

Him. Then She swims across the deep kunda, holding on to Syama’s neck. tinho

krsna kantha dhari, bhase jalera upori, gajotkhate yaiche kamalini (C.C.)

“She floats upon the water, holding on to Krishna’s neck like a female

lotusflower picked by an elephant.”

 

The whole kunda is illuminated by Radha and Syama’s sweet bodily luster. How

happy the kunda is to get her own Isvari swimming at her chest! Seeing this

sweet pastime Tulasi is completely overwhelmed. How much joy the sweet water

shows by making high waves! madhura vari sampuritam . How sweet this pastime

is! Tulasi Manjari is beside herself of ecstasy when she sees it. Suddenly

the spiritual vision disappears and remembering this pastime she says: “My

mind became immersed in the spiritual flavour of Your service, as my eyes

directly saw Your kunda”.

 

In his Radhakundastakam Sri Raghunatha dasa has confirmed that the

desirevine of love for Krishna of even an ignorant and unqualified person

who performs some service at Radhakunda in the form of bathing there, living

there, seeing it or touching it, will blossom and bear the fruits of Radha’s

service:

 

 

api jana iha kascid yasya seva prasadaih

pranaya suralata syat tasya gosthendra sunoh

sapadi kila mad isa dasya puspa prasasyas

tad ati surabhi radhakundam evasrayo me

 

(Radhakundastakam - 5)

 

That is the inconceivable potency of seeing and touching Radhakunda. “When I

saw the sweetness of Your kunda I became attracted to Your devotional

service. I don’t want anything else but that anymore. May that very fragrant

and beautiful Radhakunda be my only shelter!”

 

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