How Radharani descended from Goloka - Sridama's curse - Fantastic

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>From BV Purana

 

3 Listen and I will tell you of Lord Hari's descent as a cowherd boy.

His arrival in Gokula, and Radha's descent as gopi.

4 Listen and I will tell you in detail what before you heard me tell

only briefly in the story of Sankhacuda's death.

5 Sridama quarrelled with Radha and She cursed him to become the demon

Sankhacuda.

6 Then Sridama cursed Radha: Go to a human womb in Vraja! Become a

girl of Vraja and walk on the earth's surface!

7 Afraid of Sridama's curse, She went to Sri Krsna and said: I will

become a gopi! Sridama cursed Me! What will I do to prevent it! O breaker

of fears please tell me.

8 How can I live without You? O Lord, without You every moment will

become a hundred yugas.

9-10 My heart bursts into flames when the blinking of My eyes separates

Us. O Lord glorious as the autumn moon, using the cakora birds of My eyes I

drink the nectar of Your face day and night. I declare that You are My

heart, My self, My mind and My body.

11 You are My eyes and My power to see. You are My life. You are My

treasure. Awake of asleep, I always meditate on Your lotus feet. O Lord,

without serving You I cannot live for a moment.

12 Hearing these words, Lord Krsna placed His beautiful beloved on His

chest. He reassured Her and removed Her fears. He said:

13-14 O girl with the beautiful face, during the Varaha-kalpa I will go to

the earth. You will go with Me and also take birth on the earth. O

goddess, I will go to Vraja and enjoy pastimes (with You) in the forest.

15 You are more dear to Me than life. If I am present why should You

be afraid?

Saying this, Lord Hari, the master of the universes, became silent.

16 For this reason the master of the universes went to Nanda's Gokula.

Why should He be afraid? Of what would He, the killer of fears, be afraid?

17 Pretending to fear the illusory potency, He assumed the appearance

of a gopa, approached Radha, and enjoyed pastimes with Her.

18-19 To keep the promise He made when the demigod Brahma prayed to Him,

Lord Krsna came to earth with the gopis, removed the earth's burden and then

returned to His own abode.

20 Sri Narada said: Why did Sridama quarrel with Radha? What you

briefly told before, now please tell at length.

21 Sri Narayana Rsi said: One time, in a rasa-mandala in a secluded

place in a great forest in Goloka, Lord Hari enjoyed pastimes with Sri

Radha. Overcome with bliss, Radha could not understand Herself or anything

else.

22 Leaving Her unsatisfied in the midst of Their pastimes, He went to

enjoy amorous pastimes with Viraja, another gopi.

23 Beautiful Viraja resembled Radha. She has a billion beautiful gopi

friends.

24 As she sat on a jewel throne, this gopi, who thought Lord Krsna more

dear than life, and who was fortunate and glorious among women, saw Lord

Hari approach.

25 Lord Hari looked at her, her face glorious as the autumn moon, and

she, ravishingly beautiful, smiled, and with crooked eyes gazed at Him.

26 She was eternally sixteen years old, in the full bloom of youth.

She wore exquisite garments and Her beauty was richer with jewel ornaments.

27 Seeing that she was being tortured by Kamadeva's arrows and the

hairs of all her limbs were erect with excitement, Lord Hari at once enjoyed

pastimes with her.

28-29 In the great forest, in a secluded place, in a circle of jewels, on

a bed made of flowers, as she embraced to her chest the Lord of her life,

who is more glorious than millions of Kamadevas, Viraja fainted, overcome

with the bliss by enjoying amorous pastimes with Lord Krsna.

30 Seeing Lord Hari embraced by her in the jewel pavilion, Radha's

friends at once told their mistress.

31 Hearing their words, Radha became angry and lay down on Her bed.

32 Her eyes like red lotus flowers, the goddess wept bitterly. The

great goddess said to them: "Show Him to Me."

33 If you speak the truth, then come with Me. I will give Krsna and

this gopi the result They deserve.

34 When I punish her who will save her? With her quickly bring Lord

Hari's other lovers also.

35-36 Don't bring that smiling, crooked-hearted, nectar-mouthed pot of

poison to My home. Instead, take the Lord to My beautiful pavilion and keep

Him there.

37 Hearing Radha's words, some gopis became frightened, and they all

folded their hands and humbly bowed their heads and necks.

38 Standing before Her, they all said to the Lord's eternal beloved:

"We will show You the Lord with Viraja."

39 After hearing their words, beautiful Radha, ascended a chariot. She

departed with 1 630 000 000 gopis, travelling on a chariot...

40 ...made of may regal jewels, splendid as millions of suns, roofed

with thirty million domes made of regal jewels, splendid with a variety of

colourful flowers, pulled by colourful horses,...

41 ...with ten thousand wheels, enchanting the heart, travelling as

fast as the mind, beautiful with ten million pillars and many different

glorious jewels,...

42 ...with many wonderful and colourful beautiful pictures, with many

rubies in the inside rooms, with many jewels decorating the wheels,...

43 ...with four hundred thousand splendid and wonderful wheels

decorated with wonderful bells and tinkling ornaments,...

44 ...with a hundred thousand jewel palaces, with doors made of the

best of jewels, with jewel pictures,...

45 ...with domes of the best regal jewels, with splendid spires, with

delicious foods and exquisite garments,...

46 ...beautiful with many jewel beds, jewel cups and cases, and golden

platforms,...

47 ...with ten million ruby staircases, with very beautiful syamantaka

and kaustubha jewels,...

48 ...splendidly beautiful with wonderful forests and lakes and

hundreds of groves of millions of lotus flowers,...

49 ...with splendid jewel domes and spires eighty miles wide and eight

hundreds miles high,...

50 ...splendid with ten million garlands of parijata, kunda, karavira

and yuthika flowers,...

51 ...fragrant with many very beautiful campaka, nagesa, mallika,

malati, and madhavi flowers,...

52 ...decorated with many garlands of kadamba flowers and thousand

petal lotuses,...

53 ...decorated with wonderful forests, lakes, and colourful flower

gardens, fast as the wind, the best of all chariots,...

54 ...covered with exquisite fine cloth, decorated with hundreds of

jewel mirrors,...

55 ...decorated with sapphires and white camaras, fragrant with sandal,

aguru, musk and kunkuma,...

56 ...splendid with ten million parijata-decorated beds, ten million

flags, and ten million bells,...

57 ...with ten million jewel beds covered with wonderful and colourful

blankets, fragrant with campaka flowers, sandal and kunkuma,...

58 ...decorated with flower-pillows, and perfect for amorous pastimes,

and also decorated with many beautiful things never seen or heard of before.

59 O sage, quickly descending from the chariot thus described, Lord

Hari's beloved goddess Radha, at once went to Him in the pavilion of jewels.

60 At the entrance She saw a handsome, smiling, lotus-faced guard

accompanied by a hundred thousand gopas.

61 To that gopa, who was Sri Krsna's dear friend named Sridama, goddess

Radha, Her eyes now like red lotuses, angrily said:

62 Go away! O servant of a rake, go away! I will see what kind of

beautiful lover Your master has now!

63 Hearing Radha's words, strong and fearless Sridama, holding a stick

in his hand, did not allow Her to enter.

64 Their lips trembling, the other gopis angrily pushed the servant

Sridama.

65 Hearing a great commotion from the people of Goloka and

understanding that Radha was angry, Lord Hari disappeared.

66 Hearing the word "Radha" and seeing Lord Hari disappear, Viraja

became afraid. By practice of mystic yoga she gave up her life.

67 Her body at once became a river circling Goloka.

68 That river was filled with jewels, very deep, eight hundred million

miles wide, and ten times as long.

 

Chapter Three

Sri Radha-Sridama-sapodbhava

The Cursing of Sri Radha and Sridama

 

1 O sage, when She went to the pavilion of amorous pastimes Radha did

not see Lord Hari. Seeing the river that Viraja had become, She went home.

2 Seeing that His eternal beloved had become a river, Sri Krsna loudly

wept on the beautiful shore of that Viraja River.

3 "O best, best of lovers, come to Me! O beautiful one, beautiful

one, how can I live without you?

4 "By My blessing now become the most beautiful of women, and the

empress of rivers.

5 :Now have a form more beautiful than the beautiful form you had. O

chaste one, your previous form has now become a river."

6 "Raise from the water and come to Me."

Taking a new form, and beautiful like Radha, she approached Lord

Hari.

7 Wearing yellow garments and her lotus face smiling, with crooked

eyes she gazed at the Lord of Her life and He gazed at her.

8 She was oppressed by the burden of her hips and thighs, and her

breasts were swollen and high.

9 She was the most beautiful of beautiful women, and She was fortunate

and glorious among women. She was the colour of a beautiful campaka flower

and her lips were ripe bimba fruits.

10 Her beautiful teeth were like ripe pomegranate seeds,, her face was

an autumn moon, and her eyes were blossoming dark lotuses.

11 She was decorated with a dot of musk and many dots of red sindura.

She was beautiful with beautiful designs and pictures. Her braided hair was

very beautiful.

12 Jewel earrings resting on her cheeks, She was decorated with a

necklace of jewels and glorious with a necklace of pearls. On the tip of

her nose was an elephant pearl.

13 She was splendid with jewel armlets and bracelets and a bracelet of

shells. She was opulent with many tinkling ornaments and tinkling jewel

anklets.

14 Seeing her so beautiful and so full of love for Him, the Lord of the

universes at once embraced her and kissed her again and again.

15 Going to a secluded place, the all-powerful Lord again and again

enjoyed many different kinds of amorous pastimes, beginning with

viparita-lila, with His beloved.

16 Accepting the Lord's invincible semen, passionate and fortunate

Viraja at once became pregnant.

17 After a hundred celestial years of pregnancy, she gave birth to

seven handsome sons from the Lord.

18 In this way the Lord's eternal beloved became the mother of seven

sons. She was very happy with her seven sons.

19 One day, her heart filled with amorous desires, the saintly girl

again enjoyed pastimes with Lord Hari in a secluded place in Vrndavana

forest.

20 Then, frightened by his brothers, her youngest son came there and

went to his mother's lap.

21 Seeing her son was afraid, she who was an ocean of kindness left

Lord Hari and placed the boy on her lap. Then Krsna went to Radha's home.

22 When she had comforted the boy she noticed that her beloved was no

longer there. Her heart filled with unsatisfied desires, she lamented

greatly.

23 She angrily cursed her son: "You will become an ocean of salt-water.

The living entities will never drink your water."

24 Then she cursed all the boys: "Those fools will go to the earth!

Fools, go to beautiful Jambudvipa on the earth!

25 "They will not stay together in one place, but will stay each in his

own place. They will stay happily around different islands.

26 "They may enjoy pastimes with the rivers on these islands."

In this way, because of his mother's curse, the youngest boy became

an ocean of salt-water.

27 The youngest then told the other boys about their mother's curse.

Unhappy, all the boys went to their mother.

28 After hearing their mother's words, they offered obeisances to her

feet. Then, their necks bowed with devotion, they all went to the surface

of the earth.

29 O sage, they became seven oceans around the seven islands. From the

youngest to the eldest, each ocean was twice as large as the preceding one.

30 They became oceans of salt-water, sugarcane juice, wine, clarified

butter, yoghurt, milk and sweet water. Their liquid will be used to

cultivate grains on the earth.

31 In this way they became seven oceans around the seven islands of the

earth. Unhappy in separation from their mother and brothers, all the boys

wept.

32 Tormented by separation from her sons, chaste Viraja wept again and

again. She fainted out of grief she felt for her sons and husband.

33 Understanding that she was drowning in an ocean of grief, Radha's

master, His lotus face smiling, came to her again.

34 When she saw Lord Hari she stopped weeping and lamenting. Gazing at

her beloved, she became plunged in an ocean of bliss.

35 Overcome with passion, she placed Lord Hari on her lap and enjoyed

pastimes with Him. In this way, even though she had abandoned her sons,

Lord Hari became pleased with her.

36 His eyes and face filled with happiness, He gave her a benediction:

"Beloved, I will always come to you.

37 "Like Radha you will be dear to Me. By the power of My blessing you

will always protect your sons."

38 Seeing Sri Krsna with Viraja as he spoke these words, Radha's

friends told their mistress.

39 Hearing this, Radha lay down in the palace of anger and wept. Then

Krsna entered that palace and approached Her.

40 O Narada, accompanied by Sridama, Krsna stood at Radha's door. When

She who is the queen of the rasa dance saw Her beloved Lord Hari, She became

angry and said:

41 O Lord Hari, You have many other lovers in Goloka. Go to them! Why

do You need Me?

42 Even though Your dear lover Viraja, out of fear of Me, left her body

and became a river, still You go to her!

43 Build a palace on her shore and stay with her. Stay with her. Go

to her. She became a river. You became a river also.

44 Because they belong to the same class, it is glorious for one river

to associate with another river. As they happily eat together and sleep

together they feel great love for each other.

45 O crest jewel of divine persons, when they hear from Me that You are

enjoying pastimes with a river, the great souls will smile.

46 They who say You are the master of the universes do not truly know

Your heart. The Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul in the hearts

of all, now desires to enjoy pastimes with a river!

47 After speaking these words, angry goddess Radha stopped. Surrounded

by a hundred thousand gopis, She would not rise from Her bed.

48 Some gopis carried camaras in their hands, some carried fine

garments, some carried betelnuts in their hands, and some carried

flower-garlands in their hands.

49 Some carried cups of scented water in their hands, some carried

lotus flowers in their hands, some carried red sindura in their hands, and

some carried flower garlands in their hands.

50 Some carried jewel ornaments in their hands, some carried black

kajjala, some carried flutes and vinas in their hands, and some carried

combs in their hands.

51 Some carried aviras in their hands, some carried yantras in their

hands, some carried scented oil in their hands, some most beautiful women

carried karatalas in their hands, and some carried toy balls.

52 Some played mrdangas, murajas, flutes and karatalas, some expertly

sang, and some expertly danced.

53 Some carried toys in their hands, some carried cups of honey in

their hands, some carried cups of nectar in their hands, and some carried

footstools in their hands.

54 Some carried garments and ornaments in their hands, some served

Radha's feet, some stood before Her with folded hands, and some spoke

prayers glorifying Her.

55 How many stood before Her? O sage, millions and millions stood

outside.

56 As Krsna stood at the door, Radha's friends, who held sticks, would

not allow Him to enter.

57 As the Lord of Her life stood before Her, Radha spoken to Him words

that were inaccurate, not worthy to be spoken, improper, and very harsh.

58 O Krsna, O lover of Viraja, get away from Me! O Lord Hari, o

restless debauchee, why do You trouble Me?

59 Go at once to Padmavati! Go to beautiful Ratnamala or Vanamala

whose beauty has no equal!

60 O lover of a river, O master of the demigods, O guru of the

demigods' guru, I know who You are. Auspiciousnss to You! Go! Go from My

asrama!

61 Again and again You act like a human! Rake, enter a human womb!

Leave Goloka and go to Bharata-varsa!

62 O Susila, Sasikala, Padmavati, Madhavi, stop this criminal! What

need have we for Him?

63 After hearing Radha's words, the gopis spoke to Lord Hari words

there were beneficial, truthful, gentle, sweet, and appropriate to that

circumstance.

64 Some said: "O Lord Hari, for a moment go to another place. When

Radha's anger subsides we will bring You here."

65 Some very affectionately said: "Go home for a moment. You make

Radha blissful. Except for You, who can protect Her.

66 O sage, out of love for Radha some gopis said to Lord Hari: "For a

moment go to Vrndavana forest until Her anger subsides."

67 Some joked to the Lord: "O passionate one, by devotedly serving Her

You will appease the jealous anger of Your passionate beloved."

68 Some said the to Lord: "Go to another wife in the meantime, O Lord,

we will bring the result You earnestly desire."

69 Some stood smiling before Lord Hari and said: "Go to Her and pacify

Her jealous anger."

70 Some gopis spoke harshly to the Lord of their lives: "Who can see

Radha's lotus face now?"

71 Some said to the all-powerful Lord: "O Lord Hari, go to another

place, and when Her anger is over You may return."

72 Some beautiful and arrogant gopis said to Him: "IF You don't go to

another's home, we will force You to go."

73 Some beautiful gopis then surrounded the smiling, peaceful, and

cheerful Supreme Lord of all and prevented Him from entering.

74 Forced by the gopis, Lord Hari, who is the first cause of the

world's causes, left and went to another's home. Then Sridama became angry.

75 His lotus eyes now red, Sridama angrily spoke to the supreme

goddesss, Sri Radha, whose lotus eyes were also red with anger.

76 Sridama said: O mother, why do You speak these harsh words to m

master? O goddess, You rebuke Him without any consideration and for no

reason.

77-79 You mock the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of

Brahma, Ananta, Siva and is the master of Sarasvati, Laksmi, Laya, Maya and

Prakrti, who is beyond the modes of material nature, who is self-satisfied,

and whose desires are all fulfilled. Know that it is only because of Your

service to Him and Your worship of His feet that You have become the best of

goddesses and the queen of all. O beautiful one, You do not understand Him.

How can I have the power to describe Him?

80 With a playful bend in His eyebrows He can create many millions of

millions of goddesses like You. You do not understand Him, the Lord who is

beyond the modes of material nature.

81 In Vaikuntha goddess Laksmi eternally serves Lord Hari with great

devotion. She washes His lotus feet and dries them with her own hair.

82 With devotion Sarasvati always praises Him with beautiful prayers

that are nectar for the ears. You do not understand Him, the great Supreme

Personality of Godhead.

83 Frightened goddess Maya, who is the material energy and the

personified life of all conditioned souls, always praises Him with devotion.

O proud one, You do not understand Him.

84 Although they eternally offer prayers to Him, the Vedas cannot

understand even one sixteenth of His glory. O beautiful one, You do not

understand Him.

85 O goddess, with his four heads powerful Brahma, the father of the

Vedas, glorifies Krsna. Brahma serves His lotus feet.

86 With this five heads, the guru of the yogis, offers prayers to Lord

Krsna. His eyes filled with tears and the hairs of his body erect, he

serves Lord Krsna's lotus feet.

87 With His thousand heads Ananta Sesa again and again offers prayers

to Lord Krsna, the all-pervading Supersoul. He devotedly serves Lord

Krsna's lotus feet.

88 Dharma, who is the protector and witness of everyone and the master

of the worlds, happily and devotedly serves Lord Krsna's feet always.

89 All-powerful Lord Visnu, who resides in Svetadvipa and is His

partial incarnation, meditates on Lord Krsna as the Supreme at every moment.

90 The demigods, demons, sages, kings, manus, humans and philosophers

serve Him though they cannot see His lotus feet even in a dream.

91 At once abandon Your pride and worship the lotus feet of Lord Hari,

who merely by the play of bending His eyebrow destroys the material

creation.

92 Brahma's lifetime is an eye-blink for Lord Krsna. Twenty-eight

Indras live their lives in Brahma's day.

93 Brahma lives for 108 years calculated in this way. O Radha, You and

the gopis and everyone and everything are under my master's dominion.

94 Hearing Sridama's very harsh and forceful words, She became suddenly

angry. She stood up and spoke to him.

95 Going outside, Her hair loosened, Her lotus eyes reds, and Her lips

trembling, She harshly spoke to him.

96 Sri Radha said: Rogue! Fool! Servant of a rake! Listen. I don't

know your master. You know everything about Him.

97 O lowest wretch in Vraja, Sri Krsna is your master and not Mine?

You praise your father and rebuke your mother.

98 As the demons always insult the demigods, so you always insult Me!

Therefore, O fool, become a demon!

99 Gopa, leave Goloka and go to a demoness' womb. Fool, now I have

cursed you. Who can protect you?

100 After thus cursing him, the queen of the rasa dance became silent.

Then, with jewelled-handled camaras in their hands, Her friends served Her.

101 After hearing Her words, his lips trembling in anger, Sridama cursed

Her: Go to the womb of a human woman!

102 You are angry like a human woman, therefore become a human woman on

the earth! Mother, I have cursed You. Of this there is no doubt.

103 You will be eclipsed by a part of Your own shadow. The fools on the

earth will say you are the wife of a petty king.

104 That petty king will be a partial incarnation of Lord Hari. He will

be a great yogi born in a human womb because of Radha's curse on him.

105 In Gokula You will attain Lord Krsna. You will stay with Him in the

forest there and enjoy pastimes with Him. You will be separated from Him

for a hundred years and then You will attain Him, Your Lord, again and

return with Him to Goloka.

106 After speaking these words and after bowing down before Radha,

Sridama went to Lord Hari. Bowing down before Lord Krsna, Sridama narrated

the story of the cursings.

107 Sridama wept as never before. As weeping Sridama was about to go to

the earth, Lord Krsna said to him:

108 You will become the king of demons. In the three worlds no one will

defeat you.

109 After fifty yugas Siva's spear will make you leave that body and

with My blessings you will return to Me.

110 After hearing Lord Krsna's words, grieving Sridama said to Him: You

will never transform me into a person that has no devotion for You.

111 Saying this Sridama left his own asrama. Then, weeping again and

again, Radha came there.

112 Saintly Radha loudly lamented, "Child, where are you going?" Then

Sridama became Sankhacuda, the husband of Tulasi.

113 When Sridama had left, Goddess Radha approached Lord Hari. She told

Him everything and He spoke to Her.

114 Lord Krsna told everything to His grieving beloved. Then, in the

course of time, Sridama became Sankhacuda and then returned to the Lord.

115 In the Varaha-kalpa Radha went with Lord Hari to the earth. O sage,

She attained a birth in Gokula in King Vrsabhanu's home.