The Glories of Srimati Radharani
From the Rk-parisistha:
"Srimati Radharani is always to be found with Sri Krsna, and
Madhava is always to be seen with Radhika. One is never without the other's
company."
From the Gopalottara-tapani:
"She is the embodiment of maha-bhava, or the highest
transcendental ecstasy, and none of the other gopis, or cowherd damsels of
Vrndavana, possesses Her excellent qualities. Radharani is therefore known as
the most famous Gandharva."
In the Padma Purana Narada Muni describes Srimati
Radharani:
"As much as Srimati Radhika is dear to Lord Krsna, Her pond
Radha-kunda is as beloved to Him. Among all the gopis Srimati Radharani is most
dear to Krsna.
From the Ujjvala-nilamani of
Srila Rupa Goswami
"The principal characteristics of Srimati Radharani, the
Queen of Vrndavan, are that She is charming, ever-youthful, has roving eyes,
and ever-sparkling smile, a body marked with all auspicious lines, Her
fragrance drives Krsna mad with desire. She is an exponent of fine music, has
sharp intelligence, is dextrous, shy, respectable, patient, grave, playful,
eager to display the highest ecstasy of maha-bhava, that She is the primary
source of supreme spiritual love, the most famous, the object of attraction for
Her elders, that She is controlled by the love of Her girlfriends, the
principal of Krsna's many loves, and She has Him always under Her
control."
Rupa Goswami prays to Srimati Radharani in his Catu-puspanjalih [Stavamala] as
follows:
"O Queen of Vrndavana, Sri Radha, I worship You. Your fair
complexion is more resplendent than molten gold, the color of Your sari the hue
of a blue lotus flower. Your beautiful braided hair is long and raven-black,
its coiffure studded with many brilliant gems, like the shining black hood of a
cobra.
"Even the beautiful lotus in full bloom or the rising full
moon offers no comparison to Your breathtaking face, for it is much more
exquisite. Your shining forehead is marked by a tidy saffron tilaka.
"The arches of Your elegant eyebrows put to shame Cupid's
bow. Your cascading black tresses sway, and the dark mascara on Your roving
eyes makes them look like restless black partridges.
"Your fine nose is decorated by a ring studded with the
noblest pearl, and Your lips are more charming than bright red tulips. Your
sparkling, even teeth are like rows of spotlessly white jasmine buds.
"The golden earrings that dangle gracefully from Your ears
like a pair of Laburnum flowers are inlaid with many precious gems. The gentle
cleft of Your delicate chin is decorated with a dot of musk, and an intricately
bejewelled necklace sparkles on You with regal splendor.
"Your nicely formed arms are like lotus stems, adorned with
fine and precious gems, and the two armlets inlaid with blue sapphires softly
jingle with Your slightest movements, pleasing all ears with their sweet music.
"Your hands are beautiful and soft, like the lotus, and Your
fingers are decorated with rings mounted with precious jewels. Your breasts are
adorned with a large necklace finely set with stones and gems.
""The central jewel of Your regal necklace sits atop a
line of dark gems that grow gradually larger in size. One could mistake it for
a black snake carrying a gem on its hood. You are slender around the waist, and
Your belly is concave because it must carry the burdon of Your full breasts. It
is marked by three lines like entwining creepers.
"A tinkling girdle of gold inset with precious stones adorns
Your broad flaring hips, and Your shapely thighs put to shame the pride of the
golden trunks of banana trees.
"Your kneecaps are so delicate and well-formed that they are
far more attractive than round golden caskets studded with gems. The
ankle-bells on Your finely formed feet sing an eternal melody, and the pink
lotuses that blossom in autumn bow their heads in ardent worship to the beauty
of Your lotus feet.
"The brilliance of millions upon millions of full moons pales
before the opalescent nails of Your lotus feet. Innumerable ecstatic symptoms
are Your natural embellishments, and You become stunned and perspire freely
when Your yearning sidelong looks from afar intimately traverse Krsna's body.
Uncontrollable erotic waves overcome You, and when You meet with Your beloved
Krsna You are swept away in a surge of sublime ecstacy. O Queen of Vrndavan,
You are the reservoir of all divine qualities, and I therefore worship Your
lotus feet.
"O Srimati Radharani, all the symptoms of the very highest
ecstasy, maha-bhava, become simultaneously manifest in You, and Your heart is
benumbed. You are the ocean of unlimited transcendental emotions found only in
perfect heroines, and everyone is amazed when You exhibit these ecstatic
emotions.
"All the charming and captivating traits which make a heroine
perfect are offering their obeisances to Your lotus feet in silent praise. The
great beauty Laksmi-devi, the goddess of fortune, is humbly praying to attain
residence on the toenails of Your lotus feet.
"You are the crest jewel of the damsels of Vraja, an eternal
resident of Gokula, the most beloved object of the gopis. Your gentle smile
acts as the life sustaining salve for Lalita and other sakhis.
"When Your roving eyes glance on Krsna with a sidelong look,
it acts on Him like a drop of ambrosia, maddening and inciting Him with love.
You are the apple of Your father king Vrisabhanu's eyes, and the sooting rays
of Your moonlike activities exhilarate him.
"Your heart is like an
ocean which is overflooding with waves of compassion. Therefore, O Radhika!
shower Your mercy, and be pleased with this person who is begging to become
Your maidservant.
"O Radha my mistress! When will I be fortunate to see that
after a lover's quarrel, when Krsna tries to pacify You, His indignant
lady-love, with sweet cajoling words, in which He is truly expert, and begs You
for a lovers' tryst, You are really pleased within but nonetheless turn Your
face away and look at Krsna from the corner of Your eyes.
"O Divine Lady! Will that day ever come? When Lord Krsna, who
is adept at everything, strings a charming garland of myrtle blossoms and slips
it over Your head and His electric touch sends waves of ecstasy pulsating
through You, and You begin to perspire profusely, when will I be fortunate
enough to gently fan You with a palm leaf fan?
"O divine Lady! O beautiful Queen! When after Your hours of
pleasure with Krsna Your intricately made-up hair becomes dishevelled and You
need someone to set it properly again, when will You instruct this maidservant
to do this service?
"O Divine beauty with cherry lips! Will I be able to see the
wonderful dalliances between You and Krsna? When I place betel-nut pan into
Your lotus mouth, Krsna tries to take it out of Your mouth and chew the same
pan.
"O Srimati Radha! Among all the beloved gopis of Krsna You
are His most cherished jewel. Therefore kindly be pleased with me and quickly
shower Your mercy by including me amongst Your family members.
"O Queen of Vraja! I beg repeatedly at Your lotus feet for
Your compassionate grace. Please allow me to become Your maid-in-attendance
(sakhi) and confidante, so that when You become indignant after a lover's
quarrel Krsna will approach me, knowing that I am Your sakhi, and flatter me to
take Him to You; then I will take His hand and guide Him to You.
"Anyone who reads this prayer, named Catuspuspanjali,
dedicated to Radharani, the Queen of Vrndavana, with faith and devotion, will
very soon receive Her mercy directly."
In his Sri
Prarthana-paddhati [Stavamala],, Srila Rupa goswami prays:
"O Queen of Vrndavana, O Radharani, Your complexion is like
molton gold, Your doe-like eyes are captivatingly restless, a million full and
brilliant moons wane before Your lustrous countenance, and a blue sari, having
stolen the hue of a fresh rain-laden cloud, has enwrapped Your exquisite form.
O Radha, You are the crest-jewel of all the dallying damsels of Vrndavana,
fragrant and pristine like a budding jasmine flower. Your sublime form is
adorned with priceless jewelry , and you are the best of all the charming and
intelligent gopis. You are decorated with all wonderful excellences and
surrounded by eight dedicated and beloved cowherd girls known as the
asta-sakhis.
"The ambrosia of Your beautiful lips, red as the bimba fruit,
is life-giving syrup to Krsna. O Radha, I am rolling on the banks of the
Yamuna, my poor heart filled with anticipation, praying to You with all
humility. I am guilty of being an offender, a rascal, a useless wretch‑yet
I beg You to kindly engage me in even the smallest service to Your lotus feet.
O most merciful Lady, it will not become You to ignore this most distressed
soul, for Your heart is always overflowing with compassion and love."
Raghunatha dasa Goswami writes in the Vilap-kusum-anjali
"O Supreme Ladyship, Queen of my heart, Radha! Laksmi-devi
the goddess of fortune does not possess even a drop of the beauty that exudes
from Your exquisite toenails, therefore if You do not grant me the proper
vision to perceive Your transcendental pastimes, then what use do I have for
this life, which is burning in the fire of excruciating sorrow?
"O merciful Lady! Indeed, lately I am floating in a nectarean
ocean of hope, and passing time in hardship and pain, but if You do not shower
mercy upon me then this life, living in Vrndavana, and even Lord Krsna are all
meaningless to me." 101-102
"The Queen of Vraja is my mistress. O Lady mistress, O Radha,
I am Your maidservant, but the flames of intense separation are incinerating my
heart and I grow feeble from profuse crying. Finding no other means, I am
therefore sitting somewhere in Govardhana and composing these verses in deep
lamentation.
"O dallying damsel of Vraja, Sri Radhika, I am sucked into an
ocean of grief and my condition is so miserable! Kindly send me Your mercy in
the form of an infallible boat and save me from this whirlpool. Please give me
sanctuary at Your lotus feet."
"O Radha-kunda, pond of sublime joy, my mistress Srimati
Radhika is always absorbed in divine amorous pastimes with her beloved paramour
Sri Krsna on your banks, and you have endeared yourself to this Divine Couple
more than anything else They cherish. Please, therefore, be merciful upon me
and allow me but a moments vision of the object of my greatest adoration,
Srimati Radharani.
Sri Vrndavana-mahimamrita
I pray that the queen of Vrndavana, whose every limb shines with
an ocean of wonderful golden moonlight, and whose beautiful form displays a
wonder of ever-fresh youthfulness, may appear before me. (Sri Vrndavana-Mahimamrita 2.68)
The motions of the beautiful gopi's eyes hinted to Lord Krsna that
Radha had gone to take rest in the forest cottage. Meeting Her there, Lord
Krsna kissed and embraced Her. Please meditate on Srimati Radharani enjoying
pastimes in this way. (SVM 2.75)
Within the boundary of Vrndavana forest a certain youthful form
fills the ten directions with the splendor of its limbs, which shine like
molten gold. This form rests on the chest of the splendid dark moon that is
Lord Krsna. This form is overcome with the nectar of transcendental mellows and
maddened with the bliss of transcendental love. The ornaments that decorate
this form tinkle with the movements of transcendental pastimes. The garments
that cover this form have fallen and the flower garlands decorating this form
have become broken. Maddened with amorous passion, this form no longer feels
any embarrassment. (SVM 2.78)
In Vrndavana forest, in a grove of very fragrant blossoming
jasmine flowers, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna sit down together. Overwhelmed with the
nectar of transcendental mellows, They touch each other, repeatedly decorating
each other's body with many wonderful flower ornaments although in the course
of Their armorous pastimes these decorations become broken. Let me worship Sri
Sri Radha-Krsna, Who enjoy pastimes in this way. Vrndavana's queen Radha is now
drowning in the blissful nectar ocean that is dark complexioned Lord Krsna, and
Krsna is also plunged in the shoreless blissful nectar ocean of Sri Radha. The
gopis' hearts and bodies swim in the blissful nectar ocean of gazing at the
transcendental pastimes of the divine couple, who are billions of times more
dear to each other than Their own life's breath. I meditate on Radha, Krsna,
and the gopis in this way. (SVM 2.80-81)
The forms of Radha's maidservants are wonderful bubbles from the
particles of foam from the effulgent spiritual ocean of sweet transcendental
lvoe that flows from the beauty of Radha's lotus feet. These young girls are
filled with all artistic skill, and their wonderfully beautiful limbs are
decorated with splendid garments and ornaments. O friend, please become the
follower and servant of these maidservants of Sri Radha. (SVM 2-86)
Please meditate on Her being anointed by a friend with scented
oil, bathed, and offered tirtha-kriya, a sumptuous feast, a splendid garland of
fragrant forest flowers, betel-leaves, music, and a foot-massage as She, the
flower-crown of Vraja's girls, lies down with dark Krsna. (SVM 3.77)
When will I see the fulfillment of my desires, the ocean of the
splendor of Sri Radha's feet, the bodily hairs risen with ecstatic devotional
love, the sweet music that was learned, and the wonderful flower garlands,
jewel necklaces, ornaments, and garments left by Her and Her beloved in
Vrndabana? When in Sri Vrndavana's groves and paths will I see a splendor as
fair as molton gold and like an ocean of beauaty moving at every step with
hundreds of currents of the gracefulness of ever-fresh youth and violently
tossed by great waves of ever-fresh love for the dark moon of Krsna? Glimpsing
Her braids, beautiful face, breasts, eyes, teeth, lips, and flower-blossom
luster, any other girl becomes embarrassed. May She, the fair splendor that in
a forest grove is now a wonderful ornament on Lord Syama's chest, appear before
me. May Vrndavana's splendid treasure, which has a youthful body, a golden
complexion, is tossed by waves of ever-new amorous pastimes, flooded with
currents of eternal, wonderful beauty, overwhelmed by great, transcendental
love, decorated with splendid flower garlands, garments, and ornaments, and,
Oh! with its auspicious glory fills the gopis with wonder, appear before me.(SVM 3.79-82)
In Vrndavana, which is very beautifully decorated by Sri Radha,
who is served by splendid servant-girls that are great treasures of all
-intelligence and all-expertise and the shade of whose lotus feet is difficult
for even the most beautiful of all young gopis to attain, who (Radha) is
eternally overcome with the bliss of transcendental amorous passion, who is
loved day and night by beautiful friends whose bodily hairs stand erect in
ecstatic love for the divine couple, Who is a wonderfully splendid and
auspicious crescent moon shining in the midst of the many glistening stars that
are the host of Her friends and dear maidservants, who floods the world with
festive nectar waves from the ocean of wonderful golden splendor rising from
each of Her transcendental limbs, who fills all directions with waves of pure
love, of Her wonderful, beautiful , golden complexion and of the gracrful
sweetness of Her delicate limbs sprouting from youth, who relishes perfect,
intoxicating bliss, Who continually enchants the birds, beasts, trees, vines,
and others, Whose wonderful beauty is millions and millions of oceans of
beauty, where the beauty of Laksmi, Gauri, and the splendid demigodesses is not
even a single drop, who stands at the topmost limit of splendid, wonderful
skill in tghe arts of love, whose bodily hairs stand erect as She again and
again tastes teh nectar of pure love for Lord Syama, Who is decorated with a
belt, ankle-bells, necklaces, bracelets, jewel earrings, hair-ornaments,
armlets, rings, and a beautiful glistening pearl set at the tip of Her nose,
Who wears Her hair in a large braid decorated with a bunch of beautiful flowers
at its tip, which swings about Her beautiful broad hips, Who wears splendid jewel
ornaments in the part of Her hair, Who wears a beautiful chaplet of flowers at
the place where Her braid begins, the golden moon of whose beautiful forehead
is decorated with glistening sindura dots, the waves of whose moving eyebrows
again and again create limitless missions of passionate desires in Her lover,
the gracefully playing khanjana birds of whose eyes stun Her lover, the
sharpened arrows of whose playful, restless, amorous sidelong glances again and
again overwhelm Her lover, Who enchants the heart with both the wonderful
moonlight of Her shy smile and Her conversation as sweet as a cool stream of
nectar, whose limitlessly sweet lips are splendid as a glistening pomegranate
flower, Whose chin is a nectar ocean of beauty ornamented with a single
beautiful black musk- dot, Whose splendid, delicate cheeks are glistening
golden mirrors fashioned from the great ocean of transcendental beauty, Whose
incomparably beautiful teeth stained from chewing betelnuts are like beautiful
pearls and beautiful, glistening, perfectly ripe pomegranate seeds, Whose
beautiful nose, as lovely as a sesame flower, is decorated with a beautiful
pearl studded with splendid jewels and gold, Whose beautiful nostrils are like
Kamadeva's two wonderful golden quivers, Whose charming lips, more red than
roses, are marked with both the stain of betelnuts, and a wound left by the
teeth of the charming master of Her life, Whose very splendid conchshell neck
is decorated with a wonderful graiveyaka necklace, beautiful kanthika necklaces,
and padaka lockets glistening with various jewels, Who is decorated with many
glistening hara necklaces resting on the splendid bodice that covers Her
breasts, which are like two mountain peaks of nectgarean beauty, or two fully
blossomed flowers grown from the jewel mine of transcendental beauty., Whose
charmingly beautiful slender abdomen is marked with three folds of skin that
are three waves in the ocean of transcendental beauty, Whose very beautiful
hips are dressed in glistening red silk, Whose splendid golden-plantain-tree
thighs are filled with the great wonder of a great flood of glistening waves of
the nectar of pure transcendental sweetness, Whose splendid knees and ankles
are like beautiful lotus stems, Whose lotus feet display limitless beauty and
sweetness, on each limb of Whose transcendental form is a very wonderful
monsoon shower of wonderful beauty, auspiciousness, great sweetness, splendor,
and the transcendental symptoms of pure ecstatic love for dark complexioned
Lord Krsna, Who the hairs on all Her limbs standing erect in ecstacy, Her
beautiful limbs now moving languidly because of having tasted the bliss of
unrestrained, uninterrupted, passionate transcendental amorous pastimes with
dark complexioned Lord Krsna, Her words overwhelmed with emotion, and Her every
feature showering a great monsoon of transcendental sweetness, by presenting in
this way a very unusual appearance, has deeply worried and upset Her gopi
friends, and Who, placing the blossoming vine of Her languid transcendental
form on the dark complexioned transcendental form of Lord Krsna, and served by
Her maidservants, Who affectionately massage Her lotus feet, fan Her, give Her
betelnuts, and render other services, and playfully taking the chewed betelnuts
from the moon that is the mouth of the Lord of Her life, placing them in the
moon of Her own mouth, laughs, gives them back to Her lover, and playfully
repeats this game again and again, with Her, Sri Radha, (in that Vrndavana
forest) a certain dark young moon, wealthy with many skills in the arts of
amorous pastimes, limitlessly wonderful with a great wealth of love for Sri
Radha and a great flood of handsomeness and charmm and overcome with eternal
amorous passion, enjoys transcendental pastimes. (SVM 4.3-17)
When in my heart will I properly worship Sri Radha, who is fair as
mosten gold, Whose limbs are flowering vines, Who is a shoreless flood of
beauty, playfulness, and fresh youthfulness, Whose swinging braids play about
Her broad hips, Whose beautiful breasts are two wonderful golden mountains,
Whose pleasantly smiling face is sweet with ever-new nectar, Whose eyes are two
khanjana birds playing in the ever-new nectar of transcendental mellows, Whose
smooth vinelike arms are filled with beauty and luster and are splendid with
glistening armlets and beautiful bracelets, Whose ears are decorated with
glistening transcendental jewel earrings, the tip of Whose nose is decorated
with a splendid pearl set in jewels and gold, Whose conchshell neck glistens
with various kinds of golden necklaces, whose hair is decorated with many jewel
ornaments, Whose fingers are decorated with beautiful, glistening jewel rings,
Who wears a bodice that holds the flood of splendor from Her breasts, Whose
exquisitely beautiful waist is so slender it can be encircled by a single hand,
Who wears a splendid jewel belt on Her hips, Who wears beautiful anklets, Who,
furtively glancing at Her lover, trembles with very sweet feelings of love,
shyly smiles, and playfully covers Her breast with the edge of Her sari, the
rising moon of Whose face creates waves of gentle smiles of ever-new bliss, the
haris of Whose body stand erect with transcendental love, Who smiles as She
speaks some words with a gopi friend, Whose restless eyes move here and there,
and Whose vinelike arms tremble with ecstatic love? (SVM 4.40-45)
Radha hid in the forest of golden lotus flowers attebded bt swarms
of very sweetly humming bumblebees. Krsna entered that forest, and mistaking
one of the golden lotuses for Radha's face, began to kiss it. Radha then
emerged from hiding, reassured Her beloved, kissed Him, and laughed. (SVM 4.113)
Sri Radha, who with floods of splendor from Her beautiful,
youthful limbs the color of molten gold, with eternally wonderful graceful
waves of very sweet amorous pastimes, and with the faltering of Her voice, Her
tears, Her trembling, and other symptoms of ecstatic love for dark complexioned
Krsna, fills with wonder Her friends come to Her favorite forest grove and
makes the hairs on their bodies stand erect, is my queen. May Sri Radha and Her
beloved, Who are flooded with waves of very, very wonderful sweetness, playful
transcendental pastimes, splendid beauty, and expert knowledge of the arts of
love, who have come to Vrndavana from Vraja, and the wonder of whose beauty
increases hundreds and hundreds of times at Radha-kunda, appear in my heart. (SVM 5.7-8)
The hairs of His body erect in ecstasy, His crown and earrings
moving, and His flute placed against the full moon of His lips, Madhava praises
the delightful transcendental qualities of Radha-kunda, which is the greatest
jewel decorating Sri Govardhana's crown, and which is very dear to the queen
who rules the lfie of the charming lotus-eyed Lord. (SVM 5.13)
Now, with great devotion, let us meditate on our queen Sri Radha,
Whose transcendental form is filled with the nectar of supremely pure love. She
is the crest jewel of all beautiful young gopis. All Her beautiful limbs are
filled with all transcendental virtues. With Her wonderful beauty She enchants
all the universes and makes Mohini, Parvati, Laksmi, Rati, and all other
beautiful girls hand down their heads in shame. Her complexion is the color of
molton gold. Her glistening beauty is limitless. The rising luster of Her fair
complexion fills the ten directions. The rising sweetness of Her transcendental
beauty drowns the spiritual and material worlds. She is a splendid, wonderful
nectar ocean of pure transcendental love. She performs the arati ritual,
offering millions of Her own lives to Lord Krsna. She is filled with the great
splendor of unalloyed, pure, transcendental love. Her splendid transcendental
form displays the most wonderful ever-fresh youthfulness. She manifests
millions of oceans of the nectar of ever-fresh transcendental beauty. At every
step Her very wonderful transcendental beauty completely enchants the entire
world. Her charming transcendental form is a great flood of transcendental
sweetness. She wears a garland of amlli and campaka flowers that greatly
agitate swarms of bumblebees. She is decorated with a vine of Her beautiful
braided hair which enchants the entire universe. It begins with exquisite
beauty at the top of Her head, is seen encircling the area of Her eyes, and
finally hangs down to Her broad hips. In its beginning it is decorated with
many colorful flowers, in its middle flowers are entwined within it, and at its
end it is decorated with clusters of flowers and jewels. Her very dark, long,
glistening, very broad, splendidly beautiful braids are like a great snake lurking
behind a vine of campaka flowers. Her face is as splendid as an unlimited
golden full moon, or the whorl of a golden lotus glistening in the unlimited
moonlight (SVM 7.89-101)
Her face is like the whorl of a charming, blossoming golden lotus
flower. Her splendid teeth are like a row of ripe pomegranate seeds. Her
splendidly beautiful bimba fruit lips are an ocean of transcendental sweetness.
Her very beautiful chin is very enchantingly decorated with a black dot of
musk. Her shyly smiling eyes are two restless khanjana birds. The playful
movements of Her eyebrows have completely defeated the powerful bow of the
demigod Cupid. Her beautiful nose is decorated with a splendid pearl set in
gold and jewels. Her ears are charmingly decorated with flowers and beautiful
jewel earrings. The splendor of a jewel locket beautifies Her new golden
conchshell neck. Her beautiful new breasts are two golden flower buds. Her
breasts are wonderfully beautiful. They are very charming and they are very
full, firm, large, and high. Her bodice is always covered by the edge of Her
sari. She is decorated with splendid jewel bracelets and armlets. Her arms are
two splendid, graceful vines. Her abdomen marked with three graceful folds of
skin is like a glistening, smooth golden flower petal. Her slender waist is
very charming and beautiful. Her large, young hips expand the nectar of great
beauty. The beautiful and wonderfully colorful flower of Her silken sari
reaches down to Her graceful ankles. Her lovely thighs are two glistening and
smooth plantain tree trunks. Her knees are very beautiful. Her splendid legs
are lotus stems. All moving and non-moving living entities are enchanted by the
beauty of Her lotus feet. Her graceful, playful steps enchant most charming
Lord Krsna. She wears a splendid sash and tinkling golden ankle-bells. Her toes
are adorned with splendid rings and Her feet with golden anklets studded with rubies. Her legs
and thighs are very beautiful. Her fingers are splendidly decorated with jewel
rings. At every step she is more beautiful. She is a shoreless ocean of expert
skill in the performance of very wonderful, endless transcendental pastimes.
With Her delicate fair limbs and the nectar waves of very wonderful amorous
pastimes, She completely enchants both Lord Krsna and Her gopi friends. (SVM 8.1-15)
Please meditate on the transcendental potency who bears the name
Radha, who with a very sweet flood of limitless beauty has washed away all
material dualities, who with the graceful motions of Her transcendental limbs
enchants all moving and nonmoving living entities, and who with arrows of shyly
smiling sweet sidelong glances wounds dark-complexioned Lord Krsna and
overwhelms Him with the transformations of ecstatic love. (SVM 8.48)
Day and night may my tongue be filled with the sweet nectar of Sri
Radha's glories. May I pray for the position of the maidservant of Her lotus
feet in Vrndavana forest. May my peaceful composure be stolen away by the
youthful beauty of the golden-complexioned goddess, Sri Radha. By the power of
my tears, haris standing erect, and the other symptoms of my love for Sri
Radha, may I cross beyond this world of repeated birth and death. (SVM 8.53)
May Sri Radhika, the enchanting splendor of whose limbs makes the
faces of the beautiful vraja-gopis turn pale, and the beauty of whose toenails
makes kamadeva, Rati, Narayana, Laksmi, and their followers faint, appear in my
heart. (SVM 8.56)
Let us meditate on the very wonderful, sweet melodious tinkling of
the anklebells on Sri Radha's lotus feet in Vrndavana. May my queen, Sri Radha,
who is decorated by a circle of smiling and laughing friends playing vinas,
mridangas, talas, and other musical instruments, who is served by beautiful
maidservants bearing jewelled golden cups, betelnut boxes, fans, and other
paraphernalia, whose splendor pervades all spiritual and material worlds, who
is filled with limitless sweetness, whose form is like a golden vine, who with
splendidly beautiful limbs soft and delicate as sirisa flowers, with wonderful
youthful sweetness, beauty, gracefulness, and other virtues, and with flowing
waves of a flooding nectar ocean of amorous pastimes, enchants all moving and
non-moving living entities in Vrndavana forest, who is decorated with many
splendid garlands and ornaments, who is anointed with splendid cosmetics, whose
splendid silken bodice is decorated with flowers, whose bodily hairs stand
erect in ecstasy as She places the vine of Her beautiful left arm around Lord
Krsna's shoulders, whose beautiful left lotus hand plays with a lotus flower,
whose maidservants repeatedly and affectionately fan Her with their saris'
edges, who chews betelnuts, who gives betelnuts to Her beloved, whose
maidservants offer Her golden jewelled goblet filled with delicious, cool
nectar scented with camphor and spices, who, gazing again and again at
Vrndavana's wonderful beauty, and intently listening again and again to
Vrndavana's wonderful sounds, becomes struck with wonder and asks Her lover,
"What is this?" whowith very sweet, wonderful, graceful, playful
steps, with tinkling ankle-bells, with the flooding moonlight of Her toes, and
with a heart overwhelmed with beautiful happiness, walks in the very opulent
and sweet forest of Vrndavana, who walking here and there in the very wonderful
and beautiful forest, sings and makes Her beloved sing, and who eternally
enjoys transcendental pastimes, be served day and night by me, whose only home
is Vrndavana. (SVM 8.65-79)
When will my heart plunge in the blissful ocean of the beauty,
sweetness, and playfulness at Radha's two lotus feet? When, renouncing
impersonal liberation and all great material opulences as if they were a clump
of grass, will I reside in Vrndavana? My heart is enchanted by Sri Radha, who
walks in Her transcendental forest, Her feet beautiful as lotus flowers, Her
ankle-bells sweetly tinkling, Her feet flooding the surface of the ground with
a golden and reddish sweetness, and Her jeweled anklets and splendid toe-rings
brightly glistening. Will I, unmoved by the touch of the Vedic or public
opinion, my heart rapt in meditation on the greatest sweetness, and the
bumblebee of my heart intoxicated by tasting the great sweetness of the nectar
of the lotus flower of Sri Radha's feet, stay here in Vrndavana? Who would not
become enchanted by meditating on Sri Radha's youthfulness, beauty, cooling
nectar eloquent words, the graceful motions of Her golden limbs, or Her tears,
erect bodily hairs, and other symptoms of ecstatic love? Please meditate on Sri
Radha's face, which is like the whorl of blossoming golden lotus illumined by a
limitless shower of moonlight and filled with very sweet nectar that Lord Hari,
whose complexion is like a blue lotus, yearns to taste. Please meditate on the
moon of Radha's face, which showers a great monsoon of splendid golden
moonlight on the material and spiritual worlds, and which is the life and soul
of the cakora bird that is Lord Krsna. I offer respectful obeisances to the
eternally youthful queen of Vrndavana, whose beautiful transcendental form is filled
with the sweetest nectar of pure transcendental love. Please meditate on the
flooding golden oceans of the sweet nectar of Sri Radha's love, which have now
covered the spiritual and material worlds. Many charming girls who make even
the most beautiful transcendental young girls seem as insignificant as so many
blades of grass, place their heads on the forest ground before the feet of my
queen, Radha. Please meditate on Sri Radha, who is the most splendidly
beautiful of all beautiful girls, and who is worshiped by the most intelligent
and beautiful girls in the three worlds. Let me glorify the gopi maidservants
who attend Sri Radha's lotus feet, from which flows a nectar ocean of the bliss
of unrestrained, sweet pure love. Even though I hav not performed a single
pious deed, and even though I have committed every sin, shall I not attain
spiritual perfection simply by chanting the two-syllable mantra
"Radha"?(SVM 9.2-13)
May I live in hell millions of times. May I never attain my
desires. May the Supreme Personality of Godhead decline to grant me His mercy,
but may my yearning to attain the sweetness of Sri Radha's lotus feet never
become slackened. Even the eyes and heart of Lord Hari are filled with
boundless yearnings to see the beauty of charming Radha's feet, which are
decorated with melodiously tinkling ankle-bells as She wanders with graceful
steps in the forest of Vrndavana. I pray that beauty may appear in my loving
heart. May Sri Radhika, who is plunged in the waves of the ocean of the
sweetness of youthful beauty, who is the great Deity of krsna-prema, whose
dancing knitted eyebrows contain millions of playful amorous desires, and who
is as sweet as nectar, appear in my heart. May my heart, overcome with the
sweetness of ecstatic love, become plunged in the eternally increasing ocean of
sweetness that moves over Srimati Radharani's beautiful, youthful,
transcendental form, the very sweet moonlight of Her face with its shy smiles
and crooked sidelong glances, Her wonderful words, graceful motions, and all
Her very sweet transcendental pastimes. I pray that Srimati Radharani's
youthful, charming, sweet, and wonderful transcendental limbs, wonderful
crooked sidelong glances, sweet shyness, enchanting gentle smile, beauty,
luster, graceful motions, and the first symptoms of Her blossoming love for
dark-complexioned Lord Krsna, may all appear before me. May my queen, Radha,
Her unlimitedly beautiful fair limbs anointed with kunkuma, decorated with
jewels and gold, and showering unlimited oceans of very sweet transcendental
splendor, and Her transcendental form bearing the wonderful symptoms of the
sweet nectar of Her passionate transcendental love for dark-complexioned Lord
Krsna, appear in my heart, which is now astonished by the wonderful sweetness
of Her every act. Above the highest transcendental abode is the blissful
kingdom of Vrndavana, where the wonderful youthful divine couple are splendidly
manifest. I offer my respectful obeisances to that person who, situated in his
own desired spiritual form, sweetly carries out the orders of Lalita and the
other gopis, who love the divine couple more than their own life's breath. May
I pass the moments of my life in the land of Vrndavana, always meditating on
the beauty of Sri Radha's lotus feet, which are decorated with sweetly tinkling
jeweled ankle bells. I pray that Sri Radha's lotus feet, which are decorated
with sweetly tinkling ankle-bells, and are filled with limitless beauty,
delicate softness, sweet fragrance, a flood of transcendental splendor, and a
host of other transcendental virtuas, may appear before me. May my heart chant
the glories of Sri Radha's very beautiful lotus feet, which are golden above
their reddish soles, and which steal away the heart of Lord Hari with their
sweet transcendental splendor. On Sri Radha's lotus feet I gaze at the waves of
jewel splendor flowing from Her anklets and toe-rings and shining in the splendid jewel moonlight
of Her toenails. I meditate on the very fragrant lotus flower of Sri Radha's
feet, which is filled with the thick, sweet honey of transcendental bliss,
which the black bee of Lord Krsna yearns to attain, and which even the goddess
of fortune cannot attain. I pray that Sri Radha's charming feet, which are
beautifully decorated with jewel ankle-bells, and which shine with a series of
toenail moons set on a line of newly sprouted very delicate flower toes, may
appear before me. Everyone please meditate on Lord Krsna's flute, which is now
completely silenced by the tinkling jewel ankle-bells on Radha's feet. All its
hissing is now useless. Now it is simply an object of laughter for all of
Radha's friends. Because Lord Krsna again and again smells them and presses
them to His face, eyes, and heart, Sri Radha's fragrant and pleasantly cooling
lotus feet now shine with a dark splendor. When, in this forest of Vrndavana,
will the flooding ocean of tghe great sweetness of Sri Radha's lotus feet
devestate my heart and fill it with unrestrained devotional love. I meditate on
Radha's lotus feet, their jewel toenails shining with great splendor, and their
charming ankle-bells tinkling during the very sweet and wonderful pastimes in
Vrndavana forest. (SVM 9.17-33)
A certain teen-age girl, whose transcendental form is situated in
the topmost limit of beauty, and the splendor of whose golden limbs fills the
forest of Vrndavana, has stolen the heart of dark-complexioned Lord Krsna. In a
grove of Vrndavana forest a golden vine, filled with buds like golden lotus
flowers, its face like a golden full moon, its waist very slender, and its
limitless transcendental beauty filling all directions is now embracing a
passionate, dark, transcendental tamala tree.(SVM 9.38-39)
All glories to the beautiful young girl whose complexion is
splendid as gold, who is the great sweetness of the nectar ocean of love, who
is served by many beautiful girls expert in many arts and skills, and who is
the thief that has stolen the heart of dark-complexioned Lord Krsna.(SVM 9.41)
May She who splashes all directions with great waves from the
flooding ocean of golden luster, who is enchanting with beauty, new youth, and
skill in the arts of passionate love, who is the personification of the
blissful nectar of pure love, who is the life of Lord Shyama, who is the Deity
of transcendental knowledge, and who is the ornhament of Vrndavana, eternally
shine in my heart. Glory, glory to Radha, a fathomless ocean of pure love!
Glory, glory to Krsna, who eternally thirsts to drink nectar with Her! Glory,
glory to the friends that bring Them together! Glory, glory to Vrndavana, Their
splendid abode! (SVM 9.44-45)
Eternally meditating on Sri Radha, taking shelter of the shade of
Her lotus feet, always filling his tongue with the nectar of Her holy name,
staying far away from women and men attached to women, considering their
company poison, and performing austerities, a saintly devotee resides here in
Vrndavana. His great devotion and renunciation increasing day by day, a
fortunate person will take shelter of Sri Radha's feet and reside in Vrndavana.
Thinking all scriptures that ignore Sri Sri Radha-Krsna a useless waste of
time, glowing with love for Sri Radha's lotus feet, performing severe
austerities, unconcerned about his material body, and friendly to everyone, a
saintly devotee resides in the transcendental abode of Sri Vrndavana. (SVM 9.65-67)
Chanting the glories of the very sweet transcendental form and
pastimes of Sri Radha, I happily live in Vrndavana without the slightest care
or anxiety.(SVM 9.87)
Here in this forest of Vrndavana my heart has become enchanted by
the youthfulness, expert skill in the art of transcendental amorous pastimes,
ever new and splendid beauty, shyness, playful smiles, playful crooked sidelong
glances, playful graceful motions, very beautiful and splendid fair complexion
that makes the beholder become overwhelmed with transcendental bliss, and
charming transcendental sweetness of Sri Radha. When, because of seeing the
forest of Vrndavana with perfect clearness, will my heart, jubilant with the
sweet nectar of transcendental bliss and overwhelmed with ecstatic pure love,
become plunged in the golden, shoreless ocean of the sweetness and beauty of
Sri Radhika's transcendental form and pastimes, which is filled with
gracefulness, youthfulness, and charm, and which is the thief that has stolen
the heart of Sri Krsna. (SVM 10.8-9)
When will I become completely charmed by Sri Radha's
transcendental form and qualities? When will the graceful dancer of devotional
service to Sri Radha's lotus feet enter my heart? Sometimes his hairs standing
erect, sometimes chanting the holy name of Radha in a broken voice, sometimes
rolling about on the ground, and sometimes fainting a devotee overwhelmed with
ecstatic love wanders in the forest of Vrndavana. (SVM 10.36-37)
All glories to a certain young goddess, who is filled with the
ultimate sweetness of krsna-prema, and the waves of the glistening ocean of the
splendor of whose transcendental limbs has broken the differences of the
directions in Vrndavana. (SVM 10.44)
Filling all spiritual and material worlds with the splendor of Her
transcendental limbs, and flooding every place with the sweetness of Her
transcendental pastimes, a very beautiful teen-age girl, whose form is like a
golden vine agitated with pure love for Lord Shyama, is splendidly manifest in
Vrndavana's forest. Saintly theologians teach the graceful dance known as pure
devotional service to the lotus feet of Sri Radha. By this dancing, whether a
materialist like me, sinful or pious, blamed or praised, one may take shelter
of Vrndavana, where Sri Radha is splendidly manifest. May I perform millions of
wicked deeds. May I be filled with millions of wicked thoughts and millions of
horrible, senseless material desires in the forest of Vrndavana, but may I
never forget the holy name of Sri Radha. His heart fatally pierced by volleys
of terrible poisoned cupid's arrows shot by the sweetness of Sri Radha's shy
smiles and the pastimes of Her dancing sidelong glances and the sweetly
graceful movements of Her transcendental body, a certain dark complexioned
youth now staggers about in the forest of Vrndavana. May Sri Radhika's
youthfulness, charm, virtues, talents, gracefully moving limbs, and beauty that
floods all directions, appear in our hearts. (SVM 10.46-50)
Not associating with women or men attached to women, taking
shelter of this holy place, remaining indifferent to all the dualities of
material existence, and maintaining the body by eating only a few roots or
whatever simple food is easily available, please place Sri Radha's lotus feet
in your heart sweetened with splendid ecstatic love, and please pass your days
and nights always chanting Her holy names in the forest of Vrndavana. (SVM 10.55)
All glories to the youthful splendor named Radha, which rests on
th lap of a dark youth in Vrndavana forest, which has a glistening golden form
plunged in the flooding ocean of transcendental beauty, and which with the
nectar of ever-new transcendental love eclipses the glory of spiritual and
material worlds. (SVM 10.72)
Sri Radha is the supreme goddess of love. She is supreme in all
spiritual and material worlds. Her lotus eyes fill Laksmi and all the goddesses
with wonder. They pray for Her merciful glance. Lord Krsna is the supreme god
of love. His amorous passion has no limit. He is supreme over all. A single ray
of His splendor floods Lord Narayana in an ocean of happiness. (SVM 11.46)
One who is very fortunate worships Sri Radha's lotus feet, which
are plunged in the great ocean of transcendental beauty, plunged in the great
ocean of intense transcendental sweetness, plunged in the great ocean of golden
splendor, and filled with the wonderful tinkling of colorful anklets and the
great auspiciousness of the chest of the dark moon of Lord Krsna Go ahead and
attain material or spiritual happiness! Attain all the kinds of liberation!
Attain devotion to Lord Visnu! What is the value of these things? What are they
in comparison to a tiny fragment of the happiness of serving Sri Radha's feet?
(SVM 11.84-85)
A vine of pearls splendidly decorates the waterpot-breasts of Sri
Radha. It is Her touch that gives these pearls their beauty. O beautiful-faced
girl, your crooked dark eyes are now plunged into the crooked dark form of Lord
Hari. The friendship of similar things is natural in this world. (SVM 11.92-93)
Vrndavana is the home of boundlessly wonderful and powerful
transcendental pastimes. Vrndavana is filled with limitless mercy. Ho happiness
is superior to happiness in Vrndavana. Without the merciful sidelong glance of
Sri Radha no one has the power to do anything. I am the perfect example. I know
that I suffer grievously because I have not attained Her mercy. Although
Vrndavana is the source of transcendental bliss, my heart cannot find any
hahppiness within it. O beautiful firl, I cannot for a moment look at Your
beautiful smiling face. How can a kumuda flower find happiness without the
moon? Are there not many very beautiful intelligent gopis here in Vrndavana? O
Radha, I see only You. Where can a cakkora bird go if he turns from the moon? O
Sri Radhika, if you are not merciful, then my mind and body will become racked
with pain and I will quickly die of grief. For this reason please always cast
Your glance of mercy on this person in Vrndavana. The girl named Sri Radha is
the most exalted form of the goddess of fortune. Her lover is the most exalted
form of the Supreme Personality of godhead. May the charming youthful divine
couple, which enjoys the nectar of transcendental amorous pastimes in Vrndavana
without beginning or end, be the object of my worship. With charming devotional
service please eternally worship charming Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, Who eternally
enjoy charming transcendental pastimes in the charming groves of charming
Vrndavana forest. In a splendid transcendental body suitable for Radha's service,
acting as a servant of Radha's feet, and pleasing the heart of Radha's lover,
eternally reside in Radha's forest. O beautiful-faced Radha, gazing into Your
face makes my eyes blossom with happiness. The moon, which is the friend of the
kumeda flowers, brings only happiness to th kumudas. (SVM 11.109-117)
I have firm faith in the worship of Sri Radha. My heart burns with
pain and can find no peace. Except for the land of Vrndavana, what medicine is
there to cure me? (SVM 12.1)
A certain young, golden, and sweet lotus-flower girl is splendid
with charming and wonderful playfulness in the forest of Vrndavana. Wandering
above that lotus the black-bee Krsna has now become intoxicated by drinking its
nectar. I have now also become a bee and I have now landed on that flower's red
lotus feet. O lotus-eyed Radha, why do You anxiously gaze to the east? Go to
Your lover and remove His anxiety. O charming girl, is Your face not as
splendid as millions of moons? O Radha, now that You have rejected Him with
harsh words, Your charming lover, dressed in a disguise, has come outside Your
place and with the voice of a cuckoo, sings Your glories. In your heart please
see the splendor of Vrndavana's god of love, which Sri Sri Radhika-Madhava
drink with the cupped hands of Their restless eyes. (SVM 12.21-24)
"Radha, why do You not show Me Your beautiful golden lotus
face so charming with its knitted eyebrows? Why do You not show Me Your breasts
which are the abode of the most wonderful beauty?" May Lord Hari who, in
the forest of Vrndavana placed Radha on His lap, held Her chin, and gazed at
Her face smiling with these jokes of love, appear before me. Sri Krsna said:
"O Radha, I think of Your breasts and Your angry face with its knitted
eyebrows as two golden lotus flowers above which hovers a swarm of black
bees." Please meditate on the black stag Sri Radha has caught in the trap
of love, and with whom She plays day and night in the forest of Vrndavana. Sri
Radha is intoxicated by the sweetness of Vrndavana. She is intoxicated with
extraordinary love. The sound of the name 'Krsna' makes Her wild with thirst to
enjoy transcendental amorous pastimes. She is expert in the battlefield of
love. I offer my respectful obeisances to the splendid dark parrot that stays
on the unreachable top branches of the tall mango tree of the Upanisads, that
pleases the gopis, and that with the wonderful ropes of intense love Sri Radha
binds, forces to bow down, and pushes into the cage of Her feet. Please
meditate on the wonderful, handsome, restless, dark parrot who, thinking them
to be bimba fruits, bit the very sweet lips of Sri Radha. Let me take shelter
of the walking tamala tree embraced by an amorous golden vine in the land of
Vrndavana. O Radha, deep in Vrndavana forest You have stolen the jewel of my
heart. Please give to me the sweetness of Your smile. I am your servant. She
with face, eyes, breasts, hips, navel, feet, hands, and other limbs very
wonderful, it filled with with new blossoms, splendid lotuses, playing deer,
mountains, and riverbank beaches all very beautiful, She with a transcendental
form restless with passion, it filled with flowering golden vines, She
decorated with tinkling ornaments, it charming with the sweet warbling of many
birds, She with a splendid face framed by beautifully glistening black braids,
it the place where the beautiful Yamuna flows, She with lips very beautiful and
words filled with currents of transcendental bliss, and it filled with swift
and cooling streams, may Sri Radha and the forest of Vrndavana simultaneously
and affectionately appear in my heart. (SVM
12.28-38)
This bumble bee will not fly to the beautiful blossoming malli
flowers. He will not fly to the charming kalivalli flowers. He will not fly to
the blossoming lotus flowers. He is not eager to taste the sweet fragrance of
the malati flowers. He will not look at thsmiling vasanti flowers. O Radha, in
this forest of Vrndavana He only flies to the lotus flower of Your feet. (SVM
12.53)
On Sri Radha, whose lips are beautiful even when not decorated
with cosmetics, whose hands are like lotus flowers even when not anointed with
kunkuma, whose glistening dark lotus eyes are very beautiful even when not
anointed with mascara, whose long, smooth, glossy hair is very beautiful even
when not combed or tied, and who, even without wearing any ornaments, is
ornamented in the most beautiful way, please always meditate in this land of
Vrndavana. When the fortunate devotees consider that Vrndavana is more dear to
them than life itself, then Vrndavana is not difficult for them to attain. If,
by the mercy of the great devotees in Vrndavana, they attain pure love, then
the queen of Vrndavana will at once be easily attained by them. (SVM 13.5-6)
Exhausted by enjoying many pastimes in Vrndavana Forest, covered
with drops of perspiration, and like a full moon if the moon could be decorated
with beautiful strands of pearls, may Sri Radhika's lotus face protect you all.
If a blossoming golded lotus flower illumined by the light of numberless hosts
of splendid moons were to kill a black bumble bee, then I would compare that
sight to the face fo Sri Radha in Vrndavana. Lord Hari takes in His fingers the
red cosmetics touching Sri Radha's colorful jewel anklets and with awe and
reverence places it over His heart. Please worship Vrndavana, where Sri Radha
gracefully walks with Her soft and delicate feet. (SVM 13.23-25)
A great wonder shines in Vrndavana. It is two blossoming lotus
flowers. It is two moons. It is two persons thirsting to taste sweet nectar in
the other. One is the splendor of gold, and the other the glory of sapphire. Is
this the crest-jewel of honey-drinking black bees staring at a golden lotus
bud? At that moment Sri Radha smiled and shyly covered Her breasts. Please
meditate on Her in Vrndavana in this way. (SVM
13.26-27)
Meditate on Sri Radha's beautiful face, which would be like the
whorl of a golden lotus if the lotus had a row of pomegranate seeds, were
splendid as millions of full moons (SVM
13.29)
Her hand waving away the bees greedy after the very wonderful
sweet fragrance of Her beautiful transcendental form, and Her eyes blossoming
with eagerness and bliss, Sri Radha walks along the paths in Vrndavana forest
and enjoys transcendental pastimes with Her beloved. When my queen Radha
becomes filled with jealous anger, and Her friends tell Her to refuse to talk
with Him, stunned Lord Hari pleases Her by offering Her many flowers, fruits,
and other gifts from Vrndavana forest. Let me glorify Vrndavana forest. When
Sri Radha, the hairs on Her transcendental body erect in transcendental bliss,
describes the many glories of Vrndavana forest, then the bumblebees stop
singing, the female cuckoos no longer sound the fifth note, the parrot stops
tracing his melody, the peacock dancer no longer calls out "keka", the
embarrassed lute makes no sound, and the flute does not sing. Every day the
parrots and then the gopi-maidservants happily recite Sri Radha's virut-poem
splendidly glorifying Sri Vrndavana. When my queen made Her lover hear it, He
became overwhelmed with bliss and love. I pray that my mind be always rapt in
meditation on Sri Vrndavana. (SVM
13.38-41)
May playful Sri Radha, whose kind and gentle smile reveals
beautiful jasmine-bud teeth, who wears an exquisite blue silk garment decorated
with splendidly colorful spots, and who is glorious in the charming forest
groves filled with gunja and bumblebees, eternally reside in my heart. May Sri
Radha, who wears a string of splendid black gunja
that once rested on Lord Krsna's neck, who has stolen the great treasure that
is the heart of Lord Krsna who continually thirsts to enjoy transcendental
pastimes with Her, who enjoys many loving transcendental pastimes in the
charming forest groves, and who removes the host of sufferings sprung from the
lack of devotion to Her, become manifest in my heart. May Sri Radha, whose face
is moonlight drunk by the cakora birds of Lord Krsnacandra's eyes, who is the
personified Deity of transcendental love, who is maddened with amorous passion,
who wears a garland of splendid golden campaka flowers that attract swarms of
restless bees, and who shines with transcendental splendor, bring peace to my
suffering heart. (SVM 13.72-74)
In my heart I meditate on Sri Radhika, who, as the autumn moon
shines brilliantly, Her form camouflaged with sandal paste, a necklace of
pearls, and newly washed white garments, is very eager to meet Her lover in Her
own forest garden of jasmine flowers. May Srimati Radhika who, passionately
yearning to meet Lord Madanamohana in the newly blossoming forest of Vrndavana,
saw the wonderfully colorful forest, became at once stunned, Her feet unable to
walk on the path, and had to be carried along by Her dear companion, appear in
my heart. (SVM 13.96-97)
I pray that my mind may become a singing bumblebee in the dust of
Sri Radhika's feet in the land of Vrndavana, where Lord Krsna eternally enjoys
transcendental amorous pastimes. (SVM
14.14)
If Radha lifts Her head and gently smiles, then of what use are
the rising of the full moon or the forests of blossoming lotus flowers? If,
pretending to wish to see the forest, She goes there, taking the hand of a gopi
friend, then the night in beautiful Vrndavana forest becomes filled with
nectar. This bumblebee is now drinking the honey of that blossoming golden
lotus moving to and fro in the waves of the Yamuna. Radha, why do You smile? Should a great bumblebee not
boldly take this honey in Vrndavana forest? O Radha, seeing this khanjana bird
on the broad banks of the Yamuna, the khanjana baird of My eyes now wishes to
go to the shore of Your thighs. Now that the handsome black bees are drinking
the honey of the lotus flowers in Vrndavana, I have become filled with the
desire to drink the honey of Your beautiful lotus face. Wonderfully decorated
with colorful flowers, Sri Radha enjoys passionate amorous pastimes with a
great bumblebee in the beautiful newly-blossoming groves of Vrndavana, which
are filled with swarms of buzzing bees. (SVM
14.23-26)
"When you simply wish for Sri Radhika's protection, illusion
at once flees in fear." O wretched heart, from where have you gotten these
hundred feigned symptoms of ecstatic love, as real as a host of flowers
imagined to float in the sky? (SVM 14.41)
I worship Radha who, hastily dressed, garments and ornaments in
the wrong places, earrings swinging on Her cheeks, eyes moving restlessly, and
flower ornaments falling from Her braided hair, not boubting Her friends, runs
to drink the nectar of seeing Her beloved in glorious Vrndavana. When a gopi
praises Vrndavana forest, Radha becomes overwhelmed. Dropping Her vina, not
tying Her hair and belt, and not telling Her friends, She eagerly begins to run
there, happily followed by the other gopis. (SVM 14.72-73)
I meditate on Sri Radha's splendid reddish lotus feet, which with
melodiously tinkling anklebells walk on the golden pavements of Vrndavana. (SVM 14.97)
Because of ceaseless offenses to Sri Radha one falls into the
ocean of suffering without hope of rescue. Only Vrndavana's merciful glance can
rescue him. (SVM 14.100)
Please worship Sri Radha who, at first filled with jealous anger
by the cruel words of Her friends, and then worshiped with sweet words Her
lover sent through a messenger, now runs to Her lover's place in Vrndavana
forest. The girl names Radha, who is the goddess of amorous weapons able to
wound the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the goddess of beautiful,
sweet, ecstatic transcendental love, who is the goddess of sweet transcendental
pastimes, and who is the goddess that rules the life-breath of the prince of
Vraja, awakens in Vrndavana forest. With the movements of Her eyebrows She
creates millions of millions of Kamadevas. With Her playful words She creates
millions of nectars. With the splendor of Her smiling face She creates millions
of moons. With the splendor of Her transcendental limbs She creates millions of
great oceans of the nectar of love. This is Sri Radhika, who enjoys
transcendental pastimes with Her lover. She is the controller of my life. (SVM 15.5-7)
Making a crown of jewels and wonderful flowers, placing it and
garlands, earrings, other ornaments, and a new peacock feather on the
newly-arriving glistening monsoon cloud Krsna, some of Her friends told to stay
far away and some initiated into a vow of silence, She runs, embraces
Vrndavana's moon Krsna, and cries. May Sri Radha shine in my heart. May the
most beautiful gopi, Sri Radha, who when the Lord of Her life arrived decorated
with flowers from Candravali's forest garden, would not walk to embrace Him or
move a finger or eye to recognize Him, protect us. I meditate on Sri Radha who,
when Krsna said: "All of Vrndavana has attained the kindness of Your feet.
Only with Your permission will I ever go to Candravali's house," wept, and
when Her forcibly embraced Her, called out "No! No!" in a flood of
distressed words. Even as the moon faded, the sun shone brightly, the
tumultuous sounds of the birds filled all directions, and Her friends gathered
in the doorway, trembling, shy Sri Radhika did not retreat from Lord Krsna's
passionate embrace in the cottage of vines in Vrndavana forest. (SVM
15.10-12)
Dressed in wonderful garments and ornaments, dancing with
wonderful grace, Her small golden bells jingling, Her bracelets and anklets
tinkling, and Her graceful gestures full of charm, Srimati Radhika fills her
friends, Lord Hari, and the entire forest of Vrndavana with wonder. I meditate
on Sri Radhika who, wonderfully dressed, wonderfully decorated with wonderful
jewels and wonderful rings and necklaces, and Her braided hair set with
wonderful and splendid lotus garlands, with wonderful grace and charm dances
with Her partner, who is wonderfully decorated with a peacock-feather crown, in
the circle of the rasa dance. (SVM
15.14-15)
In Vrndavana forest a sweet and inconceivably glorious goddess is
hidden. Please humbly bow before Her with folded hands. Worship Her with
splendid and fragrant blue flowers. Circumambulate Her and bow down before Her.
In with love in your heart you carefully keep the blissful treasure of pure
devotional service, then I will tell you the truth: sometimes when Krsna
sweetly places the vine of His arm around Radha's neck, She responds with
"No! No!" I shall tell you a mantra that is hidden from all the Vedas
and not manifested anywhere in the most confidential scriptures. When a person
chants this mantra the great spiritual perfections come before his feet and the
opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead stand in his hand. For a person
who chants this mantra ther are no orders or prohibitions. A person who
understands the dust of this mantra's lotus feet purifies they who know the
rules of the Vedas. This mantra is the sweetest nectar. It is the
auspiciousness of all auspiciousness. It is filled with all limitless wonderful
glory. It is the attainment of all attainments. It is the ultimate goal of all
goals. It is the wild bliss of all wild blisses. They say it is the secret of
all secrets. Without thinking of anything else, day and night chant this
mantra: Radha. This mantra is a flood of sweetness churned from the sweetest
nectars. It is a precious flood of the wild sweetness of the bliss of pure
love. O fortunate one, who understands us? Who understands the meaning of this
mantra that is a flood of bliss flowing into the heart? (SVM 15.71-76)
Carefully instructing Her friends, as a practical joke She hid.
Then, in the dear middle of the night, passionate Lord Hari ran here and there
looking for Her as She laughed. All glories to Radha's outrageous, playful,
wonderful, amorous joke! In a dream You see Yourself in Vrndavana forest
enjoyed by the crown of heroes. Now Your body is troubled with desire for that
rare Deity. Although You do not notice Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
of whom You ask now stands before You. "My arrogant friends are now
staring through the window in this forest-cottage. O beloved, O master of all
heroes, act quickly! Put out all the jeweled lamps! Draw the curtains! If You
have not lost all Your powers, do it!" May these words of Srimati Radha
protect your ears. "O Radha, O generous one, please sprinkle on Me the
gift of Our amorous pastimes. Let Your friends say: Now let us leave this
forest." I meditate on these requests Lord Murari spoke to Srimati Radha
as She leaned against His chest in the groves of limitless Vrndavana. My lover
is always tormented with amorous desires. Lalita, her friends, and many other
girls have given their instructions. O My virtuous maidservant, you tell Me:
What should I do? All glories to the advice she gave Srimati Radha on the
forest-path! (SVM 15.79-80)
"A proud and jealous girl is glorious in this world. O
friend, girls that are not proud before their lover are wretched." When
these proud words from Her dear friends entered Her ears, they pierced Her
heart and made it tremble. (SVM 15.89)
Brahma-Samhita
"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own
realm, Goloka, with Radha, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who
embodies the ecstatic potency [hladini]. Their companions are Her confidantes,
who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with
ever-blissful spiritual rasa." B.S.
5.37
Sri Caitanya Caritamrita of Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami
C.C. Adi 1.6
Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the
wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the
happiness She feels when She relishes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme
Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the wonb of Srimati
Sacideve, as the moon appears from the ocean.
The essence of the hladini potency is love of God, the essence of
love of God is emotion [bhava], and the ultimate developement of emotion is
mahabhava.
Sri Radha Thakurani is the embodiment of mahabhava. She is the
repository of all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely
consorts of Lord Krsna.
Of these two gopis [Radharani and Candravali], Srimati Radharani
is superior in all respects. She is the embodiment of mahabhava, and She
surpasses all in good qualities. (Ujjvala-nilamani 2)
Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love for Krsna. She is
Krsna's own energy, and She helps Him in His pastimes.[Adi 4.68-71]
Lord Krsna made Srimati Radharani close Her eyes in shame before
Her friends by His words relating Their amorous activities on the previous
night. Then He showed the highest limit of cleverness in drawing pictures of
dolphins in various playful sports on Her breasts. In this way Lord Hari made
His youth successful by performing pastimes in the bushes with Sri Radha and
Her friends. [B.r.s. 2.1.231] (CC Adi 4.117)
Adi 4.214-221
Among the gopis, Srimati Radhika is the foremost. She surpasses
all in beauty, in good qualities, in good fortune, and above all, in love.
Just as Radha is dear to Lord Krsna, so Her bathing placed
[Radha-kunda] is dear to Him. She alone is His most beloved of all gopis. (Padma
Purana)
O Partha, in all the three planetary systems, this earth is
especially fortunate, for on earth is the town of Vrndavana. And there the
gopis are especially glorious because among them is My Srimati Radharani. (Adi
Purana-Krsna to Arjuna)
All the other gopis help increase the joy of Krsna's pastimes with
Radharani. The gopis act as instruments of Their mutual enjoyment.
Radha is the beloved consort of Krsna, and She is the wealth of
His life. Without Her, the gopis cannot give Him pleasure.
Lord Krsna, the enemy of Kamsa, left aside the other gopis during
the rasa dance and took Srimati Radharani to His heart, for She is the helper
of the Lord in realizing the essence of His desires. (Gita-Govinda 3.1 - Krsna leaves rasa lila
to search for Radha)
Lord Caitanya appeared with the sentiment of Radha. He preached
the dharma of this age‑the chanting of the holy name and pure love of
God.
In the mood of Srimati Radharani, He also fulfilled His own
desires. This is the principal reason for His appearance.
C.C. Adi 4.238-272
Once Lord Krsna considered with His heart: "Everyone says
that I am complete bliss, full of all rasas. All the world derives pleasure
from Me. Is there anyone who can give Me pleasure? One who has a hundred times more qualities than Me could
give pleasure to My mind. One more qualified than Me is impossible to find in
the world. But in Radha alone I feel the presence of one who can give Me
pleasure. Although My beauty defeats the beauty of ten million cupids, although
it is unequalled and unsurpassed and although it gives pleasure to the three
worlds, seeing Radharani gives pleasure to My eyes. The vibration of My
transcendental flute attracts the three worlds, but My ears are enchanted by
the worlds of Srimati Radharani. Although My body lends fragrance to the entire
creation, the scent of Radharani's limbs captivates My mind and heart. Although
the entire creation is full of differnt tastes because of Me, I am charmed by
the nectarean taste of the lips of Srimati Radharani. And although My touch is
cooler than ten million moons, I am refreshed by the touch of Srimati Radhika.
Thus although, I am the source of happiness for the entire world, the beauty
and attributes of Sri Radhika are My life and soul. In this way My affectionate
feelings for Srimati Radharani may be understood, but on analysis I find them
contradictory. My eyes are fully satisfied when I look upon Srimati Radharani
but by looking upon Me, She becomes even more advanced in satisfaction. The
flutelike murmur of the bamboos rubbing against one another steals Radharani's
consciousness, for She thinks it to be the sound of My flute. And She embraces
a tamala tree, mistaking it for Me. 'I have gotten the embrace of Sri Krsna,'
She thinks, 'so now My life is fulfilled.; Thus She remains immersed in
pleasing Krsna, taking the tree in Her arms. When a favorable breeze carries to
Her the fragrance of My body, She is blinded by love and tries to fly into that
breeze. When She tastes the betel chewed by Me, She merges in an ocean of joy
and forgets everything else. Even with hundreds of mouths I could not express
the transcendental pleasure She derives from My association. Seeing the luster
of Her complexion after Our pastimes together, I forget My own identity in
happiness. The sage Bharata has said that the mellows of lover and beloved are
equal. But he does not know the mellows of My Vrndavana. The happiness I feel
when meeting Radharani is a hundred times greater than the happiness I get from
meeting others
My dear auspicious Radharani, Your body is the source of all
beauty. Your red lips are softer than the sense of immortal sweetness, Your
face bears the aroma of a lotus flower, Your sweet words defeat the vibrations
of the cuckoo, and Your limbs are cooler than the pulp of sandalwood. All My
transcendental senses are overwhelmed in ecstatic pleasure by tasting You, who
are completely decorated by beautiful qualities. (spoken by Lord Krsna to
Radha, Lalita-Madhava 9.9 by Rupa
Goswami)
Her eyes are enchanted by the beauty of Lord Krsna, the enemy of
Kamsa. Her body thrills in pleasure at His touch. Her ears are always attracted
to His sweet voice, Her nostrils are enchanted by His fragrance, and Her tongue
hankers for the nectar of His soft lips. She hangs down her lotuslike face,
exercising self-control only by pretense, but She cannot help showing the
external signs of Her spontaneous love for Lord Krsna. (Rupa Goswami thus
describes the countenance of Srimati Radharani)
Considering this, I can understand that some unknown mellow in Me
controls the entire existence of My captivator, Srimati Radharani. I am always
eager to taste the joy that Radharani derives from Me. In spite of various
efforts, I have not been able to taste it. But My desire to relish that
pleasure increases as I smell its sweetness. I have appeared in the world to
taste mellows. I shall taste the mellows of pure love in various ways. I shall
teach devotional service, which springs from the spontaneous love of the
devotees, by demonstrating it Myself with My pastimes. But these three desires
have not been satisfied, for one cannot enjoy them in a contrary postition.
Unless I accept the luster of the ecstatic love of Sri Radhika, these three
desires cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, assuming Radharani's sentiments and
bodily complexion, I shall descend to fulfill these three desires. In this way
Lord Krsna came to a decision. Simultaneously, the time came for the
incarnation of the age. At that time Sri Advaita was earnestly worshiping Him.
Advaita attracted Him with His loud calls. First Lord Krsna made His parents
and elders appear. Then Krsna Himself, with the sentiments and complexion of
Radhika, appeared in Navadvipa, like the full moon, from the womb of mother
Saci, which is like an ocean of pure milk.
Lord Krsna desired to taste the limitless nectarean mellows of the
love of one of His multitude of loving damsels [Sri Radha], and so He assumed
the form of Lord Caitanya. He has tasted that love while hiding His own dark
complexion with Her effulgent yellow color. May that Lord Caitanya confer upon
us His grace. (Caitanyastaka 2.3 of Rupa Goswami) C.C. Adi 4.275