Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali of Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami verse 13

(with the patha of Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja, spoken on the occasion of the virahotsava of Sri Krishna Dasa Madrasi Babaji Maharaja)

verse 13

shashakabhrid abhisare netra-bhringanchalabhyam dishi dishi bhayenodghurnitabhyam
vanani kuvalaya-dala koshany eva klriptani yabhyam kim u kila kalaniyo devi tabhyam jano’yam

shashakabhrid – in the moonlit night; abhisare – during the rendezvous; netra – eyes; bhringa – bees; anchalabhyam – with the corners; dishi vidishi – in all directions; bhayena – with fear; udghurnitabhyam – spinning around; vanani – the forests; kuvalaya – a kind of blue lotus flower; dala – petals; koshani – whorls; eva – surely; klriptani; made; yabhyam – with which; kim u – what; kila – surely; kalaniyo – worthy to be seen; devi – O beautiful girl!; tabhyam – by both; jana ayam – this person.

“O beautiful girl of mine, Shri Radhike! When will I become the worthy sight-object of your two restless bee like eyes, which You move in all directions while fearfully proceeding in the moonlit night towards Your secret rendezvous with Krishna? The forests which you are thus traversing appear as if lit up everywhere by the blue petals of a Kuvalaya-lotus flower.”

So this verse is dealing with Shrimati Radharani’s ‘jyotsna-abhisara’ which means that Radharani goes out at night to meet Krishna secretly during the moonlit night. Because the night is brightly illuminated by the moon and Shrimati Radharani has to meet Krishna in full secrecy She is afraid, and Her eyes are moving in all directions to check if no one sees Her leaving Her house. Her eyes are here compared with the inside of a kuvalaya lotus flower which has Krishna’s bodily complexion, and the glances which She casts in all directions are so powerfully bright that the entire forest assumes the same colour as Her dark-blue eyes. And then Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami humbly prays: “Will these beautiful eyes (netra) of Yours also scan this fallen soul from their corners ( anchala) together with the environment while you are fearing Your superiors?” Or in other words: “Shall I not become worthy to be seen by those beautiful eyes of Yours while You are scanning the whole forest?”

The experiences of Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami are so vivid that both externally and internally the attributes of his beloved chosen deity Shrimati Radharani are like playing with him. The relish of Her form, attributes and pastimes is spiritually very intense, and Shripad Raghunatha Dasa Goswami has always a very deep yearning for such a relish. When any of these transcendental visions that he gets vanishes he naturally enters into what is called ‘viraha-rasa’ (transcendental flavour of separation from Shrimati Radharani). And when the next vision comes, his heart automatically switches back into what is called ‘milan-rasa’ (transcendental flavour of meeting with Shrimati Radharani) consisting in vividly relishing the sweetness Her form, qualities and attributes. Is is actually an unbroken stream of relish regardless of the type of flavour (milan-rasa or viraha-rasa) experienced by him. Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami is always very deeply astonished by all these transcendental experiences.

Due to having spent a very long period close to the lotus feet of Shriman Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri during the most astonishing final pastimes of the Lord, Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami became the heir of an extremely astonishing type of taste for bhajan (devotional service) and renunciation from the sensual world. Shriman Mahaprabhu was very pleased with him when he saw how strictly he was following all the regulative principles of purity and renunciation. Because He was so satisfied Mahaprabhu gave him a Giridhari-shila (stone from Govardhan hill) that was dearer to Him than His own life and a matching gunja-mala (garland of red, black and white seeds). All the wonderful experiences of meeting and missing Shrimati Radharani which Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami has, are the heritage of Shriman Mahaprabhu. Shri Vilapa Kusumanjali could be compared with an echo of Shriman Mahaprabhu’s cries of love within the Gambhira in Jagannatha Puri. Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami is the product of that Gambhira-lila of Shriman Mahaprabhu. Of all the Goswamis he is the one who spent the most time there at that critical moment with Mahaprabhu. There is no possible comparison with such a unique display of transcendental realisations. Mahaprabhu was Himself relishing such unprecedented ecstasy and through His own relish was teaching the sadhaka of the material world how to perform this and how to experience this. All the raganuga sadhakas should have some of such an experience. If there is no experience whatsoever then one must consider one’s bhajan to be dead. Although Shrimad Bhagavata is mostly dealing with the topic of vaidhi-bhakti still also there one can see that everyone was having some type of experience. Just as satisfaction, satiation of hunger and nutrition are the three results of taking a meal, so similarly also by performing bhajan there are certain tangible results.

bhaktih pareshanubhavo viraktir anyatra chaisa trika eka-kalah prapadyamanasya yathashnatah syus tusthi pusthih ksud-apayo nughasam
(Shrimad Bhagavatam, 11.2.42)

“Devotion, realization of the Lord and detachment from worldly enjoyment appear mutually and gradually in the devotee, as a person who eats feels satisfied, nourished and relieved from hunger.”

Experience of Krishna and development of distaste for material things these are the symptoms of what happens after one commences bhajan, just as by taking a meal one experiences the above cited symptoms.
If it is already like this with someone starting with vaidhi-bhajan so what to speak with someone starting with raga-bhajan. So certainly some experience will awaken in the heart of a sadhaka while hearing this ‘maha-shakti-shali-vani’ or the very powerful words of the acharyas (six Goswamis of Vrindavana), and samsara (existence in the material world) will appear to be extremely insignificant. One will experience the bliss of bhajan and awareness of Shri Shri Radha-Krishna. If it is already like this for a sadhaka what to speak of Shrila Raghunatha Dasa and the other Goswami who were on the level of maha-bhava which is a much much higher level. One can thus understand what a wonderful succession of relish there is in each and every verse of this book.

In the previous verse we have discussed how Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami perceived Shri Shri Radha-Krishna and Their girlfriends dancing in the rasa. How sweetly their ankle bells were jingling. Raghunatha Dasa had trouble expressing that type of experience of the sweet sound of their ankle bells so he said that it is just like an ocean of nectar. He was so upset when such a transcendental vision disappeared from him that he wondered how it can be reattained. He was thus floating on the wave of prarthana (prayer) which just like a wave crashing on the beach. Thus he is thrust into the next verse. He is taken on this wave into the lila-rajya (kingdom of lila) and then he sees the next pastime taking place where Radharani is going on abhisara to meet Krishna. This type of rendez vous of the girls of Vraja is considered to be the climax of anuraga (extreme divine passion). In Vaikuntha the goddesses of fortune are serving Lord Narayana with shringara-rasa (amorous mellow), in Ayodhya we have Sita Devi serving her husband Rama, in Dvaraka we have Satyabhama, Rukmini and so many other ladies, queens of Krishna, serving Him in the same way. With the gopis it is different. In order to make a wonderful sweet rasa surge up in them, Sri Krishna’s shakti Yogamaya, who is able to accomplish the impossible, has given them eternally this parakiya bhava, or extramarital amorous feelings.

kabhu mile kabhu na mile daivera ghatan
(Chaitanya-Charitamrita)

“Sometimes due to fate (yogamaya) they are meeting with Shri Krishna and sometimes not.”

Usually daiva means fate or something which happens in this material world and of course Krishna, God is completely independent from fate. If one’s predestiny is said to be destroyed by the most powerful practice of Krishna-nama-sankirtana (congregational chanting of the holy name of Krishna) so how can Krishna Himself be subject to destiny? So therefore it is explained (Baladeva Vidyabhushana) that daiva here means a certain energy of Krishna Himself that regulates and arranges for Krishna’s own pastimes. This is called the lila-shakti, the energy of Krishna’s play. The existence of an extraordinary flavour of exitement is due to this lilashakti, yogamaya which is the cause of such a situation where the Vraja Gopis are eternally not married with Krishna but with other cowherders. The Vraja Gopis are put in difficult situations to meet Krishna, with many obstacles hindering such an encounter, and this creates an extraordinary flavour that cannot be found in divine abodes where God the Supreme Lord is married with His Goddesses. This is because obviously such a type of amorous attraction cannot exist where it is not forbidden. The Vraja Gopis are facing many obstacles in meeting Krishna, first of all their family, their own minds, conscience, their religious principles. All these impediments have to be overcome in order to meet Krishna and to serve Him, and this creates an astonishing excitement. For this reason the places for Krishna and the Vraja Gopis to meet are hidden and this also creates a wonderful beauty and sweetness. So all these things are coming together in this pastime called abhisara when the Vraja Gopis go out from their houses to secretly meet Krishna. Day and night Krishna’s shyama-rupa (dark bluish form) is constantly awakened in their heart.

The ectasy created by all this excitement is know as mahabhava, is only existing in Vraja and produces the awareness of Krishna or Krishna consciousness. The attraction to Krishna is impossible to resist and this is why there is this abhisara where the Vraja Gopis are pulled out of their houses, attracted like by a magnet. It is such a powerful force that causes this abhisara. The Goswamis have revealed to the world the sweetness, tenderness, excitement and the power of these pastimes in Vraja. The acharyas have given the example of the banks of the Ganges being overflooded during the rainy season. This is called dukula, dukula means two banks. During the monsoon nothing and nobody can stop the Ganges which becomes very powerful at that time in flowing downwards towards the ocean. The gopis are completely free from any type of personal selfish desire and they are totally carried away by their transcendental extasy to only please Krishna. Even their own live is completely insignificant in the frame of their devotional service to Krishna. It is impossible for them to resist the sweet sound of Krishna’s flute, the sweet flavour of His form and so on. That creates a great upsurge of anuraga (constant tanscendental passion) in their hearts. The funny thing of this word dukula is that although it means two banks it can also mean two families because each decent girl has two families, her own family and the one of her husband. Thus it can mean also that their two banks have been inundated by the rain of their passionate love for Krishna being drowned and swept away, or in other words their respects and regard for both of their families have being completely washed away by their passionate attraction to Krishna. Krishna is compared with the ocean, the gopis’ passionate love for Him with the powerful Ganges and the rainy season and the different sanchari bhavas (transitory feelings of the Vraja Gopis) with the waves in the Ganga river. This is called abhisara.

Now on this abhisara there are so many dangers and threats. There are different types of abhisara, one is timira abhisara which occurs in a dark night, another one is diva abhisara which occurs at day time, when Radharani comes to Radhakunda, and one is jyotsna abhisara which occurs in a night illuminated by the moon. Each of these abhisara have different situations with different threats. During the timira abhisara which occurs in a night without moon, it is so dark that one cannot see one’s own hand even if it is put in front of one’s own eyes. When Radharani goes out on such timira abhisara it is pitch dark, not only because there is no moonlight but also because of the forest which is very dense with many trees and plants. Normally the word devi means goddess, which is normally a very reverential term, but here in this context it means several other things. It means: ‘devi kohe dyotamana parama sundari’. Dyotamana means a splendid girl which is giving light. In Shri Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi it is described that Shrimati Radharani’s body shines like millions of lightning strikes, She is self effulgent. How then will She be able to go unnoticed in the darkness if She is so self effulgent? Everyone will notice Her! The acharyas answer that question. A Bengali song describes that Shrimati Radharani’s body is completely smeared with dark bluish musk, that covers Her resplendent effulgence. Instead of pearl necklaces She wears dark bluish sapphire necklaces and bangles – thus our Gauri (golden girl) became Shyama (blackish girl). She is wearing a dark blue sari and Her hair is naturally dark bluish. She could be compared with a dark bluish lotus floating incognito in a dark bluish lake. If She is thus camouflaged with a colour that matches the dark-moon night, then how shall the manjari be able to see Her? The answer is that just like a black bumble bee is always able to smell the fragrance of the black lotus even during a dark night, similarly we shall also be able to smell Shrimati Radharani’s fragrance and follow Her during Her timira-abhisara without losing Her. This abhisara is a very dangerous adventure. Vidyapati Thakur, one of the poets that came before Shriman Mahaprabhu, said that there is no way to find out which way to go, due to losing all sense of direction. Only by groping one can find the way. Where shall I go, where is North, South, East and West, where is that sanket-kunja (grove for meeting with Krishna)? It is difficult for them because their bodies are very tender like a flower. Normally speaking a girl gets scared even when she sees a simple picture of a snake, but these Vraja Gopis have now become so determined to meet Krishna that even when they will meet a real snake they will simply cover the light radiating from its jewels with their hand. They have become completely fearless. They will easily walk past the snake with determination, without having any second thought about it. In this way Shrimati Radharani is going on timira abhisara and Her ‘anga cchata’ (bodily lustre) guides the way.

Now this is the opposite situation, where the moon is shining so brightly that it is just like daytime. Ki kohobo raiko hari anurag? Niravadhi manahi manobhava jag “What can I say of Rai’s passionate love for Hari? Cupid constantly awakens within Her mind.” Sahaje rucira tanu saji koto bhati; abhisaru sharada punamika rati. Shrimati Radharani’s body is so beautiful by itself, and there is no need to decorate it. Although there is no need of any ornaments, still She is ornamented. Dhavala vasana tanu chandana pur – during the Sharat Purnima that is the most romantic full moon night of the whole year, Shrimati Radharani has to be ornamented and dressed in a way that She may be camouflaged against the light. At that time instead of being anointed with musk She is anointed with chandan (white sandal paste) and She wears a completely white sari which has the colour of the feathers of a swan. Aruna adhare dharu vishada kapoor – for lipstick She has camphor because it makes Her lips completely white with its white colour. Kabari upare koru kunda vithar – as in the dark night She wears a garland of dark bluish lotus flowers, in the white night She wears a garland of white Kunda-flowers. Her hair is also covered with these white Kunda-flowers. Kairave jhampalo karatala kanti; malaya-ja chandana balaya-ko panti – to camouflage Her reddish hand palms she is holding white Kairava-lotuses and Her whole body is anointed with white sandal paste. Chandaki kaumudi tanu nahe cin; joichana khira nira nahi bhin – in this way, with such a white outfit, Shrimati Radharani merges into the white night, just as milk mixed with water cannot be found anymore. Another beautiful example is a milk ocean on which a white swan is swimming. The white swan will completely disappear in the white colour of the milk ocean. How can we notice Shrimati Radharani going through the white night dressed in white? The only problem is Her shadow, that is like an enemy created by the moon. But as Her shadow is humbly taking shelter of Her feet so it is of no threat to Her. Her shadow actually promises Her that she will not create any obstacles for Her. Tulasi manjari (Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami) is on the side of Shrimati Radharani, who is looking at her. Shrimati Radharani is confirmed to be the presiding Goddess of prema (love Divine) and a devotee (premika bhakta) who has all the divine qualities is naturally fearless as Shrimati Radharani bestows such fearlessness upon him, but here it is seen that Shrimati Radharani is Herself afraid; what a wonder! By Her grace just one drop of prema makes one forget all the fears and anxieties of material life, but She Herself is afraid. All this is due to the relish of lila rasa (transcendental flavour of the pastimes). In Shrimad Bhagavata it is said “yad bhibheti svayam bhayam…” that fear itself is afraid of Krishna. Again Krishna has His anxiety removed by Radharani, but here it is said that even She is now afraid what a wonderful thing! When Tulasi Manjari looks at Shrimati Radharani’s beautiful eyes, she can understand that She is afraid and thus she bestows fearlessness upon Her saying: “Come along with me! Why should You be afraid of anything? If You are afraid then just look at me!”

To bestow fearlessness on Shrimati Radharani is called Radha dasya (service to Radharani) and this is the wonderful thing that Shriman Mahaprabhu has bestowed upon the fallen souls of this age of Kali. Although Shrimati Radharani is the full bestower of fearlessness still the maidservant is bestowing fearlessness on Her. The Goswamis of Vrindavana have strongly condemned the worship of Krishna alone without Radharani. Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami has called it ‘ kapat’ (deceitful) and ‘dambha’ (proud), and in his ‘Sva Niyama Dashakam’ (Statement of My Ten Vows, verse 6) one of his vows is to not go to that impure place where a person resides who is worshipping Govinda alone without His most beloved Radharani –
anadrityodgitam api muniganair vainika mukhaih pravinam gandharvam api ca nigamais tat priyatamam
ya ekam govindam kapati dambhikataya
tad abhyarne shirne ksanam api na yami vratam idam

He is saying that such a person is puffed up and deceitful and that he will have nothing to do with this person. Narada Muni is singing the glories of Shrimati Radharani in so many ways, playing on his vina. The Puranas and other Vedic scriptures have elaborately sung Shrimati Radharani’s glories. To worship Krishna alone and ignore Radharani is a disrespect to the shastras that have glorified Radharani and also to the great sages like Narada Muni who have done the same. What is Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami’s opinion of those who do worship Krishna with Srimati Radharani?

“I shall always worship the lotus feet of those people who are humbly and with great love adoring Shrimati Radharani along with Shri Krishna. As a rule I shall always serve these people’s lotus feet and sprinkle on my head the water that has washed their lotus feet. That is my solemn vow!”

Similarly, in the Gopal Champu, Shrila Jiva Goswamipada has written that those devotees who worship only Govinda but not Radharani, are like a spear in my heart (breaking my heart). A king who is not a devotee of Krishna is like a spear in my heart. A person who is very rich and gives a lot of money in charity but doesn’t serve the Vaishnavas with his money, is like a spear in my heart. ‘Kavir na hari varnakah shrita gurur na haryashritah’ – those who are poets but don’t glorify Krishna with their poetry, are like spears in my heart (they could save the world with their poetry). A person who is taking shelter of a Guru who is not a vaishnava, is like a spear in my heart.

‘Guni na hari-tatparah sarala-dhir na krishnashrayah’ – A person who is materially very talented but who does not worship Krishna, is like a spear in my heart. A sadhaka (worshipper) of any type who is not a devotee of Hari (Krishna) is like a spear in my heart. The last six types of persons that have been mentioned here are so to say small and they may be allright, but ‘sa na vraja-ramanugah’, a person who worships Krishna without worshipping Vraja Rama (Shrimati Radharani) is the biggest spear in my heart. This is the formula for the age of Mahaprabhu.

So Tulasi is giving fearlessness to Shrimati Radharani by telling

Her: “Come, come with me! Why should you be afraid of anything while I am here?” Kuvalaya dala koshanyeva – Shrimati Radharani’s eyes that are dark bluish just like Shri Krishna’s bodily complexion and that are often compared with bumble bees or with the deep inner part of a blue lotus flower, have such a powerful lustre that it makes the entire forest of Vrindavana shine beautifully dark bluish. When the environment assumes the features of a certain person this is called ” abhirupata” (see Govinda Lilamritam, chapter 9). There is a very beautiful Bengali song saying:

yaha yaha padayuga dharai taha taha saroruha bhorai

“Wherever Shrimati Radharani places Her lotufeet, there lotus flowers start to bloom. Wherever Her body appears there are waves of lighting stikes. Whenever She smiles there are waves of nectar.”

Similarly with Her beautiful glances Shrimati Radharani makes the whole forest beautiful. There is a similar shloka (21) in Shri Radha Rasa Shudhanidhi that is describing timira-abhisara and where, as before, Radharani is compared with the powerful current of the Ganga river –

shri radhike suratarangini divya keli kallola malini lasad vadanaravinde shyamamritambu-nidhi sangama tivra veginy avarta nabhi rucire mama sanniddhehi

The sadhaka should meditate on that extraordinary pastime of Shrimati Radharani’s timira-abhisara, catch the flavour of it and see Her passionate eagerness. The kinkari’s heart is breaking when she perceives this scene. Gently place Your lotus feet on the path, ‘ sukumari’ means very tender. The Vedas say that the Ganga is purifying the three worlds and similarly Shrimati Radharani, who is compared with the sura-tarangini, (meaning that She is like a powerful Ganga river flowing towards the Krishna ocean) when meditated upon as going on Her timira-abhisara, is extremely purifying. Her inside and outside desire is to only make Krishna happy and there is no interest for Her own happiness whatsoever. In this Shri Radharasa Sudhanidhi shloka the word ‘divya keli’ means that when Shrimati Radharani is on abhisara She is contemplating the future pastimes She will have with Krishna and prepares within Her mind how She will satisfy Him. Sometimes there is a whirlpool within the Ganga, and similarly there is a whirlpool within the Suratarangini Radha, namely Her navel. Just as the Ganga rushes towards the ocean, Suratarangini Radha rushes towards the nectar ocean named Krishna. Shripad Prabhodananda Sarasvati is praying: mama sannidhehi, “Let that Ganga river of Shrimati Radharani’s passion always be close to me”.

As the kinkari with Radharani approach the meeting grove, holding hands, Shrimati Radharani can see Krishna through Her veil. Then the kinkari complains to Krishna: “You cannot even imagine all the troubles we have been through to bring Radharani here. Just see, She was so scared, but I managed to console Her and made Her free from fear. I also arranged that Her whole complexion merges in the white moon light. Although the night is as clear as in the daytime, still we had the courage to go out”. While saying this, Tulasi places Shrimati Radharani’s hand in Shyamasundar’s hand and adds: “Take Your beloved now !” As this takes place suddenly the transcendental vision disappears from Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami’s heart. His hands are now empty and he sees that he has fallen on the bank of Shri Radhakunda. Then he cries and prays for the repetition of that vision of the moonlit night.

Here the word Devi shouldn’t be seen as Goddess; it can also mean ‘the effulgent One’, ‘the lustrous One’ or ‘the playful One’. In this connection there is a verse in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita which is saying: “devi kohe dyotamana parama sundari kim va krishna pujya, krida vasati nagari”. ‘Kantimoyi’ means that She can give pleasure where billions of gopis fail. ‘Krida vasati nagari’ means a whole city of plays and She is in charge of this crowded city, or in other words She is the only One who can give Krishna the pleasure that all the Vraja Gopis cannot give to Him. After this meeting there is the Rasa dance, about which it is said in many places (like Gita Govinda, Chaitanya Charitamrita, etc.) that in such a dance none of the billions of gopis can give Krishna the pleasure Shrimati Radharani is giving to Him. So Tulasi assures Shrimati Radharani: “Whenever you feel scared You can always take shelter of me and I shall make You fearless. I shall make You peaceful when You stare at me with Your fearful eyes and I shall see these beautiful eyes of Yours that make the whole forest of Vrindavana look like blue lotus flowers. Netranchalabhyam – Will you also not cast a single glance at me with these beautiful eyes?” That is the aspiration of Shrila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami.

Thus I have spent these three days commemorating Shri Shri Krishna Dasa Madrasi Baba Mahashaya on the occasion of the opening of his samadhi mandir.

Thus ends Sri Ananta das Mahantaji’s patha on the 13th verse of Vilapa Kusumanjali at Radhakunda on January 7, 2001 at the occasion of 108 Shri Krishna Dasa Madrasi Babaji’s samadhi-mandir prathishta