Abhīṣṭa Sūcanam
(by Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī)

“Indication of my desires”

Translation: Advaita das

verse 3

NIBHṚTA VIPINA LĪLĀḤ KṚṢṆA VAKTRAṀ SADĀKṢṆĀḤ
PRAPIBATHA MṚGA KANYĀ YŪYAM EVĀTI DHANYĀḤ
KṢAṆAM API NA VILOKE SĀRAMEYĪ VRAJASTHĀPY
UDARA BHARAṆA VṚTTYĀ VAṀBHRAMANTĪ HATĀHAM

O Daughters of the deer! You are extremely blessed, because while you wander in this forest your eyes can constantly drink the sweet nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s face. But I have not seen this for even a moment because, although I am living in Vraja, I am just wandering around like a wretched she-dog, engaged in filling up my belly! Alas! I am condemned!

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:
Śrī Raghunātha dāsa falls in the forest on the bank of Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa, crying out of separation from Śrī Rādhārāṇī and showering his chest with his tears. Before him he sees some young does walking, looking here and there with their wide, restless eyes and he thinks to himself: “They must surely have been blessed with the vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, otherwise how could their eyes ever be so beautiful? Just see, they are wandering around here and there with startled eyes, looking at Śrī Kṛṣṇa!” Thinking of the great fortune of these young does, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa becomes very humble and he tells the does: “O Daughters of the deer! You are truly blessed, because while you wander in this solitary forest your eyes can constantly drink the sweet nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s face!” In Śrīmad Bhāgavata, in the Veṇu-Gīta-chapter, the Vraja-sundarīs declare that the eyes of a person have really become successful when they have seen Kṛṣṇa: akṣaṇvatāṁ phalam idaṁ na paraṁ vidāma “O sakhīs! We cannot think of any greater fruit for the eyes than this!” (Ś.B. 10.21.7). And on the other hand the eyes are condemned if they do not see Kṛṣṇa! Śrīman Mahāprabhu sang:

vaṁśī gānāmṛta dhāma, lāvaṇyāmṛta janma-sthāna
ye nā dekhe se cānda vadana.
se nayane kibā kāja, poḍuk tāra māthe bāja,
se nayane rohe ki kāraṇa?

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 2)

“What is the use of eyes if they do not see Kṛṣṇa’s moonlike face, which is the abode of the nectarean song of His flute and the birthplace of nectarean elegance? Let a thunderbolt fall on it!” Hence Śrīpāda Raghunātha greatly praises the does and condemns himself – “I am just like a wrteched she-dog, for though I live in Vraja I have not seen Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the fruit for the Vrajavāsīs’ eyes, for even a moment! I am destroying myself by merely running around to fill up my belly!”
By speaking these humble words Śrī Raghunātha dāsa instructs people like me that I am living in Vraja, but I do not miss my beloved deity. What to speaking of missing my beloved deity, I don’t even engage in any sādhana bhajana. I am simply wandering around freely, freely eating, dressing and enjoying other bodily delights, thus wasting this rare human form of life.”
Śrīla Premānanda Ṭhākura sang properly when he said this to people like me:

koho bhaji vṛndāvana, ghare sukha vāso mana,
bhālovāsa vasana bhūṣaṇe.
santuṣṭa mānicho māne, mahā-krodha apamāne,
ātma sukha ghucilo kemone.
kohicho gopīra dharma, ki bujhicho tāra marma,
svabhāva chāḍite nāra tile.
dekhiyā pāicho sukha, prakṛti bāghinī mukha,
sarvātmā sahita yei gile.

“You say ‘I worship Vṛndāvana’ while you blissfully stay at home, loving to dress and ornament yourself. You are quite satisfied when you are honoured and you are very angry when you are dishonored. How have you given up all selfish pleasures? You speak about the love of the gopīs, but what have you understood of that? You cannot give up your nature (bad habits) even slightly! When you look at the face of the tiger of prakṛti (women or anything material), that will swallow you completely, you feel very happy.”