guru-mukha-padma-bākya,
hṛdi kari mahāśakya,
āra nā kariha mane āśā |
Prema Bhakti Chandrika

The words from Śrī Guru’s lotus mouth have great power.
Take them into your heart and rely upon nothing else.

After beautiful girls have bathed, dressed and anointed themselves, they decorate themselves with tilaka, jewels and pearls. Śrī Rādhikā’s mahā bhāva-body is beautified by nine jewels.
Generally we know the nine jewels to be Muktā (pearl), Māṇikya (jewels), Vaidūrya (cats’ eyes), Gomeda (topaz), Vajra (diamond), Vidruma (coral), Padmarāga (ruby), Marakata (emerald) and Nīlamaṇi (sapphire), and on Śrī Rādhā’s ecstatic body there are also nine jewels of loving ecstasy: shivering, shedding tears, goose pimples, stupor, perspiration, changing voice and changing complexion plus two vyābhicārī bhāvas, namely inertia and madness.
Śrīmatī’s mahābhāva body is decorated with all these ornaments of ecstatic love.
There are five stages in which the sāttvika bhāvas are manifest, namely dhūmāyita (smoldering), jvalita (ignited), dīpta (burning), uddīpta (blazing) and sudīpta (brightly blazing).

advitīyā amī bhāvā athavā sadvitīyakāḥ; īṣad vyaktā apahnotuṁ śakyā dhūmāyitā matāḥ
te dvau trayo vā yugapad vāntaḥ suprakaṭāṁ daśāṁ;
śakyāḥ kṛcchreṇa nihnotuṁ jvalitā iti kīrtitāḥ
prauḍhāṁ tri caturā vyaktiṁ pañca vā yugapad gatāḥ;
samvarītum aśakyās te dīptā dhīrair udāhṛtāḥ
ekadā vyaktim āpannāḥ pañcadhāḥ sarva eva vā; ārūḍhā paramotkarṣam uddīptā iti kīrtitāḥ
uddīptā eva sūddīptā mahābhāve bhavanty amī; sarva eva parāṁ koṭiṁ sāttvikā yatra vibhrati

(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu)

“When one or two sāttvika bhāvas are slightly visible and they can be concealed, it is called dhūmāyita (smoldering). When two or three sāttvika bhāvas arise simultaneously and are hidden only with effort, it is called jvalita. When three, four or five sāttvika bhāvas arise simultaneously and they cannot be hidden, it is called dīpta sāttvika bhāva. When five or six bhāvas arise simultaneously and reach a climax it is called uddīpta, and when all these ecstasies culminate in mahā bhāva, they are called suddīpta. Śrī Rādhā has the pinnacle of mahā bhāva, named mādana mahābhāva, therefore all sāttvika bhāvas reach their climax in Her alone.”

About the cause of the arising and the symptoms of the eight sāttvika moods, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has written in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu:
stambha harṣa bhayāścarya viṣādāmarṣa sambhavaḥ; tatra vāg ādi rāhityaṁ naiścalyaṁ śūnyatādayaḥ:
“Jubilation, fear, astonishment, sorrow and remorse cause the sāttvika ecstasy of stambha (becoming stunned) to arise. Thus one becomes speechless, motionless and empty.”

svedo harṣa bhaya krodhādijaḥ kleda kara-stanoḥ:
“Bodily heat is caused by sweat, joy, fear and anger”.

romāñco’yaṁ kilāścarya harñotsāha bhayādijaḥ; romnṛṇām abhyudgamatas tatra gātra saṁsparśanādayaḥ:
“The sight of something astonishing, jubilation, enthusiasm and fear cause goosepimples. Then the pores of the skin open and the body is touched.”

viṣāda vismayāmarṣa harṣa bhītyādi saṁbhavam; vaisvaryaṁ svara-bhedaḥ syād eṣa gadgadikādi kṛt:
“Changing of the voice is caused by sorrow, amazement, anger, jubilation and fear. This causes one stuttering.”

vitrāsāmarṣa harṣādyair vepathur gātra laulya kṛt:
“Fear, remorse and jubilation cause trembling, which means a restlessness of the body.”

viṣāda roṣa bhītyāder vaivarṇyam varṇa vikriyā; bhāva-jñair atra mālinya kārśyādyāḥ parikīrtitāḥ:
“According to the knowers of emotions, sorrow, anger and fear cause one to become pale and skinny.”

harṣa roṣa viṣādādyair aśru netre jalodgamaḥ; harṣaje’śruni śītatvam auṣṇyaṁ roṣādi sambhave;
sarvatra nayana kṣobha rāga sammārjanādayah:
“Tears is water shed from the eyes out of joy, anger or sorrow. Tears of joy are cool and tears of anger are warm,
but all kinds of tears agitate the eyes, make them red and cause them to be rubbed.”

pralayaḥ sukha duḥkhābhyāṁ ceṣṭājñāna nirākṛtiḥ. atrānubhāvāḥ kathitā mahī nipatanādayaḥ:
“Pralaya, or devastation, is experienced when all activities and consciousness cease. Devastation is a sāttvika bhāva this is caused by joy or by sorrow, and results in falling on the ground in a swoon.”

These are the eight sāttvika ecstasies. Except for the last one, pralaya, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa has described them all as ornaments of ecstasy in this verse. The loving maidservant did not include the swoon, although all eight sāttvika ecstasies are present in Śrī Rādhā’s most highly inflamed state (suddīpta).
The nine jewels have been compared here to seven sāttvika ecstasies plus inertia and madness, two sañcārī bhāvas.

unmādo hṛd bhramaḥ prauḍhānandāpad virahādijah;
atrāṭṭa-hāso naṭanaṁ saṅgītaṁ vyartha ceṣṭitam;
pralāpa dhāvana krośa viparīta kriyādayaḥ
(Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu):
“The delusion of the heart called unmāda, or madness, is caused by great ecstasy, great calamity or separation.
Such a mad person loudly laughs, dances, sings, acts and speaks nonsensically, runs around, screams and does everything wrong.”

jāḍyam apratipattiḥ syād iṣṭāniṣṭa śrutīkṣaṇaiḥ.
virahādaiś ca tan mohāt pūrvāvasthāparāpi ca;
atrānimiṣatā tuṣṇīṁ bhāva vismaraṇādayaḥ.
“Inertia comes to pass after seeing or hearing something pleasant or unpleasant, or when losing one’s sense because of being separated from somebody.
This condition is like the one preceding or following moha, or illusion. One stares without blinking, and becomes silent and forgetful.”

These are the nine divine jewels that ornament Śrī Rādhikā.

sūddīpta sāttvika bhāva harṣādi sañcārī;
ei saba bhāva bhūṣaṇa saba aṅge bhari
(C.C.)
“Her whole body is filled with inflamed sāttvika ecstasies and sañcārī bhāvas like joy.
Her whole body is thus adorned with ornaments of ecstasy.”

———-

Each of Śrī Rādhikā’s limbs is decorated with various ornaments of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, and each of these dresses and ornaments are perfect and powerful herbs to control Kṛṣṇa with. Śrī Rādhā’s braided hair is Her hidden anger. The word dhammillā means that Rādhikā’s braid is decorated with flowers, a flower garland, jewels and pearls. Just as Her hair is very curly (crooked), yet very beautiful, similarly Rādhikā’s māna is very crooked, yet very beautiful. She tries to hide Her unfavorable mood (vāma) within Herself and externally behaves in a favorable (dakṣiṇa) way. These crooked dealings enchant Kṛṣṇa and attract His heart. pracchanna māna vāmya dhammilla vinyāsa (C.C.)

Then Raghunātha dāsa says: saubhāgya tilakojjvalām: “Her bright tilaka shows Her good fortune.”
The more you love Kṛṣṇa, the more fortunate you are. Who can then be as fortunate as mādanākhya mahābhāvavatī śrī Kṛṣṇa priyā-śiromaṇi Śrīmatī is?
yāhāra saubhāgya guṇa vāñche satyabhāmā (C.C.) “Satyabhāmā covets Her qualities of good fortune.”
What to speak of Satyabhāmā, even all the three billion mahābhāvavatīs (gopīs) of Vraja praised Her fortune when Kṛṣṇa left them all during the Mahā-Rāsa to sport with Rādhā alone. The Dundubhī-drum of great fortune has proclaimed this throughout the world. Hence the Mahājanas have said:

rāsalīlā jayaty eṣā yayā saṁyujyate’niśam
harer vidagdhatā bheryā rādhā saubhāgya dundubhiḥ

“All glories to the Rāsa-līlā, where the Bherī-drum of Hari’s cleverness and the Dundubhī-drum of Rādhā’s good fortune resound day and night!”
This matchless good fortune beautifully shines on Rādhikā’s forehead in the form of Her bright tilaka. saubhāgya tilaka cāru lalāṭe ujjvala (C.C.)

Śrī Raghunātha dāsa then says: Kṛṣṇa nāma yaśaḥ śrāvāvataṁsollāsi karṇikām, Rādhikā’s ears are decorated with the blissful and beautiful ornaments of hearing about Kṛṣṇa’s name and fame. Beautiful young girls have many different kinds of lovely earrings, but Kṛṣṇa-premamayī Rādhikā’s enchanting earrings consist of stories about Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful names, qualities and pastimes. These are the proper ornaments for the embodiment of ecstatic love. Just as ordinary young girls always wear some kind of earrings, Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s ears always hear about Kṛṣṇa’s names and glories. She surely does that when She is united with Kṛṣṇa, but also when She is separated from Him the sakhīs save Premamayī’s life by making Her hear Kṛṣṇa-kathā. When everyone was incessantly weeping during Māthura Viraha (when Kṛṣṇa has left Vraja to live in Mathurā), then Premamayī was speaking Śrī Kṛṣṇa-kathā Herself and also listened to it Herself. Therefore She told the bumble bee (in the Song to the bumble bee, Śrīmad Bhāgavata, 10.47.12-21):
“I can live without Kṛṣṇa as long as I can relish Kṛṣṇa-kathā, but if I stop hearing and chanting about Him, then I will surely die!”
dustyajas tat kathārthaḥ (Bhāg.).
Kṛṣṇa nāma guṇa yaśa avataṁsa kāṇe; Kṛṣṇa nāma guṇa yaśa pravāha vacane (C.C.)
“Kṛṣṇa’s names, attributes and fame are adorning Her ears, and Kṛṣṇa’s names, attributes and fame are flowing from Her words.”

After that, Dāsa Gosvāmī says – rāga tāmbūla raktauṣṭhīṁ:
Her lips are colored by the red pān-spots of Her passionate love for Kṛṣṇa. On the lips of Premamayī Śrī Rādhā the betel-colour of rāga (passion) is manifest.

duḥkham apy adhikaṁ citte sukhatvenaiva vyajyate;
yatas tu praṇayotkarṣāt sa rāga iti kīrtyate:
“Rāga is a culmination of praṇaya, in which one feels even the greatest suffering undergone for Kṛṣṇa’s sake to be the greatest bliss.”

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gives an example of Rādhikā’s mañjiṣṭha rāga in his Ujjvala Nīlamaṇi:

mayā te nirbandhān murajayini rāgaḥ parihṛto
mayi snigdhe kintu prathaya param āśīs tatim imām
mukhāmododgāra grahila matir adyaiva hi yataḥ
pradoṣārambhe syāṁ vimala vanamālā madhukarī

In the stage of pūrva rāga (beginnings of love) Paurṇamāsī-devī wanted to test Rādhā’s love for Kṛṣṇa and told Śrīmatī:
“O Rādhe! You are an ordinary cowherdgirl, and Kṛṣṇa’s feet are coveted even by the goddess of fortune! You look like a dwarf trying to catch the moon in Your desire for Kṛṣṇa’s loving attention! Therefore, give up Your attachment to Kṛṣṇa!” Hearing Paurṇamāsī’s words, Śrī Rādhikā said: “Allright, O lovely lady, if you insist, then I will give up My attachment to Murajayi (Kṛṣṇa), but at least bless Me in this way, that I can die right now, so that I can still become a bumblebee this evening, that can hang around the forestflower garland that is scented by Śrī Hari’s nectarean outgoing breath, when He returns home with His cows!”
Śrī Rādhikā is willing even to take an animal-birth in order to attain Kṛṣṇa.
This is the pinnacle of rāga, or loving attachment to Kṛṣṇa, and that rāga (rāga also means ‘colour’ or ‘red’) appears on Her lips in the form of the red spots of Her chewed betelnuts.
rāga tāmbūla-rāge adhara ujjvala (C.C.)
Thereafter it is said: prema kauṭilya kajjalām, The crookedness of Rādhikā’s love is represented by Her eyeliner. The course of love is naturally crooked.

aher iva gatiḥ premṇā svabhāva kuṭilāḥ bhavet
ato hetor ahetoś ca yūnor māna udañcati

“The course of love is naturally crooked, like the course of a snake. And so loving couples are angry with Each other, with or without a reason.”

This happens quite often in the extramarital relationships that the gopīs have with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is known as a bahu vallabha, or a womanizer, and so Śrī Rādhārāṇī manifests various kinds of loving crookedness towards Him. This crookedness of love shines around Śrī Rādhikā’s eyes like Her eyeliner. Since this loving crookedness is almost always manifest from the eyes, it is called the kajjala that adorns Her eyes. prema kauṭilya netra yugale kajjala (C.C.)

Then it is said: narma bhāṣita niḥsyanda smita karpūra vāsitām –
“The flow of Her joking words is scented with the camphor of Her soft smile.”

Extramarital heroes and heroines use many very funny and luscious words. When Śyāmasundara tells the sakhīs about His intimate pastimes with Rādhikā of the previous night, then the gestures of Śrīmatī’s face and eyes and Her sweet soft smile make one think that there is honey flowing from the flowers of Her joking words. Śrīmatī’s whole body is scented with the camphor of Her jokes and laughter.

prachanna māna yāra kabarī bandhana;
saubhāgya tilaka bhāle ati suśobhana
śrī kṛṣṇera nāma yaśaḥ karṇa rasāyana;
tāhāi dhanīra sadā karṇera bhūṣaṇa (6)
rāga tāmbūle sadā adhara rañjita;
prema kauṭilya kajjala nayane śobhita
Kṛṣṇa āra sakhī saṅge vinarma bhāṣita
īṣat madhura smita karpūre vāsita (7)

“Her braid is bound with a concealed pique, Her forehead is greatly beautified by tilaka of good fortune, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names and glories are like elixir to Her ears, and they also always decorate the ears of this fortunate girl. Her lips are colored by the betelnuts of passionate attachment, Her eyes are decorated with the collyrium of crooked love and the joking words She speaks with Kṛṣṇa and Her girlfriends are scented with the camphor of Her sweet and slight smile.”

– Srila Ananta das Babaji (from his tika to Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī´s “Premāmbhoja Maranda – Honey from the love-lotus” )