VERSE 5:

BHĀSKAROPĀSIKĀ VĀRṢABHĀNAVĪ VṚṢABHĀNUJĀ
ANAṄGA MAÑJARĪ JYEṢṬHĀ ŚRĪDĀMĀVARAJOTTAMĀ

10) Bhāskaropāsikā: She worships the sun
11 and 12) Vārṣabhānavī and Vṛṣabhānujā: She’s the daughter of king Vṛṣabhānu
13) Anaṅga Mañjarī Jyeṣṭhā: She’s the older sister of Anaṅga Mañjarī
14) Śrīdāmāvarajā: She’s Śrīdāma’s younger sister and
15) Uttamā: She’s the Greatest Girl.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In this verse Śrīpāda Raghunātha mentions six names of Śrī Rādhā.

Śrīmatī’s tenth name is Sūryopāsikā, which means that She’s exclusively dedicated to worshipping the sun. How is it possible that She worships the Sun, since it is known from the Vaiṣṇava-scriptures that She has the greatest love for Kṛṣṇa, and that the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa do not worship any other deities, since that may damage their loyalty?

Many people may ask that question. The answer is that the love for Kṛṣṇa of His eternal associates, especially the inhabitants of Vraja is distinct from the kingdom of sādhana in that they do not realize that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. For them, He is just their beloved. For the cowherd girls, He is simply the most beautiful and sweet prince of Vraja, their swain, whom they love millions of times more than their own life-airs.

Desiring His health and His welfare, Śrī Rādhārāṇī worships the sungod with undivided devotion. The sūrya pūjā is just another manifestation of Her great love for Him. As a result, Kṛṣṇa personally comes to do the pūjā for Her, in front of Her mother-in-law Jatilā, disguised as a celibate youngster from the priestly caste. Thus sūrya pūjā is the greatest help in nourishing the līlā rasa of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and Their girlfriends.

Śrīmatī’s eleventh and twelfth names are Vārṣabhānavī and Vṛṣabhānujā, both meaning ‘Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-rājā’s daughter’.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describes in his play ‘Lalita Mādhava’ how the Vindhya-mountain prayed for a son-in-law who would be even more powerful than Lord Śiva, the son-in-law of the Himālayas, and how Lord Brahmā thus bestowed two daughters on him. To make this boon come true, the goddess Yogamāyā (mystic illusion) attracted Śrī Rādhā from Queen Kīrtidā’s womb and Candrāvalī from the womb of Candrabhānu’s wife, and placed them in the womb of the wife of the Vindhya-mountain.

After these two girls had just appeared, the witch Pūtanā, sent by Kaṁsa, kidnapped the girls and brought them to Gokula. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, when Kaṁsa was warned by Devakī’s daughter (the eight-armed Durgā that flew up into the sky before him) that his destroyer, Lord Hari, had already been born along with His different potencies, Kamsa not only ordered to kill all the extraordinary male babies that were born in the area, but also to have all the special female babies brought to Him. When Pūtanā kidnapped Rādhā from the house of Vindhya and went to Mathurā, travelling through the sky, Vindhya’s priest pronounced a witch-killing mantra, which made Pūtanā’s hands tremble and drop the baby Rādhā. Rādhā fell in the water of the Yamunā and Queen Kīrtidā found Her, floating on a lotus flower, as she was taking her bath. This pastime takes place in some kalpas (eras), but in every age, Śrī Rādhā is born from the womb of mother Kīrtidā in the house of king Vṛṣabhānu. Even in the ages when She is born from the womb of the Queen of the Vindhya-mountain, She is undoubtedly known as Vārṣabhānavī and Vṛṣabhānujā. This is eternal.

Śrīmatī’s thirteenth name is Anaṅga mañjarī jyeṣṭhā, the elder sister of Anaṅga Mañjarī.

Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī describes Śrīmatī Anaṅga Mañjarī as follows in his “Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Gaṇoddeśa Dīpikā”:

vasanta ketakī kāntir mañjulānaṅga mañjarī
yathārthākñara nāmeyam indīvara nibhāmbarā
durmado madavān asyāḥ patir yo devaraḥ svasuḥ
priyāsau lalitā devyā viśākhāyā viśeñataḥ (119-120)

“Anaṅga Mañjarī’s bodily luster resembles that of a lovely (golden) Ketakī-flower in the spring. Her dress shines like blue lotus flowers, and her bodily sweetness is coveted even by Cupid, hence her name, Anaṅga Mañjarī, is well justified. Her husband’s name is Durmada, who is the proud brother-in-law of Her older sister Rādhā. She is very much loved by Lalitā, and even more by Viśākhā.”

In these verses it is confirmed that Śrī Rādhikā is the older sister of Śrī Anaṅga Mañjarī.

Śrīmatī’s fourteenth name is Śrīdāmāvarajā, the younger sister of Śrīdāma.

In the ‘Rādhā Kṛṣṇa Ganoddesa Dīpikā She is introduced as follows: śrīdāmā pūrvajo bhrātā kaniñṭhānaṅga mañjarī: “Her elder brother is named Śrīdāmā and Her younger sister is Anaṅga Mañjarī.”

The fifteenth name is Uttamā, the Greatest Girl!

No one is as great in all of God’s creation (catuñpāda vibhūti) as She is! Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Truth, and no one is greater than Him – this is the opinion of all the scriptures. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself also told Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gītā (7.7): mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: –

“O Winner of riches! There is nothing or no-one higher than Me!”

This Kṛṣṇa Himself realised that, although there is no higher truth than Him, this is possible within Śrī Rādhārāṇī:

āmā hoite ānandita hoy tribhuvana; āmāke ānanda dibe aiche kon jan?
āmā hoite yāra āche śata śata guṇa; sei jana āhlādite pāre more mana
āmā hoite guṇī boḍo jagate asambhava; ekali rādhāte tāhā kori anubhava
…………………
mora rūpe āpyāyita hoy tribhuvana; rādhāra darśane mora juḍāya nayana
mora vaṁśī-gīte ākarñaye tribhuvana; rādhāra vacana hare āmāra śravaṇa
yadyapi āmāra gandha jagata sugandha; mora citta prāṇa hare rādhā aṅga gandha
yadyapi āmāra rase jagata sarasa; rādhāra adhara rasa āmā kore vaśa
yadyapi āmāra sparśa koṭīndu śītala; rādhikāra sparśe āmā kore suśītala
ei mata jagatera sukha āmi hetu; rādhikāra rūpa guṇa āmāra jīvātu
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi Chapter 4)

“The whole world finds delight in Me, but is there anyone who can give Me pleasure? Only a person who is hundreds of times more qualified than Me will be able to delight My mind. It is impossible for anyone in this world to be more qualified than Me. I only experience that in Rādhā. My form pleases the three worlds, but seeing Rādhā soothes My eyes. The song of My flute attracts the three worlds, but Rādhā’s words steal My ears. Although My odour scents the whole world, Rādhā’s bodily fragrance steals My heart and consciousness. Atlhough My taste sweetens the whole world the taste of Rādhā’s lips subdue Me. Although My touch is cooler than millions of moons, Rādhikā’s touch cools Me off. In this way I am the source of happiness for the world, but Rādhikā’s form and qualities are My very life”

In this way it may be understood why Śrī Rādhā is justly named ‘uttamā’, or the Very Greatest.