VERSE 9:

SNEHĀLĀBHĪRA RĀJENDRA VATSALĀCYUTA PŪRVAJĀ
GOVINDA PRAṆAYĀDHĀRA SURABHĪ SEVANOTSUKĀ

26) Snehalābhīra rājendrā: The object of the cowherd king Nanda’s great love.
27) Vatsalācyuta pūrvajā: The object of the parental affection of Acyuta’s older brother (Balarāma)
28) Govinda praṇayādhāra surabhī sevanotsukā: She who is very eager to serve Govinda’s beloved Surabhī-cows.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In this verse Śrīpāda Raghunātha reveals three names of Śrī Rādhārāṇī.

As we have said previously, the loving devotee will recognize the truth, in whatever form it comes to his eyes. Śrī Rādhārāṇī is non-different from Śrī Kṛṣṇa and She is His original energy, therefore Vraja-rāja constantly showers Her with affection, just like Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

The word abhīra rājendra means, that Nanda is the king of cowherders, who are all endowed with a purely sweet love for Kṛṣṇa. Although Vraja’s cowherders see Kṛṣṇa’s various superhuman feats, they do not consider Him to be the Supreme Lord; they just think He is their beloved. Since Śrī Nanda Mahārāja is their king, he is also most richly endowed with this sweet, ecstatic consciousness. Even when he sees Kṛṣṇa performing superhuman miracles like killing different huge demons, defeating the Kāliya-snake and lifting Govardhana Hill, it does not agitate the boundless ocean of his sweet feelings for Kṛṣṇa even slightly.
Just as a king maintains his subjects, Nanda Mahārāja maintains the cowherders’ sweet love for Kṛṣṇa. When the cowherders’ hearts were stirred by seeing Kṛṣṇa’s tremendous prowess while He lifted Govardhana Hill, king Nanda maintained their sweet conception and their sweet feelings towards Kṛṣṇa.

Every morning Śrī Rādhikā, who is the fountainhead of all the goddesses of fortune, comes on foot to Nanda’s abode Nandīśvara to cook for Kṛṣṇa, and king Nanda realizes that he owes his vast wealth to the merciful glance of this Supreme goddess of fortune Rādhā, but still he never feels awe and reverence for Her, rather, his affection and love for Her always increases…

Śrī Raghunātha gives Śrī Rādhārāṇī as 27th name vatsalācyuta pūrvajā – She is the object of Acyuta’s older brother Balarāma’s elderly affection.

Śrī Balarāma loves Rādhikā as if She is His younger sister-in-law. It is said that when Kṛṣṇa killed the Sankhacuḍa-demon, during the Holi-pastimes, He snatched the costly Syamantaka-jewel from the demon’s head and publicly handed it over to His elder brother Balarāma (see Bhāgavata 10.34.32). Kṛṣṇa knew that His older brother Baladeva has such elderly affection for Śrī Rādhārāṇī that He would take care that the jewel ended up in Her hands. Balarāma then gave the jewel to Madhumaṅgala, who passed it on to Śrī Rādhārāṇī as a present.

Śrīmatī’s 28th name is govinda praṇayādhāra surabhī sevanotsukā – She is always very eager to serve Govinda’s beloved Surabhī-cows.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended in a clan of cowherders in Gokula, and cows are their only wealth. Naturally, therefore, Gopāla Śrī Kṛṣṇa loves these cows. After Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill, Indra realized the gravity of his offence, so he went to Lord Brahmā, and asked him how he could appease Kṛṣṇa after committing this offence. Brahmā advised Indra to take the Surabhī-cow from heaven with him to Vraja, for if Kṛṣṇa saw him coming along with Surabhī he would surely forgive him his offence. After Indra had Kṛṣṇa ceremonially bathed with the nectarean milk of the Surabhī-cow, Kṛṣṇa was named Govinda, or cow-lord. Śrīmatī knows how dear these cows are to the Lord of Her life, therefore She is always very eager to serve them.

VERSES 10-11:

DHṚTA NANDĪŚVARA KṢEMA GAMANOTKAṆṬHI MĀNASĀ
SVA DEHĀDVAITATĀDṚṢṬI DHANIṢṬHĀ DHYEYA DARŚANĀ
GOPENDRA MAHIṢĪ PĀKAŚĀLĀ VEDI PRAKĀŚIKĀ
ĀYUR VARDHA-KARĀDDHĀNNĀ ROHIṆĪ GHRĀTA MASTAKĀ

29) Dhṛta Nandīśvara kṣema gamanotkaṇṭhi mānasā: She is very eager to go to Nandīśvara, for Kṛṣṇa’s welfare
30) sva dehādvaitatādṛṣṭi dhaniṣṭhā dhyeya darśanā: Who is seen in the meditations of Dhaniṣṭhā, whose body is nondifferent from Hers.
31) Gopendra mahiṣī pāka śālā vedi prakāśikā: Who illuminates the dais in the kitchen of Queen Yaśodā
32) āyur varddha karāddhānnā: Who increases the lifespan of anyone who eats Her cooked food.
33) Rohiṇī ghrāta mastakā: Whose head is smelled by mother Rohiṇī.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In the 10th and the 11th verse Śrīpāda Raghunātha reveals names 29 to 33 of Śrī Rādhārāṇī.

All the above five names are related to Rādhārāṇī’s pastime of going to Nandīśvara with Her sakhīs to cook for Kṛṣṇa every morning.
Because of the blessing by the sage Durvāsā Śrīmatī is amṛta hastā, everything She cooks becomes as sweet as nectar, and it increases the health and lifespan of anyone who eats Her dishes. Ever since Śrī Yaśodā, who always desires Kṛṣṇa’s welfare, heard this, she sends Kṛṣṇa’s niece-in-law Kundalatā to the village of Yāvaṭa to ask Jaṭilā, Rādhā’s mother-in-law, for permission to take Her to Nandīśvara. After she informed Jaṭilā of Vrajeśvarī’s request, Kundalatā went to Śrī Rādhā. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who was very eager to go to Nandīśvara, told her:

vrajapura parameśvarī prasādaṁ mayi sakhi vakti tavodayo hy akasmāt
na śiśira rucinā vinaiva pūrvāṁ diśam adhirātri sameti kāpi lakṣmīḥ
tad aham anumime nideśa dambhāt kim api kṛpāmṛtam eva sā vyatārīt
yad idam anupalabhya yan mamātmā svam api sakhedam avaityanātmanīnam
ajani rasavatī vidhāpanārthā rasavati te gatir ity avaimi nūnam
atha kim itarathā javād ayāsīḥ prathamito’nunayanty amuṁ madāryām

Śrī Rādhikā told Kundalatā: “Sakhi! By Vrajeśvarī’s grace you have quickly come here! Your arrival is as indescribably beautiful as the moonrise in the east at nightfall! I understand that Queen Yaśoda showers Me with nectar by giving this order! If I had not gotten this order (to cook for Kṛṣṇa) My mind would be so sad that it would have been better for Me to leave My body! O Rasavati (humorous girl, or good cook)! I see you have come to take Me there for cooking, but first go to My superiors and ask them for permission and then quickly come back!”

This example (from Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmrta) shows how eager Śrī Rādhikā is to go to Nandīśvara, and why She is called dhṛta nandīśvara kṣema gamanotkaṇṭhi mānasā.

Śrīmatī’s 30th name is sva dehādvaitatādṛṣṭi dhaniṣṭhā dhyeya darśanā: “She who is seen in the meditations of Dhaniṣṭhā, whose body is nondifferent from Hers.”

Śrīmatī goes to Nandīśvara with Kundalatā and all of Her girlfriends. Girls like Dhaniṣṭhā and Guṇamālā are constantly assisting Queen Yaśodā in Nandīśvara: dhaniṣṭhā guṇamālādyā vallabeśvara gehagā (Rādhā Kṛṣṇa Gaṇoddeśa Dīpikā). Śrī Dhaniṣṭhā’s body is nondifferent from Śrī Rādhā’s. This means that she loves Her so much, that while Kundalatā is out, trying to bring Śrī Rādhā from Yāvaṭa, she’s restlessly walking in and out of Nanda’s house, strongly desiring to see Her again. As soon as she sees Rādhā, she rushes forward to greet Her by embracing Her and asking Her: “Why are You so late? How much I suffer when I don’t see You!” Śrīmatī then softly replies: “You know I am not independent…”. While Dhaniṣṭhā, whose body is non-different from Śrī Rādhā’s, so eagerly waits for Śrīmatī, it seems as if she is absorbed in meditating on Her, hence one of Śrīmatī’s names is svadehādvaitatādṛṣṭi dhaniṣṭhā dhyeya darśanā.

Śrīmatī’s 31st name is gopendra mahiṣī pākaśālā vedi prakāśikā – “She who is manifest in the kitchen of the cowherd queen.”

Being an eternal associate of Śrīman Mahāprabhu and an eternal maidservant of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī eternally relishes spontaneous transcendental visions of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s forms, attributes and pastimes in his mind, which is saturated with mahā bhāva. Dhaniṣṭhā now takes Śrīmatī along to mother Yaśodā. Śrīmatī bows down at the feet of mother Yaśodā, who embraces Her, showers Her with Her loving tears and blesses Her a hundred times. After that the maidservants wash Śrīmatī’s feet and dry them off. Then Śrīmatī, on the order of mother Yaśomatī, enters into the kitchen with Mother Rohiṇī.

āsi dāsīgana, rādhāra caraṇa, doyāla śītala nīre
ati sukomala, o thala kamala, muchālo pātala cīre
rohiṇī sahite, randhana korite, bosilo rājāra jhi,
saba sakhīgaṇa, yogāya yogāna, śekhara yogāya ghi
(Pada Kalpataru)

Mother Rohiṇī affectionately tells Śrīmatī, as if She is her daughter: pacana caturatā ratāsi jāte, paca manasā tava bhāti yad yathā tat (Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta) “My girl, You are most expert in cooking! Cook whatever You like!” Saying this, mother Rohiṇī seats Her in the kitchen. Śrīmatī offers Her obeisances unto mother Rohiṇī and sits down on the dais in the kitchen to cook for Kṛṣṇa. A golden luster gushes from Her divine limbs as She thinks how happy Her preparations will make Kṛṣṇa. It is as if Śrīmatī’s bodily luster illuminates the dais in the kitchen, therefore She is justly called ‘gopendra mahiṣī pākā-śālā-vedi prakāśikā, She who illuminates the dais in Queen Yaśodā’s kitchen. Nāgara-maṇi Kṛṣṇa loves to peek through the kitchen-window to relish Her sweetness while She is busy cooking. Because Nāgara-maṇi’s sweetness illuminates the kitchen while He is watching, this name of Śrīmatī’s is also well-deserved.

Śrīmatī’s 32nd name is āyur vardhakarāddhānnā, which means that the delicious dishes She cooks increase the lifespan of the eater, and Her 33rd name is rohiṇī ghrāta mastakā – She whose head is lovingly smelled by mother Rohiṇī.

When Śrīmatī is finished with cooking mother Yaśodā comes to inspect Her preparations. Mother Rohiṇī shows Yaśodā all the nicely fragrant, nicely colored and enchanting dishes that Śrīmatī had prepared, and Yaśodā blissfully asks Rohiṇī:

saurabhya sad varṇa manoharaṁ tat sā vīkṣya sarvaṁ muditā vabhuva
jijñāsamānām atha tad vidhānaṁ tāṁ rohiṇī vismaya-pūrvam āha
sāmagrī saiva sāmānya pākasya prakriyāpy asau
kintv apūrva guṇe hetur gāndharvā hasta sauṣṭhavam
(Govinda Līlāmṛta 3.110-111)

“How have all these dishes become so delicious?” Rohiṇī replies: “The ingredients and the cooking-procedure are quite ordinary, but Śrī Rādhā’s beautiful hands (her own cooking) have made everything so wonderful!” Then Srī Kṛṣṇa-hitaiṣiṇī (Kṛṣṇa’s well-wisher) mother Yaśodā remembers the blessing of Durvāsā Muni, and she ecstatically thinks to herself: “Certainly Kṛṣṇa’s lifespan will increase when He eats these dishes!.

In this way Raghunātha dāsa realizes how Śrīmatī is justly called āyur vardhakarāddhānnā. After mother Yaśodā leaves, Rohiṇī feels a great upsurge of parental love in her heart, so she embraces Śrī Rādhikā and smells Her head again and again. Thus She appears as rohiṇī ghrāta mastakā.

VERSE 12:

SUBALA NYASTA SĀRŪPYĀ SUBALA PRĪTI TOṢITĀ
MUKHARĀ DṚK SUDHĀ NAPTRĪ JAṬILĀ DṚṢṬI BHĪṢITĀ

34) Subala nyasta sārūpya : She has placed Her form in Subala
35) Subala prīti toṣitā: She’s happy when Subala is happy
36) Mukharā dṛk sudhā naptrī: She’s a nectarean granddaughter in Mukharā’s eyes
37) Jaṭilā dṛṣṭi bhīṣitā: She’s very scared of Jaṭilā’s glances.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

Śrīmatī’s 34th and 35th names are subala nyasta sārūpyā – “She who has placed Her form in Subala”, and subala prīti toṣitā, She who is pleased with Subala’s love.”

The supreme essence of prema is mahābhāva, and the embodiment of mahābhāva is Śrī Rādhā. Therefore Her form, attributes and pastimes are likewise. No one can compare to Her. Still She has placed Her own sārūpya, transcendental form, in Kṛṣṇa’s priya narma sakhā Subala. Subala has the same appearance as Śrī Rādhārāṇī, and since there are many obstacles in Her extramarital relationship with Kṛṣṇa, Subala can help Her in many cases by coming to the house of Her mother-in-law, by dressing up just like Her and helping Her to dress like him, so that She can go and see Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Because Rādhārāṇī and Subala have the same appearance, Jaṭilā and others are fooled.

Once Jaṭilā became very worried after hearing gossip about her daughter-in-law Rādhā’s illicit affair with Kṛṣṇa, so she decided to lock her daughter-in-law up in her house. She personally guarded the door to make sure that Nanda’s son could not come to Her and Rādhā could also not go out to see Him. Meanwhile Kṛṣṇa had come to the bank of Rādhākuṇḍa, eager to meet Rādhā, and became very upset when He heard that She would not come anymore. Kṛṣṇa’s dearest friend Subala, seeing how upset Kṛṣṇa was, consoled Him and went off to Jaṭilā’s village of Yāvaṭa. He saw Jaṭilā guarding the door of her house and bowed down to her feet. Jaṭilā asked him: “Why have you come here?”, and Subala replied: “I’ve come here to look for a lost calf. I am also very thirsty.” Jaṭilā said: “Go inside my house; my daughter-in-law Rādhā can give you something to drink.”
Śrī Subala thus entered Rādhā’s chamber and told Her of Kṛṣṇa’s precarious condition. Hearing of this, Rādhā became very upset, and they decided to exchange dress, so that Rādhā could escape in the appearance of Subala, and Subala would remain at home in Rādhā’s place. Śrīmatī managed to deceive Jatilā into believing that She was Subala, explaining that Her voluminous breasts were actually the calf that Subala was looking for, that he found in her barn, and that he (Rādhā) was now going off to bring the calf back to the meadows. Jaṭilā believed Her, and in this way Śrīmatī safely reached Rādhākuṇḍa. But when She came there She found out that She looked so much like Subala that even Kṛṣṇa did not recognise Her! Kṛṣṇa was so disappointed that Subala had not managed to bring Rādhārāṇī to Him, that He became very upset. When Śrīmatī saw how much Kṛṣṇa missed Her, She decided to make some fun with Him, and, imitating Subala’s voice, She told Him: “Bhāi Kānāi (brother Kṛṣṇa)! I couldn’t find any way to bring Śrīmatī here today!
Her mother-in-law was so upset about all the gossip going around about You and Her that she decided to keep Her at home and to guard the door personally. But don’t worry! After I failed at Yāvaṭa, I went to ask Candrāvalī whether she wants to meet You and she says that she’s ready for You! If You tell me so, then I will bring her here to You now!”

When Kṛṣṇa heard these words He fell into a swoon, crying out: “Hā Rādhe! Hā Rādhe!” Rādhikā was very pleased that Kṛṣṇa had passed the test that She had made for Him and She dropped the calf to embrace Him, thus reviving Him from His miserable swoon and giving Him the great bliss of meeting Her. It is for creating such wondrous līlā rasa that Śrīmatī has given Her own form to Subala, and hence She is also named subala nyasta sārūpyā.

Subala is not only externally like Śrīmatī, but also internally! When Subala is happy, Śrīmatī is also happy. She has bestowed Her mentality on Subala so that during the Dāna (taxcollecting)-pastime near Govardhana Hill, when Kṛṣṇa told Her and Her sakhīs to pay Him tax He firmly embraced Śrī Subala, and Śrīmatī relished – be in it a more erotic way – the same pleasure that Subala felt. She hid these ecstatic feelings, and their consequent external symptoms like shivering and goosepimples, from Her friends, though, and asked them: “Dear friends! What kind of austerities Subala must have performed in his previous birth, so that he can now be firmly embraced by My beloved in front of everyone!” Because She is happy when Subala is happy, She is also called subala prīti toṣitā. Another meaning of this name can be that She is very satisfied with Subala’s love for Her.

Another name of Śrī Rādhā is mukharā dṛk sudhā naptrī – “The nectarean granddaughter for Mukharā’s eyes.”

Nectar is tasted with the tongue, not with the eyes, but Mukharā is able to taste nectar in a visible form – Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s sweet form – with her very own eyes! Just as in the material world (in heaven particularly) nectar is the most delicious substance, so it is in the spiritual world, where it is known as mahā bhāva, the pinnacle of ecstatic love. Śrīmatī is the very form of that mahā bhāva. Every limb of Her is composed of this mahā bhāva, hence She is the nectarean granddaughter for the eyes of Her maternal grandmother Mukharā.

Another name of Śrīmatī is jaṭilā dṛṣṭi bhīṣitā – She who is afraid to see Jaṭilā.

Although Rādhā is Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency, by Yogamāyā’s arrangement She still appears as Kṛṣṇa’s extra-marital consort, just to make Kṛṣṇa’s erotic sports more startling.

parakīya bhāve ati rasera ullāsa
(C.C.)

Just to increase the excitement, Śrī Rādhārāṇī was married to a cowherd named Abhimanyu, although this is only a dream-like arrangement made by goddess Yogamāyā (mystic illusion). Factually, the cowherd-husbands of the gopīs, like Abhimanyu, can never even cast an eye on the famous lovers of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their so-called ‘wives’.
They can only associate with shadow forms of the gopīs created by Yogamāyā, and they never have bodily contact with them, this is the siddhānta of the Bhāgavata (Ś.B. 10.33.38).

But the gopīs always think of themselves as being married with the cowherd men and having Kṛṣṇa as their paramour. If they did not think like that, there would be no obstacles (durlabhatā – the lover is rarely attained, bahu-vāryamānatā – the existence of many obstacles, and prachanna kāmatā – hidden desires) that caused greater excitement in their secret amorous feelings towards Kṛṣṇa, and their love could not reach such an elevated sweet climax.

Jaṭilā is the main obstacle on Rādhārāṇī’s path to meeting Kṛṣṇa. Waves of love for Kṛṣṇa constantly well up in the billowing ocean of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s body and mind. As long as She stays in Yāvaṭa, She thinks that Her mother-in-law Jaṭilā may suspect something of Her amorous affair with Vrajendranandana, and whenever She sees her She becomes very much afraid. Hence She is named jaṭilā dṛṣṭi bhīṣitā.