Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī now does not see Rādhākuṇḍa anymore, he sees Śrī Rādhikā chewing pān on Her jewelled sofa in Yāvata.

How sweetly She’s sitting there, chewing pān and floating in the nectar of laughter and joking with Her girlfriends!

Now there will be ārati.

In the summer ārati is done with a plain lamp, in the winter with a jewelled lamp.
The ‘ārātrika’, or ārati-ceremony is meant to remove obstacles or inauspiciousness.

In the sweet rasa of Vraja, there are so many obstacles for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Their extra-marital relationship.

In Govinda Līlāmṛta (8.18), Śrī Rādhikā personally explains what kind of obstacles She has to face:

nanandā vidveṣṭrī patir ati kaṭuḥ sāpi kuṭilā
dhavāmba me padmā prabhṛti ripu-pakṣaś ca balavān
vanaṁ vyāptaṁ sarvaṁ vraja dhana janair ahni sakhibhir
vṛtaḥ kṛṣṇo labhyaḥ katham iha bhaved vighna bahule

“My sister-in-law envies Me, My husband is very harsh and My mother-in-law is very crooked.
The enemies’ party, with gopīs like Padmā, is very strong, and Kṛṣṇa is out there somewhere in the fields at daytime,
always surrounded by His cows and His friends! How then will I meet Kṛṣṇa when there are so many obstacles?”

Arātrika is performed for a smooth meeting with Kṛṣṇa later, at nightfall, by Govinda Sthalī or other places in Vṛndāvana, after which Śrī Rādhikā can enjoy Herself with Him by dancing the Rāsa, playing in the water of the Yamunā, drinking honeywine and wandering in the forest with Him.
For such an auspicious accomplishment this ārātrika is performed.

Lalitā will perform this loving ceremony.
Her bodily complexion is like Gorocana-pigment, she’s a little older in age, and has a very harsh (loving) nature.
She orders different people around while Tulasī brings the ārati-paraphernalia.
Svāminī sits down like a steady lightningstreak, that’s why She is addressed in the verse as Devi.

devī kohe dyotamanā paramā sundarī
(C.C.)

Devī means effulgent and most beautiful.

A wonderful golden light emanates from Her body. She feels that Śyāma is close to Her. He plays in Her heart.
In bhāvollāsa (times of meeting, Ed.), She is krīḍā vasatī nagarī (C.C.), living in the town of play.

How many past sports Svāminī remembers during the ārati, like pictures arising in Her mind!

In the same way, Lalitā performs the ārati of the Divine Pair together in the kuñja in the presence of the sakhīs and mañjarīs!
How beautiful! How sweet this is!

The boat of Svāminī’s mind sinks in the river of remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and that can be seen by the soft sweet smile on Her lotuslike face.

How does She laugh?
The Bhāgavata says: hasatyatho roditi rauti gāyaty unmādavan nṛtyati loka bāhyaḥ
– “He laughs, cries, sings and dances like mad, ignoring the people!”

That is the condition of someone who has prema. What then to say of the condition of mahā-bhāvamayī Rādhā?

During the ceremony there are no bells ringing. With sweet voices the sakhīs sing new auspicious songs to burn up all inauspiciousness,
while Lalitā lovingly swings the lamp around before Svāminī.
This ārati is a great ceremony of divine love.

The light of the lamp even increases the effulgence of Śrī Rādhikā’s face that mocks the lustre of molten gold.
All the sakhīs and mañjarīs sing and dance, spinning around and around.
Lalitā blows a conch shell and some kiṅkarīs shower their beloved Svāminī with flowers.
Some sing ‘Jaya Jaya’ and others make the ulu-dhvani (a high sound made while moving the tongue in the mouth).

How brightly Svāminī shimmers during the ārati!
She certainly deserves the name devi!

Lalitā offers a conch shell with water and then she wipes away all kinds of misfortune with a handkerchief.

Lalitā is the embodiment of love, and with all her love she performs this ceremony.

The sādhaka will relish these pastimes in his meditations; it is very sweet.

smaraṇa manera prāṇa,
madhura madhura dhāma
(Prema Bhakti Candrikā)

“Smaraṇa is the life of the mind and the abode of all sweetness.”

In the end Tulasī, who stands in the back, worships Svāminī with billions of hearts, by opening her braid, taking her hair in the hand before her bosom and waving it around as an offering to Svāminī.
The hair is black, Kṛṣṇa is also black. What a wonderful way to remind Svāminī of Kṛṣṇa!

Svāminī sits alone on Her sofa, but over the pathways of their minds (smṛti-pathe) the maidservants bring Her Śyāma there also to sit on Her right side.

After ārati there are singing-lessons and examinations in singing and dancing in the assembly of sakhīs.
There’s no limit to the ecstasy!

– From the tika of Srila Ananta das Babaji and Srila Ananda Gopal Goswami to Sri Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali