Śrī Śrī Vraja-Vilāsa-Stava – A praise of the manifestation of the Vraja-pastimes
(Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī)

With the commentary of Radhakunda Mahanta Pandit Sri Srimat Ananta das Babaji
Translation: Sri Advaita das

VERSE 106:

rāgeṇa rūpa-mañjaryā raktīkṛta-muradviṣaḥ
guṇārādhita-rādhāyāḥ pāda-yugme ratir mama

May my loving attachment live in the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā,
Who is worshipped by all the divine attributes such as cleverness,
and to whom Rūpa Mañjarī has passionately made Kṛṣṇa very attached.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā :

After praising the holy dhāma and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and Their associates, Śrīpāda Raghunātha now prays for his most precious aspiration: śrī rādhāyāḥ pāda-yugme mama ratir astu – “May I love the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā.”

This is the practice and this is the goal. This is the highest treasure that is aspired for by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas who are endowed with rādhā-snehādhika rati (a greater love for Rādhā than for Kṛṣṇa).
As a result of being exclusively fixed on the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā, all the desires of Vṛndāvana’s rasa-sādhakas are fulfilled.

One may ask:
“The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas are yugalopāsakas: they worship and serve Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and meditate on Them. How can love for only Śrī Rādhā’s feet be their goal? Shouldn’t they aspire for love for the lotus feet of the Divine Pair?”

As an answer to such questions it is said:

“There is absolutely no difference between love for the Pair’s lotus feet and love for Rādhā’s lotus feet. Rather, love for Rādhā’s lotus feet automatically brings love for the Divine Pair and service to Their lotus feet to even greater perfection.
Although the practising devotee, who is fixed in Rādhā’s lotus feet, does not want Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself comes out searching for him to make him His.
Śrī Rādhā is known as Kṛṣṇamayī – kṛṣṇamayī kṛṣṇa yāra antara bāhire (C.C.) “Kṛṣṇamayī means She whose inside out is Kṛṣṇa”.

Through Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rādhā is worshipped. Therefore, how can Rādhā be worshipped and how can love for Her lotus feet be accomplished without Kṛṣṇa? Therefore although they are yugalopāsakas, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas always think themselves to be Rādhā’s maidservants –
“I am Rādhā’s. I have exclusively given my heart to Her!”

This is why Śrīpāda Raghunātha desires love for Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet.
What this Śrī Rādhā is like is described in this verse –
Śrī Rādhā is worshipped by all the attributes, like cleverness. She, who is always worshipped by all the divine qualities, is Śrī Rādhā.
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavatyakiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
(Bhāg. 5.18.12)  – “The demigods and all great attributes always reside in he who has unalloyed devotion for the Lord.”

sarva mahā-guṇa-gaṇa vaiṣṇava-śarīre;
kṛṣṇa bhakte kṛṣṇera guṇa sakala sañcāre
(C.C.)

“All the great qualities reside in the Vaiṣṇava’s body. All of Kṛṣṇa’s attributes are infused into the devotee of Kṛṣṇa.”

If all of Kṛṣṇa’s attributes are infused within the insignificant living entities when they are devoted to the Lord, then is it any wonder, that all the divine attributes are worshipping Śrī Rādhā, Who is the quintessence of the Lord’s pleasure potency, the embodiment of the mahābhāva known as mādana and Prema Lakṣmī, the supreme goddess of love?
Actually, any attempt of an ordinary person to count Śrī Rādhā’s endless qualities are nothing else but ridiculous.

yāra sad-guṇa gaṇera svayaṁ kṛṣṇa nā pāna pāra;
tāra guṇa gaṇibe kemone jīva chāra?
(C.C.)

“Even Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot find the end to Her great qualities; how could any insignificant living being count them?”

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has mentioned 25 of Śrī Rādhā’s “sweeter-than-sweet” qualities, which are suitable for the madhura rasa –

atha vṛndāvaneśvaryāḥ kīrtyante pravarā-guṇāḥ
madhureyaṁ nava vayāś calāpāṅgojjvala smitā
cāru saubhāgya rekhāḍhyā gandhonmādita mādhavā
saṅgīta prasarābhijñā ramya-vāṅ narma paṇḍitā
vinītā karuṇā-pūrṇā vidagdhā pāṭavānvitā
lajjā-śīlā sumaryādā dhairya gāmbhīrya śālinī
suvilāsā mahābhāva paramotkarṣa tarṣiṇī
gokula prema vasatir jagac-chreṇī lasad yaśāḥ
gurvarpita guru snehā sakhī praṇayitā vaśā
kṛṣṇa priyāvalī mukhyā santatāśrava keśavā
bahunā kiṁ guṇās tasyāḥ saṅkhyātītā harer iva

“She is sweet and young; She has restless eyes and a bright smile; She has beautiful lines of fortune on Her hands; Her fragrance intoxicates Mādhava; She is expert in singing; She speaks charming words; She is expert in joking; She is humble, full of compassion, clever, shy, respectful, patient, grave and playful.
She thirsts after (giving Kṛṣṇa) the pinnacle of mahā-bhāva; She has Her residence of love in Gokula (Vraja); Her glories pervade the whole universe; She is the object of Her superiors’ affection; She is subdued by the love of Her girlfriends and She is the chief of all of Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds. Indeed, She fully controls Keśava!
What more can I say about Her attributes? They are innumerable, just like Hari’s!”

In the Rādhā-prakaraṇa-chapter of his scripture Śrī Ujjvala Nīlamaṇi, Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda has made an analysis of each of these qualities by citing examples. Anyone who wants to know these details should consult this book.

Śrīla Raghunātha says:
“Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī passionately makes Śrī Kṛṣṇa attached to Her.”

The sakhīs and mañjarīs are engaged in making Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava attached to Each other by describing the One’s forms and qualities to the Other.
The transcendental rasa would not be nourished if They had to extend this passion Themselves, without the aid of the sakhīs and mañjarīs.
Hence it is said that although the love of Rādhā and Mādhava is all-pervading, it is dependent on the assistence of the sakhīs and mañjarīs for its nourishment.

Śrīpāda Raghunātha das covets love for the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Who is Kṛṣṇa’s most beloved and a mine of innumerable qualities such as cleverness.

There is also another meaning to this verse, namely:
“May I love the lotus feet of Rūpa Mañjarī, who colours Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the incomparable flavours of her heart’s passionate love and worships Śrī Rādhārāṇī through her own incomparable qualities.”

In other words:
“Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī always keeps Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava subdued by her incomparable passionate love and her divine love-born qualities. If I can love the lotus feet of this Rūpa Mañjarī, all my desires will swiftly be fulfilled”.

Thus Śrīpāda Raghunātha has simultaneously given two meanings to this concluding verse of Vraja-Vilāsa-Stava, showing that he covets love for the lotus feet of his most beloved Śrī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. This is the highest aspiration for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas.
All glories to Śrīpāda Raghunātha’s wonderful expertise in the art of poetry!

śrī rūpa mañjarī kṛṣṇe anurāga rase;
rañjita koriyā yāra koriyāche vaśe
vaidagdhyādi guṇa dvārā yini ārādhitā;
sei rādhā pada dvandve rati hok sadā

“May I love the lotus feet of Rādhā, Who is worshipped by all the divine attributes like cleverness and Who subdues Kṛṣṇa because He has been coloured by the flavours of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī’s passionate love!”

Or:

hṛdayera atulana anurāga rase,
rādhānāthe yini sukhe kori surañjita
apūrva madhura guṇāvalīra paraśe;
śrī rādhāre atiśaya koilā ānandita
sei śrī rūpa mañjarīra caraṇa kamala;
eka mātra gati mora ekānta sambala

“The lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, who pleases Rādhā’s Lord by colouring Him with the matchless flavours of her passionate heart and who greatly delights Śrī Rādhā with the touch of her wonderfully sweet qualities, are my only shelter and my only resort!”