VERSES 11-13:
TVĀṀ NATVĀ YĀCATE DHṚTVĀ TṚṆAṀ DANTAIR AYAṀ JANAḤ
SVA DĀSYĀMṚTA SEKENA JĪVAYĀMUṀ SUDUḤKHITAM
NA MUÑCEC CHARAṆĀYĀTAM API DUṢṬAṀ DAYĀMAYAḤ
TATO GĀNDHARVIKE HĀ HĀ MUÑCAINAṀ NAIVA TĀDṚŚAM
PREMĀMBHOJA MARANDĀKHYAṀ STAVA-RĀJAM IMAṀ JANAḤ
ŚRĪ RĀDHIKĀ KṚPĀ HETUṀ PAṬHAṀS TAD DĀSYAM ĀPNUYĀT
This person bows down to You, holding a straw between his teeth and prays to You:
“Please revive this miserable wretch by showering him with the nectar of Your loving service! It is said:’A merciful person never abandons a miserable wretch who has taken shelter of him.’
Therefore, O Gāndharvike, You should also not abandon me!
A person who recites this praise called ‘Premāmbhoja maranda’ (the honey from the love-lotus), which is meant to arouse Śrī Rādhikā’s mercy, will attain Her devotional service.
Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:
In this Premāmbhoja Marandākhya Stavarāja, Śrīpāda Raghunātha describes the ecstatic bhāva-bathing, dressing and ornamentation of mahābhāvavatī Śrī Rādhārāṇī.
In great humility he considers himself just an ajāta rati sādhaka (a practicing devotee who has not yet awoken his rati) and says: “Is it possible that a wanderer through the desert of material existence, who is burning in the fire of the threefold material miseries, a miserable wretch like me, can attain the service of the very form of mahā bhāva, Śrī Rādhikā?”
Along with these thoughts the remembrance of Śrī Rādhikā’s causeless and boundless mercy enters his mind. After all, he himself wrote in the beginning of this stava, that Śrī Rādhā is always showered by the nectar stream of compassion! Remembering Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s compassion, he feels somewhat consoled.
āpanā ayogya dekhi mone pāo kṣobha;
tathāpi tomāra guṇe upajāya lobha
(C.C.)
“I feel very upset when I see how unqualified I am, but still I am very eager to attain You because of Your qualities!”
At one and the same time he is desperate, remembering His own lack of qualification, while the remembrance of the compassion of His beloved infuses hope in his heart. With this kind of hope amidst hopelessness Śrī Raghunātha dāsa takes a straw between the teeth and offers His humble obeisances at Śrīmatī’s lotus feet, eagerly praying for Her devotional service.
Śrīpāda’s life-airs reach up to his throat for want of Śrī Rādhā’s service. Every time there are new waves of desire for devotional service arising on the ocean of his heart. He cannot live without that service anymore; but this is not a physical death, it is the suffering of a soul being squeezed, out of want for devotional service.
The word suduḥkhita here means, that Raghunātha dāsa doesn’t just feel miserable physically, for intense physical misery can be solved by committing suicide; this will make the soul happy. No, it is the suffering of the soul, and that suffering cannot just be cured by committing suicide, it can only be cured by the attainment of devotional service by the mercy of the beloved deity.
This is why Raghunātha dāsa prays: “May Śrī Rādhārānī save the life of this very wretched soul by giving me the nectar of Her service!”
Great humility arises in the heart of Śrīpāda Raghunātha:
“The heart of a compassionate person melts upon seeing the suffering of a miserable person, but alas! Is it possible to have mercy on someone like me, whose heart is polluted by habitual desires for sense-gratification?”
Then the next moment he thinks: “But the really compassionate persons never abandon those wretched souls who take earnest shelter of them!”
The anxious prayers of Śrī Raghunātha dāsa cause even a stone to melt!
In the final verse, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa blesses the reciters of his Premāmbhoja Marandākhya Stavarāja by saying:
“In this stava, the truth on mahābhāvamayī Śrī Rādhārāṇī has been described with a wonderful expertise in the art of poetry, through the mouth of poetic embellishments. Surely those who sincerely recite this stava will be able to understand the real nature (svarūpa) of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in their hearts and minds, by Her grace, and like a mantra, it will attract Śrīmatī’s grace towards those who recite or hear this stava. As a result of Śrīmatī’s grace the student will be blessed with the attainment of the devotional service of Śrīmatī’s lotus feet.
daśanete tṛṇa dhari koriyā praṇati; he rādhe! pādapadme kori e minati
suduḥkhita more tumi karuṇā koriyā; sañjīvita koro tava dāsyāmṛta diyā (11)
duṣṭa jana-o eka bāra loile śaraṇa; dayāmaya vyakti tāre nā chāḍe kokhon
he rādhe gāndharvike! nivedana dhara; e āśrita duṣṭa jane tyāga nāhi koro (12)
śrī rādhikā kṛpā hetu ratana virāja; premāmbhoja marandākhya ei stavarāja
yei jana pāṭha kore anurāga mone; rādhikāra dāsya lābha kore sei jane (13)
“O Rādhe! Holding a straw between my teeth I offer my obeisances unto You and humbly pray to Your lotus feet: Be kind to this miserable wretch, and revive me with the nectar of Your devotional service! A merciful person never abandons even a wicked person who takes shelter of him. Thus, O Gāndharvike Rādhe! I pray to You: Please do not abandon this wicked person, who has taken shelter of You!” Anyone who recites this Premāmbhoja Marandākhya Stavarāja, that is like a jewel that invokes Śrī Rādhikā’s grace, with great devotional passion, will attain Rādhikā’s service.”
