VERSE 2:

NA CĀNYATRA KṢETRE HARITANU SANĀTHE’PI SUJANĀD
RASĀSVĀDAṀ PREMNĀ DADHAD API VASĀMI KṢAṆAM API
SAMAṀ TV ETAD GRĀMYĀVALIBHI TANVANN API KATHĀṀ
VIDHĀSYE SAṀVĀSAṀ VRAJABHUVANA PRATIBHAVAM

I will not live in any other holy place for even a moment, even if there is a deity of Lord Hari there and even if I can lovingly relish transcendental topics of Hari there with great devotees.
Instead, I will live in Vraja birth after birth, even if I may speak nonsense with the low-caste villagers there!

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In this verse Śrī Raghunātha dāsa takes a firm vow always to live in Vraja with great love. One of the five extraordinarily powerful items of sadhana-bhakti is living in Vraja, and even a slight performance of any of these items can awaken prema in the offense-less practicing devotee’s heart. It’s therefore needless to say that a person who is fixed in living in Vraja will easily attain the perfection of prema. rāgānugā-sādhakas that are fixed in the mellows of Vraja, should always live in Vraja and do bhajana there: kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā (B.R.S.). This is one of the most internal items of bhajana. Undoubtedly, bhāva bhakti will awaken in the heart of a devotee who is fixed in Vraja, but moreover, even if an offense-less devotee simply touches the land of Vraja, devotion will appear in his heart. This has been loudly proclaimed by the scriptures. parānandamayī siddhir mathurā sparśa mātrataḥ. Such extraordinary, inconceivable powers cannot be fathomed by the intelligence.

    Even if he can be so fortunate to see the deities in different temples and hear topics of the Lord from the mouths of great devotees there, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa does not desire to live in any other holy place, such as Badarikāśrama, for even a moment. But even if he just spends his time speaking nonsense with low-caste villagers there, he desires to stay in Vraja birth after birth. The purport of this is that in other holy places the glories of Lord Hari are heard and chanted in a mood of awe and reverence (aiśvarya-jñāna), and this will certainly destroy the sweet mood of a Vraja-bhakta if he goes there. Also the darśana of different deities outside of Vraja will inevitably awaken a feeling of awe and reverence in the heart of a Vraja-devotee.

    In Śrī Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta, Sanātana Gosvāmī describes how Śrī Gopa Kumāra, who served Kṛṣṇa in the sweet fraternal rasa in Vraja, went to the holy abodes of Śrī Vaikuṇṭha, Ayodhyā and Dvārakā and had personal meetings there with Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Rāmacandra and Śrī Dvārakā-nātha. Instead of making him happy, these meetings made him very distressed, though, because they filled him with feelings of awe and reverence. Finally, in Śrī Uddhava’s house in Dvārakā, Śrī Nārada and Uddhava advised Gopa Kumāra to abandon these majestic abodes and to go to Vraja-dhāma, the abode of sweetness. In this connection Śrī Nārada Muni said (B.B. 2.5.217,218,220):

tat tu laukika sad-bandhu-buddhyā prema bhayādijam;
vighnaṁ nirasya tad gopa-gopī dāsyepsayārjayet
tad dhi tat tad vraja-krīḍā dhyāna gāna pradhānayā;
bhaktyā sampadyate preṣṭha nāma saṅkīrtanojjvalam
…
tad vai tasya priya krīḍā vana bhūmau sadā rahaḥ
nivasaṁs tanuyād evaṁ sampadyetācirād dhruvam

    “O Gopa Kumāra! One who desires to serve the gopīs and gopas of Vraja and to give up obstacles like fear (of the Lord) takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and lovingly approaches Him as a good worldly friend. This devotional practice, that awakens the love of Vraja, mainly consists of singing and meditation, as well as the brilliant practice of nāma sankīrtana. For this devotional practice the devotees exclusively reside in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s playground Vrajabhūmi, where they swiftly attain the desired Vraja-prema.”

    Just as the exclusive attention and devotion of an ekānta-bhakta for his favorite deity is very lovely and praiseworthy, similarly the exclusive loyalty of such devotees for the playground of their beloved deity is also very lovely and highly favorable for the attainment of their perfection in bhāva. This exclusive loyalty to one certain deity or holy abode does not mean that the devotee disregards, disrespects or belittles other forms of the Lord, because: ananta rūpe eka rūpa nāhi kono bheda (C.C.) – “There are innumerable forms of the Lord, and one form is absolutely non-different from the other.”

In the same way the devotees do not belittle or disrespect other sacred abodes of the Lord, that are all manifestations of one and the same sandhinī-śakti (the Lord’s existence-potency). Rather, these holy abodes and their presiding deities are very pleased with such exclusive devotees. In this way, although Śrī Raghunātha dāsa may be found discussing all kinds of wordly topics with the Vrajavāsīs, this greatly enhances his own mood of Vraja-consciousness. Therefore, he vows to live in Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s playground Vraja-dhāma birth after birth and he has given up the desire to live in other holy places, even if he can see deities of the Lord, associate with great devotees or be engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord with such devotees there.

vraja chāḍi anya dhāme, rasika bhakata sane,
hari kathā mahotsava hoy
yāhāke bhajanā kori, śrī govinda yadi heri,
tabu mana tathā nāhi dhāya

    “Even if I could attend great festivals where rasika bhaktas hold Hari-kathā and even if I could see my worshipable deity Śrī Govinda there, I would not leave Vraja to go to any other holy place.”

kintu ei vṛndāvane, itara janera sane,
grāmyālāpa korite korite
janme janme vāsa kori, seho śreyaḥ mane kori,
e lālasā sadā mora cite

    “But in this Vṛndāvana, I would even speak all kinds of nonsense with the villagers. I think it would be better if I could live there, birth after birth, this desire is always on my mind.”