VERSE 3:

SADĀ RĀDHĀ KṚṢṆOCCHALAD ATULA KHELĀ STHALA YUJAṀ
VRAJAṀ SAṀTYAJYAITAD YUGA VIRAHATO’PI TRUṬIM API
PUNAR DVĀRĀVATYĀṀ YADUPATIM API PRAUḌHA VIBHAVAIḤ
SPHURANTAṀ TAD VĀCĀPI HI NAHI CALĀMĪKṢITUM API

    Even if the greatly opulent Lord of the Yadus (Kṛṣṇa) would personally invite me to come and see Him in Dvārakā, I will not leave the land of Vraja,
the eternal matchless playground of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, for even a moment, even if I have suffered separation from the Divine Couple there for ages!

    Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In the previous verse, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa vowed that even if he can associate with saints and see the deities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in different other holy places, he does not desire to leave Vraja. He would rather spend his time in Vraja speaking nonsense with the villagers. Now one may ask: ‘If Śrī Kṛṣṇa would call for Raghunātha dāsa to come to Dvārakā, because he suffers the pangs of separation from Him, to mitigate the burning pain of separation, would he then desire to leave Vraja and go to Dvārakā?’ To dispel these doubts Śrī Raghunātha writes this verse, in which he confirms his loyalty to Vraja.

    Śrī Raghunātha says: “What to speak of a short time, even if I suffer the pangs of separation from Kṛṣṇa for ages I will not go to Dvārakā, even if the supremely majestic Yadupati (Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā) would personally call me there to see Him!” When, in His manifest pastimes, Kṛṣṇa left Vraja to go to Mathurā, Nanda and the cow herders did not desire to go there to see Him, no matter how much they suffered the pangs of separation from Him, and even though it was only a very short distance (seven miles) from Vṛndāvana to Mathurā. The reason is that the love of the Vrajavāsīs is completely sweet. They can only be happy by loving Kṛṣṇa in the rural, human-like way of: ‘He is my son’, ‘He is my friend’, or ‘He is my lover’. They won’t be able to see Him in that way in Mathurā; their love would be reduced when they would see Him engaged in social duties, with all prowess and opulences. There’s not a drop of selfish desire left in the love of the Vrajavāsīs. Their minds and hearts are totally absorbed in giving pleasure to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa would feel embarrassed if He would see them in Mathurā, because in this majestic abode He won’t be able to wear Nanda-bābā’s shoes on His head, anoint His head and other limbs with mother Yaśodā’s foot dust, be defeated by His friends in play or fall at the feet of His proud, beloved Rādhā. He would not be happy to meet them outside of Vraja, therefore the Vrajavāsīs, who only care about His happiness, do not desire to go and see Kṛṣṇa outside of Vraja. If they ever meet Him elsewhere they feel great anguish and say:

tomāra ye anya veśa, anya saṅga anya deśa,

vrajajane kabhu nāhi bhāya

vrajabhūmi chāḍite nāre, tomā nā dekhile more,

vrajajanera ki hobe upāya (C.C.)

“The people of Vraja are never attracted to You in another dress, another country and with other associates. We cannot leave Vraja and if we don’t see You we will die. What should the people of Vraja do about this?”

Hence Śrī Raghunātha dāsa says: “Even if I suffer separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa for ages I will not go to see the vastly opulent Yadupati, even if Kṛṣṇa Himself tells me to do so!”

    Śrī Raghunātha dāsa is actually Śrī Rādhā’s beloved maidservant, therefore he/she never desires to leave Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s many blissful and rasika pastime-places in Vraja-dhāma. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called Līlā Puruṣottama, the Supremely Playful Personality of Godhead. The taste of His pastimes can never be fully relished in abodes like Dvārakā, because the devotees’ love is hampered by all the prowess and majesty there. In Vraja the special quality of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is their sweetness.

kṛṣṇera yoteko khelā, sarvottama nara-līlā,

nara-vapu tāhāra svarūpa.

gopaveśa veṇu-kara, nava kiśora naṭavara,

nara-līlāra hoy anurūpa (C.C.)

“Of all of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, His human-like pastimes, in which He appears as a human being, are the greatest.
Then He dresses like a young adolescent cowherd boy, holds a flute in His hand and is adept in dancing, exactly according to human pastimes.”

The special feature of that best of adolescent dancers, Vraja-nandana, is that He is eros Himself. There’s no comparison to the sweetness of His erotic pastimes with the Vraja-sundarīs, that are all endowed with mahā-bhāva. Especially His erotic pastimes with the crown jewel of Vraja-gopīs, mahā-bhāvavatī Śrīmatī Rādhārānī, are endowed with endless glory. Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa is Śrī Rādhā’s dear maidservant, and he is very happy to take shelter of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s transcendental playground of Vraja, where he can remember all Their blissful amorous pastimes. When that playground is merciful, the practicing devotee will also be able to see the immensely sweet, self-manifest pastimes of Śrī Rādhā and Mādhava, that always take place there. This is what happened with Śrī Līlāśuka and other fortunate devotees. The pastimes of Rādhā and Mādhava began to float before their eyes. For this reason, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa vows never to leave Vraja and not to go to Dvārakā for even a moment, even when he is being called there by Kṛṣṇa Himself. His vow of living in Vraja stands firm.

yugala vilāsa khelā, yathā nitya nava līlā,

sukhamaya śrī vṛndāvana.

vrajadhāma tyāga kore, yete dvārāvatī pure,

ājñā kore madana mohana

“If Madana Mohana orders me to leave Vraja-dhāma, blissful Śrī Vṛndāvana, the place where the Yugala Kiśora always perform Their pristine pastimes, and to go to Dvārakā….

prauḍha vibhava-śālī, yadupati yāre boli,

sei prabhu korite darśana.

lava nimeṣārdha tare, yāibo nā vraja cheḍe,

e saṅkalpa korechi grahaṇa

….even if the very wealthy Yadupati asked me to come and see Him, I would not leave this Vraja for even a split second. This is my firm vow.”