VERSE 7:

KVACIT KUÑJA KṢETRE SMARA VIṢAMA SAṀGRĀMA GARIMA
KṢARAC CITRA ŚREṆĪṀ VRAJA YUVA YUGASYOTKAṬA MADAIḤ
VIDHATTE SOLLĀSAṀ PUNAR ALAM AYAṀ PARṆAKACAYAIR
VICITRAṀ CITRĀTAḤ SAKHI KALITA ŚIKṢO’PY ANU JANAḤ

O sakhi Rūpa Mañjari! When will Citrā-sakhī blissfully teach this maidservant how to paint wonderful pictures on the bodies of the eager, intoxicated young Couple of Vraja (Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa) after Their old body-pictures had been wiped off during Their fierce erotic battle in the kuñja-abode?

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In this verse Śrī Raghunātha reveals his desire to learn the art of drawing from Citrā-sakhī.

Once these sweet services and pastimes are genuine relished, how can there still be ulterior desires in the heart of a devotee? If these desires for devotional service appear like a lightning-flash, and are then again replaced by other desires, can we then speak of genuine yearning for devotional service? Devotional service is the very life-line of Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs – they don’t know anything else than devotional service. All kinds of devotional service accept defeat at the hands of the kiṅkarīs” devotional service. They are absorbed in sevā rasa! In this verse is a prayer to Citrā-sakhī for learning the art of drawing.

Citrā-sakhī is described as follows in the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Gaṇoddeśa Dīpikā:

citrā caturthī kāśmīra gaurī kāca nibhāmbarā;
ṣaḍ viṁśatyā kaniṣṭhāhnā mādhavāmoda medurā
caturākhyāṁ pitur jātā sūrya mitra pitṛvyajā;
jananyāṁ carcikākhyāyāṁ patir asyās tu pīṭharaḥ

“Citrā is the fourth of the eight sakhīs. Her body shines like vermilion mixed with gold and her dress glitters like glass.
She is 26 days younger than Rādhā, and she is happy when Kṛṣṇa is happy. Her father’s name is Catura, who is king Vṛṣabhānu’s uncle.
Her mother’s name is Carcikā, and her husband’s name is Pīṭhara.”

citrā vicitra cāturyā sarvatrāsau praveśinī;
yāne’bhisaraṇābhikhye ṣaḍ guṇasya tṛtīyake
lekhe’pīṅgita vijñāne nānā deśīya bhāṣite;
dṛṣṭi mātrāt paricaye madhu kṣīrādi vastunaḥ
kāca bhājana nirmāṇe tan madhyormi vinirmitau;
jyotiḥ śāstre paśuvrāta vidyāyāṁ kārmaṇe’pi ca
vṛkṣopacāra śāstre ca viśeṣāt pāṭavaṁ gatā;
rasānāṁ pānakādīnāṁ suṣṭhu nirmāṇa karmaṇi

“Citrā’s cleverness is wonderful. She can enter everywhere, and she is very expert in abhisāra (rendez-vous), yuddha yātrā (the third of the six qualities in the yuddha-śāstra, the scriptures on warfare), writing notes, understanding hints, testing the quality of milk and honey on mere sight, making glass vessels and making waves in them, astrological scriptures, recognizing animals, using herbs, planting and maintaining trees and making delicious drinks.”

From this wonderfully expert Citrā-sakhī Śrī Raghunātha dāsa hopes to learn the art of drawing pictures.

Once, at midday, Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa sits on the bank of Rādhākuṇḍa, crying for Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s devotional service, when suddenly a vision comes to him:

Rādhā and Mādhava have just finished Their forest-tour with Their girlfriends and now enter Lalitā’s kuñja Lalitānandada. The mānjarīs massage Their feet and fan Them to mitigate Their fatigue, while Vṛndā-devī places glasses of honey-wine before Them. Kṛṣṇa takes the wine-glasses, places one at Śrīmatī’s lotus-like mouth and says: “Priye! Drink!”
Śrīmatī shyly lowers Her head and takes the glass from Kṛṣṇa. She covers Her mouth with Her veil, smells the honey-wine once, touches and scents it with Her lips, and then places it back in Her beloved Kṛṣṇa’s hand.

priyāṭavī vṛkṣa latodbhavaṁ priyaṁ priyādhara sparśa susaurabhaṁ madhu
nija priyālī parihāsa vāsitaṁ priyārpitaṁ saspṛham āpapau priyaḥ
(Govinda Līlāmṛta 14,87)

“Kṛṣṇa was eager to drink the wine from the trees of His beloved forest (Vṛndāvana), scented by the touch of His lover’s lips and the joking words of Her dear girlfriends and which was handed to Him by Priyājī Herself”.

Enchanted by Rādhā’s qualities, Kṛṣṇa places the glass of honey-wine, which was scented by His lips, back in Priyājī’s lotus hand. Priyājī shyly covers Her face with Her veil and drinks the honey-wine that was scented by Kṛṣṇa’s mouth.
In this way They inebriate Each other more and more by exchanging the wine-glass, and then They proceed to the kuñja called ‘nikuñja saroja’ (arbour-lotus) with stumbling gaits, to become absorbed in amorous pastimes there.
How intense is Their erotic battle when They are so intoxicated!

Tulasī peeps through the hole in the kuñja to admire these sweet pastimes. She sees that the pictures of musk, as well as Their tilaka, gets wiped off Their bodies during the amorous pastime, and when it is over, Tulasī enters the kuñja and expertly starts making pictures on the bodies of the divine Couple, something she has learned, along with services like fanning and offering water and betel leaves, from Citrā-sakhī.

Suddenly, the the transcendental vision disappears and Tulasī submits to Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī’s lotus feet:

“May I learn from Citrā-sakhī how to repair the pictures on Līlāmaya and Līlāmayī’s (playful Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s) bodies!

ei anugata jane (kobe) vicitra rūpete;
citrā sakhī śikṣā dibe veśa banāite
madhu-pāna kori kuñje śrī rādhā govinde;
mahāmatta manasija samara taraṅge
galiyā poḍile aṅge patra citra-śreṇī;
punarbāra aṅga-rāga koribo ki āmi (7)

“When will Citrā-sakhī teach this submissive person how to make different wonderful dresses?
When Śrī Rādhā-Govinda drink honey-wine in the kuñja They become greatly intoxicated by the waves of Cupid’s battle,
and the pictures will melt off Their bodies. Will I then again anoint Their bodies?”