VERSE 8:

amala kamala rāji sparśi bāta praśīte
nija sarasi nidāghe sāyam ullāsinīyam
parijana gaṇa yukta krīḍayantī bakārīṁ
snapayati nija dāsye rādhikā māṁ kadā nu

When will Śrī Rādhikā, who on summer evenings blissfully plays in Her own lake, which is filled with rows of spotless lotus flowers that cool the breezes, with Her own girlfriends and Bakāri (Kṛṣṇa), bathe me in Her service?

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

Through his experiences of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s pastimes in svarūpāveśa, Kuṇḍāśrayī Śrīpāda Raghunātha prays in each verse of this Rādhikāṣṭaka for Śrīmatī’s service. Of each pastime he experiences in his transcendental visions he prays for the particular devotional service that is suitable for it. In this final verse a vision appears before his eyes of a charming pastime in Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa.

One summer-evening, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa sits on the bank of Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa, anxiously weeping and desiring Śrīmatī’s devotional service.
Then he suddenly sees Śrī Rādhikā with Her sakhīs on the bank of the kuṇḍa with the Lord of their life, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
How charming Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa’s beauty is!
All around there are many blooming lotus flowers in the water, in four different colours: white, red, yellow (or golden) and blue. These lotus flowers are wonderful, because they cool even the wind, that has become heated by the scorching hands of the midday summersun, and they scent the wind also, allowing it to carry their fragrance all over.

Śrī Rādhārāṇī wants to play in the water with the Lord of Her life and Her girlfriends, so She holds Kṛṣṇa’s hands and says: “Dearest one! Come, let’s play in My kuṇḍa for a while!”

All the gopīs then change their silken sārīs for bathing dresses and enter the water with Kṛṣṇa, looking like the king of elephants playing in the water with his she-elephants. When the gopīs surround Kṛṣṇa, holding hands, they look like a golden net that has caught Him, or like moonbeams covering a mass of clouds. When Kṛṣṇa sees that He’s surrounded, He casts sly glances at the gopīs and begins to break their circle by forcibly splashing them with water. The gopīs then approach Kṛṣṇa and splash back at Him, but He protects His eyes with His hands, so He can tolerate it. All the limbs of the beautiful girls are stirred, only their faces shine like beautiful moons of bliss. While Śrīmatī splashes Her Prāṇanātha, Her jewelled bangles jingle like the water-missiles of Cupid, and that is intolerable for Kṛṣṇa.

After that, the sakhīs begin a great waterfight with Kṛṣṇa.

First Kṛṣṇa mildly splashes His darlings, just to encourage them a little, and then the sakhīs begin a massive counter-attack by pelting Kṛṣṇa with huge showers of delicious kuṇḍa-water. Then, when Kṛṣṇa responds with unrelenting streams of water, the gopīs fearfully lower their heads and cover their eyes, noses and ears with their fingers. While Śrī Kṛṣṇa plays with the sakhīs in the water, Śrī Rādhā hides in a cluster of golden lotus flowers, and Hari, not being able to find Her, starts kissing each and every lotus flower, thinking they are Her lotus-like face.
When Rādhikā sees this, She cannot keep from laughing anymore. Then the sakhīs also begin to laugh, so Kṛṣṇa regains His wits and catches His Priyatamā.
After this, Śrī Rādhā with all of Her girlfriends begins to splash Nāgaramaṇi vigorously with water, making Śrī Kṛṣṇa lower His moonlike face and say: “No more! No more! I accept defeat!”

Kṛṣṇa is Bakāri, the enemy of Bakāsura. Although He was easily able to tear up that huge bird-monster just like a blade of grass when He was just a child by holding both ends of its beak, He must now accept defeat in a water-game with Śrī Rādhārāṇī and Her sakhīs! Her victory is truly perfect by defeating Him!
When Śrī Rādhā hears Śyāmasundara’s ambrosial words, She stops splashing Him and begins to laugh in an amazing and enchanting way. Then the sakhīs tell Her:
“Ayi Rādhike! Fully enjoy Yourself in the water of Your kuṇḍa, what’s the use of splashing Kṛṣṇa, who is defeated and fleeing, anymore? Look, His crown hangs on the back of His head, His Kaustubha-gem has taken shelter of Your cheeks in the form of its reflection, His earrings are restlessly swinging on His ears, His tilaka was washed from His forehead, and His flower garland hangs torn-up on His neck! Therefore, O sakhi, Kṛṣṇa is sorely distressed, don’t hurt Him anymore!”

After thus playing their very wonderful watersports, Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava come back on the shore with Their girlfriends, where the mañjarīs serve Them in different ways by dressing and ornamenting Them.
Now the vision disappears from Śrī Raghunātha dāsa, and he anxiously prays to Kuṇḍeśvarī’s lotus feet that She may shower him with the sweet nectar of Her service.

snigdha veṇu-nāda śuni navīna kiśorī; āsilā kuñjete śīghra yathā vaṁśī-dhārī
svalpa prakāśita kori duṭī netra dvaya; nata-mukhī hoiyā rādhā dāḍāiyā raya
duṭī karṇa kuharera koilo kaṇḍūyana; hari citta camatkārī apūrva darśana
sei śrī rādhikā more karuṇā koriyā; abhiṣikta koribe ki dāsya pada diyā?

“When Navīna Kiśorī (adolescent Rādhikā) hears the pleasant sound of His flute She quickly goes to the grove where She finds Vaṁśī-dhārī Kṛṣṇa. Slightly manifesting Her feelings through Her eyes Rādhā stands there with lowered head, shyly scratching Her ears. This wonderful sight astonishes Śrī Hari’s mind. Will that Śrī Rādhikā be so kind to shower me with Her service?”