VERSE 6:

MITRĀṆĀṀ NIKARAIR VṚTENA HARIṆĀ SVAIRAṀ GIRĪNDRĀNTIKE
ŚULKĀDĀNA MIṢEṆA VARTMANI HAṬHĀD DAMBHENA RUDDHĀÑCALAM
SĀRDDHAṀ SMERA SAKHĪBHIR UDDHURA GĪRĀṀ BHAṄGYĀ KṢIPANTĪṀ RUṢĀ
BHRŪ-DARPAIR VILASAC CAKORA NAYANĀṀ RĀDHĀṀ KADĀHAṀ BHAJE

On the road near Govardhana Hill Hari and His friends suddenly proudly stopped Her on the pretext of collecting tax. When Hari then tugged at the edge of Her garment She angrily beat Him off and chastised Him with bold words and frowned eyebrows. When will I worship that Rādhā, whose eyes shimmer like Cakora-birds?

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In this verse Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī perceives Śrī-Śrī Rādhā and Mādhava’s Dāna-līlā at the base of Govardhana Hill. This Dāna-līla is very relishable because it is anointed with Rādhā and Mādhava’s different joking discussions that contain so many transcendental moods like joy, anger, pride, jealousy and self-esteem. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī opens his play ‘Dāna Keli Kaumudi’ with a praise of Śrī Rādhā’s kila kiñcita-bhāva as She is stopped near the Dāna Ghāti.

antah smeratayojjvala jalakaṇa vyākīrṇa pakṣmāṅkurā
kiñcit pāṭalitāñcala rasikatotsiktā purah kuñcati
ruddhāyāh pathi mādhavena madhura vyābhugna tārottarā
rādhāyāh kila kiñcita stavakinī dṛṣṭih śriyāṁ vah kriyāt

“May the sight of Śrī Rādhā’s kila kiñcita bhāva, which is like a bouquet, bring good fortune to you! When Mādhava blocked Her way to the Dāna Ghāṭī, there was a bright smile in Her heart, and Her sweetly curved eyes grew bright and were filled with tears that were scattered over Her eyelashes. Her eyes grew slightly pinkish, being sprinkled by Kṛṣṇa’s cunning behaviour, but they shrank when Hari came before Her!”

Surrounded by His dear friends like Subala and Madhumaṅgala, Śrī Kṛṣṇa made wonderfully sweet jokes with Śrīmatī Rādhārānī and Her girlfriends on the road near Govardhana Hill. Knowing that this pastime would make Him relish the full nectar of Śrī Rādhā’s love, He erected a toll-station near the Dāna Ghāṭī and stood there, dressed as a tax-collector. Meanwhile Śrī Rādhārāṇī and Her girlfriends, similarly eager to relish this prema-rasa, took small golden jugs with ghī on their heads and headed for Govinda Kuṇḍa to bring this ghī to Bhāguri Muni and other sages, who were performing a sacrifice there on the request of Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa’s father in Mathurā. Actually, their only aim and desire was meeting Śyāmasundara: dāna chale bheṭibo kānāi “On the pretext of paying tax we will meet Kṛṣṇa!”

How many hundreds of parihāsa rasas (flavours of joking) They relished at the Dāna Ghāṭi! On the pretext of collecting tax, Kṛṣṇa touched Śrī Rādhā’s body, but the sakhīs stopped Him and said:

ei mone vane,   dāni hoiyācho,
chuite rādhāra aṅga
rākhāl hoiyā,  rāja kumārī saṅge,
kisera rabhasa raṅga   emon ācara,
nāhi koro ḍoro,
ghanāiyā āsicho kāche
guruvara āge,    koribo gocara,
tokhon jānibe pāchechu’io nā chu’io nā,
nilaja kānāi,     āmarā parera nārī        para puruṣera,
pavana paraśe,    sacele sināna korigovinda dāsera,
vacana mānoho, nā koro emona ḍhaṅga,yoi nāgarī,
o rase āgorī, koroho tākara saṅga
(Pada Kalpataru)

“In this mind, in this forest You became the taxcollector just to touch Rādhā’s body! You’re quite bold to touch a princess (like Her), being a mere cowherder! Are You not afraid to come so close to Her? I will tell this to our superiors, You will find out about them later (when they punish You)! Don’t touch! Don’t touch, O shameless Kānāi, we are other men’s wives! When even the wind from another man touches us we take a bath with all our clothes on! Heed Govinda Dāsa’s words: Don’t do like that. Just unite with any heroine who is eager to enjoy this rasa. ”

Hearing the sakhīs’ words Nāgara proudly and freely grabbed the edge of Śrī Rādhā’s sārī. Śrīmatī immediately pulled it back and boldly rebuked Kṛṣṇa as follows:

hede he nandera suta! ke tomā korilo mahā dānī?daṇḍe kāca nānā kāca,
nā chāḍo ramaṇī pācha,bujhāle nā bujho hita-vānī

“O Son of Nanda! Who has made You into a great tax-collector? You can’t give up harassing other men’s wives! Even though people try to teach You for Your own good You won’t understand it!”

śuniyāchi śiśu-kāle,
pūtanā vadhecho hele,
tṛṇāvartera loiyāche parāṇaekhoni nandera bāḍī,
dekhiyāchi gaḍāgaḍiekhoni sādhite āilā dāna

“I heard that You carelessly killed Pūtanā and Tṛṇāvarta when You were a baby and now I see You making a mess of Nanda’s house. Now again You’re playing the taxman!”

kāḍi nibo pīta dhaḍā,
āluā phelibo cūḍā,
bāṅśīti bhāsāiyā dibo jalekubola bolibe yadi,
māthāya ḍhālibo dadhi,bosite nā dibo tarutale

“I will snatch off Your yellow dhotī, knock off Your crown and make Your flute float in the river, and if You utter any protest I will pour My yoghurt over Your head and forbid You to sit at the base of this tree!”

mohana cāturī kori,
bāṅśīte sandhāna pūri,
buke hāna manmatha bāṇa.ramaṇī maṇḍala kori,
ābharana lobo kāḍi,
bhālomate sādhāibo dāna

“You’re playing all kinds of enchanting tricks by filling up Your flute with nectarean sounds. Thus My heart is pierced by Cupid’s arrows. You will certainly accomplish Your tax-collection by snatching the ornaments away from all these women!”

rākhāla barbara jāti,
dhenu rākho divārāti,
mahiṣa godhana vatsa loiyā,kula-vadhū sane hāsa,
ithe nāhi lāja vāsaekhoni kaṁsere dibo koiyā

“You belong to a primitive caste of cowherders and You spend all Your time herding cows, buffaloes, bulls and calves. You’re not at all shy to make jokes with the married girls, but now I will give notice to King Kamsa!”

While rebuking Her Nāgara in such a juicy way, Śrīmatī proudly frowns Her eyebrows. How beautiful are Her Cakora-bird-like eyes at that time! During the vision Śrī Raghunātha dāsa relishes this pastime and when the vision vanishes he expresses his desire for suitable devotional service.

girirāja govardhane,
giridhārī sakhā-gaṇe,
pathakara grahaṇera chale.
patha avarodha kori,
dharilā garvete hari,
śrī rādhāra vasana añcale

“On the base of Girirāja Govardhana Giridhārī and His friends stop Śrī Rādhā and Her girlfriends on the pretext of collecting tax. Hari then proudly grabs the edge of Śrī Rādhā’s garment.”

sakhī saṅge hāsya mukhī,
antarete mahā sukhī,
bāhye krodha kori abhinayapragalbha vākyete dhani,
bhaṅgi kori vinodinī,
tiraskāra kore atiśaya

“Smiling-faced Rādhikā, along with Her girlfriends, is very happy within, but pretends to be very angry externally. With bold words Vinodinī severely chastises Giridhārī.”

heno kāle bhrū bhaṅgimā,
saundarya mādhurya sīmā,
sucañcala nayana cakoravilāsinīra se vilāsa,
mugdha koilo pītavāsa,bhaji tāre hoiyā vibhora

“At that moment Vilāsinī (playful Rādhā) displays the limit of beauty and sweetness by frowning Her eyebrows and She enchants Pītavāsa (Kṛṣṇa) with Her eyes, that are as beautiful as Cakora-birds. I worship Her in full absorption!”