ULLĀSAIR JALAKELI LOLUPA MANAḤ PŪRE NIDĀGHODGAME
KṢVELĪ LAMPAṬA MĀNASĀBHIR ABHITAḤ SĀYAṀ SAKHĪBHIR VṚTĀM
GOVINDAṀ SARASI PRIYE’TRA SALILA KRĪḌĀ VIDAGDHAṀ KAṆAIḤ
SIÑCANTĪṀ JALA-YANTRAKEṆA PAYASĀṀ RĀDHĀṀ KADĀHAṀ BHAJE

VASANTĪ KUSUMOTKAREṆA PARITAḤ SAURABHYA VISTĀRIṆĀ
SVENĀLAṄKṚTI SAÑCAYENA BAHUDHĀVIRBHĀVITENA SPHUṬAM
SOTKAMPAṀ PULAKODGAMAIR MURABHIDĀ DRĀG BHŪṢITĀṄGĪṀ KRAMAIR
MODENĀŚRU BHARAIḤ PLUTĀṀ PULAKITĀṀ RĀDHĀṀ KADĀHAṀ BHAJE

When can I serve Śrī Rādhā, who becomes eager to play in the water with Her girlfriends in the evenings in the beginning of summer and who then sprinkles Govinda, who is expert in watersporting, with water from Her beloved lake (Rādhākuṇḍa) with a syringe?

When will I serve Śrī Rādhā, who sheds many tears of joy and whose hairs stand on end when Kṛṣṇa gradually decorates Her in so many ways with many self-made ornaments made of vernal Vāsantī-flowers that extend their excellent fragrance, trembling and horripilating of ecstasy?”

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In the eighth and ninth verse Śrī Raghunātha dāsa perceives the watersports of Rādhā and Mādhava with Their girlfriends in the waters of Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa, and Kṛṣṇa’s efforts in decorating Śrīmatī with floral ornaments in a grove on the bank of the kuṇḍa.

The summer has just begun, and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī is sitting on the bank of Rādhākuṇḍa, doing bhajana, when suddenly a transcendental vision comes to him: He sees Rādhikā and Mādhava sporting on the bank of the kuṇḍa with Their girlfriends! Śrīmatī is very eager to play in the water with Her beloved Śyāmasundara.
After They tell Each other how eager They are to sport like this, They change clothes, put on clothes and ornaments that are suitable for these water sports, and go down into the water, where They play just like a fresh monsoon-cloud with a garland of lightning strikes.

rādhā sakhī saie o vara nāha; kautuke keli-kuṇḍa avagāha
aparūpa suracana koru jala-keli; sakhīgaṇa saie nāgarī eku meli
dvairatha yujhata yaichana vīra; taichana jalaseka duhuka śarīra
rādhā mohana pahu kuñjaka cāha; avasare rāi koru jala ativāha
(Pada Kalpataru)

“Rādhā and Her sakhīs and the best of amorous heroes all enter the play-kuṇḍa in great fun. How wonderfully clever is their water-lila! The sakhīs join our amorous heroine and start to combat our hero, and then Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa start to sprinkle Each other with water. Rādhā Mohana (the poet or Kṛṣṇa) looks at the kuñja, while Rāi spends Her time in the water.”

Śrīmatī takes a syringe (pichkārī) in the hand and starts to sprinkle Her hero, who is expert in watersporting, with little drops of water, that are like the vast streams of Her endless prema-rasa. Kṛṣṇa freely plays with the gopīs as a mad elephant sports with his she-elephants in the water.

kariṇīra saṅge,     kari-vara raṅge,     duhu duhu meli,        koru jala-keli
sakhī-gaṇa nipuṇā,       beḍhalo haṭhinā,    keho dei nīre,         keho loi cīre

“The best of elephants sports with his she-elephants. They meet and play in the water. The expert sakhīs rashly surround Kṛṣṇa. One splashes Him with water, another one takes His clothes off.”

keho dei tālī,      keho bole bhāli,        kānu mukha moḍi,         jala dei jori
keho keho hāri,      keho dei gāri,         keho bhāgi dūre,          camake nehāri

“One claps her hands, another one says: ‘Bravo!’ Kānu turns His face away and violently splashes the gopīs. Some gopīs are defeated, some attack. Some run far away and look on in amazement.”

kānu kore beḍi,         dhayala kiśorī,          salila agādhā,       lei calu rādhā
kānuka aṅge,        bhāsata saṅge,           pāṭala cīre,        bekata śarīre

“Kānu takes Kiśorī Rādhā into the deep water, where She floats together with Him, Her bodily beauty revealed through Her thin clothes.”

nirakhite kāna,         hāne pāñca bāṇa,       dhanī kori buke,        cumba dei mukhe
dhanī kuca jora,         hāsi dei mora,          hari puna sādhā,           ānali rādhā

“When Kāna sees this He is struck by Cupid’s arrows. He holds Dhani Rādhikā to His chest and kisses Her on the mouth. Dhani Rādhikā then pulls Her breasts out of Kānu’s grip, smiling and saying: “Give them back! They are mine!”  Hari then brings Rādhā back with some effort.”

rākhali tīre,        āpanahi nīre,          paduminī thāre,        calali vihāre
kamalinī ṭhāme,         milali śyāme,         sakhīgaṇa meli,        koru koto keli
nāgara saṅge,      koro rasa raṅge,          kiye bhelo śobhā,         śekhara lobhā

“Rādhikā then gives a hint to all the lotus-like sakhīs She kept on the shore to also come into the water. These lotus-like sakhīs then come and meet Śyāma in the water, where they play further with Him. How beautiful they are when they play these rasika games with their Nāgara (amorous hero)! Rāya Śekhara is very eager to relish that beauty!”

After completing their watersports everyone comes back on the shore of the kuṇḍa, where the kiṅkarīs massage their limbs with fragrant oils and give them another bath. After that Rādhā and Mādhava and Their sakhīs enter a kuñja on the bank of the kuṇḍa to dress and ornament themselves.

nāhi uṭhalo tīre,        sabahu sakhīgaṇa,         nāgarī nāgara rāya
vasana nicoḍi,        mochai sab tanu,        nava nava veśa banāya

“The sakhīs, Nāgara and Nāgari come back on the shore, dry off all their limbs, take their clothes off and take new clothes to be put on.”

vinodinī veśa koroto vara kāna
cikura sambhāri,         kabarī puna bāndhala,      alaka tilaka niramāna

“Kāna dresses Vinodinī, binding Her hair into a braid and making new tilaka on Her forehead.”

sīṅthi banāiyā,        ura para lekhai,          mṛgamada citra niśāna
rati-jaya rekha,       carana yuga lekhai,        āra koto veśa banāna

“He puts a stripe of sindūra in Her part, draws musk-pictures on Her breasts, draws a line of Rati’s (the wife of the god of love) victory on Her lotus feet and decorates Her in so many other ways.”

kotohu yatana kori,         vasana parāyalo,        nūpura deyalo raṅge
govinda dāsa,          o rūpa heraite,        muruchāya kotohu anaṅge

“Very carefully He puts Her clothes on and hangs anklebells on Her feet.” Govinda dāsa sings: “Seeing this form of Rādhikā’s, so many Cupids are fainting!”

The vernal Vāsanti-flowers are blooming in the forest around Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa and their fragrance spreads in all directions. Śyāma wants to decorate Śrīmatī with flowers. The sakhīs and mañjarīs understand Śyāmasundara’s desire and blissfully run off into the kuṇḍa-forest to pick the fragrant Vāsanti-flowers. Śyāmasundara uses these flowers to lovingly fashion floral wreaths, bangles, armlets, earrings, sashes and anklets for Śrīmatī and to decorate Her different limbs with these ornaments.

Nāgara’s body shivers and is studded with goosepimples when He touches Premamayī’s beautiful body as He decorates Her. He decorates Her (śṛṅgāra) with the touch of śṛṅgāra-rasa (the transcendental erotic mellow, which Kṛṣṇa personifies). Śrīmatī also gets goosepimples and tears of ecstasy when She is touched by Her submissive hero.

The sakhīs and mañjarīs are swimming on oceans of bliss and fun. Suddenly the transcendental vision vanishes and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī cries out of anguish, praying for Śrīmatī’s personal devotional service.
He prays that he may dress Śrīmatī in clothes suitable for bathing and playing in Rādhākuṇḍa when these lilass commence, and massage Her body with fragrant oils, dry off Her limbs and dress Her in new clothes when these lilas are finished, bring all the different paraphernalia to Nāgara-rāja when He engages in dressing Īśvarī, bring Him the Vāsanti-flowers He needs to make floral ornaments with for Her make-up, and help Him with this dressing. All these services are to be known here as Śrī Rādhā’s bhajana or direct service.

nidāghera prārambhete,                 rādhākuṇḍe pradoṣete,
vinodinī sakhīgaṅa saṅge
sukhe jalakeli kore,         jala-yantra loiyā kore,
siñce jala mādhavera aṅge

“One evening, in the beginning of summer, Vinodinī takes Her sakhīs into the water of Rādhākuṇḍa to play with Mādhava there, and sprinkles His limbs with a syringe in Her hand.”

rasera pratimā yoto,                    keli kore adabhuta,
jala-yuddhe parama ullāsa
kalāvatī rādhārāṇī,                    rasikendra cūḍāmaṇi,
paraspara vicitra vilāsa

“All the gopīs, that are embodiments of rasa, then begin their wonderful watersports in topmost bliss. Kalāvati, the artistic Rādhārāṇī, and Rasikendra Cūḍāmaṇi, the king of relishers Kṛṣṇa, play with Each other in a wonderful way.”

bhāgavata cūḍāmaṇi,         raghunātha dāsa gosvāmī,
sphuraṇete kori daraśana
rādhā pāda-padma sevā,                prārthanā koroye sadā,
aśrujala koriyā siñcana

“Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the crownjewel of theistic saints, has vivid transcendental visions of this. Sprinkling himself with his tears he always prays for the devotional service of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet!” (8)

navīna vasanta kāla,        gandha puṣpe bharā ḍāla,
daśa diśi gandhe āmodita
navīna kusumāvalī,                       añjalī añjali bhari,
cayana koriyā nanda suta

“In the new spring season the branches of the trees are loaded with fragrant flowers that delight all the ten directions with their fragrance. Nanda’s son picks hands full of these fresh flowers.”

kusumera alaṅkāre,                      śrī rādhikāra giridhare,
sājāiche kori koto raṅga
rāi aṅga paraśane,           parama ānanda mane,
pulake pūrita sarva aṅga

“Joyfully Giridhārī decorates Śrī Rādhikā in so many ways with floral ornaments. When He touches Rāi’s limbs He gets goosepimples on His skin of sheer ecstasy.”

bhūṣita hoiyā rādhā,                Kṛṣṇa prema kalpalatā,
lāvaṇya taraṅga boye yāy.
koto ye pulakāvalī,                   prati aṅge kore keli,
aśru kampa śiharaṇa tāya

“When Śrī Rādhā, who is a wish-yielding vine of love for Kṛṣṇa, gets decorated like this, She floats on waves of elegance. How many goosepimples are then playing on each of Her limbs, that are shivering of sheer ecstasy? How many tears of joy She sheds!”

premābdhi taraṅga mājhe,                     rasamayī rasarāje,
āra kobe hobe daraśana?
bhāgavata cūḍāmaṇi,                    raghunātha dāsa gosvāmī
prema sevā māge anukṣaṇa

“When will I see Rasamayī Rādhā and Rasarāja Kṛṣṇa floating on the waves of the ocean of love? Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the crownjewel of theistic saints, constantly begs for Their loving devotional service!”  (9)