In the previous verse Śrīpāda saw his Iśvarī as the nikuñja devī. Devī means ‘the worshiped’. It is even more astonishing when Rasikendra Maulī (Kṛṣṇa, the king of relishers) worships Rādhikā in the kuñja as when the sakhīs and mañjarīs do it.
She is called devī because even rasika śekhara serves Her. When Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa enter the kuñja, Kṛṣṇa lovingly wants to serve Priyaji in different ways, so the maidservants bring Him a pitcher of water. With the water from that pitcher Kṛṣṇa washes Priyājī’s lotus-feet and dries them off with His yellow dhoti. The maidservants understand Śyāma’s mind and they bring flowers. Kṛṣṇa offers a handful of flowers at Svāminī’s lotus-feet, chants jaya premamayi! and then offers His obeisances while tears of love flow from His eyes. pāda sparśa rasotsavaṁ praṇatibhiḥ (verse 61):
Touching Rādhikā’s feet and bowing down to them is like a festival of rasa for Kṛṣṇa. How beautiful Śrīmati’s face is when She looks at Kṛṣṇa’s face at that time!
How many amorous lilas Her beautiful face reveals!
How enchanting are the movements of Her eyes and Her eyebrows!
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī explains the meaning of the word lāvaṇya which is used in the text,
as follows in his ‘Ujjvala Nilamani’:
muktāphaleṣu chāyāyās taralatvam ivāstarā
pratibhāti yad aṅgeṣu lāvaṇyam tad ihocyate
“Lāvaṇya is a luster that shines in the limbs as if it shines from within pearls.” Streams of luster gush from Śrīmati’s face. How wonderful are the movements of Her eyes and eyebrows. They show the bhāva bhūṣaṇa (emotional ornament) called lalita.
vinyāsa bhaṅgi raṅgānāṁ bhrū-vilasa manoharā
sukumāra bhaved yatra lalitaṁ tad udīritam
“The lalita alaṅkāra is shown by a tender girl who makes playful enchanting gestures with the eyebrows and all Her limbs.”
Just as the moon was churned from the milk-ocean, Rādhā’s spotless moon-like face was churned from the ocean of transcendental love mellows. These mellows are most precious and powerful, and Śrī Rādhā’s moon-like face is the quintessence of the entire ocean of them! This face is not a material luminary, it glows with the taste of mahā-bhāva. It is useless to try to compare Her face with the moon, Her eyes with lotus-flowers and Her nose with sesameflowers. Śrī Rādhikā can be understood only through pure love, and not through any use of words! One can also read this verse in the following way:
“When will the moon-like face of Śrī Rādhā, that causes even Śyāmasundara, Who is astonishing at every moment and Who enchants the whole world, to stand in His beautiful threefold bending form, be manifest to me?”
The maidservants have seen that Śyāmasundara’s elegance is astonishing at every moment while He worships nikuñja devī Rādhikā. Syama’s lilas are most astonishing when He submits Himself to Śrīmatī’s service!
All Kṛṣṇa’s lilas are sweet, but His amorous lilas with Śrī Rādhā and extra special.
The Gaṅga fountain of the maidservants’ ecstatic love flows in innumerable directions when they see how Śyāma submits Himself to Svāminī during Their amorous sports.
From the tika to Sri Sri Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi [verse 7]
