brahmeśvarādi sudurūha padāravinda
śrīmat parāga paramādbhuta vaibhavāyāḥ
sarvārtha sāra rasavarṣi kṛpārdra dṛṣṭes
tasyā namo’stu vṛṣabhānu bhuvo mahimne

I offer my obeisances to the glories of Mahārāja Vṛṣabhānu’s daughter (Śrī Rādhikā), the beautiful dust of Whose lotus-feet is hardly attained by Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others and whose merciful glance, which is endowed with the most astonishing prowess, showers the nectar of the essence of all human pursuits (love of God).

ŚRĪ RĀDHĀ’S GLORIES:

Commentary:

In Caitanya Caritāmṛta it is said: citta dṛḍha kori lāge mahimā jsāna hoite – “One’s heart becomes fixed in faith when one is aware of God’s greatness” – and for this reason Śrīpāda continues his auspicious invocation of ‘Rādhā Rasa Sudhānidhi’ by praising the prowess of Śrī Rādhā.

Rasa (spiritual flavour) is built on the foundation of tattva (spiritual truth). When that foundation is not there (when one disregards or does not know spiritual truth) the rasa may seem to be mundane.
In his commentary on verse 10.12.10 of the Bhāgavata Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī writes: bhagavāṁs tāvad asādhāraṇa svarūpaiśvarya mādhuryas tattva viśeṣaḥ –  “God is the Supreme Truth, Who is full of extraordinary self-perfect prowess and sweetness.”

In the 40th chapter of the ‘Pātāla khaṇḍa’ of Padma Purāṇa, Śrī Narada Muni offers most respectful prayers to Śrī Rādhā.
Vrajadhāma is the abode of sweetness and Śrī Rādhārāṇī is sweetness personified, therefore the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava-ācāryas show all the devotees of the world who meditate on the Lord’s Vṛndāvana-pastimes the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā.
But sometimes the Gosvāmīs also hint at Her great majestic aspect, which is the foundation on which the palace of Her charming sweetness is built. Such is the case in this and in the next verse. The dust of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet has such divine power that it cannot even be perceived by great gods like Lord Brahmā.

In Śrīmad Bhāgavata it is mentioned that Lord Brahmā was astonished at seeing the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s paugaṇḍa līlā (pastimes as a 5-9 year old boy) of having a pick-nick on the bank of the Yamunā, and that he offered many prayers to Kṛṣṇa, some full of sweetness and some full of reverence. For instance:

tad bhūri bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṁ
yad gokule’pi katamaṅghri rajo’bhiṣekam
yaj jīvitaṁ tu nikhilam bhagavān mukundas
tvadyāpi yat prada-rajaḥ śruti mṛgyam eva
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 10.14.34)

“I will be most blessed if I can take any kind of birth (even a subhuman one) in this forest of Gokula, so that I can be sprinkled by the foot-dust of one of its inhabitants, whose very life is the Supreme Lord Mukunda, Whose foot-dust is even now sought for by the Vedas!”

In his Sārārtha Darṣiṇī-commentary on this verse Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda writes that Lord Brahmā was so astonished by seeing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes that he did not have the courage to directly ask for the dust from the lotus-feet of the cowherd boys. Therefore he prayed that he could birth as a tile or so outside the house of any low-caste person living on the outskirts of Vraja, so that he can sprinkle his whole body with that person’s foot-dust. From this it is easy to understand that it is very difficult for Lord Brahmā to have a glimpse of the dust from Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī Rādhā’s lotus-feet.

The dust of the cowherdboys- and girls of Vraja is also difficult to attain in Lord Śiva’s abode Mt. Kailāsa, so Lord Śiva sought residence in Vraja under the name of Gopīśvara, hoping to attain some of that dust. But when Rādhā and the gopīs saw Him, they prayed for the dust of His lotus-feet instead, hoping that in this way they could attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus it is very hard for Śrīman Mahādeva to attain Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust also. The dust of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet is called śrīmat, or filled with opulences, here. Even for the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī-devī, this foot-dust is very difficult to attain.

In Śrīmad Bhāgavata (10.16.36), the wives of the Kāliya-snake say that the goddess of fortune gave up the side of Her divine husband Nārāyaṇa by Her own will and took shelter of Vṛndāvana to perform harsh austerities there, hoping for the foot-dust of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but that until now She has not been able to get it. Why not?

In Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Madhya līlā, chapter eight) it is explained:

gopī anugati vinā aiśvarya jṣṇne; bhajileo nāhi pāy vrajendra nandane
tāhāte dṛṣṭānta lakṣmī korilā bhajana; tathāpi nā pāilo vraje vrajendra nandana

“If You worship the prince of Vraja in a reverential mood without following in the footsteps of the gopīs You will not attain Him. Lakṣmī-devī is the best example of that. Although She did worship Kṛṣṇa as the prince of Vraja, She did not attain Him.”

The Lord’s greatest devotee, Uddhava Mahāśaya, was astonished when he saw the greatness of the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa and he praised them, praying for a birth in Vraja even as a blade of grass, so that he could get the gopīs’ foot-dust on his head.

This is written with golden syllables in the pages of Śrīmad Bhāgavata (Canto Ten, chapter 47). From this it is clear how hard it is to attain the foot-dust of Śrī Rādhā.
brahmeśvarādi can also be interpreted as meaning: the Lord of Brahmā (Kṛṣṇa).

Even for Kṛṣṇa the amazing foot-dust of Śrī Rādhā is rarely attained! It is said that Kṛṣṇa personally assumed the form of the poet Jayadeva to write the famous line dehi pādapallavam udāram “Give Me Your generous lotus-feet” of ‘Gīta Govinda’.
The purport to the 201st verse of ‘Rādhā Rasa Sudhānidhi’ is:

One day Śrīmatī is māninī (angry out of jealousy) so with the help of Her girlfriends Kṛṣṇa keeps Her feet on His head. Thus Her pique is soothed. Śrīmatī’s lotus-feet are moist with sweat, so the red lac on Her footsoles sticks on Śyāma’s head, while His peacock-feather falls off. This does not make Kṛṣṇa inferior; the signs of Rādhā’s mercy rather increase His glories! This makes Him rasikendra mauli, the king of relishers, and this is the quintessence of Godhead. Therefore, simply to increase His own greatness, Kṛṣṇa always desires the dust of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet. And this is not a fairy-tale, there is strong scriptural evidence for this statement.

Kṛṣṇa Himself tells Uddhava in Śrīmad Bhagavata (11.14.16):

anuvrajāmyahaṁ nityam pūyeyetyaṅghri-reṇubhiḥ

“I always follow My devotees to sanctify Myself with their foot-dust.”

Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmī comments on this verse: tad bhaktyaniṣkṛti doṣāt pavitritaḥ syām iti bhāvenetyarthaḥ – “Since I am not able to repay My devotees for their devotional service (see Bhāg. 10.32.22), I perform atonement by following them to take the dust of Their feet for My purification.”

Since Śrī Rādhā has the greatest love for Kṛṣṇa, it is needless to say that He will always be most eager for Her lotus-feet. This is the sweetest possible explanation for the rasika sādhakas of Vṛndāvana.
Then again it is said sarvārtha sāra rasavarṣi kṛpārdra dṛṣṭe “The merciful glance of Śrī Rādhā showers the quintessence of all human goals of life”. That quintessence is love of Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhikā showers it all around.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta says (Ādi 7):

kṛṣṇa viṣayaka prema pañcama puruṣārtha; yāra āge tṛṇa tulya cāri puruṣārtha
pañcama puruṣārtha premanāndāmṛta sindhu; mokṣādi ānanda yāra nahe eka bindu
pañcama puruṣārtha ei prema mahā-dhana; kṛṣṇera mādhurya rasa korāya āsvādana
prema hoite hoy kṛṣṇa nija bhakta vaśa; prema hoite pāi kṛṣṇera sevā sukha rasa

“Love of Kṛṣṇa is the fifth and highest goal of human life compared to which religiosity, economical development, sense enjoyment and liberation (the other four goals) are as insignificant as blades of grass. Prema, the fifth goal of life, is like an ocean of nectarean loving bliss, compared to which the bliss of liberation and other goals of life are not even one drop. The great treasure of love of God is the fifth goal of human life which makes the devotee relish Kṛṣṇa’s sweet taste. Through prema Kṛṣṇa becomes controlled by His devotees and through prema the devotees relish the blissful taste of Kṛṣṇa’s service.”

When Śrī Rādhā simply casts Her merciful glance, this love-rasa is attained without any further endeavour, and flows in innumerable directions. What to speak of Her merciful glance, simply by seeing Śrī Rādhārāṇī one attains the treasure of love of Kṛṣṇa without any separate endeavour!

In the Padma Purāṇa, Pātāla khaṇḍa, chapter forty, it is described how Śrī Nārada attained the audience of Śrī Rādhā and how he spoke from his own experience: asyāḥ sandarśanād eva govinda caraṇāmbuje; ya premābdhir abhūt sā me bhūtapūrva na karhicit – “I have never tasted such an ocean of love for Govinda’s lotus-feet as after seeing Her (Rādhikā).”

Śrīmad Sanātana Gosvāmī wrote in his Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta (2.5.233):
sā rādhikā bhagavatī kvacid īkṣyate cet prema tadānubhavam ṛcchati mūrtimān saḥ –  “When goddess Rādhikā is ever seen, one sees prema in very person and one gains experience of that love.”

Especially in this present age of Kali (quarrel) the day has come to directly experience this, for now Śrī Gaurasundara has descended, accepting the mood and lustre of Śrī Rādhikā and blessing the people of the world who see His brilliant golden aura with prema. Such is the prowess of Śrī Rādhā’s aura!

The following verse (234) of Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta says:

cet kṛṣṇacandrasya mahāvatāras tādṛg nija prema vitānakārī
syād vā kadācid yadi rādhikāyāḥ premānubhūtiṁ tad upaityathāpi

“When there is such a great descent of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra that can distribute love of Himself, or when Śrī Rādhikā manifests some descent, then (through His or Her audience) that prema must be experienced.”
This verse speaks about Śrīman Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Rādhā’s merciful glance showers the nectar of love of Kṛṣṇa, which is the quintessence of all human goals. This means that love of Kṛṣṇa is sweetened by love of Śrī Rādhā. She is Vṛndāvana’s personified sweetness and She is the all-in-all of the Vṛndāvana-pastimes. In the 80th verse of this book Śrīpada explains that the worship of Kṛṣṇa without the worship of Rādhā is only a drop of the nectar-ocean of divine love. Therefore, the very life of love of Kṛṣṇacandra is love of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet. I offer my obeisances unto the greatness of She whose merciful glance showers the nectar of love of Kṛṣṇa, through which we can attain His lotus-feet! Śrīman Mahadeva has said:

gaura tejo vinā yas tu śyāmatejaḥ samarcayet
japed vā dhyāyate vāpi sa bhavet pātakī śive

“O Śive (Pārvati)! Anyone who meditates on Kṛṣṇa, worships Him or does japa of His holy name without worshipping Rādhā is a sinner!”