RĀDHĀ KARĀVACITA PALLAVA VALLARĪKE
RĀDHĀ PADĀṄKA VILASAN MADHURA STHALĪKE
RĀDHĀ YAŚO MUKHARA MATTA KHAGĀVALĪKE
RĀDHĀ VIHĀRA VIPINE RAMATĀṀ MANO ME

Let my mind find pleasure in the play forest of Rādhā, where the sprouts and vines are touched by Rādhā’s hands, where the ground is sweetened by Rādhā’s footprints and where the birds madly sing Rādhā’s glories!

ŚRĪ RĀDHĀ’S PLAY-FOREST:

Commentary:
Humbly Śrīpāda thinks: “Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet are very rarely attained, where can I go to find them?” Suddenly the darkness of his despair is dispelled by a ray of hope when he remembers the mercy of Śrī Vṛndāvana, Śrīmatī Rādhā’s playground. Śrīpāda is the object of Śrī Vṛndāvana’s mercy. How he was showered by the mercy of Vṛndāvana can be understood by reading his book ‘Vṛndāvana Mahimāmṛta’. There he writes (3.94):

gaura śyāma sunāgara divya kiśora dvayaṁ sadā yatra
nava nava keli vilāsair viharati vṛndāvanam tad eva bhaja

“Worship only Vṛndāvana, where the divine youthful Couple, that have golden and blackish forms, are always playing ever fresh playful sports!”

yathā hari rase manaḥ svayam anaṅkuśe dhāvati ”

Here the mind is freely running after the mellows of Śrī Hari”.
(V.M 3.51)

parantu yadi tad gatā sthira careṣu no kāya vān manobhir aparādhita bhavati vādhita tattva dhīḥ

“But if one commits offenses with the body, mind or words to either the moving or the non-moving creatures that live in Vṛndāvana, then one cannot taste this nectar of Hari rasa. ”

By the mercy of Śrī Vṛndāvana Śrīpāda sees a sweet transcendental picture before his inner eyes:

Śrī Śrī Lilā Kiśora Yugala (the playful youthful Couple) are playing madhura vana vihāra (sweet forest pastimes), admiring the beauty of the spring forest with Their girlfriends. Śrīpāda is there in his kiṅkarī form, engaged in Their service. The forest is filled with different kinds of blooming flowers surrounded by humming bees. The cuckoos create a romantic atmosphere by singing in the fifth note and Kṛṣṇa, the young transcendental Cupid of Vṛndāvana, sings along with Ratipriyā Svāminī (Rādhikā, Who enchants millions of Ratis) and Her girlfriends and maidservants. How sweetly They play in the forest, embracing Each other like a male and a female elephant! The sakhīs sing sweet songs about the pastimes of the Yugala Kiśora, inciting amorous feelings in Their hearts. Sometimes Priyājī personally goes to pick flowers to decorate Her Priyatama. The vine buds bloom up when they are touched by Svāminī’s hands; they smile with their flowers, horripilate with their sprouts and cry streams of tears with their trickling honey. How many jokes Śrīmatī makes with Her girlfriends while She picks flowers! Viśākhā says: “Sakhi Rādhe! Be careful! A greedy bumblebee (Kṛṣṇa) is coming up to You to drink the honey from Your moon-like face!” Śrīmatī says: “Sakhi! Why should a bumblebee come to Me, leaving behind the fragrant lotus-like faces of beautiful girls like you and your friends? You said that My face is like the moon. Well, sakhi, the moon has no fragrance, so why would the bee feel attracted to it?”

Śrīpāda, in his kiṅkarī form, sees rādhā karāvacita pallava vallarīke: How beautiful the vinebuds are horripilating when they are touched by Śrī Rādhā’s beautiful hands! Through these pastimes he relishes Vṛndāvana’s natural beauty.

Sometimes Śrīmatī wants to pick flowers from high branches, and Śyāma, seeing Her stretched out armpit, becomes attracted to Her and runs up to Her. Svāminī cannot reach the flowers She wants, so Śyāma helps Her by pulling the branch down. Just as Svāminī catches the flower, Śyāma lets go of the branch, so that tender Rādhikā flies up along with the branch. Fearfully She calls out: “Lalite! Lalite! Help!”, while Śyāma loudly laughs and claps in His hands. Lalitā pulls the branch back down and takes care that Svāminī returns to the ground. In his kiṅkarī form Śrīpāda sees how beautiful Śrī Rādhā’s footprints have marked the earth of Vrndāvana: rādhā padāṅka vilasan madhura sthalīke.
After picking flowers Śrīmatī sits down on a jeweled platform and makes ornaments from different flowers with Her own hands to decorate Śyāmasundara with. Śyāmasundara and the sakhīs are overwhelmed with ecstasy when the birds begin to chirp of Śrīmatī’s glories. rādhā yaśo mukhara matta khagāvalīke. When the transcendental vision vanishes, Śrīpāda thinks: rādhā vihāra vipine ramatāṁ mano me – “O Mind! Find pleasure in Rādhā’s playforest! If I cannot directly experience Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s loving pastimes, then let me remember Śrī Vṛndāvana and mentally witness these sweet nectarean pastimes!”