When Kṛṣṇa plays His all-enchanting flute, Śrīmatī rushes out to meet Him as a forceful river goes forward to meet the ocean. Just as during the rainy season the current of a river becomes very forceful and floods its own banks (dukūla), similarly the Gaṅgā-river named Rādhā overflows the restrictions of Her du kula (two families, Her own and Her in-laws’ family) when it is filled with extraordinarily sweet waves of passionate love for Kṛṣṇa, and forcefully flows on towards the Kṛṣṇa-ocean.
That is why Śrīpāda Prabhodhananda calls Svāminī surataraṅginī, the river of the Gods Gaṅgā, here in this verse.
This river of passion breaks all dams of religious or traditional principles with its great force of desire for Kṛṣṇa, not caring about the dangers that might occur on the way.
Śrīpāda, as a dedicated maidservant, follows Śrī Rādhā, helping Her to meet the Śyāma-ocean, making Her taste the nectar of Śyāmasundara by addressing Her in the abovementioned sweet ways:
“Śrī Rādhike! O Greatest worshipper of Kṛṣṇa! You are called Rādhikā because You fulfill all of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires!”
kṛṣṇa vānchapūrti rūpa kore ārādhane; ataeva rādhikā nāma purāṇe vākhāne (Caitanya Caritāmṛta).
Śrī Rādhikā diligently prepares Herself for going out (abhisāra):
kaṇṭaka gāḍi kamala sama padatala manjīra cirahi jhāṁpi gāgari vāri dhāri kori pichala calatahi aṅguli cāpi hari abhisāraka lāgi! dutara pantha gamana dhani sādhaye mandire yāmini jāgi kara-yuge nayana mudi calu bhāvini timira payānaka āśe maṇi kaṅkana paṇa phaṇi mukha bandhana śikhai bhujaga guru pāśe gurujana vacana badhira sama mānai ān śunai koho ān! parijana vacane mugadhi sama hāsai govinda dāsa paramāṇa
The poet Govinda Dāsa sings: “To prepare Herself for walking over the thorny pathways on the way to the trysting-grove at night, She strews thorns over Her yard in the daytime and learns how to tolerate their pricks. She learns how to wrap Her anklebells into Her cloth, so that She can run at night without making any sound, She throws water over Her yard in the daytime to learn how to walk over slippery paths at night, She covers Her eyes with Her hands in the daytime to learn how to walk in the dark at night, and She rewards a snake-charmer with a jewelled bangle for teaching Her a mantra that will stifle the snakes that might attack Her at night and that will protect Her from the attacks of wild beasts of prey. It is as if She is deaf for the words of Her superiors and She simply smiles like a fool when She hears the criticism and rebukes of Her relatives. For Śyāmasundara’s sake She takes even unlimited misery to be like great bliss!”
– Srila Ananta das Babaji
