In his svarūpāveśa Śrī Raghunātha has placed the sindūra-stripe on
Śrīmatī’s part, and now he sees himself making red spots all around Her tilaka. The deity of his vision appears before him.

The only way to attain rāga bhakti is deep sacred greed, and Śrī Raghunātha’s heart is filled with that intense yearning. The more the rāga bhakta becomes filled with this great anxious devotional yearning, the more he forgets about his body and his home and the sooner the time of his attainment of his beloved deity comes near.

Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s intense yearning for his Īśvarī’s darśana after She vanishes from him is a good subject of meditation for the neophyte devotees.

The deity of Raghunātha’s meditation is playing inside and outside of him. With love Tulasī sits down before Svāminī, holds Her chin with her left hand and begins to make fragrant red spots around Her tilaka with full concentration. How deeply she concentrates can be seen on her eyes, her face and her hands.

The practising devotee should mentally sit next to her to learn such expertise from her! The Gosvāmīs are the gurus of the Yugala-sevā, and the greatest aspiration of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is to follow in their footsteps.

priya sahacarī saṅge, rākho ei sevā kāje,
aṅge veśa koribeka sādhe priya sahacarī-gaṇa mājhe
sevana koribo raṅge, nija pada paṅkaje
“I will blissfully serve with the priya sakhīs, dressing Their limbs nicely. Keep me at
Your lotus feet for this devotional service, amidst Your beloved girlfriends.”

sugandhi candana, ei sab sevā yāra,
kauṣika vasana nānā raṅge anukṣaṇa thāki tāra saṅge.
maṇimaya ābharaṇa, dāsī yeno hao tāra,
“I always stay with the sakhīs as if I am their maidservant, playfully serving the Divine
Couple in different ways with fragrant sandalwoodpulp, jewelled ornaments and silken garments.”

Full surrender to the sakhīs will take the one-pointed devotee along to the kingdom of love and bless him with the gift of their company and the association of the Yugala Kiśora. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings: vrajapura vanitāra, caraṇa āśraya sāra, koro mana ekānta koriyā (Prema Bhakti Candrikā): “Fix Your mind on the girls of Vraja and take shelter of their lotus feet.” In sādhakāveśa the devotees also anxiously pray at the sakhīs’ lotus feet (in their sādhaka-rūpa as the Gosvāmīs, Ed.): kāhā mora svarūpa rūpa kāhā sanātana; kāhā dāsa raghunātha patita pāvana – “Where are my Svarūpa Dāmodara, and where are my Rūpa and Sanātana? Where is Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the saviour of the fallen?”

These anxious prayers will cause their mercy to descend in the form of the full relish of the sweetness of the Yugala Kiśora.

Srila Ananta das Babaji