Sree Bhajana Rahasya
Text 21
The mood of absolute opulence assuming
the form of sweetness
(mädhurya) is described in Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(3.2.21):
svayaà tv asämyätiçayas tryadhéçaù
sväräjya-lakñmy-äpta-samasta-kämaù
balià haradbhiç cira-loka-pälaiù
kiréöa-koöéòita-päda-péöhaù
Çré Kåñëa is Himself the Supreme Lord
of the three potencies
(sandhiné, saàvit and hlädiné).
No one is equal to Him, so who
can be greater than Him? All of His
desires are fulfilled by His
own transcendental goddess of fortune (räjya-lakñmé).
Indra and
innumerable other loka-pälas,
deities presiding over different
regions of the universe, bring Him
varieties of offerings and pay
their obeisances, touching the tops of
their crowns to the footstool
on which He rests His lotus feet.
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6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
samädhika-çünya kåñëa triçakti-éçvara
svarüpa-aiçvarye pürëa-käma nirantara
sopäyana-lokapäla-kiréöa-niçcaya
lagna-päda-péöha stavanéya atiçaya
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
The general meaning of the word tryadhéçvara
is that Çré Kåñëa
has innumerable forms and incarnations.
He has unsurpassed
opulence. Brahmä, Viñëu and Mahädeva
are the lords of creation,
but they are under the rule of Çré
Kåñëa, who is the Supreme Lord
(adhéçvara) of everyone.
The intermediate meaning of tryadhéçvara
is that the three
puruña-avatäras – Käraëodakaçäyé, Garbhodakaçäyé and
Kñérodakaçäyé – are the partial
expansions of Çré Kåñëa’s expansion,
Baladeva Prabhu. This means that Çré
Kåñëa is the Supreme
Lord of them all.
The essential meaning of tryadhéçvara
is as follows. In the
scriptures, Çré Kåñëa is known to have
three places of residence.
One place is His inner quarters, Goloka
Våndävana, where He is
eternally present with His mother,
father, friends and beloveds.
There Yogamäyä serves Him as a
maidservant. Beneath this
Goloka-dhäma is Paravyoma, also known
as Viñëuloka. Çré
Kåñëa’s viläsa-mürti, Çré
Näräyaëa, and unlimited other forms
reside there. This is Kåñëa’s
intermediate place of residence.
Below this Paravyoma is Çré Kåñëa’s
third place of residence,
called bähyäväsa, His external
residence. It is situated in the
material realm, across the Virajä River
where countless universes
(brahmäëòas) are present like
chambers. This place is also
called Devé-dhäma, or Mäyä-devé’s dhäma,
and the living entities
who are bound by mäyä reside
there. The material energy
(jagat-lakñmé), the shadow of
the transcendental goddess of
fortune (räjya-lakñmé), protects
the wealth of this world.
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ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
Çré Kåñëa is the Supreme Lord of these
three places – Goloka,
Paravyoma and the material universes.
Both Goloka and
Paravyoma are transcendental and are
the divine opulence
(vibhüti) of the cit-çakti.
They are therefore called tripädaaiçvarya,
the opulence comprising three-quarters
of the Lord’s
energy. The vibhüti of mäyä,
the material universe, is called
ekapäda-aiçvarya. The opulence in Çré Kåñëa’s
transcendental
dhämas is three times that of the material
world. His tripädavibhüti
(the spiritual world) cannot be glorified
in words. In the
unlimited universes of the ekapäda-vibhüti
there are countless
Brahmäs and Çivas, and they are called loka-pälas,
eternal maintainers
of the order of creation.
Once in Dvärakä, Brahmä came for Çré
Kåñëa’s darçana. When
the doorman went to inform Bhagavän
that Brahmä had come to
meet with Him, Çré Kåñëa asked, “Which
Brahmä has come? What
is his name? Go and ask him.” The
door-keeper went back and
enquired accordingly. Brahmä became
astonished and said,
“Please go and tell Him that the father
of the four Kumäras,
Caturmukha Brahmä, has come.”
When Brahmä reached the threshold of
the Sudharmä assembly
hall, he became stunned. The crowd was
such that he could
not enter. Millions and millions of
Indras, Brahmäs, Çivas and
other loka-pälas, each with
heads numbering from eight to
thousands, were paying their prostrated
obeisances in front of Çré
Kåñëa’s footstool. When their crowns,
which were inlaid with
jewels, touched the ground, loud
clattering sounds arose and
mixed with sounds of the loka-pälas’
jaya-dhvani (calls of
victory), which resounded in all
directions. Caturmukha Brahmä
was like a firefly in the midst of
millions of suns. Suddenly everything
disappeared and the dumbfounded
Caturmukha Brahmä
stood alone. He was astonished to see
this magnificent opulence
of Çré Kåñëa, and his pride vanished.
Ashamed of his offence, he
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6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
began to glorify the Lord, praying for
forgiveness. Thereafter, Çré
Kåñëa sent Brahmä on his way.
Tryadhéçvara has another confidential meaning. The
word tri
refers to Çré Kåñëa’s three abodes –
Gokula, Mathurä and
Dvärakä. Another name for these abodes
is Goloka. Çré Kåñëa is
naturally and eternally present in
these three abodes, and He
Himself is their adhéçvara (Supreme
Lord). Therefore, He is
called tryadhéçvara. The dikpälas,
who preside over the ten
directions of the globe of the
unlimited material universes, as
well as all the cira-loka-pälas who
reside in the coverings of the
unlimited Vaikuëöhas, were paying their
daëòavat-praëämas at
Çré Kåñëa’s footstool.
Sväräjya-lakñmy-äpta-samasta-kämaù –
Svaräjya-lakñmé, the
transcendental goddess of fortune,
fulfils all Çré Kåñëa’s desires.
He has unlimited pastimes in Vaikuëöha
and other abodes, but
amongst them all, His human-like pastimes
(nara-lélä) are topmost.
In His inner quarters of Çré Goloka
Våndävana, His opulence
(aiçvarya), being adorned with
sweetness (mädhurya), is
billions of times greater than His
opulence in Vaikuëöha.
Text 22
It is stated in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.16.36)
that Çré Kåñëa’s
mercy is inconceivable (acintya)
and causeless (ahaituké):
kasyänubhävo ’sya na deva vidmahe
taväìghri-reëu-sparçädhikäraù
yad-väïchayä çrér lalanäcarat tapo
vihäya kämän su-ciraà dhåta-vratä
[The Nägapatnés prayed to Çré Kåñëa:] O
Lord, we cannot understand
what sädhana our husband has
performed to become
qualified to receive the touch of the
dust of Your lotus feet. This
dust is so rare that to attain it, even
Your wife Lakñmé gave up all
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ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
forms of enjoyment for many, many days
and performed austerities
according to rules and regulations.
ki puëye käliya päya pada-reëu tava
bujhite nä päri kåñëa kåpära sambhava
jähä lägi’ lakñmé-devé tapa äcarila
bahukäla dhåta-vratä kämädi chäòila
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
The astonished wives of Käliya-näga are
saying, “O Gokuleçvara,
we cannot understand what kind of sukåti
resulted in this lowly
Käliya attaining Your rare foot-dust.
The supremely gentle and
very beautiful Lakñmé, who plays on the
chest of Çré Näräyaëa,
gave up the association of her husband
and observed a vrata in
which she performed severe austerities
to attain this dust, but she
was unsuccessful. Prabhu, it is not
possible even for Lakñmé to
have the same fortune as Käliya and
receive the direct touch of
Your lotus feet.”
This Text describes Käliya’s great
fortune. Lakñmé desired the
association of Nanda-nandana Çré Kåñëa
in her body as Lakñmé.
However, Nanda-nandana does not accept
any demigoddess or
beautiful lady; the only way to attain
Him is to follow the vrajadevés
and accept the body and mood of a gopé.
Since this was
impossible for Lakñmé, she could not
attain Çré Kåñëa’s
association. Jéva Gosvämipäda says that
the one-pointedness of
the gopés was absent in Lakñmé: apräpti-käraëaà
ca gopévat tadananyatäbhäva
aivati ca.
There can be two reasons why Käliya
attained Çré Kåñëa’s lotus
feet. The first reason is that he had
the association of his wives,
who were very good devotees. The second
reason is his residence
in the Yamunä, which is within
Våndävana. Due to saàskäras,
impressions, from his previous lives,
he attained both of these,
but due to his offensive inclination,
he was indifferent to them.
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6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
The dhäma and other
transcendental objects do not manifest
immediately before offensive persons.
When Çré Kåñëa split
Käliya’s hoods with a blow from His
dancing feet, Käliya’s
mouths began to vomit blood. He then
believed the words of his
wives, that Çré Kåñëa is Bhagavän, and
surrendered to Him. Kåñëa
had merely been waiting to bestow His
mercy upon Him.
Çré Viçvanätha Cakravartépäda explains
in his commentary to
this verse that Käliya had the seed of bhakti
in his heart due to
the association of his wives, who were
devotees, but this seed
could not sprout in his hard heart,
which was like barren land
due to his offences and cruelty. By the
touch of Çré Kåñëa’s feet,
that barren land became fertile enough
for the seed of bhakti to
germinate.
Text 23
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.47.60) states that the vraja-gopés’
devotion
is topmost:
näyaà çriyo ’ìga u nitänta-rateù
prasädaù
svar-yoñitäà nalina-gandha-rucäà kuto
’nyäù
räsotsave ’sya
bhuja-daëòa-gåhéta-kaëöhalabdhäçiñäà
ya udagäd vraja-sundaréëäm
In the räsa festival, Çré Kåñëa
embraced the vraja-sundarés around
their necks with His vine-like arms,
thus fulfilling their hearts’
desires. Even Lakñmé, who eternally
resides on His chest, does not
attain this mercy. It is also not
attained by the most beautiful girls
of the heavenly planets, whose bodily
lustre and fragrance resemble
the lotus flower, what to speak of
other beautiful women.
räse vraja-gopé skandhe bhujärpaëa
kari’
ye prasäda kaila kåñëa, kahite nä päri
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ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
lakñmé nä päila sei kåpä-anubhava
anya devé kise päbe se kåpä-vaibhava?
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
With this Text, Çré Uddhava, desirous
of vraja-bhäva and filled
with patience, meekness and humility,
offers his precious
puñpäïjali to the lotus feet of Çré Kåñëa’s
beloved vraja-gopés, the
crown jewels amongst His devotees.
These words reveal the
glory of the vraja-sundarés’ prema.
To proclaim that the vrajagopés
are worshipful to the entire world,
Uddhava says, “Such
unprecedented mercy of Bhagavän has
never been seen or
received by anyone else.” Uddhava’s
astonishment is shown in
this Text by his use of the exclamation
u. In the festival of räsa,
Çré Kåñëa joyfully embraced the vraja-gopés,
putting His arms
around their necks and fulfilling their
hearts’ desires. This good
fortune was not even attained by
Lakñmé, who is eternally
situated on His chest. Nor can such
fortune be attained by the
beautiful heavenly women, whose
excellent bodily lustre and
fragrance are like lotuses, so how can
it be possible for other
beautiful ladies?
In his commentary on this Text, Çréla
Jéva Gosvämé raises an
argument: “In tattva, Çré Kåñëa
and Näräyaëa are non-different,
and the most affectionate Lakñmé-devé,
who sports on the chest
of Näräyaëa, is His svarüpa-çakti. She
also resides on Çré Kåñëa’s
chest as a golden line, and she is
never separated from Him.
Why, then, are the gopés’ moods
glorified over hers?”
He then resolves this argument:
“Although Çré Kåñëa and
Näräyaëa are non-different in tattva,
Çré Kåñëa’s unique pastimes,
which are filled with astonishingly
excellent rasa, are embellished
with an exceedingly splendid
brilliance. Lakñmé is only
engaged in meeting (sambhoga-rasa),
but the gopés sometimes
engage in meeting (milana) and
sometimes in separation
(viraha). Lakñmé is Näräyaëa’s
beloved who sports on His chest
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6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
(vakñaù-viläsiné), but the gopés
are not merely Çré Kåñëa’s
beloveds; they delight in the rasa of
amorous pastimes endowed
with paramour love (parakéya-bhäva),
thereby expanding His
prema-mädhurya in an unprecedented way.
Vrajendra-nandana
Çyämasundara’s aiçvarya and mädhurya
only manifest in their
topmost form when He is with the vraja-devés.
Eagerly desiring
this mädhurya, Lakñmé also
desires to meet with Kåñëa.
However, the gopés’ one-pointed,
steady devotion is absent in
Lakñmé. In nara-lélä, Çré Kåñëa
belongs to the caste of gopas,
cowherds. Because He considers Himself
a gopa, His beloveds
are naturally daughters of gopas,
and only they can be His
beloveds. Çré Lakñmé did not want to
assume the body of a gopé.
She was unable to take birth in the
home of a gopé, marry a gopa
other than Kåñëa for the sake of
entering parakéya-bhäva, associate
with the nitya-siddha-gopés and
give up her identification
as a brähmaëé. This is why she
was unable to meet with Kåñëa.”
In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.47.35)
it says:
yathä düra-care preñöhe
mana äviçya vartate
stréëäà ca na tathä cetaù
sannikåñöe ’kñi-gocare
When her lover is far away, a woman
thinks of him more than
when he is present before her.
Çré Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura
comments on this çloka as
follows: “The lover’s heart is more
attracted to the beloved when
she is far from him than when she is
living near him. Due to this,
although Lakñmé perpetually sports upon
Näräyaëa’s chest, the
glories of her good fortune are less
than those of the gopés’.”
The räsa-lélä is the crown jewel
amongst all Çré Kåñëa’s pastimes.
Çré Sanätana Gosvämé says: “räsaù
parama-rasa-kadambamayarati-
yaugikärtha – the räsa dance is the supreme rasa;
supreme
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ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
rasa is that in which there is a relationship with the supreme
object.” The räsa-lélä does not
take place in this world, nor does
it occur in the heavenly planets. In
Dvärakä, where there are
16,108 queens, the räsa dance is
a possibility, but it does not take
place there either. Nor does it take
place in Bhagavän’s other
abodes, such as Vaikuëöha. The räsa-lélä
only manifests in
Våndävana and the vraja-ramaëés are
its participants. The main
fountainhead of this pastime, which is
filled with all the consummate
mellows, is Çré Våñabhänu-nandiné. In
extreme joy, Çré
Çyämasundara both floats upon and
becomes submerged in the
waves of the ocean of prema that
are found in the supreme
festival of räsa-lélä. To
protect Himself from the towering waves
of the gopés’ charming behaviour
and sidelong glances in this
vast ocean of prema, He clutches
the gopés’ necks and rests
Himself upon their breasts.
Being especially insightful, Uddhava
foresaw the marriage of
Kåñëa and Rukmiëé. Rukmiëé is famous in
the world as Haripriyä,
the beloved of Hari; nevertheless, she
did not attain even
a scent of the vraja-gopés’ good
fortune. How, then, could it be
possible for the other queens of
Dvärakä and the heavenly goddesses?
The vraja-devés are capable of
completely controlling Çré
Kåñëa. The pinnacle of mahäbhäva,
mädanäkhya-bhäva
endowed with samartha-rati (that
rati which is capable of controlling
Kåñëa), is the bhäva of Çré
Rädhä only, and She is the
main source of pleasure in mädhurya-rasa.
All the other gopés
are like ingredients for rasa.
The words vraja-sundaréëäm in
this Text allude to Çré Rädhä’s love,
elegance, erudition, virtuous
nature, good qualities, skill in
dancing and singing, and great
wealth of beauty.
Text 24
All types of devotees long for gopé-bhäva.
This is explained in
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.47.61):
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6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
äsäm aho caraëa-reëu-juñäm ahaà syäà
våndävane kim api gulma-latauñadhénäm
yä dustyajaà sva-janam ärya-pathaà ca
hitvä
bhejur mukunda-padavéà çrutibhir
vimågyäm
Aho! The vraja-devés have given up everything that is
difficult to
renounce, such as children, family and
the path of chastity, and
they have taken shelter of the path of prema-bhakti
to Çré Kåñëa
that is searched for but rarely
attained by the Çrutis. My prayer is
that in a future birth I may acquire a
form among the bushes,
creepers and herbs of Çré Våndävana
that receive the dust of these
gopés’ lotus feet.
dustyajya ärya-patha-svajana chäòi’
diyä
çruti-mågya kåñëa-pada bhaje gopé giyä
ähä! vraje gulma-latä-våkña deha dhari’
gopé-pada-reëu ki seviba bhakti kari’?
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
In the previous Text, Çré Uddhava
described the excellence of the
gopés’ prema-mädhurya. In his heart he understands his
insignificance
and wretchedness, and an eager longing
awakens in him
for prema like that of the gopés.
The only means to attain this
prema, which is unattainable even for Lakñmé and the queens of
Dvärakä, is to be sprinkled with the
foot-dust of the mahäbhävavaté
gopés. The exclamation aho expresses the rarity of the
attainment of this prema. The nitya-siddha-gopés
have natural
attachment (anuräga) for Kåñëa,
and because of this deep
anuräga, they successfully renounced the
honour given by
society for following social etiquette
and so forth, which is very
difficult to give up. The Çrutis and
Upaniñads such as Gopälatäpané
are searching for such kåñëa-anuräga,
eagerly desiring to
attain it. Uddhava began to ponder, “It
will not be possible for me
to attain such good fortune as the mahäbhäva-vaté
gopés, unless
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ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
I can somehow obtain the dust of their
lotus feet.” He thus considers
himself very fallen and insignificant,
and prays to take
birth in Våndävana as a bush, creeper
or herb.
Çré Viçvanätha Cakravartépäda comments
on this in his
Särärtha-darçané öékä as follows: “It is because of their anuräga
that the vraja-devés gave up
their reputation, patience and so
forth, and departed in the middle of
the night for a rendezvous
(abhisära) with Çré
Çyämasundara. Due to the strength of their
prema, they were helpless and could not consider whether their
decision to leave their family was
right or wrong. As soon as they
heard the sound of Çré Çyämasundara’s
flute, they were pierced
by the arrow of lust (käma),
and, as if mad (unmädiné), they
moved like deer, leaving the forest
path without caring for
shrubs, thorns and sharp grass. At that
time, the dust of their feet
fell on the grass, bushes and other
vegetation. I can only receive
this dust by one day becoming such
grass, a plant like a creeper,
or a bush. Even if I were to beg humbly
for a particle of that dust,
they would never bestow it upon me.”
Uddhava also had a doubt in this
regard. “My birth and mood
are not compatible with vraja-bhäva,
so why would the gopés be
merciful to me?”
In this verse, the word caraëa-reëu (foot-dust)
is singular,
thus indicating the foot-dust of
Çrématé Rädhikä, the crown jewel
of the gopés.
Mukunda-padavé means “attaining the service of Kåñëa”.
The
gopés always attain this service. Çré Jéva
Gosvämé says, “The name
Mukunda comes from muktià dadäti,
which means ‘He who
gives liberation from one’s hair plait
or waist cloth’.” Çréla
Sanätana Gosvämé’s purport of mukunda-padavé
is tad-anuraktibhajana,
or bhajana imbued with the gopés’
affection for Kåñëa.
The gopés, before and after
Kåñëa’s cowherding (in pürvähna-lélä
and aparähna-lélä), eagerly
watch for Kåñëa’s departure to and
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6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
arrival from the pastures. Absorbed in
waiting for Him, they steal
His heart and mind by their bodily
gestures and demeanour.
Only the gopés can render this
special service. Actually, the path
followed by the gopés in serving
Kåñëa is the real ärya-patha, the
path of honesty and chastity indicated
in the scriptures. The
Vedas enjoin that one should completely
give up all kinds of
mundane and transcendental rules for aikäntika-nirupädhikaprema,
love for Çré Kåñëa that is one-pointed
and free from
material designations. To attain Kåñëa,
there is no fault in
transgressing the apparent ärya-patha.
According to another meaning of mukunda-padavé,
the topmost
devotees on the path of devotion are
none other than the
gopés.
Sanätana Gosvämipäda has raised a
question in Båhadbhägavatämåta:
“To attain Çré Kåñëa, Rukmiëé-devé even
abandoned
her own marriage ceremony, which was
arranged by her
father. By personally writing a letter
to Çré Kåñëa, offering herself
completely to Him and sending it with
the son of her priest, she
also abandoned the honour of being a
chaste girl from a noble
family. So, what is the feature that
distinguishes the vraja-devés,
who renounced everything in order to
attain Kåñëa, from
Rukmiëé, who gave up her noble family
for Him?”
Sanätana Gosvämé then explains, “The gopés’
attachment (rati)
to Kåñëa has no cause, whereas
Rukmiëé’s prema for Him developed
after hearing about His name, form,
qualities and so on.
From birth the gopés have
natural love for Kåñëa, and with an
extreme eagerness to meet Him, they
abandon their family members
and ärya-patha.”
In Préti-sandarbha Çré Jéva
Gosvämé says, “This eagerness
reveals their prema as being far
superior. The gopés’ extraordinary
eagerness causes the development of an
amazing power by
which ärya-patha is naturally
abandoned.”
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ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
The word mukunda in this verse
also refers to one whose
enchanting lotus face is like a kunda
flower; it also refers to the
dhéra-lalita-näyaka Çré Kåñëacandra, who fully manifests
His
sweetness in the assembly of the gopés.
Text 25
In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.47.58)
Uddhava mentions that
Brahmä is also distracted upon seeing
the mood of the gopés:
etäù paraà tanu-bhåto bhuvi gopa-vadhvo
govinda eva nikhilätmani rüòha-bhäväù
väïchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayaà
ca
kià brahma-janmabhir
ananta-kathä-rasasya
The gopés have one-pointed rüòha-bhäva
towards Çré Kåñëa,
who is the soul of all living entities.
This is the topmost level of
kåñëa-prema, and by this, their lives are successful.
This bhäva is
hankered for, not only by fearful
persons desiring liberation from
this material existence, but also by
great mahäpuruñas, as well as
devotees like ourselves; but none of us
are able to attain it. For
one whose mind is attached to kåñëa-kathä,
the three kinds of
birth – seminal, brahminical and
sacrificial – are not necessary;
but for one who has no taste for
hearing kåñëa-kathä, what is the
benefit of taking birth, even as
Brahmä, again and again for many
mahä-kalpas?
bhava-bhéta muni-gaëa ära deva-gaëa
yäìhära caraëa-väïchä kare anukñaëa
se govinde ruòha-bhäväpanna gopé dhanya
kåñëa rasa-äge brahma-janma nahe gaëya
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
With this verse and others, Çré Uddhava
is praising the crown
jewels of all devotees, the gopés,
who are worshipped by all.
2 9 7
6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
Uddhava is Kåñëa’s dearmost friend.
Seeing the extraordinary
prema of the gopés, he became
astonished and reflected as follows:
“Lord Brahmä is Kåñëa’s son, but is
proud of being His son.
Çaìkara’s nature is one with Kåñëa’s,
but he thinks more about
his oneness with Kåñëa than he thinks
of bhakti. Saìkarñaëa has
the mood of a brother, and Lakñmé the
mood of a wife, and these
bhävas are more prominent in them than the
mood of prema.
But the gopés love Kåñëa as
their präëa-priyatama, and their love
is nirupädhika, free from any
other designation, and has reached
the upper limit of prema. They
have rüòha-bhäva towards
Gokulendra-nandana Govinda.”
Rüòha-bhäva is prema that is endowed with mädhurya-bhäva
and free from any sense of awe and
reverence. It is affection for
Kåñëa without any designation, and it
is paramour bhäva without
any expectation. Rüòha-bhäva appears
in the higher levels of
mahäbhäva. Rüòha-bhäva is mentioned in
this verse, but the
gopés actually attain adhirüòha-bhäva,
which is the final limit of
their mahäbhäva. To only mention
rüòha-bhäva limits the
extent of the gopés’ bhävas. The
vraja-devés, who are endowed
with adhirüòha-bhäva, in other
words with mädana, mohana
and all other bhävas, are the
very soul of Govinda. This is the
meaning of the words nikhilätmani
rüòha-bhäväù.
Uddhava starts to contemplate the
following: “Govinda is the
condensed form of Svayam Bhagavän
Parameçvara.” All çästras
state that the original, non-dual
truth, Govinda, is the original
Person (ädi-puruña). Govinda
gives pleasure to the Vrajaväsés
with the sweetness of His form: “go
vindayati iti govinda –
Govinda is He who gives pleasure to the
gopas, gopés and cows.”
Go means one who pervades the senses, and the gopés pervade
the senses of Govinda. It is a severe
offence to ascribe the moods
of ordinary females to the vraja-devés,
who are not ordinary, but
the very embodiments of concentrated prema.
2 9 8
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
Väïchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayaà
ca – Those desiring
liberation, munis and others who
have attained liberation
and who are fully self-satisfied (ätmäräma),
and even Uddhava,
who lives with Govinda, as well as the
Päëòavas, Yädavas,
Caturmukha Brahmä and others, are
attracted by the gopés’
mahäbhäva and eagerly desire it. If one has no
taste for hearing
narrations about Ananta-kåñëa, then
even birth as Brahmä is useless.
There is even no gain if as Brahmä one
performs the act of
creation, or as a brähmaëa studies
the Vedas, Upaniñads and
other scriptures, and takes vows,
performs austerities and so on.
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says, “The life and
death of a person who has
no taste for hearing narrations of Çré
Kåñëa’s prema-mädhurya are
insignificant and meaningless.” If a
person’s mood is not similar
to that of the gopés, then Kåñëa
does not accept him. He therefore
sent the mathurä-brähmaëés back
to their homes, as described
in Chapter 23 of the Tenth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
Bhuvi – Refers to this Earth, the heavenly
planets and the spiritual
world. The only success in these three
worlds is to take the
form of a gopé.
Tanu-bhåto bhuvi – Kåñëa delivers all jévas from
material existence,
even those who are low and
insignificant. He nourishes
them accordingly with the prema of
the gopés, who are situated
in His heart. He propagates prema,
He relishes this extraordinary
prema and makes others relish it, and He
increases prema in
those to whom he gives it. The name of
this potency is “gopé”.
Uddhava is profusely praising the
greatness of the vraja-devés
in this verse. He also establishes the
superiority of a married
gopé’s paramour mood in comparison to the mood
of a husband
and wife. This paramour mood is not
possible anywhere else
except Vraja. In paramour love (parakéya-bhäva),
rasa is produced
by unprecedented astonishment.
2 9 9
6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
Text 26
Even devotees inclined towards Çré
Bhagavän’s opulence
(aiçvarya) long to attain gopé-bhäva.
This is stated in Çrémad-
Bhägavatam (10.44.14):
gopyas tapaù kim acaran yad amuñya
rüpaà
lävaëya-säram asamordhvam
ananya-siddham
dågbhiù pibanty anusaväbhinavaà duräpam
ekänta-dhäma yaçasaù çriya aiçvarasya
Sakhé, I do not know what austerities the gopés have
performed
to be always drinking the sweetness of
Kåñëa’s form with their
eyes. What is the nature of His form?
It is the essence of bodily
beauty (lävaëya-sära)! Within
this material existence or above it,
there is no beauty equal to His, what
to speak of a greater beauty.
He is not decorated by anyone, nor is
He perfected by ornaments
and clothes. Rather, He is perfect in
Himself. While seeing this
form, one does not become satiated,
because its beauty increases
at every moment. All fame, beauty and
opulence take shelter of
it. Only the gopés are fortunate
enough to have such a darçana of
Kåñëa; no one else.
yaçaù çré aiçvarya-dhäma durlabha
ekänta
atéva-lävaëya-sära svataù-siddha känta
ki tapa karila gopé yähe anukñaëa
nayanete çyäma-rasa kare äsvädana
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
This Text was spoken by the young,
beautiful women of Mathurä
in Kaàsa’s wrestling arena when they
had received darçana of Çré
Kåñëa’s unprecedented lustrous body.
Amazed by that form, they
yearned to taste it. They said, “O sakhé,
what kind of austerities
have the gopés performed to be
able to fill their eyes with the
3 0 0
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
extraordinary beauty of Çré Kåñëa’s
form? They have made their
birth, body and mind successful. What
is this beauty like? There is
no rüpa-mädhurya equal to or
greater than this. In Paravyoma,
there are so many forms of Bhagavän,
but even Näräyaëa, Çré
Kåñëa’s pastime expansion (viläsa-mürti-svarüpa),
does not have
such rüpa-mädhurya, what to
speak of other forms.”
Çré Kåñëa’s beauty is topmost. It is
incomparable, perfect and
natural, and it is not brought about by
any kind of ornamentation.
In fact, it is both the origin and
treasury of all beautiful,
sweet qualities. Çré Kåñëa’s form,
which is filled with unequalled
beauty, is only present in Våndävana,
and Vrajabhümi is blessed
because the original Person (puräëa-puruña)
performs pastimes
there in disguise. In this Vrajabhümi,
the vraja-devés are especially
blessed because they received darçana
of dhéra-lalitanäyaka
Çré Kåñëa, who is adorned with all
beauty and sweetness.
By the word amuñya, the women of
Mathurä note, “Today in
this wrestling arena, by our
insignificant piety, we are receiving
Çré Kåñëa’s darçana, but the gopés’
piety is complete. O omniscient
munis, please direct us how to perform austerities like
those performed by the gopés, so
that we also will be able to gaze
at Çré Kåñëa’s sweet form in Vraja.”
Another woman of Mathurä said with
amazement, “O sakhé,
the good fortune of the vraja-devés is
not the result of any
austerity; their prema is
without cause and cannot be expressed
in words.” If she had said, “We can
also go to Vraja and drink the
nectar of Kåñëa’s beauty like the gopés,”
another lady would have
replied, “That is very difficult for us
(duräpam). Only by the
mercy of the gopés, who possess
the topmost prema, is it possible
to drink this nectar.”
Another lady started speaking. “Oh!
Before the vraja-gopés, Çré
Kåñëa’s beauty manifests in newer and
newer forms, uninterruptedly,
moment by moment.”
3 0 1
6 / ÑAÑÖHA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
The women of Mathurä glorified the good
fortune of the vrajadevés
and eagerly desired to have a sevä like
theirs. They used to
hear from the fruit-sellers and others
coming from Vraja about the
sweet pastimes of Çré Kåñëa and the vraja-devés.
By hearing
descriptions of these pastimes, a
yearning for a sevä like that of
the gopés arose in their hearts.
Text 27
An introduction to the evening pastimes
(säyaà-käléya-lélä) is
found in Govinda-lélämåta (20.1):
säyaà rädhäà sva-sakhyä
nija-ramaëa-kåte preñitäneka-bhojyäà
sakhyänéteça-çeñäçana-mudita-hådaà täà
ca taà ca vrajendum
susnätaà ramya-veçaà gåham anu-janané-lälitaà
präpta-goñöhaà
nirvyüòho ’srälidohaà sva-gåham anu
punar bhuktavantaà smarämi
I remember Çré Rädhä who, in the
evening, sends many kinds of
cooked foodstuffs with Her sakhés to
Her lover, Çré Kåñëa, and
who becomes joyful by taking Kåñëa’s
remnants that are brought
back to Her by Her sakhés. I
remember Çré Kåñëa, who takes bath
upon returning from cowherding, who is
dressed in beautiful
attire, and who is fondly attended in
many ways by Mother
Yaçodä. He goes to the cowshed, and
after milking the cows
returns home for His evening meal.
çré-rädhikä säyaà-käle, kåñëa lägi’
päöhäile,
sakhé haste vividha miñöhänna
kåñëa-bhukta çeña äni’, sakhé dila
sukha mäni’,
päïä rädhä haila prasanna
snäta ramyaveça dhari’, yaçodä lälita
hari,
sakhä-saha godohana kare
nänävidha pakva anna, päïä haila
parasanna,
smari ämi parama ädare
3 0 2
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
When Çré Rädhä sees that evening has
come, in Her heart She
becomes very eager and thinks, “Now
Kåñëa must have returned
from cowherding!” In the kitchen, She
wears a white dress, and
together with Her sakhés prepares
many kinds of sweets, such as
amåta-keli, karpüra-keli, candrakänti and
modaka. All the
preparations are put into new clay pots
and covered with white
cloth. She puts the pots into the hands
of Her nitya-sakhés and
präëa-sakhés to take to Her priyatama in
Nanda-bhavana. The
sakhés depart, and Çré Rädhä’s mind goes with
them. She thinks,
“When My sakhés reach the house
of Nanda, Maiyä will embrace
them to her heart, and she will
remember Me and give Me her
blessings. My präëanätha,
surrounded by Bäbä and the sakhäs,
will eat these preparations. I do not
know which ones He will
like and which ones He won’t.” In this
way, with eyes of bhäva,
Çré Rädhä has internal darçana of
the evening meal. The sakhés
offer all the preparations to Yaçodä,
the queen of Vraja, who
affectionately serves them to Kåñëa,
Balaräma and the sakhäs.
Cleverly, Dhaniñöhä places Çré Kåñëa’s
remnants in the hands of a
sakhé and sends them to Çré Rädhä, along with
information about
the location of Their abhisära later
that night. At that time, Çré
Rädhä anxiously awaits the sakhés’ return
from Nanda-bhavana.
When they arrive, they describe all the
conversations at Nandabhavana
and how Kåñëa relished each preparation.
Çré Rädhä relishes
Çré Kåñëa’s remnants in the same way.
The sakhés are also
extremely happy to take the remnants of
Çré Kåñëa and Çré Rädhä.
Thus ends the Ñañöha-yäma-sädhana,
Säyaà-käléya-bhajana, of Çré Bhajana-rahasya.
3 0 3
Text 1
The internal symptom of devotion at the
stage of perfection
(sädhya-bhakti) is worship of
Çré Kåñëa in a mood of separation.
Çikñäñöaka (7) states:
yugäyitaà nimeñeëa
cakñuñä prävåñäyitam
çünyäyitaà jagat sarvaà
govinda-viraheëa me
O sakhé, in separation from
Govinda, even a moment seems like
a millennium to Me. Tears pour from My
eyes like torrents of rain
in the monsoon season and this entire
world seems void to Me.
udvege divasa nä yäya, ‘kñana’ haila
‘yuga-sama’
varñära meghapräya açru varñe du’
nayana
govinda-virahe çünya haila tribhuvana
tuñänale poòe – yena nä yäya jévana
Saptama-yäma-sädhana
7
Pradoña-käléya-bhajana –
vipralambha-prema
(from six daëòas of the night
until midnight:
approximately 8.30 P.M. – 12.00 P.M.)
3 0 4
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
Çréman Mahäprabhu is absorbed in Çré
Rädhä’s feelings of intense
separation from Çré Kåñëa. He says, “Sakhé,
in My distress without
Çré Nanda-nandana My days stand still.
Each and every moment
seems like an entire millennium. Tears
flow incessantly from My
eyes, like torrents of rain from the
clouds. I cannot tolerate separation
from Govinda anymore. The entire
universe appears void
and My body constantly burns in the
fire of separation from Him.
It is as if My limbs have been placed
in a fire of burning husks.1
But still, My life air does not leave
Me. What shall I do now?”
Both pürva-räga (attachment
prior to meeting one’s beloved)
and praväsa (separation by
distance) are favourable to bhajana
in the mood of separation. Rati (attachment)
that is filled with
eagerness and which exists prior to
meeting is called pürva-räga.
When the gopés, who are deeply
attached to Çré Kåñëa, hear the
glories of His form, qualities and so
forth, many types of sentiments
are stimulated in their hearts and an
astonishing impatience
(vyagratä) arises that is
impossible to describe. Those learned in
the rasa-çästras call this
impatience pürva-räga. In this state of
pürva-räga, various saïcäri-bhävas arise,
such as longing
(lälasä), anxiety (udvega)
and sleeplessness (jägaraëa). Texts
2–6, taken from Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
describe the pürva-räga
of the gopés.
Text 2
The gopés praise the flute,
which drinks the nectar of Çré Kåñëa’s
lips. Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.21.9)
states:
1
Burning husks are difficult to
extinguish, burn very slowly and emit much heat.
This analogy is used to describe
Rädhikä’s extreme suffering.
3 0 5
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
gopyaù kim äcarad ayaà kuçalaà sma
veëur
dämodarädhara-sudhäm api gopikänäm
bhuìkte svayaà yad avaçiñöa-rasaà
hradinyo
håñyat-tvaco ’çru mumucus taravo
yathäryäù
What pious activities has this flute
performed to relish the nectar
of Kåñëa’s lips, which is meant for us gopés?
He is drinking all the
rasa and not even leaving us one drop. Sakhé, upon
seeing the
good fortune of the veëu, the Yamunä,
Mänasé-gaìgä, and other
rivers and ponds manifest the ecstatic
symptom of horripilation
in the form of blossoming lotuses and
other flowers. The trees
shed tears of love, delighted to have
such a descendant in their
dynasty, just as noble persons are
delighted that a Vaiñëava has
taken birth in their family.
ohe sakhi! kivä tapa kaila kåñëa-veëu
gopé präpya mukhämåta piye punaù punaù
avaçeña-jala deya taru açru-chale
sädhu-putra-präptye yena pitå-açru gale
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
One gopé says to another, “O sakhé,
I do not know what kind of
highly pious activities this veëu,
a dry piece of wood, has performed
to profusely and independently relish
the nectar of Çré
Kåñëa’s lips, which is meant to be
enjoyed only by us gopés. He
does not leave even a drop of this
nectar for us. Seeing the good
fortune of this veëu,
Mänasé-gaìgä and other ponds secretly display
their ecstasy through their blossoming
lotus flowers. When
family elders see that one of their
descendents is filled with love
for Bhagavän, they shed tears of joy.
Similarly, since the trees
have a relationship with the veëu,
they emit streams of honey, as
if shedding tears of bliss.”
Now the vraja-ramaëés, already
eager to meet with Kåñëa,
become even more restless. A vision of
the sweetness of Kåñëa’s
3 0 6
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
beauty appears in their hearts, and in
this vision, they see the
veëu on His lips. The gopés reflect on the flute’s rare
good fortune.
“O sakhé, this veëu always
relishes the nectar of Kåñëa’s association,
so there is no doubt about his extreme
fortune. But he has
now become so proud and arrogant that
we find it intolerable.
The nectar of Dämodara’s lips is meant
for the pleasure of the
gopikäs, but the veëu considers it his.
Dämodara was born in the
gopa dynasty and so were we. From childhood we shared deep
love for each other. He is our priyatama,
so we alone have full
rights to the nectar of His lips. But
this impudent and shameless
veëu is depriving us of our birthright, and he drinks the
nectar of
Dämodara’s lips just as he pleases. We
have taken birth in the
dynasty of gopas, but we are
deprived of the nectar of Gopendranandana
Çré Kåñëa’s lips. Yet the veëu,
who has taken birth in the
dynasty of inert trees, constantly
drinks that nectar. By doing so,
he challenges us in a manly way.
“The day Yasodä-maiyä bound Kåñëa with
rope, He became
famous as Dämodara, and that very same
day we gopikäs began
our loving relationships with Him. No
one in Vraja knew anything
about the veëu then. It
was when Kåñëa started taking the
cows out to graze that the veëu’s relationship
with Him began.
By this meagre relationship, the veëu
became the complete heir
to the nectar of Kåñëa’s lips. Even
though we gopikäs have loved
Kåñëa since childhood, we remain
deprived of this right.
Therefore, I say, O sakhé, birth
as a veëu is higher and more
blessed than birth as a gopé.
“Seeing the great fortune of the veëu,
the trees, unable to contain
themselves, become covered with fruits
and flowers and
ooze honey. It is as if they become
ecstatic and their hair stands
on end upon seeing the supreme good
fortune of their own
child, and they shed tears of love due
to pride. And why not? The
veëu is made of bamboo, and bamboo is considered to be in the
3 0 7
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
family of trees. Bamboo is nourished by
the water of rivers and
ponds, so for the bamboo, this water is
actually milk, and the
rivers and ponds are the bamboo’s
mothers. Seeing the rare good
fortune of their son, these mothers,
such as the Yamunä, Mänaségaìgä,
Pävana-sarovara, Mäna-sarovara and
Kusuma-sarovara,
sometimes laugh by displaying
blossoming flowers. Sometimes,
in their great rapture, they express
their joy through their undulating
waves, and at other times they shed
tears of happiness.”
In this way the gopés, endowed
with mahäbhäva, deliberate
upon the veëu’s great fortune
and on their own misfortune, and
they display envy (asüyä) and
other saïcäri-bhävas. They say,
“In his previous life, this veëu must
have performed some severe
austerity or pious activity. If we knew
what it was, we would do
the same and also attain such rare good
fortune. Paurëamäsé is a
perfected ascetic who knows past,
present and future. Let us go
and ask her! By acting according to her
instruction, we will attain
that rare good fortune.”
According to Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé,
this verse is spoken by
Våñabhänu-nandiné Herself, as She
reveals Her bhävas to Her
dear Lalitä Sakhé. Upon analysing the
various statements and
indications in this çloka, it is
apparent that this prema is on the
level of adhirüòha-mahäbhäva.
Text 3
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.21.11) describes the good fortune
of
the does and their husbands when they
hear the sound of the
flute:
dhanyäù sma müòha-gatayo ’pi hariëya
etä
yä nanda-nandanam upätta-vicitra-veçam
äkarëya veëu-raëitaà saha-kåñëa-säräù
püjäà dadhur viracitäà praëayävalokaiù
3 0 8
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
O sakhé, when Nanda-nandana
Çyämasundara, wearing beautiful,
multi-coloured attire, vibrates a sweet
melody on His flute, even
the does, who are foolish due to having
taken birth from the
wombs of ignorant animals, run towards
Him along with their
husbands and gaze upon Him with
love-laden eyes. They are not
merely gazing, sakhé, but they
are worshipping Him with
crooked sidelong glances from their
large lotus-like eyes, and He
is accepting their worship with His own
loving sidelong glance.
The lives of these deer are truly
blessed. Sakhé, although we are
gopés of Våndävana, we are unable to offer
ourselves like this
because our family members harass us.
How ironic!
kåñëa-citra-veça svéya cakñete heriyä
täìhära väàçaré-dhvani karëete çuniyä
püjära vidhäna kaila praëaya-nayane
kåñëa-sära-saha äja dhanya mågé-gaëe
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
The vraja-ramaëés are always
restless to meet with Kåñëa. This
restlessness is due to their inability
to be satisfied, which is a natural
characteristic of their prema.
They are also unable to steady
their minds in any way. They consider
anyone who has even the
slightest relationship with Kåñëa to be
extremely fortunate. While
sitting in their homes, the gopés hear
the flute-song of Govinda,
who steals the hearts of all beings in
Våndävana, and they
become completely submerged in prema-rasa.
With eyes of
bhäva, they see the does in the forest not only abandon grazing
when they hear the sound of the veëu,
but abandon caring for
their offspring and everything else as
well. These does dash
towards Kåñëa with great speed,
stopping so close to Him that He
can touch them with His hands.
The gopés express their moods in
a concealed way (avahitthabhäva).
One says, “O sakhé, just see the
affection that these does,
3 0 9
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
from the animal kingdom, have for
Kåñëa. Indeed they are
blessed! We, on the other hand, who
have taken birth as human
beings, are deprived of taking such darçana
and performing
such sevä, which are a human
being’s right. This is the frustration
of our lives.”
In autumn Vrajendra-nandana Çré Kåñëa,
beautifully decorated
in marvellous attire suitable for
roaming in the forest, enters
Våndävana to herd the cows and
blissfully plays enchanting
notes on His flute. At that time, the
does become content by
seeing the sweet form of Çyämasundara,
who steals the hearts of
everyone in the universe, and by
hearing the sound of His flute.
One sakhé begins to speak,
saying, “When the does hear the
sound of präëanätha Çyämasundara’s
flute, they become senseless
and proceed towards Him, staggering and
stumbling. At that
time, their husbands, the kåñëa-sära
deer, follow behind them,
accepting the guidance of their wives.
In this way, no obstacle
prevents the does from meeting with
Kåñëa.” Kåñëa-sära means
that Kåñëa alone is the essence of
their lives.
Hearing this, another sakhé says,
“O friend, this is really true!
Where is our such fortune? We are
females and the wives of other
men, so we cannot abandon the fear of
public opinion. When
Çyämasundara goes cowherding on the
path that runs by our
homes, we can only get darçana of
Him through the holes in the
latticed windows. For this only, our
family members abuse us
and create obstacles for us. Our husbands
are also disapproving.
Birth as a deer is more fruitful than
birth as a human.”
The vraja-devés’ longing to meet
with Kåñëa increases more
and more. Eagerness (utkaëöhä)
and longing (lälasä) to meet
Kåñëa are very helpful for a sädhaka.
Praëayävalokaiù püjäà dadhau means that the does lovingly
look upon Kåñëa with their very
beautiful eyes, which serve as
lamps to perform ärati to Him.
Kåñëa reciprocates by accepting
their worship.
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
3 1 0
In Ujjvala-nélamaëi Çréla Rüpa
Gosvämé defines praëaya as
the state in which the hearts of both
the hero (näyaka) and
heroine (näyikä) become one. The
hearts of the does are one
with Kåñëa’s heart, and therefore the gopés
have used the word
praëayävalokaiù. With these glances, the does offer
their bhävas
as flowers and other articles to
worship Kåñëa. In this Text, the
sweetness of the vraja-devés’ paramour
love is expressed
through metaphors.
Text 4
Hearing the sound of the veëu,
all the rivers stop flowing and
worship Kåñëa’s feet with lotus flowers.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(10.21.15) states:
nadyas tadä tad upadhärya mukunda-gétam
ävarta-lakñita-manobhava-bhagna-vegäù
äliìgana-sthagitam ürmi-bhujair murärer
gåhnanti päda-yugalaà kamalopahäräù
Hearing the song of Çré Kåñëa’s veëu,
the Yamunä, Mänasé-gaìgä
and other rivers have become deluded by
lust (käma). Their
hearts’ desires for love cause many
whirlpools to surface and
they stop flowing. Bringing lotuses as
gifts with their arm-like
waves, they embrace Madana-mohana and
place His lotus feet
on their breasts.
ähä! nadé kåñëa-géta çravaëa kariyä
çroto-vega phiräila mohita haiyä
urmi-chale kåñëa-pada äliìgana kaila
o pada-yugale padma upahära dila
3 1 1
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
Hearing the sweet sound of Kåñëa’s veëu,
the vraja-devés, who
are attached to Kåñëa with profound
love (kåñëa-anurägiëé),
have become overwhelmed with prema.
They started speaking
with sakhés from their own
groups about the effects of the sound
of the flute (veëu-näda) and
other such topics. With metaphors,
they describe how lifeless rivers
exhibit transformations of love
upon hearing the sweet sound of Kåñëa’s
veëu. Although it is not
possible for rivers to experience any
feeling, the vraja-ramaëés,
who are endowed with mahäbhäva and
controlled by its astonishing
nature, do not consider whether a being
is sentient or
insentient, and they ascribe their own
respective bhävas everywhere
they look. Whatever mood and
relationship an uttamaadhikäré
devotee has with his worshipful deity (iñöadeva),
Çré
Bhagavän, that same mood and
relationship is seen by him to
exist in all living entities. This is
described in Çré Caitanyacaritämåta
(Madhya-lélä 8.273–4):
mahä-bhägavata dekhe sthävara-jaìgama
tähäì tähäì haya täìra
çré-kåñëa-sphuraëa
sthävara-jaìgama dekhe, nä dekhe tära
mürti
sarvatra haya nija iñöa-deva-sphürti
While roaming in the charming Våndävana
forest, Nandanandana
Çré Kåñëa arrives at the banks of the
Yamunä or Mänaségaìgä,
where he hears the sweet murmur of
water, sees the
beautiful lotus flowers floating on high
waves, hears the sounds
of cuckoo birds on the river banks, and
is pleasantly touched by
a gentle, fragrant breeze. Overwhelmed
with immense elation,
He plays a sweet melody on His muralé.
Upon hearing it, the
river stops flowing, and on the still
waters of her breast, unlimited
whirlpools appear. Gradually the water
of the river rises to
the height of Çré Kåñëa’s chest. The
repeated crashing of waves
3 1 2
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
causes the lotus flowers to break from
their stems and present
themselves at Kåñëa’s lotus feet.2
Upon seeing these whirlpools in the
rivers, the gopés are
unable to conceal their own bhävas.
One says, “O sakhé, hearing
our präëakänta’s flute-song,
this river is affected by lust (käma)
and has become senseless. His face is
all-pleasing. It is radiant,
fragrant, soft, sweet and attractive to
the heart, like a kunda
flower. This is why He is called
Mukunda. With His soft, delicate
lotus face, He relishes kissing, the
biting of lips and other transcendental
mellows of union. When these mellows
are relished,
all kinds of obligations are cut and,
due to an increase in käma,
He observes with an agitated heart the gopés’
lotus-navels, which
look like whirpools.”
Another vraja-devé says, “When
the rivers see Mukunda’s
sweet beauty and hear the ascending and
descending waves of
sound from His veëu, both of
which enchant the whole universe,
their hearts become afflicted with käma.
Now they have reversed
their flow with great force, and
instead of moving towards their
husband, the ocean, they flow towards
Kåñëa. Their arm-like
waves rise up higher and embrace
Muräri’s chest.”
There is a reason why the gopés call
Kåñëa “Muräri”. They say,
“We have taken shelter of Çré
Nanda-nandana, who has all the
qualities of Näräyaëa, the destroyer of
the Mura demon. It is very
sad, however, that we are always
tormented by käma, or Cupid.
Although the killer of Mura is aware of
this, He makes no
arrangement to punish mära, or käma
(lust). Çré Näräyaëa has
become famous as Muräri by killing the
demon Mura, thus
making the demigods fearless. In the
same way, if Kåñëa destroys
mära, He will become famous as Muräri and will be recognised
2
Çréla Cakravartipäda explains that the
river, after trying to embrace Kåñëa,
became ashamed and withdrawn, and
instead presented lotus flowers at Kåñëa’s
feet.
3 1 3
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
as having the same qualities as
Näräyaëa, otherwise not. With
mära destroyed, we vraja-ramaëés will also breathe a
sigh of
relief.”
Äliìgana-sthagita – The waves of the rivers move closer
and
closer to Kåñëa’s chest and upon
reaching it, they fall to ripple at
His lotus feet. Seeing this, the gopés,
whose hearts are filled with
loving attachment for Kåñëa, say, “O sakhé!
Look, look! At first
these anurägé rivers were trying
to bind Çyämasundara in the
bond of their embrace, but seeing His
indifference, they have
become ashamed. They have stopped
trying to embrace Him and
are again offering lotus flowers at His
feet with their arm-like
waves.”
Upon observing the behaviour of the
Yamunä and other rivers,
the vraja-ramaëés express
various bhävas. Seeing how the
moods of Çré Yamunä and Mänasé-gaìgä
are one with those of
the gopa-ramaëés is an
unprecedented darçana.
Text 5
Giri-Govardhana becomes blissful by the
touch of Çré Kåñëa’s and
Çré Balaräma’s lotus feet, and he
worships them with various
articles. Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.21.18)
states:
hantäyam adrir abalä hari-däsa-varyo
yad räma-kåñëa-caraëa-sparça-pramodaù
mänaà tanoti saha-go-gaëayos tayor yat
pänéya-süyavasa-kandara-kandamülaiù
O sakhés, this mountain,
Govardhana, is the crown jewel of
Hari’s servants. Blessed is his
fortune! By the touch of the lotus
feet of our präëa-vallabha Çré
Kåñëa and Baladeva Prabhu, who
is most pleasing to the eyes,
Govardhana is blossoming with
delight and supplying crystal-clear
water, soft grass, wonderful
caves and varieties of roots. By thus
serving Çré Kåñëa and
3 1 4
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
Balaräma, who are surrounded by the
cowherd boys and cows,
he highly honours them.
haridäsa-varya ei giri-govardhana
räma-kåñëa pada-sparçe sukhe acetana
sakhä-dhenu-saha kåñëe ätithya karila
pänéya-kandara-kandamüla nivedila
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
The vraja-devés, who are the
embodiments of mahäbhäva, say,
“If anyone can be said to be the
topmost devotee, it must be
Giriräja. In a variety of ways he
serves our präëa-vallabha and
the cowherd boys and cows who accompany
Him. We do not
have the strength of kåñëa-prema,
and therefore we are weak
(abalä). This Giriräja, however,
is the proprietor of kåñëa-prema.
Let us go, sakhé. We should
bathe in Mänasé-gaìgä, do parikramä
of Giriräja, take darçana of his
presiding deity, Çré Harideva, and
worship him. Then the desires we have
long held in our hearts
will be fulfilled. Even though
attainment of the wealth of prema
is extremely rare, Giriräja will give
some of it to us. O sister, we
want to touch priyatama Çyämasundara’s
chin and talk to Him.
It is so frustrating that we are unable
to talk with Him, what to
speak of render direct service to Him.
“Just look! Giriräja becomes ecstatic
by the touch of Kåñëa’s
limbs as Kåñëa climbs upon his body,
and one can easily see his
ecstatic sentiments, such as tears,
horripilation and perspiration.
The appearance of grass is
horripilation, the humidity is his
perspiration and the waterfalls are his
tears. Moreover, Kåñëa also
receives pleasure by sporting on
Govardhana’s body and performing
pastimes there. Having seen all this,
we do not have
even the slightest doubt that
Giriräja-Govardhana is haridäsavarya,
the topmost servant of Çré Hari.’’
That servant who delights Çré Hari with
his service, and who
3 1 5
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
receives the greatest happiness by
rendering that service to Him,
is topmost among Çré Hari’s servants.
In Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
three great personalities are called haridäsa:
Mahäräja
Yudhiñöhira, Çré Uddhava and Çré
Giriräja-Govardhana. Mahäräja
Yudhiñöhira accepts Çré Kåñëa, who is
the Supreme Absolute
Truth and fully independent, as his
intimate friend, and he serves
Him lovingly in the mood of a servant (däsya),
a friend (sakhya)
and a parent (vätsalya).
Çré Uddhava, the second haridäsa,
became Çré Kåñëa’s
messenger and went to Vraja to console
Kåñëa’s parents as well
as the vraja-ramaëés and other
Vrajaväsés. Upon seeing the
symptoms of the gopés’ high
class of prema, Çré Uddhava became
astonished. He not only realised the
glories of the gopés’ footdust,
he also expressed a desire to take
birth in Vraja as grass, a
shrub or a herb. He fulfilled this
desire at the most magnanimous
Giriräja-Govardhana, by taking birth in
Giriräja’s lap near
Kusuma-sarovara as a blade of grass,
but still he was unable to
serve the Vrajaväsés as Giriräja does.
Giriräja is haridäsa-varya, the
topmost servant of Hari. Why?
Because he fulfils all the needs of
Kåñëa and the Vrajaväsés. He
serves Kåñëa and His companions, the
cowherd boys and cows,
with his body, mind, wealth and very
life, sacrificing everything
to satisfy all of their inner hearts’
desires. He offers them the
pure, cool, sweet drinking water of
Mänasé-gaìgä and other
sarovaras, very tasteful fruits and roots to
eat, varieties of flowers
and red minerals for decoration,
jewelled seats and beds, precious
stones to use for lamps and mirrors,
and well-adorned
caves and kuïjas for resting and
playing. And he offers nutritious
grass and plants to the cows. Çré Kåñëa
and His beloveds relish
very confidential pastimes in the
beautifully decorated groves
and caves of Giriräja, who is expert in
performing the topmost
service in çåìgära-rasa. Because
Rädhä and Kåñëa’s confidential
3 1 6
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
nikuïja-léläs take place inside and upon his body, so
as to not
disturb these confidential pastimes he
has permanently assumed
the stationary form of stone.
In this way, the gopés lavishly
praise Giriräja-Govardhana upon
seeing the many kinds of services he
renders to Kåñëa.
Text 6
Upon hearing the sound of Kåñëa’s
flute, moving living entities
acquire the nature of the non-moving,
and non-moving entities
acquire the nature of the moving. Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(10.21.19)
states:
gä gopakair anu-vanaà nayator
udäraveëu-
svanaiù kala-padais tanu-bhåtsu sakhyaù
aspandanaà gati-matäà pulakas tarüëäà
niryoga-päça-kåta-lakñaëayor vicitram
O sakhés, the elegance and charm
of the two brothers, our
Çyämasundara and Gaurasundara Balaräma,
are quite unique
and wonderful. When Çyämasundara,
together with His cowherd
friends, leads the cows from one forest
to another by sweetly
playing a melody on His veëu, He
binds the top of His turban
with the niryoga rope, which is
used for binding the legs of
calves, and from His shoulders (like
His pétämbara) hangs a rope
known as päça. Upon seeing that
sweet, unparalleled beauty and
hearing the sound of the veëu,
moving living entities, such as
animals and birds, as well as rivers –
and what to speak of human
beings – become inert like stone. And
ecstatic symptoms like
horripilation are displayed in
non-moving entities, such as trees.
Sakhé, how can I describe the magical sound of that flute?
sakhä-dhenu-saìge kåñëa udära-svabhäva
muraléra gäne sabe deya sakhya-bhäva
3 1 7
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
jaìgame karila spandahéna, tarugaëe
pulakita kaila aho! vicitra lakñaëe
hena kåñëa nä päiyä präëa pheöe yäya
kabe sakhi! vidhi kåñëa dibena ämäya
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
The beautiful women of Vraja, being
filled with mahäbhäva,
reflect, “All the moving and non-moving
entities of Våndävana
are blessed. Their lives are successful
because, regardless of their
form, they have attained the touch of
Kåñëa’s lotus feet, or else
they have attained some kind of
relationship with Him. In the
whole of Vraja, only we are
unfortunate.” As the vraja-ramaëés
speak, the pastime of Kåñëa taking the
cows to graze in the forest
and the melodious sound of His veëu manifest
in their hearts.
Now they become completely immersed in
ecstatic rapture, as if
seeing Kåñëa directly.
Overwhelmed with prema, they
say, “Look sakhé! How sweet
are the movements of Çyämasundara, the
best of dancers, as He
gracefully roams from one forest to the
other. The sweet sound
of His flute causes all moving and
non-moving living entities to
become overwhelmed with the ecstasy of prema,
and they visibly
manifest añöa-sättvika transformations.”
Furthermore, the gopés say, niryoga-päça-kåta-lakñaëayor
vicitram. “Aho! What a beautiful sight are
the two brothers, Räma
and Kåñëa, as They walk into the forest
wearing the niryoga and
päça on Their bodies.” While the cows are being milked, with a
rope their restless calves are tied
before them to a post in the
ground. In this way, their mothers can
see them. This rope is
called niryoga. Another rope, päça,
binds the two hind legs of a
restless cow to keep her calm while
being milked. The niryoga
and päça used by Çré Kåñëa are
made of soft, yellow threads of
jute, tied at either end with clusters
of pearls. Like the other
3 1 8
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
gopas, Kåñëa ties the niryoga to the top of His turban
and lets the
päça hang from His shoulders onto His chest. His attire is so
fascinating that anyone who sees it
cannot help being charmed,
and the mere sight of it renders the prema-filled
gopa-ramaëés
unconscious.
They continue, “O sakhé, in
Vidhätä’s creation there is no
living entity who will not be charmed
by the sight of the sweetness
of Räma’s and Kåñëa’s beauty, which
attracts the entire universe.
When Kåñëa plays a melody on His
enchanting muralé to gather
together the cows who are far away, the
condition He creates is
difficult to describe. When the
tinkling of the ankle bells on
Kåñëa’s lotus feet mixes with the
inexpressibly melodious sound
of His captivating muralé, the
sweetness of that sound increases
even more. Is there any person who can
remain composed upon
hearing this?”
While discussing Kåñëa’s enchanting
cowherd attire and the
sound of His flute, the vraja-ramaëés,
who are helplessly
immersed in prema, say, “Sakhé,
upon seeing Kåñëa’s niryoga
and päça, it seems that they
really are niryoga-päça – through
them, yoga (meeting) is certain
to take place uninterruptedly, for
one’s whole life. Even continuous samädhi-yoga
is insignificant
compared to this. Kåñëa’s niryoga-päça
are really prema-päça,
ropes of love. The Vrajaväsés and the vana-väsés
(forest entities)
are rendered helpless by His niryoga-päça.
This demonstrates
the amazing effect of these ‘ropes of
love’.’’ In this way, the gopés
consider Çré Kåñëa’s niryoga-päça to
be a trap of love.
Hearing the sound of Kåñëa’s flute, all
the moving living entities
of the forest, such as the deer and
birds, are overwhelmed by
prema and become inert. The trees, creepers
and other nonmoving
living entities give up their natures
and adopt the
characteristics of moving beings. They
become jubilant and
experience ecstatic symptoms.
Furthermore, the Yamunä,
3 1 9
7 / SAPTAMA-YÄMA-SÄDHANA
Mänasé-gaìgä and other rivers stop
flowing, and the stones on
Govardhana and other mountains melt and
flow like streams.
Text 7
The sentiments of Çré Rädhä in praväsa
(separation by being out
of sight) are most favourable to
meditate upon for the sädhaka
who, immersed in these sentiments,
should read chapters from
Çrémad-Bhägavatam such as Bhramara-géta. Çré
Mädhavendra
Puré has expressed Çré Rädhikä’s bhävocchväsa,
outburst of feeling
that expresses the bhäva hidden
in the heart, at the time of
praväsa (Padyävalé (334)):
ayi déna-dayärdra nätha he
mathurä-nätha kadävalokyase
hådayaà tvad-aloka-kätaraà
dayita bhrämyati kià karomy aham
O You whose heart is most merciful to
the wretched! O Master! O
Lord of Mathurä! When will I have Your darçana?
O Lord of My
life, because I cannot see You, My
heart has become agitated.
What shall I do now?
he déna-dayärdra-nätha, he kåñëa
mathurä-nätha,
kabe punaù päba daraçana
nä dekhi’ se cäìdamukha, vyathita
hådaye duùkha,
he dayita! ki kari ekhana?
Bhajana-rahasya-våtti
As the Kaustubha jewel is the topmost
of all jewels, this verse is
foremost among rasa poetry. Çré
Sväminé spoke it in the state of
divyonmäda (divine madness), when She was deeply
aggrieved
in separation from Kåñëa, and by Her
mercy it manifested in the
speech of Çré Mädhavendra Purépäda.
Then, accepting the mood
of Çré Rädhä, Çré Kåñëacandra relished
this verse as Çré
3 2 0
ÇRÉ BHAJANA-RAHASYA
Gauracandra. No fourth person has ever
tasted its inner moods.
Uttering this verse, Çréman Mahäprabhu
would become overwhelmed
by prema and faint. Thus
maddened by prema, sometimes
He would run here and there, sometimes
He laughed and
sometimes He danced. He was unable to
utter more than “ayi
déna, ayi déna” due to absorption in ecstatic love (premäveça).
Tears would flow from His eyes, and sättvika,
vyabhicäré and
other bhävas appeared in His
body in their blazing state
(süddépta). (This is described
by Çré Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé
in Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä
4.191–203).)
Çréman Mahäprabhu is the gardener of
the desire tree of kåñëaprema.
He distributes the fruits of this tree
and also relishes them
Himself. Çré Mädhavendra Puré, whose
heart was saturated with
kåñëa-prema, was the very first sprout of this
desire tree. With
Çré Éçvara Puré, this sprout of prema-rasa
grew. The gardener, Çré
Caitanya Himself, also manifested as
the trunk. Previous to
Çré Mädhavendra Purépäda there was no rasamayé-upäsanä,
devotional service in amorous love, in
the Madhva sampradäya.
Through the ideas expressed by the
Tattvavädés whom Çréman
Mahäprabhu met while travelling in South India, one can understand
that worship in the Madhva sampradäya
used to be
performed only in a mood of awe and
reverence (aiçvaryamayéupäsanä).
Various saïcäri-bhävas manifest
in the state of separation
(viraha) and agitate the ocean
of prema. Humility (dainya),
envy (asüyä) and contrariness (mäna)
due to jealousy appear in
the heart and nourish the sthäyibhäva.
Many kinds of saïcäribhävas
arise in Çré Rädhä’s heart when She is
submerged in the
ocean of separation from Çré Kåñëa. Bhäva-utpatti
(the generation
of a bhäva), bhäva-sandhi (the
meeting together of two
bhävas, either of the same or different
types), bhäva-çäbalya
(the clashing
of many bhävas, in which one bhäva suppresses
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swami jis great Devotees , Philosophic
Scholars, Purebhakti dot com for
the collection)
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