Jagat

Painting by Vrindavan Das nava-kanaka-campakāvali- dalitendīvara-suvṛnda-nindita-śrīḥ | vṛndāvana-nava-kuñje kiśora-mithunaṁ tad eva bhaja rasikam ||2.30|| paricara caraṇa-sarojaṁ tad gaura-śyāma-rasika-dampatyoḥ | vṛndāvana-nava-kuñjā- valiṣu mahānaṅga-vihvalayoḥ ||2.31|| atikandarpa-rasonmadam aniśaṁ vivardhiṣṇu tan-mithaḥ-prema | ghana-pulaka-gaura-nīlā- kṛti nava-mithunaṁ nikuñja-maṇḍale smara ||2.32|| O mind! Worship the youthful couple, whose splendor eclipses hosts of newly-blossomed golden champaka flowers and fully-blossomed blue lotuses, and who enjoy the sweetness of transcendental pastimes in the newly-blossomed groves of Vrindavan. (30) Serve the lotus feet of the fair and dark charming divine couple overwhelmed with amorous passion in the newly-blossoming groves of Vrindavan. (31) Please meditate on the youthful couple whose love for each other is ever increasing, the hairs on their fair and dark forms stand erect i...

Go to Part I stavakita-maṇi-dāmnā preyasā gumphitātyad- bhuta-sulalita-veṇī-preyasī-kḷpta-cūḍau | mitha udayad-akhaṇḍa-prema-rajjū-vibaddhau smara nibhṛta-nikuñje rādhikā-kṛṣṇa-candrau ||14|| Flower-clusters dangle from both sides of Sri Yugala Kishor’s jewel-ornamented hair, but still Keli Chand Krishna wants to decorate Rai’s wonderful veni, and she begins to arrange his chura! With every second they are becoming more and more bound within the limitless ropes of prema! Oh my mind! Just meditate on Radha and Krishna within the hidden nikunjas! jaghana-lulita-veṇī-visphurad-barha-cūḍau kanaka-rucira-cūḍā-kaṅkaṇa-dvandva-pāṇī | vilasad-aruṇa-rociḥ-pīta-kauṣeya-vāsau smara nibhṛta-nikuñje rādhikā-kṛṣṇa-candrau ||15|| When Rai Kishori’s veni is braided, it dangles over her buttocks; Krishna’s peacock-feathered crown is captivating. The Divine Couple both wear bangles and bracelets on their wrists. Radha’s silken undergarment is red and Krishna wears his pitambara. Oh my m...

This prayer is sometimes attributed to Rupa Goswami, but I am almost completely convinced that it is by Prabodhananda Saraswati, whose mood seems to pervade it. This 32-verse rasika poem was introduced to me by my Godbrother Sashanka Shekhar Balniyogi, Doctor Babu as we called him. He published a Bengali translation by Dina Sharan Das Babaji on a flimsy sheet of paper, which I carried around with me for a long time. The rasika mood is very intense, and I believe that Doctor Babu himself was a closet Sahajiya who meditated on this poem at the appropriate moment.  nivṛttānupayogitvāt . May I suggest the same to my friends. Just repeat the refrain:  smara nibhṛta-nikuñje rādhikā-kṛṣṇa-candrau ! "Oh my mind! Just meditate on Radha and Krishna within the hidden nikunjas!" May their lilas bless you all. This is a revised version of Gadadhar Pran's translation. Nikunja-rahasya-stava nava-lalita-vayaskau nūtna-lāvaṇya-puñjau nava-rasa-cala-cittau nūtana-prema-vṛtta...