Jagat

Manuscript painting from Gita-govinda. Photo from Jayadeva Foundation Trust . (5) Rasa-niṣpatti Now we come to last verse in our series. This is also the last verse that Rupa Goswami quotes from an external source in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi . The context is the following verse, which is the last "idea" that Sri Rupa presents in his discussion of madhura-rasa . vidagdhānāṁ mitho līlā-vilāsena yathā sukham | na tathā samprayogeṇa syād evaṁ rasikā viduḥ || Clever lovers find that there is more pleasure in all the varieties of their mutual dealings than there is in sexual union per se. This is the conclusion of the knowers of rasa. (15.253) Jayadeva's verse is given as an illustration of this point: pratyūhaḥ pulakāṅkureṇa niviḍāśleṣe nimeṣeṇa ca krīḍākūta-vilokite’dhara-sudhā-pāne kathā-narmabhiḥ ānandādhigamena manmatha-kalā-yuddhe’pi yasminn abhūd udbhūtaḥ sa tayor babhūva suratārambhaḥ priyambhāvukaḥ As the battle of the love arts began, there...

I am reading a nice little book called Nilachale Vraja Madhuri by Rasika Mohan Vidyabhushan. It imagines the conversations between Svarupa Damodar, Ramananda Ray and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Gambhira. Here is a section that I would like to share (translated from Bengali) ================================== Mahaprabhu: "Svarupa ! It is true that Radharani's abhisar is amazing. On the one hand, she is so eager, on the other so fearful. It seems that she is manoeuvering her way through the problems presented by these conflicting emotions to make her way toward Krishna. It is a very bold action on her part." Svarupa Damodar: "Yes, Prabhu, you are right. This is why extreme courage is an important aspect of the abhisar. It is quite a problem, indeed. Radha is so eager to meet with Krishna, and yet the elders in her home and the neighbors in the village are all watching over her. No one's eyes are closed in sleep, so how will she ever get to see her Shyamasundar? Fa...