VMA 2.60 : The Dham reveals the Divine Couple
Once again, after a series of meditations on the sādhaka devotee living in the worldly Vrindavan to a sphūrti of the Divnie Couple and then of the kinkaris serving them, Prabodhananda Saraswati returns to a glorification of the Dham itself. It is the beauty and sweetness of the Dham itself and its residents that reveal Radha and Krishna to the devotee who has taken up a vow of residence there.
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aho vṛndāraṇye sakala-paśu-pakṣi-druma-latādy-
anantair lāvaṇyair madhura-madhuraiḥ kāñcana-nibhaiḥ |
mahā-premānandonmada-surasa-niṣpanda-subhagaiḥ
kiśoraṁ me saṁmohayad ahaha sarvasvam uditam||2.60||
Aho! In the Vrindavan forest,
induced by the infinite, ever sweet charms, splendid as gold,
of all the animals, birds, trees, vines and other entities,
who are filled with unmoving good fortune
born of the maddeningly sweet nectar
of the bliss of great transcendental love,
my all-in-all life treasure, Radha, has appeared before me,
enchanting the divine youth Krishna.
Once again, after a series of meditations on the sādhaka devotee living in the worldly Vrindavan to a sphūrti of the Divnie Couple and then of the kinkaris serving them, Prabodhananda Saraswati returns to a glorification of the Dham itself. It is the beauty and sweetness of the Dham itself and its residents that reveal Radha and Krishna to the devotee who has taken up a vow of residence there.
In the uddīpanas section of the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Chapter 10), Vrindavan and its resident flora and fauna are listed among the many inspirators of love for the Divine Couple. Indeed, the beauties of nature, the changing of seasons, and its natural tendency to promote reproduction are always the inspirators of love in poetry in all cultures. That is why vana-vihāra is one of the frequent themes of the mahā-kāvya. The successful description of the blissful features of the six seasons is considered a necessary area in which the poet has to display his talents for similes and other tropes. Thus Shukadeva ends his description of the rāsa-līlā with the words sarvāḥ śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāḥ, "He relished all the charms peculiar to the nights of autumn as depicted in poetry" (10.33.26).
Inspirators can be positive or negative, in the sense that they can stimulate feelings of union or separation. Here from that section of Ujjvala is the verse Rupa Goswami has taken from his own Uddhava-sandeśa as an example of Vrindavan as an uddīpana, or enkindler of love for Krishna.
jātyā bhīruḥ kati punar ahaṁ vāsarāṇi kṣamiṣye |
ete vṛndāvana-viṭapinaḥ smārayantaḥ vilāsān
utphullās tān mama kila balān marma nirmūlayanti ||
I have thus bound, with ever new ropes of hope,
my life to living. By nature I am fearful,
but how will I be able to bear
many more days like this?
These blossoming trees of Vṛndā's forest
remind me of our pleasures together
and so, by force, are uprooting
my very life essence. (US 82)
my life to living. By nature I am fearful,
but how will I be able to bear
many more days like this?
These blossoming trees of Vṛndā's forest
remind me of our pleasures together
and so, by force, are uprooting
my very life essence. (US 82)
Prabodhananda himself directly speaks of Vrindavan as being an uddépana-vibhäva in a later verse in VMA:
pūraṁ pūrṇa-viśuddha-manmatha-rasaikoddīpakaṁ mohanam |
śrī-vṛndāvana-candra-tattvam api me kandarpa-līlā-rasai-
kātma-sphūrtim upaitu sādya vimalā rādhāpi pūrṇā ratiḥ ||9.76||
May the Vrindavan principle, a flood of great sweetness
that enflames the taste for the fullest and purest of amorous love;
May the principle of Vrindavan's moon appear to me
as the one soul of all such erotic pastimes, the Rasa-raja.
And may Sri Radha also appear today
as the fullest and purest manifestation of love.
that enflames the taste for the fullest and purest of amorous love;
May the principle of Vrindavan's moon appear to me
as the one soul of all such erotic pastimes, the Rasa-raja.
And may Sri Radha also appear today
as the fullest and purest manifestation of love.
In fact the entire rāsa-līlā is full of references to Vrindavan's natural beauty. Perhaps the most famous passage that fits this category comes from the second chapter when the gopis, suddenly separated from Krishna, appeal to the various trees and animals of the Vrindavan forest to help them find Krishna. It is as if they knew, spontaneously, that the resident creatures of the Holy Dham bear the secret of his whereabouts at any and all times and are able to reveal him to them.
saha tvāli-kulair bibhrad dṛṣṭas te’ti-priyo’cyutaḥ
mālaty adarśi vaḥ kaccin mallike jāti yūthike
prītiṁ vo janayan yātaḥ kara-sparśena mādhavaḥ
ye’nye parārtha-bhavakā yamunopakūlāḥ
śaṁsantu kṛṣṇa-padavīṁ rahitātmanāṁ naḥ
Oh most fortunate Tulasi,
to whom the feet of Govinda are so dear,
Have you seen Acyuta, our beloved
wandering about in this forest, followed by swarms of bees? (7)
O Malati, Mallika, Jati and Yuthika jasmine flowers
have you seen him?
When Madhava was passing by,
did he cause you great delight
with the gentle touch of his hand? (8)
O all other plants and trees
growing by the banks of the Yamuna,
whose lives are devoted to the service of others—
please show us the path to Krishna
for we are losing our minds! (9)
to whom the feet of Govinda are so dear,
Have you seen Acyuta, our beloved
wandering about in this forest, followed by swarms of bees? (7)
O Malati, Mallika, Jati and Yuthika jasmine flowers
have you seen him?
When Madhava was passing by,
did he cause you great delight
with the gentle touch of his hand? (8)
O all other plants and trees
growing by the banks of the Yamuna,
whose lives are devoted to the service of others—
please show us the path to Krishna
for we are losing our minds! (9)
nūnaṁ tatkaraja-spṛṣṭā bibhraty utpulakāny aho
Let us inquire from these vines
even though they are embracing
the branch-like arms of their tree-husband.
Certainly they must have been
touched by his fingernails –
just see how they are elated
with bodily ripplings of bliss! (13)
even though they are embracing
the branch-like arms of their tree-husband.
Certainly they must have been
touched by his fingernails –
just see how they are elated
with bodily ripplings of bliss! (13)
(Translation by Graham Schweig (Garuda Das), Dance of Divine Love, pp. 41-43)
Just by being reminded of the Divine Couple by the devotees who still throng the streets of the Dham, by seeing the creatures there, even today, who are blessed by living in the midst of the blessed dust in the pathway where the dainty feet of Radha have passed, one can sense the presence of the Divine Couple. And it is correct to pray to them also for their blessings.
In this verse, some translators have had difficulty with the last line. Radha and Krishna are not mentioned by name, they are indicated by the words me sarvasvam ("my treasure") and kiśoram ("the youth"). We have ample evidence from Prabodhananda's work that Radha is his treasure and that Krishna is the youth whom she enchants (saṁmohayat), so I think any other translation would be mistaken. When Radha appears to Prabodhananda, then she appears in this way, as the enchanter of the enchanter of Cupid.
Prabodhananda reveals this dependence on the Holy Dham in a couple of verses from the Sudhā-nidhi, with which I will conclude today's meditation.
kṛṣṇas tasyāḥ kuca-mukulayor antaraikānta-vāsaḥ |
kvāhaṁ tucchaḥ paramam adhamaḥ prāṇy aho garha-karmā
yat tan nāma sphurati mahimā hy eṣa vṛndāvanasya ||261||
How great is Radha,
whose glories are so far beyond the Vedas!
And how glorious is Krishna,
whose single abode is in the space between her breasts!
And how low am I, alas!
such a fallen creature addicted to sinful life!
If their names manifest on my lips,
it is only due to the glory of this land of Vrindavan. (RRSN 261)
whose glories are so far beyond the Vedas!
And how glorious is Krishna,
whose single abode is in the space between her breasts!
And how low am I, alas!
such a fallen creature addicted to sinful life!
If their names manifest on my lips,
it is only due to the glory of this land of Vrindavan. (RRSN 261)
dhyeyaṁ naiva kadāpi yad dhṛdi vinā tasyāḥ kṛpā-sparśataḥ |
yat premāmṛta-sindhu-sāra-rasadaṁ pāpaika-bhājām api
tad vṛndāvana-duṣpraveśa-mahimāścaryaṁ hṛdi sphūrjatu ||266||
May the wondrous glories of Vrindavan,
the understanding of which is so difficult to reach,
which are only completely accessible to the heart
that has become absorbed in service to Radha's lotus feet,
which can never be meditated upon without the touch of Radha's mercy,
and which bestows the flavors of the essence of the ocean of nectar of Prema,
be manifest even to those who are devoted to a sinful life, like me.
the understanding of which is so difficult to reach,
which are only completely accessible to the heart
that has become absorbed in service to Radha's lotus feet,
which can never be meditated upon without the touch of Radha's mercy,
and which bestows the flavors of the essence of the ocean of nectar of Prema,
be manifest even to those who are devoted to a sinful life, like me.
VMA 2.58-59 : Remember the forms of Radha's kinkaris and bow down to them
VMA 2.57 : That delicious moment
VMA 2.56: The order to serve the Divine Couple
VMA 2.53-55: How a certain most fortunate person resides in Vrindavan
VMA 2.52: Most fortunate is the one who has given up everything to take shelter of Vrindavan
VMA 2.51 : The wealth, intelligence and praiseworthiness of the Vrindavan sadhaka
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