Flower picking quarrel at Kusum Sarovara?

Flower picking quarrel at Kusum Sarovara?

It is generally understood that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa quarrel over Rādhā’s picking of flowers at Kusum Sarovara, but this is not what the Goswāmīs’ books say. Govinda Līlāmṛta, chapters 6 and 7, says that Kṛṣṇa plays with His cowherd boyfriends around Govardhana in the pūrvāhna time, between 9 and 11 in the morning, and then proceeds to Rādhākuṇḍa. On his way north He does stop over at Kusum Sarovara, but only to consult His friends about the upcoming pastimes at Rādhākuṇḍa and how to meet Rādhikā. This is in Govinda Līlāmṛta 6.43-86. In Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta 8.56 Rādhikā does sūrya pūjā on her way to Rādhākuṇḍa. Where? In a place where she entrusts the paraphernalia for sūrya pūjā to her assistants, before proceeding to svam saraḥ – her own kuṇḍa. She entrusts these paraphernalia there because the sūrya-pūjā will be done there later at 3 p.m. The same in Govinda Līlāmṛta 8.67-70. Though Sūrya kund is not mentioned by name in either of these two books, Vṛndāvana Cakravarti, a disciple of Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravarti, writes in his ṭīkā to Govinda Līlāmṛta 8.74 - kuñja-nṛpasya śrī-kṛṣṇasya kuñjarā iti prasiddhaṁ kuñjenarākhyam dhāma prāptā rādhā - that Rādhā passes through Kunjera village, which is north of Rādhākuṇḍa, travelling south from her husband’s village of Yāvat, on the way between Sūryakunda and Rādhākuṇḍa, after doing Sūrya Pūjā in verses 8.67-68 (see map above). So Rādhikā comes from a totally opposite direction to Rādhākuṇḍa at 11 a.m., from the north, while Kusuma Sarovara is in the south. The quarrel over the picking of flowers is described in chapter 9 of both Govinda Līlāmṛta and Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta, after elaborate descriptions of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s exciting meeting at Rādhākuṇḍa. Nowhere it is mentioned that they leave Rādhākuṇḍa again to go to Kusuma Sarovara to perform this pastime. Kusuma Sarovara is just named so because there are flowers floating in the lake itself.