Sarakāra's Caitanya Caritāmṛta

(This file has since been removed from Jeej's site and thus this blog has been a bit rewritten on September 13, 2007:)

Jijaji once posted a 338-page pdf file of an English Caitanya Caritāmṛta rendering by Yadunāth Sarkāra from 1913, in medieval English, hark thee. There is a whole lot missing in this book, but Gaura līlā is nectar in any sequence, language or style, I suppose. On page 10 is the above awesome - vertical - picture of Gaur visiting Sītānāth's house - with Acrobat Reader 8 it can be rotated to horizontal view. It interestingly shows that devotees kept long hair and shaved heads at about a 50/50 rate. The translation-style of 100 years ago is charming and interesting - the Guṇḍica Mandir is named Jagannātha's 'garden house' for instance. There is an interesting list of temples in South India. Sarkāra Bābu claims that many of the temples he charts were not built yet when Mahāprabhu was down south.

This is only a rough script, which starts only with Madhya līlā chapter 3. The author sometimes asks himself questions as is always done in a raw unedited script [fill in names] [ surname?] etc. The last 260 (!) verses have been truncated from Madhya līlā chapter 20, Chapters 23 and 24 seem to be merged and a large piece is truncated about Mahāprabhu teaching Sanātan Goswāmī the Haribhakti Vilāsa. The antya līlā is just summarised in the last 5 chapters, here the entire story of Raghunāth Dās Gosvāmī, the conclusion of the Choṭa Haridās story and the table of the Gosvāmīs' books are missing. Its really a pity that this text is incomplete - I think the style and quality of the translation is - at first sight - OK.

At the end Jayānanda's Caitanya Maṅgal is quoted, about Mahāprabhu's disappearance-pastime. Here it is described that He stubbed His toe at a brick on the road and deceased one evening a week later. "Celestial garlands of many-coloured flowers were thrown on Him from the unseen. Celestial singers (vidyadhar) began to dance on the highway. The gods began to cry out, "Bring the heavenly chariot !" The Master mounted into Vishnu's car with the figure of Garuda on its spire. His material body lay behind on the earth, while He went to Vaikuntha (Vishnu s heaven). Many of His servants killed themselves by serpent-bite. Meteors and thunderbolts fell on the earth. At the news Nityananda and Adwaita Acharya, Vishnupriya and Shachi swooned away Purushottam and other servitors of the Master grew speechless at His departure."

The file is no longer online, but can be attained from me on request via rapidshare.

Nectar of the holy name

Review: Nectar of the holy name
By Manindranath Guha
Original written in 1976. English translation published in 2005 by Blazing Sapphire Press.

I had the honour of meeting Maṇīndranāth Guhā or Maṇi Bābu twice, in his flat in Rādhā-raman Gherā in Vṛndāvana, in September 1982 and November 1985. A very powerful and ‘begeisterd’ gentleman who greatly stressed the chanting of the holy name.

In the introduction to this book Nitāi Dās confirms that stress and also his cautions on smaranam (cautions which I have expressed in this blog earlier, particularly my blog of June 9, 2006). Nitai writes: “In Maṇīndranātha’s view one should not on one’s own initiative take up (smaraṇam). To do so would be to diminish the importance of saṅkīrtan. Rather, remembering will grow organically out of the practise of utterance of sankirtan… when the time is right. It should not be undertaken artificially before one is ready. He uses a rather odd example …..It is like being possessed by a ghost…. In the way that without desiring a ghost, a ghost may come and possess one and having taken one over may refuse to leave, so does remembering come uninvited and possess one and once it arrives it never again departs. One need not strive separately for remembering. Instead one should devote all one’s efforts…to saṅkīrtan  when the time is ripe uninterrupted remembering of Kṛṣṇa will land on one’s shoulders like a ghost dropping from a tree and take possession of one’s heart. Like a ghost, too, once it arrives it will not easily depart…… Constant remembering of Kṛṣṇa is in fact a sign of having arrived at the highest level of religious cultivation in Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism. Someone who deeply loves Kṛṣṇa will constantly be thinking of Him and saying His name, will not forget Him for even a second. Although Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda, in his Rāga vartma Candrika, calls rāgānugā bhakti a ‘mainly mental religion’ he does add this qualifier, quoted on page 11 of this book: ‘The subservience of smaraṇa, the central practise in rāgānugā, to kīrtana must also be emphasized because kīrtana has authority in this age and because it is established by all scriptures as the most excellent among all of the various paths of bhakti.”

On page 7 an answer is given to the question whether saṅkīrtan is for one’s own pleasure or for the benefit of others. In his commentary on Haribhakti Vilasa 11.456, Sanātan Gosvāmī says saṅkīrtya samyag uccair uccāryeti sadyaḥ sva-parānanda viśeṣārtham uktam “Loud chanting is at once causing bliss to oneself and to others as well.”

After that the book effectively starts; it is built around a conversation between Goswāmī, a Guru, and Laghu, a disciple, whom Nitāi Dās claims are none other than Maṇīndranāth Guhā himself (Laghu, or ‘light’) and his Guru Kānupriya Gosvāmī (Goswāmī).

Interestingly Nitāi Dās translates the word sevonmukhe from the famous ataḥ śrī kṛṣṇa nāmādi-verse in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu as ‘being ready for service’ and that does comply with the dictionary meaning of the word unmukha (waiting for, expecting, near to).

Chapter 2.1 explains the difference between kṛpā siddhi and sādhana siddhi, and 2.2 discusses nāmābhāsa, where Nitāi Dās disagrees with Maṇi Bābu, who writes: “It is the first unfolding of the holy name in the mind of a practitioner engaged in cultivating the holy name, like the early stages of the rising of the sun. (When the holy name is not present on the tongue, but is in the mind, it is ābhāsa of the holy name. When it is present on the tongue, too, it is the holy name itself, not a semblance). He quotes Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 3.182-185.

Nitāi Dās responds in a footnote: ‘It is not clear what Maṇīndranāth Bābu means here nor where he got his idea. If he means that the holy name begins to manifest itself as a result of the practitioner’s diminishing offences its first reflections appear in the mind of the practitioner and then later the name itself appears on the tongue of the practitioner, I am unaware of the foundation of such a belief in Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism. Certainly the passage he cites from the Caitanya Caritāmṛta immediately following says nothing of the idea”

Neither Nitāi Dās nor Maṇi Bābu quote or translate these Caitanya Caritāmṛta verses, so I will just do it myself, to make sure everyone knows the disputed text here:

haridās kohen – yaiche sūryera udoy;
udoy na hoite ārambha tamer hoy khoy
Caura preta rākṣasādi bhoy hoy nāśa;
udoy hoile dharma karma ādi parakāśa
aiche nāmodoyārambhe pāpa ādira khoy;
udoy koile kṛṣṇapade hoy premodoy

(The above first 3 verses are essential:) Haridās said to the Lord: ‘Just as the sunrise destroys the darkness and with it, fear of ghosts, demons and thieves, and shows the beginning of virtue and activity (with the beginning of a new day), similarly the rise of the holy name destroys sins and so on and causes the rise of love for the feet of Kṛṣṇa.”

Nitāi Dās continues: “If he means that the holy name chanted in the mind is merely nāmābhāsa, whereas the holy name chanted on the tongue, that is audibly, is the name itself, he is probably wrong. Numerous modern practitioners would disagree with him. It appears that one major source for this understanding that nāmābhāsa is the ‘first ray’ of the sun-like holy name which about to rise in the mind of the practitioner seems to be a verse from the Padma Purāṇa cited by Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, 2.1.103: “Ocean of good qualities! With your mind illumined by faith you should worship him free from all insincerity, him who is the purifier of purifiers, the crown of those praised by the finest verse, the reflection (ābhāsa) of whose sun-like name rising in the cave of the mind destroys the flood of darkness that consists of great sin.”…. Though this does connect nāmābhāsa with the mind as does Maṇi Bābu, no commentator on the verse has suggested the rest of with Maṇīndra says here.”

In 2.3, dealing with nāmāparādha, its devastating effects are described. Viśvanātha says it causes one to see spiritual things as material and Maṇi Bābu says that due to a slight Vaiṣṇava aparādha (the first nāmāparādha) even Prahlāda changed from a lover to a hater of Viṣṇu and even rode out against Him with a demon army. Nitāi rightly wonders in a footnote what the source of the story is….

While I don’t admire each translation-invention of Nitāi’s, some are very nice and depicting, like ‘Quality-descent’ for ‘guṇāvatāra’, ‘dimness’ for rajoguṇa and ‘darkness’ (which I also used) for tamoguṇa. He translates guṇas as ‘threads’ (literally correct) that are woven criss-cross through material existence.

While discussion the ten offences to the chanting of the holy name, Maṇi Bābu quotes Jīva Gosvāmī’s ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavat 2.1.11 when he comes to the mysterious offence nr.6: hari-nāmni kalpanaṁ tan māhātmya gauṇatākaraṇāya gatyantara cintanam… ”..undertaking some other means of practise in order to trivialise the greatness of the holy name……if, however, out of mental anguish, the thought of some other means arises for the purpose of arriving at the goal faster, it is not an offense.” The second sentence comes from Maṇi Bābu, not Jīva Gosvāmī.

Chapter 3.1, called ‘wealth’ condemns wealth as being much more dangerous than many devotees think it is, and Goswāmī quotes Mahāprabhu’s criticism of Raghunātha Dās Gosvāmī’s parents, who may be Vaiṣṇavas but are nonetheless tainted by their wealth, that they even used in the service of the Brāhmins (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 6,196). Maṇi Bābu sounds like Sādhu Bābā, uncompromising, as he says (p.32-33): “Any of the possessions that have fallen off the rotting, foul-smelling body of today’s society into the hands of holy men are not just ordinary poisons but are likely to be the very strongest and most dangerous poisons……Are these things to be thoughtlessly accepted and used in offerings to Gaura and Govinda, who are more dear to us than life itself? Didn’t they reject offerings prepared with the wealth of Raghunātha’s father and Duryodhana’s offerings of all the four different types of sumptuous food arranged beautifully on a plate of pure gold? If they reject such offerings, then whose nectar-like touch will neutralize their poisonous natures and turn them into the nature of Mādhava?"

So then at what stage can one ‘dovetail’ money in Kṛṣṇa's service? Sanātan Gosvāmī cites the Pāṇḍavas in his comment on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta 1.4.115 – kṛṣṇa eva samyaṅ niṣkāmatvādinā’rpitāḥ – “Yudhiṣṭhira’s wealth was completely offered to Kṛṣṇa, without any desire.” So at what stage is the mind completely free from desire and attachments? Up through the stage of bhāva or rati a little attachment remains. Only on the stage of full blown love (prema) is the mind completely free of desire.

Chapter 4, named 'Saṅkīrtan in single form practise', tells us that, although Rūpa Gosvāmī teaches in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.264 that one can achieve perfection through one or all the items of sādhana, still that can never exclude harināma saṅkīrtan – that remains fixed. kalau nāstyeva gatir anyathā ('it is the only way in Kali yuga') – it automatically causes smaraṇa and all the rest.

On page 42, Laghu then asks the obvious question: "Narottam Dās Thākur says sādhane bhāvibe yāhā siddha dehe pābo tāhā – ‘Whatever I think of in my sādhana I will attain in my siddha deha”. Isn't that a contradiction with the teachings of Sanātan and other Gosvāmīs (mentioned in the first pages of this review)?” Goswāmī replies: “It is a contradiction merely fabricated within your mind. Listen: Śrī Rūpa in his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu and later Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja in the Caitanya Caritāmṛta have written: “Some practise one form, some practise many. If one becomes unwavering in practise, the wave of love will arise. By one form many devotees have reached success (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 22.76-77)"…..Here two separate channels of worship (bhajan praṇāli) are mentioned, each of which has the same potency to bestow love. Śrī Narottam Dās Ṭhākur described the second channel – the form of remembering in which kīrtana of the Holy Names is dominant. This applies to the phrase ‘What one meditates on in practise one will achieve in perfection”. He has not mentioned the first channel. The first channel that he does not mention should not be brought in for comparison. If someone says that Rāma can lift five maund (410 lbs) does it lead to the conclusion that Lakṣmaṇa cannot? It doesn’t. If one wanted to convey that meaning one would have to say…..’Only Rāma can lift five mound, no one else.” Since Narottama Dās Thākur has not said that, worrying about a contradiction is useless, just a figment of the imagination.” (See my blog of July 31, 2006)

Laghu: “Is a practitioner of the single form, kīrtan… then deprived of remembering the holy sports or performing mental service to Rādhā-Govinda …..?”

Goswāmī: “No, he is not cheated out of anything. By the mercy of the holy name he will easily remember the holy sports and attain mental service and the rest – not in the form of means or method of cultivation (sādhana) but in the form of end or ultimate realisation (sādhya). (Wherever there is greed it will ultimately be fulfilled) How can one think that by planting the seed of a Langra mango one will get some other kind of mango? So let the practitioner practise remembrance or not, remembering will come and take hold of him in due time. This taking hold can take place in the stage of practise or in the stage of accomplishment – if it grips one in the stage of practise the flow of practise will be multi-formed; if it grips one in the stage of accomplishment (sādhya) practise will be single-formed…..”

Goswāmī later cautions Laghu that in the stage of anartha one should not meditate on the Lord’s erotic pastimes and quotes Jīva Gosvāmī’s rahasya līlā tu pauruṣa vikāravad indriyaih..nopāsya ("When male transformations take place in the senses this (Rāsa-lila) is not to be contemplated"), which, according to Nitāi Dās, is part of Jīva’s comment on the final verse of the Rāsa līlā, vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoh  (10.33.39).

In chapter 5, about initiation, Maṇi Bābu quotes Bhakti Sandarbha about lecturing and lecturers, warning that a materially attached lecturer may do more harm than good and assuring (in paragraph 261, quoting a ṭīkā of Śrīdhara Swami) that if a good lecturer is not available one can study śāstra privately at home. When Laghu asks Goswāmī about an unqualified Guru, Goswāmī replies: “…….The unqualified teacher is….capable of saying something incorrect, the following of which would bring death and the not following of which would also bring death. Even in this kind of difficulty one cannot reject or disregard the teacher as long as no contempt for or dislike of Viṣṇu or Vaiṣṇavas is evident in him. ….one has to pay honour to such a teacher from afar. Keeping him pleased as far as possible by service from afar, and with faith and respect relying completely on the holy name, a practitioner can still succeed in everything.” “Therefore beware! Although there is no positive worth in such a teacher – that is, he is not able to drag his students to the feet of Hari – there is a thoroughly negative side to such a teacher. By disrespecting him one can commit an offence to the holy name, that of disrespecting the teacher. Then even the practitioner’s last resort, the holy name itself, will not work.”

Chapter 6.1 quotes Srī Jīva’s commentary of Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.1.35, interpreting the word anāsaṅgair there, which apparently says that bhakti is very hard to attain if practised without skilfulness, in such a way that it means jñāna karmādyanāvṛta – if it’s covered with jñāna and karma. Worried that Rūpa’s stern statement would discourage bhakti-aspirants, Śrī Jīva further quotes from Śrīmad Bhāgavat 2.8.4 and 1.5.26 to show that bhakti’s not all that hard to get, really. The full texts of his ṭīkā are both in this book and in Bhānu Swāmī’s Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu.

In chapter 7 Goswāmī explains the texts smaraṇaṁ tu śuddhāntaḥkaraṇatam apekṣate, "Smaranam depends on a pure heart”, Jīva Gosvāmī’s ṭīkā to Śrīmad Bhāgavat 7.5.25 and Bhakti Sandarbha 275 and 276) as follows: “If the texts had said ‘viśuddha’ it would mean that one would have to be completely pure to practise smaraṇa, but then it would no longer be a sādhana but a symptom of siddhi. Therefore, Jīva Gosvāmī is talking about only partial purity of the mind here – then one can commence smaraṇam. He then quotes Śrīmad Bhāgavat 11.14.26 yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate’sau, (describing a gradual process of purification – “To the degree that the mind is cleansed by hearing of and repeating my auspicious deeds one becomes able to see My forms, qualities and sports….”) also quoted in both Rāga-vartma Candrikā and Mādhurya Kādambinī. Goswāmī then quotes from Mādhurya Kādambinī that the mind becomes fully fit for smaraṇam at the stage of niṣṭhā – as in the verse tadā rajas tamo bhāva kāma lobhādayaś ca ye (Śrīmad Bhāgavat 1.2.19). Goswāmī also quotes Bhagavad Gītā 12.9, atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śaknosi mayi sthiram - ‘If you cannot fix your mind on me then (patiently and repeatedly) practise (bhakti-) yoga….” At the stage of niṣṭhā one can perform the dual practise of sevā sādhaka-rūpena siddha rūpena cātra hi (both in the external and in the mentally conceived spiritual body), as prescribed in Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 22 and Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.295.” (page 69:) “…………one should not start the remembering form of bhakti when the mind is just in any condition or by merely memorising texts…..regular practise of saṅkīrtan is required to attain the qualification for smaranam – ceto darpana mārjanam.….” “…..by means of kīrtan the names, forms, qualities and sports by themselves become connected with the mind. Those things that run away when one tries to capture them come of their own accord and allow themselves to be held like snakes when they hear the flute of the snake-charmer. What wonderful magic this saṅkīrtan is….” Rūpa Gosvāmī writes in Upadeṣāmṛta: Tan nāma rūpa caritādi sukīrtanānusmṛtyoḥ kramena rasanā manasi niyojya – ‘Constantly remembering and doing nice kīrtan of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms and pastimes, one gradually engages the tongue and the mind..”

Interestingly Maṇi Bābu quotes a verse from Caitanya Caritāmṛta, which I cannot find in my own Bengali GM edition, nor in the BBT edition, supposedly verse 75 of Antya 3. It’s a very strong one though –

japa-kartā hoite ucca sankīrtan-kārī;
śata guṇa adhika se purāṇete dhari

“The Purāṇas say that a person who is doing loud saṅkīrtan is 100x better than someone who does japa.” Even if that verse would be an interpolation, later, on page 77, Maṇi Bābu produces further evidence to the same extent from Sanātan Gosvāmī's ṭīkā to his own Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta 2.5.218 (a bit too long to quote in this blog-review).

Laghu asks why there are so many rules and so many different types of chanting - japa, kīrtan (loud pronunciation) and saṅkīrtan (song with melody and rhythm), and Goswāmī replies with a comparison, “If your doctor prescribes you three kinds of medicine – a cream, a syrup and an injection and you speculate and take only the first two without taking the most powerful third one (saṅkīrtan) how will you get cured?”
Previously I read in Viśvanātha’s writings that a single utterance of offenseless harinām can bring one to Golok, here on page 84-5 it is quoted from Śrī Jīva, too (SB 6.2.23 ṭīkā): “…..at death one must offer worship at least once. In that case, someone who has performed, either in a previous life or in this life, worship of the Lord is certain to utter the name of the Lord, even if only once. In their case the holy name exerts its own influence and immediately such a person meets the Lord (quotes Gītā 8.6)……because there is an absence of offence, there is no need to repeat the holy name over and over again in order to destroy it……….”

A delay in that is quoted in the case of the gopīs – Kṛṣṇa abandoned them in the beginning of the Rāsa dance, but that was not due to offence but just to increase their eagerness for Him.
Jīva Gosvāmī comments on SB 6.2.20 that such a delay was there also for Ajāmila, so that he could cultivate eagerness first through harinām, since he had no history of devotion to Viṣṇu, because, as Maṇi Bābu assures, the single-track sādhakas (who practise only kīrtan without smaraṇam) will attain this remembrance and all other items of bhakti at the right time and as the need arises.

There are brief descriptions of the acaryas in the appendix of the book, of which Sanātan Gosvāmī’s one is interesting. Nitāi writes: ‘The ‘father’ of Caitanya Vaiṣṇava theology. Without Sanātan Gosvāmī’s contribution Caitanya’s movement would have remained mostly sentimental fluff. He gave it direction and substance. His younger brother Rupa gave it wings and the ability to fly and his nephew Śrī Jīva gave it muscle and thought.”

Generally I must admit that Nitāi’s books are much more interesting than I expected them to be, both in content and in language. He really managed to make them interesting and attractive to both his targeted audiences – the academic and the devotees. This book is soundly based on the precepts of the Six Gosvāmīs and casts refreshing new light on them. I was fascinated throughout while reading this booklet, cover to cover…..

Experiences in bhakti

Review: Experiences in bhakti - the science celestialBy Dr. OBL Kapoor
163 pages, Published by Blazing Sapphire Press, 2006

For starters, the cover of the book is really charming. I am having some trouble with the very title of the book, though, since I have learned that ‘celestial’ refers to the mundane joys of the material heavens, and I would suggest that words like ‘divine’ or ‘transcendental’ would be more suitable. Dr OBL Kapoor has written his book for an intellectual audience and it shows. I cannot understand all the scientific stuff he writes but I did notice that he consistently makes the point that science cannot give the clues that bhakti can, so I trust everything is allright.

On page 4 Dr. Kapoor says: “The whole of spiritual life is governed by the Law of Harmony. Love is the Law of Harmony in its highest form. Self-surrender on our part and mercy on the part of God are the manifestations of the Law of Harmony. In the yoga of self-surrender the soul strikes a divine chord and relishes an inner harmony which is of the highest order and a poise and equilibrium which is much more than intellectual.” I think that is a bold statement.

However, on page 7 he says that the jñānīs ‘attain release (mukti) and immersion in Brahman after a great deal of effort but there is every possibility of their again falling prey to māyā.” Dr. Kapoor then quotes a verse from the Yoga Sūtra quoted in the Bhakti Sandarbha (110) jīvan muktā api punar bandhanaṁ yānti karmabhiḥ, without stressing the word jīvanmukta here. It is not clear from this whether or not Dr. Kapoor has understood that jīvanmukta is not the same as atyantika mukta, because the atyantika mukta is merged in Brahman, period. He has no more material body, while the jīvanmukta is still situated within a material body. In other words, only the jīvanmukta can still fall down, but not the atyantika mukta.

On page 23 Kapoorji makes an interesting 4-fold division of bhakti: 1. The law of gravitation, 2. The law of reciprocation, 3. The law of subjugation, and 4. The law of unification, and provides examples of them too. He says that the law of gravitation in bhakti means that bhakti attracts Kṛṣṇa, as in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu – śrī kṛṣṇākarṣiṇi. He also quotes Jīva Gosvāmī, though there is no exact reference here, saying that “..blowing air around is nice, but when you blow that air into the holes of a flute there are wonderful sounds coming out of it. Similary, the hlādini śakti has a relish of its own which is sweet beyond description when it resides in Kṛṣṇa, but its relish increases a thousand-fold when it is implanted in the heart of a devotee.”

On p.25 he gives the following example: ‘The attraction of the devotee’s loving service makes Him come down to his level in the form of the Śrī Vigraha or the holy image and accept all its limitations. He suffers hunger and thirst and heat and cold to enjoy the food and drink and the clothes lovingly offered to him by the devotee.” Then follow the typical examples Kapoorji is so expert in narrating – bhakta caritas of saints like Kṛṣṇa Prem (Ronald Nixon), Lālā Bābu, Pisi Mā and their adventures with their Thākurs.

2. The law of reciprocation is defined by Kapoorji by quoting the famous Gita phrase ‘ye yathā māṁ prapadyante’ I worship those who worship Me accordingly” and other stanzas. He explains that “Kṛṣṇa has as many forms as the devotional attitudes of His devotees and in each form his figure, attitude and divine sport correspond to the attitude of the devotee. In other words each devotee’s Kṛṣṇa is his own and no one else’s.”

3.The law of subjugation is described as Kṛṣṇa voluntarily allowing His devotee to control Him with his/her love. Jīva Gosvāmī describes in Prīti Sandarbha how Kṛṣṇa enjoys more transcendental bliss from his svarūpa śakty ānanda (the love in the hearts of His devotees) than from His own innate internal bliss (svarūpānanda).

4. The law of unification means how Kṛṣṇa and the devotee enter into each other’s hearts. This is illustrated by quotations from the Gītā and Bhāgavata, and this one from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, where Kṛṣṇa tells the gopīs: ‘You are the same as I. There is no difference between you and me. I am your life breath and you are like my life breath to me.”

In chapter 4 Kapoorji makes the point that though bhakti’s verification is based on revelation it can still be verified in its own way, experientially, and he quotes from the Upaniṣads and the gospel of John how we are actually chosen by the Lord and not vice versa. Once that choice is made, though, the longing for giving and receiving service always increase in the hearts of both Kṛṣṇa and the bhakta. Kapoorji elaborates on the point of verification in chapter 5 with famous examples of how Rādhā-Vinod came to Lokanātha Gosvāmī and Madanmohan to Sanātan Gosvāmī.

Chapter 5 contains the for me hitherto unknown and charming story of the milk of the Gujari woman from Karauli, Rājasthān. The story of Karamā Bāi and the khichuri for Jagannāth I recently read in Rādhāballabh Patrikā, but the story of Govinda Deva’s pomegranates is again new to me. I can't remember if these stories are already mentioned in other English publications of Kapoorji, if not then it increases the value of this book. One problem with these miraculous stories, in which the Lord tolerates violation of sadācāra is that western devotees, the main target audience of this book, will neglect sadācāra, thinking it isn't necessary, because Karamā Bāi etc also didn’t practise it. They have already no or little upbringing and education in this from birth – perhaps they aren’t the right target audience for this, or at least while narrating these stories the narrator should put more stress on the compulsory status of sadācāra, especially for them. Some topmost devotees were exempt from sadācāra because of their complete and pure devotion, but this should and cannot be imitated by ordinary devotees.

In chapter 6, ‘Verification of the law of reciprocation, p.94, Kapoorji repeats the story of Krishnaprem of page 26. I think it should have been mentioned just once, preferably in the second instance.

On page 97 Nitai Das makes an interesting literal translation of the word raja-guṇa, comparing it to dust in the wind – it is very nice, but is strictly for knowledgeable devotees (who should already be) aware of the philosophical-practical meaning of the word.

On page 110 Kapoorji interestingly claims that Kṛṣṇa never married Mīrā Bāi in Vṛndāvan but only played hide and seek with her, and that it was on the instigation of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī that she finally went to Dwārkā to marry Kṛṣṇa there since such a thing was impossible in Vṛndāvan.

Many stories in this book have not been published in English before and that is a great asset of this book. Many of them narrate how Kṛṣṇa came to devotees and performed their chores for them in their absence, or brought them food etc., events that took place in different places and different times and that are quoted from many different sources, which makes the narrations credible. The original story about a statue coming alive to serve the devotee is, as far as I remember, the story of Sākṣi Gopāl testifying for the Brahmin boy that he was promised a certain girl in marriage, in Caitanya Caritāmṛta.

I personally am irritated at the repeated use of the word ‘grace-food’ for ‘prasāda’, though I admit the translation is technically correct. Somehow I prefer the original word, which, as I pointed out earlier, will be understood by everyone and simply sounds better.

All in all a book which will inspire many mostly because of the wonderful stories about the deities coming alive or Kṛṣṇa taking the form of His devotees – one will have to chew through the first 20 'science'-pages, though, or just perhaps skip them altogether to get to the gist.

Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta, Chapter Two

THE ENTIRE 29-PAGE UPDATE OF KṚṢṆA BHĀVANĀMṚTA IS NOW UPLOADED TO THE LITERATURE LINKTAB OF WWW.MADANGOPAL.COM . Click there on 'Corrections to Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta'.

Final installment of the whopping update of my Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta translation. Please read this with my published translation at hand:

Chapter Two:

2.2 In the footnote there is a very elaborate description of Lalitā sakhī from different scriptures.

2.4 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sambhoga samaye cūḍā veṇyor grahaṇena vyākṣiptam – ‘Their crowns and braids have been dishevelled or loosened during Their amorous enjoyment.”

2.5 In the footnote there is a similar elaborate description of Viśākhā sakhī from different books.

Madhusūdana Vācaspati here explains that this verse shows it is a draw between Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

2.7 In the ṭīkā Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains that the word anumodana means ‘relishing’, which changes the translation: “In the unblinking eyes of Lalitā and the other anurāgī sakhīs the luster (rūpa mañjarī) of the Divine Pair (‘s clothes and ornaments) became more and more relishable (aidhata).“ tathā ca tat bhūṣaṇādikaṁ vinaiva tatkālīnotpannāt saundaryād eva śobhātiśayo jāta “At that time They look even more beautiful without ornaments (naked).”

In an elaborate footnote all the information on Rūpa and Rati Manjarī is given, as well as a full definition of mañjarī bhāva.

2.9 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: nidrāveśe sati padārthāntara bhojanasya kaṣṭadāyakatve pīyūṣa baṭyā ati komalatvānnātra bhojanānukūla….. “This pīyūṣa bāṭī (a type of soft cake or pie, not a nectar-drink as I originally wrote) is more convenient for them to eat than other eatables, since They are still half asleep.”

2.11 Madhusūdana Vācaspati comments that the nectar eases the pain of the piercing by the arrows. Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says it is anyonyaṁ puṣṭau – it nourishes both of Them.

A song by Jñānadāsa is added in the footnote.

2.13 Rūpa Gosvāmī is quoted here as saying Rādhikā’s jewelled earrings are called Rocana and Her nose-ring is called Prabhākarī.

2.16 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments that paraspara mukha darśanārthaṁ kiṁ darpaṇaṁ mārjitaṁ cakāra – “Have they cleaned Their mirror-like faces so that They could see Each others faces better (in these mirrors)?”

2.17 The most famous maṅgalārati songs are added in a footnote here, like maṅgala ārati yugala kiśora- ratiraṇe śrama-yuta, nāgarī nāgara, plus this really charming song:

śeṣa rajanī kusuma śayane, baiṭhalo duhu jāgi;

alase avaśa, rahalo rāi śyāma uraja lāgi

sahaje caturā, saba sakhīgaṇa, milalo samaya jāni;

nirakhata doha, vadana kamala, divasa saphala māni

            “At the end of the night, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa woke up and sat up. Exhausted, Rāi leaned against Śyāma’s chest. The naturally clever sakhīs then met, knowing the time had come (to serve). Beholding the lotus-faces of the Divine Pair, they considered their day to be a success.”

ratana pradīpa, ghṛta samayuta, āgara dhūpa jvāli

lalitā liyata, kāñcana jhāri, diyata nīra ḍāri

maṅgala ārati kusuma varikhe, gokula sukumārī

jaya jaya vṛṣabhānu kumara, jaya girivaradhārī

upajilo koto ānanda sarase virasa mukha vibhaṅga

nirakhata dohe caraṇāravinda, govinda dāsa bhṛṅga

            “A jewelled ghee lamp and a standard with incense were burning and Lalitā sakhī poured water from a golden jar. The tender girls of Gokula showered flowers over Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja’s daughter and Girivaradhārī. So much bliss was there! Govinda Dās is like a bee that relishes the honey-like view of Their lotus-like feet.”

2.18 Kṛṣnadeva Sārvabhauma adds: ājahāra ānītavatī śrī kṛṣṇa dvārā yūtheśvaryā veśārtham -  “The maidservant brings the ornaments, understanding that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself will today dress Yūtheśvarī Rādhā.”

2.21 In a footnote it is said that Rādhikā’s mirror is named Maṇibāndhava, but in Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Gaṇoddeśa Dīpikā Rūpa Gosvāmī calls it ‘Sudhāṁśu darpa-haraṇa’, he who removes the pride of the moon’. Kṛṣṇa’s mirror is indeed named ‘Śarad Indu’ (autumn moon).

2.22 Premamayī Rādhikā’s loving pride increased at this, and then naturally She assumes the mood of svādhīna bhartṛkā, the heroine who rules over Her lover. The footnote quotes the definition of this svādhīna bhartṛkā from Ujjvala Nīlamaṇi.

2.25 Bhānumati is not just the name of a sakhī-mañjarī but it also means ‘the lustrous one’, as an adjective for the hair, according to Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma (kacāvalī kīdṛśī bhānumatī kāntimatī).  Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma promises that all the mañjarīs’ names in this book will have double meanings – atra granthe sarvatra kiṅkarīṇāṁ śleṣeṇaivollekha…

2.26 Same for Rāgalekhā Mañjarī – it is the name of a maidservant but also means that the substances like musk, sandal and vermilion are all made of the essence of divine passion (anurāga-śreṇyā samyāg vibhāvitair vāsitaiḥ). Rādhikānāth Gosvāmī’s translation of this verse was totally insufficient and incomplete, and thus my translation of the same, too.

The correct translation should be: “After this, Rāgalekhā Mañjarī prepared musk, sandal and vermilion that is filled with anurāga, placed them on different golden trays along with a brush to make pictures, and placed all this before Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa smiled and reappeared before Rādhikā to make Her tilaka on Her forehead with the brush. Although this was His first attempt, He at once defeated hundreds of expert decorators with His expert drawings. First He made a black circle of musk, then He made an eight-petalled lotus with the pollen of vermilion and within that He placed some sandal-spots.” All this is from Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma’s ṭīkā. A sample is: prathamataḥ kasturikāyāḥ śyāmaṁ maṇḍalaṁ tasya caturdikṣu keśareṇāṣṭadala kamala racanā madhye madhye candana binduḥ…. “First he makes a śyāma circle of musk, then he makes an eight-petalled lotus with keśara (vermilion), and in between sandal spots….”

2.27 Labaṅga mañjarī is here also identified with clove-buds (labaṅga puṣpasya mañjaryā), of which she crafts Rādhikā’s earrings. She hands these to Kṛṣṇa, who praises her expertise in crafting a hundred times.  At that time Labaṅga Mañjarī brings a cup with eyeliner and a golden pencil to apply it to Rādhikā’s eyes with, and Kṛṣṇa is doing just that then. There are three footnotes to this verse, one giving a full description of Labaṅga Mañjarī, one describing the Tāṭaṅka earrings (shaped like peacocks, lotus flowers or crescent moons), and one naming Rādhikā’s eyeliner pencil as ‘Narmadā’.

2.30 In the footnote it is said that Līlā Mañjarī is none other than Mañjulāli Mañjarī. Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma has an interesting ṭīkā here: prasādhanasya arthaḥ prayojanaṁ sambhogas tasya pratipādane jñāpane unmukhyo yā śrī rūpa līlā ratīnāṁ mañjaryaḥ mukhe yasya saḥ “The luster of form, pastimes and amorous attraction (rati) shone in Kṛṣṇa’s face, indicating His desire for amorous enjoyment.” The names of Rūpa Rati and Līla Mañjarī are all hidden in here.

2.31 The signs were deliberately wiped out by Hari’s chest.

2.32 In a footnote it is explained that of the four types of sambhoga, samṛddhimān is the most intense and it takes place after meeting in a dream, distant journey of the lover, viparīta vilāsa, bhojana kautuka (dinner!), sleeping together and svādhīna bhartṛkā. Sambhoga here takes place after svādhīna bhartṛkā.  Songs are quoted from Ghanaśyāma Dās and Govinda Dās.

2.34 There is a song by Yadunandana in the footnote.

2.35 There is a song by Govinda Dās in the footnote.

2.36 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments: kiṅkarīgaṇasya sāhāyyaṁ vinā sakhi prativyaktavyasya vikāśāsambhavāt “Without the help of the maidservants it is impossible to make the sakhīs forget what has happened. (that is why She made them loyal to Her with Her arched eyebrows)”

2.43 It is not Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, but Their dharma that gave up its body at Prayāga.

2.46 The conventional meaning was wrongly translated by me. It should have been: “”Behold this young brahmacārī! To experience the bliss of the full Brahman he has subdued māyā and took shelter of Yoganidrā. Fully liberated souls are worshipping Mukti-Śrī to become eligible for liberation and then sit on a great seat of yoga. It seems this king of yogīs has attained siddhi!”

2.49 It should be: (Kṛṣṇa said:) “It is clear that your dear sakhī has attained greater yoga siddhis! Look! Even on My chest there are beautiful moonbeams, that destroy the illusion of darkness and indicate Her experience of the bliss of Brahman!”

2.59 Ref. Rāy Śekhara song Array5. There is also a nice pada by Yadunandana here.

2.60 Kakkhati is admonished here in Madhusūdana’s translation, which is not backed up by either the mūla or the ṭīkā – ‘Alas! Kakkhati! What have you done? Are you a stone or so? With your false thunderbolt-words you destroyed such a festival which delights the eyes! You have no affection or sensitivity at all!”

2.64 There is a debate here between Śaṅkā (anxiety, about the obstacles) and Autsukya (eagerness for further union). Śāṅkā says: “It is better to give up the desire for bodily union altogether now.” Autsukya, however, says: “Why? If there is no apparent reason for breaking the union, then let there be mutual bodily satisfaction!” As long as Jaṭilā is not in sight Śaṅkā is somewhat in check and seems to be defeated by Autsukya. The Vijaya-māla (victor’s garland) in the form of Kṛṣṇa’s arm on Rādhikā’s shoulder, is a sign of Autsukya’s victory.

2.66 Here, as in many other verses, Madhusūdana Vācaspati adds a lengthy emotional commentary, which, in my opinion, is a bit distracting and unnecessary, especially since it is not found either in the śloka nor in the ṭīkā. “Their embrace” in the original translation should, of course, be “Each other’s embrace”. A song by Mādhava Ghoṣa is quoted here to illustrate the intense scene.

2.67 Madhusūdana explains that just as innocent citizens get scared of thugs when there is no longer a king around to protect them, the gopīs also get scared when the thug-like sunrise removes their protector, the dark night.

2.68 Normally the lotus flowers rejoice when their friend the sun rises, but not so for the lotus-like gopīs, who now lose their lover. “Cupid failed to shoot his darts” means that fear of Jaṭilā contracts their lusty desires.

2.69 Now Śaṅkā finally defeated Autsukya (see verse 64). Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains that ‘Vraja’ means ‘the nikuñja’ (because all of this takes place in Vraja anyway).

2.70 In all these verses ‘fear’ is the combatant called Śaṅkā. Madhusūdana admonishes Śaṅkā as follows: “Alas! Alas! Even the stones would melt if they saw this scene of separation! O heartless Śaṅke! What have you done? Why have you separated this golden vine from the neck of the Tamāla tree? Why have you ruined the sweet meeting of these two moons? Tell me Śaṅke! Why have you broken the festival of the eyes of the loving devotees? Oh what a heartbreaking scene!” (Follows regular translation)

2.71 What is added to the regular translation between brackets comes from the Sanskrit comment of Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma, and is strangely not included by Madhusūdana, who otherwise adds so many of his own elaborations.

2.72 The first sentence, between brackets, can be ignored.

2.73 apāra ruk means, according to Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma, ‘endless luster’ and (giving) endless pain. The warm tears blurred Kṛṣṇa’s vision and made it hard for Him to find His way. He also lost His intelligence, so it was hard for Him to find the way and made Him likely to fall on the way.

2.74 Ref. Rāya Śekhara song Array7.

2.76 A song is quoted by Govinda Dās.

2.79 yoga means union with Kṛṣṇa, that caused Rādhikā to be absorbed in the nectar of His form, taste and voice. Now, however, She is separated and She tastes poison (kālakūṭaṁ viṣaṁ adarśayat). In the aṣṭāṅga-yoga-context nirveda paddhati means ‘self-condemnation’, which is a part of the teaching of renunciation. Acyutānanda means the joy of liberation or the joy of union with Kṛṣṇa. viyoga or falling down from yoga-principles leads to custums that are opposed to the Vedas and result in the poison (kālakūṭa) of death.

2.80 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma  explains that anurāga parabhāgavatī does not mean ‘Supreme Goddess’, as I wrongly translated, but para-bhāga means excellence, so it is “She who excels in anurāga (constant passion).”

Madhusūdana says Rādhikā couldn’t understand because She was too upset.

In the footnote a song is quoted from Kānu Dās.

Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta, Chapter One

I had not yet reviewed the first two chapters of the book, which are also packed with new items, and gave me a better view of the text . In order not to increase the bulk of each blog I will do chapter for chapter. This book has been such a great asset that it’s probably to 2007 what Bhānu Swāmī’s Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu was to 2006 - the book of the year!

1.1 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments that surrender to the Lord has two results for a devotee - a complete cessation of misery and the relish of the Lord's form, attributes and pastimes. duḥka-nivṛttis tathānusaṁhita bhagavad rūpa guṇādi mādhuryāsvādaś ceti.

1.2 The purport originally translated by me from Rādhikānātha Gosvāmī comes from Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma's Sanskrit ṭīkā.

1.10 It should be śṛṅgāra-dhura, not śṛṅgāra-dhu.

1.12 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains that yadā madano bālyaṁ dūrīkṛtya rādhāṅga-rājyam āgrahīt tadaiva lajjā-svarūpaṁ nija deśasya pālikam…… “When Rādhā grew up Cupid seized the kingdom of Her body and removed childhood from Her. Then bashfulness became the protectress of Her land….”

1.13 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains that the offence was committed to Cupid himself, as a result of which Cupid removed her: kim u asmai kandarpāya aparādhyatisma yena aparādhena hetunā kandarpena dūrīkṛta. Or perhaps he removed her just to delight our eyes? kimvā asmad akṣṇaṁ sukhabhoga hetuḥ ….kandarpa svarūpena lajjā dūrīkaraṇārtham abhyudeti

1.14 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains that this verse is spoken by another sakhī - antaram āha.

1.15 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains: megha pakṣe sthira acapalā cañcalālyo vidyut śreṇyas tābhiḥ kṛṣṇa pakṣe autsukya vāmyabhyaṁ sthira ca cañcala ca ya ali rādhā …..”Rādhā embraced Kṛṣṇa as a lightning strike that was both steady and restless out of simultaneous eagerness and opposition (vāmya)….”

1.18 A famous kuñja bhaṅga-song is added in a footnote:

ālikula jāgalo alikula gaṇe.
camakita cāha-i cakita nayane.

cañcala cita ati calali nikuñje.
sukhada śeja taṅhi kusuma puñje.

vigalita kuntala vigalita vāse;
heri heri sahacari kuru parihāse

“The alis (sakhīs) woke up from the songs of the alis (bees) and looked all around with startled eyes. With restless minds they entered the kunja where there was a delightful bed made of lots of flowers. The sakhīs cracked jokes when they saw (Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s) loosened hair and garments.”

1.20 A song is quoted in the footnote:

rāginī bhairavī— tāla eka tālā

KĀNANA DEVATI HERI NIŚI AVASĀNA
ĀDEŚILĀ DVIJA KULE KOROITE GĀNA

"When the sylvan goddess (Vṛndā) saw that the night was over she ordered her birds to sing."

SĀRI ŚUKE KOHE DOHE JĀGĀHO TURITE
ARUṆA UDOY HERI NĀHI MĀNA BHĪTE

"The Śārī (Mynah) told the Śuka (the male parrot) "Quickly awaken Them both! The sun is rising, and They are (too oblivious and hence) not afraid."

BĀNARĪGANE PUNAḤ KOROLO ĀDEŚA
TURITE ŚABADA KORO NIŚI AVAŚEṢA

"Then again she ordered the female monkeys: "Quickly resound! The night is over!"

ŚUNAITE IHA VANA DEVATI BOL
KĀNANA BHARIYĀ UTHILO MAHĀ ROL

"When the forest creatures heard these words of the sylvan goddess, the forest became filled with a great noise."

HERAITE AICHANA NIŚI PARABHĀTA
MĀDHAVA DĀSA ŚIRE DEI HĀT

"Seeing that the night has thus ended and the morning has come, Mādhava dāsa strikes his head with his hand."

1.22 A song is added in the footnote:

vṛnda vacana hi, uṭho hi phukāra-i,
śuka pika śārikā pāṅti
śunata hi jāgi, punahuṅ pahuṅ ghūmalo
nāyarī kora hi jānti

“On Vṛndā’s order the male and female parrots woke up and began to sing. Hearing this, Kṛṣṇa woke up but then again fell asleep in the arms of His beloved.”

hari hari! jāgaho nāgara kāna!
boḍo pāmara bihi kiye duḥka deolo,
korolo rajanī avasāna (Dhru)

Refrain: “Hari Hari! Wake up, Kṛṣṇa! This big rascal Fate is giving You distress by ending the night!”

āoli bāuri, varaja maheśvari,
boloto puna dadhilol
śunaite kātara, vidagadha nāyara,
thora nayāna duhu khol

“Dadhilol, the monkey, said: Mother Yaśodā is coming!” Hearing this, our clever hero became upset and slightly opened His eyes.”

nāyari heri, punahi diṭhi mudalo,
pulaka mukula bhoru aṅge
balarāma herato, kaba sukha śāyara,
nimajabo raṅga taraṅge

“Seeing His beloved, He closed His eyes again while goosepimples studded His limbs. Balarām Dās says: ‘When will I be immersed in the waves of that ocean of bliss?”

1.24 I forgot to translate keli-vani, which means ‘The birds of this small play-forest.”

1.28 I forgot to translate premāspadatvānupamaḥ, which means ‘the parrots are the matchless objects of Kṛṣṇa’s love…”

1.30 netyucitam does not mean ‘That’s not improper’, but ‘That’s not proper’.

1.32 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: prasūneti nandad api goṣṭheśvaryā āsaktir adhika ataeva sāpyadhuna tvanmukhālokanārtham ayasyatīti bhāvaḥ “Mother Yaśodā loves You even more than Nanda, what if she would come here to look at Your face?” A song is added here:

khojati phirati, jananī yaśomatī,
āoli kuñja kuṭīra
śunaite dakṣa vicakṣaṇa bhāṣana,
camakita gokula vīra

“When Kṛṣṇa, the hero of Gokula, hears from the parrots Dakṣa and Vicakṣaṇa that ‘Your mother Yaśomati is coming to the kuñja kuṭīra, searching for You!’, he becomes startled.”

hari hari! āba duhu ghumaka lāgi

kore agori, carama bhare śutala, rati raṇe yāminī jāgi

(Chorus: ) ‘Hari Hari (oh oh)! Now both lovers are sleeping at Each others chests after staying up all night in an amorous battle!”

rati rase avaśa kalevara nāgara,
uṭhahi ṭhorahi ṭhora
prāṇa piyārī, nehari punahu panhu,
bhori rahoi tachu kora

“Kṛṣṇa made a slight effort to get up, exhausted as He was from His amorous exploits. He was absorbed in staring at His heart’s beloved, keeping Her at His chest.”

rāi mukha ghana ghana, cumbai sādara,
kātara hṛdaya murāri
nayanaka nirahi, śayana bhigaya-i,
heri balarāma bolihāri

“Murāri was anxious at heart and affectionately kissed Rādhā’s face, His tears moistening the bed.” Balarāma Das praises this when he sees it.

1.33 I made one error in the translation here. It should be ‘Glory to You, my Queen! You increase the desire in the hearts of all the leading ladies, headed by Lakshmi-devi, who are themselves blessed with great fortune of vilāsa (form or pastimes). (not that ‘they desire the beauty of Your face’. śrī-mukha means ‘headed by Lakṣmī’) Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds the following comment: pakṣe śubha kathambhūta sūkṣmadhiḥ evaṁ sāpi kathambhūta śubha tatra dṛṣṭāntaḥ yathā care pāśaka krīḍopayukta kaṣṭādi nirmita bala iti prasiddha śārī yathā devanaiḥ pāśakaiḥ saha sammata sthitir yasyaḥ sa. “Just as a game of dice requires both dice (devana) and wooden pieces (śārīs), in Vṛndāvana also there are also two śārīs (Mynahs) called Śubhā and Sūkṣmadhī, who know the limit of Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma’s pastimes (devana also means pastimes).”

Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta, chapters 14-20

Chapter Fourteen

Unless one is a knower of the text it is highly recommended to keep my English translation of Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta at hand, in order to follow these additional notes:

A footnote is added to 14.10, the verse which outlines the 8 sakhīs' kuñjas, with a song by Uddhava Dās:

aparūpa rādhā mādhava saṅge ;

vṛndā racita vipina duhu vilasaye kore kora, kara dhari koto raṅge

lalitānanda kuñje yāi duhu baiṭhalo, citrā sukhada saba sahacarī meli

"How wonderful is the association of Rādhā and Mādhava! They ramble in Vṛnda's forest, holding hands. Coming to Lalitānandada Kuñja, They sit down and in Citrā Sukhada Kuñja They meet Their friends."

kṣaṇe eka rahi punaḥ madana sukhada nāma kuñjaha sakhī saha meli; 

kuñje punaḥ bhrami bhrami coluṅ campakalatā kuñje 

sudevī raṅgadevī kuñje yāi duhuṅ koru koto ānanda puñje

"They dwell for a while in Madana Sukhada Kuñja and meet Their girlfriends there before proceeding to Campakalatā's kuñja, and then blissfully going on to Sudevī and Raṅgadevī's groves."

pūrṇa indu sukhada nāme, kuñjahi tahi koto koto kautuka kelo;

tuṅgavidyā sakhī kuñjaka heraite, sahacarīgaṇa loi gelo

bhramaite sakala kuñja duhu heralo ṣaḍ ṛtu śobhana rīte;

aichana kusuma suṣamavara dvijagaṇe uddhava dāsa rasa gīte

"Then they had some fun in a grove named full moon (named after Indulekhā sakhī), and took their girlfriends along to see the grove of Tuṅgavidyā sakhī. In this way they wandered through all the groves and admired the beauty of all the six seasons. In this way Uddhav Dās sings a rasik song about the excellent beauty of the flowers and the birds (of Vraja)."

14.22 sarasvatī also means sarasa rasavatī - A luscious rasika girl.

14.26 Ref. Rāy Śekhara padāvali song nr. 68

14.50 Footnote carries a song by padakartā Madhusūdana (not sure if this is the same person as the Bengali translator):

kuṇḍe sināna korolo duhuṅ meli; sahacarī-gaṇa soye kori jala-keli.

vasana bibhūṣaṇa pahiraṇa keli; nibhṛta nikuñja mājhe coli geli

"Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa meet to bathe and play in the Kuṇḍa with their girlfriends; They play after abandoning Their garments and ornaments and then proceeded into the solitary bower."

ratana pīṭhopari kiśorī kiśora; baiṭhalo duhuṅ jana ānanda vibhora;

vṛndādevī yogāyato tathāibahu mata phala mūla vividha miṭhāi;

bhojana koru duhuṅ sakhīgaṇa saṅge; madhusūdana kobe herabo raṅge

"Blissfully Kiśorī and Kiśor sit on a jewelled throne while Vṛndā Devī serves Them many different kinds of fruits, roots and sweets. Madhusūdana rejoices when he witnesses Their fun as They enjoy this snack with Their girlfriends."

14.51 Here in the footnote a song by Rāy Śekhara is added, though this is not in the songbook I published:

ratana bhavane, kuñja dāsīgaṇe, phala mūla āni koto.

saṁskāra kori, thāli bhori bhori, rākhalo vividha mata

bādāma chohārā, drākṣā madhurā, kaṅalā keśara belo,

dāḍima, nāraṅgā, kharjjura cholaṅgā, sālu pilu nārikela

'The maidservants in the grove gathered in a jewelled house and brought so many fruits and roots, filling up trays with peanuts, dried dates, sweet grapes, pomegranates, oranges, juicy dates, grapefruits, Pilus and coconuts."

kharamujā kṣiriṇī, badarī vīriṇī, kadalī kanda-mūla,

āmra panasa vividha surasa, āta, ānārasa kula

pehārā mṛṇala, tāla pāṇi-phala, ṭeṭi miṭhi karakaṭi;

vividha miṭhāi, dharalo tathāi nānā mata paripāṭi

"They also expertly carried in various kinds of melons, jujubes, bananas, radish, mangoes, jack-fruits, berries, pineapple-juice, palm-fruits, water-fruits and sweets."

bātasā bundiyā nāḍu manoharā micharī navāta pheṇi;

chenā pānā sara-bhājā, sarakarā khaṇḍāmaṇḍā

padma-cini amṛta-kelikā laḍḍukā adhikā; karpūra kelikā āra;

rasālā mākhane, rākhilā jatane, nānā mata parakāra

"These sweets included hollow drops like Bātās, Pheṇī and Bundiyā and Laḍḍus like Manoharā, Nāḍu, Padma-cini (lotus-sugar), Karpūr-kelikā and Amṛta kelikā. There was also rock candy, sherbet sweet cold drinks, Rasāla milkshake, Sarabhājā milk sweets and butter (Mākhān) - all these items were carefully kept there."

dekhiyā nāgara, rasera sāgara, baṭure ānilā tathā,

dvijera kumāra, dekhi upahāra, saghane ḍhulāya māthā

tāre kori bāme, subale ḍāhine, bosilā rasika rāya.

deyata sumukhī saṅge saba sakhī, śekhara dāḍiye cāy

"When Nāgar Kṛṣṇa saw this ocean of rasa He brought His pal Madhumangal there. When this brahmin boy saw all the preparations he frantically shook his head. Keeping Madhumangala on His left and Subala on His right, Rasika Rāya (Kṛṣṇa) sat down and fair-faced Rāi and Her girlfriends began to serve. Rāy Śekhara stood by and watched."

14.52 A song is added here of Balarām Dās:

saba sakhīgaṇa soye, rāi sudhāmukhī, kānuka bhojana śeṣa.

bhuñjaye koto, paramānanda kautuke, guṇa mañjarī pariveśa

aparūpa bhojana keli,

koriyā ācamana, nibhṛte niketana, coluṅ saba sahacarī meli.

ratana pālaṅka para, sutala rāi kānu, priya sakhī tāmbūla delo.

kṣaṇe eka ninde nindāyali duhu jana balarāma haraṣita bhelo

"After Kṛṣṇa and His friends finished eating, nectar-faced Rāi blissfully enjoyed some (remnants) with all Her girlfriends, served to them by Guṇa Mañjarī. How wonderful is this eating pastime! After flushing Her mouth, Rādhikā proceeded to a solitary abode with Her girlfriends. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa then reclined on a jewelled bedstead while Their dearest girlfriends served Them betel-leaves. Balarām Dās rejoices when he then sees Them falling asleep a short while later."

Chapter Fifteen

15.56 A lengthy pada by Yadunandan Thākur is quoted in the footnote:

jaṭilā āsiyā tabe, kohoye sabāre ebe, purohita ānaho jāiyā.

śuni puna kundalatā, hoye ati harṣa citā, sei kṣaṇe colilā dhāiyā

dekhe kṛṣṇa aparūpa līlā.

dhīra-śānta kalevara, sākṣāt vipraveśa dhara, keho nāhi lakhite nārilā

'Jaṭilā then came around and told everyone: 'Get a priest here to conduct the Sūrya pūjā!" Hearing this, Kundalatā joyfully ran off at once. Behold Kṛṣṇa's wonderful pastimes! He looked just like a real brahmin with His grave and peaceful posture - no one could discern Him!"

āsi kundalatā devī, kohoye vṛddhāre bhāvi, māthura deśīya garga chātra.

brahmacarya sadā dhare, nā dekhe abalā kare, āmāra sādhane āilā mātra

"Kundalatā returned to Jaṭilā and told her: "This brahmin boy from Mathurā is a disciple of Garga muni - he is always celibate and does not even look at a girl's hand - he came here just to please me!"

śuni sei harṣa-mati, koroye minati stuti, tvarānvitā kohoye badhūre

ei vipra viñja-vara, suśīla sarva guṇa dhara, paurohitye boroho ihāre

"Hearing this, Jaṭilā joyfully told her daughter-in-law: "Please accept this very learned brahmin boy, who is so well-behaved and endowed with all qualities, as Your priest!"

śuni rāi harṣa hoiyā, dhīre dhīre kohe jāiyā, ei mora mitra pūjibāre

viśvaśarmā nāme khyāta, jagata maṅgala gotra, purohite varinu tomāre

"Hearing this, Rāi joyfully and gently said: "I accept this renowned Viśvaśarma, whose gotra is auspicious in this world, as My priest."

tabe sei vipra-vara, kuśāgre karṣiyā kore, rāi haste puṣpāñjali dilo

namo namo mitra-vare, ei mantra uccāre, arghya diyā pūjā samarpilo

"Then this best of brahmins took a straw of Kuśa grass and placed a handful of flowers in Rāi's hand. Then He offered oblations by pronouncing the mantra namo namo mitra-vara."

tabe vṛddhā harṣa-bhore, dakṣiṇā loite tāre, punaḥ punaḥ yatnete sādhilo

teṅho kohe kārya nāhi, tomā sobāra prīti cāhi, ei mora dakṣiṇā hoilo

'Jaṭilā then joyfully took out a remuneration for the young priest and repeatedly offered it to Him. He said, 'No need, Your love is the only reward I want'.

tabe sei tuṣṭa hoiyā, ratana mudrādi diyā, kohe nitya korābe pūjana.

daṇḍavat praṇati koilā, rāike loiyā gelā saṅge coluṅ e yadu-nandana

"Satisfied, Jaṭilā donated Kṛṣṇa Rādhikā's jewel ring and told Him to always do pūjā with Her. After offering prostrated obeisances to Him, she took Rāi with her in the company of Yadunandan (the poet)."

Chapter Sixteen

16.23 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma confirms that Baladeva takes the cows and boys into Nandagram to give Kṛṣṇa the chance to meet Rādhā - śrīkṛṣṇasya preyasī-varga sahita milana samayam ālakṣya kiñcin miṣeṇa baladeva śrīdāmādīnāṁ puri praveśam āha. This remains problematic, because earlier in Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta and also in the Vilāpa comments of Ānanda Gopāla Gosvāmī it is said that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are concerned about Baladeva's presence - does He or doesn't He know?

16.24 "The restless Vraja-girls joyfully threw flower-balls from the garden at Kṛṣṇa, who caught them with trembling hand and threw them back at them. By thus catching and throwing the flower-balls an ocean of ever-fresh luster surged within His body." Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: pakṣe rāmāṇāṁ strīṇāṁ śobhana mano rūpa kandukasya, which is elaborated upon by Madhusūdana Vācaspati as: "Or the beautiful minds of these restless, contrary beauties from Vraja are like balls that cause waves in the ever-fresh luster-ocean of Kṛṣṇa's body on the pretext of being thrown to and caught by Him."

16.28 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments: yad yasmāt rādhikā rūpa mālatyāḥ "That Mālatī flower is Rādhikā."

16.32 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments: atra nirjana sthale kulāṅganānāṁ sthitir na yogya kintu gṛhaṁ yāma - "This solitary place is not fit for housewives, so lets go home."

16.33 Not the gopīs' eyes, but the gopīs themselves are compared to lotus flowers here.

16.34 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: mūrcchātaḥ prabuddhaṁ mithunaṁ pratyāśayā baddha hṛdayam akārṣīt - 'The sakhās and sakhīs first woke Them up from Their swoon and then consoled Them, giving Them new hope (for future meetings)."

16.35 I forgot to translate the adjective viduṣī here, Viśākhā is a wise girl.

16.37  Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: ahaṁ grāmād bahiḥ puṣpa-bāṭikāyāṁ śrī-kṛṣṇena saṅgatā āsaṁ katham atra puṣpa śayyāyāṁ vidyamāneti  "Am I lying in a flower garden outside of the village in union with Śrī Kṛṣṇa? How come I am lying here on this bed of flowers?"

16.38 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: prati dinaṁ vihārānantaraṁ gṛhāgamanocitaṁ prātaḥ kim ajani "Has the morning come, the time that each day I should go home, after enjoying with My beloved?"

Chapter Eighteen

18.32 netra śrotra daṁśād actually means "If you fear the bites of the people's eyes and ears (not just the eyes)."

18.33 Guru vādhā can also mean 'heavy obstacles'.

18.40 Bali here can also mean "Bali Mahārāja, who donated the whole universe to Lord Trivikrama, but You donate three lines (tribali) to Kṛṣṇa, in whom there is the power of 100 Cupids (śata vikrama)!"

18.43 Unknown commentator makes a good point here in a footnote - 'Kṛṣṇa is so bewildered by prema that He imagines Caṭaka-birds singing at night (obviously they normally only sing in the daytime)."

18.44 Kṛṣṇa didn't embrace the tree but leaned against it.

18.45 druta hṛd atanu ghūrṇākīrṇa-dhīḥ in the last line means: "Her heart melted and Her mind was dizzy with amorous feelings."

18.49  yāvad evānayāmaḥ  actually means 'as long as we don't take You (into that Bokul grove)......"

18.54 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: aprāptiṁ sambhāvayati iti bhāvaḥ - 'anurāga is such that one always thinks it is impossible to attain the beloved."

18.55 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sakhīnām āgamana śaṅkayā - 'Rādhikā was afraid Her girlfriends would show up'.

18.57 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sva-dharma vāmyam akṛtvā - "Rādhikā gave up Her natural vāmya (opposition)....." and, at the end, sismiye smitaṁ cakāra"She smiled"

Chapter Nineteen

19.2 It should be in future tense - kariṣye - 'I will mark Your girlfriends."


19.4 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: śrī kṛṣṇena kṛtaṁ yad viḍambanaṁ tasya hetu-bhūtāṁ rādhikāṁ prati kuṭila bhruvaḥ sakhīḥ rādhā viṣādam abhinīyam abravīt: "Before Her sakhīs, that had arched eyebrows, Rādhikā pretended to be dejected because She wanted to conceal from them that She was the cause of Kṛṣṇa's impudent behaviour towards them."

19.8 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sva-dharmaṁ vāmyaṁ vihāya - "Rādhikā abandoned Her natural opposition (vāmya) and spoke so submissively..."

19.16 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: niṣkuṭa eva nija nandīśvara gṛhodyāna eva sva gṛha-dāsībhir eva tāṁ spṛhāṁ sādhaya na tu mayeti. 'Satisfy those desires with the maidservants at my home garden in Nandagrāma, not with Me."

19.21 The end of my translation was not correct. khedam evābhininyuḥ  means 'The gopīs imitated their grief (of the original Rāsa dance, when they were similarly distressed at seeing Kṛṣṇa enjoying with Rādhikā). Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: keśa prasādhanaṁ tvatra kāminyāḥ kāminī kṛtam iti vadantīnāṁ vipakṣāṇāṁ khedottha vacanam anusṛtya - 'They imitated the distressed words of the rival party when they saw Kṛṣṇa decorating Rādhikā's hair'.

19.26 The end of my translation was not correct. vitatākṣī actually means 'wide-eyed', not 'tear-filled eyes'. “Making Kṛṣṇa relish it with wide eyes.”

19.29 phala puṣpa-mālādibhiḥ sevyamānau - “They were served with fruits, flower garlands etc.”

19.31 Madhusūdana Vācaspati adds: 'The obvious meaning of the riddle is the body'.

19.33 Madhusūdana Vācaspati gives an elaborate explanation of the riddle here: "Your Vīṇā is singing tata vādya - it is a stringed instrument, and it is anurāginī, it plays all the rāgas, like the Vasanta. Just as anurāgiṇī women sing the glories of their beloved man and faint (mūrcchā) in the process, Your Vīṇā also attains different mūrcchas (scales). On a Vīṇā there are rasanta, or resounding strings (guṇa) and in the Saṅgīta śāstras there are similarly 7 notes and 3 grāmas (three gatis of the svaras). grāma also means village or group. When the Vīṇā resides in that grāma it is expert in atanu-rasa (the greatest rasa, which can also mean erotic rasa).

19.38 The word ujjvalātma-vedana should really mean, according to Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma, kṛpārdrayā yayā yoginyā ahaṁ muhuḥ pāṭhito'bhavam….dṛk pakṣe kandarpa saukhya siddhaye yat ujjvalātmanaḥ śṛṅgāra rasa svarūpasya vedanaṁ jñānaṁ bhavati tad eva jñānaṁ yayā dṛśā ahaṁ paṭhitaḥ "I was repeatedly educated by this yoginī who was melting with compassion...." "The pun of priya-dṛk is: For the sake of attaining erotic bliss and the knowledge of rasa svarūpa I am studying (on the strength of Her) merciful glance."

19.46 Rādhikānātha Gosvāmī says the gṛhasthas want su-kha (happiness), but Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says surataruta padasyānta ta-kāreṇa saha ādya varṇa su śabdasya yoge sati sutam icched iti praśnasyārthaḥ - The last syllable of surataruta (ta) combined with the first one (su), makes 'suta', or sons. The rest of the explanation is the same as in my original translation.

19.52 In connection with the Rāsa dance, ullāsa means joyful and udāra means liberal.

19.53 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says: "Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse not just to Rādhikā, but to all the gopīs - he alasa dṛśo gopyaḥ, and actually Rādhikānātha Gosvāmī said the same.

19.54 I forgot to add that kalāṁ prathayañcakāra (not prabhayāṁ) - by doing this the Creator showed his great artistic skills."

19.55 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma (and Madhusūdana) add: avaśiṣṭa bhāgastha malināṁśaḥ kalaṅko'bhūt - "The remaining dirty portions of this strained portion became the spots on the moon."

19.58 The missing syllables that were on a broken page when I copied the Sanskrit from a book in Madrasi Baba's library are cā-ru and pa-tra. Thus the third line of the śloka reads as follows: kastūrikā cāru tamāla patrakaṁ.

19.66 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: tat kālotpanna śṛṅgāra rasa rūpa jalena mṛdulāli śobhanamanāṁsyeva sumanāṁsi puṣpāṇi yāsāṁ tāḥ 'It seemed as if flowers of erotic rasa were growing on the golden vines of the gopīs' bodies, and their jingling waist-bells resounded like bees that are attracted to such flowers."

19.71 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: kuṣṭhī-jano yathā sva gātra-sthaṁ śvitraṁ kṣatādi cihna khyāpanena ācchādayati tathā candro'pi sva-sthitaṁ duryaśaḥ mṛga-cihna khyāpanenācchādayatītyarthaḥ "Just as a leper is shamefully  trying to hide the scars of his disease on his body by covering them over, the moon also tries to hide the shameful deer-spots on its surface (when compared to Rādhikā's moonlike face)." And: brāhmaṇasya viṣa-bhakṣaṇam atyanta niṣiddhaṁ tadapi kṛtaṁ amṛta-mayatvena maraṇaṁ ca na bhaviṣyatye tādṛśa jñānābhāvāt mūḍhaḥ "It is forbidden for a brahmin to drink poison, and besides, since the moon is full of nectar (or immortality) it is simply impossible for him to die - that is how bereft of knowledge, or foolish, he is!"

19.72 ṣaḍja etc are of course the full names of sa ri ga ma etc., not alternatives.

19.76 'came to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's faces' means they uttered these syllables that expressed the rhythms. They 'danced in Their faces (mouths)' (Madhusūdana)

19.80 Madhusūdana Vācaspati says Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa then sat down.

19.81 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: prema-bhaktiṁ vinā rāsa varṇanaṁ na sambhaved - 'Without prema bhakti it is not possible to describe the Rāsa līlā."

Chapter Twenty

20.1 prabandhān anusṛtya means 'following the composition'.

20.14 nirmanchanam means ārati, according to Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma.

20.15 tayoḥ in the ṭīkā means 'Both Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's feet', not just Kṛṣṇa's.

20.16 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: śveta puṣpamaya vyajana - The flower-fan was made of white flowers. Madhusūdana adds that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's fame is similarly white.

20.23 Madhusūdana explains āśābandha as: "After touching Her breasts, Kṛṣṇa could be sure His desires would be fulfilled because Rādhikā's desires had been incited by that...."

20.24 '...then he worshipped the demigods...' should have been 'he wrote soma on the golden pitcher', soma meaning Śiva, who is accompanied (sa) by Pārvatī (umā). And that soma reappears in the pun as the moon-beam-like scratches Kṛṣṇa makes on Rādhikā's breasts. Same for the last mentioning of 'demigods' in the translation - it should be Soma or Śiva.

20.32 It is not vedhaiva but vedaiva, and I forgot to translate that last line. Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says: iyaṁ vidagdhā kiṅkarī tayoḥ sarvaṁ hārddaṁ veda. kathambhūtā tayor bhāva rūpa puṣpena bhāvito vāsitaḥ ātmā antaḥkaraṇaṁ yasyāḥ sā "These clever maidservants know all about Their (dual, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa) hearts. How? Their hearts are scented with the fragrance of the flowers of Their feelings and Their forms." In my original translation I wrote that the maidservants say that about themselves, which makes no sense. Actually this statement is just made by the author.

20.39 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: śrī-kṛṣṇasya mukha-candratvena śrī-rādhāyā mukhaṁ kamalatvena ca varṇayitvā "Kṛṣṇa's face is here described as a moon and Śrī Rādhikā's face as a lotus flower." Madhusūdana says: "Look sakhi! How Śrī Kṛṣṇa's moon-like face is absorbed in drinking the honey from Śrī Rādhikā's lotus-like face! This is also an amazing thing! As incitements both the lotus and the moon are friends of Cupid.... (follows regular translation)

20.40 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: nanu mukhayoḥ kamalatve kiṁ pramāṇaṁ. tatrānumānālaṅkāram āha - yayor mukhayor antare madhye sambhoga-samaye śītkāra rūpa bhramara dhvanir lakṣyate. tathā ca madhya sthita bhramara dhvani hetunā kamalatvaṁ siddhim iti bhāvaḥ. "And if you claim that they are both lotuses, what is the proof of that? Listen here, during sambhoga the lotus-mouths emit screams that sound like the buzzing of bees. That proves that the (sources of those) bees are lotusflowers!"

20.42 “Sakhi, look look! When they drank the honey of Each others lips, Śrī Rādhikā's eyeliner got stuck on Śrī Kṛṣṇa's lips; now, as Śrī Rādhikā drinks the honey of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's lips, these spots are erased and instead She marks Kṛṣṇa's lips with the signs of Her passion, the red spots of Her Pān consumption. Is it as if She offered these ink spots to Kṛṣṇa's captivating lips just as the moon has ink-like spots on it?” (follows regular translation)

20.44 The verse says śatābhā, not śatāthā, in either case śata means 'hundreds', that is 'hundreds of drops'.

20.48 Verses 48-50 require a full re-translation, for the current one is not fully comprehensible. Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains: adhunā jñāna siddhānāṁ sūrya-maṇḍala dvārā arcirādi mārgaṁ varṇayan tādṛśa śabdānāṁ śleṣeṇa viparīta sambhogam apyāha "Now the author will compare Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's reverse enjoyment with the way the siddha jñānīs practise their worship through the sunglobe." Just as the liberated souls (muktāvalī) dance in ecstasy when they attain mokṣa within the restless sun globe that rises within a cloud, Śrī Rādhikā's muktāvalī (pearl necklaces) ecstatically dances on the cloud-like chest of Kṛṣṇa, that is adorned with the sun-globe-like Kaustubha gem. Just as swans (paramahaṁsas) and avadhūtas joyfully play various musical instruments while watching the liberated souls dance on a golden ground (Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says: pañcama skandhokta kāñcanī-bhūmi - "Such a golden ground is described in the fifth canto Bhāgavata." Only, I don't know where...), similarly, during reverse pastimes, Rādhikā's lotus feet are golden places where swans (haṁsa, or kaṭaka-footbangles) tremble (avadhūta) and thus make wonderful music."

20.49 Others can not come to this golden ground. When Lord Madhusūdana arrives there will be music which will delight the ears of rasikas like Śukadeva and Nārada, whose vine-like bodies will melt of the resultant sāttvika vikāras. Similarly, when Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's fragrance increases because of Their union of Their bodies the Madhusūdanas, or bumblebees, will come and sing sweetly, which will cause the vine-like bodies of rasikā mañjarīs like Rūpa and Rati to melt of sāttvika vikāras." rasikāṇāṁ kiṅkarīṇāṁ aṅga-vallyeva sabhyā (KDS)

20.50 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: jñānināṁ sūrya-maṇḍala dvārā arcirādi mārgam uktā karmiṇāṁ candra-maṇḍala dvārā dhūma-mārgam āha - 'After describing how the jñānīs worship their path through the sunglobe, the author now proceeds to say how the karmīs tread the path of smoke through the moonglobe, also in comparison to the reverse pastimes....." Crooked bālas, or ignorant souls always greedily worship material life left and right. Attached to the fruitive path mentioned in the śrutis (Vedas) they are busily engaged (karmaṭha) in prati-karma (each fruitive activity); thus they reside on the moonglobe (candra-maṇḍala). In the same way the bālas or crooked curly locks always restlessly dangle left and right, extending to the śrutis (ears), being a suitable embellishment (pratikarma), beautifying Kṛṣṇa's moonlike face (candra-maṇḍala)."

20.51 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: vāmyādyabhāvena avāryamāṇāṁ vāraṇa rahitaṁ 'They had lost all selfcontrol and restraint because there was no more vāmya."

20.52 Madhusūdana Vācaspati adds: 'śrānti sakhī (the girlfriend named Fatigue) tells Nidrā devī (the goddess of sleep): "Come come sakhi Nidre! Come here and relish the sweetness of the Divine Pair!" At the end of the verse translation Madhusūdana writes: "Seeing this, the sakhīs and mañjarīs go to their own abodes and fall asleep there."

20.54 The footnote existing in my published translation originates from Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma's ṭīkā of verse 52.

The Sanskrit of the two additional verses which is in this edition, while it may not have been included in the Sanskrit edition I copied by hand in 1987, runs as follows:

Verse 1:

viśvākāśa vikāra sammita śake vāre guroḥ phālgune

viśvānandini pūrṇimā pratipadoḥ sandhau sarasyās taṭe

gāndharvā giridhāriṇoḥ sarabhasaṁ dolādhirūḍhāṅgayoḥ

śrī caitanya dine tad etad udagāt kāvyaṁ bhajat pūrṇitām

Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments that viśva, the universe, is one, ākāśa (sky) is void, thus 0, and vikāra (transformations) are 16 in number. Traditionally the order of these figures is reversed, so that one comes to 1601. And that is 1680 AD, not 1686.

Verse 2:

tasya śrī guru pāda-padma madhunaḥ kena stave prābhavat

yat pītaṁ sahasaiva hanta malinaṁ maccitta mattālinam

saṁsārogra mātaṅgajasya madirāṁ vismārya vṛndāvane

rādhā-mādhava keli-kalpa-latikā vāse sadāvīvasat.

This zuddhi-patra, or correction-sheet, stripped of most personal comments, will be turned into a portable document format (pdf) and uploaded to the literature-dept. of http://www.madangopal.com/ as a free appendix to my published translation of Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta.

Hearing from non-devotees

I have heard some express doubt about whether it is really so harmful to hear Hari-kathā from non-devotees.There is a verse, famous in some circles,

avaiṣṇava mukhodgīrnam pūtaṁ hari kathāmṛtam
śravanaṁ naiva kartavyaṁ sarpocchiṣṭa yathā payaḥ

("One should not hear the pure nectar of Hari kathā from the mouth of a non-Vaiṣṇava -it is like milk touched by a serpent!"), and it is said to be in Hari-bhakti Vilāsa. I have personally not seen it there though, not even in its commentary. But in his commentary to Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.30, Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda does give this beautiful simile:

madhuram api jalaṁ kṣāra-bhūmi praviṣṭaṁ yathā virasībhavati tathaivāvaiṣṇava mukha nirgato bhagavad guṇo'pi nātirocaka -

"Even sweet water, if poured over a salty desert, becomes tasteless. Similarly the glorification of the Lord emanating from the mouth of a non-Vaiṣṇava, is not tasty."