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VEU-GTAThe Song of Kas Flute

rmad-Bhgavatam Tenth Canto Chapter Twenty-One

Thegopssing the glories of the sound of r Kas flute when He enters theenchanting forest of Vndvana upon the arrival of autumn.

r rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja

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Other titles by rla Nryaa Mahrja:

The Nectar of Govinda-llGoing Beyond Vaikuha

Bhakti-rasyanar Prabandhval

r ikakar Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu-bindu

r Mana-ikBhakti-tattva-viveka

Available from:

Gauya Vednta Publications254 Moorside Road

Downham, Bromley, Kent BR1 5EZENGLAND

or

r Keavaj Gauya MahaMathur (U.P.) 281001

INDIA

Copyright 1994 by r Gauya Vednta Samiti

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Contents

Introduction..............................................................................................................................................i

Text One: r Ka enters the forest of Vndvana upon the arrival of autumn..................1

Text Two: Ka plays a captivating tune upon His flute.............................................................5

Text Three: Thegopshear the sound of the flute and begin to describer Ka and His flute among themselves...............................................................7

Text Four: Thegopsare overwhelmed with an intense desire to meet Ka.....................9

Text Five: Within their minds thegopssee Ka dressed like an artistic dancer,filling the flute with the nectar of His lips..................................................................11

Text Six: Thegopsembrace Ka within their hearts..............................................................15Text Seven: The perfection of the eyes is to behold the face of Vrajea-suta.....................17

Text Eight: Ka and Balarma are dressed like the best of dancers....................................22

Text Nine: The flute steals the nectar of Kas lipswhich is the property of thegops...............................................................................25

Text Ten: The peacocks become intoxicated and dance to the sound of Kas flute.....28

Text Eleven: The deer worship Ka with their sidelong glances..........................................30

Text Twelve: The devsriding the airplanes become stunned andtheir clothes become loose......................................................................................33

Text Thirteen: The cows drink the nectar of the flute with theupraised cups of their ears....................................................................................38

Text Fourteen: The birds are great muniswho sit upon the treeshearing the flute with rapt attention.................................................................42

Text Fifteen: The rivers embrace Kas lotus feet with their waves..................................47

Text Sixteen: The clouds act as an umbrella to shelter Ka from the heat......................50

Text Seventeen: The Pulindssmear their faces and breastswith the kukuma powder from Kas feet...............................................52

Text Eighteen: Govardhana is hari-dsa-varya..............................................................................63

Text Nineteen: Ka binds the cows with niryoga-pa...........................................................71

Text Twenty: Thegopsattain tadtmwith Ka....................................................................75

About the Author..............................................................................................................................77

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Introduction

rmad-Bhgavatamis a direct manifestation of the Supreme Lord. It is an ambrosial, overflowingocean of nectarean love (prema-rasa) for Svayam Bhagavn Vrajendra-nandana r Ka, the per-sonification of divine rasa. Rasika and bhvuka-bhaktasalways drown in this ocean. rmad-Bhga-vatamis the fully ripened, nectarean fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literature which comprises theentirety of Indian thought. Within rmad-Bhgavatam, gop-prema has been ascertained to be theultimate objective.

A few towering waves ofgop-prema can be seen from the Veu-gta portion ofrmad-Bhga-vatam. Rasika-bhaktasdrown themselves in these waves and even lose all consciousness of theirown bodies. Greed to be immersed in this nectarean ocean sprouts even in the hearts of the faith-ful devotees who are situated on the shore of this ocean.

r Caitanya Mahprabhu, the combined form of Rasrja and Mahbhva, resplendent with the

sentiment and bodily complexion of r Rdh, relished the nectar of Veu-gta with r SvarpaDmodara and r Rya Rmnanda in r Gambra. rla Santana Gosvm and rla Jva Gosvmcollected a few drops of this nectar in their commentaries on rmad-Bhgavatamentitled Bhat-vaiava-toaand Laghu-vaiava-toarespectively. r Vivantha Cakravart hkura, throughhis commentary named Srrtha-darin, has distributed to the whole world the same nectar in theform of the remnants of their mah-prasda.

Some persons believe that unqualified sdhakasare ineligible to hear, chant or remember thetopics ofr Veu-gta, r Rsa Pacdhyya, Yugala-gta, Bhramara-gta and so on, as described inthe Tenth Canto ofrmad-Bhgavatam. This consideration is fully legitimate. But according to their

conception, only a sdhaka who has conquered the six urges (kma, krodha, etc.), who is free fromall anarthasand fully purified from the heart disease of lust, is eligible to hear such topics, while allothers have no right. We will now examine this topic in greater detail.

r Rpa Gosvm, who established and fulfilled the inner hearts desire of r CaitanyaMahprabhu, composed r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, r Ujjvala-nlamaiand other sacred texts. rlaKadsa Kavirja Gosvm composed r Caitanya-caritmta. While writing, they were deeplyconcerned that these confidential texts on rasa should not fall into the hands of unqualified per-sons. If this should occur, it may present a great disturbance to the world. A glimpse of this topicis found in r Caitanya-caritmta (di-ll, 4.231-237), as stated by rla Kadsa Kavirja

Gosvm:

e saba siddhnta gha,kahite n yuyyan kahile, keha ihra anta nhi pya

ataeva kahi kichu kari nighabujhibe rasika bhakta, n bujhibe mhahdaye dharaye ye caitanya-nitynanda

e saba siddhnte sei pibe nandae saba siddhnta haya mrera pallava

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bhakta-gaa-kokilera sarvad vallabhaabhakta-urera ithe n haya praveatabe citte haya mora nanda-viea

ye lgi kahite bhaya, se yadi n jneih vai kib sukha che tribhuvane

ataeva bhakta-gae kari namaskraniake kahiye, tra hauk camatkra

The esoteric and confidential conclusions regarding the amorous pastimes of Rasarja r Katogether with thegops, who are the embodiments ofmahbhva, are not fit to be disclosed to thecommon ordinary man. But without revealing them, no one can enter into this topic. I shall, there-fore, describe these topics in a concealed manner so that only rasika-bhaktaswill be able to under-stand, whereas ineligible fools will not.Anyone who has established r Caitanya Mahprabhu and r Nitynanda Prabhu in their hearts

will attain transcendental bliss by hearing all these conclusions. This entire doctrine is as sweet asnewly grown mango sprouts which can be relished only by the devotees who are likened to cuckoobirds. For the camel-like nondevotees, there is no possibility of admittance into these topics. There-fore, there is special jubilation in my heart.If those whom I fear are themselves unable to comprehend these topics, then what could be agreater source of happiness in all the three worlds? Therefore, after offering obeisances to thedevotees, I am revealing this subject without any hesitation.

By reading and hearing these topics, everyone can attain the highest benefit. rla KadsaKavirja Gosvm has clarified this topic by quoting the following verse from rmad-Bhgavatam(10.33.36):

anugrahya bhaktn mnua deham sthitabhajate td kr y rutv tat-paro bhavet

In order to bestow mercy upon the devotees as well as the conditioned souls, Bhagavn r Kamanifests His humanlike form and performs such extraordinary pastimes (rsa-ll) that anyone whohears them becomes exclusively devoted unto Him. (quoted in Cc, di-ll4.34)

Here Kadsa Kavirja points out that the verb bhavetin the above verse is in the imperativemood. This means it is compulsory for thejvasto hear such pastimes, as explained in the follow-ing loka from Caitanya-caritmta (di-ll4.35):

bhavet kriy vidhili, sei ih kayakartavya avaya ei, anyath pratyavya

In the above verse, the verb bhavetis in the imperative mood. Therefore, this certainly must bedone. To not do so would be a discrepancy.

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For the information of the reader, I am referring here to rla Jva Gosvms Vaiava-toacom-mentary on the above quoted rmad-Bhgavatamverse (10.33.36).

tatra loke dhihttvena kkhya narkra parabrahmaa r gopair anubhtatvt eva bhak-tnugrahrtha tat krety abhipretam. ptakma tve pi bhaktnugraho yujyate. viuddha sattvasya

tath svabhvt. yad bhva bhvite cnyatra dyate sau. tath rahuganugrhake r jaa bharatacharite, yath v bhagavad anugrhake mayti ca. tatra bhakta abdena braja devyo braja jan casarve kla-traya sambandhino nye ca vaiav ghtbraja devn prva-rgdibhir braja jann janmdibhir anye ca bhakta darana ravadibhir aprvatva sphurat. ataeva tdabhakta prasagena td sarva cittkarin kr bhajate, y sdhrar api rutv bhaktebho nyopi janas tatparo bhavet. kimuta rsa ll rpm im rutvety artha. vakyate cavikrita vraja-vadhbhir ida ca vio(S.B. 10.33.39) itydi. yad v, mnua deham rita sarvo pi jvas tat-paro bhavet, martya loke r bhagavad avatrt tath bhajane mukhyatvc ca manuynm evasukhena tac chravadi siddhe. bhtnm iti phe nijvatra kraa bhakta sambandhena sarvem

eva jann viayin mumuk muktn cety artha. iti parama kryam eva kraamuktam. tathpi bhajana sambandhenaiva sarvnugraho jeya. anyattai. tatra bahirmukhnapti tat-paryantatva vivakitam, parama prema parkh mayatay r ukasypi tad varantiayapravtte gopnm ity asyrthntare tv eva vykhyeyam.

The words anugrahya bhaktn mnua deham sthitaindicate that the Supreme Lord rKa appears in His original humanlike form and performs various pastimes in order to bestowfavor upon His devotees. Therefore, although r Ka is satisfied in Himself (ptakma), His dis-play of kindness toward the devotees is quite appropriate. This is the distinctive characteristic ofviuddha-sattva (pure goodness). The Lord is always prepared to reward the devotees with a resultconsistent with their performance ofbhajana. The favor shown toward King Rahugaa by r JaaBharata and the Lords favor toward me (ukadeva) illustrate this.

In the verse under discussion, it is said that the Lord manifests His form and pastimes in orderto bestow favor upon His devotees. The word bhakta used here refers to the vraja-devs (thegops), the vraja-vss (residents of Vraja) and all other Vaiavaspast, present and future. Inorder to bestow favor upon the vraja-devs, Svayam Bhagavn r Ka lovingly executes such pas-times as prva-rga (the attachment in anticipation of meeting Ka prior to their union). To

bestow mercy upon all the residents of Vraja, He enacts His birth and other pastimes, and by allHis activities, He bestows favor upon past, present and future devotees through the medium ofhearing ll-kath.

r Ka manifests all these pastimes to benefit the devotees. By so doing, even ordinary per-sons (other than the devotees) who hear even the more common of the Lords pastimes becomefully intent upon the Lord. Therefore, by hearing the supremely ambrosial rsa-ll, ordinary per-sons will certainly become exclusively devoted to the Lordof this there can be no doubt. Thisfact will be elaborately discussed in subsequent verses such as vikrita vraja-vadhbhir ida cavio(rmad-Bhgavatam, 10.33.39).

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The words mnua deham sthitamay also indicate that those jvaswho have attained thehuman form of life are able to hear all these pastimes and thus they become exclusively devoted tothe Supreme Lord. This is so because the Lord incarnates exclusively on the earthly planets (martyaloka), and it is here only that worship of the Lord takes on its predominant form. Consequently,the human beings residing on the earthly planets may easily hear these narrations of the Lords pas-

times.The word bhaktnappears in this verse. But in some other editions, the word bhtn is

found in its place. In that case, the purport would be as follows: the Lord incarnates only for thesake of the devotees. As a result, the devotees are the root cause of the Lords appearance. TheLord also appears in His original humanlike form in order to bestow His favor upon the liberatedsouls (muktas), the aspirants for liberation (mumukus), sense enjoyers (viays) and all living enti-ties in accordance with their relationship with the devotees. The Lords compassion is thereforesaid to be the cause of His appearance. Nevertheless, it must be understood that the Lords favortoward other living entities is due only to their relationship with His devotees. In other words, the

Lord bestows favor upon other jvas only because of their connection with devotees.In his Bhgavatamcommentary known as Bhvrtha-dpik, rdhara Svm has written that what

to speak of the devotees, even materialistic persons are freed from their material absorption byhearing the Lords pastimes, and thus they become exclusively fixed upon Him.

rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura explains this verse in his commentary known as Srrtha-darin:

bhaktnm anugrahya tdi kr bhajate y rutv mnua deham rto jva tatparas tadviayaka raddhvn bhaved iti krntar ato vailakayena madhura rasamay asy krystd mai-mantra-mahauadhnm iva kcid atarky aktir astty avagamyate.

The Lord performs varieties of pastimes to show favor to His devotees. Having adopted thehuman form of life, living entities who hear these pastimes become exclusively devoted unto theLord. In other words, they develop firm faith in hearing the narrations of the Lords activities. Whatmore shall I say about the importance of hearing ll-kath? And this rsa-ll, being fully imbuedwith madhura rasa, is eminently distinguished even from the Lords other pastimes. Like a jewel, amantra or a powerful medicine, this rsa-llis endowed with such indisputable, astonishing potency

that by hearing it, all persons in the human form become devoted to the Supreme Lord. Therefore,all varieties of devotees who hear the descriptions of these pastimes will become successful andobtain supreme pleasure. Can there be any question of doubt in this regard?

In this context, we may cite the following verse from rmad-Bhgavatam(10.33.30):

naitat samcarej jtu manaspi hy anvaravinayaty caran mauhyd yathrudro bdhi-ja viam

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In other words, those who are not vara, the Supreme Lord, who are powerless and subjectedto karma, should never imitate the Lords pastimes even within their minds. If anyone foolishly imi-tates Lord iva by drinking the poison generated from the ocean, he will certainly be destroyed.

The gist of r Jva Gosvms and r Vivantha Cakravart hkuras commentaries on this verseis that living entities who are subservient to the material body and who are anvarabereft of the

controlling potency of the Supreme Lordshould never behave in such a way even within theirminds. What to speak of actually performing such activities, one should not even desire to do so.In other words, such acts performed by God in transgression of religious codes should not be con-templated even within the mind.

The word samcaraa (behaviour), when divided into its constituent parts (samyak+ caraa),indicates complete behaviour. Here it has been used to indicate total prohibition of such activity.Therefore, the purport is that such behaviour should not be adopted even to the slightest extent.What to speak of performing such activities through speech or the senses, one should not evenmentally conceive of such activities.

The word hiindicates that this certainly must notbe done. If one were to behave in that way,he would be completely destroyed. The significance of the word mauhyd(stupidity) is that if any-one, being ignorant of the Lords omnipotence and his own incompetence, foolishly adopts suchbehaviour, he will be utterly ruined, just as if anyone other than Lord iva were to foolishly con-sume deadly poison, he would be instantly destroyed. But Lord iva, in spite of drinking poison, isnot destroyed; to the contrary, he attains even greater fame and splendour as Nlakaha, he whosethroat turned blue from drinking poison.

Here in this verse, imitation of such behaviour has been prohibited, yet in the verse to come(10.33.36)y rutv tatparo bhavetit is evident that not only devotees, but even others whofaithfully hear these pastimes will become fully devoted to the Supreme Lord. This has been fur-ther explained in the following verse from rmad-Bhgavatam(10.33.39):

vikrita vraja vadhbhir ida ca vioraddhnvito nuuyd atha varayed yabhakti par bhagavati pratilabhya kma

hd-rogam v apahinoty acirea dhra

A sober person who in the beginning faithfully and continuously hears from his guruthe narra-tions of Lord r Kas unprecedented rsa dance with the young wives (gops) of Vraja, and laterdescribes those pastimes very soon attains par-bhaktior prema-bhaktitowards the Supreme Lord,and thus becomes competent to quickly dispel the heart disease of lust.

Here r Jva Gosvm comments in Vaiava-toa:

raddhay vivvasennvita iti. tad vipartvaj-ruppardha-nivrty arthaca nairantaryrthaca.tac ca phala vaiiyrtham, ataeva yo nu nirantara uyt, athnantara svaya varayec ca,upalakaa caitat smarec ca, bhakti prema-laka par r gopik premnusritvt sarvot-

tama jtym; pratikaa ntanatvena labdh; hd-roga-rpa kmam iti bhagavad viaya kma

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vieo vyavacchinna, tasya parama prema rpatvena tad vaipartyt. kmam ity upalakaamanyem api hd-rogm. anyatra ruyate(r gt, 18.54)brahma bhta prasanntm na ocatina kkati, sama sarveu bhteu mad bhakti labhate parm. iti atra tu hd-rogpahnt pr-vam eva parama bhakti prpti tasmt parama balavadeveda sdhanam iti bhva.

Having concluded the narration of the rsa-ll, ukadeva Gosvm became deeply immersed inspiritual ecstasy. In this verse, he describes the fruits of hearing and chanting the rsa-lland thusbenedicts all future listeners and recitors. Those who incessantly and faithfully hear r Kas rsa-llwith the young wives of Vraja and later recite those pastimes, quickly attain par-bhaktitowardBhagavn r Ka and thus relinquish the heart disease of lust.

raddhnvita means to hear with firm faith. This word has been used to prevent the offence whichresults from mistrust (avivasa) or disregard (avaj) of the statements ofstra in complete oppo-sition to the principle of hearing with faith. It has also been used to promote constant hearing. Bythis word, the importance of hearing has been pointed out. The words atha varayedindicate that

after continuously hearing the rsa-ll along with other special pastimes, one will personallydescribe those pastimes. By upalakaa, or indirect implication, it is further indicated that afterhearing and reciting, one will also remember those pastimes and take great delight in them. In otherwords, hearing, chanting, remembering, experiencing delight, and so on, are all implied by thewords raddhnvita anuuyt atha varayed(to hear repeatedly with faith and then describe).

Par-bhaktimeans bhaktiwhich follows in the wake of thegopsof Vraja. Therefore, the bhaktireferred to here is prema-bhakti of the highest category. The word pratilabhya (repeatedlyobtained), together with the word par-bhakti, indicates that first par-bhakti(possessing the dis-tinctive characteristics ofprema) is obtained within the heart at every moment in ever new vari-ety. Thereafter one quickly gives up the heart disease of lust.

Here the difference between kma (material lust) as a disease of the heart and kma (spirituallove) in relationship to the Supreme Lord is pointed out. These two are distinct from each other.The word kma here indirectly implies that all diseases of the heart will quickly be dispelled.

In Bhagavad-gt(18.54) it is said: One who is situated in the transcendental position beyond thecontamination of the three modes of nature (brahma-bhta), who is fully satisfied in the self, whoneither laments nor hankers for anything and who looks impartially upon all living beings attainspar-bhaktiunto Me. In this Gtverse it is said that one attains par-bhaktionly after the dis-

appearance of the diseases of the heart, but in the above verse it is said that one attains par-bhaktieven before their departure. Consequently, it is understood that hearing and chanting ofrsa-llisone of the most powerful forms ofsdhana.

rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura states as follows in his Srrtha-darincommentary on thesame verse (10.33.39):

anudina v uyt. atha varayet krttayet. svakavitay kvya-rpatvena nibadhnteti v. parprema lakaa prpyeti ktv pratyayena hd-rogavaty apy adhikrii pratham ataeva premapraveas tatas tat prabhvenaivcirato hd roga na iti premya jna yoga iva na durbala

paratantra ceti bhva. hd-roga-rpa kmam iti bhagavad viayaka kma vieo vyavacchinna

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tasya premmta rpatvena tad vaiparityt. dhra paita iti hd roge satyapi katham prem bhavedity anstikya lakaena mrkhatvena rahita ity artha. ataeva raddhnvita iti strvivsin nm-pardhin prempi ngkarotti bhva.

The prefix anu(repeatedly or methodically) when applied to uyt(to hear) indicates constant

hearing. By continuously hearing from the lips of the ravaa-guru and Vaiavas and thereafterreciting, narrating, or describing (those pastimes) in poetry of ones own composition, one attainspar-bhaktior in other words bhaktiwhich is of the nature ofprema (prema-lakaa-bhakti).

The suffix ktvhas been used in the formation of the verb pratilabhya (obtained) as follows: prati+ labh+ ktv. According to the rules of Sanskrit grammar, when the suffix ktvis applied to a ver-bal root with a prefix, it is replaced byyap. Then the letter p is dropped and thus the final form ofthe word (pratilabhya) is obtained. The suffix ktvis applied to the first of two verbs performed bythe same agent to show successive action (i.e., having attained prema, he relinquishes all lustydesires of the heart). In this case, the first action is pratilabhya (the attainment ofprema) and the

second action is apahinoti(renunciation of the lusty desires of the heart).Therefore, the suffix ktvin the verb pratilabhya indicates that although lust and other evils still

remain within the heart, prema-bhakti first enters the heart and by its extraordinary influencedestroys all vices to the root. In other words, hearing and reciting rsa-llpossess such astonish-ing power that the lust in the heart of the faithful sdhaka is destroyed and he attains prema.Though these two take place simultaneously, the influence ofprema manifests first and through itseffect, all lusty desires of the heart are dissipated.

Thus as a result of hearing and chanting the narrations of the Lords pastimes, one first attainsprema for the Lords lotus feet and thereafter ones heart is liberated from lusty desires and allother contamination. In other words, he becomes perfectly pure because prema is not feeble likethe processes ofjna andyoga. Bhaktiis omnipotent and supremely independent.

The words hd-roga kma indicate the difference between lusty desires of the heart and the kmain relationship to the Supreme Lord. Kma which is in relationship to the Supreme Lord is of thevery nature of the nectar ofprema (premmta svarpa), whereas the lusty desires of the heart areexactly the opposite. Therefore, these two items are distinct from each other. This is substantiatedby use of the words hd-roga kma.

The word dhra means a paita, or one who is learned in the stra. One who disbelieves the

statement of this verse and thinks, As long as the disease of lust remains in the heart, prema can-not be obtained, is said to possess an atheistic temperament. One who is free from such a fool-ish, atheistic demeanour is known as a paita or sober person (dhra). Consequently, only thosewho have firm faith in the stra are known as dhra. Those who have no faith in the statements ofthe stra are atheists and offenders to the holy name. Such persons can never attain prema.

Consequently, in the heart of the sdhakaswho firmly believe in the statements of the stra,faith arises by hearing rsa-lland other narrations. Only in the hearts of such faithful devoteesdoes prema manifest its influence as a result of hearing ll-kath. Thereafter, lust and all evils pre-sent within the heart of the devotee are destroyed to the root.

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rla Vivantha Cakravart hkuras commentary on rmad-Bhgavatam(10.47.59) is also rel-evant to this discussion. There it is stated that bhaktiis the only cause of superior qualities beingfound in any individual. Austerities, learning, knowledge, and so on, are not the cause of superiorqualities. Although bhakti is itself of the highest excellence, it does not appear only in the mostexceptional individuals endowed with all good qualities. On the contrary, it may manifest or remain

even in the most condemned and vile persons. Furthermore, it causes thoroughly wretched andfallen persons to attain all good qualities, to become worthy of the respect of all, and to attain thehighest and most rare achievement.

For this reason, the opinion that Bhakti-dev enters the heart only after all anarthas, apardhas,lust and other diseases of the heart have been eradicated, is not appropriate. On the contrary, bythe mercy of the Supreme Lord or the devotees, or by faithfully executing sdhana and bhajana, thisrare bhaktienters the heart first and then all anarthasare automatically dissipatedthis conclusionis thoroughly agreeable.

Therefore, only faithful sdhakaswith firm belief in the statements ofstra, guruand Vaiavas

are eligible to hear the ll-kathofrmad-Bhgavatamwhich are saturated with rasa. And con-versely, those who believe that only sdhakaswho are completely free from all anarthasare eligi-ble to hear the above-mentioned pastimes, will neither become free from anarthasnor obtain eli-gibility to hear even after millions of births.

Another point to consider is that if this argument is accepted, then we sdhakaswho are stillaffected by anarthas, although possessing faith, could never read nor hear the sacred books ofrasika Gauya Vaiava cryaslike rla Santana Gosvm, rla Rpa Gosvm, rla VivanthaCakravart hkura and rla Bhaktivinoda hkura. Under such a circumstance, we would be for-ever deprived of the extremely confidential and elevated truths of bhakti expressed by thesecryas. There would be no possibility that the sprout of greed for rgnug-bhaktiwould ever beawakened in our hearts. Thus we would be forever cheated from that which was not previouslygiven, the prema-rasa of the most munificent r acnandana, the bestower ofka-prema. Whatthen would distinguish the r Gauya Vaiavas who have taken shelter of r CaitanyaMahprabhu from Vaiavas of other sampradyas?

A third point to consider is this. In r Caitanya-caritmta (Madhya, 8.70) the following verse isquoted from Padyval:

ka-bhakti-rasa-bhvit matikryat yadi kuto pi labhyatetatra laulyam api mlyam ekalajanma-koi-suktair na labhyate

Here, the words laulyam api mlyam ekalam(indeed the only price is greed) indicate that thissupremely rare greed cannot be aroused even by pious activities accumulated over millions and mil-lions of births. Then how can this greed be obtained? The words ka-bhakti-rasa-bhvit matiindicate one whose intelligence or perception has been awakened toward ka-bhakti-rasa. Here,

the implication is that by faithfully hearing the narrations of r Kas pastimes saturated with rasa

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from the lips ofrasika Vaiavas in whom ka-bhakti-rasa has arisen, or by faithfully and atten-tively studying the literature related to the pastimes of r Ka, composed by them, this greedmay be obtained. Besides this, there is no other means.

Another argument that at present there is no sdhaka who is completely free from anarthasand,therefore, no one is eligible, nor in the future will anyone be eligible, is completely illogical. Free-

dom from lust and all other anarthas in and of itself is not the qualification for entrance intorgnug-bhakti. On the contrary, greed awakened towards the Lords mdhurya (sweetness) is thesole qualification for entrance into rgnug-bhakti. Nor is there any certainty that by routineobservance of the limbs of vaidh-bhakti alone, greed toward rgnug-bhakti will automaticallyawaken. There is no evidence of this anywhere. Therefore, our highest obligation is to follow thepurport of the commentaries of the previous cryasto the above-mentioned verses ofrmad-Bhgavatam.

By the inspiration of His Divine Grace rla guru-pda-padma nitya-ll-pravia o viupdaaottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja and the repeated solicitation of

many bumblebee-like devotees, I am presenting r Veu-gta to the readers along with a purportto the commentaries of rla Cakravart hkura and rla Jva Gosvm named Srrtha-darinandr Vaisnava-toa respectively. By reading this subject with full faith, the greed to enter intorgnug-bhaktiwill certainly sprout in the hearts of faithful devotees. This itself is the very pur-pose of human life.

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Text One

r-uka uvcaittha arat-svaccha-jala

padmkara-sugandhinnyaviad vyun vtasa-go-goplako cyuta

r-uka uvcar ukadeva Gosvm said (or rya uka, the very dear parrot of rmati Rdhik,said); itthamin this way; aratof the beautifully decorated season of autumn; svacchaclear;jalamhaving water; padma-karafrom the lakes, ponds and rivers such as the Yamun, Kusuma-sarovara, Mnas-gag, Govinda-kua and other such reservoirs of water filled with lotus flow-

ers; su-gandhinwith the sweet fragrance; nyaviatHe entered; vyunby the cool and fra-grant breeze; vtamventilated; sa with; gothe cows;goplaka and the cowherd boys;acyutathe infallible Nanda-nandana r Ka

Translation

r ukadeva Gosvm said: In this way, O Mahrja Parkit, r Vndvana became extremely beau-tiful due to the exquisitely decorated season of autumn. The lakes, ponds and rivers were filled withclear, sweet water. Gentle and fragrant breezes blew, carrying the aroma of lotus flowers from the

lakes. The infallible Nanda-nandana r Ka entered that enchanting Vndvana forest, accompa-nied by His cows andgopas.

Commentary

ukadeva Gosvm explains the six seasons. Summer and the rainy season passed, and now it isautumn. Autumn is followed by winter and then vasanta, spring. Although Vndvana is alwaysspringlike, there are differences between the seasons. This first verse of the Veu-gta describes the

autumn season.Since autumn comes after the rainy season, the ponds and rivers are filled with pure water andthe lotuses are in full bloom. The bees are kissing the flowers as they fly here and there drinkingnectar. The air is full and heavy with the fragrance of the various blossomsbel, camel, juhandothers.

It is in this Vndvana that Ka and the gopas and cows enter the forest every morning.Balarma is also with Him. The gops watch Ka and His friends enter the forest from theirhomes, and then amongst their friends who share the same moods in love for Ka, they discussHis pastimes.

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This verse describes a morning pastime. Although Ka has already entered the Vndvana for-est, the gops are still seeing His entrance into the forest and hearing His flute song in their hearts.They have gathered together in their specific groups to talk about Ka and to express their mindsto others who are in the same mood.

There are different kinds of groups (samuha). The term samuha refers to a general group con-

sisting of both oldergopsin the parental rasa and youngergopswho have a conjugal relationshipwith Ka. Within that group are many parties (ytha). Eachytha has aythevaror leader. r-mati Rdhik is the leader of one group ofgops, Candrval is the leader of another, and ym,Bhadra, Citr and sometimes Lalit and Vikh are other group leaders.

Within theytha, thegopsare divided into smaller groups consisting of those who are experi-encing the same bhva or loving feelings reward Ka. Within these smallergroups (gaas), thegopsreveal their hearts to one another. In this way, they become immersed inthis particular pastime and are able to actually see it in their hearts. The gopsare not remember-ing their homes, their physical bodies, or anything material. They are only seeing Ka and their

pastimes with Him, although they are at home and He is in the forest with the cows and thecowherd boys.

This pastime takes place in the autumn (arat), between summer and winter. The flowers areblooming and the weight of their fragrance makes the air so heavy that even moving about in it isdifficult. Anyone who tries to run in this air has difficulty. Because it is autumn, the air is also cool.Jayadeva Gosvm has written a beautiful poem whichcontains these lines: dhra-samre yamun-tire vasanti vane vana-ml. Dhra-samre means thebreeze is blowing pleasantly; yamun-tiremeans on the bank of the river Yamun. Although thegopsare at home in the village, they can see Ka on the bank of the Yamun within their heartsbecause they are immersed in remembrance of His pastimes. Because they have given their heartsand all their attention to Ka, they have become restless and all the symptoms of ecstasy aremanifest.

In the first few verses of the Veu-gta, thegopsdescribe both the scenery of Vndvana andKas beauty as He enters the forest with thousands of cows and cowherd boys (sa-go-goplakocyuta). Acyuta means that Ka is infallible. His face is beautiful. He is restless, and this in turnmakes thegopsrestless. Ka steals their hearts (vikipta-manaso-npa) and takes them into Hisown heart. Thus thegopsbecome senseless; their hearts are with Ka.

Thegopsare expressing prva-rga, the mood of anticipation in meeting Ka. There are twokinds ofprva-rga, one for the sdhaka who is practicing rgnug-bhajana, and one for the siddhadevotee. The rgnug-sdhaka can experience only a shadow or semblance ofprva-rga, but thevraja-vssexperience pure prva-rga. When rmati Rdhik meets Ka, She thinks it is the firsttime She has ever seen Him and Ka thinks He has never before met Rdhik. Rdh and Kaare nitya-navna: They are ever-fresh. The rgnug-sdhaka can only realize prva-rga when viud-dha-sattva (pure goodness) enters his heart. Until that time, he experiences prva-raga only in atheoretical way. When the sdhaka attains the siddha stage, he can realize everything in the pureform.

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Both the rmad-Bhgavatamand the Bhad Vmana Pura explain that thegopshearing Kasflute were of three types: the kya-vyha of rmati Rdhik, nitya-siddhasand sdhana-siddhas. Thegopsbelonging to the category ofkya-vyha are notjva-tattva. They are bodily expansions of r-mati Rdhik who is the personification of the hldin-akti. The nitya-siddha gopsarejva-tattvawho have manifested from Baladeva Prabhu. They were never conditioned at any time. The sd-

hana-siddha gopsare of two kinds: yauhakand ayauhak. The wordyauhakmeans that whichpertainsto a group (ytha) or, in other words, a member of a group. The yauhak gopswere in specialgroups and the ayauhak gopswere not. The yauhakgops are further divided into two cate-gories: the ruti-cri gops(personified Vedas) and the i-cri gopsor muni-cri gops(the sageswho meditated in Daakaraya).

The ruti-cri gopshad been practicing rgnug-sdhana for many thousands of years, and theyhad pleased the Lord by offering beautiful prayers. By His grace, they attained the association ofadvanced devotees up to the standard of Rpa Gosvm and Raghuntha dsa Gosvm and devel-

oped past the stages ofraddh, nih, ruci, saktiand bhva. When they reached the stage wheretheir bhva was about to be converted into prema, they left their bodies and took birth in thewombs ofgopsin Vndvana. Then they attained the association ofnitya-siddha devotees and wereable to join the rsa dance and the other lls.

The i-cri gopsdid not practice full rgnug-bhajana. They had not become siddha. Theyattained the level ofuddha-sattva by their meditation. They also had lobha for bhajana like that ofRpa and Raghuntha Gosvms. When they saw Lord Rmacandra, their greed became thicker andthey took their next birth in the wombs ofgops, by the Lords mercy. According to their previ-ous qualifications, some of the i-cri gopsreceived the association ofnitya-siddha devotees andsome of them did not. Those who did receive the association of nitya-siddha gopswere purifiedby that association and thus were able to join the rsa dance. Those who were not associated withnitya-siddha gopswere held back by Yogamy.

Both the ruti-cri gopsand i-cri gopsareyauhak gopsthey are in special groups accord-ing to their bhva or mood in serving Ka. The ayauhak gopsare the daughters of the demigodsand of many others. All of them had developed lobha (greed) to associate with Ka in the con-jugal mood by hearing and seeing Kas pastimes. Theyauhak gopswere practicing under theguidance of the nitya-siddha gops.

When Ka called thegopsto the forest in the middle of the night for the rsa dance, onlythosegopswho had attained perfection were able to go. By the influence of Yogamy, the nitya-siddha gopshave no real relationship with their husbands and they have no children. Therefore,they are able to go to Ka. The less advanced gopsdo have relationships with their husbandsand so they are hindered by them. By Yogamys influence, thesegopsare restrained from goingto Ka for the rsa dance, but because they experience intense prva-rga, and because of theirgreed to associate with Ka, the fire of separation burns up their good and bad karma and theybecome purified. Their prva-rga was so strong that simply by hearing His flute, they becameimmersed in remembrance of Ka in deep separation.

rmad-Bhgavatam10.29.10 states:

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dusaha-preha-viraha-tvra-tpa-dhutubh

For those gops who were confined to their houses, intolerable separation away from theirbeloved caused an intense agony that burned away all impious karma. r Vivantha Cakravart

has explained that their bodies were partly material and partly cinmaya (spiritual). The basis of theirimpious karma (aubha) was that they had some attraction to their husbands and children and toworldly affairs. But the fire of separation burned everything away. Ka appeared to them at thattime and they took Him in through their eyes and brought Him into their hearts, embracing Himso deeply that all pious and impious karma was washed away (praka-bandhan).

Their impious karma was washed away, but r Vivantha Cakravart tells us that their ubha-karma was also washed away. What is this pious karma? Aubha means worldly attachment; ubhameans praise, wealth, reputation, followerseverything that automatically comes when one prac-tices bhakti. Both are obstacles in bhakti. In the case of thesegops, their husbands and other rel-

atives loved them so much, and their attachment to this ubha-karma was an obstacle that waswashed away when they took Ka into their hearts.

At present we have both ubha and aubha-karma. r Vivantha Cakravart hkura explainsthese two karmasthoroughly in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu-bindu and in Mdhurya-kdambin. Therehe has broken down the anarthas into categories: sukti-uttha, duskta-uttha, bhakti-uttha,apardha-uttha. Duskta-uttha means we are entangled in the many pains and pleasures of our bod-ies. Due to being embodied, we suffer in so many ways, and this appears to present obstacles toour bhakti. When all the anarthasare cleared from the heart, then uddha-bhaktican enter.

In the case of the i-cri gops, not everything was washed away by their practice ofrgnug-sdhana; they still retained a small amount ofubha and aubha-karma. The ruti-cri gopswere ina different position because by their association with the nitya-siddha devotees, they were com-pletely free from both the pious and impious activities. As a result, they were able to go to Kawhen He called them with His flute. Thesegopswere not ordinary souls. They were able to med-itate on Ka twenty-four hours a day in prva-rga. The gops in the Veu-gta have passedthrough all the stages ofsdhana and have attained prema.

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Text Two

kusumita-vanarji-umi-bhga-dvija-kula-ghua-sara-sarin-mahdhram

madhupatir avaghya crayan gsaha-pau-pla-bala cukja veum

kusumitaflowering; vana-rji amidst the rows of trees of the forest; umimaddened;bhga with bees; dvija of birds; kulaand flocks;ghuaresounding; sara saritits lakes,ponds and rivers; mahdram Govardhana, Nandago and all other hills; madhu-patiakhila-rasmta-sindhu r Ka (here madhumeans rasa; therefore, madhu-patirefers to rasika Kawho is the ocean of nectar in the form of complete rasa); avaghya entering and taking bath;crayanwhile tending (grazing);gthe cows; saha-pau-pla-balain the company of the ani-

mals, the cowherd boys and His elder brother, Balarma; cukjavibrated; veumHis flute

Translation

Intoxicated bees were humming here and there amidst the rows of lush green trees filled withbeautiful fragrant flowers. All the lakes, rivers and hills of the forest resounded with the sweet andmelodious cooing of the flocks of various birds. Madhupati r Ka, accompanied by Baladeva andthegopas, entered that forest and, while grazing the cows, vibrated a mellow, sweet tune upon His

alluring flute.

Commentary

This verse describes how the bees become maddened by the fragrance from the kamala, bel,camel, juhand all the other newly blossoming flowers. The bees are intoxicated from tasting themadhuor honey in the flowers. Gradually, as they fly from flower to flower, they lose their dis-crimination due to intoxication and land on any flower, regardless of its quality.

Ka is of the same caste as the bees, and therefore He is referred to in this verse as Madhu-

pati, the Lord ofmadhu. Ka is a bigger bee, but He is of the same nature and coloring as the lit-tle bees. When thegopssee the bees in Vndvana, they are reminded of Ka. They see the mad-dened bees flying from the fragrant kamala flowers to a flower that has no fragrance, and it remindsthem of how Ka tastes thegopsand then, after becoming intoxicated by their association andlosing His discrimination, goes to be with Kubj. Thegopsthink that Ka is blind or overcomeby a dreamlike, intoxicated state just like the bees.

And because the bees have no discrimination, they will sit on a lotus flower to drink honey eventhough that flower is about to close. The lotus closes and they are trapped inside. They are sointoxicated that they dont even struggle to free themselves. Similarly, Ka goes from one beau-tiful flowerlikegopto another; then He forgets thegopsand goes to Kubj or other women.

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Kusumita-vanarji, Vndvana is full of such a variety of flowers. Usually trees like the mango andjambudo not flower in the autumn, but at this time, flowers of every season were in bloom andthe trees were heavy with fruit. Thegopssee the flowers and the bees flying here and there, andthey also see the birds (dvija-kula)cuckoos, peacocks and papiha birds (a common species ofcuckoo). The papiha bird makes a sound like pikaha. Pi means priyatam, Where is my lover?

Where is my lover? And the cuckoos are crying, Ku hoo, ku hoo. Actually, kurefers to Ka.It is a derivative of the Sanskrit letter ka which means Ka. The cuckoo is calling Ka. She isrestless because she cannot see Ka.

Each word in the Bhgavatamis condensed nectar. The word cuckoo reminds us of a nyakaand nyik, a lover and his beloved. According to Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, remembering this iscalled uddpana, a stimulus for awakening rasa in remembrance of Ka. Kas flute, the pea-cocks, the birds and the bees all remind us of Kas pastimes in Vndvana.

The male and female peacocks sing ke ka, ke ka. The male peacock is calling ke, Rdh. WhenKa enters the forest in the morning, rmat Rdhik is experiencing mna (jealous anger), and

She is also shy to meet Ka because there are so many persons present of an opposite ( virudha)bhva. Her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, husband and other relatives are present and they will crit-icize Her. She is tolerating the rise of Her own bhva in their presence. But when She hears Kasflute and sees Him glance at Her, She goes to meet Ka. Ka is calling Her and by the soundof His flute and by His beauty, He entices Her to overcome all the obstacles and come to meetHim in the forest.

The female peacock is calling kaKa is a mad elephant who can only be controlled by r-mat Rdhik. Therefore, by the peacocks calling to one another, they are increasing the rasahelping Ka to remember Rdhik and Rdhik to remember Ka.

Ghua-sara-sarin-mahdhram: the birds sing everywhere all over Vndvana, and the fragranceof flowers has permeated the atmosphere. The Yamun overflows with joy when she hears Kasflute song and sees Him entering the forest with the cows and cowherd boys (madhupatir avaghyacrayan g saha-pau-pla-bala cukja veum).

As they enter the forest, Ka alone played a flute, while the other boys listened or sang along.This point is made clearer later in the chapter: anu-veu-juam(text 7).

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Text Three

tad vraja-striya rutyaveu-gta smarodayamkcit paroka kasya

sva-sakhbhyo nvavarayan

tatthat; vraja-striyathe young girls (kiors) in the cowherd village of Vraja; rutyahearing;veu-gtamthe song of the flute; smara-udayaminstigating an intense desire within the heart tomeet with Ka; kcitsome of them; parokamprivately (Thegopsmet among themselves ina private place where Ka was not present. No others were present such as the gopsmothers-in-law or other family members. But they were not alone; hundreds and thousands ofgopswerethere.); kasyathe belovedgopsof Ka; sva-sakhbhyato their intimate companions; anu-

avarayamcontinuously described (while in the state oftadtmcomplete identification with rKa)

Translation

The sound of the flute awakens feelings of love toward r Ka and an intense desire to meetwith Him. When the gopsheard that sound, their hearts were overwhelmed with prema. Thegopsbecame completely infatuated and, in a secluded place, they began to describe the form andqualities of r Ka and the powerful influence of His flute to their intimate companions.

Commentary

Ka controls all living entities with His flute. When the cows hear His flute song, they immedi-ately come running toward Him. Even nature is controlled by Kas flute. As she hears the flutesong, all the trees and flowers bloom out of season and create a beautiful atmosphere for lovingexchange.

The gopasand gopsare also maddened by the sound of Kas flute (tad vraja striya rutya

veu-gta smarodayam). When these verses are being spoken, thegopsare not hearing the soundof Kas flute. Ka has already gone to the forest. Therefore, thegopsremember the flute songin their minds and hearts. Smarodayammeans that Kmadeva, Cupid, is rising. Thegopsremem-ber their conjugal pastimes with Ka. Kma means prema, but it is not ordinary prema. Whenthegopsexperience kma, they want to meet Ka and Ka wants to meet them. They becomemad in smara (recollection of their conjugal exchanges with r Ka).

Then, kcit paroka kasya sva-sakhbhyo nvavarayanwhen a pot is full, it overflows. Sim-ilarly, as thegopsbecome filled by the sound of the flute, they begin to discuss Kas pastimesand qualities with othergops. They go mad out of love. Although they try to speak, they cannot

speak in an orderly way; they discuss their different pastimes with Ka according to the waves oftheir bhva.

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When thegopashear Kas flute, they think it is beautiful, but the sound of Kas flute has avery different effect on thegops. Actually, the cows, thegopasand thegopsare all hearing theirown names in the sound of the flute. Ka is calling me! Rdh hears, Rdhe! Rdhe! Lalithears, Lalite! Lalite! and each of the cows is hearing her own name and thinking that Ka is call-ing her to Him. Eachgopthinks that the flute song is a representative (pratinidhi) of Ka. Ka

has sent the representative in the form of this song which enters their ears and steals their mindsand hearts. Then the sound carries those minds and hearts back to Ka. When thegopssee thattheir minds and hearts have been stolen by Ka, they immediately run after the thief who hasstolen them. Their only consideration is to pursue the thief.

Madhupatir avaghya crayan ga saha-pau-pla-bala cukja veum: Madhupati is Ka. Themadhu from His lips is entering the flute and being churned into nectar. It is this nectar that isentering thegopsears and making them mad with love for Ka. This verse states:

tad vraja-striya rutya

veu-gta smarodayamkcit paroka kasya

sva-sakhbhyo nvavarayan

By drinking that madhu, nectar, from Kas lips through the vehicle of the vai, they becomemad with kma (smara-udayam). Smara means prema, but specifically, it is the possession of thekmnuga or kmtmika gops. Kma is viuddha-prema.*

Thegopsears are like cups filling up with nectar. When they overflow, they begin to discussKas pastimes and qualities among othergopsof a similar bhva. They talk about Ka, aboutHis flute, everything about Ka. Ka has already entered the forest and they cannot actuallyhear the flute song, but they hear it in their minds. When I was young, I used to go from 6:00 p.m.to 4:00 a.m. to see dramas based on the Rmyaa. When it was over and we were on our wayhome, we could still hear the sound in our ears. This is an example of how the gopsare experi-encing the sound of Kas flute, even though they are at home and He has gone to the forest.

*At the stage ofbhva, viuddha-sattva is injected into the heart of the rgnug-sdhaka by the eternal rgtmikassociates of the Lord residing in Goloka-Vndvana. Then it becomes sthy-bhva. After this, the elements ofvibhva,anubhva, sttvika-bhva and vyabhicr-bhva mix together with the sthy-bhva. In the stage ofbhva, these elements

will be experienced only to a slight degree. The sdhaka cannot experience beyond this stage in the present body. Aftergiving up this body, the sdhaka who has attained to this stage takes birth in the prakaa-llof the Lord. Then he canattain prema, which develops into sneha, mna, praaya, rga, anurga, bhva and mahbhva. Viuddha-prema refersto this development ofprema from its initial stage (simply termed prema) up to mahbhva.

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Text Four

tad varayitum rabdhsmarantya ka-ceitam

nakan smara-vegenavikipta-manaso npa

tat that (the sweetness of Kas flute); varayitum to describe; rabdhbeginning;smarantya remembering (i.e., churning and turning over and over again within their minds);ka-ceitamthe activities of Ka (which attract the hearts of all); na aakanthey were inca-pable; smara-vegenaby the force of their prema which is filled with kma to meet with Ka;vikiptaagitated; manasawhose minds; npaO King Parkit

Translation

Thegopsof Vraja began to describe the sweetness of the sound of r Kas flute among them-selves, but as soon as they remembered the flute, they were overpowered with strong feelings ofaffection for their beloved, r Ka. Thus they remembered His charming activities, His artisticallycurved eyebrows, His compelling glance filled with love, and His sweet, mild smiling. Their heartsbecame filled with an intense desire to meet with yma. They completely lost control of theirminds and at once they arrived before r Ka within their hearts. Their voices became choked

up with ecstasy and thus they were unable to describe Him.

Commentary

Tad varayitum rabdh: thegopsbegin to discuss Kas pastimes (ka-ceitam). Althoughthey are experiencing prva-rga, they also experience Kas presence by talking about their pas-times with Him. Generally when a devotee experiences prva-rga (separation), he does not simul-taneously experience Kas presence. These are contradictory moods. But thegopstaste bothmoods simultaneously.

The rmad-Bhgavatamdescribes that by remembering and discussing Kas pastimes, thegopsbecame mad by the rising force of Cupid. They remember Kas graceful dancing steps (lalita-gati), His beautiful smile and His charming conversations with them. They remember, for example,how rmat Rdhik went to Kusuma-sarovara to gather flowers with Lalit and Vikh. Kawanted to meet Her, so He also went to Kusuma-sarovara. When He saw her, He asked, Whoare You? She responded, You dont know who I am? Why do You speak like this? Ka wantedto talk to Rdhik and on that pretext, He instigated a quarrel. rmat Rdhik says, No, I dontknow who You are. Why are You asking Me who I am?

Ka: Because you are a thief. You are stealing My flowers.

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Rdh: You are a thief. You destroy the flowers of Vndvana by grazing Your cows in theforests and allowing your cows and cowherd friends to trample them. Wegopshave planted theseflowers, so why are You saying they are Yours?In this way, Rdh and Ka quarrel. The gopsremember this pastime along with many other

conversations between Ka and thegops. And they remember how Ka dances so gracefully

and how He speaks in a way that draws thegopshearts to Him. They want to discuss these thingswith one another (nakan smara-vegena vikipta-mnaso), but because their prema is filled withthe kma of wanting to meet Ka, to taste Ka and to be tasted by Ka, they cannot speak.

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Text Five

barhpa naa-vara-vapu karayo karikrabibhrad vsa kanaka-kapia vaijayant ca mlmrandhrn veor adhara-sudhayprayan gopa-vndairvndraya sva-pada-ramaa prviad gta-krti

barhaa peacock feather; piamas the head decoration; naavaraof the best of dancers (orunparalleled in amorous intrigues or gallantry); vaputhe transcendental body; karayoon theears; karikram a flower similar to the yellow lotus; bibhratwearing; vsagarments;kanakalike gold; kapiamyellowish; vaijayantnamed vaijayant(a garland strung from flowersof five different colors and which extends down to the knees); caand, mlm the garland;

randhrn the holes; veo of the flute; adhara of His lips; sudhay with the nectar;prayan filling up;gopa-vndai by the cowherd boys; vnda-arayam the forest presidedover by Vnd-dev (the forest of Vndvana); sva-padabecause of the uncommon marks of Hislotus feet; ramaamenchanting; prviatHe entered;gtabeing sung; krtiHis glories

Translation

Thegopsbegan to see r Ka within their minds. Accompanied by His cowherd boyfriends, rKa entered the charming forest of Vndvana. His head was decorated with a peacock feather.

He wore yellow karikra flowers over His ears, a golden yellow garment on His body, and a beau-tiful, fragrant vaijayant garland about His neck. r Ka exhibited His supremely captivatingappearance, just like the best of dancers performing upon a stage. He filled up the holes of His flutewith the nectar of His lips. The cowherd boys followed behind Him singing His glories which purifythe entire world. In this way, the forest of Vndvana manifested even greater splendor thanVaikuha, due to being beautified by the marks of r Kas lotus feet.

Commentary

Ka is described as wearing a peacock feather ornament on His head. The peacock feather hasseven primary colors, like the colors of the rainbow. The rainbow always appears opposite theposition of the sun. On a cloudy day, a rainbow is particularly beautiful. Similarly, Ka is the colorof a fresh raincloud. He is yma, dark blue. When a cloud is full of water, it is dark. Flashes of light-ning come and go. This lightning is the ptambara (yellow dhot), and the peacock feather rainbowis a mukua (ornament) onKas turban.

Ka is also described here as naavara, the best dancer. In Indian drama, a young couple is

brought out before the play actually begins in order to enchant the audience. They are always

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dressed beautifully and they appear ready to dance. This is called naa. When they appear beforethe audience, the entire audience falls silent and gives them full attention. Ka is called the bestof dancers. Lord iva is also known as a dancer (naa-rja), as are the Gndharvs and the demigods,but Ka is described as vara, the best.

In Hindi, vara means a young bridegroom. Even an ugly youth will look beautiful on his wedding

day. His relatives will decorate him with gold and ornaments to make him look beautiful. Ka isthe most beautiful in all the three worlds. He is as beautiful as a maddened elephant. SometimesHe puts a karikra flower on one of His ears. r Cakravart hkura explains in his commentaryto this verse: Only one karikra flower is worn. The word kariyo(ears) is in the dual casewhich indicates that sometimes it is worn on the left ear and sometimes on the right. He wears itin this way as an expression of the intoxication of His youth, and thus the activities of Ka verymuch agitate the influence of Cupid for those cowherd girls.

Karikram bibhrad vsa kanaka-kapia vaijayant ca mlm. His yellow dhot (ptambara,kanaka-kapiam) is more beautiful than gold. His vaijayantgarland, consisting of a combination of

five different flowers, hangs from His neck to His knees. It is fragrant with tulas-majarsand istherefore attracting the bees.

Randhrn veor adhara-sudhayprayan: Ka fills His flute with the nectar of His lips. The veuis male, yet he drinks the sweetness of Kas lips, but the flute cannot hold that nectar, so itimmediately flows out in the form of sound.

This is a famous verse and it is the best loka in the entire rmad-Bhgavatamfor rememberingKa. There are three lokas in the rmad-Bhgavatamwhich are considered parallel, althoughthere is some gradation. Along with this verse, there are verses 10.14.1 and 10.23.22:

r-brahmovcanaumya te bhra-vapue taid-ambaryagujvatasa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhya

vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-via-veu-lakma-riye mdu-pade paupgajya

Lord Brahm said: O Lord, You are fit to receive the worship of the entire universe. O son of theking of cowherds, Your transcendental body is dark blue like a new cloud, Your garment is brilliant

like lightning, and the beauty of Your face is enhanced by Your guja earrings and the peacockfeather on Your head. Wearing garlands of various forest flowers and leaves, and equipped with aherding stick, a buffalo horn, a flute, and a morsel of grain mixed with yogurt in Your hand, Youare most attractive. Your lotus feet are very soft. I offer my prayers unto You.

And:

yma hiraya-paridhi vanamlya-barha-dhtu-pravla-naa-veam anuvratse

vinyasta-hastam itarea dhunnam abja

karotpallaka-kapola-mukhbja-hsam

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His complexion was blackish, yma, like a new cloud and His garment golden. Decorated witha peacock feather, colored minerals, sprigs of flower buds, and a garland of forest flowers andleaves, He was dressed as the best of all dancers. He rested His left hand upon the shoulder of afriend and with His right hand, twirled a pastime lotus. Lilies graced His ears, His hair hung downover His cheeks, and His lotuslike face was smiling sweetly.

These three lokasare graduated. Brahms prayer is at the bottom, the wives of the yajika-brhmaasis in the middle, and the topmost is the description of Ka by the gops. We are fol-lowing thegops, not Brahm or the dvija-patns. They are also advanced, but we only want to fol-low thegops. The descriptions appear similar, but each verse reveals a different taste or ambitionin the speaker. Each is describing Kas beauty, but Brahm is worshiping Ka in dsya-rasa.Ka is at the top of Mount Everest and Brahm is standing at the bottom in dsya-rasa lookingup. He is so advanced that he can see the mountain peak from the bottom, but he is worshipingKa as his lowly servant. Therefore, he offers obeisances in this prayer: Ka, You are the high-est and I am your fallen servant.

The dvija-patns, however, are not offering obeisances to Ka. They have some taste for thevraja-rasa. They meet Ka on the border of Vndvana and Mathur. Therefore, they are nearerto Ka. Their ambition is to enter Kas pastimes in Vndvana. Being on the border of Vnd-vana and Mathur means that they are in a marginal position. They are residents of Mathur so theyhave some aivarya-bhva but they also have laulyam for Kas Vndvana mood and pastimes.Their greed is a hundred times stronger than Brahms greed and therefore they can enter intosome of Kas pastimes by offering Him and His cowherd boys something to eat. The dvija-pat-nsare able to cross the border between aivarya-bhmiand mdhurya-bhmiand see Ka as abeautiful cowherd boy. For this reason, they do not offer obeisances as Brahm did.

The dvija-patnshave not yet experienced their sthy-bhva. They are following in the footstepsof the kmtmik gops, but their taking birth in Mathur in brhmaa families has presented anobstacle to their worship in the Vndvana mood. They are presently kmnugs(aspiring to fol-low the kmtmik gops); in their next life, they will take birth in the wombs of vraja-gopsandbecome kmtmik-gopsthemselves. because they have no taste for worshiping Ka in Mathur,and because they are following the kmtmik gopsin this life, all their pious and impious karmawill be burnt up and they will be able to take birth in Vndvana according to their desires.The description by thegopsis the best of the three verses. Lord Brahm describes Kas beau-

tiful bodily color as being like a fresh, moist raincloud (abhra-sekam). Both Lord Brahm and thedvija-patns describe Kas bodily hue, but the gops see Ka with different eyes. All threedescribe Kas vaijayantgarland or His flower earrings or his yellow dhot, but Brahm does notdescribe Kas smiling face nor Ka playing on His flute. Brahma sees Kas flute tucked inHis belt along with His cowherding stick and His bugle (vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-via-veu).Brahms description of Ka is not as beautiful as the brhmas.

The flute is not present in the description by the dvija-patnseither, but instead they concentrateon describing His face, His bodily color and His forest decorations:

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yma hiraya-paridhi vanamlya-barha-dhtu-pravla-naa-veam anuvratse

vinyasta-hastam itarea dhunnam abjakarotpallaka-kapola-mukhbja-hsam

Ka is playing the flute only in the description by thegops. They describe His smiling face andhow the nectar of His lips is entering the holes of the flute: randhrn veoradhara-sudhayprayan gopa-vndair. When Ka blows His flute, the flute song first searches theearth for someone qualified to hear it. Upon not finding anyone, it goes up to Brahmaloka aftercrossing the Viraj River, then beyond to Mukti-dhma*. Then to iva-loka, then to Vaikuha, thento Ayodhy and Dvrak, then to Mathurbut nowhere does it find anyone qualified to hear itssong. Finally it enters Vndvana. Here it finds some devotees who are qualified to receive its nec-tar, but it does not go to those devotees in nta or dsya or even sakhya-rasa. It finds some qual-ification among those in vtsalya-rasa, but only enters the innermost hearts and minds of thegopa-

ramas, the lovers of the Cowherd Boy. There it finds beautiful hearts and steals them. Then itreturns to Ka When the gopshear the flute song, they become mad and run to Ka toreclaim their stolen property. It doesnt matter what they are doingwhether they are eating ordressing, or applying cosmetics, or serving their husbands and children. They simply run after Kawithout any other consideration.

Eachgopgoes alone, not stopping to call the others. The gopswere stunned in ecstasy and werenot in the mood to speak (nakan smara-vegena vikipta-mnaso), still they could not help them-selves from speaking like mad women. They do not discuss Kas pastimes in an orderly way butout of madness, jumping from subject to subject. When we look at the verses of the Veu-gta, wewill see that there is no orderly link between the verses, no sequence. They spoke whatever cameto mind. This particular verse is spoken by ukadeva Gosvm, but the following verses will be spo-ken by variousgops.

The Earth thinks herself fortunate because Ka walks over her surface. The gopsalso recog-nize the good fortune of the Earth as they see Kas footprints everywhere. Seeing His footprintsand hearing His flute song, they become so mad that they cannot speak, but after some time theyare able to speak in a covered way that which is in their hearts.

This loka is necessary for our practice ofrgnug-bhajana. We should try to remember Ka

according to this description. We have so little time and our hearts are still so hard. First we haveto learn the meaning ofrmad-Bhgavatam, and if we learn the deeper meanings, that will give usthe qualification to read the books of the Six Gosvms and their followers.

*Mahklapura consists of two parts, one being the eight-fold coverings of the universe and beyond that, Mukti-dhma.After getting free from all gross identification one is able to enter the eight-fold coverings of the universe. One who isdesiring muktibut is not yet free from subtle identification and desires for enjoyment gets caught up in these coveringshells of the universe. After getting free from even subtle contamination, one enters Mukti-dhma. There, the LordsBrahman effulgence is prominent. Beyond this lies Sadiva-loka, then Vaikuha, then Goloka-Vndvana.(Bhad-bhgavatmta, Part 2, Chapter 2.225-226, Chapter 3.12-31)

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Text Six

iti veu-rava rjansarva-bhta-manoharamrutv vraja-striya sarvvarayantyo bhirebhire

itithus; veu-ravamthe vibration of the flute; rjanO King Parkit; sarva-bhtafor all livingbeings; mana-haramstealing the minds; rutvhearing; vraja-striyathe ladies from the vil-lage of Vraja; sarvall of them; varayantyaengaged in describing; abhirebhireembraced rKa, the embodiment of supreme spiritual bliss

Translation

O King, the sound of Kas flute steals the minds of all living beings, both animate and inanimate.When the young gops of Vraja heard that sound, they began to describe it. As they went ondescribing the sound of the flute, they entered a state of ecstatic trance and became completelyabsorbed in thoughts of r Ka. Within their hearts, they began to embrace r Ka who is theembodiment of all rasa and the reservoir of supreme spiritual bliss.

Commentary

r uka is describing the sound of the flute from the viewpoint of thegops, O Parkit Mahrja,the sweet voice of the veu is sarva-bhta-manoharam, it attracts the minds of all living entities.Yet thegopstaste it in a special way. They become overwhelmed with kma. At first, tad varayi-tum rabdh smarantya ka ceitam nakan smara-vegena vikipt-manaso npa (text 4): smara(Cupid) comes. That is why they want to speak but cannot. It has a very deep meaning here. Whycant they speak? Because they are all trying to hide something. They want to hide the depth oftheir bhva from each other. Their hearts are filling up like an ocean filling with waves, but they are

trying to hide their hearts (avahita). Avahita means to conceal something by speaking in an indirectway.

Here all thegopsare feeling smara, kma. Kma and prema are both love, but kma has a spe-cial and deep meaning. From bhva we realize prema, but there is no kma in this prema. There isno kma before the stage ofanurga (a stage in the development ofprema) because kma is notthe object ofsakhya and vtsalya-rasa. After anurga, kma arises: seeing Ka or seeing anythingconnected to Ka gives rise to kma. Therefore, it is only thosegopswho have smara who expe-rience kma. It is only the kmnugor kmtmik gops. All thegopsspeaking in the Veu-gtaare kmtmik.

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One of the features ofkma is that it tries to cover itself. That is the svarpa or nature ofkma.Kma is like a serpent who always wants to hide. Each gopis trying to hide her feelings from theothers, fearing that by the symptoms of her smara, others will understand what she is feeling. It isan open secret, but each and everygopwants to hide the fact that they love Ka, they want tomeet Ka, and they want to enjoy with Ka. When it is hidden it becomes so much more beau-

tiful. They think that if they tell anyone they want to taste Ka, everything will be spoiled.rutv vraja-striya sarv varayantyo bhirebhire. They are each hiding their prema toward

Ka. Instead of saying Ka is so beautiful, they are saying, This tamala tree is so beautiful. Thedeer are so fortunate because they can go to Ka with the permission of their husbands. Theydo not mention Ka, but speak indirectly of their love for Him, and in so speaking, they each real-ize the love in the othergopshearts.

They speak one after another. ukadeva Gosvm hears their words from within his heart andrepeats them to Mahrja Parkit: akavat phalam ida na para vidma. For those whohave eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision (text 7).

Rpa Gosvm developed his style in writing Ujjvala-nlamaiafter reading these verses, or wecan say that these verses (especially those contained within the rasa chapters of the Bhgavatam)were written in the style of Rpa Gosvms Ujjvala nlamai. rmad-Bhgavatamis mla-prama,the original root of all Vedic evidence. Therefore, Rpa Gosvm composed his poetry in pursuanceof the rmad-Bhgavatamsversion. However, because Rpa Gosvm is Rpa Majar and is aneternal associate of Rdh and Ka, he is the root of all understanding. Thus, it is equally true tosay that the rmad-Bhgavatamfollows the direction of Rpa Gosvm. To understand rasa, oneshould study Ujjvala-nlamaiwith a rasika Vaiava. In that way, one can enter deeply and under-stand all the symptoms ofbhva and prema.

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Text Seven

r-gopya cuakavat phalam ida na para vidma

sakhya pan anuviveayator vayasyaivaktra vrajea-sutayor anuveu-jua

yair v niptam anurakta-kak-mokam

r-gopya cuthegopssaid; akavatmof those who have eyes; phalamthe fruit, idamthis (beautiful sight of the face of r Ka as He enters the forest with the cows and cowherdboys); nanot; paramother (object of vision for the eyes); vidma we know; sakhyaOfriends; panthe cows; anuviveayatocausing to enter one forest after another; vayasyai

with Their friends of the same age; vaktramthe faces; vraja-aof Mahrja Nanda; sutayoofthe two sons (Ka and Balarma); anu-veu-juampossessed of flutes;yaiby which; vor,niptumdrunk or tasted (the nectar of Kas sidelong glances); anuraktaloving; kakaside-long glances; mokamgiving off

Translation

The gopsbegan to speak among themselves: O sakhs! We think that for those who have eyes,there is but one thing which is a suitable object of vision. Success of the eyes lies in beholding this

object alone; we know of no other. And what is that most precious object of attainment for theeyes? It is the vision of the two sons of Mahrja Nanda, r Ka and Baladeva, accompanied bythegopas, as They enter the forest taking the cows, or as They bring them back to Vndvana. Theyhold Their flutes to Their lips and look upon us with mild smiles and amorous sidelong glances filledwith love. At that time, we drink the sweetness of Their faces.

Commentary

While experiencing the bhva ofavahita (trying to conceal their kma), thegopsbegin speakingto one another. There are many different groups of gopsformed according to their common moodin loving Ka. Here, onegopis speaking. What is the success of these eyes? What is the fruitof having eyes? We know only one thing: to see Kas face as He enters Vndvana forest withthe cows andgopas, dressed like a beautiful dancer and in the freshness of His youth. He looks justlike a mad elephant. Thegopswitness this scene every morning.

Sudhayprayan gopa-vndair: Ka is singing surrounded by the gopaswho are cheering Himon, Sdhu, sdhu, sdhu! Vndraya sva-pada-ramaa prviad gta-krti(text 5): He walkson the earth of Vndvana. The marks from the soles of his feet are imprinted all over the ground,

and therefore the Earth considers herself fortunate to have Ka walking gently on her breast.

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Prviad gta-krti: thegopsthink of the good fortune of Prithiv-dev (the Earth) and when theysee Kas footprints and hear the song of His flute, they become so mad that they can no longerarticulate their feelings about Ka to the othergops. After some time, they recover and beginto speak.

Thegopssay that the flute song has attracted all living beings, yet all living beings are not actu-

ally attracted. Only the gopsare attracted. All living entities hear the sweetness of Kas flutesong, but only thegopsbecome mad. No one else runs after Ka when they hear the sound ofHis flute; it is especially sweet for thegops. rutv vraja-striya sarv varayantyo bhirebhire: thusthey began to talk to one another about Ka and His flute, and they discussed what effect theflute song has on others. They say:

akavat phalam ida na para vidmasakhya pan anuviveayator vayasyaivaktra vrajea-sutayor anuveu-jua

yair v niptam anurakta-kak-mokam

Ka has so many cows and cowherd boys with Him. Vayasyaimeans that the boys are of thesame age as Ka, all kiora. Thegopsare speaking in a general way, which includes describing thecows andgopas, because they are trying to hide their bhva. Everyone sees Ka as beautiful so itis not wrong for them to point this out, and they do so even to the other gops. Eachgopwantsto conceal her heart from everyone. Therefore, she mentions that Ka is going to the forestaccompanied by the boys and animals. In this way, she hides her exclusive love for Ka.

Thegopssay phalam idam, the fruit of their eyes is to see Ka. The gopsare saying that theydont know anything other than Ka. Ka is present with so many friends and cows, and He isentering the forest of Vndvana, which is fragrant with blooming flowers and ripening fruit. Vak-tra vrajea-sutayormeans just to see the beautiful face of Ka as He is surrounded by thecowherd boys. But this verse has other meanings. Vrajea means Nanda, and sutayormeans Kaand Balarma. Anuveu-juam: the flute is on Their lips. Yair va niptam anurakta-kka-mokam,Ka is looking toward thegopswith loving glances (anurakta-kaka). He is looking at them outof the corners of His eyes and smiling. He is begging for something with great affection. The gopsare exclaiming that those who have not seen Kas begging have not realized the value of their

eyes.Actually, according to r Jva Gosvm, r Santana Gosvm and r Vivantha Cakravarthkura, this verse has four or five different meanings. The above meaning is the simple or exter-nal meaning, but there are other more rasika meanings.

Something appears wrong in this verse. Thegopslove only Ka, but Baladeva is also present.When Baladeva is present with Ka, thegopsbecome shy and cover their faces with their srs.There will be no exchange of glances in Balarmas presence. Why, then, is ukadeva Gosvmspeaking as if both Ka and Balarma are present when thegopsare exchanging with Ka? Themeaning is hidden in the Sanskrit.

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Thegopsare speaking to othergopsin the same bhva, the sameytha. They are saying, Osakh, Ka is coming. He is looking at us from the the corners of His eyes and begging something.He is so beautiful, surrounded by the gopas. Sutayormeans Baladeva and Ka. But anumeansthat Ka is following a little behind Baladeva. Baladeva has already entered the forest and Kais about to enter behind Him, but He is glancing and smiling at the gopsto beg their kma. He is

shooting arrows from the bow of His eyebrows (pupaba). Thegopsare saying that to have thisvision is the perfection of their eyes. It is not enough to see Ka in a general way as He entersthe forest in the morning surrounded by cows and cowherd boys, but to see Him alone and withkma.

Thegopsmention of Balarmas name is another instance of their trying to hide their true feel-ings for Ka. By mentioning Baladevas name, no one will understand their exclusive love forKa. Everyone will think they have no exclusive feeling toward Ka because vrajea-sutayor,they are speaking of both Ka and Balarma going to the forest.

Anuveu-juam: this holds the key to another meaning. Baladeva does not play the flute all the

time because He is not as expert as Ka. Baladeva mainly plays the buffalo horn. Anuveu-juamit is Vrajendra-nandana who is walking behind Baladeva and playing the flute. Thegopsareindirectly saying that Balarma is playing a buffalo horn, so although they appear to be speakingabout both Ka and Balarma, they are only talking about Ka because they are talking aboutHe who is playing the flute. They want to go and see that Nanda-suta, that Ka, who is keepingthe flute to His lips and looking at them with so much love. Yet how can they go to see Him? Alltheir relatives will see themtheir mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, fathers-in-law. They are speak-ing quietly so they will not be overheard by their superiors. Otherwise, their superiors will accusethem of being unchaste and will lock them in their houses. What is the worst their superiors couldinflict on them? They could throw them out of their homes. The gopsare ready for that. Other-wise, they will always be restricted from seeing Ka and their eyes will become useless. Yet theoldergopsare not restricting their daughters and daughters-in-law because they themselves aregoing to see Ka as He enters Vndvana in the morning. So the gopsthink, What harm willthere be if we also go?

Onegopgoes to make sure it is safe and then together they decide to see Ka from a dis-tance. Niptam anurakta-kaka-mokam, Ka is glancing lovingly at us. Nipta means to drink.They are drinking kaka-mokam, the sidelong glances that Ka is sending their way, and He is

smiling at them. One sakhis telling them to go forward and drink the nectar of Kas lips. Yetto get the honey from Kas lips means the gopswill have to go to Him in the forest. Anothergopasks, How can we do so in the presence of our superiors? Nevertheless, we will go, becausewhen we see Kas face, we become mad in love for Him. We dont know what our future willbe, but let us run to Ka. Dont be afraid. We do not care about anything else. Let us go anddrink the nectar of Kas flute and His smile. In this way, this verse has three or four meaningswhich we can understand by analyzing each of the words.

These lokasare here for us to use in rgnug-sdhana. We should be curious to understandall the meanings of the verses and to see Ka in this way. Sakhya has two meanings: sakh(male

friend) and sakh(female friend). Vayasyaimeans both male and female friend. Thegopsare only

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speaking of Ka when they refer to vrajea-sutayor anuveu-juam. Balarma is present, but Hehas gone ahead into the forest. Ka is holding the flute to His lips and looking at them from thecorners of His eyes. The gopsare also offering arcana to Ka out of the corner of their eyes.Therefore, whoever has witnessed this scene has attained the fruit of having eyes.

Another meaning of this verse is based on the definition of vrajea-sutayor. Baladeva is going

ahead and Ka, His younger brother (anu), is a little behind Him. Thegopssay they only wantto see Balarmas younger brothers face, that beautiful Ka. But when we look at the words vra-jea-sutayor, we can find another meaning.

Because thegopsonly want to see Ka amongst themselves, their use of the words sakhyaand vayasyaiboth refer to the gops, not the gopas. When Ka goes to the forest with thecowherd boys, He exerts His yogamy potency to leave the gopas behind. Then He goes toKusuma-sarovara, Rdh-kua or Srya-kua to meet thegops. Vayasyai(surrounded by Hisfriends) refers here to Ka being surrounded by thegops. rmat Rdhik is also present.

The words vrajea-sutayor have another meaning. Vrajea refers to two fathers, Vabhnu

Mahrja and Vrajea-Nanda. Both are vrajea, kings of Vndvana. Vabhnu-suta is Rdhik andNanda-suta is Ka. Sutasya means son and sutasymeans daughter. When suta and sutare com-bined in Sanskrit grammar, the word becomes sutayo. Therefore, vrajea-sutayorrefers to Rdhand Ka.

Thegopsare describing vrajea-sutayoras the perfection of their vision. When Rdh and Kaare together in the kuja and when Ka is smiling at Rdh and Rdh is glancing lovingly at Ka,whoever sees Kas face at that time will drink the sweetest nectar.

So there are different meanings in this verse. First we see Baladeva and Ka, then only Ka,then Rdh and Ka. Everything is there in this loka. The devotees in dsya, sakhya and vtsalyawill see Ka and Baladeva together, the priya-sakhswill see only Ka, but those who are inmajar-bhva will see Rdh-Ka.

Another point in this verse is vrajea-sutayor anuveu-juam. The verse states that both are tak-ing the flute, but we have already discussed how Balarma is not playing on the flute, He is playingon the buffalo horn. So this means that either Rdh has stolen Kas flute or He has asked Herto teach Him how to play, and He has given it to Her. This is an even sweeter fruit of the eyes, tosee Rdh teach Ka how to play the flute. The gopsare seeing Rdhik tell Ka, You havemade a mistake in Your flute-playing. You dont know how to play a melody. May I play? Then

Ka gives Her the flute and She plays better than Ka. Rpa and Raghuntha Gosvms havedescribed this pastime in their poetry.Anuveu-juam: first Ka plays on the vauli. Then (anu) Rdhik snatches it and tells Him

He isnt playing properly. Then She begins to play. Ka looks at Rdhik from the corners of Hiseyes, and Rdhik also glances at Ka. If anyone can see this scene, his eyes will be successful.Otherwise, the gopssay, we have not attained the success of having eyes. Anuveu-juam:they both play on the vaiand kaka-mokamthey both look at each other out of the cor-ners of Their eyes. Yair v niptam. Niptammeans we should drink that kaka (sidelong glance)and then our eyes will be successful.

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There is one more meaning to this verse: here thegopsare referring to the priya-narma-sakhsand the priya-sakhs. They havent spoken about the majars. The majarswill not meet Kadirectly, but their bhva is to see Rdh and Ka together. In this way they feel the most plea-sure. This is their svabhva (nature) andgua (quality). They feel a hundred times more pleasure ifRdh and Ka meet than they do from meeting Ka themselves.

What is the bhva of Rpa Majar, Rati Majar and all the majarshere? The gopswant tomeet Ka, but this verse also describes the mood of the majars. Niptam anurakta-kaka-mokam: the majarsdont want to drink this rasa themselves, but they want Rdhik to see Kaand Ka to see Rdhik. This is the bhva of a majar.

This verse also contains sakh-bhva. The sakhsare not svatantra (independent) like the priya-narma sakhs. One sakhtells another, Lets go see Ka entering the forest. But the other sakhresponds, How can we go? We cant go. There are so many superiors here. We are newly mar-ried so we should be at home. Another sakhsays, Being in your husbands home is like being injail. And not seeing Ka when He is going to the forest is worse than being in jail. Let us go at

once and see Ka and drink the nectar coming from His eyes in the form of sidelong glances.The first sakhis asking how they can go since their fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law are home.

Dont speak so loudly, she says. If they hear us speaking like this, they will abuse us. The sec-ond sakhsays, If they weep, we dont care. What can they do? Everyone is going to see Ka,whether they are old or young, or ladies or gentlemen, or brhmaasor not brhmaas. Even thenewly married daughters are going. Still, if my sister-in-law or mother-in-law hears that I want togo and see Ka, she will forbid me. She herself is going but she will tell me to stay at home. Shesays there is a black snake on the road that will bite me and I will die from the poison. That sec-ond sakh is saying, Niptam anurakta-kaka-mokam. Here nipta means not to see, but todrink. Anyone can drink this nectar by going close to Ka. Yet so many people are going to seeKa. How can we be so shameless as to step in front of them as He passes? Let us rather go toa kuja or see Him from a distance. Let us stand somewhere so that Ka will also see us. Wecannot get nearer to Ka, but if He sees us, we can drink the nectar from His sidelong glances.

r Vivantha Cakravart describes that anothergopspeaks, Never mind all these questions ofetiquette. Let us go in front of Ka but stand at a distance. If Ka looks at any one of us, wewill immediately lose our shame and our patience. Just by seeing Kas glance from the cornersof His eyes, we will lose everything and become mad. Then what will be our future? Dont worry,

the flute song will manage everything. The flute will drag us to Kas lotus feet. After we havedrunk the nectar of Kas lips, we will be mad and we will no longer care about our relatives. Wewill not know what is happening to us, so let us go there and drink and both become mad.

ukadeva Gosvm has given these details for the readers of the Bhgavatam. If you have eyes,then look at this sight of Rdh and Ka exchanging glances. Try to remember all these thingswithin your heart.

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Text Eight

cta-pravla-barha-stabakotpalbja-mlnupkta-paridhna-vicitra-veau

madhye virejatur ala pau-pla-gohyrage yath naa-varau kvaca gyamnau

ctaof a mango tree; pravlawith young sprouts; barhapeacock feathers; stabakabundlesof flowers; utpala water lilies (or blue lotuses); abja and lotuses; ml with garlands;anupktatouched; paridhnaTheir garments; vicitrawith great variety; veaubeing dressed;madhyein the midst; virejatuthe two of Them shone forth; alammagnificently; pau-plaof the cowherd boys;gohymwithin the assembly; rageupon a stage;yathjust as; naa-

varautwo most excellent dancers; kvacasometimes;gyamnauThemselves singing

Translation

O sakh! When dark-complexioned r Ka, dressed in yellow garments, and fair-complexionedBaladeva, dressed in blue garments, decorate Themselves with newly grown mango blossoms, pea-cock feathers, clusters of flowers, and garlands of multicolored lotuses and lilies, Their appearancebecomes astonishing. They sit down right in the middle of the assembly of cowherd boys and singthe sweetest of songs. O priya sakh! At such times, They look just like two incomparably beauti-

ful and expert dancers performing on a dramatic stage. What am I to say of the splendor of Theirappearance at such times?

Commentary

It is important for rgnug-bhajana to understand how thegopsare thinking and how they areserving Ka when He has gone to the forest during the day. They are always thinking of Ka,and by understanding their mood, we can also think of Ka all the time. In rgnug-bhajana, weshould remember Ka with uddpana. Ka is a youth, kiora, and He possesses all the qualitiesof a youthful lover. He is so beautiful and so rasika. We should practice smaraamof the gopswhom we have the greed to follow. We should remember Ka, but we should also rememberthegops(janam casya)how they are serving Rdh and Ka. These verses describe the moodof thegops. By studying them, we can understand how thegopsthink of Ka.

I have already explained the meaning ofnaa-vara in the fifth verse. As in vrajea-sutayor, naa-vara also has a dual meaning. It means Ka and Balarma, and it also means Rdh and Ka. Thegopswere trying to hide their deep affection for Ka, but because they lost control of them-selves, some of their bhvasbecame evident. Therefore, they are again trying to cover themselves

by speaking in a general way of Ka and Balarma dancing. In this way, it will appear that theyhave no special kma for Ka if they also mention Balarmas name.

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Both Ka and Balarma have decorated Themselves with cta-pravla. Cta means mango andpravla means young sprout