Bhajana Rahasya – Chapter 7

 Pradoṣa-kālīya-bhajana – vipralambha-prema

(from six daṇḍas of the night until midnight: approximately 8.30 P.M. – 12.00 P.M.)

Text 1

The internal symptom of devotion at the stage of perfection (sādhya-bhakti) is worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a mood of separation. Śikṣāṣṭaka (7) states:

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me

O sakhī, in separation from Govinda, even a moment seems like a millennium to Me. Tears pour from My eyes like torrents of rain in the monsoon season and this entire world seems void to Me.

udvege divasa nā yāya, ‘kṣana’ haila ‘yuga-sama’
varṣāra meghaprāya aśru varṣe du’ nayana
govinda-virahe śūnya haila tribhuvana
tuṣānale poḍe – yena nā yāya jīvana

Text 2

The gopīs praise the flute, which drinks the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lips. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.9) states:

gopyaḥ kim ācarad ayaṁ kuśalaṁ sma veṇur
dāmodarādhara-sudhām api gopikānām
bhuṅkte svayaṁ yad avaśiṣṭa-rasaṁ hradinyo
hṛṣyat-tvaco ’śru mumucus taravo yathāryāḥ

What pious activities has this flute performed to relish the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips, which is meant for us gopīs? He is drinking all the rasa and not even leaving us one drop. Sakhī, upon seeing the good fortune of the veṇu, the Yamunā, Mānasī-gaṅgā, and other rivers and ponds manifest the ecstatic symptom of horripilation in the form of blossoming lotuses and other flowers. The trees shed tears of love, delighted to have such a descendant in their dynasty, just as noble persons are delighted that a Vaiṣṇava has taken birth in their family.

ohe sakhi! kivā tapa kaila kṛṣṇa-veṇu
gopī prāpya mukhāmṛta piye punaḥ punaḥ
avaśeṣa-jala deya taru aśru-chale
sādhu-putra-prāptye yena pitṛ-aśru gale

Text 3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.11) describes the good fortune of the does and their husbands when they hear the sound of the flute:

dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-gatayo ’pi hariṇya etā
yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam
ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaṁ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ
pūjāṁ dadhur viracitāṁ praṇayāvalokaiḥ

O sakhī, when Nanda-nandana Śyāmasundara, wearing beautiful, multi-coloured attire, vibrates a sweet melody on His flute, even the does, who are foolish due to having taken birth from the wombs of ignorant animals, run towards Him along with their husbands and gaze upon Him with love-laden eyes. They are not merely gazing, sakhī, but they are worshipping Him with crooked sidelong glances from their large lotus-like eyes, and He is accepting their worship with His own loving sidelong glance. The lives of these deer are truly blessed. Sakhī, although we are gopīs of Vṛndāvana, we are unable to offer ourselves like this because our family members harass us. How ironic!

kṛṣṇa-citra-veśa svīya cakṣete heriyā
tāṅhāra vāṁśarī-dhvani karṇete śuniyā
pūjāra vidhāna kaila praṇaya-nayane
kṛṣṇa-sāra-saha āja dhanya mṛgī-gaṇe

Text 4

Hearing the sound of the veṇu, all the rivers stop flowing and worship Kṛṣṇa’s feet with lotus flowers. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.15) states:

nadyas tadā tad upadhārya mukunda-gītam
āvarta-lakṣita-manobhava-bhagna-vegāḥ
āliṅgana-sthagitam ūrmi-bhujair murārer
gṛhnanti pāda-yugalaṁ kamalopahārāḥ

Hearing the song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s veṇu, the Yamunā, Mānasī-gaṅgā and other rivers have become deluded by lust (kāma). Their hearts’ desires for love cause many whirlpools to surface and they stop flowing. Bringing lotuses as gifts with their arm-like waves, they embrace Madana-mohana and place His lotus feet on their breasts.

āhā! nadī kṛṣṇa-gīta śravaṇa kariyā
śroto-vega phirāila mohita haiyā
urmi-chale kṛṣṇa-pada āliṅgana kaila
o pada-yugale padma upahāra dila

Text 5

Giri-Govardhana becomes blissful by the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s and Śrī Balarāma’s lotus feet, and he worships them with various articles. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.18) states:

hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyo
yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparśa-pramodaḥ
mānaṁ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat
pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kandamūlaiḥ

O sakhīs, this mountain, Govardhana, is the crown jewel of Hari’s servants. Blessed is his fortune! By the touch of the lotus feet of our prāṇa-vallabha Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva Prabhu, who is most pleasing to the eyes, Govardhana is blossoming with delight and supplying crystal-clear water, soft grass, wonderful caves and varieties of roots. By thus serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, who are surrounded by the cowherd boys and cows, he highly honours them.

haridāsa-varya ei giri-govardhana
rāma-kṛṣṇa pada-sparśe sukhe acetana
sakhā-dhenu-saha kṛṣṇe ātithya karila
pānīya-kandara-kandamūla nivedila

Text 6

Upon hearing the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, moving living entities acquire the nature of the non-moving, and non-moving entities acquire the nature of the moving. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.19) states:

gā gopakair anu-vanaṁ nayator udāraveṇu-
svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ
aspandanaṁ gati-matāṁ pulakas tarūṇāṁ
niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram

O sakhīs, the elegance and charm of the two brothers, our Śyāmasundara and Gaurasundara Balarāma, are quite unique and wonderful. When Śyāmasundara, together with His cowherd friends, leads the cows from one forest to another by sweetly playing a melody on His veṇu, He binds the top of His turban with the niryoga rope, which is used for binding the legs of calves, and from His shoulders (like His pītāmbara) hangs a rope known as pāśa. Upon seeing that sweet, unparalleled beauty and hearing the sound of the veṇu, moving living entities, such as animals and birds, as well as rivers – and what to speak of human beings – become inert like stone. And ecstatic symptoms like horripilation are displayed in non-moving entities, such as trees. Sakhī, how can I describe the magical sound of that flute?

sakhā-dhenu-saṅge kṛṣṇa udāra-svabhāva
muralīra gāne sabe deya sakhya-bhāva
jaṅgame karila spandahīna, tarugaṇe
pulakita kaila aho! vicitra lakṣaṇe
hena kṛṣṇa nā pāiyā prāṇa pheṭe yāya
kabe sakhi! vidhi kṛṣṇa dibena āmāya

Text 7

The sentiments of Śrī Rādhā in pravāsa (separation by being out of sight) are most favourable to meditate upon for the sādhaka who, immersed in these sentiments, should read chapters from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam such as Bhramara-gīta. Śrī Mādhavendra Purī has expressed Śrī Rādhikā’s bhāvocchvāsa, outburst of feeling that expresses the bhāva hidden in the heart, at the time of pravāsa (Padyāvalī (334)):

ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
hṛdayaṁ tvad-aloka-kātaraṁ
dayita bhrāmyati kiṁ karomy aham

O You whose heart is most merciful to the wretched! O Master! O Lord of Mathurā! When will I have Your darśana? O Lord of My life, because I cannot see You, My heart has become agitated. What shall I do now?

he dīna-dayārdra-nātha,
he kṛṣṇa mathurā-nātha,
kabe punaḥ pāba daraśana
nā dekhi’ se cāṅdamukha,
vyathita hṛdaye duḥkha,
he dayita! ki kari ekhana?

Text 8

Agitated by separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs blame Vidhātā (Providence). Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.39.19) describes:

aho vidhātas tava na kvacid dayā
saṁyojya maitryā praṇayena dehinaḥ
tāṁś cākṛtārthān viyunaṅkṣy apārthakaṁ
vikrīḍitaṁ te ’rbhaka-ceṣṭitaṁ yathā

O Vidhātā, you are the arranger of everything, but there is not even a trace of mercy in your heart. First you unite living entities in this world in friendship and love, but before they can fulfil their desires and hopes, you pointlessly separate them while they are still unsatisfied. The truth is that, like the play of a child, this whimsical behaviour of yours is useless.

vidhātaḥ he! nāhi dayā kichu-i tomāra
maitra-bhāve praṇayete, dehī-dehī-saṁyogete,
kena eta kaile avicāra?
akṛtārtha-avasthāya, viyoga karile hāya,
bālakera ceṣṭā e vyāpāra

Text 9

For a person attached to Kṛṣṇa, even a moment of separation from Him is intolerable. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.39.29) states:

yasyānurāga-lalita-smita-valgu-mantra
līlāvaloka-parirambhaṇa-rāsa-goṣṭhyām
nītāḥ sma naḥ kṣaṇam iva kṣaṇadā vinā taṁ
gopyaḥ kathaṁ nv atitarema tamo durantam

Sakhīs, by His captivating, affectionate smile, sweet, intimate conversations, playful glances and loving embraces, the long, long nights of the rāsa-līlā passed in a moment. Indeed, how can we now overcome the boundless anguish of separation from Him?

anurāga-vilokita, valgu-mantra-sulalita,
smita-āliṅgana rāsa-sthale
brahma-rātra kṣane gela, tabu tṛpti nā haila,
ebe kṛṣṇa-viraha ghaṭila
gopīra emana dina kemane yāibe
duḥkhera sāgare ḍūbe prāṇa hārāibe

Text 10

Śrī Rādhā’s strong expressions of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa are described in Haṁsadūta (2):

yadā yāto gopī-hṛdaya-madano nanda-sadanān
mukundo gāndhinyās tanayam anurundhan madhu-purīm
tadāmāṅkṣīc cintā-sariti ghana-ghūrṇāparicayair
agādhāyāṁ bādhāmaya-payasi rādhā-virahiṇī

Upon the request of Akrūra, Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, who gladdens the gopīs’ hearts, departed Nanda-bhavana for Mathurā. Now separated from Her lover, Śrī Rādhikā became greatly agitated and was completely submerged in a river of anxiety, which was full of deep whirlpools of unlimited suffering.

gopikā-hṛdaya-hari, vraja chāḍi’ madhupurī,
akrūra-sahita yabe gelā
tabe rādhā virahiṇī, ghana-ghūrṇa-taraṅgiṇī,
cintā-jale agādhe paḍilā

 

Text 11

The ten conditions of viraha, separation, are described in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi:

cintātra jāgārodvegau tānavaṁ malināṅgatā
pralāpo vyādhir unmādo moho mṛtyur daśā daśa

Ten conditions arise in viraha: (1) cintā (anxious consideration), (2) jāgara (sleeplessness), (3) udvega (agitation), (4) tānava (emaciation of the body), (5) malināṅgatā (discolouring of bodily limbs), (6) pralāpa (incoherent speech), (7) vyādhi (being stricken with a tormenting ailment), (8) unmāda (madness), (9) moha (bewilderment) and (10) mṛtyu (death, or being unconscious for a long time). At the stage of mohana, an extraordinary condition manifests in Śrī Rādhā, in which She experiences extreme anguish of separation from Kṛṣṇa.

jāgara, udvega, cintā,
tānavāṅga-malinatā,
pralāpa, unmāda āra vyādhi
moha, mṛtyu, daśā daśa,
tāhe rādhā suvivaśa,
pāila duḥkha-kulera avadhi

Text 12

While Śrī Rādhā suffers from the scorching poison of viraha, She expresses Her transcendental emotions, as described in Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka (3.9):

prema-ccheda-rujo ’vagacchati harir nāyaṁ na ca prema vā
sthānāsthānam avaiti nāpi madano jānāti no durbalāḥ
anyo veda na cānya-duḥkham akhilaṁ no jīvanaṁ vāśravaṁ
dvi-trīṇy eva dināni yauvanam idaṁ hā hā vidhe kā gatiḥ

Śrī Hari does not understand the pain of separation in prema. In fact, prema does not know anything about who is deserving of itself and who is not. Kāmadeva also torments us, knowing us to be weak. It is impossible for anyone to understand another’s misery. Life is so fleeting – it has no certainty – and youth remains only two or three days. Alas! Alas! What kind of arrangement of Vidhātā (the Creator) is this?

sakhī bale dhairya dhara, āsibe nāgara-vara,
vyākula haile kivā phala
rādhā bale ohe sakhi, patha āra nāhi lakhi’,
prema-ccheda roga ye bāḍila
latā vāṅcāite hari, nā āsila madhupurī,
prema nā bujhila sthānāsthāna
niṭhura kānura preme, pa’ḍe gelāma mahābhrame,
madana tāhāte hāne bāṇa
duḥkha nā bujhila sakhi, jīvana cañcala lakhi,
tāte e yauvana-śobhā yāya
āra ki nāgaramaṇi, e braje āsibe dhani,
hā hā vidhi! ki habe upāya

Text 13

Śrī Rādhā’s condition of udvega, anxiety, in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa is described in Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (42):

kim iha kṛṇumaḥ kasya brūmaḥ kṛtaṁ kṛtam āśayā
kathayata kathām anyāṁ dhanyām aho hṛdayeśayaḥ
madhura-madhura-smerākāre mano-nayanotsave
kṛpaṇa kṛpaṇā kṛṣṇe tṛṣṇā ciraṁ bata lambate

What shall I do now? To whom shall I speak? What is the purpose of holding on to the futile hope of receiving His darśana? Please speak about something better. Aho! But how can I possibly stop talking about He who is contained within My heart? His gentle, sweet smile is a festival for the mind and eyes. My longing to see this form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa increases moment by moment.

ebe bala ki kariba, kāre duḥkha jānāiba,
deha dhari kṛṣṇera āśāya
kaha anya kathā dhanya, yāte citta suprasanna,
sakhi! tāhā nā haibe upāya
kṛṣṇa hṛde śu’ye āche, mṛdu madhu hāsiteche,
mano-nayanera mahotsava
kṛṣṇa lakhibāra āśā, mane kaila cira vāsā,
se āśā kṛpaṇā asambhava

Text 14

The divyonmāda (transcendental madness) of Śrī Rādhā, who is restless in the intense fire of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is described in Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (41):

amūny-adhanyāni dināntarāṇi
hare! tvad-ālokanam antareṇa
anātha-bandho! karuṇaika-sindho!
hā hanta! hā hanta! kathaṁ nayāmi

Alas! Alas! O Hari! O friend of the helpless! O You who are the only ocean of mercy! How can I pass these miserable days without Your darśana?

nā heriye tava mukha, hṛdaye dāruṇa, duḥkha,
dīna-bandho, karuṇā-sāgara
e adhanya divā-niśi, kemane kāṭābe dāsī,
upāya balaha ataḥpara

Text 15

Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (40) describes Śrī Rādhā’s longing to meet Śrī Kṛṣṇa:

he deva! he dayita! he bhuvanaika-bandho!
he kṛṣṇa! he capala! he karuṇaika-sindho!
he nātha! he ramaṇa! he nayanābhirāma!
hā hā kadā nu bhavitāsi padaṁ dṛśor me

O Lord! O dearest one! O only friend of the three worlds! O Kṛṣṇa! O restless one! O only ocean of compassion! O Deva! O lover (ramaṇa)! O You who delight the eyes! Oh! When will You again be visible to My eyes? When will I receive Your darśana?

he deva, he prāṇapriya, ekamātra bandhu iha,
he kṛṣṇa, capala, kṛpā-sindhu
he nātha, ramaṇa mama, nayanera priyatama,
kabe dekhā dibe prāṇa-bandho

Text 16

Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (68) describes an internal vision (sphūrtidarśana) of Kṛṣṇa:

māraḥ svayaṁ nu madhura-dyuti-maṇḍalaṁ nu
mādhuryam eva nu mano-nayanāmṛtaṁ nu
veṇī-mṛjo nu mama jīvita-vallabho nu
kṛṣṇo ’yam abhyudayate mama locanāya

Is this Cupid himself, or is it a halo of sweet effulgence? Is this the personification of sweetness, or the life-giving nectar of the mind and eyes? Is this the lover who loosens My braid, the beloved of My life, the youthful Kṛṣṇa, who has manifest before My eyes?

svayaṁ kandarpa eki, madhura-maṇḍala nāki,
mādhurya āpani mūrtimāna
mano-nayanera madhu, dūra ha’te āila bandhu,
jīvana-vallabha vraja-prāṇa
āmāra nayana-āge, āila kṛṣṇa anurāge,
dehe mora āila jīvana
saba duḥkha dūre gela, prāṇa mora juḍāila,
dekha sakhi! pāinu hārādhana

 

Text 17

A description of the direct darśana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.32.2):

tāsām āvirabhūc chauriḥ smayamāna-mukhāmbujaḥ
pītāmbara-dharaḥ sragvī sākṣān manmatha-manmathaḥ

Just then, Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in the midst of the gopīs. His lotus face blossomed with a mild, gentle smile. Hanging from His neck was a garland of forest flowers, and He wore a golden-yellow garment (pītāmbara). What was the nature of His beauty? That beauty stirs the mind of Kāmadeva (Cupid), who himself stirs the minds of everyone.

gopīra sammukha hari,
dāṅḍāila veṇu dhari’,
smayamāna-mukhāmbuja-śobhā
vanamālī pītāmbara,
manmathera manohara,
rādhikāra deha-mano-lobhā

Text 18

Śrī Rādhā’s meeting with Kṛṣṇa in Nava-Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā, and an expression of a desire for vraja-bhāva, is described in Lalitamādhava (10.260):

cirād āśā-mātraṁ tvayi viracayantaḥ sthira-dhiyo
vidadhyur ye vāsaṁ madhurima gabhīre madhu-pure
dadhānaḥ kaiśore vayasi sakhi tāṁ gokula-pate
prapadyethās teṣāṁ paricayam avaśyaṁ nayanayoḥ

[Śrī Rādhā said:] O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, for a long time, persons with fixed intelligence have sustained their lives with the hope that You will one day return. You reside in Madhupurī, which is filled with profound sweetness. O master of Gokula, the adolescent sakhās are patiently gazing at Your return path. Therefore, You must give us Your darśana without fail.

gabhīra-mādhurya-maya, sei vraja-dhāma haya,
tathā yata sthira-buddhi jana
cira-āśā hṛde dhari’, tomāra darśane hari,
basiyāche se saba sajjana
tomāra kaiśora-līlā, hṛdaye varaṇa kailā,
ebe se savāre kṛpā kari’
nayana-gocara haiyā, līlā kara tathā giyā,
ei mātra nivedana kari

Text 19

Suffering pangs of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā desires to bring Him back to Vṛndāvana, which is filled with sweet memories. Lalita-mādhava (10.261) states:

yā te līlā-rasa-parimalodgāri-vanyā-parītā
dhanyā kṣauṇī vilasati vṛtā māthurī mādhurībhiḥ
tatrāsmābhiś caṭula-paśupī-bhāva-mugdhāntarābhiḥ
saṁvītas taṁ kalaya vadanollāsi veṇur vihāram

Near the highly praised Mathurā is that land of Vṛndāvana, which is full of forests that emit the sublime fragrance of the mellows of Your pastimes (līlā-rasa), and which is made splendid with sweetness and beauty. With a smiling face and playing the flute, please sport in that Vṛndāvana with those whose hearts are infatuated with capricious and unpredictable gopī-bhāva.

mathurā-maṇḍala majhe, mādhurī-maṇḍita sāje,
dhanya-dhanya vṛndāvana-bhūmi
tāhe tava nitya-līlā, parimala prakāśilā,
acintya-śaktite kṛṣṇa tumi
gopī-bhāve mugdha yata, tomāra śṛṇgāra-rata,
āmā ādi praṇayī-nicaya
āmā-sabe la’ye punaḥ, krīḍā kara anukṣaṇa,
vaṁśī-vādye brajendra-tanaya

Text 20

Anguished that their blinking prevented them from seeing Kṛṣṇa when they were taking His darśana, the gopīs curse the person who created eyelids. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.82.39) describes this condition of the gopīs at their meeting with Kṛṣṇa in Kurukṣetra:

gopyaś ca kṛṣṇam upalabhya cirād abhīṣṭaṁ
yat-prekṣaṇe dṛśiṣu pakṣma-kṛtaṁ śapanti
dṛgbhir hṛdī-kṛtam alaṁ parirabhya sarvās
tad-bhāvam āpur api nitya-yujāṁ durāpam

[Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who was experiencing the mood of the gopīs when they saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa at Kurukṣetra, said:] The vrajasundarīs, who cursed the Creator for making eyelids that obstructed their darśana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, now saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa again after a very long time. They took Him from the path of their eyes into their hearts and tightly embraced Him there. They attained that rare absorption that cannot be attained either by yogīs or by Rukmiṇī and the other queens of Dvārakā, who are always with Him.

cira-dina kṛṣṇa-āśe, chila gopī vraja-vāse,
kurukṣetre prāṇanāthe pāiyā
animeṣa-netra-dvāre, āni’ kṛṣṇe premādhāre,
hṛde āliṅgila mugdha haiyā
āhā se amiya bhāva, anya jane asambhava,
svakīya-kāntāya sudurlabha
gopī vinā ei prema, yena viśodhita hema,
lakṣmī-gaṇe cira asambhava

Text 21

The gopīs’ intense longing to receive Śrī Kṛṣṇa in their own home, Vṛndāvana, is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.82.48):

āhuś ca te nalina-nābha padāravindaṁ
yogeśvarair hṛdi vicintyam agādha-bodhaiḥ
saṁsāra-kūpa-patitottaraṇāvalambaṁ
gehaṁ juṣām api manasy udiyāt sadā naḥ

[At the meeting in Kurukṣetra, Śrī Rādhikā and the prominent gopīs said:] O Kamalanābha (You whose navel is like a lotus), great yogīs who possess profound intelligence meditate upon Your lotus feet in their hearts. Your lotus feet are the only means of escape for those who have fallen into the well of material existence. O Lord, please give us the benediction that, even when we perform household work, Your lotus feet shall always reside in our hearts and we shall never forget them, even for a moment.

kṛṣṇa he!
agādha-bodha-sampanna, yogeśvara-gaṇa dhanya,
tava pada karuṇa cintana
saṁsāra-patita jana, dharu tava śrī-caraṇa,
kūpa haite uddhāra kāraṇa
āmi vraja-gopa-nārī, nāhi-yogī, na-saṁsārī,
tomā lañā āmāra saṁsāra
mama mana vṛndāvana, rākhi’ tathā o’caraṇa,
ei vāñchā pūrāo āmāra

Text 22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.82.40) describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s conversation with the gopīs that occurred in a solitary place:

bhagavāṁs tās tathā-bhūtā vivikta upasaṅgataḥ
āśliṣyānāmayaṁ pṛṣṭvā prahasann idam abravīt

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw that the gopīs had attained oneness (tādātmya) with Him, He went with them to a secluded place. After embracing them to His heart and inquiring about their well-being, He laughed and spoke as follows.

vivikte laiyā, gopī āliṅgiyā,
preme marma-kathā kaya
kṛṣṇa gopī prīti, mahiṣīra tati,
dekhiyā āścarya haya

Text 23

Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke the following words to give the gopīs consolation. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.82.44) states:

mayi bhaktir hi bhūtānām amṛtatvāya kalpate
diṣṭyā yad āsīn mat-sneho bhavatīnāṁ mad-āpanaḥ

Sakhīs, it is greatly fortunate that you have developed prema for Me, by which one can attain Me. Loving devotional service unto Me qualifies living entities to attain My supremely blissful eternal abode.

āmāte ye prema-bhakti parama amṛta
tava snehe niravadhi tava dāsye rata

Text 24

Pastimes during the first part of the night (pradoṣa-līlā) are described in Govinda-līlāmṛta (21.1):

rādhāṁ sālīgaṇāntām asita-sita-niśā-yogya-veśāṁ pradoṣe
dūtyā vṛndopadeśād abhisṛta-yamunā-tīra-kalpāga-kuñjām
kṛṣṇaṁ gopaiḥ sabhāyāṁ vihita-guṇi-kalālokanaṁ snigdha-mātrā
yatnād ānīya saṁśāyitam atha nibhṛtaṁ prāpta-kuñjaṁ smarāmi

In the evening, Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī cooks some preparations and sends them with Her sakhīs to Nanda-bhavana. Yaśodārāṇī is very affectionate and loving to Śrī Rādhā’s maidservants. She feeds these preparations to the two brothers, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, as well as to the other family members. Maiyā places the remaining prasāda in the hands of the maidservants to give to Śrī Rādhā. Kundalatā or Dhaniṣṭhā indicate the whereabouts of that night’s meeting place to the maidservants, who give Śrī Rādhā the news from Nanda-bhavana as well as the remaining prasāda. They tell Her, “Svāminī, Your priyatama lovingly ate the manohara-laḍḍu You made.” Describing the mood with which Kṛṣṇa took each preparation, the sakhīs serve the rest of the prasāda and prepare Svāminī for Her rendezvous (abhisāra).

rādhā vṛndā upadeśe, yamunopakūladeśe,
sāṅketika kuñje abhisāre
sitāsita-niśā-yogya, dhari’ veśa kṛṣṇa-bhogya,
sakhī-saṅge sānanda antare
gopa-sabhā-mājhe hari, nānā-guṇa-kalā heri’,
mātṛ-yatne karila śayana
rādhā-saṅga soṅariyā, nibhṛte bāhira haiyā,
prāpta-kuñja kariye smaraṇa

Thus ends the Saptama-yāma-sādhana, Pradoṣa-kālīya-bhajana, of Śrī Bhajana-rahasya.