Bhāgavatārka Marīci Mālā

Bhagavad-rasa-tattvam
(The Principle of Divine Mellows)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya-candrāya namaḥ

yena vistārito gaura-kṛpayā rasa-sāgaraḥ
viśākhikā-svarāpaṁ taṁ rāmānandam ahaṁ bhaje

I worship that Rāmānanda, who is the very nature of Viśākhā, and by whose mercy the ocean of rasa was expanded through the grace of Gaura.

(1)
Kṛṣṇa is the entirety of rasa. Śuka tells Parīkṣit:

mallānām aśanir nṛṇāṁ nara-varaḥ strīṇāṁ smaro mūrtimān
gopānāṁ sva-jano’satāṁ kṣiti-bhujāṁ śāstā sva-pitroḥ śiśuḥ
mṛtyur bhoja-pater virāḍ aviduṣāṁ tattvaṁ paraṁ yogināṁ
vṛṣṇīnāṁ para-devateti vidito raṅgaṁ gataḥ sāgrajaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.43.17)

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in Kaṁsa’s arena together with Balarāma, each person saw Kṛṣṇa according to his own particular rasa. The wrestlers, who were inclined toward the rasa of heroism and combat, saw Kṛṣṇa as if He were a thunderbolt embodied. The women, disposed toward madhura-rasa, saw Him as Cupid himself personified. The ordinary men saw Him as the foremost of human rulers (here the rasa is wonder, adbhuta). The cowherds, attached through sakhya and vātsalya (with humour), saw Him as their own kinsman. The wicked kings, stricken with fear, saw Kṛṣṇa as a chastiser and ruler (here there is a semblance of raudra-rasa). His parents beheld an exceedingly beautiful child (here there are vātsalya and karuṇa rasas). The king of the Bhojas saw Him as death itself (here there is a semblance of bhayānaka-rasa). Persons of materialistic intelligence perceived the vast universal form (here there is a semblance of bībhatsa–rasa). The supreme yogīs situated in śānta-rasa perceived the Supreme Truth. And the men of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, in dāsya-rasa, regarded Him as the Supreme Deity.

(2)
Śaunaka and the ṛṣis told Suta:

vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma uttama‑śloka‑vikrame
yac‑chṛṇvatāṁ rasa‑jñānāṁ svādu svādu pade pade
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.1.19)

The sages said – O Sūta! We are not becoming satisfied by hearing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes – those very pastimes which, upon being heard, cause connoisseurs of rasa to hanker for their sweetness at every step.

(3)
The secondary rasas, such as vīra, karuṇa, etc, are described in many places in the Bhāgavata – for example, Kapila’s tells Devahūti:

mad-bhayād vāti vāto ‘yaṁ sūryas tapati mad-bhayāt
varṣatīndro dahaty agnir mṛtyuś carati mad-bhayāt
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.42)

There are many examples of vīra-rasa, karuṇa-rasa, and other such rasas in the Bhāgavata. A few are being mentioned. An example of raudra-rasa is: Out of fear of Me, the wind blows, the sun gives heat, Indra sends rain, fire burns, and death moves about.

(4)
Śuka says to Parikṣit:
sva-mātuḥ svinna-gātrāyā visrasta-kabara-srajaḥ
dṛṣṭvā pariśramaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ kṛpayāsīt sva-bandhane
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.9.18)

Karuṇā-rasa, arising from vātsalya (parental affection): When Kṛṣṇa saw that Mother Yaśodā, exhausted with toil, had her body covered in perspiration and the garland in her braided hair was dishevelled, with compassion, He consented to be bound by her. (The word svinna means ‘perspiring,’ ‘drenched in sweat.’)

(5)
Śrī Śaunaka tells Sūta:
taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta
na khādanti na mehanti kiṁ grāme paśavo’pare
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.3.18)

An example of jugupsā (disgust) is this: Do not the trees live? Does not the bellows also breathe? Do not the village animals eat and pass stool and urine? Then why do worldly people maintain their lives in vain?

(6)
There is no need to examine all the secondary rasas. Among the primary rasas, the first is śānta-rasa. Manu tells Dhruva:

tvaṁ pratyag-ātmani tadā bhagavaty ananta
ānanda-mātra upapanna-samasta-śaktau
bhaktiṁ vidhāya paramāṁ śanakair avidyā-
granthiṁ vibhetsyasi mamāham iti prarūḍham
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.11.30)

The indwelling Self, the infinite Bhagavān, who is pure bliss and the source of all potencies, through the cultivation of devotion unto Him by the embodied being, will gradually destroy the knot of ignorance consisting of the notions of ‘mine’ and ‘I.’ 

(7)
In regards to dāsya-rasa, Śuka tells Parīkṣit:

itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā
dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena
māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa
sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.12.11)

In Kṛṣṇa’s forest pastimes,all  the devotees such as Raktaka and Patraka – greatly fortunate souls situated in dāsya-rasa – by taking shelter of Yogamāyā, sported with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Deity in human form, while experiencing the bliss of Brahman.

(8)
In regards to sakhya, Brahmā tells Kṛṣṇa:

aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyaṁ nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām
yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.32)

O, what great fortune! What great fortune indeed for Nanda and the cowherd-folk and the residents of Vraja – that the Supreme Brahman, the eternal Absolute, the embodiment of the highest bliss, has become their intimate friend Kṛṣṇa.

(9)
Śuka says to Parīkṣit:

uvāha kṛṣṇo bhagavān śrīdāmānaṁ parājitaḥ
vṛṣabhaṁ bhadrasenas tu pralambo rohiṇī-sutam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.18.24)

Being defeated in wrestling, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa began to carry Śrīdāmā upon His shoulders; Bhadrasena, carried Vṛṣabha who was in disguise, while Pralamba, also in disguise, began to carry Rohiṇī’s son (Balarāma). 

(10)
Dāsya mixed with sakhya. Brahmā tells Kṛṣṇa:

tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṁ
yad gokule’pi katamāṅghri-rajo’bhiṣekam
yaj jīvitaṁ tu nikhilaṁ bhagavān mukundas
tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.34)

Brahmā said – O, to take birth here in Vṛndāvana is a matter of extraordinarily great fortune. Even more so, to be anointed by the dust of the feet of any servant dwelling in Gokula – that is the supreme blessing. For those residents of Gokula, Bhagavān Mukunda Himself is their very life and essence; and as for the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s feet – the Vedas themselves have been seeking it out until this very day. 

(11)
eṣāṁ ghoṣa-nivāsinām uta bhavān kiṁ deva rāteti naś
ceto viśva-phalāt phalaṁ tvad-aparaṁ kutrāpy ayan muhyati
sad-veṣād api pūtanāpi sakulā tvām eva devāpitā
yad dhāmārtha-suhṛt-priyātma-tanaya-prāṇāśayās tvat-kṛte
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.34)

O Lord! I am unable to understand what fruit You will give to these residents of the cowherd community. You are Yourself the embodiment of all results of action; what other fruit beyond You can there be? This is bewildering to our minds. O Lord! Pūtanā, by her deceitful act, attained You along with her own lineage. But for the residents of the cowherd settlement, their homes, wealth, friends, beloved ones, hopes, sons, lives, and very hearts are all dedicated to You. In such a case, what result can possibly be given to them?

 (12)
Dhruva tells Kṛṣṇa:

satyāśiṣo hi bhagavaṁs tava pāda-padmam
āśīs tathānubhajataḥ puruṣārtha-mūrteḥ
apy evam arya bhagavān paripāti dīnān
vāśreva vatsakam anugraha-kātaro’smān
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.9.17)

O Bhagavān! In relation to those who engage in Your worship, You are the very embodiment of the goals of human life. Your lotus feet themselves are the true and blessed fruit. O noble One! You are the very form of Bhagavān. Just as a cow, out of affection, feeds her calf with milk and protects it from wolves and other dangers, similarly, please kindly protect and sustain us who are poor and helpless.

(13)
In relation to vātsalya, Śuka tells Parīkṣit:

tāsām avirataṁ kṛṣṇe kurvatīnāṁ sutekṣaṇam
na punaḥ kalpate rājan saṁsāro’jñāna-sambhavaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.6.40)

In those gopīs, who had a mother-like attitude, there was always the vision of Kṛṣṇa as their child. Therefore, it is no longer possible to conceive in them any further imagination born of ignorance in the form of worldly existence.

(14)
iti nandādayo gopāḥ kṛṣṇa-rāma-kathāṁ mudā
kurvanto ramamāṇāś ca nāvindan bhava-vedanām
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.11.58)

The cowherds headed by Nanda, conversing thus with joy about Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, no longer experienced the suffering of material existence. For Droṇa and others, there was the attainment of Vaikuṇṭha. But the case of Nanda of Goloka and others is not like that.

(15)
Kuntī tells Kṛṣṇa:

gopy ādade tvayi kṛtāgasi dāma tāvad
yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-sambhramākṣam
vaktraṁ ninīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya
sā māṁ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti
 (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.31)

O Kṛṣṇa! When Yaśodā, the gopī, saw You as having committed an offence and bound You with a rope, then the collyrium around Your eyes was washed away by Your tears. You hid Your face and remained in a state of fear; that condition of Yours bewilders me. Fear itself fears You – yet You are in such a condition!

(16)
The gopīs spoke thus to Uddhava:

api smarati naḥ kṛṣṇo mātaraṁ suhṛdaḥ sakhīn
gopān vrajaṁ cātma-nāthaṁ gāvo vṛndāvanaṁ girim
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.46.18)

Alas! Does Kṛṣṇa remember us, His own mothers, His dear friends and companions, His own Vraja, all the cows, Vṛndāvana, and Govardhana Hill?

(17)
tayor itthaṁ bhagavati kṛṣṇe nanda-yaśodayoḥ
vīkṣyānurāgaṁ paramaṁ nandam āhoddhavo mudā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.46.29)

Beholding such bhāva and anurāga (loving attachment) for Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa in Nanda and Yaśodā, Uddhava became filled with wonder and joy.

(18)
Here, in madhura-rasa, there is the manifestation of the inconceivable potency. Śuka tells Parīkṣit:

citraṁ bataitad ekena vapuṣā yugapat pṛthak
gṛheṣu dvy-aṣṭa-sāhasraṁ striya eka udāvahat
 (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.69.2)

This is most wondrous and strange – with a single form, simultaneously yet separately, Kṛṣṇa married sixteen thousand women in their respective homes. This cannot be accomplished by any kind of yoga; only Kṛṣṇa, the Master of Yogamāyā, is capable of such a feat.

(19)
The superiority of mādhurya over aiśvarya. The Nāga-patnīs tell Kṛṣṇa:

kasyānugraho’sya na deva vidmahe
tavāṅghri-reṇu-sparśādhikāraḥ
yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapo
vihāya kāmān suciraṁ dhṛta-vrataḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.16.36)

O Deva! What merit did this Kāliya possess that he obtained the privilege of touching the dust of Your lotus feet? We are unable to understand the nature of that merit. For the sake of obtaining this very dust of the feet, ladies such as Lakṣmī, abandoning the service of Nārāyaṇa and other desires, performed austerities for a long time while observing vows – yet even they did not attain it. It appears that the root cause is only Your causeless mercy.

(20)
Service to Kṛṣṇa is not fully attained through aiśvarya. Uddhva states:

nāyaṁ śriyo’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ
svar-yoṣitāṁ nalina-gandha-rucāṁ kuto’nyāḥ
rāsotsave’sya bhuja-daṇḍa-gṛhīta-kaṇṭha-
labdhāśiṣāṁ ya udagād vraja-vallabhīnām
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.60)

Goddess Lakṣmī, endowed with opulence, did not obtain the fortune of rendering service to Kṛṣṇa.

Uddhava said: What shall I say of the fortune of the beautiful cowherd maidens of Vraja? At the festival of the rāsa dance, they embraced Kṛṣṇa’s arms and received blessings by clasping His neck. That mercy, being the very favour of love, was not attained even by Lakṣmī, nor by the celestial damsels whose fragrance is like a lotus. What then to speak of other women?

(21)
āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ
vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām
yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ ca hitvā
bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ śrutibhir vimṛgyām
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.61)

None matched the fortune of the beautiful women of Vraja. Were I to take birth among the shrubs, creepers, and herbs of Vṛndāvana, I should thereby obtain the service of the dust of their feet – for they, having abandoned all that is difficult to renounce, namely their own families and the path of Vedic propriety, have worshipped the way of Mukunda, which even the śrutis seek in vain.

(22)
vande nanda-vraja-strīṇāṁ pāda-reṇum abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
yāsāṁ hari-kathodgītaṁ punāti bhuvana-trayam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.63)

I perpetually offer my obeisances to those women of the cowherd village of Nanda, whose singing of the narrations of Hari purifies all the three worlds.

(23)
Nanda tells Uddhava:

manaso vṛttayo naḥ syuḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāmbujāśrayāḥ
vāco’bhidhāyinīr nāmnāṁ kāyas tat-prahvaṇādiṣu
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.66)

May our minds take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. May our speech be ever engaged in uttering His names. May our bodies bow down to Him etc.

(24)
Uddhava states:

etāḥ paraṁ tanu-bhṛto bhuvi gopa-vadhvo
govinda eva nikhilātmani rūṭha-bhāvāḥ
vāñchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayaṁ ca
kiṁ brahma-janmabhir ananta-kathā-rasasya
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.58)

These gopī women, who bear bodies upon this earth, are supremely blessed. There is no talk here even of the transcendental bodies of the perfected gopīs. For the sādhana-siddha (those perfected through sādhana), to attain the form of a gopī in Vraja is itself a great achievement. These gopīs, embodied residents of Nanda-vraja, are supremely blessed in every way. In Govinda, the soul of all souls, their bhāva is so deeply rooted. Those who are about to attain liberation, the sages, and we, the servants and attendants of the Lord – we always aspire for this bhāva, for even for us it is extremely rare. Those who are absorbed in the nectar of the endless narrations of the Lord – for them, even a birth as Brahmā is of little significance.

(25)
Brahmā says:

aho’tidhanyā vraja-go-ramaṇyaḥ
stanyāmṛtaṁ pītam atīva te mudā
yāsāṁ vibho vatsatarātmajātmanā
yat tṛptaye’dyāpy atha nacālam adhvarāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.31)

The cowherd-women of Vraja are also exceedingly blessed, for Kṛṣṇa drank the nectar of their breasts with joy. Since the Lord had not yet been obtained even by those sages who had accumulated vast merit, He, in order to give those women satisfaction, took the form of a calf and a prince and drank their breast-milk.

(26)
The women of Mathurā said:

gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran yad amuṣya rūpaṁ
lāvaṇya-sāram asamordhvam ananya-siddham
dṛgbhiḥ pibanty anusavābhinavaṁ durāpam
ekānta-dhāma yaśasaḥ śriya aiśvarasya
 (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.44.14)

The women of Mathurā exclaimed: Oh, what austerities did the gopīs perform, that they were able to drink through their eyes the form of Kṛṣṇa – incomparable, unexcelled, replete with all essence of beauty, uniquely perfected? This form is exceedingly difficult to obtain; it manifests ever-fresh and new at every moment, and is the singular abode of fame, beauty, and divine majesty.

(27)
yā dohane’vahanane mathanopalepa-
preṅkheṅkhanārbha-ruditokṣaṇa-mārjanādau
gāyanti cainam anurakta-dhiyo’śru-kaṇṭhyo
dhanyā vraja-striya urukrama-citta-yānāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.44.15)

Those women of Vraja – while milking, husking, churning curds, smearing the floor, rocking cradles, winnowing, soothing crying children, and sweeping – with hearts full of loving attachment and voices choked with tears, would perpetually sing of Kṛṣṇa as the foremost subject enthroned within their minds.

(28)
prātar vrajād vrajata āviśataś ca sāyaṁ
gobhiḥ samaṁ kvaṇayato’sya niśamya veṇum
nirgamya tūrṇam abalāḥ pathi bhūri-puṇyāḥ
paśyanti sa-smita-mukhaṁ sa-dayāvalokam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.44.16)

In the morning, when Kṛṣṇa set out from Vraja (to the pastures) and in the evening when He returned, hearing the sound of His flute played in the company of the cows, those blessed women, rich in accumulated merit, would swiftly come out of their homes and behold, on the broad path, the smiling face of Kṛṣṇa.

(29-30)
As regards āścarya (wonder), Sūta told Śaunaka and the sages:

sa eṣa nara-loke’sminn avatīrṇaḥ sva-māyayā
reme strī-ratna-kūṭastho bhagavān prākṛto yathā
uddāma-bhāva-piśunāmala-valgu-hāsa-
vrīḍāvaloka-nihato madano’pi yāsām
sammuhya cāpam ajahāt pramadottamās tā
yasyendriyaṁ vimathituṁ kuhakair na śekuḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.11.35-36)

This Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, having descended into the world of human beings by means of His own cit-śakti, sported there as though He were an ordinary man among jewel-like women. Those foremost of women – by whose unbridled beauty, sweet words indicative of deep love, pure and gentle laughter, and glances full of bashfulness even the inferior demigod of love, was struck and bewildered and dropped his bow – even those most excellent ladies, despite all their fitting and charming endeavours, were unable to agitate His senses.

(31)
gāḥ sannivartya sāyāhne saha-rāmo janārdanaḥ
veṇuṁ viraṇayan goṣṭham agād gopair abhiṣṭutaḥ
gopīnāṁ paramānanda āsīd govinda-darśane
kṣaṇaṁ yuga-śatam iva yāsāṁ yena vinābhavat
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.19.15-16)

In the evening, returning with the cows and accompanied by Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa comes playing the flute, being glorified by the cowherd boys. Upon beholding Govinda, the gopīs were filled with supreme bliss. In separation from Kṛṣṇa, even a single moment passes for them as though a hundred yugas.

(32)
The gopīs declare:

akṣaṇvatāṁ phalam idaṁ na paraṁ vidāmaḥ
sakhyaḥ paśūn anuviveśatayor vayasyaiḥ
vaktraṁ vrajeśa-sutayor anuveṇu-juṣṭaṁ
yair vā nipītam anurakta-kaṭākṣa-mokṣam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.21.7)

O sakhīs! As Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa enter the forest behind the cows, accompanied by Their cowherd friends, They play the flute and cast affectionate sidelong glances. Those who behold that sight – I do not know of any greater perfection for the eyes than seeing the moon-like face of Kṛṣṇa.

(33)
gopyaḥ kim ācarad ayaṁ kuśalaṁ sma veṇur
dāmodarādhara-sudhām api gopikānām
bhuṅkte svayaṁ yad avaśiṣṭa-rasaṁ hradinyo
hṛṣyat-tvaco’śru mumucus taravo yathāryāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.21.9)

O gopīs! What pious deeds has this flute performed, that it drinks the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips meant for the gopīs themselves? Along with the song flowing from it, even the rivers obtain its remnants, and the trees, thrilled with joy, shed tears. The trees think, ‘Wonderful! Such a worthy descendant has appeared in our lineage,’ just as noble families rejoice when even one Vaiṣṇava is born in their line.

(34)
kṛṣṇaṁ nirīkṣya vanitotsava-rūpa-śīlaṁ
śrutvā ca tat-kvaṇita-veṇu-vicitra-gītam
devyo vimāna-gatayaḥ smara-nunna-sārā
bhraśyat prasūna-kavarā mumuhur vinīvyaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.21.12)

Look! Having beheld this form of Kṛṣṇa, in whom resides the very essence that is the festival of all women, and having heard the melody of His vibrating flute, the celestial goddesses travelling in their aerial cars became robbed of all composure by the force of Cupid, bereft of patience, their flower-adorned braids dishevelled and their garments slipping, and thus fell into utter bewilderment.

(35)
nadyas tadā tad upadhārya mukunda-gītam
āvarta-lakṣita-manobhava-bhagna-vegāḥ
āliṅgana-sthagitam ūrmi-bhujair murārer
gṛhṇanti pāda-yugalaṁ kamalopahārāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.21.15)

Hearing Kṛṣṇa’s song and beholding His wandering, the rivers became agitated by love and lost their natural composure. Their waves were stilled, as if embraced by Kṛṣṇa’s arms, and they offered lotuses at His two feet, as though clasping and worshipping them.

(36)
hantāyam adrir abalā haridāsa-varyo
yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparaśa-pramodaḥ
mānaṁ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat
pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kanda-mūlaiḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.21.18)

O gentle ones! Just see this astonishing thing! Govardhana Hill, the foremost among the servants of Hari, maddened with ecstatic love from the touch of the feet of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, is worshipping Them by giving water for the cows to drink, grass, and roots and bulbs.

(37)
gā gopakair anuvanaṁ nayator udāra-
veṇu-svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ
aspandanaṁ gatimatāṁ pulakas tarūṇāṁ
niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.21.19)

O gopīs! Behold another wonderful sight. Following behind Balarāma along with the cows and cowherd boys, Kṛṣṇa is expanding supreme bliss to all embodied beings through the song of His flute. Causing the moving creatures to become motionless, and causing the stationary beings such as the trees to erupt in ecstasy, He wanders about in the manner of a cowherd boy, carrying the rope for binding the cows and the rope used for milking.

(38)
Here in separation, the intensity of love is shown:

aho vidhātas tava na kvacid dayā
saṁyojya maitryā praṇayena dehinaḥ
tāṁś cākṛtārthān viyunaṅkṣy apārthakaṁ
vikrīḍitaṁ te’rbhaka-ceṣṭitaṁ yathā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.39.19)

The gopīs said – O providence! You have no mercy. You bring embodied beings together through affection and friendship, and then, before their desires are fulfilled, you separate them from one another. Your activity is futile, like the play of a child.

(39)
yasyānurāga-lalita-smita-valgu-mantra-
līlāvaloka-parirambhaṇa-rāsa-goṣṭhām
nītāḥ sma naḥ kṣaṇam iva kṣaṇadā vinā taṁ|
gopyaḥ kathaṁ nv atitarema tamo durantam
 (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.39.29)

In His rāsa-līlā, becoming delighted by His loving attachment, graceful smiles, intimate conversations, playful glances, and embraces, we passed the nights as though they were but a moment. Now, in separation from Him, how shall we pass through this unbearable darkness of suffering?

(40)
tā nirāśā nivavṛtur govinda-vinivartane
viśokā ahanī ninyur gāyantyaḥ priya-ceṣṭitam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.39.37)

When Kṛṣṇa departed for Mathurā, these gopīs, losing all hope of His return, became resigned, and, freed from grief, began to pass their days singing of the līlās of Kṛṣṇa’s beloved pastimes.

(41)
Rādhikā told Uddhava:

api bata madhu-puryām ārya-putro’dhunāste
smarati sa pitṛ-gehān saumya bandhūṁś ca gopān
kvacid api sa kathāṁ naḥ kiṅkarīṇāṁ gṛṇīte
bhujam aguru-sugandhaṁ mūrdhny adhāsyat kadā nu
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.21)

O, does our noble boy dwell now in Mathurā? Does He remember His father’s home and His cowherd companions? O gentle Uddhava! We are His maidservants – does He ever speak of us? When shall He come and place upon our heads His hand, fragrant with perfumed oil?

(42)
Kṛṣṇa wrote in His letter (to the gopīs):

yat tv ahaṁ bhavatīnāṁ vai dūre varte priyo dṛśām
manasaḥ sannikarṣārthaṁ mad-anudhyāna-kāmyayā
yathā dūra-care preṣṭhe mana āviśya vartate
strīṇāṁ ca na tathā cetaḥ sannikṛṣṭe’kṣi-gocare
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.34-35)

O gopīs! O you who are dear to behold! The reason I remain far from you is only for the sake of your minds becoming absorbed in contemplation of Me. The minds of women become deeply attached to a beloved who has gone far away, yet it does not happen when he remains visible before the eyes.

 (43)
In Vraja, the mood of the eternally perfect associates (nitya-siddha) is of one kind, whereas the mood of those who have attained perfection
through spiritual practice (sādhana-siddhas) is somewhat different. Kṛṣṇa says:

yā mayā krīḍatā rātryāṁ vane’smin vraja āsthitāḥ
alabdha-rāsāḥ kalyāṇyo māpur mad-vīrya-cintayā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.37)

In this forest of Vraja-bhūmi, I sported during the night of the rāsa. Those fortunate ones who could not come to My rāsa (the sādhana-siddhas) attained Me through meditation upon Me.

(44)
In separation, the hope of attaining Kṛṣṇa is exceedingly strong. The gopīs said:

paraṁ saukhyaṁ hi nairāśyaṁ svairiṇy apy āha piṅgalā
taj jānatīnāṁ naḥ kṛṣṇe tathāpy āśā duratyayā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.47)

The courtesan Piṅgalā declared that desirelessness itself is the greatest happiness. We know this, yet it is difficult to relinquish the hope of attaining Kṛṣṇa.

(45)
The rasa of parakīya-bhāva is exceedingly nourishing. For this reason, Yogamāyā arranged it thus in Goloka and in Vraja.
Seeing that mood in Vraja, Uddhava was filled with wonder and said:

kvemāḥ striyo vana-carīr vyabhicāra-duṣṭāḥ
kṛṣṇe kva caiṣa paramātmani rūṭha-bhāvaḥ
nanv īśvaro’nubhajato’viduṣo’pi sākṣāc
chreyas tanoty agada-rāja ivopayuktaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.59)

Oh, these women of Vraja wander in the forests and increase their love for Kṛṣṇa, regarding Him as their paramour. They do not fear the foolish disputations of the Smārtas. O, how deep and firmly rooted is their sentiment toward Paramātmā Śrī Kṛṣṇa in this parakīya-bhāva! See! The omniscient Supreme Lord extends the highest good to those who follow Him devotedly, just as the finest medicine, when administered, invariably bestows its benefit. Just as the natural potency of a substance acts on its own, so too does the transcendental potency of the object of love act of itself.

(46)
Nevertheless, not all of them have this (parakīya-bhava) – some have svakīya.
Here is the svakīya-bhāva of some among them. Śuka relates:

kātyāyani mahāmāye mahā-yoginy adhīśvari
nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devi patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.22.44)

“O Mahāmāyā Kātyāyanī, O presiding deity, O great Yoginī! Grant me the Son of Nanda as my husband.” Chanting this mantra, the young virgin gopīs performed their worship.

(47)
Kṛṣṇa said:

saṅkalpo viditaḥ sādhvyo bhavatināṁ madarcanam
mayānu-moditaḥ so’sau satyo bhavitum arhati
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.22.25)

O virtuous ladies! I have come to know your resolve. You desire to worship Me. Blessed with My sanction, may this resolve of yours be fulfilled.

(48)
na mayy āveśitadhiyāṁ kāmaḥ kāmāya kalpate
bharjitāḥ kvathitā dhānā prāyo bījāya neṣyate
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.22.26)

For a person whose mind is absorbed in Me, desire does not arise for the purpose of generating further desire – just as roasted or boiled paddy contains no potency to fructify. 

(49)
Parakīya is rāgānuga. Śuka speaks about the sādhana-siddha:

tatraikā vidhṛtā bhartrā bhagavantaṁ yathā-śrutam
hṛḍopaguhya vijahau dehaṁ karmānubandhanam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.23.35)

Some women, being prevented by their husbands, embraced Kṛṣṇa within their hearts and abandoned the body that was bound by karmika ties.

(50-51)
The affection of the women of Vraja in parakīyā-rasa is samarthā (affection that controls Kṛṣṇa).
The affection of the city-women in svakīyā-rasa is samañjasā (affection that is balanced due to social norms). I
n regards to the determination of those who are samarthā, the yajñika-brāhmaṇīs said:

nāsāṁ dvijāti-saṁskāro na nivāso gurāv api
na tapo nātma-mīmāṁsā na śaucaṁ na kriyāḥ śubhāḥ
athāpi hy uttamaḥśloke kṛṣṇe yogeśvareśvare
bhaktir dṛḍhā na cāsmākaṁ saṁskārādimatām api
 (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.23.43-44)

They underwent no saṁskāras (purificatory observances) proper to their station, no residence in a guru’s household, no austerity, no self-inquiry, no acts of ritual purity, or meritorious conduct. Yet the firm devotion to Uttamaśloka Kṛṣṇa – the Lord of the masters of yoga – which they possessed, does not arise in our fortune, though we are endowed with such saṁskāras.

(52)
This is the sādharaṇi-rati of Kubjā. Śuka tells Parīkṣit:

tato rūpa-guṇaudārya-sampannā prāha keśavam
uttarīyāntam akṛṣya smayantī jāta-hṛc-chayā
ehi vīra gṛhaṁ yāmo na tvāṁ tyaktum ihotsahe
tvayonmathita-cittāyāḥ prasīda puruṣarṣabha
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.23.42-44)

Endowed with beauty, noble qualities, and magnanimity, Kubjā, seizing the hem of Kṛṣṇa’s upper garment, spoke with the force of amorous passion – “O hero! Come, let us go home. I cannot release you. You have churned my heart into agitation. O best of men! Be pleased with me!”

(53)
Akrūra tells Kṛṣṇa:

kaḥ paṇḍitas tvad aparaṁ śaraṇaṁ samīyād
bhakta-priyād ṛta-giraḥ suhṛdaḥ kṛta-jñāt
sarvān dadāti suhṛdo bhajato’bhikāmān
ātmanam apy upacayāpacayau na yasya
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.48.26)

Kṛṣṇa, for whom there is neither loss nor gain, is dear to His devotees, true in speech, a genuine friend, and grateful by nature. He bestows upon His worshipping friends all desired objects, even His very Self. Alas! By abandoning such a Kṛṣṇa, what truly learned person would seek refuge in anyone else?

(54)
Kuvera addresses Dhruva:

bhajasva bhajanīyāṅghrim abhavāya bhava-cchidam
yuktaṁ virahitaṁ śaktyā guṇa-mayyātma-māyayā
 (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.12.6)

That Bhagavān, being connected with the māyā potency which consists of the modes of nature, sometimes remains in the form of Īśvara, and sometimes, being united with His own ātma-māyā, performs pastimes in Vraja. Worship that Kṛṣṇa, whose feet are worshipable and which sever material existence, for the attainment of supreme bliss.

(55)
Brahmā tells Nārada:

yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ
sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam
te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.42)

Those who sincerely take refuge in this infinite Bhagavān in His all-pervading form – He bestows His mercy upon them, and they are able to cross over the insurmountable illusory divine potency (deva-māyā). But those persons who consider this body – fit to be compared to that of a dog or a jackal – as ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ He never bestows His mercy upon them.

(56)
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās
tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.46)

If one is able to learn the precepts of sincere bhakti to the wondrous Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then women, śūdras, Hūṇas, Śabaras, and other sinful jīvas, as well as all those born in animal species, can come to know kṛṣṇa-tattva and be delivered from the divine illusory potency. What doubt, then, can there be in the case of those who are followers of the śruti?

This is the sixth Ray of Śrīmad Bhāgavatārka Maricī-Mālā on the topic of sambandha-jñāna
called Bhagavad-rasa-tattvam (The Principle of Divine Mellows)

Here ends the Gauḍīya Commentary known as the Marīci Prabhā
on the sixth Ray of Śrīmad Bhāgavatārka Maricī-Mālā
called ‘Bhagavad-rasa-tattvam.’