Bhajana Rahasya – Chapter 6

Sāyaṁ-kālīya-bhajana – bhāva

(six daṇḍas after dusk: approximately 6.00 P.M. – 8.30 P.M.)

Text 1

The sixth verse of Śikṣāṣṭaka describes the visible manifestations of perfection:

nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā
tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati

O Lord, when will tears flow from my eyes, my voice falter and all the hairs on my body stand erect as I chant Your holy names?

prema dhana vinā vyartha daridra jīvana
‘dāsa’ kari’ vetana more deha prema-dhana

“Without the wealth of prema, my wretched life is useless. O Lord, please accept me as Your paid servant and grant me the wealth of prema as wages.”

Text 2

The intrinsic nature of bhāva is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛtasindhu (1.3.2):

premnas tu prathamāvasthā bhāva ity abhidhīyate
sāttvikāḥ svalpa-mātrā syur atrāśru-pulakādayaḥ

The first stage of prema is known as bhāva. In this stage sāttvikabhāvas, such as hairs standing on end (pulaka), tears (aśru) and shivering (kampa), are slightly manifest.

premera prathamāvasthā bhāva nāma tāra
pulakāśru svalpa haya sāttvika vikāra

Text 3

The characteristics of sthāyibhāva are described in Bhaktirasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.25–6):

kṣāntir avyartha-kālatvaṁ viraktir māna-śūnyatā
āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ
āsaktis tad-guṇākhyāne prītis tad-vasati-sthale
ity ādayo ’nubhāvāḥ syur jāta-bhāvāṅkure jane

When bhāva arises, the following nine symptoms are observed in the sādhaka: forbearance, effective use of one’s time, detachment, absence of pride, steadfast hope that Kṛṣṇa will bestow His mercy, intense longing to obtain one’s goal, constant taste for chanting the holy name, attachment to hearing about Kṛṣṇa’s qualities and affection for Kṛṣṇa’s pastime-places.

kṣobhera kāraṇa sattve kṣobha nāhi haya
sadā kṛṣṇa bhaje, nāhi kare kāla-kṣaya
kṛṣṇetara-viṣaye virakti sadā raya
māna thakileo abhimānī nāhi haya
avaśya pāiba kṛṣṇa-kṛpā āśā kare
kṛṣṇa bhaje ahar ahaḥ vyākula antare
hare-kṛṣṇa-nāma-gāne ruci nirantara
śrī-kṛṣṇera guṇākhyāne āsakti vistara
prīti kare sadā kṛṣṇa-vasatira sthāne
ei anubhāva bhāvāṅkura vidyamāne

Text 4

The anubhāvas that arise in a devotee when he reaches a developed stage of bhāva are listed in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.2.2):

nṛtyaṁ viluṭhitaṁ gītaṁ krośanaṁ tanu-moṭanam
huṅkāro jṛmbhaṇaṁ śvāsabhūmā lokānapekṣitā
lālāsrāvo ’ṭṭa-hāsaś ca ghūrṇā-hikkādayo ’pi ca

The external transformations that reveal the heart’s emotions (bhāvas) are called anubhāvas. They are dancing (nṛtya), rolling on the ground (viluṭhita), singing (gīta), loud crying (krośana), writhing of the body (tanu-moṭana), roaring (huṅkāra), yawning (jṛmbhaṇa), breathing heavily (śvāsa-bhūmā), neglecting others (lokānapekṣitā), drooling (lālāsrāva), loud laughter (aṭṭa-hāsa), staggering about (ghūrṇā) and hiccups (hikkā).

nṛtya, gaḍāgaḍi, gīta, cītkāra, huṅkāra
tanu-phole, hāṅī uṭhe, śvāsa bāra bāra
lokāpekṣā chāḍe, lālāsrāva, aṭṭa-hāsa
hikkā ghūrṇā bāhya anubhāva suprakāśa

Text 5

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.3.16) describes the aṣṭa-sāttvikabhāvas as follows:

te stambha-sveda-romāñcāḥ svara-bhedo ’tha vepathuḥ
vaivarṇyam aśru pralaya ity aṣṭau sāttvikāḥ smṛtāḥ

The aṣṭa-sāttvika transformations of bhāva are: (1) becoming stunned (stambha), (2) perspiration (sveda), (3) standing of the hairs on end (romāñca), (4) faltering of the voice (svara-bheda), (5) trembling (kampa), (6) loss of colour (vaivarṇya), (7) tears (aśru) and (8) loss of consciousness or fainting (pralaya). stambha, sveda, romāñca o kampa svara-bheda vaivarṇya, pralaya, aśru vikāra-prabheda

Text 6

In his spiritual body (siddha-deha) the living entity is a transcendental servant of Kṛṣṇa. When attachment to service (dāsya-rati) arises, the jīva deems his material designations insignificant. The following statement of Śrīman Mahāprabhu is found in Padyāvalī (74):

nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrṇāmṛtābdher
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

I am not a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, nor am I a brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha or sannyāsī. My sole nature is that of a servant of the servants of the Vaiṣṇavas who are the servants of the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-vallabha, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is naturally effulgent and the complete ocean of bliss.

vipra, kṣatra, vaiśya, śūdra kabhu nāhi āmi
gṛhī, brahmacārī, vānaprastha, yati, svāmī
prabhūta paramānanda-pūrṇāmṛtāvāsa
śrī-rādhā-vallabha-dāsa-dāsera anudāsa

Text 7

In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.295) it is described how the devotee in rāga-mārga is fixed in two kinds of service moods – one is executed with his external body (sādhaka-deha) and the other with his internally contemplated body (siddha-deha):

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ

One who has intense longing to attain rāgātmikā-bhakti follows in the footsteps of the Vrajavāsīs [such as Rūpa Gosvāmī] who are devoted to rāga-mārga. With his external body (sādhaka-rūpa) he should chant and hear according to the practice of rāgānugabhakti, and with his internally contemplated body (siddha-rūpa) bestowed upon him by his guru, he should perform service.

śravaṇa-kīrtana bāhye sādhaka-śārīre
siddha-dehe vrajānuga-sevā abhyantare

Text 8

Śrīman Mahāprabhu (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 1.211)) has described the public behaviour of rāga-mārgabhaktas with the following words:

para-vyasaninī nārī vyagrāpi gṛha-karmasu
tad evāsvādayaty antar nava-saṅga-rasāyanam

When a woman is attached to a man other than her husband, she continues to carry out her many household duties, but within her heart she relishes the new pleasure of her meeting with her paramour. [Similarly, a devotee may be engaged in activities within this world, but he always relishes the rasa of Kṛṣṇa that he has tasted in the association of devotees.]

para-puruṣete rata thāke ye ramaṇī
gṛhe vyasta thākiyāo divasa-rajanī
gopane antare nava-saṅga-rasāyana
parama-ullāse kare sadā āsvādana
sei rūpa bhakta vyagra thākiyāo ghare
kṛṣṇa-rasāsvāda kara niḥsaṅga antare

Text 9

In this state of rāga-mārga-bhajana, the devotee has affection for places that are dear to Kṛṣṇa, and he longs to stay in such places. This is described in the following verse from Bhaktirasāmṛta- sindhu (1.2.156):

kadāhaṁ yamunā-tīre nāmāni tava kīrtayan
udvāṣpaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣa! racayiṣyāmi tāṇḍavam

O lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa, when, upon the banks of the Yamunā, will I chant Your holy names and dance like a madman, my eyes brimming with tears of love?

Text 10

Apart from devotees, who desire to love Kṛṣṇa, everyone else’s hearts are impure and stone-like due to offences. According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.24), the emotions exhibited by such people are artificial:

tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedaṁ
yad gṛhyamānair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ
na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro
netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ

When a sādhaka performs harināma-saṅkīrtana, the hairs of his body stand on end and tears of joy begin to flow from his eyes. But the heart of one in whom such sāttvika-bhāva transformations do not arise, is not actually a heart, but a hard thunderbolt.

harināma-saṅkīrtane roma-harṣa haya
daihika vikāra netre jala-dhārā baya
se samaye nahe yāra hṛdaya-vikāra
dhik tāra hṛdaya kaṭhina vajra-sāra

Text 11

In Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (107) it is said that when attachment (rati) for the holy name arises, the youthful form of Kṛṣṇa easily manifests:

bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā bhagavan yadi syād
daivena naḥ phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ
muktiḥ svayaṁ mukulitāñjaliḥ sevate ’smān
dharmārtha-kāma-gatayaḥ samaya-pratīkṣāḥ

O Bhagavān, if someone has steady devotion unto Your lotus feet, he easily perceives Your most charming divine youthful form. Thereafter, liberation stands before him with folded hands, and dharma, artha and kāma also wait for an opportunity to serve him.

bhakti sthiratarā yāṅra brajendra-nandana
tomāra kaiśora-mūrti tāṅra prāpya dhana
kara-yuḍi’ mukti seve tāṅhāra caraṇa
dharma-artha-kāma kare ājñāra pālana

Text 12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.30–1) describes the practice of chanting the holy name at the stage of rati in the association of pure devotees:

parasparānukathanaṁ pāvanaṁ bhagavad-yaśaḥ
mitho ratir mithas tuṣṭir nivṛttir mitha ātmanaḥ
smarantaḥ smārayantaś ca mitho ’ghaugha-haraṁ harim
bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum

Bhagavān’s glories are supremely purifying. Devotees discuss these glories amongst themselves and thus develop loving friendships, feel satisfaction, and gain release from material existence. They practise sādhana-bhakti, constantly remembering and reminding each other of the killer of Aghāsura, Śrī Hari. In this way para-bhakti, or prema-bhakti, arises in their hearts, and their bodies manifest ecstatic symptoms such as bodily hairs standing on end.

bhakta-gaṇa paraspara kṛṣṇa-kathā gāya
tāhe rati tuṣṭi sukha paraspara pāya
hari-smṛti nije kare, anyere karāya
sādhane udita bhāve pulakāśru pāya

Text 13

Sometimes the prideless pure devotee preaches nāma-prema throughout the world by the medium of kīrtana. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.6.26):

nāmāny anantasya hata-trapaḥ paṭhan
guhyāni bhadrāṇi kṛtāni ca smaran
gāṁ paryaṭaṁs tuṣṭa-manā gata-spṛhaḥ
kālaṁ pratīkṣan vimado vimatsaraḥ

[While telling his life story, Śrī Nārada said:] Not feeling shy or embarrassed, I began to chant and remember the mysterious and auspicious sweet names and pastimes of Bhagavān. My heart was already free from longing, pride and envy. Now I roamed the Earth joyfully, waiting for the right time.

lajjā chāḍi’ kṛṣṇa-nāma sadā pāṭha kare
kṛṣṇera madhura-līlā sadā citte smare
tuṣṭamana, spṛhā-mada-śūnya-vimatsara
jīvana yāpana kare kṛṣṇecchā tatpara

Text 14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.32) states:

kvacid rudanty acyuta-cintayā kvacid
dhasanti nandanti vadanty alaukikāḥ
nṛtyanti gāyanty anuśīlayanty ajaṁ
bhavanti tūṣṇīṁ param etya nirvṛtāḥ

The transcendental mahā-bhāgavata’s condition is astonishing. Sometimes he starts to worry, thinking, “So far I have not had direct audience of Bhagavān. What shall I do? Where shall I go? Whom shall I ask? Who will be able to find Him for me?” Thinking like this he begins to weep. Sometimes he receives an internal revelation (sphūrti) of Bhagavān’s sweet pastimes, and he laughs loudly as he beholds Bhagavān, who is endowed with all opulences, hiding in fear of the gopīs. Sometimes he is submerged in bliss upon receiving Bhagavān’s darśana and directly experiencing His prema. Sometimes, when situated in his siddha-deha, he speaks with Bhagavān, saying, “O Prabhu, after so long, I have attained You,” and he proceeds to sing the glories of his Lord. Sometimes, when he receives Bhagavān’s affection, he starts to dance, and sometimes he experiences great peace and remains silent.

bhāvodaye kabhu kāṅde kṛṣṇa-cintā phale
hāse ānandita haya, alaukika bale
nāce gāya, kṛṣṇa ālocane sukha pāya
līlā-anubhave haya, tūṣṇīm bhūta prāya

Text 15

Attachment to beholding the beautiful form of the deity is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.23.22):

śyāmaṁ hiraṇya-paridhiṁ vanamālya-barha
dhātu-pravāla-naṭa-veśam anuvratāṁse
vinyasta-hastam itareṇa dhunānam abjaṁ
karṇotpalālaka-kapola-mukhābja-hāsam

He is dark-complexioned like a fresh rain-cloud, and His yellow cloth, which defeats the splendour of gold, shimmers against His body. His head is decorated with a peacock feather, and every part of His body is ornamented with designs that are drawn with various coloured minerals. Sprigs of new leaves adorn His body, and around His neck is an enchanting forest-flower garland of five colours. Dressed in this way, He appears as a fresh, youthful, expert dancer. He rests one hand upon His sakhā’s shoulder and with the other He twirls a pastime lotus. His ears are decorated with earrings (kuṇḍalas), curly locks of hair splash against His cheeks, and His lotus face blossoms with a gentle smile.

kṣaṇe-kṣaṇe dekhe śyāma, hiraṇya-valita
vanamālā–śikhi-piñcha-dhātv-ādi-maṇḍita
naṭaveśa, saṅgī-skandhe nyasta-padma-kara
karṇa-bhūṣā-alakā-kapola-smitādhara

Text 16

Also in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.5):

barhāpīḍaṁ naṭa-vara-vapuḥ karṇayoḥ karṇikāraṁ
bibhrad vāsaḥ kanaka-kapiśaṁ vaijayantīṁ ca mālām
randhrān veṇor adhara-sudhayāpūrayan gopa-vṛndair
vṛndāraṇyaṁ sva-pada ramaṇaṁ prāviśad gīta-kīrtiḥ

[Seeing Kṛṣṇa through the eyes of bhāva, the gopīs in pūrva-rāga described His beauty:] Śyāmasundara is entering the forest of Vṛndāvana accompanied by His cowherd boyfriends. In His turban there is a peacock feather; over His ears, a karṇikāra flower; on His body, a pītāmbara glitters like gold; and around His neck, extending down to His knees, is a heart-stealing garland strung with five kinds of fragrant forest flowers. His beautiful dress is like that of an expert dancer on a stage, and the nectar of His lips flows through the holes of His flute. Singing His glories, the cowherd boys follow from behind. In this way, this Vṛndāvana-dhāma, which is more charming than Vaikuṇṭha, has become even more beautiful by the impressions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, which are marked with the conch, disc and other symbols.

śikhicūḍa, naṭavara, karṇe karṇikāra
pītavāsa, vaijayantī-mālā-galahāra
veṇu-randhre adhara-pīyūṣa pūrṇa kari’
sakhā-saṅge vṛndāraṇye praveśila hari

Text 17

When the holy name fully manifests, one becomes enchanted by the deity, who enchants even Himself. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.12) Śrī Uddhava says to Vidura:

yan-martya-līlaupayikaṁ sva-yoga
māyā-balaṁ darśayatā gṛhītam
vismāpanaṁ svasya ca saubhagarddheḥ
paraṁ padaṁ bhūṣaṇa-bhūṣaṇāṅgam

Through His Yogamāyā potency, Bhagavān appeared in His transcendental form suitable for His pastimes as a human being. This form was so beautiful that it not only enchanted the entire world, but also amazed Bhagavān Himself. This blessed form is the ultimate summit of beauty, and His beautiful bodily lustre even embellishes His ornaments.

martya-līlā-upayogī savismaya-kārī
prakaṭila vapu kṛṣṇa cic-chakti vistāri’
subhaga-ṛddhira para-pada camatkāra
bhūṣaṇa-bhūṣaṇa-rūpa tulanāra pāra

Text 18

Kṛṣṇa’s beauty attracts the hearts of all. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.24.65) describes the Vrajavāsīs’ anger towards Brahmā for making eyes that blink and thus obstruct their vision of Kṛṣṇa while they drink the beauty of His form:

yasyānanaṁ makara-kuṇḍala-cāru-karṇa
bhrājat-kapola-subhagaṁ savilāsa-hāsam
nityotsavaṁ na tatṛpur dṛśibhiḥ pibantyo
nāryo narāś ca muditāḥ kupitā nimeś ca

The makara-shaped earrings that swing on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s ears play in the lake of His cheeks, and this splendour increases even further the beauty of His cheeks. When He smiles with enjoyment, the bliss that is always present on His face is augmented. With the cups of their eyes, all men and women drink the nectarean beauty of His lotus face. They are never satisfied, however, so they become angry with Brahmā for creating eyes that blink and thus obstruct their relish of this sweetness.

subhaga-kapola heri’ makara-kuṇḍala
savilāsa hāsya-mukha-candra niramala
nara-nārī-gaṇa nitya-utsave mātila
nimeṣa-kārīra prati kupita haila

Text 19

The Creator fashioned Śrī Kṛṣṇa in an unprecedented way, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.13):

yad dharma-sūnor bata rājasūye
nirīkṣya dṛk-svasty-ayanaṁ tri-lokaḥ
kārtsnyena cādyeha gataṁ vidhātur
arvāk-sṛtau kauśalam ity amanyata

When the people from all three worlds who were present at Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s rājasūya-yajña beheld Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s form, which is so pleasing to the eye, they thought that in fashioning this form the Creator had reached the zenith of his expertise in creating human forms.

yūdhiṣṭhira-rāja-sūye nayana-maṅgala
kṛṣṇa-rūpa loka-traya-nivāsī sakala
jagatera sṛṣti madhye ati camatkāra
vidhātāra kauśala e karila nirdhāra

Text 20

The result of having darśana of the deity with deep, loving attachment (anurāga) is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.14):

yasyānurāga-pluta-hāsa-rāsa
līlāvaloka-pratilabdha-mānāḥ
vraja-striyo dṛgbhir anupravṛttadhiyo
’vatasthuḥ kila kṛtya-śeṣāḥ

When the young women of Vraja were honoured by Kṛṣṇa’s affectionate laughter, joking words and playful glances, their eyes would become fixed on Him. Their minds would become so absorbed in Him that they would become unaware of their bodies and homes, and they would remain standing as if lifeless – like dolls.

anurāga hāsa-rāsa-līlāvalokane
sampūjita-vraja-gopī nitya-daraśane
sarva-kṛtya-samādhāna antare māniyā
kṛṣṇa-rūpe mugdha-netre rahe dāṅḍāiyā

Text 21

The mood of absolute opulence assuming the form of sweetness (mādhurya) is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.21):

svayaṁ tv asāmyātiśayas tryadhīśaḥ
svārājya-lakṣmy-āpta-samasta-kāmaḥ
baliṁ haradbhiś cira-loka-pālaiḥ
kirīṭa-koṭīḍita-pāda-pīṭhaḥ

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Himself the Supreme Lord of the three potencies (sandhinī, saṁvit and hlādinī). No one is equal to Him, so who can be greater than Him? All of His desires are fulfilled by His own transcendental goddess of fortune (rājya-lakṣmī). Indra and innumerable other loka-pālas, deities presiding over different regions of the universe, bring Him varieties of offerings and pay their obeisances, touching the tops of their crowns to the footstool on which He rests His lotus feet.

samādhika-śūnya kṛṣṇa triśakti-īśvara
svarūpa-aiśvarye pūrṇa-kāma nirantara
sopāyana-lokapāla-kirīṭa-niścaya
lagna-pāda-pīṭha stavanīya atiśaya

Text 22

It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.16.36) that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mercy is inconceivable (acintya) and causeless (ahaitukī):

kasyānubhāvo ’sya na deva vidmahe
tavāṅghri-reṇu-sparśādhikāraḥ
yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapo
vihāya kāmān su-ciraṁ dhṛta-vratā

[The Nāgapatnīs prayed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] O Lord, we cannot understand what sādhana our husband has performed to become qualified to receive the touch of the dust of Your lotus feet. This dust is so rare that to attain it, even Your wife Lakṣmī gave up all forms of enjoyment for many, many days and performed austerities according to rules and regulations.

ki puṇye kāliya pāya pada-reṇu tava
bujhite nā pāri kṛṣṇa kṛpāra sambhava
jāhā lāgi’ lakṣmī-devī tapa ācarila
bahukāla dhṛta-vratā kāmādi chāḍila

Text 23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.60) states that the vraja-gopīs’ devotion is topmost:

nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ
svar-yoṣitāṁ nalina-gandha-rucāṁ kuto ’nyāḥ
rāsotsave ’sya bhuja-daṇḍa-gṛhīta-kaṇṭha
labdhāśiṣāṁ ya udagād vraja-sundarīṇām

In the rāsa festival, Śrī Kṛṣṇa embraced the vraja-sundarīs around their necks with His vine-like arms, thus fulfilling their hearts’ desires. Even Lakṣmī, who eternally resides on His chest, does not attain this mercy. It is also not attained by the most beautiful girls of the heavenly planets, whose bodily lustre and fragrance resemble the lotus flower, what to speak of other beautiful women.

rāse vraja-gopī skandhe bhujārpaṇa kari’
ye prasāda kaila kṛṣṇa, kahite nā pāri
lakṣmī nā pāila sei kṛpā-anubhava
anya devī kise pābe se kṛpā-vaibhava?

Text 24

All types of devotees long for gopī-bhāva. This is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.61):

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

Aho! The vraja-devīs have given up everything that is difficult to renounce, such as children, family and the path of chastity, and they have taken shelter of the path of prema-bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa that is searched for but rarely attained by the Śrutis. My prayer is that in a future birth I may acquire a form among the bushes, creepers and herbs of Śrī Vṛndāvana that receive the dust of these gopīs’ lotus feet.

dustyajya ārya-patha-svajana chāḍi’ diyā
śruti-mṛgya kṛṣṇa-pada bhaje gopī giyā
āhā! vraje gulma-latā-vṛkṣa deha dhari’
gopī-pada-reṇu ki seviba bhakti kari’?

Text 25

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.58) Uddhava mentions that Brahmā is also distracted upon seeing the mood of the gopīs:

etāḥ paraṁ tanu-bhṛto bhuvi gopa-vadhvo
govinda eva nikhilātmani rūḍha-bhāvāḥ
vāñchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayaṁ ca
kiṁ brahma-janmabhir ananta-kathā-rasasya

The gopīs have one-pointed rūḍha-bhāva towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the soul of all living entities. This is the topmost level of kṛṣṇa-prema, and by this, their lives are successful. This bhāva is hankered for, not only by fearful persons desiring liberation from this material existence, but also by great mahāpuruṣas, as well as devotees like ourselves; but none of us are able to attain it. For one whose mind is attached to kṛṣṇa-kathā, the three kinds of birth – seminal, brahminical and sacrificial – are not necessary; but for one who has no taste for hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā, what is the benefit of taking birth, even as Brahmā, again and again for many mahā-kalpas?

bhava-bhīta muni-gaṇa āra deva-gaṇa
yāṅhāra caraṇa-vāñchā kare anukṣaṇa
se govinde ruḍha-bhāvāpanna gopī dhanya
kṛṣṇa rasa-āge brahma-janma nahe gaṇya

Text 26

Even devotees inclined towards Śrī Bhagavān’s opulence (aiśvarya) long to attain gopī-bhāva. This is stated in Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam (10.44.14):

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

Sakhī, I do not know what austerities the gopīs have performed to be always drinking the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s form with their eyes. What is the nature of His form? It is the essence of bodily beauty (lāvaṇya-sāra)! Within this material existence or above it, there is no beauty equal to His, what to speak of a greater beauty. He is not decorated by anyone, nor is He perfected by ornaments and clothes. Rather, He is perfect in Himself. While seeing this form, one does not become satiated, because its beauty increases at every moment. All fame, beauty and opulence take shelter of it. Only the gopīs are fortunate enough to have such a darśana of Kṛṣṇa; no one else.

yaśaḥ śrī aiśvarya-dhāma durlabha ekānta
atīva-lāvaṇya-sāra svataḥ-siddha kānta
ki tapa karila gopī yāhe anukṣaṇa
nayanete śyāma-rasa kare āsvādana

Text 27

An introduction to the evening pastimes (sāyaṁ-kālīya-līlā) is found in Govinda-līlāmṛta (20.1):

sāyaṁ rādhāṁ sva-sakhyā nija-ramaṇa-kṛte preṣitāneka-bhojyāṁ
sakhyānīteśa-śeṣāśana-mudita-hṛdaṁ tāṁ ca taṁ ca vrajendum
susnātaṁ ramya-veśaṁ gṛham anu-jananī-lālitaṁ prāpta-goṣṭhaṁ
nirvyūḍho ’srālidohaṁ sva-gṛham anu punar bhuktavantaṁ smarāmi

I remember Śrī Rādhā who, in the evening, sends many kinds of cooked foodstuffs with Her sakhīs to Her lover, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and who becomes joyful by taking Kṛṣṇa’s remnants that are brought back to Her by Her sakhīs. I remember Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who takes bath upon returning from cowherding, who is dressed in beautiful attire, and who is fondly attended in many ways by Mother Yaśodā. He goes to the cowshed, and after milking the cows returns home for His evening meal.

śrī-rādhikā sāyaṁ-kāle, kṛṣṇa lāgi’ pāṭhāile,
sakhī haste vividha miṣṭhānna
kṛṣṇa-bhukta śeṣa āni’, sakhī dila sukha māni’,
pāñā rādhā haila prasanna
snāta ramyaveśa dhari’, yaśodā lālita hari,
sakhā-saha godohana kare
nānāvidha pakva anna, pāñā haila parasanna,
smari āmi parama ādare

Thus ends the Ṣaṣṭha-yāma-sādhana, Sāyaṁ-kālīya-bhajana, of Śrī Bhajana-rahasya.