आनन्दचन्द्रिकस्तोत्रम्
Ānanda-candrikā-stotram
“Moonlight of Bliss”
A hymn of ten names of Śrī Rādhikā
By Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda
Introduction
Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces his commentary on this Ānanda-candrikā-stotram, the first stotra in the Stava-mālā in praise of Śrī Rādhikā, with a verse of his own composition:
ānanda-mūrtir api nanda-suto nivindaty
āsādya yāṁ sukha-tatiṁ paramāṁ pareśaḥ |
tāṁ citta-sadmani nidhāya guṇair agādhāṁ
rādhāṁ tadīya-nutiṣu pratanomi ṭīkām ||
“Fixing in the abode of [my] heart
Rādhā,
She who is unfathomable by virtue of [her] qualities
And a paramount mass of bliss
Upon attaining whom
Even the Embodiment of bliss,
The Son of Nanda,
The Supreme Īśa,
Submits [himself],
I compose a commentary on her praises
[i.e., on the hymns in her praise here in Stava-mālā].”
Ānanda-candrikā-stotram
राधा दामोदरप्रेष्ठा राधिका वार्षभानवी ।
समस्तबल्लवीवृन्दधम्मिल्लोत्तंसमल्लिका ॥१॥
rādhā dāmodara-preṣṭhā rādhikā vārṣabhānavī |
samasta-ballavī-vṛnda-dhammillottaṁsa-mallikā ||1||
(1) Rādhā,
(2) The Excellent Lover of Dāmodara,
(3) Rādhikā,
(5) Vārṣabhānavī,
(5) The Jasmine Flowers atop the chaplet in the chignon of all the bands of ballavīs …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains these first five names as follows:
rādhnoti saṁsādhayati preṣṭhasya śrī-kṛṣṇasya vāñchitānīti rādhā | dāmodarasya yaśodā-sutasya hareḥ preṣṭhātiprīti-kartrī | rādhayati samarcayati nijeśa-bhāvena kṛṣṇam iti rādhikā | vṛṣabhāno rājñaḥ putrīti vārṣabhānavī | samastānāṁ ballavī-vṛndānāṁ dhammillottaṁsa-mallikā | keśa-jūṭa-bhūṣaṇa-srag ity arthaḥ | rāja-putrītvena sauhārdādi-guṇavattayā sarveśvarītvena ca tāsāṁ sarvāsāṁ vandanīyeti yāvat |
“Because she fulfills (rādhnoti) the desires of her Beloved, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she is [known as] Rādhā. ‘The Excellent Lover of Dāmodara’ (Dāmodara-preṣṭhā) means she is a performer of excellent love for Hari, the Son of Yaśodā. Because she worships Kṛṣṇa with the bhāva of [him being] her own master, she is [known as] Rādhikā. Because she is the Daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, she is [known as] Vārṣabhānavī. ‘The Jasmine Flowers atop the chaplet in the chignon of all the bands of ballavīs’ (Samasta-ballavī-vṛnda-dhammillottaṁsa-mallikā) means she is like a flower garland ornament in the tied hair of all the bands of ballavīs in so far as she is honorable for all of them because of [her] being the daughter of a king and [her] being the leader (īśvarī) of them all by virtue of [her] being possessed of [most excellent] qualities beginning with good-heartedness.”
कृष्णप्रियावलीमुख्या गान्धर्वा ललितासखी ।
विशाखासख्यसुखिनी हरिहृद्भृङ्गमञ्जरी ॥२॥
kṛṣṇa-priyāvalī-mukhyā gāndharvā lalitā-sakhī |
viśākhā-sakhya-sukhinī hari-hṛd-bhṛṅga-mañjarī ||2||
(6) The Foremost of Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds,
(7) Gāndharvā,
(8) The Friend of Lalitā,
(9) The Delighter in the friendship of Viśākhā,
(10) The Blossom for the bee of Hari’s heart …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains these last five names as follows:
ukta-śruty-ādibhyaḥ kṛṣṇa-priyāvalī-mukhyā | gānādi-vidyātiprāvīṇyād gāndharvā | lalitayā saha sakhyāl lalitā sakhī | viśākhāyāś chāyāvad anuvartinyāḥ sakhyena saukhyavattvād viśākhā-sakhya-sukhinī | kusumita-vallarīvat kṛṣṇa-mano-madhupānanda-vidhāyitvād dhari-hṛd-bhṛṅga-mañjarī |
“As per the aforementioned Śrutis and so forth [i.e., the Puruṣa-bodhinī, Gautamīya Tantra, etc.], she is the Foremost (Mukhyā) of Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds (Kṛṣṇa-priyāvalī). Because of [her] excellent skillfulness in the arts of singing and so forth, she is [known as] Gāndharvā. Because of [her] friendship with Lalitā, she is [known as] the Friend (Sakhī) of Lalitā. Because of [her] being full of delight by virtue of the friendship of Viśākhā, who follows [her] like a shadow, she is [known as] ‘The Delighter (sukhinī) in the friendship (sakhya) of Viśākhā.’ Because of [her] being a cause of bliss for the bee [lit., ‘nectar-drinker’] of Kṛṣṇa’s heart like a blossomed vine, she is [known as] ‘The Blossom (Mañjarī) for the bee (bhṛṅga) of Hari’s heart (hṛt).’”
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the remaining verses in this hymn as follows:
stotrākhyāṁ tat-pāṭha-phalaṁ cāha—imām iti dvābhyām—imam … |
“Furthermore, the author describes the result of recitation of this hymn [known as Ānanda-candrikā] with two [verses]: imām ….”
इमां वृन्दावनेश्वर्या दशनाममनोरमाम् ।
आनन्दचन्द्रिकां नाम यो रहस्यां स्तुतिं पठेत् ॥३॥
स क्लेशरहितो भूत्वा भूरिसौभाग्यभूषितः ।
त्वरितं करुणापात्रं राधामाधवयोर्भवेत् ॥४॥
imāṁ vṛndāvaneśvaryā daśa-nāma-manoramām |
ānanda-candrikāṁ nāma yo rahasyāṁ stutiṁ paṭhet ||3||
sa kleśa-rahito bhūtvā bhūri-saubhāgya-bhūṣitaḥ |
tvaritaṁ karuṇā-pātraṁ rādhā-mādhavayor bhavet ||4||
One who shall recite this esoteric hymn
Known as the Ānanda-candrikā [i.e., ‘Moonlight of Bliss’]
And consisting of ten enchanting names of the Īśvarī of Vṛndāvana
Shall become free from affliction,
Adorned with immense good fortune,
And quickly a recipient
Of the compassion of Rādhā and Mādhava.
Commentary
“Free from affliction” (kleśa-rahitaḥ), according to Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda, means that one’s ignorance (avidyā) becomes destroyed (vinaṣṭāvidyaḥ san).