Līlā

koṇenākṣṇaḥ pṛthu-ruciḥ mitho hāriṇā lihyamānāv

koṇenākṣṇaḥ pṛthu-ruciḥ mitho hāriṇā lihyamānāv
ekaikena pracura-pulakenopagūḍhau bhujena |
gaurī-śyāmau vasana-yugalaṁ śyāma-gauraṁ vasānau
rādhā-kṛṣṇau smara-vilasitoddāma-tṛṣṇau smarāmi ||
(Stava-mālā; attributed to Bṛhad-dhyāna: 1; cited in Daśa-ślokī-bhāṣya: 1.26)

“Lapping up one another
With the charming corners
Of their broad, brilliant eyes,
Embracing [one another]
With each of their arms horripilating profusely,
Bright and dark [in complexion],
Wearing pairs of garments dark and bright [in color]—
I remember Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa,
Of unbound desire
In the midst of their play of amour.”

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caitanyacandra-caritāmṛta-śuddha-sindhu

caitanyacandra-caritāmṛta-śuddha-sindhu-
vṛndāvanīya-surasormi-samun-nimagnāḥ |
ye vai jagan nija-guṇaiḥ svayam āpunanti
tān vaiṣṇavāṁś ca hari-nāma-parān namāmi ||
(Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 1.38)

“I offer obeisance to them,
The Vaiṣṇavas,
Who are devoted to Hari’s name,
Who personally purify the universe
With their own qualities,
And who are joyfully immersed
In the waves of the excellent rasa of Vṛndāvana
Within the pure ocean of the nectar
Of Caitanyacandra’s līlā.”

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siṁhāsanasya madhye śrī-gaura-kṛṣṇaṁ smaret tataḥ

siṁhāsanasya madhye śrī-gaura-kṛṣṇaṁ smaret tataḥ |
dakṣiṇe baladevaṁ śrī-nityānanda-suvigraham ||
vāme gadādharaṁ devam ānanda-śakti-vigraham |
devasyāgre karṇikāyām advaitaṁ viśva-pāvanam ||
tad-dakṣiṇe bhakta-varyaṁ śrīvāsaṁ chatra-hastakam |
caturdikṣu mahānandamayaṁ bhakta-gaṇaṁ tathā ||
(Caitanyārcana-candrikā; cited in Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 2.8)

“Remember Śrī Gaurakṛṣṇa upon the siṁhāsana, and then on the right [of him] the fine figure of Śrī Nityānanda, who is Baladeva [himself], on the left [of Gaurakṛṣṇa] Gadādharadeva, the figure of the ānanda-śakti, in front of Deva [i.e., Gaurakṛṣṇa] in the whorl Advaita, the purifier of the universe, to his [i.e., Advaita’s] right the foremost of the bhaktas, Śrīvāsa, holding a parasol in hand, and in the four directions bhaktas full of great bliss.”

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yat kiñcit tṛṇa-gulma-kīkaṭa-mukhaṁ goṣṭhe samastaṁ hi tat

yat kiñcit tṛṇa-gulma-kīkaṭa-mukhaṁ goṣṭhe samastaṁ hi tat
sarvānandamayaṁ mukunda-dayitaṁ līlānukūlaṁ param |
śāstrair eva muhur muhuḥ sphuṭam idaṁ niṣṭaṅkitaṁ yāchñayā
brahmāder api saspṛheṇa tad idaṁ sarvaṁ mayā vandyate ||
(Stavāvalī: Vraja-vilāsa-stava, 102)

“Everything beginning with the grass, shrubs, and insects in Vraja is indeed constituted of all bliss, beloved to Mukunda, and completely favorable to [his] līlā; this is declared by the śāstras again and again by means of the prayers of Brahmā and others [e.g., Uddhava], and all of this [i.e., everything in Vraja] is [thus] bowed to by me with longing.”

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aho’tiramyaṁ pulinaṁ vayasyāḥ

aho’tiramyaṁ pulinaṁ vayasyāḥ
sva-keli-sampan mṛdulāccha-vālukam |
sphuṭat-saro-gandha-hṛtāli-patri-ka-
dhvani-pratidhvāna-lasad-drumākulam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.13.5)

[Kṛṣṇa:] “Aho! Friends! This bank is very pleasant, with amenities for our play; soft, clear sand; and an abundance of swaying trees and echoes of sounds from the water of birds and bees attracted by the fragrance of the blooming pools.”

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pariniṣṭhito’pi nairguṇya uttama-śloka-līlayā

pariniṣṭhito’pi nairguṇya uttama-śloka-līlayā |
gṛhīta-cetā rājarṣe ākhyānaṁ yad adhītavān ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.1.9)

“O royal sage! Although I was completely immersed in that which is beyond the guṇas, my consciousness was captivated by the līlā of he of highest praise [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and [thus] I studied this narration [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam]”

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sva-sukha-nibhṛta-cetās tad-vyudastānya-bhāvo

sva-sukha-nibhṛta-cetās tad-vyudastānya-bhāvo
’py ajita-rucira-līlākṛṣṭa-sāras tadīyam |
vyatanuta kṛpayā yas tattva-dīpaṁ purāṇaṁ
tam akhila-vṛjina-ghnaṁ vyāsa-sūnuṁ nato’smi ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.12.69)

“I offer obeisance unto him, the destroyer of all adversity, the son of Vyāsa [i.e., Śukadeva Gosvāmī]. Although his consciousness was filled with the bliss of the self and he had thus cast away all other affects, his heart was attracted by the brilliant līlā of the Unconquerable One [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and he graciously disseminated this Purāṇa dedicated to him [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] which illuminates Tattva.”

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tac ca śrī-ballavī-prāṇanātha-pāda-sarojayoḥ

tac ca śrī-ballavī-prāṇanātha-pāda-sarojayoḥ |
premaiva tad-vraja-prema-sājātīyaṁ na cetarat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.214)

“That [i.e., your sādhana to attain your Iṣṭadeva], moreover, is simply prema for the lotus feet of the beautiful ballavī’s Beloved [lit., the Lord of the gopīs’ prāṇas, that is, hearts, lives, or vital airs] which resembles the [highly celebrated] prema for him [found] in Vraja, and is not otherwise.”

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kālena vṛndāvana-keli-vārttā

kālena vṛndāvana-keli-vārttā
lupteti tāṁ khyāpayituṁ viśiṣya |
kṛpāmṛtenābhiṣiṣeca devas
tatraiva rūpaṁ ca sanātanaṁ ca ||
(Caitanyacandrodaya-nāṭaka: 9.38; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.119)

“In the course of time, discussion of the play [i.e., līlā of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa] in Vṛndāvana was lost. Therefore, to distinguish and disseminate this, Deva [i.e., Śrīman Mahāprabhu], specifically in this respect, anointed Rūpa and Sanātana with the nectar of his grace.”

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bhagavān api tā rātṛīḥ śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ

bhagavān api tā rātṛīḥ śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ |
vīkṣya rantuṁ manaś cakre yogamāyām upāśritaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.29.1)

“Seeing those nights in the autumn blooming with jasmine flowers, even Bhagavān made up his mind to enjoy and took recourse to yogamāyā.”

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