udayaṁ prajavād ayam ety aruṇas
taruṇī-nicaye sahajākaruṇaḥ |
nibhṛtaṁ nilayaṁ vraja-nātha tatas
tvarito’ṭa kalinda-sutā-taṭataḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 1.24)
“The dawn,
By nature merciless to young women,
Has swiftly arrived at the Eastern Mountain.
Therefore, O Lord of Vraja!
Quickly and stealthily go
From the bank of the Yamunā [back] to your home.”
gokula-bandho jaya rasa-sindho
jāgṛhi talpaṁ tyaja śaśi-kalpam |
prīty-anukūlāṁ śrita-bhuja-mūlāṁ
bodhaya kāntāṁ rati-bhara-tāntām ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 1.23)
“O Friend of Gokula!
Glory to you!
O Ocean of rasa!
Wake up!
Give up this bed akin to the moon!
And awaken your lover,
Favorable out of love (prīti),
And resting on your shoulder,
Exhausted from the load of lovemaking.”
yasya śrīmac-caraṇa-kamale komale komalāpi
śrī-rādhoccair nija-sukha-kṛte sannayantī kucāgre |
bhītāpy ārād atha nahi dadhāty asya kārkaśya-doṣāt
sa śrī-goṣṭhe prathayatu sadā śeṣa-śāyī sthitiṁ naḥ ||
(Stavāvalī: Vraja-vilāsa-stava, 91)
“He whose beautiful, tender lotus feet
Śrī Rādhā intently raised for her own pleasure,
But even then became fearful
Because of the [imagined] fault of hardness
And did not hold atop the tips of her breasts
Although she is [most] tender [in figure]—
May [he,] Śeṣa-śāyī,
Extend to us
Eternal residence in beautiful Vraja.”
rādhāṅga-śaśvad-upagūhanatas tad-āpta-
dharma-dvayena tanu-citta-dhṛtena deva |
gauro dayānidhir abhūr ayi nanda-sūno
tan me manoratha-latāṁ saphalī-kuru tvaṁ ||
(Saṅkalpa-kalpa-druma: 95)
“O Deva! As a result of continuously embracing Rādhā’s figure, you have become golden and an ocean of grace by virtue of cherishing in your body and heart these two qualities acquired from her [viz., her being golden and gracious]. Ayi Son of Nanda! Therefore, may you please make the creeper of my desire fruitful.”
śrīmad-bhāgavatasya yatra paramaṁ tātparyam uṭṭaṅkitaṁ
śrī-vaiyāsakinā duranvayatayā rāsa-prasaṅge’pi yat |
yad rādhā-rati-keli-nāgara-rasāsvādaika-sad-bhājanaṁ
tad-vastu-prathanāya gaura-vapuṣā loke’vatīrṇo hariḥ ||
(Caitanya-candrāmṛta: 122)
“Hari descended in golden form for the sake of extending that object [i.e., that prema] which is the ultimate intention (tātparya) of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, which was [only] lightly indicated by Śrī Śukadeva even in the discussion of rāsa [-līlā] because of [its] being difficult to comprehend, and which is the only real means for relishing the rasa of [Śrī Kṛṣṇa,] the paramour engaged in amorous play with Rādhā.”
ataḥ sarvato’pi sāndrānanda-camatkāra-kara-śrī-kṛṣṇa-prakāśe śrī-vṛndāvane’pi paramādbhuta-prakāśaḥ śrī-rādhayā yugalitas tu śrī-kṛṣṇa iti |
(Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 189)
“Therefore, even among all the intensely blissful and astonishing prakāśas (manifestations) of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and even within [those found in] Śrī Vṛndāvana, the supremely wondrous prakāśa is that of Śrī Kṛṣṇa coupled with Śrī Rādhā.”
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.”
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.”
vinā rādhāṁ kṛṣṇo na khalu sukhadaḥ sā na sukhadā
vinā kṛṣṇaṁ dvābhyām api vinānyā na sarasāḥ |
vinā rātriṁ nendus tam api na vinā sā’pi ruci-bhāk
vinā tābhyāṁ jṛmbhāṁ dadhati kumudinyo’pi na tarām ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 8.193)
“Certainly, without Rādhā, Kṛṣṇa is not delightful, and she is not delightful without Kṛṣṇa. And alas, without both of them, others [i.e., the sakhīs] are not beautiful [alt., impassioned, lit., imbued with rasa]. Neither the moon without the night, nor it without that [i.e., nor the night without the moon] are resplendent. And without them both, white water lillies do not fully blossom.”
smara-garala-khaṇḍanaṁ mama śirasi maṇḍanaṁ
dehi pāda-pallavam udāram |
(Gīta-govinda: 10.8)
[Kṛṣṇa to Rādhā:] “Please place the ornament of the buds of your munificient feet, the antidote for Smara’s poison, atop my head.”
