Vraja-līlā

vyavahāro’sya teṣāṁ ca so’nyonyaṁ prema-vardhanaḥ

vyavahāro’sya teṣāṁ ca so’nyonyaṁ prema-vardhanaḥ |
vaikuṇṭhe paramaiśvarya-pade na kila sambhavet ||
tādṛśī sāpy ayodhyeyaṁ dvārakāpi tato’dhikā |
ataḥ sa lokaḥ kṛṣṇena dūrataḥ parikalpitaḥ ||
sukha-krīḍā-viśeṣo’sau tatratyānāṁ ca tasya ca |
mādhuryāntyāvadhiṁ prāptaḥ sidhyet tatrocitāspade ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.85–87)

“That dealing of he and of them [i.e., that dealing resembling that of worldly kinsmen (laukika-bandhu) between Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his bhaktas in Goloka which was discussed in BB 2.5.81–83] which is increasing of the prema of one another [i.e., of the prema of them both for one another mutually] is certainly not possible in Vaikuṇṭha, the domain of paramount aiśvarya. Even that [domain experienced by you known as] Ayodhyā, and even Dvārakā beyond that [because of its exceedingly paramount aiśvarya], is similar [i.e., is similar to Vaikuṇṭha in that paramount aiśvarya is greatly prominent in those two domains and thus they are not suitable places for such dealings which resemble that of worldly kinsmen and which increase the prema of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his bhaktas for one another superlatively]. Therefore, that plane (loka) [viz., Goloka] has been established far away [from Vaikuṇṭha, Ayodhyā, and Dvārakā] by Kṛṣṇa. That special form of bliss and play of he and of they there [i.e., of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his associates there in Goloka], possessed of the ultimate limit of mādhurya, can be accomplished [only] in that appropriate abode [viz., Goloka, i.e., only in that abode most appropriate for the flourishing of the prema of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his associates for one another].”

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ete na vaikuṇṭha-nivāsi-pārṣadā

ete na vaikuṇṭha-nivāsi-pārṣadā
no vānarās te na ca yādavā api |
goloka-lokā bhavad-eka-jīvanā
naśyanty aśakyā bhagavan mayāvitum ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.238)

“[Śrī Baladeva appeals to Śrī Kṛṣṇa as he remains bound within the coils of the serpent Kālīya:] These are neither associates residing in Vaikuṇṭha, nor the forest monkeys, nor even the Yādavas. The people of Goloka, they whose life is you alone, are dying, and are unable to be saved by me, O Bhagavān!”

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saprema-bhakteḥ paramānukūlaṁ

saprema-bhakteḥ paramānukūlaṁ
dainyaṁ mahāpuṣṭi-karaṁ sadā vaḥ |
tasyāpi tat-prema-vibhāvane’laṁ
bhogākula-grāmya-vihāra-jātaṁ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.74)

“[Śrī Nārada along with Uddhava to Gopa Kumāra:] The humility (dainya) of you all is always highly favorable for, and greatly nourishing of, bhakti [endowed] with prema, and the profusion of sport resembling [that of] a villager absorbed in enjoyment even on his [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān’s] part is well capable in regard to manifesting prema for him.”

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atra sārvajñatvaṁ mahaiśvaryam eva na tu mādhuryam

atra sārvajñatvaṁ mahaiśvaryam eva na tu mādhuryam | mādhuryaṁ khalu tad eva yad aiśvarya-vinābhūta-kevala-nara-līlātvena maugdhyam iti sthūla-dhiyo bruvate ||2||
mādhuryādikaṁ nirūpyate | mahaiśvaryasya dyotane vādyotane ca nara-līlātvānatikramo mādhuryam | yathā pūtanā-prāṇa-hāritve’pi stana-cūṣaṇa-lakṣaṇa-nara-bala-līlātvam eva | mahākaṭhora-śakaṭa-sphoṭane’py ati-sukumāra-caraṇa-traimāsikyottāna-śāyi-bāla-līlātvam | mahādīrgha-dāmāśakya-bandhatve’pi mātṛ-bhīti-vaiklavyam | brahma-baladevādi-mohane’pi sārvajñatve’pi vatsa-cāraṇa-līlātvam | tathā aiśvarya-sattva eva tasyādyotane dadhi-payaś-cauryaṁ gopa-strī-lāmpaṭyādikam | aiśvarya-rahita-kevala-nara-līlātvena maugdhyam eva mādhuryam ity ukteḥ krīḍā-capala-prākṛta-nara-bālakeṣv api maugdhyaṁ mādhuryam iti tathā na nirvācyam ||3||
(Rāga-vartma-candrikā: 2.2–3)

“‘In this regard, omniscience (sārvajñatva) is only [an instance of] great aiśvarya and not, rather, mādhurya; mādhurya verily is simplicity [i.e., charming unknowing] (maugdhya) on account of the nature of pure human līlā isolated from aiśvarya.’ This the dull-witted say [i.e., the idea that omniscience (sārvajñatva) is invariably an aspect of aiśvarya and is non-existent within mādhurya is erroneous, and the reason for that will now be explained]. Mādhurya and so forth [i.e., aiśvarya] are now to be described [to provide an apt understanding of the nature of both]. Non-contravention of the nature of human līlā in the midst of manifestation or non-manifestation of great aiśvarya is [called] mādhurya, as in (1) the nature of the līlā of a human baby in the form of suckling Pūtanā’s breast even while being the remover of her prāṇas [i.e., mādhurya is shown in the case of Śrī Kṛṣṇa retaining the appearance of a normal human child while sucking the breast of Pūtanā yet also liberating her by drawing the prāṇas out of her body], (2) the nature of the līlā of a three-month old baby with exceedingly tender feet lying on a bed even while breaking apart a very hard cart [i.e., mādhurya is shown in the case of Śrī Kṛṣṇa breaking the cart under which he was placed with his tender baby foot], (3) the bewilderment [he felt and exhibited] in fear of [his] mother even while being unable to be bound by very long ropes [i.e., mādhurya is shown in the case of Śrī Kṛṣṇa crying in fear of punishment from his mother even while defying her attempts to bind him with rope], (4) the nature of the līlā of herding calves even in the midst of [his] omniscience even amid of the perplexity of Brahmā, Baladeva, and others [i.e., mādhurya is shown in the case of Śrī Kṛṣṇa acting like a playful and confused cowherd boy even while self-manifesting himself in the forms of the calves and friends he appeared to be searching for after they were abducted by Brahmā and thus bewildering Brahmā, Baladeva, and all other living beings], (5) and [his] theft of milk and yoghurt, lustfulness for cowherd women, and so on during non-manifestation of [his] aiśvarya indeed amid its presence [in him, i.e., mādhurya is shown in the case of Śrī Kṛṣṇa stealing milk and yoghurt, pursuing gopīs amorously, and other such acts during which there was no overt manifestation of the aiśvarya inherently and invariably present in him]. On account of the [errant] statement [posited above] that mādhurya is specifically simplicity [i.e., charming unknowing] (maugdhya) on account of [only that being of] the nature of pure human līlā free from aiśvarya, the simplicity existent even among mundane human children thoughtlessly at play is [also to be regarded as] mādhurya [as a result of such an erroneous definition]. Thus, such is unfit to be said [i.e., mādhurya is not an utter absence of any manifestation of aiśvarya but rather non-contravention of the general nature of human līlā irrespective of whether any manifestation of great aiśvarya is co-occurent with it or not because if mādhurya were not defined this in this way and rather as only a state of being limited in awareness like a human being then excessive pervasion [i.e., breadth] of the definition would occur since it would include even common human children engaged in care-free play].”

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mātaḥ sapady eva vimiśritā gavāṁ

mātaḥ sapady eva vimiśritā gavāṁ
hambā-ravair veṇu-viṣāṇa-nikvaṇāḥ |
taumbeya-vīṇā-dala-vādya-carcitā
jātā gabhīrā madhurā vidūrataḥ ||
tau prāpitau bodham amībhir utthitau
tad-dīrgha-nādābhimukhe’bhyadhāvatām |
gopāla-devaṁ tam apaśyatām atho
suśyāma-gātra-dyuti-maṇḍalojjvalam ||
paśūn payaḥ pāyayituṁ vayasyaiḥ
samaṁ vihartuṁ taraṇeḥ sutāyām |
gajendra-līlārcita-nṛtya-gatyā-
ntike samāyāntam ananta-līlam ||
svakīya-kaiśora-mahāvibhūṣaṇaṁ
vicitra-lāvaṇya-taraṅga-sāgaram |
jagan-mano-netra-mudaṁ vivardhanaṁ
muhur muhur nūtana-mādhurī-bhṛtam ||
niḥśeṣa-sal-lakṣaṇa-sundarāṅgaṁ
nīpāvataṁsaṁ śikhi-piccha-cūḍam |
muktāvalī-maṇḍita-kambu-kaṇṭhaṁ
kauṣeya-pītāmbara-yugma-dīptam ||
guñjā-mahā-hāra-vilamba-bhūṣita-
śrī-vatsa-lakṣmy-ālaya-pīna-vakṣasam |
siṁhendra-madhyaṁ śata-siṁha-vikramaṁ
saubhāgya-sārārcita-pāda-paṅkajam ||
kadamba-guñja-tulasī-śikhaṇḍa-
pravāla-mālāvali-cāru-veṣam |
kaṭī-taṭī-rājita-citra-puṣpa-
kañcī-vilambāḍhya-nitamba-deśam ||
sauvarṇa-divyāṅgada-kaṅkaṇollasad-
vṛttāyatā-sthūla-bhujābhirāmam |
bimbādhara-nyasta-manojña-veṇu-
vādyollasat-padma-karāṅgulīkam ||
svotprekṣitāpaurvika-veṇu-gīta-
bhaṅgi-sudhā-mohita-viśva-lokam |
tiryaṅ manāg lola-viloka-līlā-
laṅkāra-saṁlālita-locanābjam ||
cāpopamā-bhrū-yuga-nartana-śrī-
saṁvardhita-preṣya-janānurāgam |
śrīmat-sadā-smera-mukhāravinda-
śobha-samākṛṣṭa-munīndra-cittam ||
tila-prasūnottama-nāsikāgrato
virājamānaika-gajendra-mauktikam |
kadāpi go-dhūli-vibhūṣitālaka-
dvirepha-sambhālanato lasat-karam ||
sūryātmajā-mṛd-racitordhva-puṇḍra-
sphītārdha-candrākṛti-bhāla-paṭṭam |
nānādri-dhātu-praticitritāṅgaṁ
nānā-mahāraṅga-taraṅga-sindhum ||
sthitvā tri-bhaṅgi-lalitaṁ kadācin
narmāṇi vaṁśyā bahu vādayantam |
tair hāsayantaṁ nija-mitra-vargān
bhūmiṁ padaiḥ svaiḥ paribhūṣayantam ||
tādṛg-vayo-veṣa-vatāgra-janmanā
nīlāṁśukālaṅkṛta-gaura-kāntinā |
rāmeṇa yuktaṁ ramaṇīya-mūrtinā
taiś cātma-tulyaiḥ sakhibhiḥ priyair vṛtam ||
tad-darśanādbhuta-mahāmudāvalī-
bhareṇa gāḍhena nipātitau hi tau |
daṇḍa-praṇāmārtham ivāśu petatuḥ
sambhrānti-vidhvaṁśita-sarva-naipuṇyau ||
sa ca priya-prema-vaśaḥ pradhāvan
samāgato harṣa-bhareṇa mugdhaḥ |
tayor upary eva papāta dīrgha-
mahābhujābhyāṁ parirebhatau dvau ||
premāśru-dhārābhir aho mahāprabhuḥ
sa snāpayām āsa kṛpārdra-mānasaḥ |
kṣaṇāt samutthāya kara-dvayena
tāv utthāpayām āsa cakāra ca sthirau ||
saṁmarjayann aśru rajaś ca gātre
lagnaṁ dayālur muhur āliliṅga |
tatraiva tābhyām upaviśya bhūmau
vākyāmṛtair vipram atoṣayac ca ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.19–36)

“[Parīkṣit Mahārāja to Uttarā Devī:] O Mother,
All of the sudden arose the deep,
Sweet sounds of flutes and horns
Blended with the mooing of cows
And joined by the music
Of gourd vīṇās and leaves [i.e., leaf whistles].
Brought to consciousness by these [sounds],
The two [i.e., the guru and disciple, Sarūpa and the Mathurā brāhmaṇa] arose and ran
Towards those long-traveling sounds.
Then,
They saw him,
Gopāladeva,
Effulgent with the radiance
Of his excellently swarthy figure;
Coming near with a dancing gait,
[Which is] Worshiped by the sporting of the king of elephants,
To water his animals
And play with his contemporaries [i.e., close friends]
In the Daughter of the Sun [i.e., the Yamunā];
[They saw Gopāladeva, he who is] Possessed of unlimited līlās;
Possessed of the tremendous, fine ornament
Of his own adolescence;
An ocean filled with waves
Of extraordinary loveliness;
Greatly increasing of the delight
Of the minds and eyes of the world;
Filled with fresh sweetness moment after moment;
Of beautiful figure [marked] with all the signs of auspiciousness;
[Adorned with] Kadamba flower ear-garlands [on his ears];
[Adorned with] A peacock feather plume [atop his head];
Of conch-shell neck adorned with a pearl necklace;
Luminous by virtue of his pair of yellow silken garments;
Of broad chest—the abode of the śrīvatsa and Lakṣmī—
Ornamented with a long, hanging necklace of guñjās;
Of a waist of the king of lions;
Of the strength of a hundred lions;
Of lotus feet worshiped by the essence of good fortune [i.e., paramount beauty];
Wearing the charming adornments
Of kadamba, guñjā, tulasī, peacock feather, and coral necklaces;
Of hips adorned with a hanging sash of bright flowers
Embellishing the slope of his waist;
Attractive with his long, round, buff arms
Shining with splendid golden bangles and armlets;
Of fingers on his lotus hands shining
As he plays his alluring flute
Fixed at his bimba [red] lips;
Enchanting the people of the world
With the nectar of the unprecedented embellishments
Of his flute song anticipated [alt., demonstrated] by him [alone];
Of lotus eyes finely caressed by the ornaments
Of the play of his side-long, slightly rolling glances;
Fully nourishing of the love of his servants
With the beauty of the dancing
Of his pairs of brows comparable to [the] bows [of an archer];
Possessed of a splendor in his beautiful ever-smiling lotus face
Fully attracting to the hearts of the best of the sages;
Possessed of one excellent pearl from a king of elephants
Shining on the tip of his fine sesame flower nose;
Of glistering hands sometimes brushing aside
The bees of his locks finely adorned with dust raised by the cows;
Possessed of a half-moon shaped, slab-like forehead
Endowed with vertical marks
Made with [bright] clay from the Daughter of the Sun [i.e., the Yamunā];
Of limbs painted all over with various mountain minerals [e.g., red gairika and yellow haritāla];
An ocean of the waves
Of various grand sports;
Standing sometimes in a thrice-bent posture;
Playing numerous humorous sounds with his flute;
Making his personal friends laugh thereby;
Decorating the earth all around with his own feet [i.e., with his foot-prints];
Accompanied by his elder brother of similar age and garb—
[That is,] Rāma of pleasing figure and fair luster
Bedecked with fine blue garments;
And surrounded by his dear friends equal to himself.
Knocked down by the heavy weight
Of the series of great joys
Produced the sight of him,
They [i.e., Sarūpa and the Mathurā brāhmaṇa] quickly dropped [to the ground] as if to offer prostrate obeisances,
All their adeptness dashed by their astonishment.
He [i.e., Śrī Gopāladeva] too became overwhelmed
With prema for his dear ones,
Ran over,
Joined [them],
Became bewildered by the weight of his delight,
And fell right on top of them,
Embracing them both with his long, mighty arms,
Aho!
He, the Supreme Master (Mahāprabhu),
His heart melted with compassion,
Bathed them with streams of his tears of prema.
Arising after a moment,
He raised and steadied them with his two hands.
Wiping away the tears and dust
Smeared on their bodies,
The Gracious One embraced them repeatedly.
And [then] sitting right there on the ground with them,
He satisfied the brāhmaṇa with the nectars of his speech.”

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karuṇā-nikuramba-komale

karuṇā-nikuramba-komale
madhuraiśvarya-viśeṣa-śālini |
jayati vraja-rāja-nandane
na hi cintā-kaṇikābhyudeti naḥ ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.21.45)

“Since the Son of Vraja’s king, who is tender by virtue of his abundance of compassion and replete with a special form of sweet (madhura) aiśvarya, remains triumphant, not even a trace of worry arises in us.”

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aho bhagavato naumi balāt sarva-pravartanam

aho bhagavato naumi balāt sarva-pravartanam |
prāhiṇod yaḥ sva-śūnye’pi śrī-nandadīn api vraje ||
tvāṁ vrajeśvari śocāmi tvāṁ ca vṛndāvaneśvari |
kṛṣṇaṁ vinā gateṣv eṣu hā hā jīviṣyathaḥ katham ||
(Laghu Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.45.25)

“Aho! I praise [only] by force all the promptings of Bhagavān, who sent even Śrī Nanda and company to Vraja even when it was devoid of himself. I grieve for you, O Vrajeśvarī! [i.e., O Mother Yaśodā!], and you, O Vṛndāvaneśvarī! [i.e., O Śrī Rādhā!] Hā hā! Now that they [i.e., Śrī Nanda and company] have gone [back to Vraja] without Kṛṣṇa, how will you two live?”

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aho kila tad evāhaṁ manye bhagavato hareḥ

aho kila tad evāhaṁ manye bhagavato hareḥ |
sugopya-bhagavattāyāḥ sarva-sāra-prakāśanam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.88)

“Aho! I certainly consider that [i.e., the figure, qualities, pastimes, and so forth of Śrī Hari in Goloka] alone the manifestation of the essence of the entirety of the most confidential Bhagavattā of Bhagavān Hari!”

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