श्रीराधाकुण्डाष्टकम्
Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍāṣṭakam
Eight verses praying for the shelter of Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa
By Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī
श्रीमदीश्वरीकुण्डाय नमः ।
śrīmad īśvarī-kuṇḍāya namaḥ |
Obeisance unto Śrīmad Īśvarī’s kuṇḍa.
वृषभदनुज-नाशान्नर्म्मधर्म्मोक्तिरङ्गै-
र्निखिलनिजसखीभिर्यत्स्वहस्तेन पूर्णम् ।
प्रकटितमपि वृन्दारण्यराज्ञा प्रमोदै-
स्तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥१॥
vṛṣabha-danuja-nāśān narma-dharmokti-raṅgair
nikhila-nija-sakhībhir yat svahastena pūrṇam |
prakaṭitam api vṛndāraṇya-rājñā pramodais
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||1||
Completed [i.e., dug out] by her [i.e., Śrī Rādhā’s] own hands,
Along with all her sakhīs,
After the merriment of a joking remark about dharma
Following the killing of the bull demon [i.e., Ariṣṭāsura],
And manifested by the King of Vṛndāvana [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] with delight—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda begins his prayers for the shelter of Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa by summarizing how Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa becomes manifest.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s killing of Ariṣṭāsura is described in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.36.1–16). In Śrī Viśvanāth Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s commentary on SB 10.36.15, a passage of twenty verses from a Purāṇa recounts how Śrī Rādhā and the gopīs jokingly objected to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s advances towards them after his killing of Ariṣṭāsura on the pretext of his thus having become contaminated by the sin of killing a bull. To purify himself of this sin, Śrī Kṛṣṇa created a basin with the kick of his heal, summoned the waters of numerous prominent tīrtha, and then bathed in these waters held within his newly created basis, which thereafter became known as Śyāma Kuṇḍa. Kṛṣṇa then mocked the gopīs for having never performed any pious act comparable to the act he had just performed of creating a purifying reservoir for the benefit of all the residents of Vraja. Śrī Rādhā and the gopīs responded to this by digging out another basin with their own hands and resolving to fill it with water brought from Mānasa Gaṅgā. At Kṛṣṇa’s beckoning, however, the waters of all the tīrthas in Śyāma Kuṇḍa prayed to Śrī Rādhā for the privilege of filling her basin, and with her consent, pressed into it from Śyāma Kuṇḍa and thus created Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa then proclaimed that Rādhā Kuṇḍa would become more renowened than his own kuṇḍa and as dear to him as Śrī Rādhā herself.
Alternately, the Ādi-varāha Purāṇa describes that Śrī Kṛṣṇa created Śyāma Kuṇḍa to purify himself of the sin of killing a bull and then challenged Śrī Rādhā and the gopīs by saying that they, as subjects under his rule as the Prince of Vraja, were also contaminated by his sin of killing a bull and thus ought to perform some pious act to purify themselves. In response, Śrī Rādhā and the gopīs then created Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa.
व्रजभुवि मुरशत्रोः प्रेयसीनां निकामै-
रसुलभमपि तूर्णं प्रेमकल्पद्रुमं तम् ।
जनयति हृदि भूमौ स्नातुरुच्चैः प्रियं य-
त्तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥२॥
vraja-bhuvi mura-śatroḥ preyasīnāṁ nikāmair
asulabham api tūrṇaṁ prema-kalpa-drumaṁ tam |
janayati hṛdi bhūmau snātur ucchaiḥ priyaṁ yat
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||2||
Which is exceedingly dear,
And swiftly manifests in the land of the heart of a bather [therein]
The desire tree of prema not easy to attain
With intense desire
Even for darlings of Mura’s Enemy in the land of Vraja [i.e., other gopīs]—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of because of its ability to bestow a form of prema that is more exalted than all others and unattainable by all other sādhanas, that is, all sādhanas other than taking shelter exclusively of Śrī Rādhā. This superlative prema cannot be attained even by other gopīs in Vraja who do not take shelter of Śrī Rādhā, much less any bhakta of any other type.
अघरिपुरपि यत्नादत्र देव्याः प्रसाद-
प्रसरकृतकटाक्ष-प्राप्तिकामः प्रकामम् ।
अनुसरति यदयउच्चैःस्नानसेवानुवन्धै-
स्तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥३॥
agha-ripur api yatnād atra devyāḥ prasāda-
prasara-kṛta-kaṭākṣa-prāpti-kāmaḥ prakāmam |
anusarati yad ucchaiḥ snāna-sevānubandhais
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||3||
Which even the Enemy of Agha,
Being intensely desirous
Of attaining an extended [i.e., affectionate] side-long glance
Of satisfaction from Devī [i.e., Śrī Rādhā],
Eagerly visits
To carefully engage in rituals of bathing and worship—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of because even Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself does so to attain Śrī Rādhā’s favor even though he is otherwise independently capable of accomplishing any and all aims he so wishes to accomplish. Śrī Rādhā’s being referred to as Devī alludes to her play of manifesting māna and indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa visits and honors Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa as a means of subduing her māna. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s being referred to as “the Enemy of Agha” (agha-ripur) alludes to his being dear to all residents of Vraja on account of his protecting the community from all dangers and that it is thus befitting for Śrī Rādhā to favor him with the side-long glace he desires.
व्रजभुवनसुधांशोः प्रेमभूमिर्निकामं
व्रजमधुरकिशोरीमौलिरत्नप्रियेव ।
परिचितमपि नाम्ना यच्च तेनैव तस्या-
स्तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥४॥
vraja-bhuvana-sudhāṁśoḥ prema-bhūmir nikāmaṁ
vraja-madhura-kiśorī-mauli-ratna-priyeva |
paricitam api nāmnā yac ca tenaiva tasyās
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||4||
Which is the strongly desired object of prema
Of the Nectar-rayed Moon of the land of Vraja [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa],
Just like the dear Crest Jewel among the sweet girls of Vraja [i.e., Śrī Rādhā],
And [which] is also known to him by her name [i.e., as ‘Rādhā Kuṇḍa’]—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of because Śrī Kṛṣṇa not only incidently honors Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa to pacify Śrī Rādhā but rather always holds Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa as dear to him as Śrī Rādhā herself. Padma Purāṇa states:
yathā rādhā priyā viṣṇos tasyāḥ kuṇḍaṁ priyaṁ tathā |
sarva-gopīṣu saivaikā viṣṇor atyanta-vallabhā ||
“‘As Rādhā is dear to Viṣṇu, so her pond is dear to him. Among all the gopīs, she alone is Viṣṇu’s most beloved.’
अपि जन इह कश्चिद्यस्य सेवाप्रसादैः
प्रणयसुरलता स्यात्तस्य गोष्ठेन्द्रसूनोः ।
सपदि किल मदीशा-दास्यपुष्पप्रशस्या
तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥५॥
api jana iha kaścid yasya sevā-prasādaiḥ
praṇaya-sura-latā syāt tasya goṣṭhendra-sūnoḥ |
sapadi kila mad-īśā-dāsya-puṣpa-praśasyā
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||5||
By whose grace,
In response to service,
Any person here [i.e., in saṁsāra]
Certainly can immediately become
A desire-creeper of affectionate love
For him, the Son of Vraja’s king,
Exalted with the flowers of servitude to my Īśā—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of because doing so is not only a means for Śrī Kṛṣṇa to honor and please Śrī Rādhā but rather doing so leads even a jīva bound in saṁsāra to the attainment of the most exalted form of prema for Kṛṣṇa: prema for him with the bhāva of being an assisting servant, that is, a mañjarī, of Śrī Rādhā.
तटमधुरनिकुञ्जाः क्लप्तनामान उच्चै-
र्निजपरिजनवर्गैः संविभज्याश्रितास्तैः ।
मधुकर-रुतरम्या यस्य राजन्ति काम्या-
स्तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥६॥
taṭa-madhura-nikuñjāḥ kḷpta-nāmāna ucchair
nija-parijana-vargaiḥ saṁvibhajyāśritās taiḥ |
madhukara-ruta-ramyā yasya rājanti kāmyās
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||6||
Whose sweet, desirable shore nikuñjas,
Pleasing with the humming of honeybees,
Shine brightly,
Having been apportioned by her own [i.e., Śrī Rādhā’s] companions,
Fashioned with their names,
And dwelled within by them—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of because it is the ideal environment and primary site where Śrī Rādhā, along with her sakhīs and mañjarīs, renders her unparalleled loving service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The commentator on Stavāvalī Śrī Baṅgeśvara Vidyābhūṣaṇa states that the kuñjas of Śrī Rādhā’s eight principal sakhīs are situated in the eight directions around Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa: on the eastern side is Citra Sakhī’s Citrā-sukhada-kuñja, on the southeastern side Indulekha Sakhī’s Indulekhā-sukhada-kuñja, on the southern side Campakalatā Sakhī’s Campakalatā-sukhada-kuñja, on the southwestern side Raṅgadevī Sakhī’s Raṅgadevī-sukhada-kuñja, on the western bank Tuṅgavidyā Sakhī’s Tuṅgavidyā-sukhada-kuñja, on the northwestern side Sudevī Sakhī’s Sudevi-sukhada-kuñja, on the northern side Lalitā Sakhī’s Lalitānandada-kuñja, and on the northeastern side Viśākhā Sakhī’s Viśākhā-sukhada-kuñja.
तटभुवि वरवेद्यां यस्य नर्म्मातिहृद्यां
मधुरमधुरवार्त्तां गोष्ठचन्द्रस्य भङ्ग्या ।
प्रथयति मिथ ईशा प्राणसख्यालिभिः सा
तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥७॥
taṭa-bhuvi vara-vedyāṁ yasya narmāti-hṛdyāṁ
madhura-madhura-vārtāṁ goṣṭha-candrasya bhaṅgyā |
prathayati mitha īśā prāṇa-sakhy-ālibhiḥ sā
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||7||
On whose bank,
Atop a fine dais
She, my Īśā,
Together with her prāṇa-sakhī friends,
Expresses with innuendos
Sweet, sweet,
Humorous and most hearty
Tidings of the Moon of Vraja—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of by describing an example of how the most exalted form of prema attainable for a jīva, that is, the prema for Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Śrī Rādhā’s mañjarīs, is relished at Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa when Śrī Rādhā speaks intimately with her mañjarīs, who are also known as her prāṇa-sakhīs.
अनुदिनमतिरङ्गैः प्रेममत्तालिसङ्घै-
र्वरसरसिजगन्धैर्हारिवारिप्रपूर्णे ।
विहरत इह यस्मिन् दम्पती तौ प्रमत्तौ
तदतिसुरभि राधाकुण्डमेवाश्रयो मे ॥८॥
anudinam ati-raṅgaiḥ prema-mattāli-saṅghair
vara-sarasija-gandhair hāri-vāri-prapūrṇe |
viharata iha yasmin dampatī tau pramattau
tad ati-surabhi rādhā-kuṇḍam evāśrayo me ||8||
Here,
Completely filled with captivating water
And the fragrance of the finest lotuses,
Wherein the fully inebriated Couple
Sport daily in great merriment
With swarms of bees [alt., groups of sakhīs] inebriated with prema—
May that most charming Rādhā Kuṇḍa
Be my sole shelter.
Commentary
Here Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda indicates that Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa is most worthy of taking shelter of by describing the supreme result of doing so: paticipating as a mañjarī in Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s paramount līlā, the foremost site of which is Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa.
अविकलमति देव्याश्चारुकुण्डाष्टकं यः
परिपठति तदीयोल्लासिदास्यार्पितात्मा ।
अचिरमिह शरीरे दर्शयत्येव तस्मै
मधुरिपुरतिमोदैः श्लिष्यमाणां प्रियां ताम् ॥९॥
avikala-mati devyāś cāru-kuṇḍāṣṭakaṁ yaḥ
paripaṭhati tadīyollāsi-dāsyārpitātmā |
aciram iha śarīre darśayaty eva tasmai
madhu-ripur ati-modaiḥ śliṣyamāṇāṁ priyāṁ tām ||9||
To one of unwavering mind,
And heart dedicated to Devī’s [i.e., Śrī Rādhā’s] delightful service,
Who fully recites this lovely poem of eight verses
About her kuṇḍa,
The Enemy of Madhu certainly soon shows
Here, in this body,
Her [i.e., Śrī Rādhā], his beloved,
Being embraced [by him] with great joy.
Commentary
Lastly, Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda describes the ultimate attainment that can be had from reciting this poem [i.e., the śruti-phala]: even while still embodied in a sādhaka form [i.e., a physical body in the material world], a sādhaka who resolutely takes shelter of Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa with the aspiration for the bhāva of a mañjarī of Śrī Rādhā shall be granted by Śrī Kṛṣṇa darśana of Śrī Rādhā and himself joyfully absorbed in their līlā at Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa.