सिक्ताप्यश्रुजलोत्करेण भगवद्वार्त्तानदीजन्मना
तिष्ठत्येव भवाग्निहेतिरिति ते धीमन्नलं चिन्तया ।
हृद्व्योमन्यमृतस्पृहाहरकृपावृष्टेः स्फुटं लक्ष्यते
नेदिष्ठः पृथुरोमताण्डवभरात्कृष्णाम्बुधस्योद्गमः ॥
siktāpy aśru-jalotkareṇa bhagavad-vārttā-nadī-janmanā
tiṣṭhaty eva bhavāgni-hetir iti te dhīmann alaṁ cintayā |
hṛd-vyomany amṛta-spṛhā-hara-kṛpā-vṛṣṭeḥ sphuṭaṁ lakṣyate
nediṣṭhaḥ pṛthu-roma-tāṇḍava-bharāt kṛṣṇāmbudhasyodgamaḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.278)
“O wise one, enough with your worry that the flame of the fire of saṁsāra still remains even after you have been drenched by a profusion of tears produced by the river of discussion of Bhagavān, since the rising in the sky of your heart of the cloud Kṛṣṇa, filled with the rain of grace that removes desire [even] for amṛta, is clearly recognized to be very near on account of the abundance of the plentiful dancing of your bodily hairs [alt., as the rising in the sky of a dark cloud filled with gracious rain that removes desire for water is known to be very near on account of the abundance of dancing fish (that can be seen in nearby bodies of water)].”
Commentary
The metaphor in this verse is based on the traditional knowledge that seeing fish dancing in a body of water such as a river is a sign that rain is imminent. If one finds oneself in the midst of a forest fire, one may well become alarmed and desire some form of protection from death, such as an elixir that makes one immortal, but if one both soaks oneself in a river, sees fish dancing therein, and thus understands that rain is imminent, one need no longer worry about the fire because one is safe in the short term on account of being wet and immersed in the river, and safe in the long term because the coming rain will soon extinguish the fire and in so doing remove the need for one to be protected from the danger of death posed by the fire. Similarly, a sādhaka in whom rati has manifested need not be worried even though they may find themself in the midst of saṁsāra because their absorption in discussion of Kṛṣṇa, implied by mention in the verse of tears coming from their eyes and horripilation arising on their body as they hear discussion of Kṛṣṇa, protects them in the short term and also bodes of further forthcoming grace from Kṛṣṇa whereby they will attain siddhi, become permanently situated beyond the scope of any influence from within saṁsāra, and thus free from any desire apart from serving and satisfying Kṛṣṇa, including even desire for any form of amṛta, that is, immortality. To express this metaphor, throughout the verse numerous words are used with double meaning. ‘Pṛthu’ and ‘roma’ within the compound pṛthu-roma-tāṇḍava mean (1) plentiful (prṭhu) dancing (tāṇḍava) of one’s bodily hair (roma), and (2) dancing (tāṇḍava) of fish (pṛthu-roma) [lit., ‘that which has wide pores, i.e., gills’]. ‘Kṛṣṇa’ and ‘ambudhasya’ within the compound kṛṣṇāmbudhasya mean (1) of a dark cloud [i.e., a raincloud], and (2) of the cloud that is Kṛṣṇa [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. ‘Amṛta’ means (1) water and (2) immortality, that is, residence in Svarga, or mukti. In gist, the danger of saṁsāra is verily extinguished by the tears falling from a sādhaka’s eyes as one listens devoutly to discussion of Kṛṣṇa.