तृप्तावन्यजनस्य तृप्तिमयिता दुःखे महादुःकिता
लब्धैः स्वीयसुखालिदुःखनिचयैर्नो हर्षबाधोदयाः ।
स्वेष्टाराधनतत्परा इह यथा श्रीवैष्णवश्रेणयः
कास्ता ब्रूहि विचार्य चन्द्रवदने ता मद्वयस्या इमाः ॥
tṛptāv anya-janasya tṛptim ayitā duḥkhe mahāduḥkitā
labdhaiḥ svīya-sukhāli-duḥkha-nicayair no harṣa-bādhodayāḥ |
sveṣṭārādhana-tatparā iha yathā śrī-vaiṣṇava-śreṇayaḥ
kās tā brūhi vicārya candra-vadane tā mad-vayasyā imāḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 13.113)
“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa presents a riddle:]
‘They attain satisfaction from another person’s satisfaction,
Are greatly troubled by [by another person’s] trouble,
Experience no elation or misery
Because of the personal pleasures and troubles they undergo,
And are devoted to the worship of their own Iṣṭa
Like the multitudes of blessed Vaiṣṇavas here—
Consider and tell [me],
O you of moon face,
Who are they?’
[Śrī Rādhā replies:]
‘They are these friends of mine!’”
Commentary
The author of the Sadānanda-vidhāyinī-ṭīkā comments that ‘these friends of mine’ (mad-vayasyā imāḥ) refers to Lalitā and so forth (lalitādayāḥ) [i.e., Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs] and further comments in regard to ‘the multitudes of blessed Vaiṣṇavas’ (Śrī-Vaiṣṇava-śreṇayaḥ):
vaiṣṇava-mātrasya grahaṇāt, sakala-vaiṣṇaveṣu sūkṣma-rūpeṇa eteṣāṁ guṇānāṁ sthitāv anumānam | sthūla-rūpeṇa tu śrī-nārada-prahlādādiṣu sarvatra prasiddham | sanātana-gosvāmi-prabhṛtiṣu guru-paramparayā śrutam, adhunā śrī-gaura-bhakta-gaṇeṣu kvāpi kvāpi anya-bhagavad-bhakteṣu ca kvāpi kvāpi dṛṣṭaṁ, bhāgya-vaśāt yathārthānubhavaṁ bhavati |
“From the understanding of a Vaiṣṇava in general [i.e., if the mention of Vaiṣṇavas in the verse is interpreted to refer to Vaiṣṇavas in general], there is an inference of the presence of these qualities [i.e., the qualities mentioned in the verse] in subtle form in all Vaiṣṇavas, whereas there is a well known presence in gross form [of these qualities] in Śrī Nārada, Prahlāda, and others. The presence of these qualities in Sanātana Gosvāmī and so forth [i.e., in Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and other pārṣadas of Śrīman Mahāprabhu] is heard of through guru-paramparā, and at present [the presence of these qualities] is seen sometimes in some bhaktas of Śrī Gaura and sometimes in some bhaktas of other forms of Bhagavān as well. Genuine perception [of these qualities] occurs by the strength of [one’s] fortune.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇapada Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja in his Govinda-līlāmṛta-rasa commentary on Śrī Yadunandana Ṭhākura’s poetic translation of Govinda-līlāmṛta also comments that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s intent in speaking to Śrī Rādhā of the sakhīs’ satisfaction and trouble being based on “another person’s” (anya-janasya) is that their experiences of satisfaction and trouble are entirely attuned to and derived from those of Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself and Śrī Rādhā. He further comments as follows:
“Mahāvaiṣṇava-ācāre [i.e., the Bengali statement in the poetic translation that refers to the sakhīs as being devoted to the worship of their own Iṣṭa like the multitudes of blessed Vaiṣṇavas (sveṣṭārādhana-tatparā iha yathā śrī-vaiṣṇava-śreṇayaḥ)] means with paramount prema, that is, with the one and only aim (tātparya) of producing pleasure for the object of worship (upāsya) with one-pointed fixity. [Śrī Kṛṣṇa implies:] ‘Forgetting consideration of favorability and unfavorability in regard to themselves, they unwaveringly perform worship of their Iṣṭa, that is, loving service (prema-sevā) to us.’ They cannot do without service. They are always absorbed in careful thought of newer and newer techniques (paripāṭīs) of service. Spending time in aspiration for constant service, in service, in awaiting the time of service, in meditation on service, in making arrangements for service, and so forth, is the intent of the phrase Mahāvaiṣṇava-ācāra. This disposition (caritra) of the sakhīs is profoundly dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Impressing it into one’s heart, hankering for it, and engaging in activity based on saṁskāras derived from it is the essence of all bhajana.”