Sri-Sri Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi: The Nectar Ocean of Sri Radha's Flavours (Transliterated Text, Word-to-Word Meaning, Translation and Detailed Commentaries)

From the Book

With English commentary based on the Bengali commentary made by Sri Madhusudana Dasa Adhikari, Prabhupada Srila Ananda Gopala Gosvami and Radhakunda Mahanta Pandit Srimat Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja. Bengali songs that follow the commentaries are composed by Dr. Haripada Sila from Howrah.

This is the longest and most popular prayer to Srimat Radharani, which is sung by different sampradayas (devotee-traditions) of sacred Vrndavana. The entire text hangs on the wall of the Seva Kunja-garden in Vrndavana, each verse inscribed in one separate marble slab. Although this book appears to be full of erotic verses, the reader is reminded of the fact that this is not material, but transcendental eros. Hearing and chanting of these transcendental topics swiftly liberate the reciter and hearer from the heart’s disease of just, provided this hearing and chanting is done with faith, faith that this is the transcendental exchange between God (Krsna) and his internal potency (His svarupa sakti). Instead of becoming sexually agitated, the faithful practitioner of this upasana (subject of devotional meditation) will become free from the disease of lust. Srimad Bhagavata (10.33.40) states.

vikriditam vraja vadhubhir idam ca visnoh

sraddhanvito nusrnuyed atha varnayed yah

bhaktim param bhagavatim pratilabhya kamam

hrd rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah

“Anyone who faithfully hears and chants the pastimes of Lord Visnu (Krsna) with the women of Vraja attains the highest devotion to God. He will swiftly be cured from the heart’s disease of lust and he will become steady (pure and saintly).”Ed.

VERSE 1: Nindantam Pulakotkarena Vikasan Nipa Prasuna Chhabim Prorddhikrtya Bhuja Advayan Hari Harity Uccair Vadantam Muhuh Nrtyantam Drutam Asru Nirjhara Cayaih Sincantam Urvi-Talam Gayantam Nija Parsadaih Parivrtam Sri Gauracandram Numah

nindantam - mocking; pulaka - goosepimples; utkarena - with a multitude; vikasah - blooming; nipa - Kadamba; prasuna - flowers; chabim - splendour; prorddhikrtya - raising; bhuja - arm; dvayani - two; hari hari iti - Hari Hri!; uccaih - loudly; vadantam - saying; muhuh - repeatedly; nrtyantam - dancing; drutam - quickly; asru - tears; nirjhara - cascades; cayaih - abundances; sincantam - sprinkling; urvi - earth; talam - srface; gayantam - singing; nija - own; parsadaih - with associates; parivrtam - surrounded; sri gauracandram numah - obeisances to Sri Gauracandra.

I offer my obeisances unto Lord Gauracandra, who is surrounded by all His associates and whose body is studded with goosepimples of ecstasy that mock the beauty of blossoming Kadamba flowers. He raises His arms, repeatedly and loudly crying ‘Hari’! Hari!’ as he dances and sings, showering the surface of the earth with cascades of tears.

Auspicious Invocation: Comments: Sripala Prabhodhananda Sarasvati is the object of Sri Caitanya Mahaparabhua’s great mercy, so his mind and heart are always absorbed in the sweet pastimes, attributes and sentiments of Srimati Radharani in Vraja. Now he begins his delicious book of eager prayer named ‘Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi out of compassion for the devotees who aspire for the confidential service of Srimati Radharani’s lotusfeet. In this verse he praises his worshipable deity, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhua.

Vraja Vihari Sri Krsna accepted the mood and complexion of Sri Radha and became Gaura to fulfill three desires: to understand the greatness of Radha’s love, the wonderful qualities that She alone relishes in Him and the happiness She Feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love. In Vrndavana-lila, Krsna was the witness of the sweetness of Sri Radha’s love of which he Himself was the object, and in Gaura-lila He accepted the mood and luster of Sri Radha to understand the gravity of Her love. In the opening verse of his book ‘Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi, Sripada Prabodhananda Sarasvati draws a beautiful picture of how the full transcendental truth of Vraja (Sri Krsna) experience the sweetness of Radha’s emotions. Here Sripada follows the custom in the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition to praise Lord Gaura before commencing the description of Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava’s sweet pastimes. This is called ‘Gaura candrika’. In his book ‘Sri Caitanya Candramrta’ (88), Sripada writes:

yatha yatha gaura padarvinde vindeta bhaktim krta punya rasih

tatha tathostasarpati hrdyakasmat radha padambhoja sudhambu rasih

“When a very fortunate soul experiences devotion for Lord Gaura’s lotusfeet, the nactarocean from Radha’s lotusfeet suddenly floods his heart.” Sri Gaurasundara has brought an unprecedented torch of Vraja-rasa, whose bright effulgence shows the devotees the way to the sweet bhajan of Sri Vrndavana, which is otherwise hard to see. And along with that sweet transcendental Vraja-rasa Mahaprabhu introduced Himself to the devotees of this world. Sri Vasu Ghosa sings:

yadi gaura na hoto, ki mene hoito,

kemone dharitam de

radhara mahima, prema rasa sima,

jagate janato ke?

“If Gaura had not come, how would the world have been? Who would have thought the world the greatness of Radha and the limt of prema rasa?

madhura- vipina madhuri,

pravesa caturi sara

varaja yuvati, bhavera arati,

sakati hoito kara?

“Who would have shown the way to enter into the sweetness of Vrndavana and the anxious mood of the young girls of Vraja?” The only way to extinguish the burning sensation of the threefold material misery (caused by the elements, one’s own body or mind, or by other creatures) with a nectar-stream of love for Sri-Sri Radha-Govinda is mercy of Sriman Mahaprabhu.

In this verse Sripada Prabodhananda describes the sattvika ecstasies of Sri Gaurasundara as He takes pleasure in performing kirtana. Srila Rupa Gosvami defines these sattvika ecstasies as follows in Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhuh (2.3.1):

krsna sanbandhibhih saksat kincid va vyavadhanatah

bhavais cittam ihakrantam sattvam ityucyate budhaih

sattvad asmat samutpanna ye ye bhavas tu sattvikah

“When the hear is touched by emotions directly (in the form of the five basic relationships of servanthood, friendship, parenthood etc.) or indirectly (in the form of the seven secondary moods such as laughter, chivalry etc.) related to Krsna, the wise call it sattva, and the emotions coming from that are called sattvika bhavas.” The Lord had accepted the mood and luster of Sri Radha and had become the main shelter for His own rati, therefore the sattvika and other bhavas had become fully manifest in Him. This is confirmed in Caitanya Caritamrta:

tahe mukhya-rasaraya, hoiyachen mahasaya,

tate hoy sarva bhavodoy

“The Lord had become the main shelter of His own rasa, and so all ecstasies arose in Him.” Sripada sweetly depicts how Gauranga’s body displayed the unrivalled ecstasies derived from relishing the sweetness of Radha’s rasa within Himself by saying: nindantam pulakorena vikasan nipa prasuna cchabim “His body was beautified by goosepimples that mocked freshly blossoming Kadamba-flowers.” Mahaprabhu’s body manifested uddipta sattvika bhavas. Srila Rupa Goswami says in Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu (2.3.79):