I lovingly serve the vines of Vrindavan, whose blossoms are picked Shri Radha and Krishna and their sweetly smiling girlfriends, and who smile through their flowers when they see the sweet loving quarrels of the Divine Couple.
VERSE 70:
gāndharvā muravairiṇaḥ praṇayiṇaḥ puṣpāṇi saṁcinvato
svairaṁ smera sakhī-kulena vṛtayoḥ īṣat smitena dvayoḥ
dṛṣṭvā keli kaliṁ tayoḥ nava navaṁ hāsyena puṣpa cchalaiḥ
kāmaṁ yā vilasanti tāḥ kila latāḥ sevyāḥ paraṁ premabhiḥ
Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises the climbing vines of Sri Vrindavan, which are just as glorious as Sri Vrindavan’s trees. Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati has written in Vrindavan Mahimamritam (5.57):
etā vallī-vitataya uru sneha viklinna cittāḥ śrīmad vṛndāvana bhuvi mahābhūtayor mātṛ-bhūtāḥ
āśrīyante Hari Hari bahir vastu buddhiṁ vidhūya yair dhīmadbhiḥ satatam iha va’mūtra vā te kṛtārthāḥ
“The intelligent person who gives up all material conceptions of the vines of Vrindavan and takes shelter, is blessed in this world and the next. These vines seem to melt with affection because of their loving, motherly nature.”
Sri Radha considers these vines to be her own:
yā rādhāyā varatanu naṭetyukti mātreṇa nṛtyed gāyetyuktvā madhukara rutair vijña-gānaṁ tanoti
krandetyuktvā visṛjati madhūtphullitā syāddhaseti proktāśliṣya drumam iti girā sasvaje ghṛṣṭa-gucchā
(Vrindavan Mahimamritam 5.37)
“As soon as Sri Radha says: “O beautiful vines! Dance!” they dance, when she says: “Sing!” the bees in their flowers will hum an intoxicating song. When she says: “Weep!”, the vines shed tears of honey, and when she says: “Laugh!” they make their flowers blossom. And when she says: “Embrace the trees!” the vines jubilantly wrap their tendrils around them.” In this way the vines of Braj serve Radha’s love for Shri Krishna by giving her so much romantic inspiration.
navīna kalikodgatiṁ kusuma hāsa-saṁśobhinīṁ nava stavaka maṇḍitāṁ nava maranda dhārāṁ latām
tamāla-taru-saṅgatāṁ samavalokya vṛndāvane patiṣṇum ati vihvalām adhṛta kāpi me svāminīm
(Vrindavan Mahimāmṛtam 2.84)
“Seeing a fresh vine embracing a tamāl-tree in Vrindavan, dotted with fresh flowerbuds and smiling with beautiful blossoms, decorated with soft tendrils and emiting a stream of fresh honey, my mistress faints and one of her sakhis holds her up.”
Shri Raghunath Das Goswami remembers a special honey-sweet pastime as he praises the vines of Vrindavan in this verse.
One day Raghunath Das Goswami was absorbed in bhajan on the bank of Sri Radhakuṇḍa, when he had a transcendental vision: Shri Radha and her sakhis are picking flowers in a garden near the bank of Sri Radhakund. Suddenly Shri Krishna appears, dressed as a gardener.
mādhavas tāṁ tadālokayan rādhikāṁ ballabī-vargataḥ sad guṇenādhikām
keyam udbādhate mad vanaṁ rāgatas tūrṇam ityullapan phulladhīrāgataḥ(Stavamālā)
Seeing the crown jewel of young gopis Sri Radha picking flowers, Krishna said: “Who are you, making a mess of my garden?” and quickly came up to her. Radha covered her whole body with her veil and retreated a little as she smiled. She continued picking flowers as she said:
sadātra cinumaḥ prasūnamajane vayaṁ hi niratāḥ surābhibhajane
na ko’pi kurute niṣedha vacanaṁ kim adya tanuṣe pragalbha vacanam
prasīda kusumaṁ vicitya sarasā prayāmi sarasīruhākṣa tarasā
kriyādya mahatī mamāsti bhavane vilambam adhikaṁ tanuṣva na vane
(Stavamālā)
“We come every day to this solitary forest to pick flowers for our worship of the gods, and no one has stopped us this until now! Why are you speaking so harshly to us today? Please forgive us, o lotus-eyed boy! We don’t know how to speak such bold words as you do! I have many duties to perform at home, so I have to return home quickly after picking these flowers. Let me go without delay!” Hearing this, Sri Krishna replied:
niyuktaḥ kṣitīndreṇa tenāsmi kāmaṁ vanaṁ pālayāmi krameṇābhirāmam
janaḥ śirṇam apyuddhared yo dalārddhaṁ harāmyambaraṁ tasya vittena sārdham
parijñātam adya prasūnālim etāṁ lunīṣe tvam evaṁ prabālaiḥ sametām
dhṛtāsau mayā kāñcana śreṇi gauri praviṣṭāsi gehaṁ kathaṁ puṣpa cauri
(Stavamālā)
“I have been engaged by king Cupid in protecting this lovely garden for a very long time. If someone even takes a brown dried-up leaf from any tree in this garden, I take away all of his or her garments and ornaments as a fine. O golden beauty! O flower thief! Today I have caught you picking the flowers and fresh leaves of Cupid’s garden. How can I let you go?”
In this way the Divine Couple are have so much fun along with their sakhis. As the vines witness these sweet playful quarrels, they smile through their flowers. Raghunath Das Goswami says: “I lovingly serve these vines of Vrindavan, which always relish the sweet pastimes of the Divine Pair!”
supraṇayī rādhā-kṛṣṇa krīḍāmoda raṅge; mṛdu hāsya mukhī priya sakhīdera saṅge
svacchande hāsimākhā madhura ānane; nirata hoile yādera kusuma cayane
prema raṅgī yugalera niyata nūtana; keli kalaha līlā koriyā darśana
puṣpa vikāśera chale hāsyera vilāsa; manohara rūpe yārā koriche prakāśa
se sakala latikā e vrajera mājhāre; ekānta sevana yogya prīti sahakāre
“I lovingly serve the vines of Vrindavan, who smile enchantingly in the form of their flowers, and who love to see the sweet playful quarrels of the Divine Couple when they come to pluck their flowers in the company of their softly-smiling sakhis.”
© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994
Source: Tarun Govinda Das, Flowing Nectar Stream blog.
(Slightly altered by the editor for Vrindavan Today)
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The commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj, is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī).
It was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) by Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.
The devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.
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