May Śrī Yaśodā, the Queen of Vraja, from whose breasts an unbroken stream of milk trickles out of motherly love for her son, who tries to protect Him with billions of life-airs when she sees even a mere sweatdrop on His body, who is so attached to Him that if she cannot see Him even for a moment, she anxiously laments like a cow with a newly born calf, may she protect me.
Original text by Raghunath Das Goswami. Commentary by Ananta Das Pandit, Mahant of Sri Radha Kund. Translation by Advaita Das.
VERSE 10:
gharmasyāpi lavasya rakṣaṇa-vidhau sva-prāṇa-dehārbudaiḥ |
āsaktā kṣaṇa-mātram apy akalanāt sadyaḥ prasūteva gau-
vyagrāyā vilapaty alaṁ bahu-bhayāt sā pātu goṣṭheśvarī ||10||
Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīpāda Raghunātha Dāsa described the pure parental love of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja and in this verse he praises the complete embodiment of motherly love, mother Yaśodā, taking shelter at her lotus feet for the fulfillment of his aspirations.
Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda described the shelter of parental love as follows-
bhūry-anugraha-citena cetasā lālanotkam abhitaḥ kṛpākulam
gauraveṇa guruṇā jagad-guror gauravaṁ gaṇam agaṇyam āśraye
I take shelter of the superiors (guru-gaṇa) of the Universal Teacher (jagad-guru), who are always very eager to cuddle Him with greatly compassionate hearts and who are greatly moved by pity. (Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 3.4.9)
Then Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī introduced them as follows-
te tu tasyātra kathitā vraja-rājñī vrajeśvaraḥ
rohiṇī tāś ca vallavyo yāḥ padmaja-hṛtātmajāḥ
devakī tat-sapatnyaś ca kuntī cānakadundubhiḥ
sāndīpani-mukhāś cānye yathā-pūrvam amī varāḥ
vrajeśvarī-vrajādhīśau śreṣṭhau guru-janeṣv imau
The Queen of Vraja (Yaśodā), the king of Vraja (Nanda) [this also indicates Kṛṣṇa’s paternal uncles and their wives], the gopīs whose sons were stolen by Brahmā, Devakī, her co-wives, Kuntī, Vasudeva, Sāndīpani and other leading sages – these are Kṛṣṇa’s superiors, in order of superiority. Of all these superiors, however, Vrajeśvarī Yaśodā and Vraja-rāja Nanda are the greatest. (Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 3.4.10-12)
From this we can understand that mother Yaśomatī embodies the crown jewel of parental love. Indeed, she is the deepest form of all parental love!
tanau mantra-nyāsaṁ praṇayati harer gadgada-mayī
sa-baṣpākṣī rakṣā-tilakam alike kalpayati ca
snuvānā pratyūṣe diśati ca bhuje kārmaṇam asau
yaśodā mūrteva sphurati suta-vātsalya-paṭalī
Every morning mother Yaśodā chants mantras for Hari’s protection with a faltering voice, puts tilaka on His forehead with tear-filled eyes, and hangs a protecting string around His wrist. Thus Yaśodā, whose motherly affection causes milk to ooze from her breasts, is manifest as the embodiment of parental love. (Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 3.4.14)
In the explanation of the previous verse we described the pure paternal love of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja, which is completely free from any whiff of reverence. In mother Yaśodā, these feelings are present in an even more astonishing way.
When Śrī Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill, the cowherders were moved by an awareness of His prowess, but Śrī Nanda Mahārāja made them understand that his son had received some power from Lord Nārāyaṇa, so that He was able to perform all these extraordinary feats.
But Yaśomatī could not even believe that! How could in her comprehension the power of Lord Nārāyaṇa ever be infused in her tiny child? By the grace of Lord Nārāyaṇa, her child that was as tender as a Śiriṣa-flower, had been protected from different calamities, and even this was the result of Śrī Goparāja (Nanda)’s earnest worship of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
It was for this reason that at his advanced age, he could still have this son, who illuminated the whole world, on his lap. Here mother Yaśodā is superior even to Śrī Nanda Mahārāja as the milk-ocean of pure parental love.
Śrīmat Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda has written:
viṣṇur nityam upāsyate sakhi mayā tenātra nītāḥ kṣayaṁ
śaṅke pūtanikādayaḥ kṣitiruhau tau vātyayonmūlitau
pratyakṣaṁ girir eṣa goṣṭhapatinā rāmeṇa sārddhaṁ dhṛtas
tat tat karma duranvayaṁ mama śiśoḥ kenāsya saṁbhāvyate
Śrī Yaśodā told one of her heart’s friends: “O sakhi! I think it is because of the grace of Śrī Viṣṇu, whom I have always worshiped with the Lord of the Goṣṭha (Nanda) that Pūtanā and other demons were destroyed and that these two arjuna trees were torn down and uprooted by the wind. This has nothing to do with our son. It was by Viṣṇu’s grace that our son was protected. He has also lifted Girirāja by the grace of Viṣṇu. If my child was able to perform such a work, then wouldn’t Balarāma also be able to do this? Therefore my child could not possibly have ever performed such heavy tasks!” (Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 3.4.7)
Hence Śrī Raghunātha says: “Milk constantly flows from mother Yaśodā’s breasts because of her great love for Kṛṣṇa, which is completely free from awe and reverence.” (putra-sneha-bharaiḥ sadā snuta-kuca-dvandvā) This sāttvika bhāva exists only in the motherly love:
niculita giridhātu sphīta patrāvalīkān
akhila surabhi-reṇun kṣālayadbhir yaśodā
kuca kalasa vimuktaiḥ sneha mādhvīkam edhyes
tava navam abhiṣekaṁ dugdha pūraiḥ karoti
O Kṛṣṇa! Your beautiful leaf-pictures of mineral pigments have been wiped out by cowdust, but the pure stream of nectarean milk of affection oozing from Mother Yaśodā’s jug-like breasts has washed it all away and has given You a new abhiṣeka! ((Lalita Mādhava Nāṭakam 1.46)
Not even being with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, when mother Yaśodā simply hears about Him, the strong sāttvika-bhāva of milk trickling from her breasts is visible on her.
When Kṛṣṇa had left for Mathurā, He sent Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya to Vraja to console Śrī Nanda-Yaśodā. When Uddhava was discussing kṛṣṇa-kathā with Śrī Nanda Mahārāja, mother Yaśomatī, who was emaciated because of not eating for so long, emitted streams of milk from her breasts.
This is described by Śrīpāda Śuka Muni:
yaśodā varṇyamānāni putrasya caritāni ca; When Śrīla Vrajarāja described the wonderful activities of his son to Uddhava, milk oozed like torrents of rain from the breasts of Mother Yaśodā, who overheard it, and tears flowing from her eyes moistened her clothes. (10.46.28)
śṛnvanty aśrūṇy avāsrākṣīt sneha-snuta-payodharā
It is with this kind of motherly love that mother Yaśomatī tries to protect her tender son with millions of life-airs and bodies from even a single sweatdrop, for she becomes very thoughtful when she sees even one drop of sweat on His body, thinking that He has overworked.
Which poet or scholar could describe the motherly love of mother Yaśodā through his poetry or scholarship without directly experiencing it? It is inconceivable! Any elucidation or example that may nourish this description of Śrīpāda Raghunātha is paltry. There is no doubt about this! Nothing can compare to the wonderful picture which Śrī Raghunātha, the matchless sculptor of Vraja-rasa, has painted with words here of mother Yaśodā’s motherly love.
Finally he says:
Thus the mahājanas have described mother Yaśodā’s anxiety about Śrī Kṛṣṇa before He leaves for the forest –
dekho dekho vrajeśvarī neha
godhana saṅge, vijaya koru nija sute
ki koribo nā pāyai theho
Just behold the anxiety of Queen Yaśodā when she sees her son leaving with their wealth of cows! I cannot find a description for it!mukha dhari cumbana, karatahi puna puna,
nayane galaye jaladhāra.
stana gata vasana, bhigi paḍaye ghana
kṣīra dhārā anivāra
She holds His face and kisses Him again and again while tears stream from her eyes like torrents of rain. Her clothes get drenched by an unbroken stream of her breast milk.vinihita nayana, vayana kamala para
yaichana cāṅda cakora
dina avasāne, kiye puna herabo
anumāni hoyato vibhora
She fixes her eyes on His lotus face, just as a Cakora-bird fixes his eyes on the moon. She is filled with doubts whether she will see Him again at the end of the day.ko vihi adabhuta, prema ghaṭāola,
tāhe puna iha paramāda
bhaṇa rādhā mohana, anudina aichana,
hoyoto rasa mariyāda
Which Creator has created such a love and especially such an ecstatic love? Rādhā Mohana dāsa sings: These customs of rasa take place every day.
The closer the evening-time draws near, when Kṛṣṇa is expected back from the goṣṭha, the more anxious and worried mother Yaśodā gets out of separation from Him. Then, as she walks in and out of the house, she exceeds the love of millions of cows, that have newly born calves.
yāntī gehād ajiram ajirād geham āyānty atha yā
śuṣyad vaktrānayad ati rujaivāntimaṁ yāmam ahnaḥ
sā goṣṭheśā taraṇi tanaye netra-yugmāt kucābhyāṁ
jahnoḥ kanye asṛjad iva taṁ prekṣya sūnuṁ samīpe
Queen Yaśodā spent the evening in great distress, walking out of her house onto the courtyard and back, her face dried up from different worries about her son’s delay in returning home. When she suddenly saw her beloved boy, her eyes emitted a Yamunā-stream of tears and her breasts a Gaṅgā-stream of milk. (Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta 17.12)
Nothing can compare to the motherly love of mother Yaśodā! Hence Śrīpāda Raghunātha prays:
stana kṣīre āṅkhi nīre bhāse nirantara
putra aṅge gharma heri ati vyagra ho’ye;
śānti vidhāna kore koṭi deha prāṇa diye
kṣaṇa kāla adarśane govinda vadana;
prasūta gābhīra nyāya vyākulita mana
bhaye vyagra hoiyā yini korena vilāpa;
yaśomati rakṣā koru kori āśīrbāda
“May Yaśomati, whose heart melts out of affection for her son, Who constantly bathes in her own breast milk and tears, who becomes very anxious when she sees perspiration on her son’s body and who comforts Him with millions of her life-airs and bodies, who becomes agitated like a cow with a new calf when she does not see Govinda’s face for even a moment and who fearfully laments over Him, protect me with her blessings.”
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