Text 166

Text

rādhā-prati kṛṣṇa-sneha—sugandhi udvartana
tā’te ati sugandhi deha—ujjvala-varaṇa

Synonyms

radha-prati—toward Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; krsna-sneha—the affection of Lord Kṛṣṇa; su-gandhi udvartana—perfumed massage; tā'te—in that; ati—very; su-gandhi—perfumed; deha—the body; ujjvala—brilliant; varana—luster. 

Translation

“Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s transcendental body is brilliant in luster and full of all transcendental fragrances. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s affection for Her is like a perfumed massage. 

Purport

Sugandhi udvartana refers to a paste made of several perfumes and fragrant oils. This paste is massaged all over the body, and in this way the body’s dirt and perspiration are removed. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s body is automatically perfumed, but when Her body is massaged with the scented paste of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s affection, Her entire body is doubly perfumed and made brilliant and lustrous. This is the beginning of Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s description of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s transcendental body. This description is based on the book known as Premāmbhoja-maranda compiled by Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s descriptions in verses 165-181 are based on this book. A translation of the original Sanskrit as described by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura reads as follows: 

“The love of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa is full of transcendental ecstasy. It appears to be a brilliant jewel, and enlightened by such a transcendental jewel, Rādhārāṇī’s body is further perfumed and decorated with kuṅkuma. In the morning Her body is bathed in the nectar of compassion, in the afternoon in the nectar of youth, and in the evening in the nectar of luster itself. In this way the bathing is performed, and Her body becomes as brilliant as the cintāmaṇi jewel. Her dress is composed of various kinds of silken garments, which may be compared to Her natural shyness. 

“Her beauty is more and more enhanced, being decorated with kuṅkuma, which is compared to beauty itself, and with blackish musk, which is compared to conjugal love. Thus Her body is decorated with different colors. The kuṅkuma is red, and the musk is black. Her ornaments embody the natural symptoms of ecstasy-trembling, tears, jubilation, stunning, perspiration, faltering of the voice, bodily redness, madness and dullness. In this way the entire body is bedecked with these nine different jewels. Over and above this, the beauty of Her body is enhanced by Her transcendental qualities, which hang as a flower garland on Her body. The ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa is known as dhīra and adhīra, sober and restless. Such ecstasy constitutes the covering of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s body, and it is adorned by camphor. Her transcendental anger toward Kṛṣṇa is embodied as the arrangement of the hair on Her head, and the tilaka of Her great fortune shines on Her beautiful forehead. The earrings of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī are the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, as well as the hearing of His name and fame. Her lips are always reddish due to the betel nut of ecstatic affection for Kṛṣṇa. The black ointment around Her eyes is Her tricky behavior with Kṛṣṇa brought about by love. Her joking with Kṛṣṇa and gentle smiling is the camphor with which She is perfumed. She sleeps in Her room with the aroma of pride, and when She lies down in Her bed, the transcendental variety of Her loving ecstasies is like a jeweled locket in the midst of Her necklace of separation. Her transcendental breasts are covered by Her sari in the form of affection and anger toward Kṛṣṇa. She has a stringed instrument known as a kacchapī-vīṇā, which is the fame and fortune that actually dries up the faces and breasts of the other gopīs. She always keeps Her hands on the shoulder of Her gopī friend, who is compared to Her youthful beauty, and although She is highly qualified with so many spiritual assets, She is nonetheless affected by the Cupid known as Kṛṣṇa. Thus She is defeated. Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī offers his respectful obeisances to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, taking a straw in his mouth. Indeed, he prays, ‘O Gāndharvikā, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, just as Lord Kṛṣṇa never rejects a surrendered soul, please don’t reject me.’ ” This is a summary translation of the Premāmbhoja-maranda, which Kavirāja Gosvāmī quotes. 

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