Text 18

Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (29) states:

मयि प्रसादं मधुरैः कटाक्षैर् वंशी-निनादानुचरैर् विधेहि
त्वयि प्रसन्ने किम् इहा परैर् नस् त्वय्य् अप्रसन्ने किम् इहा परैर् नः

mayi prasādaṃ madhuraiḥ kaṭākṣair vaṃśī-ninādānucarair vidhehi
tvayi prasanne kim ihā parair nas tvayy aprasanne kim ihā parair naḥ

O Kṛṣṇa, kindly bestow Your mercy upon me through Your sweet sidelong glances, which are accompanied by the sound of Your flute. When You are pleased with me, there is no harm if others are not. But if You become displeased, even if others are pleased, what is the use?

मधुर कटाक्ष-वंशी-निनादेर सह
आमाके प्रसाद करि’ तव पदे लह

madhura kaṭākṣa-vaṃśī-ninādera saha
āmāke prasāda kari’ tava pade laha

प्रसन्न हैले तुमि अन्य-प्रसन्नता
प्रयोजन किवा मोर, एइ मोर कथा

prasanna haile tumi anya-prasannatā
prayojana kivā mora, ei mora kathā

तव प्रसन्नता विना अन्येर प्रसादे
कि कार्य आमार बल कहिनु अवाधे

tava prasannatā vinā anyera prasāde
ki kārya āmāra bala kahinu avādhe

एइ रूप निष्ठा सह करिले कीर्तन
अचिरे हैबे रुचि, पाबे प्रेम-धन

ei rūpa niṣṭhā saha karile kīrtana
acire haibe ruci, pābe prema-dhana

पूर्वाह्न-कालेर लीला एइ रूप हय
नामाश्राय-काले चिन्ता कर महाशय

pūrvāhna-kālera līlā ei rūpa haya
nāmāśrāya-kāle cintā kara mahāśaya

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

Remembering Her previous amorous sports (vilāsa) with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the kuñjas, Śrī Rādhikā becomes restless in separation from Him (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.47.21): “kvacid api sa kathā naḥ kiṅkarīṇāṃ gṛṇīte bhujam aguru-sugandhaṃ mūrdhny adhāsyat kadā nu–will Kṛṣṇa again place His cooling hand, which is more fragrant than aguru, on our heads?” In this virahapralāpa (incoherent talk filled with lamentation, which is caused by separation from Kṛṣṇa), Rādhikā says, “O Prāṇanātha, please enter the kuñja, casting the same sidelong glance as You did before.” What is the nature of this glance? As Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute, His sidelong glance indicates to Rādhā to enter the kuñja. For this reason, the flute is a giver of bliss. Someone may question: “At the time of rāsa-līlā, if Muralīvadana’s sidelong glance signals to Śrī Rādhā alone, what about the other gopīs?” The answer is that by the inconceivable potency (acintya-śakti) contained within His flute and sidelong glance, Kṛṣṇa signals Śrī Rādhā directly and the other gopīs indirectly.

Rādhikā says, “I am only concerned with Your happiness. My cherished desire is that You are happy, even if all of us gopīs are unhappy. If it pleases You to not appear before Me, then even the gopīs’ endeavours to find You cannot please Me.”

By resolutely performing bhajana with the sentiments described in this Third Chapter, the stage of ruci will arise and gradually the sādhaka will attain prema.