Thursday, April 7, 2016

'Shri Krishna-karnamrita:' Hundredth Shloka


kamam santu sahasrashah katipaye sarasya-dhaureyakah,
kamam
va kamaniyata-parimala-svarajya-baddha-vratah |
naivaivam
vividamahe na ca vayam deva priyam brumahe,
yat
satyam ramaniyata-parinatis tvayy eva param gata ||100

Simple Meaning:

The Ineffable Beauty of Krishna

There may be thousands of learned eminent men, the finest bearers of relishable beauty, and there may be thousands of them who are God-realized souls and are steady in the glorious fragrance of attractive beauty. Neither shall we quarrel with them nor speak well of them. But the truth is that the charm and ineffable beauty which has reached its zenith in Your beauteous form, can not be found in anyone else.


The Rasa-laden Commentary:


Shri Banke Bihari Lal in Vrindavan

Lord Krishna tells Lilashuk that there are so many charming Rasik Shekhars who are knowledgeable in the madhur bhava, by neglecting them you are singing my glories. Hearing this Shri Lilashuk humbly replies that there are thousands of men loaded with juiciness in this mundane world, there may be thousands of men steeped in rasa, the glorious fragrance of attractiveness but I have nothing to do with them. I do not oppose the fact that Your other incarnations or svarupas  are lovely and beautiful or not-but I have implicit faith in this Vrindavan Bihari form of Yours.

Shri Rama, an Incarnation of Lord Narayana

Although loveliness, tenderness and softness have been evidently visible in the Shri Rama incarnation of Lord Vishnu but it is totally bound by conventional norms (maryada).
 

Shri Rama & Ma Sita

The sakhis of Shri Sita were infatuated by the form of Shri Ram. Our most dear svamini Sita who very well knows the heartfelt desires, tender and ardent longings of the sakhis' hearts-the beloved of Awadh Bihari, who loves dallying in Pramod Van, granted them the boon that their wishes would be fulfilled. During the pleasant moments of a beautiful morning the Svamini, melting with affection, looked at Awadh Kishore, the beloved of Her heart, with a love-laden glance and smiled. Awadh Kishore, the assayer of feelings, nestled this gaze in His heart and smiled. Getting acceptance in this mutual exchanges of glances,Kishori ji was delighted and thrilled. Shri Rama was enchanted by Her generosity. That silent granting of a boon by svamini Sita was successfully fulfilled by Shri Ram manifesting as Shri Vrindavan Bihari on the soil of Braj. Here there are no social constraints, there is unrestrained romantic dalliance and amorous love play.


Shri Narayana

As compared to other incarnations of Narayana, the madhuri of Shri Krishna, the darling son of Nanda, is far more astonishing and steeped in rasa, the nectarous essence of His love.
Braj gopis do have darshan and behold the four armed form of Narayana but not even the slightest passion is aroused in their hearts.


Dark-hued Krishna

In comparison to the beauty and madhurya of Shri Narayana, the sweet ineffable beauty of Krishna is more powerful. Through His joy-giving energy, dark-hued Krishna passionately draws the minds of everyone, this is an unusual trait of Lord Krishna's svarupa.
 


Shuk-Sarika & Creepers are Ecstatic on Seeing Krishna
The gopis describe Krishna's handsomeness in these words:
trailokya-saubhagam idam ca nirikshya rupam
yad go-dvija-druma-mrigah pulakany abibhran
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.29.40):
"O Krishna, enchanted by this form of Yours, even shuk-sarika( parrot and cuckoo) and other birds sitting on branches close their eyes thinking about you, Malati-madhavi, mallika and other creepers become stunned in ecstasy when they gaze at your form. On the pretext of blossoming their flowers further they express their being stunned in ecstasy when they gaze at Your form, the most handsome in all the three worlds.
When this is the condition of immovable beings then what can we say about the gopis?
 
Assuming the gopi bhava Shri Lilashuk exults,"O Krishna!Loveliness and charm has reached the peak in Your form, this is the eternal truth."



Shri Roop Goswamipada says in 'Ujjvala Nilamani':

santu bhureenni ramyanni prarthyam syadidmaiv mai |
iti yo nirnnayo dheerairabhimanah sa uchyate ||

There may be many objects of beauty in this world, but among them only one specific person is the object of my desire. Such determination is called abhimana by the wise.
Shri Tulsidas has also said:
as abhimaan jai jani bhore Main sewak sitapati more.


Shri Radha-Krishna

Shri Radha Rani's utterance also expresses such faith,"My friend, any of these men who does not wear a peacock-feather on His head, does not place a flute to His lips, and does not decorate His body with mineral pigments, I do not consider as important as a blade of grass."
(Ujjaval Nilamani)
In addition, Shreel Chaitanya Das Goswami Pada says that the zenith of ineffable beauty is found in this very human form of Shri Krishna, the darling son of Nanda.