'Shri Krishna-Karnamrita:' Seventy-seventh Shloka

dhenu-pala-dayita-stana-sthali-
dhanya-kunkuma-sanatha-kantaye  |
venu-gita-gati-mula-vedhase ,
brahma-rashi-mahase namo namah  ||77||

Simple Meaning:

 BrahmarAshi Krishna

I bow over and over again before Krishna, the repository of brilliance, whose glowing complexion is instinctively embellished with kumkum powder smeared on the breasts of cowherd's wives, Who is the original creator of the flute song and Who possesses the great glory of innumerable Brahmas.

Rasa-Laden Commentary:

dhanya-kunkuma-sanatha-kantaye

Lord Krishna Embraced By a Braj Gopi

Shri Billavmangalji has attained perfection in this verse. The One who is the Lord of lords and the Lord of all orphans, the one who blesses everyone, right from winged insects to Brahma Vishnu Mahesh with His compassionate glance, the very same Krishna is captured in the embrace of these Braj beauties, delighted by the kumkum powder smeared on their bosoms, which embellishes His lustrous complexion.. Truly! If anyone can exercise lordship over that blue-hued, tender body of Krishna it is these Braj maidens. Without being imprisoned in their loving embrace, this BrahmarAshi Krishna who possesses the glory of innumerable Brahmas, considers Himself be an orphan...

The Ethereal Union of Love Between Krishna & Devotee

Who can possibly narrate the story of these lovely Braj beauties! In that unique union of love nothing else can be tolerated...Probably even His vanamala has no role to play... when He becomes absorbed in that fearless battle of love. Soon after, these passionate love birds...become more and more excited, engrossed in love play they get busy in the same love battle. The darling son of Nanda is sometimes vanquished and at times he generally loses. And then 'susum shar-shar samar kupit mad gopi' or Cupid shoots flower arrows in the battle of love thus provoking the ardent gopis. Consequently the gopis embrace Him in their tenderly strong embrace even more tightly and then this Supreme Lover is punished...What is most unusual is that this mischievous Rasik Nayak Krishna is delighted on being punished...and gets His reward in that punishment.

Gopikuch kumkum

 

 gopikuch kumkum: Thrilled to have the kumkum powder of gopis' bosoms rub off on His chest that blued hued lustre swings with joy, trying to further tighten the love noose.Thus making these love smitten Braj maidens yearn even more for the nectar of divine love by His pleasing overtures, making them ardently long to relish and bestow rasa. On being marked by that kumkum powder this passionate Supreme Lover is further nourished. It seems that this posture delivers the message of captivating Cupid... the freedom of converting every overture and romantic dalliance into action, and then this passionate Supreme Lover get fully involved in that ustav of Cupid.The skill of hundreds of thousands of Cupids loses out in front of Braj maidens bathed in the joy of love. Forgetting everything, Krishna Himself gets struck by this colourful posture of love and admits He is gratified. If those cowherdesses are not present to enjoy the dark-hued lustre of Krishna then that lustre is an orphan.That is the precise reason that this brahmarAshi Krishna was flooded with love when millions of gopis who were rivers of the nectar of divine love, anointed Him with love on His coming to Braja.

 

Krishna's Flute Play Passionately Draws the Gopis

The supreme lover uses the flute to passionately draw the Braj gopis, tying them in His love noose,He agrees to let go off them only after being marked with sings of love play. His flute play is unique and can be heard only by the person whom He calls out to and then steeps that devotee in the rasa of love. Those marks of love play reveal what He is upto and the one who gets to know what lies behind Krishna's overtures is the one who is caught. In the minds of gopis an ardent longing to mark the supreme lover with love marks arises and what about Him?...What can anyone possibly say about Him? He is is never exhausted, is never tired of relishing the rasa of love...all the cowherdesses have addressed him as 'veer' or hero at several places. Krishna doesn't get fatigued Himself and after tiring the recipients of His love, He bestows supreme respite on them.

Shri Radha-Krishna Fatigued by Love Play

 The Supreme Lover by irrigating one Braj maiden with fondness, love and caresses...constantly collecting the joy of physical closeness and marking each other with the colourful marks of love play, that beloved and the Supreme Lover were giving to and taking respite from many of His beloveds at the same time. And that very respite and dalliance was exubertantly inciting them...the bestower and remover of toil, that young tenderly beautiful Krishna was releasing fatigue by which method, He only knows. The fatigue of land sports, fatigue of water sports and the fatigue of romantic dalliance, had all been given respite. Shri Billavmangalji is paying obeisance to Krishna, the repository of blue hued lustre, over and over again.