Rasa! Rasa! Rasa! (part 2)

Lord Krishna's Body Fragrance

The recipient of Krishna's grace can not relish His rasa by just listening to Him  and not smelling His body fragrance. Every sense does the task of all sense organs at the same time. The underlying secret being that our mind and indriyan or senses are one.

Krishna's Lila

Without the mind it is not possible to gain entry into Krishna's lila or divine play and behold the lila bhoomi.

Everything is naturally and easily attainable but an ardent longing for the Supreme Lover is the unique trait of a person who is in love.

Shriji

 That is why even on indicating that the Beloved is nearer Shriji wonders if it is true? A constant thirst as if Krishna has not been attained, persists.

'I can see His proximity but is He actually being seen,' Shriji gazes at Krishna, wondering if it is true.

'Did my lips ever touch the Supreme Lover's lips, did they ever savour His rasa?' This unsatisfied bhava prevails.

Shri Radha-Krishna Roaming in the Forest

The moon faced Krishna keeps roaming in the forest region along with Shri Radha, the chakori [1]. Both of them dally, the sportive Krishna and His rasikni, always oblivious of their surroundings. Tinkling anklets know the mystery of their escapades but that is because they are in touch with their bodies. Will the anklets inform us that the Supreme Lover and His Beloved are advancing towards us?

Shri Radha-Krishna Dwell in Our Hearts

Their body lustre and intoxicating fragrance will reveal their presence and tell us from where hridaya, the indwellers of our heart, are coming. We are not expected to explain how we know that the Supreme Lover Krishna and His Beloved Radha are coming, because they are the hridaya, the the Beloveds of our heart, and very close to us.

The Bumblebee Wanting to Relish Lotus Pollen

The bhringi or bumblebee is attracted to the lotus because it is eager to relish its pollen.

Similarly Shri Radha's being passionately drawn to the Supreme Lover is Her basic nature. There is no other reason.

Steeped in religious rapture, the Beloved says I am 'nikat tam ' or nearer.

A Chakori Longs for the Full Moon

The chakori is passionately drawn and enraptured by the full moon[2]which is but natural! There is no other reason. On hearing the tinkling anklets and smelling their body fragrance we become conscious of their coming.   

                                                                                                                 

'nikat yan nikat tam' (near or nearer)

Should we call Shri Radha-Krishna who are decked from top to toe, and who appear before us as'nikat yan nikat tam ' which means 'near or nearer!'  The bhava has been expressed as such to depict the mischievousness of experiencing rasa.

Our Mind Has Been Likened to the Bumblebee

There is space in the mind to only relish rasa and just for rasa. The mind is compared to the bhringi or bumblee bee which is eager to taste pollen and rasa is likened to lotus pollen, and they both are in union. The two are inseparable so that rasa can be relished. The mind has been likened to a lotus.

There is space in the mind just for containing the Name, form,  playful dalliance and site of Shri Radha-Krishna's divine play and for nothing else. 

Shri Radha-Krishna are a Single Entity

Shri Radha-Krishna are contained in our mind and exist there as a single entity.  Whenever they are seen with the mind and eyes totally focused on them, they are completely perceptible by our ears.

When we think of the sopan or jewelled stairs and the sarovar full of lotus rows with madhups or honey-drinking bees hovering over them, Shri Radha-Krishna are seen in totality by our mind.

Flocks of Birds

 Every earthly forest, kunja, nikunja, grove, does, fawns, flocks of birds can be simultaneously seen by the focused mind. Because they belong to the mind and not to anything else.

The Supreme Lover, fully contained in the mind, is the One who is seen by our eyes, and can be heard by our ears.  Fully decked, they are both seen as a single entity. 

If there is a girdle around Shri Radha's waist then the ensuing tinkling can be heard with a focused mind. Wearing tinkling anklets and embracing His  Beloved, Krishna can be experienced at the same time by concentrating our full attention on Him.

Shri Radha-Krishna Are Our Mind's Own

Their tinkling anklets do not leave any scope for us to say anything other than this that Radha-Krishna are our mind's own and no one else is.

The sweet adornment of Krishna's anklets presents Him in front of us just as His blue-hued lustre and body fragrance do. Shringara rasa, the sentiment of sweet romance, is the actual svarupa of Krishna and He is the personification of this mysterious bhava.

Lord Krishna's Tinkling Anklets

The anklets make Lord Krishna roam in whichever direction He wants to. Was it the sound of tinkling anklets or did His beloved Radha whisper something in His ears, the sound make us wonder.

Krishna's Moon Like Face

Is the tinkling sound sweet or is the voice emanating from Krishna's mouth sweet, is the sound of tinkling anklets sweet or the sound of Krishna's flute play sweet. The full moon face of Krishna astonishes the eyes of enraptured Radha, the chakori[3] .

When a sakhi says that the sound of tinkling anklets can be heard Priya Sakhi Radha finds Krishna in her lap as if they have become one with each other.

The sweet sound of tinkling anklets has made our eyes perceive all forest regions and come close to them.

Lotus Ponds

The humming of madhups, the honey bees and tinkling anklets have made rows of lotuses cover lotus ponds.

Is it His lotus face or lotus we have not been given a second to ponder over this fact. 

Did We See Krishna or a Blossoming Lotus

We are not given a chance to find out whether our eyes fell on Krishna, the clever stealer of our hearts or we saw a blossoming lotus amidst rows of lotuses.

In whichever direction our mind was drawn the senses followed suit. No scope was left for anything else in every sweet episode which was presented.

Shri Radha-Krishna could not mutually decide which forest they should roam in but the sound of anklets adorning their limbs gave a signal as per their wishes.

The Lotus Feet of Shri Radha-Krishna

What shall we say about these anklets? The footprints which made their lotus feet  roam around,  are the ones which make us behold the oneness of Radha-Krishna.

Is it the sound of tinkling anklets or ripples of speech emanating from His auspicious mouth, is it the laughter beaming on Krishna's face or the exquisite beauty of words spoken by Him.

Astonished, amazed, infatuated, Shri Radha is charmed by His auspicious moonlike face.

Was it the sound of tinkling anklets? It’s impossible to believe that it was merely the sound of jewelled golden anklets, one cannot even imagine this, nor is it possible.

Flocks of forest birds can not listen to just this sound. Surprisingly they can hear the sound of tinkling anklets along with sensing the presence of Shri Radha-Krishna. But this is not astonishing because 

Entire Shri Van is Rasa

the entire Shri Van is rasa, indeed an ocean of rasa. The animate and inanimate  beings will not be able to express this truth.

When Shri Radha-Krishna are engaged in an interpersonal romantic exchange this maturity  does not exist so how can their non-duality be seen  by living and non-living beings?

Rasa is present in roaming, rasa is present in the path, rasa is present in love scenes, the reason being that rasa exists in the mind, eyes, ears and every fibre of our being.

There is no need to use the word 'reason'. One does not even think of reason because rasa pervades this wonderful boundless creation.

Shri Radha-Krishna's Loving Exchanges

One can feel that the svarupas of Shri Radha-Krishna are engaged in loving exchanges, by seeing a lotus blossoming in the pond. Their svarupas and states are never separable. Indeed, their extraordinary svarupas exist in this state of oneness.

The secret underlying their rasa dasha is the peculiar love trait of our own Supreme Lover and His Beloved, which is predominant.

The Supreme Lover and His Beloved have met but they haven't met, they have seen each other but they haven't, they have gained entry into each other's hearts but they haven't.

The Realm of Rasa

In other words a longing, a yearning engulfs Shri Radha-Krishna along with their beauteous forms decked from head to toe. They are passionately embracing each other by  plunging into the ocean of rasa but the tongue can’t say so. Is the all- pervasive and thirsting state of Shri Radha-Krishna the realm of rasa or is their being engaged in loving exchanges the realm of rasa?

Holding hands and looking at each other's half closed eyes they gaze at lotuses growing beside the sopans, the jewelled steps leading to ponds.

The sakhi's heartfelt desire is that the two of them do not remain oblivious of their surroundings for a long time. She wants them to regain consciousness instantly and lovingly meet each other, which will soon turn into a delightful union.

Shri Radha-Krishna Seated on a Lotus

The outcome of our gaze falling on a lotus is that both Shri Radha-Krishna who are engaged in interpersonal romantic exchange are being beheld by us.

Outcome means that their dasha or state has not been any different from this one since ages.

Earlier, later and outcome are all words flooded with rasa.

In the realm of rasa we do not imagine that their love-struck state has not been the same since eternity.

The sakhi never says that the Supreme Lover's auspicious face which we can see is smileless and is going to transform into beaming laughter.

Lord Krishna's Smiling Face

The very meaning of Shri Mukh or the auspicious face of Krishna is that it is -forever adorned with a smile. Just by mentioning red lips it appears that His smiling face wants to convey something. His mute words clearly seem to imply a sentence.

This beauteous form of Krishna has never been silent, neither the anklets, nor the zone of jewelled bells tied around His waist or the lip-kissed flute.

The mystery underlying the essence of rasa is this that it pervades our eyes and keeps smiling, and  whispers something or the other, or rather everything in our ears.

It seems that Krishna has said something to express Himself and the tongue has given an answer. 

Tightly Embraced by Krishna

Rasa leads us to believe that we are tightly embraced by Krishna  and are in union with Him.

The effect of rasa is such that one starts listening to every lila, the divine play of Krishna, from His hungering devotees.

When we start tasting rasa it is extremely necessary for talk of removing the dust of ignorance which covers the mirror of our minds, to enter our ears. Its entry into our ears is interlinked to the original mind [4].

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[1]     chakori: the female partridge traditionally supposed to live on moonbeams

[2]     chakori: a femal partridge supposed to live on moonbeams

[3]     chakori: a female partridge supposed to live on moonbeams

[4]     original mind::By hearing about Krishna, we awaken our true self and reunite with Krishna, the Supreme Self.