Shrimad Chaturasi Path — Pad 18 | Chaurasi Ji Ka Path Arth Sahit | निकुंज लीला — रस-सागर की स्वामिनी

Original pad (Devanagari)

सुनि मेरी वचन छबीली राधा ।
तें पायौ रससिंधु अगाधा ॥
तू वृषभानु गोप की बेटी ।
मोहनलाल रसिक हँसि भेटी ॥
जाहि बिरंचि उमापति नाये ।
तापै तैं वन फूल बिनाये ॥
जो रस नेति-नेति श्रुति भाख्यौ ।
ताकी तैं अधर सुधारस चाख्यौ ॥
तेरी रूप कहत नहि आवै ।
जय श्री हित हरिवंश कछुक जस गावै ॥

Transliteration

suni merī vacana chabīlī rādhā.
teṁ pāyau rasasiṁdhu agādhā.
tū vṛṣabhānu gopa kī beṭī.
mohanalāla rasika haṁsi bheṭī.
jāhi birañci umāpati nāye.
tāpai taiṁ vana phūla bināye.
jo rasa neti-neti śruti bhākhyau.
tākī taiṁ adhara sudhārasa cākhyau.
terī rūpa kahata nahi āvai.
jaya śrī hita harivaṁśa kachuka jasa gāvai.

Word-by-word meanings

suni — listen; merī vacana — to my words; chabīlī — O charming one; rādhā — Rādhā; teṁ pāyau — you have attained; rasasiṁdhu — the ocean of rasa; agādhā — unfathomable; tū — you; vṛṣabhānu gopa kī beṭī — the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu; mohanalāla — Mohanlāla; rasika — the relisher; haṁsi — laughing; bheṭī — you met; jāhi — whom; birañci — Brahmā; umāpati — Śiva, the Lord of Umā; nāye — bow down to; tāpai — from Him; taiṁ — you; vana phūla bināye — had forest flowers woven; jo rasa — the rasa which; neti-neti — "not this, not this"; śruti — the scriptures; bhākhyau — speak of; tākī — of that very one; taiṁ — you; adhara sudhārasa — the nectar of His lips; cākhyau — have tasted; terī rūpa — your beauty; kahata nahi āvai — cannot be described; kachuka — only a little; jasa gāvai — sings your glory.

Translation

Listen to my words, O charming Rādhā! You have attained the unfathomable ocean of rasa. You are the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, and you met the relisher Mohanlāla laughing. He to whom Brahmā and Śiva bow down — from Him you had forest flowers woven. The supreme rasa which the scriptures cannot fully describe even by saying "not this, not this" — the nectar of that very rasa's lips you have tasted. Your beauty cannot be put into words; Śrī Hita Harivaṁśa sings only a little of your glory.

Explanation

This pad sings Rādhā's greatness. The Lord before whom even Brahmā and Śiva bow serves Her in love, weaving forest flowers for Her. The rasa that the Vedas can only point to with "neti-neti" — not this, not this — Rādhā tastes directly as the nectar of Her Beloved's lips. Her beauty is beyond words; even the poet can sing only a little of Her glory. Here the sakhi tells Rādhā what She Herself never says: that in love, She is the greatest of all.

Summary

Rādhā has tasted the nectar even the Vedas cannot describe — She is the mistress of the ocean of rasa.

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