Sastra Caksusa

seeing through the eyes of scriptures

Chapter 13

Radha and Krishna Drink Honey

(10:48 a.m. - 3:36 p.m.)

 

 

Again, lotus-eyed Krishna wandered through Vrindavana forest and after a while He came to the Hemanta forest (the season in November-December). The paths that were shaded by thick trees to protect Him from the summer heat were now morose out of separation from Him. The Hemanta season looked just like Hari's union with the gopis, who have big buttocks, because now they covered their bodies with clothes from the cold, just as they covered their bodies in an unfavorable mood when Hari wants to make love with them. They scream and shiver from cold just as they scream and shiver when Hari wants to make love with them, and they keep their knees together from cold just as they keep their knees together in an unfavorable mood when Hari wants to make love to them.

 

Krishna told Radha, "Sakhi, the moonlit nights in the Hemanta season become longer and the sunlit days become shorter. The sun's rays now grow weaker, so Your lightning-like body starts shivering from cold (or 'lust'). O lover, I can not describe the greatness of the cold that brought You to this condition. Quickly enter the abode of My heart, which is a suitable shelter in the cold seasons, being warmed up by my eagerness for You. Here You can give up Your stunned condition, which was caused by the cold."

 

Saying this, Krishna pulled Radhika close to Him with His arms. Although rasika Radhika said, "No! No! No!" She was firmly and forcibly embraced by Priya Krishna, who kept Her at His chest. Because Her waist firmly rubbed against His waist, Krishna's sash loosened, and His flute that He kept there, fell on the ground as if it was angry.

 

Lalita picked it up and told it, "O hard, cold, flute! Although your only quality is the beauty of your song, you are full of faults! O disturber of the world, now you shall get your just dues!" Then, she hid the flute in her braid. Shri Krishna, the flutes master, did not notice it out of erotic intoxication. When Shri Radhika thus wandered through the Hemanta forest with Vihariji (Krishna, the enjoyer), Vrindadevi, the keeper of the forest, most joyyfully presented Them with small wintercoats of crimson, tawny, blue and golden colors.

 

Krishna said, "O beloved One, these red amarantha flowers carry the color of Your heart's passion for Me, the yellow jhinti flowers carry Your bodily complexion, the blue kuruntaka flowers carry the color of Your heart's erotic feelings for Me. Wouldn't this garland of fresh flowers increase My desires? O lady, look at this orange vine! She's so proud that she won't even hide her fruit in Your presence. But, if You just slightly open Your blouse with Your finger and show her Your orange-like breasts, that vine will fall into an ocean of embarassment!"

 

Hearing these words, Shri Radhika smiled gently and showered Krishna with the nectar of Her sidelong glances. Then, They came to the forest names Sisra sukhada, the forest that gives joy in the winter, where the lotus flowers are happy always to receive the rays of the sun from the sky. The sun is the enemy of the Vindhya mountains, so Durga, who lives in the mountains, asked her father, Himalaya, to send his snow soldiers there to defeat the sun. Seeing them chasing him, the sun fearfully fled to the direction of his son Yama, the south. Later, he will be strong enough again to return northwards and to fight the cold, but at present he is afflicted by these attacks.

 

In this way, Krishna, the friend of the women, moved about with great fun. He saw some kunda flowers and in great joy began to pick them to decorate Priyaji with. Seeing this, Shri Radhika smiled, covering Her face and pulling up Her nose. Then Krishna said, "Radha, why are You pointing at Me to Your sakhis, covering Your shy, smiling face, that suggests disgust?"

 

When Shri Radhika failed to reply, Lalita came up before Kundalata and told Giribhrita (Krishna), "All the people of the three worlds praise You as Punyashloka, One who is praised with nice verses. Now why are You so eager to touch this flowering Kunda vine (or 'menstruating Kundalata')? You are her long desired object, so she cannot refuse You. She has become very much afflicted by Cupid's arrows.

 

Kundalata said, "Lalita, where in the world are there such pure women as you? You have given up all household duties like a headache! Now you are vainly looking amongst the vines." When she said this, everyone laughed loudly.

 

Shri Radhika said, "Sakhis! There is only one Kundalata amongst us, and she is in great fear. But we're just speaking of a kunda vine and this made her so angry! The spotless sakhis can now ascertain why."

 

While Krishna heard Radhika's ambrosial words, that are not heard even by the Vedas, He came to the forest named Vasanta sukhada (giving joy in the spring time), where the mango trees are dripping from top to root with drops of honey, that makes the earth very happy. Krishna said, "Here the trees are householders and the vines their wives. They're holding a great charitable festival on each auspicious day. That's why the papabhrita and other birds happily return to them every day to keep themselves alive. Here, Cupid is the king. The spring is his minister, the Mayalan breezes his general, the honeybees his spies, the pika birds his punishers, the gopis are to be punished and the mountain caves are the jails. Look, O Lady! Has Govardhana become the king of all mountains, destroying their enemy Indra? The great mountains like Meru and others have now hidden their giant forms and are worshipping him with their luster. The Ganga flowing from Govardhana's golden table lands (Manasi Ganga) make him look like mount Meru. The snowy splendor of his caves make him look like the Himalaya. His high peaks that want to block the sun are like those of the Vindhya hills, and the silver boulders that form Our thrones make him look like mount Kailasa.

 

"Sakhi, this Rasathali named Parasauli is where You enjoy the Rasa dance every night. Let Us rest here for a while on the jewelled platforms." When They did so, Vrindadevi, the keeper of the forest, brought Hari His honeywine. When Shri Radhika looked into the silver cup to see how sweet the honey was, She saw Priyatama's face reflected in it and began to drink the nectar of His face, considering it to be sweeter than the honey.

 

She said to the Creator, "Vidha, how many times haven't you been cursed by the gopis, whose minds were burning in the fire of anxiety, for creating the bashfulness that witholds them from looking straight at Krishna's face? But now that you made this honey in which we can see Krishna's face without obstacle, our minds are no longer burning in the fire of agony, but attained the pinnacle of ecstasy, instead! We praise you a hundred times for this!"

 

Krishna said, "Sakhi, now You forcibly drink the nectar of My lotus-like face! I don't know what the drinking of this honey will do to You. Hearing this, Shri Radhika became annoyed with Krishna, as if He had removed the reflection of His face in their glasses by drinking the honeywine. Krishna held the glass with honey under Shri Radhika's lips and said, "Drink, drink drink!" but Radhika raised Her eyebrows, smiled, and said, "No, no, no!" turning Her lotus-like face away. However, with playfully moving glances, Krishna forced Her to drink. He also forced Lalita and her sakhis to drink, so that their eyes turned reddish, their garments loosened and their intoxicated state destroyed their shame. Then the sakhis made each other drink, also. Shri Radhika became confused and dizzy from intoxication.

 

In their intoxicated state, the gopis said, "Why doed the su-su-sun fa-fall from the sk-sky? Wh-why du-does the er-earth t-t-turn? Wh-why do the te-trees da-da-dance? D-dear One, pr-protect me!" Saying this, some gopis hung on Krishna's shoulder, some on His arm, some at His chest and some on His back, while their veils fell off and their hair loosened. Krishna, having all His limbs pressed upon by the gopis'   breasts, embraced them all tightly with His arms. The gopis then forcibly kissed Him, restlessly bending their sweet necks. How many times was it that the maidservants did not try to stop their giggling by covering their mouths?

 

Krishna told these maidservants, "O fickle eyed ones, look what your mistresses are doing! They're all joining together to defeat Me, whereas I'm but alone! It's improper of them to rape Me like this! It is My great fortune that you're not helping them."

 

Then Madhumati came and handed Krishna a cup of honey to make Him drunk, and Krishna accepted it with bent hand. Again and again He made the gopis drink, saying, "Di-drink, di-drink!" He held the drink to His mouth but He bit on His lips, so that none of the wine came into His mouth. In their drunken state, the gopis wondered, "Is it day or night? Are we women or men? Are we dressed or naked? What should we do?" with unordered speech. Krishna pointed at them, showing the maidservants.

 

Tulasi manjari asked Krishna, "Dear One, why don't You drink any honeywine?"

 

Krishna said, "Tulasi, I constantly drink the honey of their golden faces that are reflected in My glass. Can't you see? My body is studded with drops of perspiration! Just come and serve Me by softly fanning Me."

 

But none of the kinkaris came close by, afraid that Krishna would rape her, so clever Krishna took the cup to His mouth and pretended to drink. Then, He made His eyes turn red and roll as if He were drunk, as He was practiced in doing that, and He made His limbs slacken so the manjaris smilingly approached Him. Then clever Kundalata closed the gates of the cottage and Krishna stopped the kinkaris from escaping and drank the nectar of their lips. Then Cupid personally began to dance, twanging his bow as he saw the kinkaris prohibiting Krishna, saying, "No! No!" Again and again Krishna drank three kinds of honey - from cane, from flowers and from ground cane and He made the kinkaris drink also. The maidservants, being protected by Krishna's drunkenness, began to fan Him, thinking that the pearls that were scattered over His body after His erotic battle were sweat drops of fatigue. The sakhis that had not drunk the honey out of great ecstasy of giving wonderful jewels of their love to Hari, became amazed to see that the moon of wisdom of the drunken gopis was getting slightly freed from the eclipse of ecstasy that was caused by drinking the honey of sweet erotic rasa.

 

Thus ends chapter thirteen of Shrila Visvanatha Cakravrti's "Krishna Bhavanamrita Mahakavya," called 'Radha and Krishna Drink Honey.'

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