Verse Text
rasena, yathā –
antarhite tvayi balānuja rāsa-kelau
srastāṅga-yaṣṭir ajaniṣṭa sakhī visaṁjṣā |
tāmbūla-carvitam avāpya tavāmbujākṣī
nyastaṁ mayā mukha-puṭe pulakojjvalāsīt ||186||
Translation
Destruction of moha caused by taste: Younger brother of Balarāma! When You disappeared during the rāsa dance, my friend Rādhā lost control of her body and became unconscious. But when lotus-eyed Rādhā tasted Your chewed tāmbūla which I placed in her mouth, her hairs stood on end.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Tava tāmbūla-carvitam means “your chewed betel.” The genitive case of tava here has a possessive meaning. Another version is tvac carvitaṁ mukham anupratipadya gaurī tāmbūlam arpitam udsratayā ciceta: Having been offered your chewed tāmbūla, Rādhā woke up with tears in her eyes.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
One of the gopīs informed Kṛṣṇa, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, when You disappeared from the arena of the rāsa dance, our most dear friend, Rādhārāṇī, immediately fell on the ground and lost consciousness. But after this, when I offered Her some of Your chewed betel nut remnants, She immediately returned to consciousness with jubilant symptoms in Her body.” This is an instance of alertness caused by tasting.