Chapter Eight Śrī Rādhikā-janma-varṇana Description of Śrī Rādhikā's Birth

śrī-gargaḥ uvāca - Śrī Garga Muni said; śrutvā - heariṅg; tadā - then; śaunaka - O Śaunaka; bhakti-yuktaḥ - full of devotion; śrī-maithilo - the King of Mithilā; jṣāna-bhṛtāṁ - of the wise; variṣṭhaḥ - the best; natvā - bowiṅg doen; punaḥ - again; prāha - said; muniṁ - to the sage; mahantaṁ - great; devarṣi-vāryaṁ - the best of the divine sages; hari - to Lord Hari; bhakti - devotional service; niṣṭhaḥ - faith. Śrī Garga Muni said: O Śaunaka, when Bahulāśva, the king of Mithilā, who was filled witḥ faith and devotion to Lord Hari and who was the best of the wise, heard this, he again bowed down and spoke to the great sage Nārada, the best of the devarṣis.

śrī-bahulāśvaḥ uvāca - Śrī Bahulāśva said; tvayā - by you; kulaṁ - the family; kau - bad; viśadī-kṛtaṁ - purified; me - of me; śubhaṁ - auspicious; harer - of Lord Hari; yad - which; yaśasā - by the fame; amalena - pure; śrī-kṛṣṇa - of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; bhakta - of the devotees; kṣaṇa - a moment's; saṅgamena - by the contact; jano - a person; api - also; sat - saint; syād - becomes; bahunā - more; kim u svit - what? Śrī Bahulāśva said: By giving it the narrations of Lord Hari's pure glories you purified my materialistic family and made it auspicious. By a moment's touch with Lord Kṛṣṇa's devotee even an ordinary person will become a saint. What more need I say?

śrī-rādhayā - with Śrī Rādhā; pūrṇatamas - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tu - indeed; sākṣād - directly; gatvā - having gone; vraje - to Vraja; kiṁ - what?; caritaṁ - activities; cakāra - did; tad - that; brūhi - please tell; me - to me; deva - lord; ṛśe - O sage; ṛśi - of the sages; īśa - O lord; tri - three; tāpa - of the sufferings; duḥkhāt - from the miseries; paripāhi - protect; māṁ - me; tvam - you. What did the Supreme Personality of Godhead do when He came with Śrī Rādhā to Vraja? O Lord, O great sage, please tell me. O king of the sages, please save me from the three miseries.

śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca - Śrī Nārada said; dhanyaṁ - fortunate; kulaṁ - family; yat - what; niminā nṛpena - by King Nimi; śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhaktena - a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; parāt pareṇa - greater than the greatest; pūrṇī-kṛtaṁ - perfected; yatra - where; bhavān - you; prajātaḥ - born; śuktau - in an oyster; hi - indeed; muktā - of a pearl; bhavanaṁ - the birth; na - not; citram - surprising. Śrī Nārada said: The family of your birth is fortunate for it was made perfect by King Nimi, who was a very great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is not surprising that a pearl is born in an oyster.

atha - then; prabhos - of the Lord; tasya - of Him; pavitra - pure; līlāṁ - pastimes; su-maṅgalāṁ - very auspicious; saṁśṛṇutāṁ - should be heard; parasya - of the Supreme; abhūt - was; satām - of the devotees; yo - who; bhuvi - the earth; rakṣaṇārthaṁ - to protect; na - not; kevalaṁ - only; kaṁsa-vadhāya - to kill Kaṁsa; kṛṣṇaḥ - Kṛṣṇa. Please hear the purifying pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord did not only come to kill Kaṁsa. He also came to protect the devotees.

atha - then; eva - indeed; rādhā - Rādhā; vṛśabhānu-patnyām - in the wife of Vṛṣabhānu; āveśya - entering; rūpaṁ - form; mahasaḥ - of glory; para - transcendental; ākhyam - named; kalindajā - of the Yamunā; kula - shore; nikuñja-deśe - in the forest grove; su-mandire - in a great palace; sā - She; avatatāra - descended; rājan - O king. Then, placing Her glorious transcendental form in (the womb of) King Vṛṣabhānu's wife, Śrī Rādhā descended into a great palace in a garden by the Yamunā's shore.

ghana - with clouds; āvṛte - covered; vyomni - the sky; dinasya - of the day; madhye - in the middle; bhādre - in the month of Bhadra; site - during the bright fortnight; nāga-tithau - on the eighth day; ca - also; some - on the day of the moon (Monday); avākiran - scattered; deva-gaṇāḥ - the demigods; sphuradbhis - with blossoming; tan-mandire - on that palace; nandanajaiḥ - grown in the Nandana gardens; prasūnaiḥ - flowers. In the month of Bhādra (August-September), on a Monday that was the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the moon, at midday, when the sky was covered with clouds, (to celebrate Rādhā's descent) the demigods scattered flowers that had blossomed in the Nandana gardens.

rādhā - of Śrī Rādhā; avatāreṇa - by the descent; tadā - then; babhūvur - became; nadyo - the rivers; amala - pure; ambhas - waters; ca - and; diśaḥ - the directions; praseduḥ - became happy and auspicious; vavus - blew; ca - also; vātās - breezes; aravinda - of lotus flowers; rāgaiḥ - with pollen; su-śītalāḥ - very cool; sundara - beautiful; manda - slowly; yānāḥ - going. Because of Rādhā's descent the rivers became very pure and clear, the directions became auspicious and happy, and graceful, gentle, cooling breezes carried the pollen of lotus flowers.

sutāṁ - daughter; śarat - autumn; candra - moons; śata - hundred; abhirāmaṁ - beautiful; dṛṭṭvā - seeing; atha - then; kīrtir - Kīrti; mudam - happiness; āpa - attained; gopī - the gopī; śubhaṁ - auspicious; vidhāya - giving; āśu - at once; dadau - gaving; dvijebhyo - to the brāhmaṇas; dvi-lakṣam - two hundred thousand; ānanda - bliss; karaṁ - donation; gavān - cows; ca - also. Gazing at her daughter beautiful as hundreds of moons, the gopī Kīrti became happy. To bring auspiciousness she gave two hundred thousand cows in charity to please the brāhmaṇas.

preṅkhe khacid-ratna-mayūkha-pūrṇe suvarṇa-yukte kṛta-candanāṅge andolitā sā vavṛdhe sakhī-janair dine dine candra-kaleva bhābhiḥ

yad-darśanaṁ deva-varaiḥ su-durlabhaṁ yajṣair na vāptaṁ jana-janma-koṭibhiḥ sa-vigrahaṁ taṁ vṛśabhānu-mandire lalanti lokā lalanā-pralālanaiḥ

śrī-rāsa-raṅgasya vikāśa-candrikā dīpāvalīr yā vṛśabhānu-mandire goloka-cūḍā-maṇi-kaṇṭha-bhūśaṇāṁ dhyātvā parāṁ tāṁ bhuvi paryaṭāmy aham

śrī-bahulāśva uvāca vṛśabhāno raho-bhāgyaṁ yaśā rādhā sutābhavat kalāvatyā sucandreṇa kiṁ kṛtaṁ pūrva-janmani

śrī-nārada uvāca nṛga-putro mahā-bhāgaḥ sucandro nṛpatīśvaraḥ cakravartī harer aṁso babhūvātīva-sundaraḥ

pitṛṇāṁ manasī-kanyās tisro 'bhuvan manoharāḥ kalāvatī ratnamālā menakā nāma nāmataḥ

kalāvatīṁ sucandrāya harer aṁsāya dhīmate vaidehāya ratnamālāṁ menakāṁ ca himādraye pāribarheṇa vidhinā svecchabhiḥ pitaro daduḥ

sītābhūd ratnamālāyāṁ menakāyāṁ ca pārvatī dvayoś caritraṁ viditaṁ purāṇeṣu mahā-mate

sucandro 'tha kalāvatyā gomatī-tīraje vane divyair dvādaśabhir varśais tatāpa brahmaṇas tapaḥ

atho vidhis tam āgatya varaṁ brūhīty uvāca ha śrutvā valmīka-deśāc ca niryayau divya-rūpa-dhṛk

taṁ natvovāca me bhūyād divyaṁ mokṣaṁ parat-param tac chrutvā duḥkhitā sādhvī vidhiṁ prāha kalāvatī

patir eva hi nārīṇāṁ daivataṁ paramaṁ smṛtam yadi mokṣam asau yāti tadā me kā gatir bhavet

etad vinā na jīvāmi yadi mokṣaṁ pradāsyasi tubhyaṁ śāpaṁ pradāsyāmi pati-vīkṣepa-vihvalā

śrī-brahmovāca tvac-chāpād bhaya-bhīto 'haṁ me varo 'pi mṛśā na hi tasmāt tvaṁ prāṇa-patinā sārdhaṁ gaccha tripiśṭapam

bhuktvā sukhāni kālena yuvāṁ bhūmau bhaviśyathaḥ gaṅgā-yamunayor madhye dvāparānte ca bhārate

yuvayo rādhikā sākṣāt paripūrṇatama-priyā bhaviśyati yadā putrī tadā mokṣaṁ gamiśyathaḥ

śrī-nārada uvāca itthaṁ brahma-vareṇātha divyenāmogha- rūpiṇā kalāvatī-sucandrau ca bhūmau tau dvau babhūvatuḥ

kalāvatī kānyakuñje bhalandana-nṛpasya ca jāti- smarā hy abhūd divyā yajṣa-kuṇḍa-samudbhavā

sucandro vṛśabhānv-ākhyaḥ surabhānu-gṛhe 'bhavat jāti-smāro gopa-varaḥ kāmadeva ivāparaḥ

sambandhaṁ yojayām āsa nanda-rājo mahā-matiḥ tayoś ca jāti-smarayor icchator icchayā dvayoḥ

vṛśabhānoḥ kalāvatyā akhyānaṁ śṛṇute naraḥ sarva- pāpa-vinirmuktaḥ kṛṣṇa-sāyujyam āpnuyāt