Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā, Yāvaṭa: Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s In-laws’ Village — The Svādhīna-bhartṛkā Nāyikā, the Hidden Marriage, Parakīya-bhāva, Bodies Made of Ānanda, and Kṛṣṇa as Kālī
• Ulu-dhvani: Gurudeva opens by remarking that people laugh at the ulu-dhvani, yet it is very special; only Bengali (and Oriya) ladies give it, so by it he knows Bengali devotees are present, and he asks them to give it once more.
• Yāvaṭa and the Ālatā Tree: The parikramā has reached Yāvaṭa, which people today call Jāvaṭa, Javali or Jāvgaon. In Dvāpara-yuga it was full of trees; under such a tree, whose crushed leaf gives a beautiful red liquid, Kṛṣṇa painted ālatā on Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s feet and decorated her hands.
• The Svādhīna-bhartṛkā Nāyikā: Here Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the svādhīna-bhartṛkā nāyikā, the heroine who controls her beloved by her love and instructs him, and Kṛṣṇa is the dhīra-lalita nāyaka. Śāstra describes the types of nāyikā and nāyaka. A wife in svakīya, wedded love, would never tell her husband to paint her feet; such pastimes take place only in parakīya-bhāva.
• Rādhikā’s In-laws’ House: Yāvaṭa is Rādhārāṇī’s śvaśura-bāḍī, her in-laws’ house. Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja gave her in marriage to Āyana Ghoṣa, also called Abhimanyu, whose name means one full of anger and false ego, always absorbed in “I am a man”.
• The Hidden Marriage: Yogamāyā arranged the marriage. At the moment of the ceremony when the groom sits on a lap, Kṛṣṇa, having come along, sat on Abhimanyu’s lap, and it was His hand the brāhmaṇa bound with Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s; no one noticed Him because He was so restless and everywhere. So in truth she married Kṛṣṇa, while people say she married Abhimanyu; this was arranged to manifest parakīya-rasa in this world.
• Where Parakīya-bhāva Is Found: Gurudeva cites Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī on parakīya-bhāva (identified as Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.47). Parakīya exists in Goloka Vṛndāvana, and only in the hearts of the most elevated gopīs; not in Yaśodā and the other gopīs. Yāvaṭa is therefore a most important place for parakīya-bhāva.
• Why Parakīya Is More Glorious: What is not yet attained keeps the heart eager; before marriage one longs for it, after it one suffers. So śāstra says parakīya is more glorious than svakīya. It has four infallible weapons, among them vāmyatā and durlabhatā.
• Bodies Made of Prema and Ānanda: The gopīs are not ordinary girls; their forms are divine. Our bodies are made of the five elements and the three guṇas, which bring lust and anger; the bodies of Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs are made only of prema. As every part of a sugar doll is equally sweet, they are made only of ānanda: Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda, the gopīs’ bodies are ānanda alone. This cannot be explained in material words.
• Kṛṣṇa as Kālī: Rādhārāṇī was married here, and Kṛṣṇa came eagerly to meet her. When Jaṭilā found them, she locked the door from outside, boasting she had caught the “rats in the trap”, and ran to call everyone. Kṛṣṇa reassured Rādhikā and manifested the form of Kālī, and she sat at Kālī’s feet worshipping with folded hands. Seeing this, the elders rebuked Jaṭilā: spit upward and it falls on your own face; look how chaste your daughter-in-law is. The Deity on the right here is Kṛṣṇa-Kālī. Kṛṣṇa can manifest as Kālī, but Kālī can never manifest as Kṛṣṇa: Śiva, Durgā and Kālī are Vaiṣṇavas.
• Jaṭilā, Kuṭilā and Fault-finding: Jaṭilā means “complicated”, the mother-in-law who will not let you breathe; Kuṭilā, the sister-in-law, is always gossiping. Gurudeva warns that many people, and some devotees, do nothing but criticise others instead of chanting and speaking Hari-kathā. One who criticises Vaiṣṇavas goes to hell and cannot enter the path of bhakti. Never criticise a Vaiṣṇava or anyone; chant “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa”. Yet Jaṭilā and Kuṭilā only increase the love of Rādhā and Govinda.
• The Brahmacārī at the Door: To break Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s māna, Kṛṣṇa came here disguised as a brahmacārī or sannyāsī, with tilaka, kamaṇḍalu and a book under His arm. Jaṭilā, making cow-dung cakes, told her daughter-in-law to give alms. Rādhikā refused: “You always say I love another man; I will not see any man.” The “brahmacārī” threatened a curse on the cows, the household and even her husband, so Jaṭilā insisted, calling her “mā” in the Bengali way. Rādhikā understood the sādhu was Kṛṣṇa Himself and came in a long veil with flowers. When He asked for her prema as alms, she showered the flowers on His head; her māna melted, she smiled, and they met.
• Camatkāra-candrikā: Many such pastimes took place at Yāvaṭa; the Vaiṣṇavas will speak more. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes them in his book Camatkāra-candrikā.
Verses quoted
• 00:08:44: parakīyā-bhāve ati rasera ullāsa… [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.47; identified from context, recitation not clearly audible]
– Greeting the Bengali devotees.
– Srimati Radhika is a svadhina-bhartrika nayaka.
– Lila: Krishna applies alta (red dye) to Radharani’s feet.
– Abhimanyu and Ayangosha are the two names of Radharani’s husband.
– Parakiya-bhava is higher than svakiya-bhava.
– 4 infallible weapons of parakiya-bhava: durlabhata, vamyata, nivaranata and pracchana-kamakhata.
– Krishna is sac-cid-ananda and the gopis bodies are made only of ananda.
– Lila: Krishna avoids being caught by Jatila and Kutila and disguises Himself as Goddess Kali.
– Lila: Radha, Jatila, Kutila, and Krishna in the form of brahmachari.
– Chamatkara-chandrika by Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura contains many such lilas that took place in Javata.
