Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das
Vrindavana is a sacred realm filled with astonishment, sweetness, intimacy, bliss and delight. It is here only that madhurya Sri Krishna eternally enjoys the most fulfilling and sumptuously blissful pastimes of pure love with His dearest gopas and gopis. The wealth of Vrindavana is its unconquerable power of love. Thus Sri Krishna’s pastimes in Vraja surpass all His other lilas in madhurya (sweetness), because Krishna’s subjugation by love is the greatest in Vraja.
In this series, we will present the amazing vraja-lilas of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna as told by Kaviraja Sri Karnapura Goswami in his classic work “Ananda Vrindavana Campu”.
Reading Sri Kavi Karnapura’s writing is like drinking a most refreshing sweet nectar enhanced with a touch of camphor. The nectar is Krishna lila, and the fragrant camphor is the inspiring philosophy that Kavi Karnapura tastefully sprinkles here and there throughout the narration.
The source of Kavi Karnapura’s devotional writing expertise is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Advaita Prabhu. When he was a baby in Jagannatha Puri, the most fortunate Kaviraja once sucked on Mahaprabhu’s toe. And then later he took diksha from Srinatha Cakravarti, a direct disciple of Sri Advaita Prabhu.
As Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja once blessed the readers of Krishna Karnamrta, we pass on this blessing to our friends: “One who constantly reads the Ananda Vrindavana Campu will understand the unbounded beauty and sweetness of Krishna lila [or the sweet charm of Krishna’s madhurya lila]:
saundarya madhurya krishna lilara avadhi,
sei jane ye karnamrta pade niravadhi
(Caitanya Caritamrta 2.9.308)
Coming soon in part two will be “Ten Seasons of Vraja”.
Kaviraja Sri Karnapura Goswami’s Ananda Vrindavana Campu ki jai!
Radha-Govinda Vraja Lilas ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!
All parts of Krishna Nectar Lilas can be found here.