The first subject Rupa Goswami deals with in Bhakti RasAmrita Sindhu is Krishna himself, who is the source of Bhakti Rasa. He writes:
akhila-rasAmrita-mUrtiH prasrimara-ruci-ruddha-tArakA-pAliH
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kalita-shyAmA-lalito rAdhA-preyAn vidhur jayati ||1||
The central word in this shloka is vidhu. A practical and literal translation of this word is “unique.” As such, the term is most often applied to two unique entities: the moon, who is unique amongst all the luminaries of the night sky, and the Supreme Being, who is unique among all beings. In this shloka Rupa Goswami synthesizes both meanings to create an eloquent and instructive double meaning.
It can be translated as:
Victory to the moon
Who is enamored by the star named “RAdhA”
Who is the embodiment of all flavor and vitality
Whose radiant luster dominates the galaxy of stars
And who owns the romantic graces of the dark night.
And as:
Victory to moonlike Krishna
Who is enamored by RAdhA
Who is the embodiment of all pleasure and vitality
Whose radiant luster dominates the hearts
of the star-like girl named TArakA
and the galaxy-like girl named PAli
And who owns the hearts
of the beautifully dark girl named SHyAmA
and the romantic, graceful girl named LalitA.
Again, the central word in this shloka is vidhu. Rupa Goswami describes the moon as being enamored by the star called “RAdhA” (“rAdhA-preyAn-vidhu”). I am not conversant with Vedic cosmology and it’s modern correlations, but the moon is said to pass most closely to a star called “RAdhA.” Since it seems to make it’s entire journey across the dark sky just to come closer to this star, the moon is said to be in love with the RAdhA-star.
The same phrase, “rAdhA-preyAn-vidhu,” describes the Supreme Being as “in love with a girl named RAdhA.” Like the moon striving to reach his beloved star, Krishna’s every effort and movement focuses on only one thing: to come closer to his dear SHrI RAdhA. This makes explicit that Rupa Goswami is talking directly about Krishna, who is the manifestation of the Supreme Being who is famous as RAdhA’s lover. This also makes it clear that RAdhA is not an ordinary entity for the Supreme Being most dearly and intimately loves her.
Next, Rupa Goswami describes “RAdhA’s beloved moon” as akhila-rasAmrita-mUrti.
In Vedic cosmology, the moon is considered the embodiment of all flavor (rasa) and vitality (amrita). The moonlight is said to bestow all taste and nutrition to the earth’s vegetation. Like the moon, Krishna is the embodiment of all pleasure (rasa) and vitality (amrita). The potencies that radiate from his Being bestow all enjoyment and vigor to the living entities.
If we take the words rasa and amrita as one unit (“rasAmrita”) we discover that Krishna is the source not only of all temporary, phenomenal pleasures (rasa-Amrita), but of all eternal, transcendent pleasures (rasa-amrita) as well.
The highest pleasure is to love and be loved. Rupa Goswami calls this pleasure “bhakti-rasa.” Later in this book, he will organize bhakti-rasa into twelve basic categories, all of which, in both their phenomenal and transcendental forms, emanate like cooling rays of moonlight from the effulgent SHrI Krishna.
Next, Rupa Goswami describes “RAdhA’s beloved moon” as prasrimara-ruci-ruddha-tArakA-pAli.
The splendor of the moon radiates in all directions and dominates the galaxy of stars in the night sky. Likewise, Krishna’s splendors beauty radiates in all directions and dominates the hearts of the gopi named TArakA (“She who is like a star”) and the gopi named PAli (“She who is like the galaxy”).
Next, Rupa Goswami describes “RAdhA’s beloved moon” as kalita-shyAmA-lalitA.
The moon owns the romantic grace (lalitA) of the dark night (shyAmA) because without the moon the dark night would be more fearful than romantic, and more troublesome than graceful. Similarly, Krishna owns the hearts of the gopi named SHyAmA (“She who is dark and beautiful like Krishna”) and the gopi named LalitA (“She who is graceful in all the arts of romance”). Without Krishna, the hearts of these girls would neither beat nor continue to sustain their lives.
This shloka makes an important point about the paramount position of the Gopi named “RAdhA.”
The gopi named RAdhA (“She who is devotion personified”) is supreme. Though Krishna “dominates” some gopis and “owns” the hearts of others, Krishna himself, the source of all bliss, is dominated and enthralled by the blissful beauty and charms of SHrI RAdhA.
The other gopis gain their ability to similarly affect Krishna depending on how closely they are associated with SHrI RAdhA. Most removed is TArakA, who belongs to a group of girls that are competitive towards RAdhA. Next is PAli, who belongs to a group who are neutral to RAdhA. Next is SHyAmA, who belongs to a group who are friendly to RAdhA. Next is LalitA, who belongs to RAdhA’s own group of intimate friends. The more removed one is from RAdhA, the less affect one is able to have on Krishna.
Rupa Goswami has written this shloka in the present tense to remind us that Krishna’s loving relationship with RAdhA and her counterparts is supernatural, for Krishna is vidhu – the Supreme Being who is beyond all constraints like time and space, and who is therefore fully present and tangible today, in the present.
We who are currently writing and reading these words can also join in the loving relationship between RAdhA and Krishna and thus directly experience the embodiment of all pleasure and vitality. The activities of this loving relationship between the soul and the supreme are the subject matter of Bhakti RasAmrita Sindhu.