Radha and Krishna

The kirtan continued. Radha had met Krishna on the bank of the Jamuna under the kadamba tree. Her companions describe her physical and mental condition:

A hundred times each hour, in and out of the room she goes.

Restless, breathing hard, she looks toward the kadamba grove.

Is she afraid of the elders? Has she been possessed by a ghost?

Filled with restlessness, she cannot keep her dress arranged;

Her jewels have fallen off; she trembles every now and then.

Alas, she is so young! A princess born, and a wife besides!

What is it that she craves? We do not understand her mind;

But we can guess her hand is reaching out to catch the moon.

Humbly says Chandidas: Radha has fallen in Krishna’s trap.

The kirtan went on. Radha’s friends say to her.

Tell us, O Radha of comely face! Tell us what it is that ails you.

Why has your mind wandered away? Why do you claw the earth in frenzy?

Tell us why your golden skin has taken the ashy hue of cinders.

From your body the scarlet cloth has dropped unheeded to the ground;

Ah! Your eyes are red with tears; your lovely lotus face has withered. Tell us what it is that ails you, lest our hearts should break with grief.

Radha says to her friends: I long for the sight of Krishna’s face.

The musician sang again.

Hearing Krishna’s flute, Radha has gone mad. She says to her friends:

Who is the Sorcerer that dwells in the kadamba grove?

His flute-notes suddenly enter my ears and strike a chord in my heart;

Piercing my very soul, they slay my dharma and drive me mad. With restless mind and streaming eyes, alas! I can scarcely breathe:

How He plays His magic flute, whose music thrills my soul! Because He is out of my sight, my heart expires; I cannot stay home. My soul yearns for Him; racked with pain, it longs to see Him once more.

Says Uddhava Das: But you will die, O Radha, when you behold Him!

The music continued. Radha’s heart yearns for the vision of Krishna. She says to her friends:

First I heard His magic flute from the kadamba grove, And the next day the minstrel told me of Him and thrilled my soul; Another day, O friend of my heart, you chanted His blessed name.

(Ah, the blessed name of Krishna, full of honeyed sweetness!)

The wise men, too, described to me His virtues without number. I am a weak and simple girl, and stern, alas! are my elders;

My love for my Beloved grows; how can I live any longer?

After reflecting long, I find that I must die at last: Can you not tell me a way, O friend, by which I may meet my Krishna?

As Sri Ramakrishna heard the line, “Ah, the blessed name of Krishna, full of honeyed sweetness!”, he could not remain seated any longer. He stood up in a state of unconsciousness and went into deep samādhi. The younger Naren stood at his right.

Regaining partial consciousness, the Master repeated the name of Krishna in his melodious voice. Tears flowed down his cheeks. He sat down again. The musician continued his singing.

Visakha, a friend of Radha, runs out and brings a portrait of Krishna. She holds it before Radha’s eyes. Radha says: “I see the picture of Him whom I beheld on the Jamuna’s bank. Ever since then I have been in this plight.

I see the picture of Him whom I beheld on the Jamuna’s bank; The name Visakha spoke is the name of Him who is painted here.

He who played on the flute is the Beloved of my soul;

His virtues the minstrel sang to me; He has bewitched my heart. It is none other than He!” So saying, Radha falls in a swoon.

Restored to her senses by her friends, at once she says to them, “Show me Him, O friends, whom I saw reflected in my soul.”

They promise her that they will.

Sri Ramakrishna with Narendra and the other devotees began to sing the kirtan in a loud voice. They sang:

Behold, the two brothers have come, who weep while chanting Hari’s name. . . .

They continued:

See how all Nadia is shaking Under the waves of Gaurānga’s love. . . .

Again Sri Ramakrishna went into samādhi. After regaining consciousness of the outer world, he returned to his seat. Turning to M., he said, “I don’t remember which way I was facing before.” Then he began to talk to the devotees.