1-14 Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Caraṇa Cihnas

Chapter Sixteen
Continued Madhyahna Pastimes
10:48 a.m.-3:36 p.m.

The Śukas and Śārikās describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Rūpa Mādhurī

1. When Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa rise and sit up on the flower bed, the Sakhīs approach them along with Subala and Batu.

Ṭīkā: The Guṭikā tells that the Sakhīs were sleeping in separate kutirs that surround the padma mandir. Before Śrī Yugala Kiśora rise, the Mañjarīs awaken and prepare scented water for refreshing Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa's faces. Someone brings cool drinking water, other supplies tāmbūla, some fan with Cāmaras and others sit beside Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa to gently massage their lotus feet.

2 Then Vṛnda arrives, carrying two young parrots, the Śārikā named Kalokti and a Śuka named Mañjuvāk. These birds are Vṛnda's best trained students.Ṭīkā: Kalokti means a beautiful sound, and Mañjuvāk means a captivating speaker. Thus, their names disclose their meritorious credentials.

3-4 The Śuka and the Śārikā humbly exclaim: "Hey Vṛndavan Īśvara! Hey Vṛndavan Īśvari! All glories to you! Ohey Sakhīs, you are also glorious! Please be merciful to us."4 Receiving Rādhā's wink, Vṛnda tells the Śuka: patha koro! ("recite"). Thus, he begins to delight the Sakhī samāja - assembly.

Ṭīkā: In Chapter 11, Kṛṣṇa relished hearing about Rādhā's form, qualities and prema from the Sakhīs. Now Rādhikā Devi desires to relish Kṛṣṇa's wonderful attributes. Thus, taking her cue, Vṛnda instructs the Śuka to begin.

5"My poetry isn't glamorous," informs the Śuka. "But just as a Cintāmaṇi can convert a hunter's iron blade to gold for the use of a saint, the simple words spoken by my tongue will please the sadhus because they describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa's glories."

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Caraṇa Cihnas (marks)

6 Kṛṣṇa's Caraṇa Cihnas disclose that he is not only Puruṣottama, the topmost male, but that he is the chief amongst all avatars. Thus, his lotus feet are adorned with the auspicious marks of a moon, half-moon, barley, octagon, jug, umbrella, triangle, a zero, bow, svastika, thunderbolt, cow's hoofprint, conchshell, fish, line of fortune, goad, lotus, flag and a jambu fruit.

Ṭīkā: As Kṛṣṇa rests beside Rādhikā Devi in the nikuñja mandir, the Mañjarīs have the fortune to massage their lotus feet. Then they clasp Kṛṣṇa's caraṇa kamala to their chests more affectionately than a mother fondling her newborn child. Then they are able to observe:

On the bottom of Kṛṣṇa's left charan is a half moon, above it are four jugs and between them is a triangle. Above the jugs is a cow's hoofprint, then a bow, and above that is a sky (clear space). On the sky's right side, underneath the big toe, is a conchshell and at the base of the foot, inscribed in red, is a fish.

Under Kṛṣṇa's right charan, at the base, is an octagon encircled by four jambu fruits, and beside them are four svastika signs. Above the svastika is a flag with a thunderbolt on its right and an umbrella on the left. Above the flag is a chakra, and above that, under the big toe, is a barley sign. Under the middle toe is a padma, under the small toe is a goad, and a fortune line runs from top to bottom. Thus, there are 19 auspicious Cihnas or marks.

7-14 Mañjuvāk: "If the topic of Kṛṣṇa's caraṇa padma enters the ears just once, all other attractions are stolen away! And by meditating on them all troubles are destroyed as good fortune awakens! The Darśana of these beautiful feet would astonish anyone and their touch engladdens all of the senses! Let Śrī Kṛṣṇa's caraṇa kamala fulfill my desires.

"Kṛṣṇa's caraṇa kamala are our only shelter. Simply by meditating on them all spiritual and material fortune, beauty, qualities, and wealth are attainable. And moreover, they are the abode of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Līlā.

Even the slight worship of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet turns a mere stone into a Cintāmaṇi, a cow into a kama dhenu, and a tree into a kalpa vṛkṣa! Because Kṛṣṇa's feet fulfill everyone's desires, who can neglect taking shelter of them?

Their fragrance can make everyone in the three worlds like a bumblebee, mad to taste their madhu! So where is the rasika who dares try forgetting them?

"I worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa's cooling pāda padma, filled with the honey of beauty drunk by the honeybee eyes of Vraja's young women, with petal toes and filament toenails full of light, and spreading waves of aroma in all directions.

"Is there anything comparable with Kṛṣṇa's caraṇa padma? They please the five senses like a raktotpala (red lotus), and they are more generous than a kalpa vṛkṣa!

Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet are the holy tirtha of Prayaga, for the white of the Gaṅga in the toenails, the deep blue of the Yamuna of the skin above, and the red of the Sarasvatī in the soles underneath, have come together in a confluence of three rivers, bestowing all desires on those who bathe there.

"Aha! What more can I say about the wonderful glories of Kṛṣṇa's caraṇa kamala? They conquer darkness and suffering. Even the darkness of night itself took shelter of them, fearing a duel with the rising sun! And similarly, on seeing that night was ending, the moon also merged into Kṛṣṇa's toenails to preserve its effulgence!"