Gauracandrikā
Madhyāhna Līlā 10:48
a.m.-3:36 p.m.
madhyāhne saha-taiḥ sva-pārṣada-gaṇaiḥ saṅkīrtayad-īdṛśaṁ
sādvaitendu-gadādharaḥ kila saha śrīlāvadhūta prabhuḥ
ārāme mṛdu-marutaiḥ śiśiritair bhṛṅga-dvijair-nādite
svaṁ vṛndā-vipinaṁ smaran bhramati yas taṁ gauram adhyemy ahaṁ
At midday Sri Gaurasundar joins his priya bhaktas headed by Advaita Chandra,
Gadadhar and Nityananda Avadhuta. While performing sankirtan, everyone proceeds
to the Suradhuni Gaṅgā.
Yet as they wander through the beautiful garden groves on the Gaṅgā's banks,
the cool breezes, the chirping birds and the buzzing bees stimulate Gauranga's
thoughts of madhur Vrindavan.
So let's meditate on him remembering Radha Krishna's madhyāhna pastimes in this
lovely setting.
(Sri Vishwanath Chakravarti, Śrīman-mahaprabhor aṣṭa-kālīya-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala-stotram,
6)
sahāli-śrī rādhā-sahita-hari-līlāṁ bahu-vidhaṁ
smaran madhyāhnīyaṁ pulakitānurāga-gadgada-vacaḥ
bruvan vyaktaṁ taṁ ca svajana-gaṇa-madhyānukurute
śacī-sūnur ajas taṁ bhaja mama manas tam bata sadṁ
O mind! Please worship Mahabhava-rasamaya Sachinandan and his dearmost bhaktas
as he remembers and re-enacts the many colorful lilas that Rādhā
Krishna
perform with the gopis at midday.
But in such absorption his voice falters and his
body horripilates!" (Bhāvanā-sāra-saṅgraha 4.1)
Because Sriman Mahaprabhu's Vrindavan lies hidden within Nabadwip, this is called Gupta Vrindavan. And here, as the Lord discovers newer and newer mellows while tasting Vraja-mādhuri, his bhaktas also discover newer and newer relish which increases their fascination!
So Nabadwip is Sri Krishna's pariśiṣṭ-līlā or continuing pastimes, where his desires to taste Vraja prema rasa reaches its hight. In the Gutika, Gaurāṅga's Madhyāhna līās take place in Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura's six seasonal flower gardens.
The Gaṅgā's forest banks here resemble the Yamunā pulina; and there are two sarovars that awaken Gaurasundar's remembrance of Rādhā Kuṅḍ and Śyāma Kuṅḍ. So while seated on a jeweled vedi under a huge madhavi vine with all of his bhaktas, Mahaprabhu enjoys hearing Svarupa Damodar sing about Rādhā Krishna's Rādhā Kuṅḍ lilas.
Yet, as his mind becomes tanmaya (merged) with the Vraja rasa-sometimes he gets up to re-enact these colorful pastimes! And the Lord's avesha (submersion) often varies. Sometimes he imagines himself to be Rādhā, at other times Krishna, and sometimes he may even act like a gopi. But perhaps the most intimate mellow of all is when he behaves like himself, Rasaraj Gaurāṅga.
Although the Gutika describes these events in Śrīvāsa Ṭhakur's flower garden, they can also happen at the residence of Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhar, Narahari or any other bhakta according to the time and the occasion.
Śrīman Mahāprabhu Aṣṭa-kāla līlā descriptions are scarce. And perhaps many are
unaware of them because the Lord himself desires to remain hidden (pracchanna).
Yet, if one is inspired to search through the treasury of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
literature, many invaluable references can be discovered.
Śrīman Mahāprabhu's associates such as Vāsu Ghoṣa, Narahari Sarkāra,
Nayanānanda Miśra, Vaṁśīvadana and others have written Gaura-Aṣṭa-kāla
kirtan padas.* And the līlās that they describe often center on Gauracandra's
affairs with Gadādhar Paṇḍita. Yet, in the eyes of these poets, Rādhā Kṛṣṇa
pastimes continues on in the form of Gaura and Gadādhar's amazing
Nadīyā-vihāra. Śrī Locan Dāsa Ṭhākur writes about this tattva as follows:
jaya jaya gadādhara gaurāṅga sundara,
eka ātm prakaṭa bhāva dui kalevara
vṛndāvane rādhā-kṛṣṇa nava yuva dvandva,
idānīṁ prakaṭa gadādhara gauracandramahābhāva
svarūpa rādhā vṛndāvaneśvarī,
sei ei gadādhara paṇḍita avatari
rasarāja-maya mūrti vrajendra-nandana,
sei ei gauracandra pūrṇa prakaṭana
Glories, glories to Gadādhar and Gaurāṅga sundar-they are one soul manifest in two separate bodies. Vrindavan's Yugala Kishor, Rādhā Krishna, have now appeared as Gadadhar and Gaurachandra. Mahabhava svarupini Rādhā , who is Vrindavaneshwari, has come as Gadādhar Paṇḍit, and Rasaraj Krishna, Vrajendranandan, has fully manifest as Sri Gaurachandra. As there are six seasons, Gaurāṅga's madhyāhna līlās each take place in a different ritu-vana (seasonal forest), just as Rādhā Krishna's līlās shift from one Kuñja to the next at Rādhā Kuṅḍ. For example, the Holi pastime unfolds in the spring forest, and the following kirtan pada reveals how the Vraja rasa continues in Nadīyā:
dekho dekho aparupa gaurāṅgera līlā
ritu basante sakala priya gana mili,
suradhuni tire colila eka dike gadadhara, saṅge svarūpa damodara,
vasu ghośa govinda adi meli
gauri dāsa adi kori, candana pica-kari bhori
gadadharera aṅge deya pheli
svarūpa nija gana sathe, abira loiyā hate,
sagane phelaya gaura gaya
gauri dāsa kheli kheli, gaurāṅga jitalo boli,
koratali diyā age dhaya
rushiyā svarūpa koy, harilo gaurāṅga raya,
jitalo amara gadādhara
kakha-tali diyā keho, nāce gaya urdha bahu,
ei dāsa mohana manohara
A Nadiya vasi exclaims, "Oh look! Just look at Gauranga's wonderful lila...it's spring.... and in the company of his priya bhaktas he is heading towards the Suradhuni Gaṅgā's picturesque banks to begin Holi! The bhaktas form two groups: On one side, with Gadādhar, there are Svarūpa Dāmodar, Vasu Ghoṣ, Govinda Ghoṣ and many others.
Then Gauri Das, Abhirām, Sundarānanda, Nityānanda and others team with Gaurasundar. In other words, today's Holi sporting is reenacted just as Lalitā, Sudevī, Raṅgadevī and Rādhā's other dearest sakhis join her to contest Kṛṣṇa's group that includes Subala, Śrīdāma, Sudāma, Balarām and other sakhas. Gauri dāsa (Subala) begins the rasa-raṅga (sporting-play) by spraying Gadādhar with chandan and gulāla fluid from his pichakari! Then Svarūpa Damodār (Lalita) leads Gadādhar's group to bombard Gaurāṅga with handful after handful of colored powder! But after a while, Gauri dasa emerges from the crowd clapping his hands to announce: 'Gauranga has won!'