Nandagram during morning Goṣṭha Yatra

Chapter 5 - Govinda Līlāmṛta

Verse 3-10
As Krishna heads toward the forest, his bliss increases seeing the village sights. In some places, there are heaps of cow dung cakes pilled high as a mountain. And the bulls are fighting for the chance to mate with the ritu-mati cows. Beautiful cowherd girls smilingly sing Krishna kirtan as they collect cow dung from the meadows. And hundreds of elderly gopas are trying to prevent the young calves from following their mothers into the forest. In other places, elderly gopis make cow dung cakes. 

Yet wherever one glances, there are innumerable goshalas; and in some places, blossoming tree branches are used for cowsheds. Around the pathways and elsewhere, refined cow dung powder is spread to make the ground soft for walking.The goshalas appear like lakes, with the processions of white cows and their overflowing milk udders resembling a river. 

The smaller cowherd boys resemble fish, the milk pails are like turtles, and the smiling faces of the gopa kishoris collecting cow dung resemble blooming lotus flowers. Also, the white and brown calves appear like swans and chakravaka birds, while their waving tails resemble the river's moss.Thus the beauty of Ananda-Vrindavan arouses Krishna's pleasure as he enters the forest with his friends. And Nanda Maharaj's selected cows proceed ahead, but they repeatedly turn their heads back to gaze upon the 'Full-moon of Vraja'-Krishna!

Rasa-tarangini Tika:
Krishna-bhavanamrita adds: "Sri Govinda's bodily luster resembles a blue sapphire that lights the forest. As the Vrajavasis perceive this slendid aurora, they become wonderstruck!"

Verse 11
The long procession of white kama-dhenus pass beside the black buffalo procession like the Ganga and Yamuna flowing side by side. Thus as Brahma, Shiva, Indra and other devatas watch from the clouds, they feel themselves blessed by the rising dust that is sanctifying like the pure waters of the Mandakini.

Verse 12-13
Wherever Krishna's lotus feet touch, Vrajabhumi shows the lotus of her heart to cushion his journey. Experiencing the bliss of Krishna's feet, the earth's hairs stand erect with newly-sprouting grasses that instantly appear from where the cows trample the other grass!"

Verse 14
Now Vraja appears like a high mountain, as floods of children, women and old folk appear like rivers to merge with the ocean of Sri Krishna's darshan-amrita! Their eyes are like blooming lotuses shedding tears of joy! Meanwhile, Yashoda anxiously arrives with Upananda's wife, Rohini, Krishna's nurses like Kilimba and Ambika, and all of the other ladies of the house. Yashomati's clothes are wet with her flowing breast milk and tears.

Vers 16
Meanwhile, just as the sura-tarangini Ganga merges with the sea, Surata-rangini Radha's glance become stunned as they merge with Krishna's prema-rasa-sindhu!Rasa-tarangini Tika: The Sura-tarangini are the Mandakini Ganga's waves. But when the word is applied to Radha and prounced surata rangini, it means the one who provides Krishna with surata-sukha (divine love-making pleasure).

Verse 17
The Yutheshwari gopis such as Mangala, Shyamala, Bhadra, Pali, Chandravali, and others, all come with their sakhis to watch Krishna's vana-yatra

.Rasa-tarangini Tika: In Ujjvala-nilamani, many classifications of Yutheshwari gopis are described. Amongst them, Srimati Radharani is atyantika-adhika, meaning: she is the topmost. Thus, in relation to Radha, the other Yutheshwaris are grouped in four divisions:• Sva-pakha (Radha's supporters)
• Suhrid-pakha (Radha's friends)
• Vipakha (Radha's adversaries)
• Tatashtha (the friends of Radhas competitors)

Among the gopis mentioned in the shloka, Mangala is Radha's sva-pakha, Chandravali is vipaka, and Chandravali's sakhis like Padma and Saibya are tatashtha. Because Ujjvala- nilamani solely narrates about Vrindavan's madhura rasa, it is like a bright jewel, illuminating all the important details concerning the Vraja gopis.