The painting you are viewing is entitled "Jayashri – Krishna Pleading."

by Syamarani dasi

This painting was created for the English rendition of Srila Narayana Maharaja’s Hindi translation and commentary of Sri Gita-govinda. Describing the event, Srila Narayana Maharaja said that Sri Krsna, somehow finding out that Srimati Radhika would be going to the bank of the river to fetch water, also appeared on the scene. Desiring to create a reason for conversation and association with Her, Krsna asked Her, "May I help You? You have two waterpots. I can help You with one of them?" Another name of Srimati Radhika is Jayasri, which means She is always victorious over the heart of Sri Krsna. So, hearing Krsna’s request, She pretended to ignore Him. Finally She told Him not to talk to Her, because she was a chaste housewife and He was a debauchee.

According to the text in Gita-govinda this scene is appearing to Sri Krsna in His intense grief of separation from Radha. His absorption in Her becomes so great in this feeling of separation that, remembering His previous pastimes with Her, He sees a vision of this afore-mentioned pastime and then dwells in that vision. Of course there is no separation between Radha and Krsna at any time, because together they are the undivided Absolute Truth, one without a second. Krsna is the Supreme powerful and Radha is the supreme power; they are non-different. Still, there are feelings of separation, because those feelings nourish and ever-refresh the principle of meeting. The Gita-govinda verse and commentary reads as follows:

Translation

While meditating on My beloved in a secluded place, My skin thrills on experiencing the happiness of her pure touch. The restlessness of Her eyes, Her affectionate expressions, Her erroneous behavior due to the bewilderment of love, and the way She casts Her glance are bringing Me back to life. I am being inundated by the fragrance of Her lotus mouth. I can hear the trickling ambrosia of Her words as she speaks one crooked statement after another. I am tasting the sweet nectar of Her enchanting bimba-fruit lips. My mind has become deeply attached to these objects of perception in this condition of trance. So why is my dire suffering from the disease of separation increasing so rapidly at every moment?


Commentary

The malady of separation flows within Krnsa's heart even during a vivid vision (sphürti) of amorous pastimes with Radha in His meditation. Describing this contradiction, Krsna says, “My mind has become situated in a trance on Radha. So why am I still being tortured by feelings of separation? Separation is a condition of distress that occurs in the absence of one’s beloved, but my mind adheres closely to Sri Radha.

The absence of internal meeting can be considered separation. However, although I am experiencing internal union, I still feel separation. This type of separation must be caused by the absence of sensory union. That is why it is also said that the experience of sensory pleasure within the heart, despite the absence of the sense objects, can also be referred to as union. But now this has also become a feeling of separation.

Sri Krsna is wondering, “What is real? The experience of meeting also occurs in separation. I am feeling the happiness of Radha's touch on my skin. With my eyes I am beholding Her restless eyes, full of affectionate mellows and overflowing with prema. With My nose I can smell the fragrance of Her lotus mouth, just as I have experienced before. In this trance, My ears are tasting the trickling nectar of Radha's crooked words as if I were directly perceiving them. In this way I am connected with all five kinds of sense objects. So I cannot understand–––why does the torment of separation continue to increase?