Eighth Period of Devotional Practice (8th Yāma Sādhana)
‘Prema sambhog’ - Transcendental Divine love in direct contact
Great devoutness to complete realized state or to highest objective— ‘Prema-bhakti’
[Excessive subservience to Kṛṣṇa alone]
8th Verse of Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka
Jewel amongst all beloved gopīs Srīmati Rādhikā’s apophthegm— Śrī Kṛṣṇa can crush this maid servant, devoted to His Lotus Feet, by firmly embracing me or mortifying me anywhere and everywhere by His profligate behavior with any of His beloved gopīs, yet He is my dearest beloved and nobody else.
In this context, it will be relevant to go through one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Antya līlā 20/52), written by Srila Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāj Goswāmi:-
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, accepting the mode of worship and form of Rādhārāni, with extreme separation grief, has stated thus— Rādhārāni’s apophthegm. Only Rādhārāni can speak like this— “I do not consider my own grief, I only want His contentment, my purpose is His satisfaction. If by giving suffering to me, He becomes very happy, that distress to me will be my highest contentment.” Nobody on earth can inflict suffering to any person who is well-established in such thought or at least sincerely endeavouring to attain such state of mind.
Śikṣāṣṭaka song eight
Indication of night pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
Only dearest confidantes are entitled to enter into the night pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Sakhis always try for the union of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Actually, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are very much eager for mutual union at night. When Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s union is manifested, Vṛndā Devi with dearest sakhis worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in various ways. After that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with those sakhis move in the forest, sing songs, do Rāsa-līlā with dancing etc. When Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, by doing so much pastimes become extremely fatigued, most beloved sakhis serve them nicely and at the end, make nice bed with flowers where Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa make the pastime of sleep. I remember such sweet pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
[Our Revered Guruvargas used to caution us by saying— only eligible votaries can remember the pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa of mid-day at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, dusk pastimes and night pastimes of Rāsa-līlā.]
Lila kirtan eight