The Līlā of Massaging the Feet

May Śrī Priyā and Her Beloved be victorious!

The Foot-Massage Līlā

In the sovereign bower, the Queen of that abode rests upon a flower bed, listening to a melody sung in a tender voice. Lalitā sits massaging Her feet, while the Beloved gazes with yearning eyes. He falls at the sakhī’s feet and pleads again and again for His cherished desire. Lalitā takes pity upon the Beloved and, smiling, grants Him an opportunity. Mohana comes and massages Her feet while the Princess appears not to know. The Beloved instructs the sakhī, then draws a cloth over Her face. The sakhī plays the vīṇā and sings, delight arising through a graceful melody. As she sings, the Queen at last recognizes the Enchanter of the connoisseur’s heart. The sovereign of Vyāsa, the Queen of Śrī Vṛndāvana, rises and sits upright.

Śrī Rādhārāṇī waits for Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Indulekhā’s grove. The bower is fashioned from banana leaves. Banana trees naturally grow close together there, their trunks serving as pillars. Their tender leaves have been interwoven so that the place resembles a temple made entirely of banana foliage. The leaves form its walls, while others have been beautifully shaped into a dome at the center. Two doors to the north and south are adorned with roses, as are the windows to the east and west.

The interior is ten yards across. At its center stands a most artfully fashioned bed. Sandalwood legs and rails form its frame, which is woven with fine yet sturdy silk threads, leaving openings about a finger’s breadth apart. Freshly opened lotuses have been threaded into the openings so that the bed appears spread with a coverlet of blossoming lotuses. Its legs and rails too are adorned with lotuses, and it seems to be a bed made wholly of those flowers. Its head lies toward the south, where a lotus pillow rests. Rādhārāṇī reclines on Her left side upon this flower bed, Her head toward the south and Her feet toward the north.

Lalitā sits at Rādhārāṇī’s feet with her own legs hanging from the bed. The Queen’s feet rest in her lap as she massages them gently. Lalitā faces due west. Two cubits farther west, near the head of the bed, lies a cushion of lotuses upon which several sakhīs sit. Madhumatīmañjarī is seated there in readiness to play, her vīṇā resting against her shoulder.

Against the western and northern walls of the bower stands a small platform bearing two golden trays. One holds ripe bananas; the other holds thick flower garlands laid upon banana leaves. A large golden ewer filled with water and several exquisite golden cups also rest there. The bower is fragrant with the delicate scent of banana plants. Viśākhā sits behind Rādhārāṇī near Her head, faces north, and fans Her. The lovely fan is made of fragrant khus grass with lotus petals artfully woven into it.

Rādhārāṇī now opens Her eyes, now closes them. Whenever She opens them, She glances north to see whether Śrī Kṛṣṇa is coming. Lalitā signals to Madhumatīmañjarī, who begins to play her vīṇā and sing in a supremely sweet voice:

Will someone call my beloved here?

Tell me the captivating tale of His lotus eyes and arching brows.

He has dyed my body and mind in His color; show me one glimpse of Him.

Nartanakisori says: unite my heart in exchange with His.

As Śrī Rādhā listens to the song, She grows restless and sits up on the bed, though Her feet remain in Lalitā’s lap. She gazes north for some time and then reclines again. Viśākhā gives the fan to Citrā, who stands near the Queen’s head and continues fanning. Viśākhā places her left hand upon Rādhārāṇī’s brow and uses a beautiful handkerchief in her right to wipe away the tiny, pearl-like beads of perspiration that the force of love has drawn upon Her face. She whispers, “He must be coming now.”

With Her left hand Śrī Rādhā takes Viśākhā’s right palm. From the garland of jasmine blossoms around Her neck, She plucks one flower and uses it to write “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa” upon Viśākhā’s palm. Then She places that palm upon Her forehead, presses it there with both hands, and closes Her eyes. Still holding it close, She turns onto Her left side.

At that moment Śyāmasundara quietly appears at the eastern window of the bower. Viśākhā sees Him, but Śrī Kṛṣṇa joins His palms, places the forefinger of His right hand across His mouth, and signals her to remain silent. Viśākhā smiles and says nothing, though she discreetly alerts Lalitā. Turning her face back toward the window, Lalitā sees Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He signals her too not to speak.

Still at the window, Śrī Kṛṣṇa gestures as though falling at Lalitā’s feet in supplication. Silently He pleads, “Slip away without a sound. Let Me sit in your place and massage Rādhā’s feet. This is the alms I beg of you.”

At first Lalitā smiles and refuses two or three times with a shake of her head. Yet when Śrī Kṛṣṇa repeatedly entreats her with the greatest love, she signals, “Very well. Be patient and remain there.”

At that moment, without opening Her eyes, Rādhārāṇī tells Madhumatīmañjarī, “Madhumatī, describe the beauty of Śyāmasundara.”

Rādhārāṇī covers Her face with a blue handkerchief. At Her command Madhumatī plucks the strings of her vīṇā and begins to sing:

O mother, I would sacrifice millions of Cupids before Mohana’s lotus face.

Wherever my gaze may fall, His beauty remains there, enchanting me.

Not even one tongue could describe a single instant of that beauty.

Govinda Prabhu says: again and again Rāī, the crown jewel of connoisseurs, gives Herself to the Beloved’s graceful speech.

As soon as the music begins, Rādhārāṇī becomes as though absorbed in samādhi. Lalitā gently places Her feet upon the bed, rises, and goes to the window. Softly she tells Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “Go and massage Her feet, but take care. Rādhārāṇī must not discover that You have taken my place.”

With great affection Śrī Kṛṣṇa takes Lalitā’s right hand and expresses His gratitude. He then quietly enters through the northern door, sits near Rādhārāṇī’s feet, lifts them gently into His lap, and begins to massage them. Madhumatīmañjarī continues singing in an exquisitely beautiful voice while gazing upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face. She repeats the verse for some time, while Śrī Kṛṣṇa keeps massaging Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s feet with intense love.

As the song approaches its end, Śrī Kṛṣṇa takes up the same melody: “O mother, I would sacrifice hundreds of millions of Cupids before Rādhā’s lotus face.” The sound of His singing startles Rādhārāṇī into opening Her eyes. She sees Her feet resting in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lap. Flustered, She draws them back, sits upright upon the bed, grasps His shoulder, and begins to laugh. Śrī Kṛṣṇa too bursts into laughter and reclines upon the flower bed. A flood of joy rises among the sakhīs.

Śrī Rādhārāṇī steps down from the bed. Facing north and east, She braces Her hands upon it, draws close to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s face, and catches His topknot in Her right hand. Smiling with a trace of shyness, She asks, “For the promise of how much payment did You perform this service?”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa smiles and sits up. Wiping the perspiration from His face with the edge of Śrī Priyā’s veil, He replies, “Lalitā knows about the payment. Ask her.”

Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa lies comfortably upon the bed with His head toward the south. Rādhārāṇī sits near Him on the same bed with Her feet hanging down. She takes His left hand in Her own left hand, receives the flower fan from Citrā with Her right, and begins fanning Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s face. The sakhīs take up their services.