Appendix A: Mahāvāṇī

The rasa of amorous love is incomparable; none can be weighed against it.
None can equal it. Only that person is qualified for it in this world
Who, seeing gold and sensual woman, knows them as deadly poison within the body;
Who has abandoned all the world’s enjoyments as diseases and gone beyond duality;
And who remains forever blissfully immersed in the ocean of the Beloved and his beloved Lady.
No other rasa in the world is fit to be placed upon the head of such a saint.

Through Kripanivas, the unfathomable grace of Sri Rama’s beloved has made everything easy for us.
O darling fair one, perform your eternal bower-sport and remain ever coloured in the hues of passion.
Live within my heart with your arms around the neck of your wise beloved, dearer than life.
Beholding your beauty, Sri Chandrakala and the other companions—mines of virtue and cultured elegance—are transported beyond themselves.
Let them entreat the Lord and receive every blessing, so that the youthful Boy and Girl may remain eternally united.

“The Youthful Couple Dance among the Companions”

The youthful Couple dance among the companions.
On the lotus-bordered bank of the delightful forest lake, the divine ground gleams on every side.
A circular rāsa-maṇḍala has been formed, filled with the graceful tumult of rāgas and rāginīs.
Candrakalā, Vimalā, and other colourful companions hold the vīṇā and mṛdaṅga in their joined hands.
Cāruśīlā, Subhagā, and Hemā carry the flute, mucanga, and cinnarī together.
Candrā and Candravatī sing together, while Kṣemā fills the notes to overflowing with rasa.
Madanakalā plays the hand-cymbals, and Nandā strikes the sāraṅgī.
A lovely fine crown shines upon the Beloved’s head, while a moon-ornament trembles upon Sita’s.
A moon-necklace glitters upon the darling’s breast, and a radiant string of pearls upon her beloved’s.
Their dancer’s garb—one dark, one fair—delivers ten million Ratis and Loves from pride.
The sweetness of their beauty cannot be spoken; waves of loveliness rise from every limb.
Hand joined in hand, the two stand together while their eyes send signals in every direction.
At times they drink the nectar of one another’s lips, both heart-stealing lovers intoxicated by rasa—