A Vine of Intense Longings - Utkalika Vallari

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Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu, being Sri Gaurahari’s topmost associate, was saturated with his Mercy. As the acarya of transcendental rasa-sastras, he wrote invaluable literatures including the most exceptional Sri Stava-mala A Garland of Prayers which was actually compiled later by Srila Jiva Goswami.

Utakalika vallari one of the flowers in this garland, is a poetic entreaty for the service of Sri Sri Radha krsna Srila rupa Gosvamipada’s sweet devotion to unnata-ujjavala-madhurya-mayi –bhakti – the brilliantly shining amorous mellow-is a honeybee whose delightful humming here at its finest, has fully blossomed in this prayer. Utkalika means very intense eagerness mixed with extreme restlessness and vallari means creeper’, hence Utkalika vallari means The Vine of Intence longing.

It is a matter of great happiness to present to the faithful readers this edition of Utkalika-vallari, written by the crown jewel of pure rasika devotees, Srila Rupa Goswami, who is the eternal associate of Sri Saci nandana Gaurahari.

Srila Jiva Gosvimipada, one of the Six Gosvamis, has written in the beginning of Sri Stava-mala (1)

Sri Madisvara-rupena rasamrta-krta krta
Stave malanu-jivena jivena samagrhrta
My worshipable Srila Rupa Goswami Wrote Bhakti Rasamrta-Sindhu and many poetic tributes [Sri Caitanya-deva, Sri Premandadu-Sagar-samjnaka, Sri Krsnera-astottara-sata-nama, Sri Kunja-bihari-astaka, Sri Radhika Stava Catu-puspanjali, etc. All these unparalleded prayers are meant to be the ornaments of the devotees, who should wear them as a garland around their neck. With this aim, I, his disciple Jiva collected all his lyrical poems which has been in disarray, and wove them into a proper sequence in the form of Stava mala.

Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhu, being Sri Gaurahari’s topmost associate, was saturated with His mercy. As the acarya of transcendental rasa sastras, he wrote invaluable literatures, including the most exceptional Sri Stava-mala A Garland of Prayers, which was actually compiled later by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Utkalika-vallari, one of the flowers in this garland, is a poetic entreaty for the service of Sri Sri Radha-krsna Srila Rupa gosvamipada’s sweet devotion to unnata-ujjvala-madhurya-mayi-bhakti-the brilliantly shining amorous mellow- is honeybee whose delightful humming, here at its finest, has fully blossomed in this prayer. Utkalika means’ very intense eagerness mixed with extreme restlessness, and vallari means The Vine of Intense Longings.

Every verse verse in this composition is complete in itself. At the same time, there is a development in the presentation of the emotions. Thus, the reader and listener will continue to drink of it once, twice and more, never getting enough, living for the next drop until finally they become completely liberated from material misteries, and greed arises to become the kinkari, the maidservant, of Sri Radha ramana. Srila Rupa Gosvami sinks beneath the waves of wondrous visions and revelations in the ocean of effulgent sweet Devotion, then floats back up to the surface where, bitterly sobbing, he laments and loses consciousness time and again. After experiencing such visions Srila Rupa gosvami expresses his longing to obtain the merciful sidelong glance of the charming Divine couple in his prayers to Vraja-bhumi, the Vraja associates and Sri Sri Radha-Krsna’s beloved sakhis. In these prayers he cries out piteously, yearning for entrance into the every fresh sublimely transcendental and variegated amorous playful pastimes enacted between Lila purusottama Sri Krsna and Vrsabhanu nandini Sri Radha. This poems is the fruit of Srila Rupa gosvami Prabhu’s pain filled separation. In it he dives into the depths of mellows in the divine couple’s love to retrieves and distribute the unprecedented pearls of his realizations, ripe with heart-wrenching lamentation. Aspirants for vraja-rasa will obtain a semblance of the luster of these pearls, whereas the living entities who are bereft of the wealth of bhajana cannot even imagine this. With each successive verse Srila Rupa Gosvamils prayers become more confidential, more developed and more ardent.