Raskhan Ratnavali is the famous composition by Shri Raskhan, a disciple of Shri Vitthal Nath Ji. This book contains various couplets and compositions dedicated to Shri Radha Krishn.
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The supreme essence of all the Vedas, Purāṇas, Āgamas, and Smṛtis is Love alone. Without love, the sprout of the seed of divine Love cannot germinate; in other words, divine Love can only be attained through love itself.
Śrī Raskhān says, “Enraptured by the unparalleled beauty of the nectarean pollen of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, I have dedicated this Prema-Vāṭikā, this Garden of Divine Love, at those very feet. May countless rasikas, like blissful swarms of bumblebees, roam through this garden, drinking its rasa and becoming filled with bliss.”
He whose divine qualities the Gandharvas, Sarasvatī, and Śeṣajī constantly sing, and whose glory no one can truly describe.
Though natural affection may be seen among worldly relations such as friends, spouses, siblings, and parents, it cannot truly be considered pure love. Pure love is incomparable and indescribable, for it is entirely selfless and exists only for the happiness of the beloved.
One who dies, bound in the ties of the divine love of the Lord, alone attains true and eternal life. In contrast, one who lives in this world without realizing this essence of love is regarded by the rasikas as no better than dead, and even after death, such a person does not attain true eternal life.
A sakhī, describing the Phāg Līlā to her sakhi, says: “O friend! I have witnessed Kṛṣṇa and His beloved Rādhā playing Holī. How can one even attempt to compare the beauty of their faces? That vision alone is enough to captivate the heart; what object in the world could not be offered in reverence before such a sight?”
That love which is mixed with selfish motive is called impure love; and that which is selfless, effortlessly performed solely for the happiness of the Beloved, is known as pure love. Nārada and other exalted sages have explained these two forms of love.
Brahmā, knowing the world to be thirsty, filled Your eyes with an inexhaustible treasure of bliss so that the world might be fully satisfied. Your face appears as if the moon of the essence of nectar has assumed a personal form.
Love has the power to unite two bodies into one; therefore, it stands even higher than liberation. When love awakens, all rules and restraints become irrelevant—love acknowledges no regulations.
Raskhan says — That love alone is called pure love, in which the lover constantly fears that none of his actions should ever cause the Beloved even the slightest trouble. The one who seeks nothing in return from the Beloved, whose love continues to deepen even amidst all kinds of hardships, and who remains forever immersed in the nectar of love for the one and only Beloved — that is true, selfless love.
Without which nothing can be understood, through which divine knowledge arises, and after knowing which nothing remains to be known, that very essence of all essences is Prema (love).
Only that speech is meaningful which sings the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and only those ears are truly blessed which listen to His nectar-like praises.
With a garland of guñjā beads and a peacock crown atop His head, and His elephant-like, intoxicated walk, Śrī Kṛṣṇa captivates my mind.
A gopi tells her friend, “I won’t step into Nand Palace’s courtyard again — who knows when a thorn of love might prick the foot of my heart and make me fall for Krishna without even knowing it.”
O Sakhi! I went to Nanda’s house to catch a glimpse of Shri Krishna. The moment His eyes met mine, He smiled. That very smile poured forth a shower of divine love, drenching me completely in the nectar of His love.
A gopi says, “These eyes, acting as merchants, have sold my precious, jewel-like heart to Lord Shri Krishna. Now, Krishna has taken full possession of my very being. In this way, I have openly and publicly surrendered my mind and life to Him, announcing it with a drum beat.”
O friend! Ever since Śrī Kṛṣṇa's sweet smile wounded my heart, I have been unable to forget it.
Raskhan says that his life is sustained by hope and faith in the grace of those Rasikas who are deeply immersed in the sweet, ever-new love of the divine couple, Shri Radha Krishna.
With His merciful glance, Śrī Kṛṣṇa alleviated the sufferings of devotees like Draupadī, Gaṇikā, Ajamila, and many others.
The pure and simple-hearted maidens of Braj, upon meeting Shri Krishna, the very reservoir of divine nectar, themselves became reservoirs of that nectar. Shri Raskhan says, “My heart, like the ever-thirsty Chataka bird, longs for the ever-new and enchanting reservoir of nectar, Sri Krishna.”
