Chapter Eight – Śrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā – Revealing the Essence of Śrī Kāma Gāyatrī

क्लीं कामदेवाय विद्महे पुष्पबाणाय धीमहि तन्नोऽनङ्ग प्रचोदयात्।

klīṁ kāmadevāya vidmahe puṣpa-bāṇāya dhīmahī tan no’naṅga pracodayāt

Let us meditate on the Master of the senses, who carries five kinds of flower arrows, let us meditate on Him being thus enthused by the transcendental Cupid.

श्रीगौराङ्ग प्रसादेन बीजस्य ह्यर्थदीपिका ।
विश्वनाथ चक्रवर्ती नम्नापि क्रियते मया॥

śrī gaurāṅga prasādena bījasya hy artha-dīpikā
viśvanātha cakravartī namnāpi kriyate mayā

By the mercy of Śrī Gaurāṅga, I, by the name of Viśvanātha Cakravartī, am composing this torch-lamp illuminating the real meaning of the bīja-mantra.

In the Rasollāsa Tantra, there is a description of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s self-same identity with the bīja, or seed-mantra (klīṁ), as follows:

कामबीजात्मकः कृष्णः रतिबीजात्मिका राधा ।
तयोः संकीर्तनादेव राधाकृष्णौ प्रसीदतः॥

kāmabījātmakaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ rati bījātmikā rādhā
tayoḥ saṁkīrtanādeva rādhā-kṛṣṇau prasīdataḥ

Kṛṣṇa is the very kāma-bīja Himself, and Rādhā is the very rati-bīja Herself. By performing saṅkīrtana of both these bījas, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa become very pleased.

The meaning of the kāma-bīja (klīṁ) is as follows: The kāma-bīja is the very seed which is one’s own desire or aspiration; or also, the kāma-bīja is the very seed which stimulates your desire; or also, the kāma-bīja is the very seed which is fulfilled by your desires.

The five features of the kāma-bīja are described in the Bṛhad Gautamīya Tantra thus:

विना बीजेन मन्त्राणां विफलं जायते फलं।
पञ्चालङ्कार संयुक्तं बीजन्तु परमाद्भुतं॥
ककारश्च लकारश्च ईकारश्चाद्धचन्द्रकः।
चन्द्रबिन्दुश्च तद्युक्तं कामबीजमुदाहृतम्॥

vinā bījena mantrāṇāṁ viphalaṁ jāyate phalaṁ
pañcālaṅkāra saṁyuktaṁ bījantu paramādbhutaṁ
ka-kāraś ca la-kāraś ca ī-kāraś cāddha-candrakaḥ
candra-binduś ca tad yuktaṁ kāma-bījamu-dāhṛtam

Mantras devoid of a bīja are rendered useless. Indeed, the desired beneficial result is nullified. Being endowed with five kinds of ornaments, this kāma–bīja is supremely wonderful. These five ornaments are the letter ka, the letter la, the letter ī, the ardha-candra (half-moon symbol in the Devanāgarī), and the candra-bindu (moon-dot above the ṁ). That which is endowed with these five things is known as the kāma–bīja.

How the single syllable klīṁ is used by Brahmā to create the five material elements is described in the Gautamīya Tantra thus:

क्लींकारदसृजद्विश्वमिति प्राह श्रुतः शिरः।
लकारात् पृथिवी जाता ककारात्जलसंभवः॥
ईकारात् वहनिरुत्पन्नो नादाद्वायुरजायत।
बिन्दोराकाशसंभूतिरिति भूतात्मको मनुः॥

klīṁ-kārada-srja-dviśvamiti prāha śrutaḥ śiraḥ
la-kārāt pṛthivī jātā kakārāt-jala-saṁbhavaḥ
ī-kārāt vahanir-utpanno nādād-vāyu-rajāyata
bindor-ākāśa-saṁbhutir iti bhūtātmako manuḥ

From the syllable klīṁ, Lord Brahmā created the material universe. This is mentioned in the chief śrutis. From the letter la, the element of earth was created. From the letter ka, the element of water was created. From the letter ī the element of fire was created. From the nāda, the ardha–candra (half-moon symbol in the Devanāgarī), and the candra–bindu (moon-dot above the ṁ) the element of air and then the element of ether were created. Thus, this bija–mantra is pañca–bhūtātmika, or composed of five different elements.

How the kāma-bīja is identical with Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Their blissful pastimes is described in the Gautamīya Tantra as follows:

ककारः पुरुषः कृष्णः सच्चिदानन्द विग्रहः।
इकारः प्रकृती राधा नित्यवृन्दावनेश्वरी॥
लश्चानन्दात्मकं प्रेमसुखं तयोश्च कीर्त्तितं।
चुम्बनानन्दमाधुर्य्यं नादबिन्दुः समीरितः॥

ka-kāraḥ puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ saccidānanda-vigrahaḥ
i-kāraḥ prakṛti rādhā nityā vṛndāvaneśvarī
laś-cānandātmakaṁ prema-sukhaṁ tayoś ca kīrtitaṁ
cumbanānanda-mādhuryaṁ nādo bindu-samīritam

The Letter ka is the puruṣa known as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme aggressive male, who possesses the sac–cid–ānanda-vigraha, or the form embodying eternity, knowledge and bliss. The letter ī is the prakṛtī known as Rādhā, the Supreme receptive female, who is eternally Vṛndāvaneśvarī, or the most majestic Princess of Śrī Vṛndāvana. The letter la is celebrated as constituting ānandātmaka–prema–sukha, or the happiness of Their mutual ecstatic love that is the form of pure blissful joy. By adding the nāda and bindu, this is the expression of cumban-ānanda-mādhurya, or the ecstatic sweetness of Their most blissful kiss.

Furthermore, the form of the kāma-bīja that is identical to the śrī-vigraha, or divine bodily form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is described in the Sanat-Kumāra Saṁhitā as follows:

अथ श्रीकामबीजस्य शरीरं विग्रहात्मकं।
श्रीकृष्णशरीराभिन्नान्यक्षराणि क्रमात् शृणु॥
ककारेण शिरोभालो भूर्नासा नेत्रकर्णकौ ।
लकारेण भवेद्गण्डस्तदन्तो हनुरूपकः॥
चिबुकोऽथ ग्रीवा चैव कण्ठः पृष्ठश्च सुव्रत।
ईकारः स्कन्धो बाहुश्च कफोणिरङ्गुलीनखः॥
अर्धचन्द्रो वक्षस्तुण्डः पार्श्वो नाभिः कटिस्तथा।
चन्द्रबिन्दावुरुजानुजङ्घा गुल्फश्च पादकः॥
पार्ष्णिश्च प्यङ्गुली चैव नखेन्दुरपि नारद ।
इति विग्रहरूपश्च कामबीजात्मको हरिः॥

atha śrī-kāma-bījasya śarīraṁ vigrahātmakaṁ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-śarīrābhinnāny-akṣarāṇi kramāt śṛṇu
ka-kāreṇa śiro-bhālo bhūrnāsā netra-karṇakau
la-kāreṇa bhaved-gaṇḍhasta-danto hanu-rūpakaḥ
cibuko’tha-grīvā caiva kaṇṭhaḥ pṛṣṭhaś ca suvrata
ī-kāraḥ skandho bāhuś-ca kaphoṇir-aṅgulī-nakhaḥ
ardha-candro vakṣastuṇḍaḥ pārśvo nābhiḥ kaṭis-tathā
candra-bindāv-urujānu-jaṅghā gulphaś ca pādakaḥ
pārṣniś-ca pyaṅgulī caiva nakhendur api nārada
iti vigraha-rūpaś ca kāma-bījātmako hariḥ

Now the bodily form of the kāma–bīja will be described. All the letters of this bīja are non-different from the very body of Śrī Krsna. Please listen as I describe the corresponding order of this identity. The letter ka represents His head, forehead, eyebrows, nose, eyes and ears. The letter la represents His cheeks, teeth, jaw, chin, neck, throat and back. The letter ī is His shoulders, arms, elbows, fingers and fingernails. The ardha-​candra is His chest, belly, two flanks, navel and waist. The candra-bindu is His thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, heels, toes and moon-like toenails. O greatly learned Nārada! In this way, Śrī Hari’s bodily form is kāma–bījātmaka, or identical to the very kāma–bīja itself.

The identity of the kāma-bīja with the five flower arrows of cupid is also described in the Sanat-Kumāra Saṁhitā:

बीजाक्षरं पञ्चपुष्पबाणतुल्यं क्रमात् शृणु ।
ककारश्चाम्रमकुलो लकारश्चाशोकः स्मृतः॥
ईकारो मल्लिकापुष्पं माधवी चार्धचन्द्रकः।
बिन्दुश्च बकुलपुष्पमेते बाणाः स्युरेव च॥

bījākṣaraṁ pañca-puṣpa-bāṇatulyaṁ kramāt śṛṇu
ka-kāraś cāmra-makulo la-kāraś cāśokaḥ smṛtaḥ
ī-kāro mallikā-puṣpaṁ mādhavī cārdha-candrakaḥ
binduś ca bakula puṣpam ete bāṇāḥ syur eva ca

The letters of this bīja are also equal to the five flower-arrows used by Cupid, the transcendental archer. Please listen to the order of these – the letter ka is the mango bud, the letter la is the aśoka flower, the letter ī is the jasmine flower, the ardha-candra is the mādhavī flower, and the bindu is the bakula flower. Thus, these five letters are the five kinds of flower arrows.

Now I shall describe the meaning of the kāma-gāyatrī-mantra. It is said that this gāyatrī is a mahā–mantra that flows according to desire. All the sādhakas, or practicing devotees, who accept and use this mantra take their next birth in the spiritual planet known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. They attain the spiritual body of one of the Lord’s eternal associates in Vṛndāvana for the purpose of rendering eternal devotional service.

The definition of kāma-gāyatrī, and its object of worship is understood in the following manner. That gāyatrī which is joined with the kāma–bīja is called kāma–gāyatrī. Another way to look at it is – that gāyatrī which belongs to the kāma-bīja is called kāma-gāyatrī. The upāsya, or the object which is worshipped by this mantra is Deva, the Lord of Lords. He is sṛṅgāra-rasa-rāja-​svarūpa-abhinna, or that Person who is non-different from the self-same form as the King of the śṛṅgara-rasa – the most decorative mellow of conjugal love. He is Madana, the transcendental Cupid Himself. He is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive one. He is Nandātmaja, the Son of Mahāraja Nanda; and He resides in one abode and one abode only – the realm of Śrī Vṛndāvana.

The features of the kāma-gāyatrī-mantra are listed in the Sanat-Kumāra Saṁhitā as follows:

गायत्री सा महामन्त्रः काम-पूर्वथा कथ्यते।
साधका यां गृहित्वैव जायन्ते व्रजमण्डले॥
आदौ मन्मथमुद्धृत्य कामदेवपदं वदेत्।
आयान्ते विद्महे पुष्पबाणायेति पदं वदेत्।
धीमहीति तथोक्त्वाथ तन्नोऽनङ्गः प्रचोदयात्॥

gāyatrī sā mahā-mantraḥ kāma-pūrvatha kathyate
sādhakā yāṁ gṛhitvaiva  jāyante vraja-maṇḍale
ādau manmatha-mudhṛtya kāma-deva-padaṁ vadet
āyānte vidmahe puṣpabāṇāyeti padaṃ vadet
dhīmahīti tathoktvātha tan no’naṅgaḥ pracodayāt

First you should quote the word of Cupid (klīṁ), and then you should utter the word kāma-deva. This word is uttered with the suffix āya at the end of it. Then, after that, comes the words, vidmahe puṣpa-bāṇāya. After this, you utter the word, dhīmahi. Finally comes the words, tan no’naṅgah pracodayāt:

क्लीं कामदेवाय विद्महे पुष्पबाणाय धीमहि तन्नोऽनङ्ग प्रचोदयात्।

kliṁ kāmadevāya vidmahe puṣpa-bānāya dhīmahi tan no’naṅgah pracodayāt

Now the indications of this gāyatrī’s influence on Rādhikā and the gopīs will be described – Due to stealing the minds of the vraja-gopīs headed by Śrī Rādhikā with the sweetness of His flute (veṇu-mādhurya), the word kliṁ is used. Due to stealing the discrimination of the vraja-gopīs headed by Śrī Rādhikā with the sweetness of His pastimes (līlā-mādhurya), the word kāmadevāya is used. Due to Kṛṣṇa stimulating the excitement of the blissful mellow of enjoyment in union with the vraja-gopīs headed by Śrī Rādhikā – stimulating this sambhoga-rasa by other things including the sweetness of His gracefully lovely qualities (lāvaṇya-guṇa-mādhuryādi) – the word puṣpa-bāṇāya is used.

Now I shall give a detailed word by word explanation of the kāma-gāyatrī-mantra as follows – the word kāma (desire) indicates sambandha (relationship with the Lord), and also connotes anuga (following obediently). Only in the path of spontaneous devotional love known as kāmānugā is this gāyatrī used for worship (kāmānugā is that path which follows along one’s purified transcendental lusty desire for service). This mantra’s effect is that it illuminates and intensifies the manifestation of one’s most cherished desires.

Or another way to look at it is this – that Person who sports according to His own heart’s desire is known as kāma-deva, and unto this Kāmadeva, vidmahe, we are knowing. In other words, kāma-devāya vidmahe means that we are aware in consciousness only because our consciousness is for Kāmadeva, who is Kṛṣṇa, the transcendental Cupid. Or, our consciousness is cognising only because it automatically flows unto Kāmadeva in all circumstances. We, means us who are doing this sādhana in the mādhurya-​rasa, the mellow of conjugal devotion in Vraja.

Unto what type of Kāmadeva? He is puṣpa-bāṇa, or a flower archer who uses five weapons, which are the five letters of the kāma-bīja, and by shooting them with His śāraṅga bow, these five weapons cause the bow to act in five specific qualities – unto this type of puṣpa–bāṇa, dhīmahi, we all mediate. To stress the important meaning of this meditation, the plural is used by the chanter of the mantra.

That Lord whose svarūpa, or constitutional position, is like this is called anaṅga, or He who is the invisible all-pervading Cupid, devoid of a material body; He is situated in Vraja as the fresh young transcendental Cupid; He is the alluringly adolescent God of Love. And it is He only who is the upāsya (the worshipable object) of the upāsana (the process of worship) represented by both the kāma–bīja and the kāma-gāyatrī. This worshipable object is the attractor of the hearts and minds of all living beings (all living beings up to and including His very own self – He even attracts His own mind). He possesses a super-excellence of bodily beauty that cannot be equalled or surpassed by any other form. He is Śyāma, the dark beauty possessing the bodily lustre of a fresh new monsoon cloud. He has a bodily figure of transcendence which is composed of a compressed living flow of divine luscious mellows. His stature perfectly personifies the King of śṛṅgāra-rasa (the most intimate ornamental mode of supreme mellows).

May this kind of Lord be pleased with us (pracodayāt). Pra means prakarṣeṇa – with excellent superiority, and codayāt means may He be pleased – may He be pleased with us (no/naḥ), and may He kindly engage us in His own devotional service (which is the best way of showing His pleasure). This is the meaning of the mantra known as the kāma-gāyatrī.

The kāma-gāyatrī is composed of twenty-four and a half syllables. How these syllables are identical to the twenty-four and a half moons in Kṛṣṇa’s body are described thus:

In this kāma-gāyatrī-mantra, there are twenty-four and a half syllables, and these syllables form twenty-four and half moons. These moons arise in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s bodily form and thereby make the three worlds kāma-māyā, or pervaded with His own transcendental lusty desire to sport. All of these twenty-four and a half syllables, beginning from the first letter ka up to the final letter ta, thereby form all of Kṛṣṇa’s different bodily limbs, beginning from His face, cheeks, and forehead etc., and ending with His hands and feet etc. These limbs are counted systematically beginning from His right-hand side.

A list of Kṛṣṇa’s bodily features as forming the twenty-four and a half moons will now be described. Kindly listen to the scriptural description of the moon-features displayed amongst the syllables of the kāma-gāyatrī. Please hear the description of the moon-identities amongst the syllables of this mantra. Know that in His face is one, in His cheeks are two, in His forehead is a half-moon, in the tilaka on His forehead is a full moon, on the fingernails on His hands are ten moons, and on the toenails on His feet are ten moons.

Thus, those who are very intelligent have given this kind of explanation for the gāyatrī-mantra. They have revealed that from the first letter ka to the last letter ta, all the twenty-four and a half syllables systematically form the different moons which correspond to the moons of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s bodily features, beginning from His right side. This is their most authorised opinion.

In this regard, I would like to say – O my dear Vaiṣṇavas! Kindly listen attentively and I will narrate to you the story of a confusing problem I had at this point of composing my essay.

In the book Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja Goswāmī has described in very clear language the systematic listing of letters in the kāmā-gāyatrī to be twenty-four and a half. And so, in following his opinion, I have simply repeated the same thing in my writings. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta describes thus:

কাম-গায়ত্রী-মন্ত্ররূপ হয় কৃষ্ণের স্বরূপ
সার্ধ-চব্বিশ অক্ষর তার হয়।
সে অক্ষর চন্দ্র হয় কৃষ্ণে করি উদয়
ত্রিজগত কাইলা কামময়॥

kāma-gāyatrī-mantra-rūpa, haya kṛṣṇera svarūpa,
sārdha-cabbiśa akṣara tāra haya
se akṣara candra haya, kṛṣṇe kari’ udaya,
trijagat kailā kāmamaya

Kṛṣṇa, the supreme Personality of Godhead, is identical with the Vedic hymn known as kāma-gāyatrī, which is composed of twenty-four and a half syllables. Those syllables are compared to full moons that arise in Kṛṣṇa’s bodily features, which thereby fills the three worlds with desire for Him. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.125)

Accepting this evidence as authoritative, and by honouring the opinion of the previous ācārya, I have similarly established this to be the truth. But then a great doubt confronted me – Śrī Kavirāja Goswāmī has somehow rejected the apparent fact that the kāma-gāyatrī-mantra contains twenty-five syllables; so I wondered on the basis of what scriptural proof, and with what intention did he say that the mantra has only twenty-four and a half syllables? The reason for this remained beyond the comprehension of my intelligence.

Upon reviewing various scriptures that were recited and heard, I found that there was absolutely no clue to the possibility of a half-syllable existing anywhere in the mantra. Therefore, I remained deeply immersed in the greatest ocean of doubt. I ask all of you to please consider this situation. Even if some say that the letter t at the end of the mantra (pracodayāt) is bereft of a vowel and is therefore counted as only half a syllable, then still this is not correct. This is because even though there is no vowel, the consonant is still present and is therefore counted as a full syllable. Then how is it possible to have half a syllable?

While referring to the scriptures on vyākarana (grammar), the Purāṇas, the Āgamas, the nāṭya (drama and dance scriptures), and the alaṅkāra (books on sophisticated Sanskrit ornamentation) etc., I still saw that according to the assembly of different vowels and consonants, the count of syllables in the kāma-gāyatrī-mantra totals exactly twenty-five. There is no possibility of the existence of a half-syllable. In the Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa (the grammar composition of Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī), in the chapter entitled Saṁjñā-pāda, it is stated:

नारायणदुद्भूतोऽयं वर्णक्रम।

nārāyaṇad-udbhūto’yaṁ varṇa-krama

This sequence of the letters of the alphabet has arisen from Śrī Nārāyaṇa Himself.

According to this, by adding up the letters beginning from the letter ka, they definitely total exactly twenty-five. And the same thing is also confirmed by other Sanskrit grammatical systems. And furthermore, in the Bṛhad-Nāradīya Purāna, in the section entitled Śrī Rādhikā Sahasra-nāma Stotra (the thousand names of Śrī Rādhikā), it is stated:

वृन्दावनेश्वरी राधा पञ्चाशद्वर्णरूपिणी।

vṛndāvaneśvarī rādhā pañcāśad-varṇa-rūpinī

Śrī Rādhā is the Princess of Vṛndāvana-dhāma, and Her transcendental form is composed of twenty-five syllables.

The same conclusion is also evident in other scriptures. Searching through all the works describing vowels and consonants, I could not find anywhere that this mantra adds up to twenty-four and a half syllables. Is it possible that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja Goswāmī was not aware of all these things? No, this is not possible. He is definitely in full knowledge of everything, and he is therefore completely free from the common material defects of error, illusion, etc.

Furthermore, if it is decided that the final letter t is a half-​syllable, then has Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja Goswāmī broken the order of the moon-description in his writings? In other words, beginning from Kṛṣṇa’s face and ending up at His feet by a systematic description of the letters, we would then end up with the so-called half-syllable t being at Kṛṣṇa’s feet – but Kṛṣṇa Dāsa states that the half-moon is in Kṛṣṇa’s forehead. This is all quoted as follows from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā twenty-first chapter, during Śrī Sanātana-śikṣā (Śrī Caitanya’s Teachings to Sanātana Goswāmī). During those talks of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, while elaborating on the topic of sambhandha-tattva-vicāra (the consideration of the truth of our relationship with the Lord, it is stated that Śrī Caitanya, ranting in the love-sick mood of Rādhārāṇī, speaks to Sanātana Goswāmī (Rati Mañjarī) about Her Beloved Kṛṣṇa thus:

সখী হে  কৃষ্ণমুখ-দ্বিজরাজ রাজ,
কৃষ্ণবপু-সিংহাসনে, বসি রাজ্য-শাসনে
করে সঙ্গে চন্দ্রের সমাজ॥

sakhī he, kṛṣṇa-mukha-dvija-rāja-rāja
kṛṣṇa-vapu-siṁhāsane, vasi rājya-śāsane
kare saṅge candrera samāja

O my dear girlfriend! The face of Kṛṣṇa is the king of all moons, and the body of Kṛṣṇa is the throne. Thus, the king governs a society of moons. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.126)

দুই গণ্ড সুচিক্কণ, জিনি’ মণিসুদর্পণ,
সেই দুই পূর্ণচন্দ্র জানি ।
ললাটে অষ্টমী-ইন্দু, তাহাতে চন্দন-বিন্দু,
সেহ এক পূর্ণচন্দ্র মানি ॥॥

dui gaṇḍa sucikkaṇa, jini’ maṇi-sudarpaṇa
sei dui pūrṇa-candra jāni
lalāṭe aṣṭamī-indu, tāhāte candana-bindu
sei eka pūrṇa-candra māni

Kṛṣṇa has two cheeks that shine like glowing gems. Both are considered full moons. His forehead is considered a half moon, and His spots of sandalwood are considered full moons.  (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.127)

করনখ-চান্দের হাট, বংশী-উপর করে নাট,
তার গীত মুরলীর তান।
পদনখ-চন্দ্র গণ, তলে করে নর্তন,
নূপুরের ধ্বনি যার গান ॥

kara-nakha-cāndera hāṭa, vaṁśī-upara kare nāṭa
tāra gīta muralīra tāna
pada-nakha-candra-gaṇa, tale kare nartana
nūpurera dhvani yāra gāna

His fingernails are many full moons, and they dance on the flute on His hands. Their song is the melody of that flute. His toenails are also many full moons, and they dance on the ground. Their song is the jingling of His ankle bells. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.128)

নাচে মকর-কুণ্ডল, নেত্র লীলা-কমল
বিলাসী রাজা সতত নাচায় ।
ভ্রূ ধনু নেত্র বাণ, ধনুর্গুণ দুই কাণ
নারীমন-লক্ষ্য বিন্ধে তায় ॥

nāce makara-kuṇḍala, netra līlā-kamala,
vilāsī rājā satata nācāya
bhrū dhanu, netra bāṇa, dhanur-guṇa dui kāṇa,
nārī-mana-lakṣya vindhe tāya

Kṛṣṇa’s face is the enjoyer king. That full-moon face makes His shark-shaped earrings and lotus eyes dance. His eyebrows are like bows, and His eyes are like arrows. His ears are fixed on the string of that bow, and when His eyes spread to His ears, He pierces the hearts of the gopīs. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.129)

এই চান্দের বড় নাট, পসারী চান্দের হাট
বিনিমূলে বিলায় নিজামৃত।
কাহোঁ স্মিত-জ্যোস্নামৃতে, কাঁহারে অধরামৃতে
সব লোক করে আপ্যায়িত ॥

ei cāndera baḍa nāṭa, pasāri cāndera hāṭa
vinimūle vilāya nijāmṛta
kāhoṇ smita-jyotsnāmṛte, kāṅhāre adharāmṛte
saba loka kare āpyāyita

The dancing features of His face surpass all other full moons and expands the marketplace of full moons. Although priceless, the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s face is distributed to everyone. Some purchase the moon-rays of His sweet smiles, and others purchase the nectar of His lips. Thus, He pleases everyone. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.130)

In this way, after considering both of these versions exhaustively from many different points of view, I still could not come to a sound conclusion. At this point, I gave up all endeavours for finding the answer. Rejecting all eating and drinking, I became so upset in my mind that I decided to give up my body. In this sad mood, I simply sat motionless on the bank of Rādha-kuṇda. If one is not even properly aware of syllables of the mantra, then how will it ever be possible to become conscious of the Lord? Therefore, it is proper to give up the body.

Thereafter, the second prahara of the night had elapsed (well after midnight), and I finally dozed off to sleep – suddenly I saw that Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī, Śrī Rādhikā Herself, had come to me and began to speak:

भो विश्वनाथ! हरिवल्लभ! त्वमुत्तिष! ।
श्रीकृष्णदासकविराजेन यल्लिखितं तदेव सत्यं।
सा च मम नर्म्मसहचरी ममानुग्रहेण ।
ममान्तरं सर्वं जानात्येव तद्वाक्ये सन्देहं मा कुरु।

bho viśvanātha! hari-vallabha! tvamuttiṣha
śrī-kṛṣṇa-dāsa-kavirājena yal-likhitaṁ tad eva satyaṁ
sā ca mama narmma-sahacarī mamānugraheṇa
mamāntaraṁ sarvaṁ jānāty evatad vākye sandehaṁ mā kuru

O Viśvanātha! O Hari Vallabha! Please get up! That which Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja has written is true; he is also My very dear confidential maidservant. By My mercy, he knows everything about My secret innermost moods. Please don’t have any doubt about his statement.

एष ममोत्सासनामन्त्रः अहमपि मन्त्राक्षरैर्वेद्या ।
मदनुकम्पां विना नान्यः कोऽप्येतद्विञातुमर्हति ।
अर्धाक्षरनिरूपणं वर्णागमभास्वदि यदस्ति ।
यद ्दृष्ट्वा श्रीकृष्णदासकविराजेन लिखितं तत् शृनु ।
तदनन्तरं त्वमिमं ग्रन्थं दृष्ट्वा ।
सर्वौपकारार्थमत्र प्रमाणसङ्ग्रहं कुरु।

eṣa mamotsāsanā-mantraḥ, aham api mantrākṣarair-vedyā
mad-anukaṁpāṁ vinā nānyaḥ ko’pyetad-viñjātum-arhati
ardhākṣara-nirūpanaṁ varnāgama-bhāsvadi yad asti
yad drstvā śrī-krsna-dāsa-kavirājena likhitaṁ tat śrnu
tad-anantaraṁ tvam imaṁ granthaṁ dṛṣṭvā
sarva-upakārārtham-atra pramāṇa-saṅgrahaṁ kuru

This mantra is the mantra for worshipping Me – indeed, I can be known by the syllables of this mantra. Without My mercy, no one can learn anything about the mystery of these matters. The solution to the half-syllable question is found in the book known as Varṇāgama-bhāsvadi. Seeing this book, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja had written as he did. Now please listen – after you wake up, just refer to that book and then compile all this evidence for the benefit of others.

Hearing these words of Śrī Rādhikā, I regained consciousness and quickly got up. My confusion was now gone, and I again and again lamented, “Alas! Alas!” Holding Her order in my heart, I endeavoured to carry it out.

While She was describing the half-syllable to me in the vision, Śrī Rādhikā had spoken thus:

व्यंत यकारोऽर्धाक्षं ललाटे ऽर्धचन्द्रबिम्बः।
तदितरं पूर्णाक्षरं पूर्णचन्द्र।

vyanta ya-kāro‘rdhākṣam
lalāṭe‘rdha-candra-bimbaḥ
tad-itaraṁ purṇākṣaraṁ purṇa-candra

The letter ya which is followed by the letter vi is considered to be a half-syllable. This falls on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s forehead, which forms the halo of a half-moon. All other letters of the mantra are full syllables and therefore full moons.

The description of the half-syllable as according to the direct instruction of Śrī Rādhikā, is indeed found in the book Varṇāgama-bhāsvadi thus:

विकारान्त य करेण चार्धाक्षरं प्रकीर्तितं।

vikārānta ya kareṇa cārdhākṣaraṁ prakīrtitaṁ

The letter ya, when followed by the letter vi, is celebrated as being a half-syllable.

गायन्तं त्रायते तस्मात् गायत्रीत्वं ततः स्मृतम्।

gāyantam trāyate tasmāt gāyatrītvam tataḥ smṛtaṁ

That which delivers the chanter is known as gāyatrī.

Thus ends my explanation of kāma-gāyatrī known as Mantrārtha Dīpikā.