After some time, an old woman wearing torn clothes appeared before him[1].
Duhkhi Krishna Dasa asked:
“Who are you, venerable lady?”
She said:
“My name is Radha Dasi, a Kanya-kubja brahmana by caste and a resident of the village Yavat in the Mathura district. In the previous evening, after fetching water from the Yamuna, my daughter-in-law had come to that place to pluck flowers, but after suddenly seeing a lion nearby, she had become frightened and quickly ran away. She had been in such a hurry that she had not noticed that the golden anklet adorning her left foot had slipped and fallen somewhere in that grove. I came here to search for that lost golden anklet. Did you see it? If so, please give it to me”
Duhkhi Krishna Dasa replied:
“I have found a precious anklet but I feel that this object cannot belong to any inhabitant of this mortal world because with a simple touch of it, I felt surcharged with divine love for Srimati Radharani. Therefore it is clear to me that there must be some mystery related to it. You seem to be a normal resident of this mortal world, her daughter-in-law must also certainly be so. Therefore it cannot be hers.”
Then he added:
“Moreover, from your torn clothes it is evident that she is a poor lady and that her daughter-in-law could not possibly adorn herself with a golden anklet encrusted with sapphires. However if your daughter-in-law comes personally and shows me that on her other foot she wore a similar anklet, then on the presence of five to ten witnesses from our village I would hand over the precious anklet.”
Hearing these words of Duhkhi Krishna Dasa, the old lady felt a bit perplexed. Factually that old lady in torn clothes was not an ordinary poor woman but Lalita Sakhi, the dear friend of Srimati Radharani. She understood that it would not be possible to win him over with her cleverness because Duhkhi Krishna Dasa was fully convinced that the anklet was supernatural and that the old lady’s daughter-in-law was a common mortal.
At last Lalita Sakhi told him the truth.
“Dear Krishna Dasa, that anklet is indeed divine. It belongs to Srimati Radharani, daughter of King Vrishabhanu and beloved of Sri Krishna, son of the King of Gokula, Nanda Maharaja.”
Upon hearing that, Duhkhi Krishna Dasa was wonder-struck and inquired:
“But how had the anklet slipped from Srimati Radharani’s foot and fallen in the grove?”
Being very compassionate, Lalita Sakhi then narrated the whole pastime in detail.
She furtherly said:
“I need to get the anklet back and reach home before Srimati Radharani’s harsh-tongued mother-in-law awakens. Ask me for any boon in exchange for the anklet.”
Krishna Dasa replied:
“My desire is to see your real form.”
So Lalita Devi fulfilled his desire by granting him divine vision with which he could then behold her original, transcendental form.
In an uncontrollable ecastasy Duhkhi Krishna Dasa said:
“ I want to engage in the eternal service of Sri Sri Radha-Syamasundara in their pastimes in the groves of the eternal Goloka Vrindavana. Please grant me this boon.”
Lalita Sakhi said:
“You will certainly obtain that right after leaving your mortal body.”
And Krishna Dasa said again:
“Then allow me to have the darsana of Srimati Radharani’s lotus feet.”
Then Lalita Devi gave him the mantra of Radharani which consists of fifteen syllables and is full of six divine opulences. Vrinda Devi also took him to bathe in Radha Kunda.
[1] Not all authorities describe Lalita’s appearance in these terms.
This is a section of the book “Syamananda, the Joy of Radharani (English)”.
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