Līlā

namas tasmai bhagavate kṛṣṇāyākuṇṭha-medhase

namas tasmai bhagavate kṛṣṇāyākuṇṭha-medhase |
rādhādhara-sudhā-sindhau namo nitya-vihāriṇe ||
rādhāṁ kṛṣṇa-svarūpāṁ vai kṛṣṇaṁ rādhā-svarūpiṇaṁ |
kalātmānaṁ nikuñjasthaṁ guru-rūpaṁ sadā bhaje ||
(Mahāvāṇī: Sakhī-rūpācārya-nāma-ratnāvalī-stava, 1–2)

“Obeisance unto him,
Bhagavān,
Kṛṣṇa,
He of unblunted brilliance.
Obeisance unto the constant Frolicker
In the ocean of the nectar
Of Rādhā’s lips.
Forever I worship
Rādhā,
She whose essence is Kṛṣṇa
[Alt., she who is the essential nature of Kṛṣṇa],
And Kṛṣṇa,
He whose essence is Rādhā,
[Alt., he who is the essential nature of Rādhā]—
They whose spirit is the arts
[Alt., they who are the essence of expertise, or, they who are the constitution of the seed syllable klīṁ]
And the form of the guru situated in the bower.”

Read on →

govardhana-girim upetya kaṭākṣa-bāṇān

govardhana-girim upetya kaṭākṣa-bāṇān
karṇa-sphuran-maṇi-śilopari saṅkṣuvānā |
kā bhrū-dhanur-dhuvana-sūcita-luñcaneyaṁ
vyagrīkaroty ahaha mām api sambhrameṇa ||
(Dāna-keli-kaumudī: 30; cited in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 14.3)

“Reaching Govardhana Hill
And sharpening the arrows of her side-long glances
Atop the sparkling jewel-slabs on her ears,
Who is this
By whom thievery is intimated
By the quivering of the bows of her brows,
That, ahaha,
Makes even me restless with excitement?”

Read on →

Śrī Keśavāṣṭakam

Śrī Keśavāṣṭakam

Eight verses in praise of Śrī Keśava’s return to Vraja from the forest in the evening

By Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda

Read on →

yat tāta tāsām api dhairya-moṣakaṁ

yat tāta tāsām api dhairya-moṣakaṁ
yā vai kula-strī-kula-pūjitāṅghrayaḥ |
rūpeṇa śīlena guṇena karmaṇā
śraiṣṭhyaṁ gatā hanta mahāśriyo’pi yāḥ ||
yad-darśane pakṣma-kṛtaṁ śapanti
vidhiṁ sahasrākṣam api stuvanti |
vañchanti dṛktvaṁ sakalendriyānāṁ
kāṁ kāṁ daśāṁ vā na bhajanti lokāḥ ||
kiṁ varṇyatāṁ vraja-bhuvo mahimā sa tasya
yatraiva tat sa bhagavān vitanoti rūpam |
yat tādṛśa-prakṛtināpy amunā sametā
nānyatrikā dadhati bhāvam ime’pi tadvat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.109–111)

“O dear one, can that greatness of the land of Vraja be described, [that land of Vraja] alone wherein that Bhagavān [viz., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] manifests that [supremely astonishing] form [of himself] which is a stealer of the composure even of they [viz., the gopīs] whose feet are worshiped by women of noble families and who by virtue of [their] figure, character, qualities, and actions are possessed of superiority even to Mahāśrī [i.e., Mahālakṣmī]; [that form of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa found only in Vraja] by seeing which people curse the Creator, the maker of eyelids, praise even he of a thousand eyes [viz., Indra], desire that all [their] senses become eyes, and attain not what sort of state [i.e., attain all sorts of extraordinary states], since even they who are from elsewhere [e.g., the residents of Vaikuṇṭha and Dvārakā] even [when] together with he of such nature [viz., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Vraja] do not possess bhāva like them [i.e., the people of Vraja]?”

Read on →

vrajaḥ sa nandasya guṇaiḥ svakīyair

vrajaḥ sa nandasya guṇaiḥ svakīyair
vilāsa-bhūr āsa mahāvibhūteḥ |
yasyāḥ kaṭākṣena jagad-vibhūtir
vaikuṇṭha-nāthasya gṛheśvarī yā ||
yasyaika-vṛkṣo’pi nijena kenacid
dravyena kāmāṁs tanute’rthino’khilān |
tathāpi tat tan na sadā prakāśayed
aiśvaryam īśaḥ sva-vihāra-vighnataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.104–105)

“By virtue of its own qualities, that abode of Nanda—even one tree of which can produce with any aspect of itself all the desired objects of any seeker, and by the sidelong glance of which the magnificence of the world exists—has become the play-land of she of great magnificence [viz., Mahālakṣmī], the Mistress of the household of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. Still, Īśa [viz., Śrī Kṛsṇa] shall not always manifest that particular splendor (aiśvarya) on account of obstruction to his own sporting [i.e., if he were to do so, and thus he doesn’t manifest it always but rather only when doing so is suitable].”

Read on →

mādhvīka-jaitra-madhura-svaram akṣarāṇām

mādhvīka-jaitra-madhura-svaram akṣarāṇām
uccāraṇād vijita-veda-vid-ādi-garvam |
kṛṣṇārtha-tṛṣṇa-rasa-bhāva-kulākalaṅkā-
laṅkāram īritam api sphuṭam atra gānam ||
(Gopāla-campū: 2.37.38)

“That the sweet sound of which
Is victorious over spirituous liquor,
That by [just] pronunciation of the phonemes of which
The pride of those conversant in the Vedas and others
Is thoroughly defeated,
That the flawless ornaments within which
Are the rasas and bhāvas arising from thirst for the sake of Kṛṣṇa—
Certainly even [such] speech here [i.e., in Goloka]
Is [fit to be considered] singing
[And thus how marvelous is the actual singing here?].”

Read on →

vidagdhānāṁ mitho līlā-vilāsena yathā sukham

vidagdhānāṁ mitho līlā-vilāsena yathā sukham |
na tathā samprayogeṇa syād evaṁ rasikā viduḥ ||
yathā—
balena parirambhaṇe nakha-śikhābhir ullekhanaṁ
haṭhād adhara-khaṇḍane bhuja-yugena bandha-kriyām |
dukūla-dalane hatim kuvalayena kurvāṇayā
ratād api sukhaṁ harer adhikam ādadhe rādhayā ||
yathā vā—
narmotseka-kalā dṛg-añcala-camatkārī bhruvor vibhramaḥ
saṁvyānasya vikarṣaṇe caṭulatāṁ karṇotpalenāhatiḥ |
krīḍeyaṁ vraja-nāgarī-rati-guror gāndharvikāyās tathā
bhūyiṣṭhaṁ suratotsavād api navāsvādaṁ vitene sukham ||
ata eva śrī-gīta-govinde—
pratyūhaḥ pulakāṅkureṇa niviḍa-śleṣe nimeṣeṇa ca
krīḍā-kūta-vilokite’dhara-sudhā-pāne kathā-narmabhiḥ |
ānandābhigamena manmatha-kalā-yuddhe’pi yasminn abhud
udbhūtaḥ sa tayor babhūva suratārambhaḥ priyaṁbhāvukaḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlāmaṇi: 15.253–256)

“For the cultured, pleasure shall not arise from full union (samprayoga) as it shall from sportive coquetry (līlā-vilāsa) with one another. This rasikas know.
As [is described in the following verse]:
‘By scratching [him on the chest] with the tips of her nails
When he embraces [her] by force,
By blocking [him] with her arms
When he forcibly bites her lip,
And by striking [him] with a water lily
When he pulls her raiment,
Pleasure for Hari
Greater than even [that of] union [i.e., samprayoga]
Was created by Rādhā.’
Or as [is described in the following verse]:
‘The art of pouring forth jokes [exhibited by Kṛṣṇa],
And the waggling of the eyebrows
[That was] Astonishing with sidelong glances [exhibited by Rādhā in return],
The vivacity in pulling upon the upper garment [of Rādhā exhibited by Kṛṣṇa],
And the blow with a lotus from her ear [dealt to Kṛṣṇa by Rādhā in return]—
This play
Between the ladies of Vraja’s Love-teacher (Rati-guru) and Gāndharvikā
Manifested pleasure abundant and freshly relishable
Even more so than the delight of full union (samprayoga).’
Therefore, in Śrī Gīta-govinda (12.10) [the following is found], ‘Wherein obstruction arose
To their tight embraces
By their horripilation,
To their observation of the plentitude of their play
By the blinking of their eyes,
To their drinking the nectar of one another’s lips
By their talks and jokes,
And to their battle in the arts of the Mind-churner [i.e., Kāma]
By the arrival of bliss—
That [wonderful] beginning of their amorous union,
Being [most] pleasing [to them both],
Became perceptible.’”

Read on →

Scroll to Top