Līlā
kṣaṇa-mātraṁ ca tatratyair adṛṣṭe’smin na jīvyate
kṣaṇa-mātraṁ ca tatratyair adṛṣṭe’smin na jīvyate ||
vṛkṣādibhis tv antarite kadācid
asmin sati syāt sahacāriṇāṁ bhṛśam |
śrī-kṛṣṇa-kṛṣṇeti mahāpluta-svarair
āhvāna-bhaṅgyākulatā sa-rodanā ||
vraja-sthitānāṁ tv ahar eva kāla-
rātrir bhaved eka-lavo yugaṁ ca |
raviṁ rajo-vartma ca paśyatāṁ muhur
daśā ca kācin muralīṁ ca śṛṇvatām ||
ayaṁ hi tat-tad-vipineṣu kautukād
vihartu-kāmaḥ paśu-saṅgha-saṅgataḥ |
vayasyavagaiḥ saha sarvato’ṭituṁ
prayāti nityaṁ svayam agrajānvitaḥ ||
yatrātimattāmbu-vihaṅga-mālā-
kulīkṛtāly-āvalī-vibhrameṇa |
vicālitānāṁ kamalotpalānāṁ
sarāṁsi gandhair vilasaj-jalāni ||
tathā mahāścarya-vicitratāmayī
kalindajā sā vraja-bhūmi-saṅginī |
tathā-vidhā vindhya-nagādi-sambhavāḥ
parāś ca nadyo vilasanti yatra ca ||
tat-tat-taṭaṁ komala-bālukācitaṁ
ramyaṁ sadā nūtana-śādvalāvṛtam |
svābhāvika-dveṣa-visarjanollasan-
manojña-nānā-mṛga-pakṣi-saṅkulam ||
divya-puṣpa-phala-pallavāvalī-
bhāra-namrita-latā-taru-gulmaiḥ |
bhūṣitaṁ mada-kalāpi-kokila-
śreṇi-nāditam aja-stuti-pātram ||
vṛndāraṇye vraja-bhuvi gavāṁ tatra govardhane vā
nāste hiṁsā-haraṇa-rahite rakṣakasyāpy apekṣā |
gāvo gatvoṣasi vipinatas tā mahiṣy-ādi-yuktāḥ
svairaṁ bhuktvā sa-jala-yavasaṁ sāyam āyānti vāsam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.103–111)
“[Rohiṇī to Padmāvatī:] When he [viz., Kṛṣṇa] is unseen by those situated there [i.e., the people in Vraja] for even just a moment, they cannot live. O virtuous lady, whenever he is concealed [from their vision] by trees or anything else, tearful heartache will immediately arise in his companions along with a gesture of calling out [to him] in highly drawn-out tones, ‘O Śrī Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa!’ Indeed for those situated in Vraja [i.e., those such as Śrī Rādhikā who remain back in the village while Śrī Kṛṣṇa is out for the day with his companions in the forest herding the cows], just the day can become [like] a night of destruction [i.e., it can feel as long as the night of universal dissolution] and one instant [can feel like] an epoch (yuga). Some [indescribable] state [of near madness arising from profound prema] comes about for those [residents of Vraja who can be observed daily to be] constantly watching the sun [in the afternoon since it indicates how close it is to the early evening when Kṛṣṇa will return to the village], the dust [which rises when Kṛṣṇa and the cows are approaching the village], and the path [by which Kṛṣna will re-enter the village] and listening for the flute [which Kṛṣṇa plays as he re-enters to the village]. Out of eagerness, he [viz., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] of his own accord goes out daily surrounded by his herds of animals and accompanied by his elder brother to roam all about with his companions, being desirous of sporting in those [completely ineffable] forests [of Vṛndāvana and so on] (1) in which there are lakes of sparking water [filled] with the fragrances of lotuses and lilies swaying [back and forth] because of the frolicking of swarms of bees frenzied by flocks of highly excited water birds, (2) in which the land of Vraja’s companion, she [of immense ineffable beauty] the daughter of [Mount] Kalinda [viz., the River Yamunā], replete with greatly astonishing variegatedness, and other similar rivers like those coming from the Vindhya Mountains [i.e., the Carmaṇvatī (Chambal)] and elsewhere, shine [alt., play], and (3) [in which] there are those [completely ineffable] delightful banks [of those river and lakes] that are (a) loaded with soft sand, (b) always topped with fresh grass, (c) filled with various charming birds and animals sporting [together] having given up their natural enmity [towards one another], (d) decorated by creepers, trees, and shrubs bowed by the weight of the rows of their splendid flowers, fruits, and sprouts, (e) made resonant by flocks of maddened peacocks and cuckoos, and (f) recipient of the unborn one’s [viz., Brahmā’s] praise [as expressed in SB 10.14.34 and elsewhere]. There is no need even for protection of the cows there in the forest of Vṛndā, in the land of Vraja [i.e., in the village of Nandīśvara and so on], or in Govardhana [since all of these places are] free from violence and theft. Those [ineffably exalted] cows, accompanied by the buffaloes and so on [i.e., goats and other animals], go out in the morning, partake of grass along with water, and at will return from the forest to the village in the evening [and thus it is not that Kṛṣṇa has to herd them, that the people of Vraja require and force Kṛṣṇa to do so, or that he suffers while doing so, but rather that Kṛṣṇa goes out each to day to herd them of his own free will out of his own desire to sport with them and his beloved companions in the midst of the forests, mountains, rivers, and lakes of the land of Vraja and by doing so he rejoices immensely].”
prabho sunirṇītam idaṁ pratīhi
prabho sunirṇītam idaṁ pratīhi
tvadīya-pādābja-yugasya tatra |
śubha-prayāṇaṁ na vināsya jīved
vrajaḥ kathañcin na ca kiñcid icchet ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.98)
“[Śrī Uddhava to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā:] O Prabhu, please recognize this which has been rightly determined [by me]: Vraja [i.e., the people of Vraja] cannot live [any longer] without an auspicious journey of this pair of lotus feet of yours there, and they shall never desire anything else [i.e., they will never be satisfied by receiving messages of love, representatives, gifts, or anything else from you, or by your presence within them in the form of the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī)].”
kim api kim api brūte rātrau svapann api nāmabhir
kim api kim api brūte rātrau svapann api nāmabhir
madhura-madhuraṁ prītyā dhenūr ivāhvayati kvacit |
uta sakhi-gaṇān kāṁścid gopān ivātha manoharāṁ
samabhinayate vaṁśī-vaktrāṁ tribhaṅgi-parākṛtim ||
kadācin mātar me vitara navanītaṁ tv iti vadet
kadācic chrī-rādhe lalite iti sambodhayati mām |
kadāpīdaṁ candrāvali kim iti me karṣati paṭaṁ
kadāpy asrāsārair mṛdulayati tūlīṁ śayanataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.51–52)
“[Rukmiṇī Devī of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā:] Sometimes even while sleeping at night he says all sorts of things, [sometimes] in the sweetest of sweet ways with love and by name he as though calls his cows, his girlfriends, or some cowherds, and [sometimes] as though with his flute at his mouth he fully enacts his charming thrice-bent posture [that he customarily assumes when playing the flute]. Sometimes he can say, ‘O Mother, give me some fresh butter.’ Sometimes he addresses me, ‘O Śrī Rādha!’ or ‘O Lalitā!’ Sometimes he pulls my garment [and says], ‘O Candrāvalī, what is this [act of yours in deceiving me]’? And sometimes he wets the pillow on his bed with torrents of tears.”
mama pratyakṣam evedaṁ yadā kṛṣṇo vraje’vrajat
mama pratyakṣam evedaṁ yadā kṛṣṇo vraje’vrajat |
tato hi pūtanādibhyaḥ keśy-antebhyo muhur muhuḥ ||
daityebhyo varuṇendrādi-devebhyo’jagarāditaḥ |
tathā cirantana-svīya-śakaṭārjuna-bhaṅgataḥ |
ko vā nopadravas tatra jāto vraja-vināśakaḥ ||
tatratyās tu janāḥ kiñcit te’nusandadhate na tat ||
mohitā iva kṛṣṇasya maṅgalaṁ tatra tatra hi |
icchanti sarvadā svīyaṁ nāpekṣante ca karhicit ||
svabhāva-sauhṛdenaiva yat kiñcit sarvam ātmanaḥ |
asyopakalpayante sma nanda-sūnoḥ sukhāya tat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.39–40)
“[Rohiṇī Devī to Devarṣi Nārada:] This is verily my experience: when Kṛṣṇa went to Vraja, from right then on, and again and again, what calamity devastating to Vraja—starting from Pūtanā and ending with Keśī—[coming] from asuras, from devas like Varuṇa and Indra, from pythons and so on [i.e., and other fearsome creatures], and from [even] the breaking of a cart and arjuna trees that had long been our own—did not arise? Still, the people situated there [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] did not consider any of that [i.e., still, their love for Kṛṣṇa did not wane, and rather, only increased (Vraja-janānāṁ Kṛṣṇe prītir na jātu kṣīṇā, api tu vivṛddhaiva, DDT)]. As if beguiled, in all those cases [i.e., calamities], they [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] always desired Kṛṣṇa’s well-being, and they never considered their own [well-being]. Purely out of natural cordiality, they offered everything that was their own for his—the Son of Nanda’s—pleasure.”
astācalaṁ cumbati bhānu-bimbe
astācalaṁ cumbati bhānu-bimbe
gṛhe gṛhe gokula-sundarīṇām |
divyānulepābharaṇāmbarāṇi
kṛṣṇāhriyante paritaḥ sakhībhiḥ ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 8.101)
“O Kṛṣṇa,
When the orb of the sun
Kisses the western horizon,
In house after house
The splendid unguents, ornaments, and garments
Of the beauties of Gokula
Are brought from all sides by [their] friends
[So that these beauties can be well-dressed when they meet Kṛṣṇa as he re-enters the village in the early evening from his day of cow-herding out in the forest].”
phalam api phalaṁ mākandānāṁ sitā api tāḥ sitā
phalam api phalaṁ mākandānāṁ sitā api tāḥ sitā
amṛtam amṛtaṁ drākṣā drākṣā madhūni madhūny api |
saha tulayituṁ tenaiteṣāṁ na kiñcana yujyate
subala yad ayaṁ sāraṅgākṣyā bhavaty adharo’dharaḥ ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 3.5)
“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] Even the fruit of mango trees
Is [just] fruit.
Even candied sugar
Is [just] candied sugar.
[Even] Nectar is [just] nectar.
[Even] Grapes are [just] grapes.
Even honey is [just] honey.
O Subala,
None of these are fit
To be compared with that,
Since [that, viz.,] this lower lip of she of doe-eyes [viz., Śrī Rādhikā]
Is [really] a lower lip (adharaḥ)
[i.e., Something that excels all else].”
vinyasta-śruti-pālir adya muralī-nisvāna-śuśrūṣā
vinyasta-śruti-pālir adya muralī-nisvāna-śuśrūṣā
bhūyaḥ prasrava-varṣiṇī dviguṇitotkaṇṭhā pradoṣodaye |
gehād aṅganam aṅganāt punar asau gehaṁ viśanty ākulā
govindasya muhur vrajendra-gṛhiṇī panthānam ālokate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 3.4.55)
“Today [i.e., throughout the day]
Wishing with her ears pricked
To hear the sound of the flute,
And again at the onset of evening,
With doubled longing
And milk streaming [from her breasts]
As she repeatedly entered the courtyard from the house
And the house from the courtyard,
The anxious queen of Vraja
Looked again and again at Govinda’s path
[i.e., the path by which he was expected to soon return home from the forest].”
niculita-giri-dhātu-sphīta-patrāvalīkān
niculita-giri-dhātu-sphīta-patrāvalīkān
akhila-surabhi-reṇūn kṣālayadbhir yaśodā |
kuca-kalasa-vimuktaiḥ sneha-mādhvīka-medhyais
tava navam abhiṣekaṁ dugdha-pūraiḥ karoti ||
(Lalita-mādhava-nāṭaka: 1.46; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sidhu: 3.4.47)
“[O Kṛṣṇa!]
Yaśodā conducts your first bath [after you return from the forest in the afternoon]
With the supremely pure streams of milk
Replete with the honey of her affection
Released from the urns of her breasts
That wash away all the dust from [i.e., raised by] the cows,
By which your leaves [i.e., the decorative leaf designs drawn on your body] made of minerals
Become covered over.”
vijñāpya tātaṁ dohāya gato’sau gāś ca tā mudā
vijñāpya tātaṁ dohāya gato’sau gāś ca tā mudā |
militāḥ svābhitaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sāntvayāmāsa sāntvanaiḥ ||
śrī-hasta-mārjanaiḥ kaṇḍūyanair gāḥ prīṇayan hariḥ |
dudoha dohayāmāsa vatsāṁs tais taiś ca pāyayan ||
vatsā nipīyodara-pūram uccakais
tṛptiṁ gatā gopa-gaṇā yathepsitam |
dugdhvā nivṛttāś ca gavāṁ tathāpy aho
nodhaḥ-payaḥ-pūrtir avāpa hīnatām ||
kṛṣṇānanābjārpita-netra-cetasāṁ
gavāṁ svayaṁ saṁsravad audhasaṁ payaḥ |
gopāḥ stanādho-dhṛta-kumbha-sañcayaiḥ
sambhṛtya ninyuḥ purato vrajeśituḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 20.30–33)
“He informed his father and went to milk [the cows]. Kṛṣṇa comforted the cows delightedly assembled around him with comforting gestures. After pleasing them by scratching and wiping them with his beautiful hands, Hari milked the cows and had them [i.e., his fellow cowherds] feed the calves milk and milk [the other cows]. The calves drank a belly-full [of milk] and greatly felt satisfaction. The cowherds also milked [the cows] to the extent desired and desisted. Still, aho! The fulness with milk of the cows’ udders did not undergo depletion. The cowherds collected in pots held below their udders the milk flowing of its own accord from the udders of the cows, whose eyes and hearts were fixed on the lotus of Kṛṣṇa’s face, and [then] brought it before the king of Vraja [viz., Nanda Mahārāja].”