गोपीगीता
Gopī-gītā
Nineteen verses spoken by the gopīs after searching for Śrī Kṛṣṇa and not finding him following his sudden disappearance from their midst as they were engaged in rāsa dancing together.
Excerpted from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.31.1–19.
गोप्य ऊचुः—
जयति तेऽधिकं जन्मना व्रजः
श्रयत इन्दिरा शश्वदत्र हि ।
दयित दृश्यतां दिक्षु तावका-
स्त्वयि धृतासवस्त्वां विचिन्वते ॥१॥
gopya ūcuḥ—
jayati te’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ
śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi |
dayita dṛśyatāṁ dikṣu tāvakās
tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate ||1||
The gopīs said:
Because of your birth,
Vraja trimuphs tremendously!
Indirā [i.e., Lakṣmī] resides [alt., serves] here continuously.
O Beloved!
Please appear.
We who are your own,
We whose prāṇas are held for you
[i.e., we who live only for your sake;
alt., we who have offered our prāṇas to you,
or, we whose prāṇas are held in you],
Are searching for you in all directions.
शरदुदाशये साधुजातस-
त्सरसिजोदरश्रीमुषा दृशा ।
सुरतनाथ तेऽशुल्कदासिका
वरद निघ्नतो नेह किं वः ॥२॥
śarad-udāśaye sādhu-jāta-sat-
sarasijodara-śrī-muṣā dṛśā |
surata-nātha te’śulka-dāsikā
varada nighnato neha kiṁ vadhaḥ ||2||
With your glance that steals [alt., surpasses]
The beauty of the whorl
Of an excellent, fully grown lotus in an autumn pond,
O Lord of love,
O Bestower of boons,
You have killed [us,]
Your unpaid-for maidservants.
Here is this not murder?
विषजलाप्ययाद्व्यालराक्षसा-
द्वर्षमारुताद्वैद्युतानलात् ।
वृषमयात्मजाद्विश्वतो भया-
दृषभ ते वयं रक्षिता मुहुः ॥३॥
viṣa-jalāpyayād vyāla-rākṣasād
varṣa-mārutād vaidyutānalāt |
vṛṣa-mayātmajād viśvato bhayād
ṛṣabha te vayaṁ rakṣitā muhuḥ ||3||
From death in poisoned water [i.e., Kālīya’s poisoning of the Yamunā],
From the snake rākṣasa [i.e., Aghāsura],
From the wind [i.e., Tṛṇāvartā] and the rain [i.e., the storm sent by Indra],
From the fire of lightning bolts [i.e., those hurled by Indra],
From the bull [i.e., Ariṣṭāsura] and the son of Maya [i.e., Vyomāsura, the son of Maya Dānava],
And from all fear
[i.e., all sorts of other dangers, such as Pūtanā, Śakaṭa, Baka, Vatsa, the forest fire, and Keśī]—
We have been repeatedly protected by you,
O you who are most excellent!
न खलु गोपीकानन्दनो भवान्
अखिलदेहिनामन्तरात्मदृक् ।
विखनसार्थितो विश्वगुप्तये
सख उदेयिवान्सात्वतां कुले ॥४॥
na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān
akhila-dehinām antarātma-dṛk |
vikhanasārthito viśva-guptaye
sakha udeyivān sātvatāṁ kule ||4||
You are not actually the son of a gopīkā.
You are the seer of inner self of all embodied beings.
Requested by Vikhanas [i.e., Brahmā] to protect the universe,
O Friend,
You have arisen in the dynasty of the Sātvatas.
विरचिताभयं वृष्णिधूर्य ते
चरणमीयुषां संसृतेर्भयात् ।
करसरोरुहं कान्त कामदं
शिरसि धेहि नः श्रीकरग्रहम् ॥५॥
viracitābhayaṁ vṛṣṇi-dhūrya te
caraṇam īyuṣāṁ saṁsṛter bhayāt |
kara-saroruhaṁ kānta kāmadaṁ
śirasi dhehi naḥ śrī-kara-graham ||5||
O Foremost of the Vṛṣṇis,
O Lover,
Please place upon our heads
The lotus of your hand,
Which fulfils desires,
Which holds the hand of Śrī [i.e., Lakṣmī],
And by which fearlessness is ensured
For those who approach your feet out of fear of saṁsāra.
व्रजजनार्तिहन्वीर योषितां
निजजनस्मयध्वंसनस्मित ।
भज सखे भवत्किङ्करीः स्म नो
जलरुहाननं चारु दर्शय ॥६॥
vraja-janārtihan vīra yoṣitāṁ
nija-jana-smaya-dhvaṁsana-smita |
bhaja sakhe bhavat-kiṅkarīḥ sma no
jalaruhānanaṁ cāru darśaya ||6||
O Destroyer of the distress of the people of Vraja!
O Hero of women!
O you whose smile is a destroyer
Of the pride of those who are your own!
O Friend!
Attend to [us,] your maidservants.
Show us your lovely lotus face.
प्रणतदेहिनां पापकर्षणं
तृणचरानुगं श्रीनिकेतनम् ।
फणिफणार्पितं ते पदाम्बुजं
कृणु कुचेषु नः कृन्धि हृच्छयम् ॥७॥
praṇata-dehināṁ pāpa-karṣaṇaṁ
tṛṇa-carānugaṁ śrī-niketanam |
phaṇi-phaṇārpitaṁ te padāmbujaṁ
kṛṇu kuceṣu naḥ kṛndhi hṛc-chayam ||7||
Please put upon our breasts
Your lotus feet,
Which remove the sins of the embodied who have taken shelter,
Which follow the animals [of Vraja],
Which are the abode of śrī [i.e., beauty, or, Lakṣmī],
And which were placed on the hoods of the serpent [i.e., Kālīya].
Please cut away our lust [lit., “that which lies in the heart”].
मधुरया गिरा वल्गुवाक्यया
बुधमनोज्ञया पुष्करेक्षण ।
विधिकरीरिमा वीर मुह्यती-
रधरसीधुनाप्याययस्व नः ॥८॥
madhurayā girā valgu-vākyayā
budha-manojñayā puṣkarekṣaṇa |
vidhi-karīr imā vīra muhyatīr
adhara-sīdhunāpyāyayasva naḥ ||8||
O you of lotus eyes!
These order-carriers [i.e., we]
Are becoming bewildered
By your sweet words
And charming speech,
[Which are] Pleasing to the wise.
O Hero!
Please revive us
With the nectar of your lips.
तव कथामृतं तप्तजीवनं
कविभिरीडितं कल्मषापहम् ।
श्रवणमङ्गलं श्रीमदाततं
भुवि गृणन्ति ये भूरिदा जनाः ॥९॥
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham |
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūridā janāḥ ||9||
Those persons in this world are munificient
Who relate the nectar of narrations about you,
Which is life for the afflicted,
Praised by the wise,
Counteractive of contamination [i.e., purifying of sin],
Auspicious to hear,
Exalted,
And widely renowned.
प्रहसितं प्रिय प्रेमवीक्षणं
विहरणं च ते ध्यानमङ्गलम् ।
रहसि संविदो या हृदिस्पृशः
कुहक नो मनः क्षोभयन्ति हि ॥१०॥
prahasitaṁ priya prema-vīkṣaṇaṁ
viharaṇaṁ ca te dhyāna-maṅgalam |
rahasi saṁvido yā hṛdi spṛśaḥ
kuhaka no manaḥ kṣobhayanti hi ||10||
O Lover,
Your laughter,
Glances of prema,
And sporting,
Auspicious [alt., delightful] for meditation,
And your conversing in seclusion,
Which touch the heart,
O Cheater,
Certainly inflame our hearts.
चलसि यद्व्रजाच्चारयन्पशून्
नलिनसुन्दरं नाथ ते पदम् ।
शिलतृणाङ्कुरैः सीदतीति नः
कलिलतां मनः कान्त गच्छति ॥११॥
calasi yad vrajāc cārayan paśūn
nalina-sundaraṁ nātha te padam |
śila-tṛṇāṅkuraiḥ sīdatīti naḥ
kalilatāṁ manaḥ kānta gacchati ||11||
O Master!
Since you herd the animals outside of Vraja,
Your feet,
Beautiful like lotuses,
Become wounded by stalks, grass, and shoots.
Thus, our hearts,
O Lover,
Go into disarray.
दिनपरिक्षये नीलकुन्तलै-
र्वनरुहाननं बिभ्रदावृतम् ।
धनरजस्वलं दर्शयन्मुहु-
र्मनसि नः स्मरं वीर यच्छसि ॥१२॥
dina-parikṣaye nīla-kuntalair
vanaruhānanaṁ bibhrad āvṛtam |
dhana-rajasvalaṁ darśayan muhur
manasi naḥ smaraṁ vīra yacchasi ||12||
At the end of the day,
Bearing and repeatedly showing [us]
Your lotus face,
Draped with rich black hair
And coated with cow-dust,
O Hero,
You arouse love in our hearts.
प्रणतकामदं पद्मजार्चितं
धरणिमण्डनं ध्येयमापदि ।
चरणपङ्कजं शन्तमं च ते
रमण नः स्तनेष्वर्पयाधिहन् ॥१३॥
praṇata-kāmadaṁ padmajārcitaṁ
dharaṇi-maṇḍanaṁ dhyeyam āpadi |
caraṇa-paṅkajaṁ śantamaṁ ca te
ramaṇa naḥ staneṣv arpayādhihan ||13||
Please place on our breasts,
O Lover,
O Destroyer of dolor,
Your lotus feet,
Which are fulfillers of the desires of those who have taken shelter,
Worshipped by Brahmā [lit., “the lotus-born one”],
The ornaments of the earth,
The proper object of meditation in distress,
And the [cause of the] ultimate auspiciousness [alt., happiness].
सुरतवर्धनं शोकनाशनं
स्वरितवेणुना सुष्ठु चुम्बितम् ।
इतररागविस्मारणं नृणां
वितर वीर नस्तेऽधरामृतम् ॥१४॥
surata-vardhanaṁ śoka-nāśanaṁ
svarita-veṇunā suṣṭhu cumbitam |
itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ nṛṇāṁ
vitara vīra nas te’dharāmṛtam ||14||
Please give us the nectar of your lips,
O Hero,
Which heighten amour,
Destroy sorrow,
Are finely kissed by your resounding flute,
And cause human beings’ forgetfulness of other attachments.
अटति यद्भवानह्नि काननं
त्रुटि युगायते त्वामपश्यताम् ।
कुटिलकुन्तलं श्रीमुखं च ते
जड उदीक्षतां पक्ष्मकृद्दृशाम् ॥१५॥
aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ
truṭi yugāyate tvām apaśyatām |
kuṭila-kuntalaṁ śrī-mukhaṁ ca te
jaḍa udīkṣatāṁ pakṣma-kṛd dṛśām ||15||
When you go out to the forest during the day,
An truṭi [i.e., half a milisecond] seems like a yuga
For we who do not see you [all day],
And the creater of lids for the eyes
Of we who eagerly behold your wavy locks
And beautiful face [when you return in the late afternoon]
Is [considered by us to be] a fool.
पतिसुतान्वयभ्रातृबान्धवा-
नतिविलङ्घ्य तेऽन्त्यच्युतागता: ।
गतिविदस्तवोद्गीतमोहिताः
कितव योषितः कस्त्यजेन्निशि ॥१६॥
pati-sutānvaya-bhrātṛ-bāndhavān
ativilaṅghya te’nty acyutāgatāḥ |
gati-vidas tavodgīta-mohitāḥ
kitava yoṣitaḥ kas tyajen niśi ||16||
Resolutely and wholly neglecting
Our husbands, children, in-laws, brothers, and relatives,
We have come before you,
Who know our condition,
O Acyuta,
Enchanted by your eminent [flute-] song.
O Rogue!
Who [other than you] could abandon women [such as us in this condition] at night?
रहसि संविदं हृच्छयोदयं
प्रहसिताननं प्रेमवीक्षणम् ।
बृहदुरः श्रियो वीक्ष्य धाम ते
मुहुरतिस्पृहा मुह्यते मनः ॥१७॥
rahasi saṁvidaṁ hṛc-chayodayaṁ
prahasitānanaṁ prema-vīkṣaṇam |
bṛhad-uraḥ śriyo vīkṣya dhāma te
muhur ati-spṛhā muhyate manaḥ ||17||
Musing over your
Conversing in seclusion,
Smiling face,
Glances of prema,
And broad chest,
The abode of śrī,
Our hearts are bewildered constantly
By intense desire [for you].
व्रजवनौकसां व्यक्तिरङ्ग ते
वृजिनहन्त्र्यलं विश्वमङ्गलम् ।
त्यज मनाक् च नस्त्वत्स्पृहात्मनां
स्वजनहृद्रुजां यन्निषूदनम् ॥१८॥
vraja-vanaukasāṁ vyaktir aṅga te
vṛjina-hantry alaṁ viśva-maṅgalam |
tyaja manāk ca nas tvat-spṛhātmanāṁ
sva-jana-hṛd-rujāṁ yan niṣūdanam ||18||
O Dear,
Your appearance
Is the destroyer of distress
For those dwelling in the forest of Vraja,
And verily the auspiciousness of the world.
Please give us,
Whose hearts are full of desire for you,
A little of that dispeller of heartache
For those who are your own
[i.e., Please give us, your lovers, your darśana, the touch of your hand, and so forth].
यत्ते सुजातचरणाम्बुरुहं स्तनेषु
भीताः शनैः प्रिय दधीमहि कर्कशेषु ।
तेनाटवीमटसि तद्व्यथते न किंस्वित्
कूर्पादिभिर्भ्रमति धीर्भवदायुषां नः ॥१९॥
yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu
bhītāḥ śanaiḥ priya dadhīmahi karkaśeṣu |
tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate na kiṁ svit
kūrpādibhir bhramati dhīr bhavad-āyuṣāṁ naḥ ||19||
O Beloved!
Fearful,
We gently hold your tender lotus feet
On our hard breasts.
You roam with them throughout the forest.
Have they not been cut by pebbles and so forth?
Our hearts tremble.
You are our very life.
Meter
Kusuma-mālikā