ग्रन्थकर्तुः प्रार्थना
Grantha-kartuḥ prārthanā
The author [of Stavāvalī’s] earnest prayer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa
By Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda
सुबलसखाधरपल्लव-
समुदितमधुमुग्धमधुरीलुब्धाम् ।
रुचिजितकञ्चनचित्रां
काञ्चनचित्रां पिकीं वन्दे ॥१॥
subala-sakhādhara-pallava-
samudita-madhu-mugdha-madhurī-lubdhām |
ruci-jita-kañcana-citrāṁ
kāñcana-citrāṁ pikīṁ vande ||1||
To she who is covetous
Of the charming sweetness
Of the nectar finely exuded by the buds
Of the lips of Subala’s Friend,
To she whose luster has defeated [that of] a golden painting,
To she who is a golden, astonishing cuckoo,
I offer obeisance.
Commentary
The author compares Śrī Rādhikā to a cuckoo here because her longing for the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lips is comparable to the longing of a cuckoo bird for the nectar of mango buds in the spring time. He compares her to a golden painting because he is observing her to have become transfixed at the sight of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and he describes her as astonishing because cuckoos are black in color yet she is possessed of brilliant golden luster. Śrī Baṅgeśvara Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda states this last point in his commentary: kṛṣṇa-varṇāyāḥ kokilāyāḥ kāñcana-varṇatvena citratā.
वृषरविजाधराबिम्बी-
फलरसपानोत्कमद्भुतं भ्रमरम् ।
धृतशिखिपिञ्छकचूलं
पीतदुकूलं चिरं नौमि ॥२॥
vṛṣaravijādharābimbī-
phala-rasa-pānotkam adbhutaṁ bhramaram |
dhṛta-śikhi-piñchaka-cūlaṁ
pīta-dukūlaṁ ciraṁ naumi ||2||
The astonishing bhramara bee
Desirous of drinking the juice
From the bimba fruit lips
Of the Daughter of Vṛṣabhānu,
He by whom a peacock feather plume is worm,
He of yellow linen garb,
I praise perpetually.
Commentary
The author here compares Śrī Kṛṣṇa to an astonishing bhramara bee because bhramara bees by nature seek and drink nectar yet Śrī Kṛṣṇa seeks and drinks juice (rasa) instead, that is, the “juice” (rasa) of the bimba fruit lips of Śrī Rādhikā (bhramarasya phale rasa-pānāprasiddher adbhutatvam). Furthermore, while bhramara bees are by nature all black in appearance, the appearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is black accompanied by the yellow of his linen garments and the various bright colors of his peacock feather plume.
जितः सुधांशुर्यशसा ममेति
गर्वं मुधा मा वह गोष्ठवीर ।
तवारिनरीनयनाम्बुपाली
जिगाय तातं प्रसभं यतोऽस्य ॥३॥
jitaḥ sudhāṁśur yaśasā mameti
garvaṁ mudha mā vaha goṣṭha-vīra |
tavāri-narī-nayanāmbu-pālī
jigāya tātaṁ prasabhaṁ yato’sya ||3||
“O Hero of the village!
Do not vainly foster the pride,
‘The moon has been defeated by my fame!’
Since the streams of the tears
Of the wives of your enemies
Have forcibly defeated its father [i.e., the ocean].”
Commentary
Here the author shows the depth of intimacy a mañjarī enjoys with Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa as the author in his mañjarī-svarūpa at Śrī Rādhikā’s behest mocks Śrī Kṛṣṇa with a joke, likely in the midst of an atmosphere of relaxed conversation following the meeting highly anticipated by Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they were in the states in which the author compared them to a golden cuckoo and a multi-colored bhramara bee respectively in the two prior verses. The commentator states that the remark made in this verse contains the ornament (alaṅkāra) known as udātta, “profusion,” and that is this conveyed by means of the ornament (alaṅkāra) known as vyāja-stuti, “artful praise.”
कुञ्जे कुञ्जे पशुपवनितावाहिनीभिः समस्तात्
स्वैरं कृष्णः कुसुमधनुषो राज्यचर्चां करोतु ।
एतत् प्रार्थ्यं सखि मम यथा चित्तहारी स धूर्तो
बद्धं चेतस्त्यजति किमु वा प्राणमोषां करोति ॥४॥
kuñje kuñje paśupa-vanitā-vāhinībhiḥ samastāt
svairaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ kusuma-dhanuṣo rājya-carcāṁ karotu |
etat prārthyaṁ sakhi mama yathā citta-hārī sa dhūrto
baddhaṁ cetas tyajati kim u vā prāṇa-moṣāṁ karoti ||4||
“Let Kṛṣṇa completely freely conduct an investigation
Into the kingdom of he of flower bow [i.e., Kāmadeva]
From kuñja to kuñja
With [various] regiments of cowherd women.
This [however] is my desired object,
O sakhi!
When that heart-stealing Rogue
Abandons my bound heart,
May he certainly plunder my life as well.”
Commentary
The commentator introduces this verse by stating that because the author feels unable to tolerate any further delay in directly experiencing the service of the Couple, he conveys in this verse a particular desired object with extreme humility (svānubhava-tad-yugala-sevana-sākṣād-anubhave kāla-vilambāsahmāṇaḥ svātidainyena prārthita-viśeṣaṁ nivedayati—‘kuñje’ iti). The commentator further explains that the acme of humility (dainya) is indicated in this verse on the premises that the longing of the heart for an unattainable object is a cause of suffering, and death is certainly better than a life of suffering (alabhya-vastu prati cittotkaṇṭhā kevalaṁ duḥkha-vaheti duḥkha-jīvitāt tu maraṇam eva śreyaḥ iti ca dainya-parākāṣṭeti dhvaniḥ). The broader sense is that separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa is exceedingly difficult to bear for the gopīs of Vraja, who are so profoundly attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and so greatly filled with intense longing for the sweetness of serving him that their longing for that sweetness deeply pervades every aspect and moment of their life such that they feel it is utterly impossible to ever live without it. Thus, they feel that their lives would be so bitterly unbearable without that sweetness that it would be better to not live at all than have to live in want of it. In this verse the author in his mañjarī-svarūpa thus prays that should the prospect of being deprived of that sweetness in the future arise, then it would be earnestly desired to be allowed to die before having to endure such a fate.
Sources
Stavāvalī editions by Śrī Rāma Nārāyaṇa Vidyāratna and Śrī Ananta Dāsa Bābājī.