उत्कलिकावल्लरि
Utkalikā-vallari
A Vine of Longing
By Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda
Presented with excerpts from the commentary on Stava-mālā by Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda.
Introduction
According to Parāśara Purāṇa (18.17–18), a commentary consists of five features:
padacchedaḥ padārthoktir vigraho vākyayojanā |
ākṣepasya samādhānaṁ vyākhyānaṁ pañca-lakṣaṇam ||
“(1) Word division (padaccheda) [i.e., separation and restoration of each word in the text to its fundamental form prior to the application of sandhi and other rules of composition], (2) stating the meaning of words (padārtha-ukti) [i.e., offering contextually appropriate synonyms for the words in the text for the sake clarification and often including relevant citations of dictionary and thesaurus entries], (3) analysis [of compounds] (vigraha) [i.e., explaining the meaning of compound words by demonstrating the roles and relationships between each of the individual words in the compound], (4) sentence construction (vākya-yojanā, syn., anvaya) [i.e., re-ordering the words in the verse so as to clarify the syntax of the sentence(s) in the verse], and (5) resolution of concerns (ākṣepasya samādhānam) [i.e., anticipating and resolving doubts, questions, objections, and so forth that readers may have about the text, as well as clarifying the purpose of statements in the text and the flow of thought between the statements in the text] are the five characteristics of a commentary (vyākhyāna).”
The majority of Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda’s commentary on Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda’s compositions in Stava-mālā consists of the first four aspects mentioned above, that is, it consists primarily of word by word or phrase by phrase glosses that clarify the syntax of the verses and the meaning of particular words and compounds in the text by providing explanatory synonyms. All these features of the commentary have been studied and considered in the formation of the translations of Utkalikā-vallari presented here, but a separate translation of them has not been included in the English commentary presented here except in the cases of glosses that convey a significant degree of added import or clarify points that are especially noteworthy. The remaining content of Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda’s commentary, that is, all the content that falls into the fifth feature of a commentary mentioned above, constitutes the majority of the content from his commentary presented in this English language commentary. Supplementally, some additional notes regarding particular words and phrases have also been offered, some of which are drawn from the work of Bengali translators of Utkalikā-vallari and some of which are offered at the translator’s discretion.
Readers can note that some editions of Stava-mālā present the following obeisance at the beginning of Utkalikā-vallariḥ:
श्रीवृन्दारण्यविहारिणे नमः ।
śrī-vṛndāraṇya-vihāriṇe namaḥ |
Obeisance unto the Frolicker in the splendid forest of Vṛndā.
Others present this one:
श्रीवृन्दाटवीनागराभ्यां नमः ।
śrī-vṛndāṭavī-nāgarābhyāṁ namaḥ |
Obeisance unto the Pair of Adepts in the splendid forest of Vṛndā.
Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda begins his commentary on Utkalikā-vallari with this prayer to Śrī Rūpapāda:
āsīd yasmād utkalikā-vallarir eṣā
karkaśa-citta-grāva-nitānta-druti-hetuḥ |
śrī-rādhā-govinda-padābja-vrata-dāyī
sa śrī-rūpo bhāva-bhūpo dayatāṁ naḥ ||
“From whom arose
This vine of longing (Utkalikā-vallari),
Which is a cause of the complete melting
Of the stones of hard hearts—
May he,
The bestower of resolve for [alt., devotion to]
The lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā and Govinda,
The monarch of bhāva—
Śrī Rūpa—
Grace us.”
He then introduces the first verse as follows:
alabdhābhīṣṭasyābhīṣṭotkaṇṭhayā vigalita-cittasya tal-lābhe svāyogyatva-sphūrtyābhyudita-dainyasya bhaktasya saṁkrando’śru-nirjharaḥ patatīti stotrenānena saṁpādya tad idaṁ svasmin varṇayitum ādau pratijānīte—prapadyeti |
“A torrent of tears and lamentation pour out from a bhakta who has not attained his desired object (abhīṣṭa), whose heart has melted because of longing (utkaṇṭhā) for that desired object, and in whom [an intense feeling of] humility (dainya) [i.e., privation] has been evoked by a manifestation (sphūrti) of his own unworthiness to attain that [desired object]. Thus, enacting that [outpouring] with this hymn (stotra), the author promises to describe this [condition] in himself [in the forthcoming verses]: prapadya … [i.e., he states the first verse].
Utkalikā-vallari
प्रपद्य वृन्दावनमध्यमेकः
क्रोशन्नसावुत्कलिकाकुलात्मा ।
उद्घाटयामि ज्वलतः कठोरां
बाष्पस्य मुद्रां हृदि मुद्रितस्य ॥१॥
prapadya vṛndāvana-madhyam ekaḥ
krośann asāv utkalikākulātmā |
udghāṭayāmi jvalataḥ kaṭhorāṁ
bāṣpasya mudrāṁ hṛdi mudritasya ||1||
As that one
Who has taken shelter in Vṛndāvana
And is wailing
With a heart overwhelmed by longing (utkalikā),
I will expose the deep marks in my heart
Made by my concealed, burning tears.
Commentary
The author refers to himself as “that one” (asau ekaḥ) to convey a feeling of himself being distant from, and of little significance to, the addressee of his elegy, viz., Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. This form of self-reference is likely stated in the same spirit that the author began his Kārpaṇya-pañjikā-stotram, the composition preceding this Utkalikā-vallari in Stava-mālā, which Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda portrays as follows:
tad-dhāmopāntasthasya dīnasya me vijñaptir īśābhyāṁ tābhyāṁ śrotavyaiva | svasaudhopānte phūtkurutāṁ dīnānāṁ vijñaptim īśvarāḥ śṛṇvantīti prasiddham … |
“An entreaty of mine, a distressed person situated in the vicinity of the dhāma, must be heard by those Īśas [of Vṛndāvana]. It is well known that lords hear an entreaty from distressed persons bawling in the vicinity of their own mansion.”
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda further comments on this first verse of Utkalikā-vallari as follows:
iyam avasthā khalu bhakta-janasya puruṣārtha-dātrī, ‘kathaṁ vinā romaharṣe dravatā cetasā vinā | vinānandāśru-kalayā śudhyed bhaktyā vināśayaḥ ||’ ity ādi-smṛtibhyaḥ |
“This condition [i.e., this state of feeling overwhelmed by longing] is a bestower of a bhakta’s object of life (puruṣārtha), as per Smṛtis [i.e., statements in the Smṛti-śāstras], such as [the following from SB 11.14.23], ‘How can bhakti be recognized without horripilation, without melting of the heart, and without tears of joy? And without bhakti, how can the heart be purified?’”
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda then introduces the following verse as follows:
tatrādau sva-śaraṇaṁ vṛndāvanam arthayati—aye iti |
“In this regard, the author first prays to Vṛndāvana, his shelter: aye … [i.e., he states the second verse].”
अये वृन्दारण्य त्वरितमिह ते सेवनपराः
परामापुः के वा न किल परमानन्दपदवीम् ।
अतो नीचैर्याचे स्वयमधिपयोरीक्षणविधे-
र्वरेण्यां मे चेतस्युपदिश दिशं हा कुरु कृपाम् ॥२॥
aye vṛndāraṇya tvaritam iha te sevana-parāḥ
parām āpuḥ ke vā na kila paramānanda-padavīm |
ato nīcair yāce svayam adhipayor īkṣaṇa-vidher
vareṇyāṁ me cetasy upadiśa diśaṁ hā kuru kṛpām ||2||
Aye! O forest of Vṛndā!
Who here among those engaged service to you
Has not already quickly attained
The highest reach of the highest bliss?
Therefore, I humbly pray:
May you please personally reveal in my heart
The best way to behold my Adhipas
.
Hā!
Please bestow your grace [upon me].
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda states that the particle aye is used in the sense of dejection (viṣāda) and the question as to who has not attained “the highest reach of the highest bliss” (parām …paramānanda-padavīm) is rhetorical: the author seeks to express that he perceives that everyone has (api tu sarve te’vāpur eva) except himself and thus he very humbly prays to Vṛndāvana (ato heto nīcair atinamraḥ sann ahaṁ tvāṁ yāce) so that he too may do so. By, “my Adhipas” (Adhipayor) he refers to his Guardians, Rādhikā and Mādhava (Rādhikā-Mādhavayor).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the following verse as follows:
atha vṛndāraṇyādhiṣṭhātrī vṛndām arthayate—taveti |
“Now, the author entreats Vṛndā, the presiding goddess of Vṛndāvana: tava ….”
तवारण्ये देवि ध्रुवमिह मुरारिर्विहरते
सदा प्रेयस्येति श्रुतिरपि विरौति स्मृतिरपि ।
इति ज्ञात्वा वृन्दे चरणमभिवन्दे तव कृपां
कुरुष्व क्षिप्रं मे फलतु नितरां तर्षविटपी ॥३॥
tavāraṇye devi dhruvam iha murārir viharate
sadā preyasyeti śrutir api virauti smṛtir api |
iti jñātvā vṛnde caraṇam abhivande tava kṛpāṁ
kuruṣva kṣipraṁ me phalatu nitarāṁ tarṣa-viṭapī ||3||
O Devī!
Both the Śruti and the Smṛti proclaim
That Murāri always and everlastingly enjoys
With his beloved here in your forest.
O Vṛndā!
Understanding this,
I respectfully bow to your feet.
Please bestow your grace.
May the tree of my desire
Quickly and fully bear fruit.
Commentary
Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “with his beloved” (preyasyā) means with Śrī Rādhā along with her attendants (Śrī-Rādhayā saparikarayā saha). He cites the following verses to illustrate the proclamations of the Śruti and the Smṛti mentioned in the verse:
rādhayā mādhavo devo mādhavenaiva rādhikā |
vibhrājante janeṣv ā |
(Ṛk-pariśiṣṭa Śruti)
“Mādhava Deva with Rādhā, and Rādhikā specifically with Mādhava, shine in full in the midst of [their] companions.”
gokulāḍhye māthura-maṇḍale vṛndāvana-madhye sahasra-dala-padme ṣoḍaśa-dala-madhye aṣṭa-dala-kesare govindo’pi śyāma-pītāmbaro dvibhujo mayūra-piñcha-śirāḥ veṇu-vetra-hasto nirguṇaḥ saguṇo nirākāraḥ sākāro nirīhaḥ sa ceṣṭate virājata iti | pārśve rādhikā ceti | tasyā aṁśo lakṣmī-durgā-vijayādi-śaktir iti |
(Rādhopaniṣad)
“In abundant Gokula—in the whorl of the eight petals amid the sixteen petals inside the one thousand petalled lotus in the midst of Vṛndāvana in the district of Mathurā—Govinda too, he possessed of swarthy complexion and yellow garb, two arms, a peacock feather crest, and a flute and stick in hand; [he] possessed of qualities (guṇas) and without qualities; [he] possessed of form and without form, [he who is] active and without action, shines, and at his side is Rādhikā. Her part (aṁśa) [i.e., subordinate manifestation] is the potency (śakti) known as Lakṣmī, Durgā, Vijayā, and so forth.”
atra yā gopa-kanyāś ca nivasanti mamālaye |
yoginyas tā mayā nityaṁ mama sevā-parāyaṇāḥ ||
(Brhad-gautamiya Tantra)
“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] ‘Also, the daughters of the cowherds [i.e., the gopīs] who live here in my abode with me eternally are yoginīs, and [they] are devoted to my service.’
dvibhujaḥ sarvadā so’sti na kadācic caturbhujaḥ |
gopyaikayā yutas tatra parikrīḍati nityadā ||
(Yamala Tantra)
“He [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] is always of two arms, and never of four arms [in Vrṇdāvana]. United with the foremost gopī, he sports there eternally.”
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda clarifies that the phrase “with the foremost gopī” in this final citation means with Rādhā, the foremost of all [the gopīs] (ekayā sarva-mukhyayā Rādhayety arthaḥ). He also states that the final statement in the principal verse under discussion, “ May the tree of my desire quickly and fully bear fruit” (kṣipraṁ me phalatu nitarāṁ tarṣa-viṭapī) means may it bear the fruit of attainment of Śrī Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa (Śrī-Rādhikā-Kṛṣṇāvāpti-phalavān bhavatu).
He introduces the following verse as follows:
evaṁ vanādhipāṁ vṛndāṁ prasādya prakṛtau tad-anumatiṁ prārthayate—hṛdīti |
“In this way having propitiated Vṛndā, the queen of the forest, the author first prays for her permission: hṛdi ….”
हृदि चिरवसदाशामण्डलालम्बपादौ
गुणवति तव नाथौ नाथितुं जन्तुरेषः ।
सपदि भवदनुज्ञां याचते देवि वृन्दे
मयि किर करुणार्द्रां दृष्टिमत्र प्रसीद ॥४॥
hṛdi cira-vasad-āśā-maṇḍalālamba-pādau
guṇavati tava nāthau nāthituṁ jantur eṣaḥ |
sapadi bhavad-anujñāṁ yācate devi vṛnde
mayi kira karuṇārdrāṁ dṛṣṭim atra prasīda ||4||
O virtuous one!
This person begs for your prompt permission
To appeal to your Nāthas
Whose feet are the object
Of a host of long-standing desires within his heart.
O Devī!
O Vṛndā!
Please cast a glance tender with compassion upon me
And be gracious here.
Commentary
“Your Nāthas” (tava Nāthau) refers to your Protectress and Protector, Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “O virtuous one! ” (guṇavati) means “O you who are abounding the quality of compassion!” (kāruṇya-guṇa-śālini). “Here” (atra) means “upon he who is making this prayer” (prārthake). Why does he pray for the grace Vṛndā Devī in this way? Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda answers that the author’s reasoning is this: “Without your [i.e., Vṛndā Devī’s] grace, the grace of the Pair [i.e., Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa] who are submissive to you is difficult to attain (tvat-prasādena vinā tvad-vaśayos tayoḥ prasādo durlabha ity arthaḥ). And why are the feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa “the object of a host of long-standing desires within his heart” (hṛdi cira-vasad-āśā-maṇḍalālamba-pādau)? Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda answers that the author’s reasoning is this: “My desires will bear fruit [only] with their feet” (yac caraṇebhyo mamāśāḥ phaliṣyantīti bhāvaḥ).
दधतं वपुरंशुकन्दलीं
दलदिन्दीवरवृन्दबन्धुराम् ।
कृतकाञ्चनकान्तिवञ्चनैः
स्फुरितां चारुमरीचिसञ्चयैः ॥५॥
dadhataṁ vapur aṁśu-kandalī
dalad-indīvara-vṛnda-bandhurām |
kṛta-kāñcana-kānti-vañcanaiḥ
sphuritāṁ cāru-marīci-sañcayaiḥ ||5||
[You, Kṛṣṇa,]
Bearing a radiant figure
More beautiful than blooming blue lilies,
[And you, Rādhā,]
Shining with charming radiance
That beguiles the luster of gold …
Commentary
Starting in this verse, the author presents a series of parallel sets of descriptive compounds and phrases, one set in the masculine and one in the feminine, in a continuous flow that continues up through verse fourteen, and then in verse fifteen where the sentence ends, the author finally indicates specifically that the masculine set refer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, viz., “the Son of the ballavas’s king,” and the feminine set to Śrī Rādhā, viz., “the Daughter of the foremost of Gokula.” Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains this construction in his commentary. The author perhaps presents his initial prayer to the Couple in this Utkalikā-vallari preceded by this long series of descriptive qualifiers of them to convey both the intensity of his adoration for their marvelous features, attributes, and activities, and the intensity of his desire to serve them. Because the distinction between the parallel sets is immediately apparent to Sanskrit readers on account of the gendered grammatical compositional forms in the Sanskrit words but is lost in translation to English, bracketed indicators of whom the words and compounds refer to have been included in the translations.
निचितं घनचञ्चलातते-
रनुकूलेन दुकूलरोचिषा ।
मृगनाभिरुचः सनाभिना
महितां मोहनपट्टवाससा ॥६॥
nicitaṁ ghana-cañcalā-tater
anukūlena dukūla-rociṣā |
mṛganābhi-rucaḥ sanābhinā
mahitāṁ mohana-paṭṭa-vāsasā ||6||
[You, Kṛṣṇa,]
Covered with the luster of fine cloth
Resembling a dense mass of lightning bolts,
[And you, Rādhā,]
Adorned with enchanting silken cloth
Reminiscent of the hue of musk …
माधुरीं प्रकटयन्तमुज्ज्वलां
श्रीपतेरपि वरिष्ठसौष्ठवाम् ।
इन्दिरामधुरगोष्ठसुन्दरी-
वृन्दविस्मयकरप्रभोन्नताम् ॥७॥
mādhurīṁ prakaṭayantam ujjvalāṁ
śrīpater api variṣṭha-sauṣṭhavām |
indirā-madhura-goṣṭha-sundarī-
vṛnda-vismayakara-prabhonnatām ||7||
[You, Kṛṣṇa,]
Manifesting brilliant sweetness
Superior in excellence even to Śrīpati [i.e., Nārāyaṇa],
[And you, Rādhā,]
Exalted with splendor that amazes the beauties of Vraja,
Who are possessed of sweetness more so than [even] Indirā [i.e., Lakṣmī] …
इतरजनसुदुर्घटोदयस्य
स्थिरगुणरत्नचयस्य रोहणाद्रिम् ।
अखिलगुणवतीकदम्बचेतः-
प्रचुरचमत्कृतिकारिसद्गुणाढ्याम् ॥८॥
itara-jana-sudurghaṭodayasya
sthira-guṇa-ratna-cayasya rohaṇādrim |
akhila-guṇavatī-kadamba-cetaḥ-
pracura-camatkṛti-kāri-sadguṇāḍhyām ||8||
[You, Kṛṣṇa,]
An ascending mountain
[Made] Of the jewels of everlasting qualities
That are completely unattainable
In other persons,
[And you, Rādhā,]
Adorned with excellent qualities
That are greatly astonishing
To the hearts of all virtuous ladies …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda offers the examples of omniscience, good-heartedness, and compassion as examples of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s jewel-like qualities (sārvajña-sauhārda-kāruṇyādi …) and explains that “other persons” (itara-jana) refers to persons other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s associates, such as Indra (itareṣu pārṣada-bhinneṣu janeṣv indrādiṣu). He also offers examples of Śrī Rādhā’s excellent qualities—affection, beauty, and good-heartedness (sneha-saundarya-sauhārdādibhir)—and says that it is other ladies also possessed of these same qualities (sneha-saundaryādy-ācita-strī-vṛndānāṁ) [to a lesser extent] that are greatly astonished by Śrī Rādhā’s qualities. It thus goes without saying that those who lack these qualities will undoubtedly be highly astonished by their superlative expression in Śrī Rādhā.
निस्तुलव्रजकिशोरमण्डली-
मौलिमण्डनहरिन्मणीश्वरम् ।
विश्वविस्फुरितगोकुलोल्लस-
न्नव्ययौवतवतंसमालिकाम् ॥९॥
nistula-vraja-kiśora-maṇḍalī-
mauli-maṇḍana-harinmaṇīśvaram |
viśva-visphurita-gokulollasan-
navya-yauvata-vataṁsa-mālikām ||9||
[You, Kṛṣṇa,]
The princely emerald adorning the crown
Of the incomparable youths of Vraja,
[And You, Rādhā,]
The crest-garland
Of the shining young girls of Gokula
Manifest in this world …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
atha mitho mānasikān guṇān darśayan viśinaṣṭi—svānteti |
“Now, the author shows and distinguishes their reciprocal mental qualities: svānta ….”
स्वान्तसिन्धुमकरीकृतराधं
हृन्निशाकरकुरङ्गितकृष्णाम् ।
प्रेयसीपरिमलोन्मदचित्तं
प्रेष्ठसौरभहृतेन्द्रियवर्गाम् ॥१०॥
svānta-sindhu-makarī-kṛta-rādhaṁ
hṛn-niśākara-kuraṅgita-kṛṣṇām |
preyasī-parimalonmada-cittaṁ
preṣṭha-saurabha-hṛtendriya-vargām ||10||
You [Kṛṣṇa] who have made Rādhā
A makarī in the ocean of your heart,
And you [Rādhā] who have made Kṛṣṇa
The deer in the moon of your heart;
You [Kṛṣṇa] whose heart is maddened
By the fragrance of your beloved,
And you [Rādhā] whose senses are captivated
By the fragrance of your lover …
प्रेममूर्तिवरकार्त्तिकदेवी-
कीर्तिगानमुखरीकृतवंशम् ।
विश्वनन्दनमुकुन्दसमज्ञा-
वृन्दकीर्तनरसज्ञरसज्ञाम् ॥११॥
prema-mūrti-vara-kārttika-devī-
kīrti-gāna-mukharīkṛta-vaṁśam |
viśva-nandana-mukunda-samajñā-
vṛnda-kīrtana-rasajña-rasajñām ||11||
You [Kṛṣṇa] who with your flute
Sing the glory of Kārtika Devī,
The best among all embodiments of prema,
And you [Rādhā] whose tongue (rasajñā)
Knows the rasa
of chanting
The glories of Mukunda,
The joy of the world …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that “Kārtika Devī” [ lit., the Daughter of Kīrtidā] refers to Śrī Rādhā, and that she is the best among all embodiments of prema, that is, among all the other gopīs beginning with Lalitā (prema-mūrtiṣu Lalitādyāsu varā śreṣṭhā yā Kārtika-devī Śrī-Rādhā).
नयनकमलमाधुरीनिरुद्ध
-
व्रजनवयौवतमौलिहृन्मरालम् ।
व्रजपतिसुतचित्तमीनराज-
ग्रहणपटिष्ठविलोचनान्तजालाम् ॥१२॥
nayana-kamala-mādhurī-niruddha-
vraja-nava-yauvata-mauli-hṛn-marālam |
vrajapati-suta-citta-mīna-rāja-
grahaṇa-paṭiṣṭha-vilocanānta-jālām ||12||
You [Kṛṣṇa] who have captured the heart swan
Of the foremost of Vraja’s young girls [i.e., Rādhā]
With the sweetness of your lotus eyes,
And you [Rādhā] who are expert at catching
The kingfish of the heart of Vraja’s Prince
With the net of your sidelong glance …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments, “Here, the abundance of their attachment to the beauty of one another’s eyes is suggested” (atra mitho netra-saundaryāsakti-nirbharo vyaṅgyaḥ).
गोपेन्द्रमित्रतनयाध्रुवधैर्यसिन्धु-
पानक्रियाकलससम्भववेणुनादम् ।
विद्यामहिष्ठमहतीमहनीयगान-
संमोहिताखिलविमोहनहृत्कुरङ्गाम् ॥१३॥
gopendra-mitra-tanayā-dhruva-dhairya-sindhu-
pāna-kriyā-kalasa-sambhava-veṇu-nādam |
vidyā-mahiṣṭha-mahatī-mahanīya-gāna-
saṁmohitākhila-vimohana-hṛt-kuraṅgām ||13||
You [Kṛṣṇa] the sound of whose flute
Is the Agastya Ṛṣi who drinks up the ocean
Of the steadfast sobriety
Of the Daughter of the friend of the gopas’ king
[i.e., of Rādhā, the Daughter of Vṛṣabhānu,
The friend of Nanda Mahārāja],
And you [Rādhā] who with the greatest of spells—
The illustrious songs of your vīṇā—
Have completely enchanted the deer of the heart
Of he who is the enchanter of all [i.e., Kṛṣṇa] …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments, “Here, their being pleasing to one another by virtue of their pre-eminent skill in music is indicated” (iti sarvordhvayā gāna-vidyayā mitho’nurañjakatā vyajyate).
क्वाप्यानुसङ्गिकतयोदितराधिकाख्या-
विस्मारिताखिलविलासकलाकलापम् ।
कृष्णेतिवर्णयुगलश्रवणानुबन्ध-
प्रादुर्भवज्जडिमडम्बरसंविताङ्गीम् ॥१४॥
kvāpy ānusaṅgikatayodita-rādhikākhyā-
vismāritākhila-vilāsa-kalā-kalāpam |
kṛṣṇeti-varṇa-yugala-śravaṇānubandha-
prādurbhavaj-jaḍima-ḍambara-saṁvitāṅgīm ||14||
You [Kṛṣṇa] who are made to forget
The entirety of the arts of amour
Whenever the name of ‘Rādhikā’
Is [even] incidentally spoken,
And you [Rādhā] whose figure becomes covered
With an appearance of a mass of stupor
As a result of hearing the pair of syllables, ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa,’ …
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments, “Here, their both being captivated by the sweetness of their [respective] names is indicated” (iti nāma-mādhuryeṇa mitho vaśyatā vyajyate).
त्वां च बल्लवपुरन्दरात्मज
त्वां च गोकुलवरेण्यनन्दिनि ।
एष मूर्ध्नि रचिताञ्जलिर्नय-
न्भिक्षते किमपि दुर्भगो जनः ॥१५॥
tvāṁ ca ballava-purandarātmaja
tvāṁ ca gokula-vareṇya-nandini |
eṣa mūrdhni racitāñjalir nayan
bhikṣate kim api durbhago janaḥ ||15||
This unfortunate person,
Having offered obeisance
And formed an añjali atop his head,
Begs both of you,
O Son of the ballava’s king,
And you,
O Daughter of the foremost of Gokula,
For something.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that “the ballava’s king” refers to the king of the cowherds, Śrī Nanda, and “the foremost of Gokula” refers to Śrī Vṛṣabhānu (ballava-purandaro gopa-rājaḥ Śrī-Nandaḥ, gokula-vareṇyaḥ Śrī-Vṛṣabhānuḥ). He also states that Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhā then ask the author, “What do you beg for?” and thus he replies hanta … [i.e.., he speaks the next verse] (kiṁ bhikṣase tatrāha—hanteti).
हन्त सान्द्रकरुणासुधाझरी
-
पूर्णमानसह्रदौ प्रसीदतम् ।
दुर्जनेऽत्र दिशतं रतेर्निज
-
प्रेक्षणप्रतिभुवश्छटामपि ॥१६॥
hanta sāndra-karuṇā-sudhā-jharī
pūrṇa-mānasa-hradau prasīdatam |
durjane’tra diśataṁ rater nija-
prekṣaṇa-pratibhuvaś chaṭām api ||16||
Hanta!
O you two the lakes of whose hearts
Are filled with a nectar-stream
Of intense compassion!
Be gracious to this wicked person.
Please bestow [upon him] even the luster of rati [for you],
The guarantee of beholding yourselves.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that hanta is in the sense of delight (harṣa).
The author’s prayer for “even the luster of rati” (rater … chaṭām api) is likely an indicator of his feeling of humility: he feels too unworthy to pray for rati itself, and thus he prays just for the luster of rati. The verb diśatam can also mean “please show” in addition to “please bestow” as Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda has glossed it, in which case the sense would be that the author prays just to be shown a faint degree of rati’s influence, that is, to constantly experience even slightly the sweetness (mādhurya) of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and a prayer specifically for experience of their sweetness is precisely what the author states in the following verse. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains,
rati-kāryam āha—śyāmayor iti |
“The author [next] describes the effect of [the] rati [he just prayed for]: śyāmayor … [i.e., he states the next verse].”
श्यामयोर्नववयःसुषमाभ्यां
गौरयोरमलकान्तियशोभ्याम् ।
कापि वामखिलवल्गुवतंसौ
माधुरी हृदि सदा स्फुरतान्मे ॥१७॥
śyāmayor nava-vayaḥ-suṣamābhyāṁ
gaurayor amala-kānti-yaśobhyām |
kāpi vām akhila-valgu-vataṁsau
mādhurī hṛdi sadā sphuratān me ||17||
O you two who are the charming crest-ornaments upon all!
Please always manifest in my heart
The extraordinary sweetness of you both,
You two who are “śyāma”
By virtue of your fresh youth and exquisite beauty,
And who are “gaura”
By virtue of your taintless radiance and fame.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that Śrī Rādhā is regarded as being “śyāma” [even though she does not have a swarthy (śyāma) complexion] because of the fresh youth of her sixteenth year [i.e., because of her being fifteen years old], whereas Śrī Kṛṣṇa is regarded as śyāma [i.e., swarthy in complexion] because of his resemblance of an emerald (nava-vayasā śyāmā ṣoḍaśa-vārṣikī Rādhā, nava-suṣamayā śyāmo marakata-maṇi-prakhyaḥ Kṛṣṇa ity arthaḥ). The feminine form of the word śyāma, i.e., śyāmā, which is grammatically implied in the dual case compound śyāmayoḥ (śyāmā ca śyāmaś ceti pumān-striyā ity eka-śeṣaḥ), refers to a particular class of nāyikā defined in the following verse, and not simply to a nāyikā possessed of a swarthy complexion:
padma-gandhi vapur yasyāḥ stanau yasyā sadonnatau |
grīṣma-kāle śiśiratā śīta-kāle yad uṣṇatā ||
akāle vañjulo yasyāḥ pādāghātena puṣpati |
mukhāsavaiś ca bakulaḥ sā śyāmā parikīrtitā ||
“She whose body is of lotus scent, whose breasts are always raised, who is cooling in the summer time and warming in the winter time, and by the strike of whose foot and the nectars of whose mouth the Aśoka tree and Bakula tree blossom out of season, is known as a śyāmā [-nāyikā].”
Thus, in the dual compound śyāmayoḥ, Śrī Rādhā is alluded to because she is possessed the characteristics of a śyāmā-nāyikā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is alluded to because he possesses a swarthy (śyāma) complexion.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇa further comments that Rādhā is regarded as gaurī, as implied in the dual compound gaurayoḥ (gaurī ca gauraś ca tayoḥ), because of her taintless luster that resembles gold, and Kṛṣṇa is regarded as gaura, meaning bright or radiant [even though he does not have a fair complexion], because of his taintless fame (amala-kāntyā gaurī kanaka-prakhyā Rādhā, amala-yaśasā gauraḥ śubhraḥ Kṛṣṇaḥ).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse by explaining that after hearing and granting the prayer made in the present verse, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhā then ask the author, who is then immersed in their sweetness, “What is to be done [now] by you who have [now] become immersed in our sweetness?” (mādhurī-magnena tvayā kiṁ kāryaṁ). To that, the author says sarva … (tatrāha—sarveti), meaning, he speaks the next verse, wherein he further prays for service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhā, which is the heart’s natural response to the experience of being absorbed in relishing their sweetness.
सर्वबल्लववरेण्यकुमारौ
प्रार्थये बत युवां प्रणिपत्य ।
लीलया वितरतं निजदास्यं
लीलया वितरतं निजदास्यम् ॥१८॥
sarva-ballava-vareṇya-kumārau
prārthaye bata yuvāṁ praṇipatya |
līlayā vitarataṁ nija-dāsyaṁ
līlayā vitarataṁ nija-dāsyam ||18||
O Youths of the foremost of all the ballavas!
Bata!
I offer obeisance and pray to you both:
[O Kṛṣṇa!] Please playfully grant your service.
[O Rādhā!] Please playfully grant your service.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments “O Youths of the foremost of all the ballavas” refers to the Daughter and Son of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu and Śrī Nanda Rāja respectively, who are the foremost of all the cowherds (sarveṣāṁ ballavānāṁ gopānāṁ vareṇyau varaṇīyau Śrī-Vṛṣabhānu-Nandarājau tayoḥ Kumārī ca Kumāraś ca).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda further comments in this verse the author’s response to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s question, “What is to be done [now] by you who have [now] become immersed in our sweetness?” is that “Only the service of you both is to be done by me” (mayā yuvayor dāsyam eva kāryam).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
atha prasannābhyāṁ sakāśāt kramāt tayoḥ karuṇāṁ yācate—praṇipatyeti dvābhyām |
“Now, the author begs for compassion from the Couple, who have become pleased with him, sequentially [i.e., first from one of them and then from the other] with the two [ensuing verses beginning]: praṇipatya ….”
प्रणिपत्य भवन्तमर्थये
पशुपालेन्द्रकुमार काकुभिः ।
व्रजयौवतमौलिमालिका-
करुणापात्रमिमं जनं कुरु ॥१९॥
praṇipatya bhavantam arthaye
paśupālendra-kumāra kākubhiḥ |
vraja-yauvata-mauli-mālikā-
karuṇā-pātram imaṁ janaṁ kuru ||19||
O Youth of the king of the cowherds!
I offer obeisance and appeal to you
With faltering cries:
Please make this person
A recipient of the compassion
Of she who is the Crown-garland
Of the young ladies of Vraja!
भवतीमभिवाद्य चाटुभि-
र्वरमूर्जेश्वरि वर्यमर्थये ।
भवदीयतया कृपां यथा
मयि कुर्यादधिकां बकान्तकः ॥२०॥
bhavatīm abhivādya cāṭubhir
varam ūrjeśvari varyam arthaye |
bhavadīyatayā kṛpāṁ yathā
mayi kuryād adhikāṁ bakāntakaḥ ||20||
O Ūrjeśvarī!
I offer a salute [to you],
And with endearing words,
Appeal to you for this finest benediction:
May Bakāntaka bestow greater grace upon me
On account of [my] being your own.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that Ūrjeśvarī is a name of Śrī Rādhā derived from her being the presiding goddess of the month of Kārtika (Ūrjeśvari Kārtikādhiṣṭhātri Rādhe) and that “being your own” (bhavadīyatā) refers to the mentality (bhāva) of belonging to you, that is, to Śrī Rādhā (bhavadīyatayā tvadīya-bhāvena). Bakāntaka is a name of Śrī Krṣṇa derived from his being the Killer of Bakāsura.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
atha tat-pārṣada-vargābhyāṁ sakāśād dayāṁ yācate—diśīti |
“Now, the author begs for grace from the companions of the Couple: diśi ….”
दिशि विदिशि विहारमाचरन्तः
सह पशुपालवरेण्यनन्दनाभ्याम् ।
प्रणयिजनगणास्तयोः कुरुध्वं
मयि करुणां बत काकुमाकलय्य ॥२१॥
diśi vidiśi vihāram ācarantaḥ
saha paśupāla-vareṇya-nandanābhyām |
praṇayi-jana-gaṇās tayoḥ kurudhvaṁ
mayi karuṇāṁ bata kākum ākalayya ||21||
O loving companions
Who engage in play in all directions
With the Darlings of the foremost of the cowherds!
Bata!
Please hear my cry
And bestow your compassion upon me.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that the “loving companions” (praṇayi-jana-gaṇāḥ) of the Couple alluded to here are Rādhā’s sakhīs and Kṛṣṇa’s sakhās (Rādhāyāḥ sakhyaḥ Kṛṣṇasya sakhāyaś cety arthaḥ). “The Darlings of the foremost of the cowherds” (Paśupāla-vareṇya-nandanābhyām) refers to Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Darlings of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu and Śrī Nanda.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
sāmānyato’bhyarthanām agrāhaṁ tad-vargāv abhyarthayate—girīti tribhiḥ |
“Now, after making an entreaty [for grace] generally, the author entreats [members of] those two groups [specifically] with the three [ensuing verses beginning]: giri ….”
गिरिकुञ्जकुटीरनागरौ
ललिते देवि सदा तवाश्रवौ ।
इति ते किल नास्ति दुष्करं
कृपयाङ्गीकुरु मामतः स्वयम् ॥२२॥
giri-kuñja-kuṭīra-nāgarau
lalite devi sadā tavāśravau |
iti te kila nāsti duṣkaraṁ
kṛpayāṅgīkuru mām ataḥ svayam ||22||
O Lalitā!
O Devī!
The Adepts in the mountain arbor cottages
Are always obedient to you.
Therefore, there is nothing difficult for you.
So, please, of your own accord,
Graciously accept me.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “Adepts” (Nāgarau) refers to Śrī Rādhikā and Mādhava, who are artful in play (Nāgarau krīḍā-vidagdhau Śrī-Rādhikā-Mādhavau) and “of your own accord” (svavyam) means independently (svātantryeṇa).
भाजनं वरमिहासि विशाखे
गौरनीलवपुषोः प्रणयानाम् ।
त्वं निजप्रणयिनोर्मयि तेन
प्रापयस्व करुणार्द्रकटाक्षम् ॥२३॥
bhājanaṁ varam ihāsi viśākhe
gaura-nīla-vapuṣoḥ praṇayānām |
tvaṁ nija-praṇayinor mayi tena
prāpayasva karuṇārdra-kaṭākṣam ||23||
O Viśākhā!
Here you are the greatest recipient
Of the affections
Of they of fair and swarthy figures.
Therefore, please occasion for me
A side-long glance
Tender with compassion
From your Loving Couple.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “here” (ihā) refers to Gokula and “of they of fair and swarthy figures” (gaura-nīla-vapuṣoḥ) refers to Rādhikā and Mādhava (Rādhikā-Mādhavayoḥ).
सुबल बल्लववर्यकुमारयो-
र्दयितसखस्त्वमसि व्रजे ।
इति तयोः पुरतो विधुरं जनं
क्षणममुं कृपयाद्य निवेदय ॥२४॥
subala ballava-varya-kumārayor
dayita-sakhas tvam asi vraje |
iti tayoḥ purato vidhuraṁ janaṁ
kṣaṇam amuṁ kṛpayādya nivedaya ||24||
O Subala!
In Vraja you are the beloved friend
Of the Youths of the best of the ballavas.
Therefore, for a moment today
Please graciously present
This sorrowful person before them.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
atha tayoḥ kiṅkarīr uddiśyāha—śṛṇuteti |
“Now, the author speaks to the Couple’s maidservants (kiṅkarīs): śṛṇuta ….”
शृणुत कृपया हन्त प्राणेशयोः प्रणयोद्धुराः
किमपि यदयं दीनः प्राणी निवेदयति क्षणम् ।
प्रवणितमनाः किं युष्माभिः समं तिलमप्यसौ
युगपदनयोः सेवां प्रेम्णा कदापि विधास्यति ॥२५॥
śṛṇuta kṛpayā hanta prāṇeśayoḥ praṇayoddhurāḥ
kim api yad ayaṁ dīnaḥ prāṇī nivedayati kṣaṇam |
pravaṇita-manāḥ kiṁ yuṣmābhiḥ samaṁ tilam apy asau
yugapad anayoḥ sevāṁ premṇā kadāpi vidhāsyati ||25||
Hanta!
Please graciously listen,
O you all of unbridled affection for the Īśas of your hearts,
As this poor living being
Submits something [to you all] for [just] a moment!
Will he of bowed mind
Ever render service with prema unto the Couple
Simultaneously together with you all
For even an instant?
Commentary
Hanta is in the sense of lamentation. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “you all of unbridled affection” (praṇayoddhurāḥ) means all of you maidservants who are proud [alt., wild, or, mad] with prema for the Īśas of your hearts (prāṇeśayos tayoḥ … prema-dṛptāḥ kiṅkaryaḥ).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
athātmano dauṣṭyam anusandadhad āha—kveti |
“Now, examining his own [self-perceived] depravity, the author says kva … [i.e., he speaks the next verse].”
क्व जनोऽयमतीवपामरः
क्व दुरापं रतिभाग्भिरप्यदः ।
इयमुल्लयत्यजर्जरा
गुरु
रुत्तर्षधुरा तथापि माम् ॥२६॥
kva jano’yam atīva-pāmaraḥ
kva durāpaṁ ratibhāgbhir apy adaḥ |
iyam ullayaty ajarjarā
gurur
uttarṣa-dhurā tathāpi mām ||26||
Where is this exceedingly wretched person?
[And] Where is that which is difficult to attain
Even for those possessed of rati?
Still, this mighty, unwithering mass
Of intense thirst excites me.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “that which is difficult to attain even for those possessed of rati” (durāpaṁ ratibhāgbhir apy adaḥ) refers to the great fortune of service [to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa] that is difficult to attain even for those in whom bhāva has manifested (jāta-bhāvair api bhaktair durāpam idaṁ sevā-saubhāgyaṁ), and that the author’s intent is to convey the feeling that “a connection with that is [most] difficult to establish for [a person like] me” (durghaṭo’nena me sambandha ity arthaḥ). “Unwithering” (ajarjarā) means fresh (navīnā).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
svasyāyogyatāṁ jñātvāpi punar apy atitṛṣṇayā prārthayati—dhvasteti |
“Even after understanding his own unworthiness, out of intense thirst the author again prays [for experience of the Couple’s sweetness]: dhvasta ….”
ध्वस्तब्रह्ममरालकूजितभरैरूर्जेश्वरीनूपुर
-
क्वानैरूर्जितवैभवस्तव विभो वंशीप्रसूतः कलः ।
लब्धः शस्तसमस्तनादनगरीसाम्राज्यलक्ष्मीं परा-
माराध्यः प्रमदात्कदा श्रवणयोर्द्वन्द्वेन मन्देन मे ॥२७॥
dhvasta-brahma-marāla-kūjita-bharair ūrjeśvarī-nūpura-
kvānair ūrjita-vaibhavas tava vibho vaṁśī-prasūtaḥ kalaḥ |
labdhaḥ śasta-samasta-nāda-nagarī-sāmrājya-lakṣmīṁ parām
ārādhyaḥ pramadāt kadā śravaṇayor dvandvena mandena me ||27||
O Vibhu!
When, out of euphoria,
Will the sweet sound produced by your flute—
Possessed of the superlative dominion of universal sovereignty
Over the city of all excellent sounds,
And fortified with magnificence
By the sounds of Ūrjeśvarī’s ankle-bells,
By which an abundance of the trumpeting
Of Brahmā’s swan is eclipsed—
Become the object of worship
Of my dull pair of ears?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that Vibhu refers to Bhagavān [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] and Ūrjeśvarī refers to Śrī Rādhā. He summarizes the author’s expressed desire here as follows: “When will I hear the sound of your flute in the midst of rāsa [dancing] along with the jingling of Rādhikā’s ankle-bells?” (Rādhikānūpura-jhaṇat-kāraiḥ saha rāse tava veṇu-nādaṁ kadā śroṣyāmīty arthaḥ).
स्तम्भं प्रपञ्चयति यः शिखिपिञ्छमौलि
-
वेणोरपि प्रवलयन्स्वरभङ्गमुच्चैः ।
नादः कदा क्षणमवाप्स्यति ते महत्या
वृन्दावनेश्वरि स मे श्रवणातिथित्वम् ॥२८॥
stambhaṁ prapañcayati yaḥ śikhi-piñcha-mauli-
veṇor api pravalayan svara-bhaṅgam uccaiḥ |
nādaḥ kadā kṣaṇam avāpsyati te mahatyā
vṛndāvaneśvari sa me śravaṇātithitvam ||28||
O Īśvarī of Vṛndāvana!
When will the sound of your vīnā—
Which causes distortion of the notes of the flute
Of he of peacock feather crest
And [then] stupor [thereof]—
Reach the state of being
A guest of my ears but for a moment?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that “Distortion of the notes of the flute of Kṛṣṇa, who becomes bewildered by hearing the sound [of Rādhā’s vīṇā], occurs, and then it becomes stupefied [i.e., the flute stops playing] (yan nāda-śravaṇa-mohitasya Kṛṣṇasya veṇor vaisvaryaṁ labhate, tataḥ stambhate cety arthaḥ).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
athobhayoḥ saṁbhūya gānaṁ śrotum arthayate—kasyeti |
“Now, the author prays to hear the singing of them both combined.”
कस्य सम्भवति हा तदहर्वा
यत्र वां प्रभुवरौ कलगीतिः ।
उन्नमन्मधुरिमोर्मिसमृद्धा
दुष्कृतं श्रवणयोर्विधुनोति ॥२९॥
kasya sambhavati hā tad ahar vā
yatra vāṁ prabhu-varau kala-gītiḥ |
unnaman madhurimormi-samṛddhā
duṣkṛtaṁ śravaṇayor vidhunoti ||29||
Hā!
O Beloved Masters!
For whom does that day come
When the melodious singing of you both,
Swelling with rising waves of sweetness,
Destroys the wrongdoing of the ears?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
athobhayor aṅga-saurabhyānubhavāyābhyarthayate—parimaleti |
“Now, the author prays for experience of the bodily fragrance of them both: parimala ….”
परिमलसरणिर्वां गौरनीलाङ्गराज-
न्मृगमदघुसृणानुग्राहिणी नागरेशौ ।
स्वमहिमपरमाणुप्रावृताशेषगन्धा
किमिह मम भवित्री घ्राणभृङ्गोत्सवाय ॥३०॥
parimala-saraṇir vāṁ gaura-nīlāṅga-rājan-
mṛgamada-ghusṛṇānugrāhiṇī nāgareśau |
sva-mahima-paramāṇu-prāvṛtāśeṣa-gandhā
kim iha mama bhavitrī ghrāṇa-bhṛṅgotsavāya ||30||
O you two Masters among the adept!
Will the stream of your fragrance—
Which is a favorer of the [smells of the] musk and kumkum
Shining on your fair and swarthy figures,
And by [only] an atom of the inherent greatness of which
All [other] scents are eclipsed—
Become the delight of the bee of my nose?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
atisānnidhya-bhāgyam idaṁ mama durghaṭaṁ, dūrād eva vāṁ sākṣātkāro bhavatād ity āha—pradeśinīm iti |
“[The author now reflects,] ‘This fortune of [being in] close proximity [to you two] is impossible for me. [So,] Just from afar, let me have a direct perception of you both.’ Thus, the author says pradeśinīm ….”
प्रदेशिनीं मुखकुहरे विनिक्षिपन्
जनो मुहुर्वनभुवि फुत्करोत्यसौ ।
प्रसीदतं क्षणमधिपौ प्रसीदतं
दृशोः पुरः स्फुरतु तडिद्घनच्छविः ॥३१॥
pradeśinīṁ mukha-kuhare vinikṣipan
jano muhur vana-bhuvi phutkaroty asau |
prasīdataṁ kṣaṇam adhipau prasīdataṁ
dṛśoḥ puraḥ sphuratu taḍid-ghana-cchaviḥ ||31||
Sticking his forefinger into the hollow of his mouth,
This person repeatedly cries out in the forest-land [i.e., Vṛndāvana]:
Be pleased!
For a moment,
O Adhipas!
Be pleased!
May your cloud and lightning lusters
Appear before my eyes!
Commentary
Sticking the forefinger into the hollow of the mouth is a gesture that conveys a spirit of humility.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
pāda-nakharān didṛkṣuḥ prārthayate—vrajeti |
“Desirous of seeing [their] toe-nails, the author prays Vraja ….”
व्रजमधुरजनव्रजावतंसौ
किमपि युवामभियाचते जनोऽयम् ।
मम नयनचमत्कृतिं करोतु
क्षणमपि पादनखेन्दुकौमुदी वाम् ॥३२॥
vraja-madhura-jana-vrajāvataṁsau
kim api yuvām abhiyācate jano’yam |
mama nayana-camatkṛtiṁ karotu
kṣaṇam api pāda-nakhendu-kaumudī vām ||32||
O Diadems of the sweet people of Vraja!
This person begs something of you two:
May the moonlight from the moons of your toenails,
Even but for a moment,
Strike my eyes with wonder.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
akasmān militau tau svāminau didṛkṣuḥ prārthayate—atarkiteti |
“Desirous of seeing the two Svāmīs [i.e., Svāmī Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Svāminī Śrī Rādhā] suddenly united, the author prays atarkita ….”
अतर्कितसमीक्षणोल्लसितया मुदा श्लिष्यतो-
र्निकुञ्जभवनाङ्गने स्फुरितगौरनीलाङ्गयोः ।
रुचः प्रचुरयन्तु वां पुरटयूथिकामञ्जरी-
विराजदलिरम्ययोर्मम चमत्कृतिं चक्षुषोः ॥३३॥
atarkita-samīkṣaṇollasitayā mudā śliṣyator
nikuñja-bhavanāṅgane sphurita-gaura-nīlāṅgayoḥ |
rucaḥ pracurayantu vāṁ puraṭa-yūthikā-mañjarī-
virājad-ali-ramyayor mama camatkṛtiṁ cakṣuṣoḥ ||33||
May the splendors of your two
Glistening fair and swarthy figures—
Embracing with delight
Augmented by unexpectedly beholding [one another]
In the court of an arbor cottage,
And [appearing] lovely like a shining [black] bee
On a golden jasmine bud—
Fill my eyes with wonder.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
svāyogyatām anubhavann anutapati—sākṣād iti |
“Perceiving his own unworthiness, the author laments: sākṣād ….”
साक्षात्कृतिं बत ययोर्न महत्तमोऽपि
कर्तुं मनस्यपि मनाक् प्रभुतामुपैति ।
इच्छन्नयं नयनयोः पथि तौ भवन्तौ
जन्तुर्विजित्य निजगार भियं ह्रियं च ॥३४॥
sākṣātkṛtiṁ bata yayor na mahattamo’pi
kartuṁ manasy api manāk prabhutām upaiti |
icchann ayaṁ nayanayoḥ pathi tau bhavantau
jantur vijitya nijagāra bhiyaṁ hriyaṁ ca ||34||
Bata!
Even one who is most exalted
Does not attain the capability
To directly perceive you two
Even slightly in the mind.
Desiring [to see] you two on the path of his eyes,
This creature has subdued and swallowed [all his] fear and shame.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that the particle bata is in the sense of surprise (vismaye). “One who is most exalted” (mahattamaḥ) refers to an excellent sādhu, one who is accomplished even in all sādhanas (sarva-sādhana-sampanno’pi sādhu-varyo). “You two” (yayoḥ) refers to you two Īśvaras of all, who are constituted of consciousness and bliss (hlādinī-vijñāna-ghanayoḥ sarveśvarayor). “This creature” (ayaṁ jantuḥ) implies, ‘This creature in the form of myself, who is of dull mind, of very wicked inclinations (vāsanās), and possessed only of a body made of prakṛti (prākṛta-karaṇa-kalevaro’tidurvāsano manda-dhīr mal-lakṣaṇo jantuḥ). “Subdued and swallowed [all his] fear and shame” (vijitya nijagāra bhiyaṁ hriyaṁ ca) implies, “I am [now] fearless and unabashed” (nirbhayo nirlajjaś cāham ity arthaḥ).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
īdṛk-prārthane svasyātimūrkhatām uktvāpy atha tatra tan-mādhuryāḥ kāraṇatām āha—athaveti |
“Even after having spoken of his own [self-perceived] exceeding foolishness for [making] such a prayer [as aforementioned], the author now describes the causativeness of their sweetness in this regard: athavā ….”
अथवा मम किं नु दूषणं
बत वृन्दावनचक्रवर्तिनौ ।
युवयोर्गुणमाधुरी नवा
जनमुन्मादयतीव कं न वा ॥३५॥
athavā mama kiṁ nu dūṣaṇaṁ
bata vṛndāvana-cakravartinau |
yuvayor guṇa-mādhurī navā
janam unmādayatīva kaṁ na vā ||35||
Alternately,
What fault do I have at all?
Bata!
O Emperors of Vṛndāvana!
What person does the [ever-] fresh sweetness of your qualities
Not madden?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that bata is in the sense of certainty. “Fresh” (navā) means ever-fresh (nitya-nūtanā), and “the sweetness of [your] qualities” (guṇa-mādhurī) refers to the relishability of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s qualities such as their being Deliverers of the destitute and Purifiers of the fallen (dīnoddhārakatā-patita-pāvanatādīnāṁ guṇānāṁ ruciratā). The purport is this: “The intense desire (lobha) of a poor person [alt., of a starveling, or, a beggar] for a pleasurable object is the cause of the pleasurableness of the object” (ramye vastuni raṅkasya lobho vastu-ramyatva-hetuka iti bhāvaḥ).
अहह समयः सोऽपि क्षेमो घटेत नरस्य किं
व्रजनटवरौ यत्रोद्दीप्ता कृपासुधयोज्ज्वला ।
कृतपरिजनश्रेणिचेतश्चकोरचमत्कृति-
र्व्रजति युवयोः सा वक्त्रेन्दुद्वयी नयनाध्वनि ॥३६॥
ahaha samayaḥ so’pi kṣemo ghaṭeta narasya kiṁ
vraja-naṭavarau yatroddīptā kṛpā-sudhayojjvalā |
kṛta-parijana-śreṇi-cetaś-cakora-camatkṛtir
vrajati yuvayoḥ sā vaktrendu-dvayī nayanādhvani ||36||
Ahaha!
O Lead Dancers of Vraja!
Will ever that fine time come for this person
When the two moons of your faces—
Shining brightly,
Radiant with the nectar of grace,
And astonishing the cakoras
Of the hearts of your companions—
Will move along the path of my eyes?
Commentary
This verse is absent in the Nirṇaya Sāgara Press edition of Stava-mālā and no commentary on it is found in any edition.
Ahaha is likely in the sense of longing and calling.
प्रियजनकृतपार्ष्णिग्राहचर्योन्नताभिः
सुगहनघटनाभिर्वक्रिमाडम्बरेण ।
प्रणयकलहकेलिक्ष्वेलिभिर्वामधीशौ
किमिह रचयितव्यः कर्णयोर्विस्मयो मे ॥३७॥
priya-jana-kṛta-pārṣṇi-grāha-caryonnatābhiḥ
sugahana-ghaṭanābhir vakrimāḍambareṇa |
praṇaya-kalaha-keli-kṣvelibhir vām adhīśau
kim iha racayitavyaḥ karṇayor vismayo me ||37||
O Adhīśas!
Is the amazement of my ears
Ever to be created here
By the gaieties of the play of your loving quarrels,
Filled with impenetrable occurrences
On account of your prevaricating and pride,
And augmented by the acts of side-taking
Performed by your dear companions?
निभृतमपहृतायामेतया वंशिकायां
दिशि दिशि दृशमुत्कां प्रेर्य सम्पृच्छमानः ।
स्मितशबलमुखीभिर्विप्रलब्धः सखीभि-
स्त्वमघहर कदा मे तुष्टिमक्ष्णोर्विधत्से ॥३८॥
nibhṛtam apahṛtāyām etayā vaṁśikāyā
diśi diśi dṛśam utkāṁ prerya sampṛcchamānaḥ |
smita-śabala-mukhībhir vipralabdhaḥ sakhībhis
tvam aghahara kadā me tuṣṭim akṣṇor vidhatse ||38||
O Destroyer of Agha!
Casting your desirous eyes in all directions,
Asking [“Who stole my flute?”],
And being deceived by the sakhīs
[Who indicate someone who actually did not steal it]
With faces decorated with smiles
When your flute is secretly stolen by her [i.e., Rādhā],
When will you cause delight for my eyes?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇa elucidates the author’s intent as follows, “The satisfaction of my eyes is because of this sight of you: the king of the crafty completely deceived by them [i.e., Rādhā’s sakhīs]” (dhūrtarājo’yam ābhiḥ samyag-vañcita iti tvad-darśanān mad-akṣṇoḥ paritoṣaḥ).
क्षतमधरदलस्य स्वस्य कृत्वा त्वदाली
कृतमिति ललितायां देवि कृष्णे ब्रुवाणे ।
स्मितशबलदृगन्ता किञ्चिदुत्तम्भितभ्रू-
र्मम मुदमुपधास्यत्यास्यलक्ष्मीः कदा ते ॥३९॥
kṣatam adhara-dalasya svasya kṛtvā tvad-ālī-
kṛtam iti lalitāyāṁ devi kṛṣṇe bruvāṇe |
smita-śabala-dṛg-antā kiñcid uttambhita-bhrūr
mama mudam upadhāsyaty āsya-lakṣmīḥ kadā te ||39||
O Devī!
When will the beauty of your face,
Decorated with a smile
In the corners of your eyes
And slightly raised brows,
Create delight for me
As Kṛṣṇa tells Lalitā,
“Your friend has done it,”
After he has bitten the petal of his own lip?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇa comments that the quality in Kṛṣṇa of being an excellent jester is alluded to by Śrī Rādhikā’s face being described as “that the corners of the eyes of which are decorated with a smile,” and Śrī Rādhikā’s annoyance at Kṛṣṇa when he speaks falsely is alluded to by her face being described as having “slightly raised brows” (smitena śabalaś citro dṛganto yasyāḥ seti kṛṣṇe mahāvidūṣakatvaṁ kiñcid uttambhita-bhrūr iti mṛṣā-bhāṣiṇi tasmin kopaś ca vyajyate).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
dainyam ālambya punar āha—katham iti |
“Taking recourse to humility, the author again speaks: katham ….”
कथमिदमपि वाञ्छितुं निकृष्टः
स्फुटमयमर्हति जन्तुरुत्तमार्हम् ।
गुरुलघुगणनोज्झितार्तनाथौ
जयतितरामथवा कृपाद्युतिर्वाम् ॥४०॥
katham idam api vāñchituṁ nikṛṣṭaḥ
sphuṭam ayam arhati jantur uttamārham |
guru-laghu-gaṇanojjhitārta-nāthau
jayatitarām athavā kṛpā-dyutir vām ||40||
How could this low creature
Be fit to desire
Even this which is evidently fit [only] for the exalted?
O you two Guardians of the distressed!
The splendor of your grace,
Free from consideration of great and small,
Alternately,
Is tremendously overpowering!
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇa comments that “this” (ayam) refers to the fortune of such service (īdṛśaṁ sevā-bhāgyam), that is, the fortune of intimately serving Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa as a mañjarī. “The exalted” (uttama) refers to the highest class of bhaktas (parama-bhāgavatānāṁ). “Great and small” (guru-laghu) refers to those who are high and low (utkṛṣṭāpakṛṣṭa), that is, those who are qualified and unqualified for such intimate service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The purport is this: “Although he is low [i.e., unfit], still he is impelled to act in this way [i.e., to desire such intimate service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa even though he is unqualified for it] by your grace [i.e., it is your grace that inspires this desire in his heart and inspires him to disregard even his unworthiness of that service as he so desires it]” (yadyapy ayam adhamas tathāpi tava kṛpayaivaivaṁ pravartyata ity arthaḥ).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
tat-kṛpā-phalaṁ prārthayati—vṛtte iti |
“The author prays for the result of that grace [i.e., the chance to behold and participate in Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s līlās]: vṛtte ….”
वृत्ते दैवाद्व्रजपतिसुहृन्नन्दिनीविप्रलम्भे
संरम्भेणोल्ललितललिताशङ्कयोद्भ्रान्तनेत्रः ।
त्वं शारीभिः समयपटुभिर्द्राग् उपालभ्यमानः
कामं दामोदर मम कदा मोदमक्ष्णोर्विधाता ॥४१॥
vṛtte daivād vraja-pati-suhṛn-nandinī-vipralambhe
saṁrambheṇollalita-lalitā-śaṅkayodbhrānta-netraḥ |
tvaṁ śārībhiḥ samaya-paṭubhir drāg upālabhyamānaḥ
kāmaṁ dāmodara mama kadā modam akṣṇor vidhātā ||41||
O Dāmodara!
When will you eagerly become
The creator of delight for my eyes
When separation from the Daughter of the king of Vraja’s friend
Has occurred as a result of destiny,
Your eyes are flickering out of apprehension of Lalitā,
Who is blazing with anger,
And you are being immediately rebuked
By mynahs adept in timeliness?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “The Daughter of the king of Vraja’s friend” refers to Śrī Rādhikā, the Daughter of Nanda Mahārāja’s friend Vṛṣabhānu (Vraja-pati-suhṛn-nandinyāḥ Śrī-Rādhikāyā). “As a result of destiny” (daivāt) conveys the following, “Kṛṣṇa’s friend named Ujjvala is Smara, that is, Deva [i.e., Ujjvala on this occasion personifies the function of Kāmadeva in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, and he is thus described as Deva here, meaning, Kāmadeva]. This act of his [i.e., Ujjvala acting in the capacity of Kāmadeva] is [referred to here as] daiva [meaning, destiny in general, and in this case specifically, ‘that which is caused by Deva’]. As a result of that, that is, because of his will, is the meaning [i.e. ‘as a result of destiny’ (daivāt) means because of the will of Kṛṣṇa’s friend Ujjvala, since his will and subsequent actions in the course of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s līlā on this occasion led to them becoming separated, since it is to be inferred that on this occasion he supported another gopī’s appeal for Kṛṣṇa’s company and thus was instrumental in Kṛṣṇa neglecting Rādhā and spending the night with another gopī]. His will operates in this way only for the sake of expanding the līlā [i.e., of enriching the līlā of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa]” (ujjvalākhyaḥ kṛṣṇa-sakhaḥ smaro devas tasyedaṁ karma daivaṁ tasmāt; tad-icchāta ity arthaḥ; līlā-vistārārthā khalu tad-icchaivaṁ pravartate). The mynahs immediately rebuke Kṛṣṇa when he arrives in the early morning at the kuñja where he has left Śrī Rādhikā waiting for him all night and furthermore is decorated with the signs of having enjoyed throughout the night with another gopī because they think as follows: “Although you have a supremely beautiful figure and are a prince, you have no beauty of mind since you cheat this princess, who is of incomparable figure and qualities among [all of] those who are one-pointed upon you, and thus [you] are fit to be chastised” (parama-sundara-rūpasya te rāja-putrasyāpi dhī-saundaryaṁ nāsti yad etām anupama-rūpa-guṇāṁ tvad-ekatānāṁ rāja-putrīṁ vañcayasīti nirbhartysamānaḥ sann ity arthaḥ). By the author’s appeal for the creation of delight [i.e., the author’s appeal to Kṛṣṇa to create delight for his eyes on this occasion], the following is suggested [i.e., the author is intimating to Kṛṣṇa], “I will make all of them who are disagreeable
[i.e., all the gopīs who are angry with you led by Lalitā]
favorable to you by some cleverness and become delighted if you accept me [i.e., the author offers to take up for Kṛṣṇa the task of pacifying Rādhikā, Lalitā, and the other gopīs accompanying Rādhikā if Kṛṣṇa will gracious grant the author the privilege of participating in the unfolding of this līlā] (moda-vidhānābhyarthanayaivaṁ vyajyate rūkṣās tāḥ sarvāḥ kenacic cāturyeṇa tvayy anukūlāṁ vidhāya modiṣye yadi mām aṅgīkaroṣīti).
रासारम्भे विलसति परित्यज्य गोष्ठाम्बुजाक्षी-
वृन्दं वृन्दावनभुवि रहः केशवेनोपनीय ।
त्वां स्वाधीनप्रियतमपदप्रापणेनार्चिताङ्गीं
दूरे दृष्ट्वा हृदि किमचिरादर्पयिष्यामि दर्पम् ॥४२॥
rāsārambhe vilasati parityajya goṣṭhāmbujākṣī-
vṛndaṁ vṛndāvana-bhuvi rahaḥ keśavenopanīya |
tvāṁ svādhīna-priyatama-pada-prāpaṇenārcitāṅgīṁ
dūre dṛṣṭvā hṛdi kim acirād arpayiṣyāmi darpam ||42||
[O Rādhā!]
Will I immediately fill my heart with pride
Upon seeing you
from afar
As your figure is being worshiped by Keśava,
Who has left the group of lotus-eyed girls of Vraja
On the grounds of Vṛndāvana
During the play at the beginning of a rāsa dance,
Brought you into seclusion,
And reached for the feet
Of you who have your dearmost under your control?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that that Keśava’s worship of Rādhā’s figure refers to his decorating her entire figure with flowers (kṛta-sarvāṅga-kusuma-veśām). His having “reached for the feet of you who have your dearmost under your control” refers to him engaging in actions such as preparing ornaments made of flowers and so forth [i.e., his placing such ornaments upon Śrī Rādhā’s feet, massaging her feet, and so on], that is, his following her orders (svādhīnasya priyatamasya yat-padaṁ kusumālaṅkāra-nirmāṇādi-rūpo vyavasāyas tat prāpnotīti tena, tvad-ājñānuvartinety arthaḥ).
रम्या शोणद्युतिभिरलकैर्यावकेनोर्जदेव्याः
सद्यस्तन्द्रीमुकुलदलसक्लान्तनेत्रा व्रजेश ।
प्रातश्चन्द्रावलीपरिजनैः साचिदृष्टा विवर्णै-
रास्यश्रीस्ते प्रणयति कदा संमदं मे मुदं च ॥४३॥
ramyā śoṇa-dyutibhir alakair yāvakenorja-devyāḥ
sadyas tandrī-mukula-dala-sa-klānta-netrā vrajeśa |
prātaś candrāvalī-parijanaiḥ sāci-dṛṣṭā vivarṇair
āsya-śrīs te praṇayati kadā saṁmadaṁ me mudaṁ ca ||43||
O Prince of Vraja!
When will the beauty of your face,
Glanced at crookedly
By the pale companions of Candrāvalī,
Exhibiting temporarily tired eyes
Half closed with drowsiness,
And [appearing] lovely with locks reddish in luster
Because of Ūrjā Devī’s lac,
Give me great pride and joy?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that Ūrjā Devī refers to Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s locks are described as reddish in luster because the lac from her feet became lodged in them after he bowed his head to them to pacify her [for his neglecting her all throughout the previous night and arriving at her kuñja in the morning bearing the markings of having enjoyed with Candrāvalī] (Ūrja-devyāḥ Śrī-Rādhāyā yāvakena pādālaktakena prasādana-praṇati-lagnena śoṇa-dyutibhir alakair). The companions of Candrāvalī glance at Kṛṣṇa’s face crookedly and become pale because their pride in Kṛṣṇa neglecting Rādhā and spending the night with Candrāvalī is now crushed. The author expresses that he feels pride and joy to see this appearance of Kṛṣṇa’s because he is an intimate servant of Śrī Rādhā.
व्यात्युक्षीरभसोत्सवेऽधरसुधापानग्लहे प्रस्तुते
जित्वा पातुमथोत्सुकेन हरिणा कण्ठे धृतायाः पुरः ।
ईषच्छोणिममीलिताक्षमनृजुभ्रूवल्लिहेलोन्नतं
प्रेक्षिष्ये तव सस्मितं सरुदितं तद्देवि वक्त्रं कदा ॥४४॥
vyātyukṣī-rabhasotsave’dhara-sudhā-pāna-glahe prastute
jitvā pātum athotsukena hariṇā kaṇṭhe dhṛtāyāḥ puraḥ |
īṣac-choṇima-mīlitākṣam anṛju-bhrū-valli-helonnataṁ
prekṣiṣye tava sa-smitaṁ sa-ruditaṁ tad devi vaktraṁ kadā ||44||
O Devī!
When will I behold before us your face,
[Simultaneously] Smiling and crying,
Its eyes slightly reddened and closed
And the vines of its curved brows raised out of disdain,
As your neck is grasped by Hari
Eager to drink [the nectar of your lips],
After winning a fierce water-splashing contest
Undertaken with the prize
Of drinking the nectar of the lips [of the loser]?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that in this verse the three bhāvas known as kilakiñcita, kuṭṭamita, and bibboka are described (atra kilakiñcita-kuṭṭamita-bibbokās trayo bhāvā varṇitāḥ). He refers to the following definitions of them:
garva-smitābhilāṣāder bhī-kopādeś ca miśraṇam |
pramodāt preyasaḥ saṅge kathyate kilakiñcitam ||
dayite kuca-saṁsparśa-mukha-cumbādi kurvati |
hṛdy ānando bahiḥ kopaḥ smṛtaṁ kuṭṭamitaṁ budhaiḥ ||
bibbokaḥ kathyate garvād iṣṭe vastuny anādaraḥ ||
“A [nāyikā’s] mixture of pride, smiling, desire, and so forth along with fear, anger, and so forth out of delight in the company of the beloved is call kilakiñcita [i.e., amorous agitation]. Bliss in the heart and [simultaneous] external anger when the beloved touches the [nāyikā’s] breasts, kisses [her] face, and so forth is known by the wise as kuṭṭamita [i.e., affected repulsion]. Disregard for the object of desire [i.e., the beloved] out of pride is called bibboka [i.e., affectation of indifference, or, haughty indifference].”
आलीभिः सममभ्युपेत्य शनकैर्गान्धर्विकायां मुदा
गोष्ठाधीशकुमार हन्त कुसुमश्रेणीं हरन्त्यां तव ।
प्रेक्षिष्ये पुरतः प्रविश्य सहसा गूढस्मितास्यं बला-
दाच्छिन्दानमिहोत्तरीयमुरसस्त्वां भानुमत्याः कदा ॥४५॥
ālībhiḥ samam abhyupetya śanakair gāndhar
vikāyāṁ mudā
goṣṭhādhīśa-kumāra hanta kusuma-śreṇīṁ harantyāṁ tava |
prekṣiṣye purataḥ praviśya sahasā gūḍha-smitāsyaṁ balād
ācchindānam ihottarīyam urasas tvāṁ bhānumatyāḥ kadā ||45||
Hanta!
O Prince of Vraja!
After Gāndharvikā,
Along with her friends,
Has slowly entered [your flower garden]
And is happily picking your flowers,
When will I behold you,
With a concealed smile on your face,
As you suddenly enter here before them
And forcibly snatch away
The upper garment from the bosom of Bhānumati?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that Bhānumati is a companion of Gāndharvikā, that is, Śrī Rādhikā. Hanta is in the sense of longing or lamentation.
उदञ्चति मधूत्सवे सहचरीकुलेनाकुले
कदा
त्वमवलोक्यसे व्रजपुरन्दरस्यात्मज ।
स्मितोज्ज्वलमदीश्वरीचलदृगञ्चलप्रेरणा-
न्निलीनगुणमञ्जरीवदनमत्र चुम्बन्मया ॥४६॥
udañcati madhūtsave sahacarī-kulenākule
kadā
tvam avalokyase vraja-purandarasyātmaja |
smitojjvala-mad-īśvarī-cala-dṛgañcala-preraṇān
nilīna-guṇa-mañjarī-vadanam atra cumban mayā ||46||
O Prince of Vraja!
When will you be seen by me
Appearing here
Surrounded by a group of [Rādhikā’s] sakhīs
In the midst of a festival of spring
Kissing the face of the hiding Guṇa Mañjarī
At the prompting
Of a flickering sidelong glance
From my Īśvarī
Radiant with a smile?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
evaṁ vinoda-darśanaṁ saṁprārthya punaḥ sevāṁ prārthayate—kalindeti |
“After praying for darśana of [Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s] play in this way [i.e., over the course verses 41–46], the author again prays for service [to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa]: Kalinda … [i.e., throughout verses 47–64].”
कलिन्दतनयातटिवनविहारतः श्रान्तयोः
स्फुरन्मधुरमाधवीसदनसीम्नि विश्राम्यतोः ।
विमुच्य रचयिष्यते स्वकचवृन्दमत्रामुना
जनेन युवयोः कदा पदसरोजसम्मार्जनम् ॥४७॥
kalinda-tanayā-taṭi-vana-vihārataḥ śrāntayoḥ
sphuran-madhura-mādhavī-sadana-sīmni viśrāmyatoḥ |
vimucya racayiṣyate sva-kaca-vṛndam atrāmunā
janena yuvayoḥ kadā pada-saroja-sammārjanam ||47||
When will this person untie her own hair
And massage the lotus feet of you two,
Who are tired after sporting
In the forest along the bank of Kalinda’s daughter
And [thus] resting here inside the boundaries
Of a sweet, shining mādhavī cottage?
Commentary
The author’s expression in the passive voice has been phrased in the active voice in this translation for the sake of readability.
परिमिलदुपबर्हं पल्लवश्रेणिभिर्वां
मदनसमरचर्याभारपर्याप्तमत्र ।
मृदुभिरमलपुष्पैः कल्पयिष्यामि तल्पं
भ्रमरयुजि निकुञ्जे हा कदा कुञ्जराजौ ॥४८॥
parimilad upabarhaṁ pallava-śreṇibhir vāṁ
madana-samara-caryā-bhāra-paryāptam atra |
mṛdubhir amala-puṣpaiḥ kalpayiṣyāmi talpaṁ
bhramara-yuji nikuñje hā kadā kuñja-rājau ||48||
Hā!
O King and Queen of the kuñja!
When will I prepare for you two
Here in a nikuñja replete with bees
A pillow filled with flower buds
And a bed [made] with soft, spotless flowers
Sufficient for the brunt
Of enacting a battle of amour?
अलिद्युतिभिराहृतैर्मिहिरनन्दिनीनिर्झरात्
पुरः पुरटझर्झरीपरिभृतैः पयोभिर्मया ।
निजप्रणयिभिर्जनैः सह विधास्यते वां कदा
विलासशयनस्थयोरिह पदाम्बुजक्षालन ॥४९॥
ali-dyutibhir āhṛtair mihira-nandinī-nirjharāt
puraḥ puraṭa-jharjharī-paribhṛtaiḥ payobhir mayā |
nija-praṇayibhir janaiḥ saha vidhāsyate vāṁ kadā
vilāsa-śayana-sthayor iha padāmbuja-kṣālana ||49||
When,
In the company of your loving companions,
Will washing of the lotus feet of you two,
Situated on a play bed,
Be performed by me
with water
Bearing the luster of a black bee
Brought in golden pitchers
From a torrent in the Daughter of the sun?
Commentary
“The Daughter of the sun” refers to the Yamunā, whose waters are known to possess an alluring dark sheen.
लीलातल्पे कलितवपुषोर्व्यावहासीमनल्पां
स्मित्वा स्मित्वा जयकलनया कुर्वतोः कौतुकाय ।
मध्येकुञ्जं किमिह युवयोः कल्पयिष्याम्यधीशौ
सन्ध्यारम्भे लघु लघु पदाम्भोजसंवाहनानि ॥५०॥
līlā-talpe kalita-vapuṣor vyāvahāsīm analpāṁ
smitvā smitvā jaya-kalanayā kurvatoḥ kautukāya |
madhyekuñjaṁ kim iha yuvayoḥ kalpayiṣyāmy adhīśau
sandhyārambhe laghu laghu padāmbhoja-saṁvāhanāni ||50||
O Adhīśas!
Will I [ever] gently gently
Perform massages on the lotus feet of you two
At the beginning of your meeting in a kuñja
As your bodies are accommodated on a play bed,
And, smiling and smiling,
You are engaged in abundant mutual jesting
Out of desire to win [the dice match you are playing]
for fun?
प्रमदमदनयुद्धारम्भसम्भावुकाभ्यां
प्रमुदितहृदयाभ्यां हन्त वृन्दावनेशौ ।
किमहमिह युवाभ्यां पानलीलोन्मुखाभ्यां
चषकमुपहरिष्ये साधु माध्वीकपूर्णम् ॥५१॥
pramada-madana-yuddhārambha-sambhāvukābhyāṁ
pramudita-hṛdayābhyāṁ hanta vṛndāvaneśau |
kim aham iha yuvābhyāṁ pāna-līlonmukhābhyāṁ
caṣakam upahariṣye sādhu mādhvīka-pūrṇam ||51||
O Īśas of Vṛndāvana!
Hanta!
Will I [ever] offer you two a goblet
Filled with fine mādhvīka
As the two of you,
Who are highly adept
In undertaking impassioned battles of amour
And of completely delighted hearts,
Are eager for a līlā of drinking?
Commentary
Mādhvīka is an alcoholic drink produced from the nectar-rich flowers of the mahua tree.
कदाहं सेविष्ये व्रततिचमरीचामरमरु-
द्विनोदेन क्रीडाकुसुमशयने न्यस्तवपुषौ ।
दरोन्मीलन्नेत्रौ श्रमजलकणक्लिद्यदलकौ
ब्रुवाणावन्योन्यं व्रजनवयुवानाविह युवाम् ॥५२॥
kadāhaṁ seviṣye vratati-camarī-cāmara-marud-
vinodena krīḍā-kusuma-śayane nyasta-vapuṣau |
daronmīlan-netrau śrama-jala-kaṇa-klidyad-alakau
bruvāṇāv anyonyaṁ vraja-nava-yuvānāv iha yuvām ||52||
O Fresh Youths of Vraja!
When will I serve you two
By fanning [you two] with a cāmara
[Made] Of vine blossom clusters
As your figures lie on a flower play bed
And you converse with one another,
Your eyes slightly open,
And your locks moist
With beads of perspiration?
Commentary
Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda has portrayed the conversation alluded to here in a poem of his own composition entitled Surata-kathāmṛta.
च्युतशिखरशिखण्डं किञ्चिदुत्स्रंसमानां
विलुठदमलपुष्पश्रेणिमुन्मुच्य चूडाम् ।
दनुजदमन देव्याः शिक्षया ते कदाहं
कमलकलितकोटिं कल्पयिष्यामि वेणीम् ॥५३॥
cyuta-śikhara-śikhaṇḍaṁ kiñcid-utsraṁsamānāṁ
viluṭhad-amala-puṣpa-śreṇim unmucya cūḍām |
danuja-damana devyāḥ śikṣayā te kadāhaṁ
kamala-kalita-koṭiṁ kalpayiṣyāmi veṇīm ||53||
O Subduer of the Danujas!
When will I,
By Devī’s instruction,
Unloosen your top-knot—
From the peak of which your peacock feather has fallen,
And which has become somewhat loose
And [thus] has its spotless flowers hanging down—
And tie a braid for you
Furnished with a lotus on top?
कमलमुखि विलासैरंसयोः स्रंसितानां
तुलितशिखिकलापं कुन्तलानां कलापम् ।
तव कवरतयाविर्भाव्य मोदात्कदाहं
विकचविचकिलानां मालयालङ्करिष्ये ॥५४॥
kamala-mukhi vilāsair aṁsayoḥ sraṁsitānāṁ
tulita-śikhi-kalāpaṁ kuntalānāṁ kalāpam |
tava kavaratayāvirbhāvya modāt kadāhaṁ
vikaca-vicakilānāṁ mālayālaṅkariṣye ||54||
O you of lotus face!
When will I cause your hair,
Which is compared to a peacock’s tail,
And which has been made to fall to your shoulders
By your play [with Kṛṣṇa],
Appear with a braid
And out of delight
Decorate it with garlands
Of blossoming jasmine flowers?
मिथःस्पर्धाबद्धे बलवति वलत्यक्षकलहे
व्रजेश त्वां जित्वा व्रजयुवतिधम्मिल्लमणिना ।
दृगन्तेन क्षिप्ताः पणमिह कुरङ्गं तव कदा
ग्रहीष्यामो बद्धा कलयति वयं तत्प्रियगणे ॥५५॥
mithaḥ-spardhā-baddhe balavati valaty akṣa-kalahe
vrajeśa tvāṁ jitvā vraja-yuvati-dhammilla-maṇinā |
dṛgantena kṣiptāḥ paṇam iha kuraṅgaṁ tava kadā
grahīṣyāmo baddhā kalayati vayaṁ tat-priya-gaṇe ||55||
O Prince of Vraja!
Sent by the sidelong glance
Of she who is the jewel
In the chignon of the young ladies of Vraja
After she defeated you
In an intense, escalated dice match
Beset with mutual rivalry,
When will we bind and seize the prize deer
As your friends look on?
किं भविष्यति शुभः स वासरो
यत्र देवि नयनाञ्चलेन माम् ।
गर्वितं विहसितुं नियोक्ष्यसे
द्यूतसंसदि विजित्य माधवम् ॥५६॥
kiṁ bhaviṣyati śubhaḥ sa vāsaro
yatra devi nayanāñcalena mām |
garvitaṁ vihasituṁ niyokṣyase
dyūta-saṁsadi vijitya mādhavam ||56||
O Devī!
Will that auspicious day come
When you will defeat proud Mādhava
In a dice match
And [then] engage me
With a sidelong glance
To ridicule him?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda characterizes the desire the author expresses in this verse as follows: “O Svāminī, Śrī Rādhā! I will make you laugh [by ridiculing Kṛṣṇa at your instigation], ‘Where did your pride [in your arm-strength] go now? Dice can be won only with mental strength, and not rather with the arm-strength with which Bhagavān kills asuras and becomes proud” (Śrī-Rādhe Svāmini … kva gato’dhunā bhavato garvaḥ; dyūtaṁ khalu dhī-balena sādhyaṁ na tu bāhu-balena yenāsurān nihatya bhagavān garvito’stīti bhavantam ahaṁ parihasiṣyāmīti).
किं जनस्य भवितास्य तद्दिनं
यत्र नाथ मुहुरेनमादृतः ।
त्वं व्रजेश्वरवयस्यनन्दिनी
-
मानभङ्गविधिमर्थयिष्यसे ॥५७॥
kiṁ janasya bhavitāsya tad-dinaṁ
yatra nātha muhur enam ādṛtaḥ |
tvaṁ vrajeśvara-vayasya-nandinī-
māna-bhaṅga-vidhim arthayiṣyase ||57||
O Nātha,
Will that day come for this person
When you will repeatedly honor and request from him
The deed of breaking the māna
Of the Daughter of the King of Vraja’s friend?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda elucidates the author’s prayer in this verse as follows:
he sundari, sauhārdādi-guṇavati mad-eka-hite śrī-rādhā pratikṣaṇāṅga-sevayā tvayānuraktā tvad-vācam aṅgīkuryād eveti tad-vidhiṁ bhikṣiṣyasa ity arthaḥ |
“[When will Śrī Kṛṣṇa approach me and say,] ‘O beautiful one, O you who are possessed of the qualities of good-heartedness and so forth, O you who are my only hope, [O Rūpa,] Śrī Rādhā, who is [so] pleased by your constant personal service, will certainly accept an assurance from you.’ [When will it be that] In this way, you will beg [from me] that deed [of breaking her māna by assuring her of your worthiness of being accepted by her]?”
त्वदादेशं शारीकथितमहमाकर्ण्य मुदितो
वसामि त्वत्कुण्डोपरि सखि विलम्बस्तव कथम् ।
इतीदं श्रीदामस्वसरि मम सन्देशकुसुमं
हरेति त्वं दामोदर जनममुं नोत्स्यसि कदा ॥५८॥
tvad-ādeśaṁ śārī-kathitam aham ākarṇya mudito
vasāmi tvat-kuṇḍopari sakhi vilambas tava katham |
itīdaṁ śrīdāma-svasari mama sandeśa-kusumaṁ
hareti tvaṁ dāmodara janam amuṁ notsyasi kadā ||58||
O Dāmodara,
When will you send this person [to Śrī Rādhikā, saying]:
“Take this flower message of mine to Śrīdāma’s Sister:
‘Delighted upon having heard your instruction,
I remain at your kuṇḍa.
O Sakhi,
Why are you late?’”
शठोऽयं नावेक्ष्य पुनरिह मया मानधनया
विशन्तं स्त्रीवेशं सुबलसुहृदं वारय गिरा ।
इदं ते साकूतं वचनमवधार्योच्छलितधी-
श्छलाटोपैर्गोपप्रवरमवरोत्स्यामि किमहम् ॥५९॥
śaṭho’yaṁ nāvekṣya punar iha mayā māna-dhanayā
viśantaṁ strī-veśaṁ subala-suhṛdaṁ vāraya girā |
idaṁ te sākūtaṁ vacanam avadhāryocchalita-dhīś
chalāṭopair gopa-pravaram avarotsyāmi kim aham ||59||
“This knave is not to be seen here again
By I who am possessed of a wealth of honor!
Verbally stop Subala’s Friend
Entering [here] in the garb of a woman!”
When will I,
Fervent in mind
Upon understanding this resolute statement of yours,
[O Rādhikā,]
Stop the Foremost of the gopas
With displays of trickery?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda portrays Śrī Rādhikā’s remarks to Śrī Rūpa in this verse as follows:
cāṭu-vacanair bahir anurañjayann apy antar apriyakāritvāt kṛṣṇaḥ śaṭhaḥ | tato’yaṁ māna-dhanayā mayā nāvekṣyaḥ | mad-īkṣāyai strī-veśaṁ santaṁ man-mandire viśantaṁ subala-suhṛdaṁ taṁ chala-girā tvaṁ vāraya niṣedha | subalo hi strī-veśenāsmad gurūn pratārayet | tata iyaṁ vidyā tenāpi labdhā | tato rukṣa-vacasā nirasyamānaḥ sa śāṭhyaṁ vihāsyatīti … |
“Because of [his] internally being unkind even while externally pleasing [others] with words of flattery, Kṛṣṇa is a knave. Thus, he is not to be seen by I who am possessed of a wealth of honor. With words of trickery, you should stop (vāraya) him as he enters my abode to see me wearing the garb of a woman. Subala can certainly deceive our elders with [the trick of dressing himself in] the garb of a woman. From him, this art has been apprehended by him [i.e., by Kṛṣṇa] too. So, upon being thrown out with harsh words, that knave will give up.”
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda then portrays Śrī Rūpa’s show of trickery with words when she confronts Śrī Kṛṣṇa as follows:
daitya-vimohanāya bhavataḥ strī-veśaḥ purābhūn na cātra kaścid daityo’stīti kiṁ ca prasūs tvarayā bhavantam ākārayatīti | mat-svāminīm abhitaḥ sthitābhir aticaturābhiḥ prativeśinībhiḥ strī-veśo’pi bhavān paricīyeta | tasmān nāsty atra praveśāvasaraḥ sva-śāṭhyaṁ dhyāyan sva-veśmaiva svāmī pratiyātv iti … |
“You donned the garb of a woman in the past to delude the daityas [i.e., in the case of the Mohinī-avatāra], but no one is a daitya here. Furthermore, your mother is urgently calling you. Even in the garb of a woman, you can be recognized by the very clever companions present all round my Svāminī. Therefore, there is no chance for [your] entry here. Let Svāmī return to his own palace and reflect on his own knavery.”
अघहर बलीवर्दः प्रेयान्नवस्तव यो व्रजे
वृषभवपुषा दैत्येनासौ बलादभियुज्यते ।
इति किल मृषागीर्भिश्चन्द्रावलीनिलयस्थितं
वनभुवि कदा नेष्यामि त्वां मुकुन्द मदीश्वरीम् ॥६०॥
aghahara balīvardaḥ preyān navas tava yo vraje
vṛṣabha-vapuṣā daityenāsau balād abhiyujyate |
iti kila mṛṣā-gīrbhiś candrāvalī-nilaya-sthitaṁ
vana-bhuvi kadā neṣyāmi tvāṁ mukunda mad-īśvarīm ||60||
“O Aghahara,
In Vraja your favorite young bull
Is being forcibly attacked
By a daitya in the form of a bull!”
O Mukunda,
When with these completely false words
Will I lead you,
Resting in the abode of Candrāvalī,
To my Īśvarī [present] in a forest-dwelling?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda portrays Śrī Rūpa’s sentiments in regard to the use of false words as follows:
anṛtokti-vaimukhya-bhāg apy aham anṛta-vākyenāpi tvāṁ sukhayāmi māṁ cet svīkaroṣīti |
“Although [personally] possessed of aversion to false speech, I will make you happy even with false speech if you thus accept me [i.e., although I have a definitive disinclination towards lying, if by lying I can please you and so receive your acceptance, then I am ready to do so].”
निगिरति जगदुच्चैः सूचिभेद्ये तमिस्रे
भ्रमररुचिनिचोलेनाङ्गमावृत्य दीप्रम् ।
परिहृतमणिकाञ्चीनूपुरायाः कदाहं
तव नवमभिसारं कारयिष्यामि देवि ॥६१॥
nigirati jagad uccaiḥ sūci-bhedye tamisre
bhramara-ruci-nicolenāṅgam āvṛtya dīpram |
parihṛta-maṇi-kāñcī-nūpurāyāḥ kadāhaṁ
tava navam abhisāraṁ kārayiṣyāmi devi ||61||
O Devī!
When,
While the world is deeply engulfed
In needle-pierceable darkness,
Will I cover with a cloak
The color of a black bee
The radiant figure of you
Whose jeweled bell-sash and ankle bells
Have been removed
And [thus] occasion a new tryst [for you with Kṛṣṇa]?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that “needle-pierceable darkness” (sūci-bhedye tamisre) means exceedingly dense darkness (atinibiḍe andhakāre). As something that is highly dense can only be pierced with a needle, so extremely dense darkness is here described figuratively as being “needle-pierceable,” that is, so dense only a needle could pierce it. Śrī Rūpa cloaks Śrī Rādhikā’s radiant golden figure on such moonless nights with a black garment to prevent her from being sighted stealing away to the forest. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that Śrī Rūpa similarly removes Śrī Rādhikā’s jeweled bell-sash and ankle bells out of fear of them jingling (siñjita-bhayāt) and thus betraying her surreptitious movements.
आस्ये देव्याः कथमपि मुदा न्यस्तमास्यात्त्वयेश
क्षिप्तं पर्णे प्रणयजनिताद्देवि वाम्यात्त्वयाग्रे ।
आकूतज्ञस्तदतिनिभृतं चर्वितं खर्विताङ्ग-
स्ताम्बूलीयं रसयति जनः फुल्लरोमा कदायम् ॥६२॥
āsye devyāḥ katham api mudā nyastam āsyāt tvayeśa
kṣiptaṁ parṇe praṇaya-janitād devi vāmyāt tvayāgre |
ākūtajñas tad atinibhṛtaṁ carvitaṁ kharvitāṅgas
tāmbūlīyaṁ rasayati janaḥ phulla-romā kadāyam ||62||
When will this person,
Very secretly,
With a crouched figure,
Horripilating,
Taste this chewed tāmbūla,
Joyfully and insistently thrust
Into Devī’s mouth by you, O Īśa,
And then cast onto a leaf
By you, O Devī,
Out of the obstinacy produced by intimate love,
Understanding the intention thereof?
Commentary
The author’s mention of being in a crouched figure is to convey the intention of relishing the remnant tāmbūla discreetly and the mention of horripilation is to convey the excitement and delight felt by relishing the mahāprasāda of Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that “understanding the intention thereof” (ākūtajñas tad) means understanding your [i.e., Śrī Rādhikā’s] intent (bhāva), “Let this recipient of my grace eat this form of the prasāda of the two of us [i.e., of myself and Śrī Kṛṣṇa] (ākūtajñaḥ ubhaya-prasāda-rūpam etan mat-kṛpā-pātrīyaṁ bhuktām iti tvad-bhāvajña ity arthaḥ), the broader sense being that Śrī Rādhikā is very pleased by Śrī Rūpa’s successfully occasioning a meeting for her with Śrī Kṛṣṇa under difficult circumstances and thus she wishes to offer Śrī Rūpa a reward as a token indication of her great satisfaction. The intention could also be read more broadly to be that of Śrī Rādhikā as well as Śrī Kṛṣṇa and thus that the acts of them both described in the verse are both performed with the aim of conveying their joy to Śrī Rūpa by rewarding Śrī Rūpa with their tāmbūla prasāda. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda further portrays the obstinacy (vāmya) of Śrī Rādhikā in rejecting Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s chewed tāmbūla as her remarking, “I will not eat your remnants” (nāhaṁ tvad-ucchiṣṭam admīti) and thus casting them onto a leaf.
परस्परमपश्यतोः प्रणयमानिनोर्वां कदा
धृतोत्कलिकयोरपि स्वमभिरक्षतोराग्रहम् ।
द्वयोः स्मितमुदञ्चये नुदसि किं मुकुन्दामुना
दृगन्तनटनेन मामुपरमेत्यलीकोक्तिभिः ॥६३॥
parasparam apaśyatoḥ praṇaya-māninor vāṁ kadā
dhṛtotkalikayor api svam abhirakṣator āgraham |
dvayoḥ smitam udañcaye nudasi kiṁ mukundāmunā
dṛganta-naṭanena mām uparamety alīkoktibhiḥ ||63||
Full of māna out of intimate love,
Maintaining your own respective persistence,
And not looking at each other
Although possessed of longing [to do so]—
When will I make the two of you smile
With the false words,
“Mukunda!
Why do you prompt me
With this gesture from the corners of your eyes?
Stop!”?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that when Śrī Rādhikā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa are both fostering māna without cause on account of their love for one another free from all inhibition (praṇaya-māninor nirhetuka-mānavator), the author contemplates by what means Śrī Rādhikā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa can be made to smile (kenopāyena nau smitam udañcayiṣyasīti) and then employs the gambit of falsely saying, “Mukunda! Why do you prompt (prerayasi) me with this gesture from the corners of your eyes? Māninī [i.e., Śrī Rādhikā while she is filled with māna] will not accept this request of yours. Therefore, you stop!” (Mukunda, amunā dṛganta-naṭanena kiṁ māṁ nudasi prerayasi, māninīyaṁ tava prārthanāṁ na svīkarotīti tasmāt tvaṁ viramety alīkoktibhir mṛṣā-vāgbhiḥ). Śrī Kṛṣna did not make any such gesture during this meeting, although he is known to make such gestures on occasion. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda further explains the purport to be that the emergence of Svāminī’s smile occurred after lapping up the statement [of Śrī Rūpa], “Why do you prompt me …?” because [she then thought that] Hari first became divested of māna. Svāmī too became such [i.e., divested of māna] because [he thought], “Rādhā first became divested of māna on account of [her] prompting of her own sakhī near me” (ayaṁ bhāvaḥ—nudasi kim ity ādi-vācamācamyādau vimāno Harir iti svāminyāḥ smitodayaḥ; mad-antike sva-sakhī-preṣaṇād Rādhādau vimāneti svāminaś ca sa iti).
कदाप्यवसरः स मे किमु भविष्यति स्वामिनौ
जनोऽयमनुरागतः पृथुनि यत्र कुञ्जोदरे ।
त्वया सह तवालिके विविधवर्णगन्धद्रव्यै-
श्चिरं विरचयिष्यति प्रकटपत्रवल्लीश्रियम् ॥६४॥
kadāpy avasaraḥ sa me kim u bhaviṣyati svāminau
jano’yam anurāgataḥ pṛthuni yatra kuñjodare |
tvayā saha tavālike vividha-varṇa-gandha-dravyaiś
ciraṁ viracayiṣyati prakaṭa-patra-vallī-śriyam ||64||
O Svāmīs!
When too will that opportunity come to me
Wherein this person will with you,
At length out of love (anurāga),
Paint upon your forehead
Vivid leaf and vine designs
With fragrance substances of various colors
In the wide hollow of a kuñja?
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “with you … [upon] your [forehead]” is intended to be expressed twice, once meaning, “With you, Svāminī, … on the forehead of you, Svāmī,” and once meaning, “With you, Svāmī, … on the forehead of you, Svāminī” (tvayā saha taveti dvau pratyuktam; tvayā Svāminyā saha Svāminas tavālike, tvayā Svāminā saha Svāminyās tavālika ity arthaḥ). He further states that “with various colors” (vividha-varṇaiḥ) refers to yellow, blue, red, and white (pīta-nīla-rakta-śvetaiḥ), and “with fragrant substances” (gandha-dravaiḥ) refers to catuḥsama paste (catuḥsama-kardamaiḥ). Catuḥsama is defined as a paste mixture consisting of four parts sandalwood, three parts kumkum, two parts musk, and one part camphor in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (6.292).
Having thus offered numerous prayers for service over the course of verses 47–64, the author now conveys a personal reflection upon his worthiness for offering such prayers. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda thus introduces the next verse by describing the author’s reflection as follows:
yadyapy asmin sevābhyarthane nāhaṁ yogyaḥ, tathāpi vraja-nivāsa-lābhāt pratyāśā me bhavatīti nivedayati—idam iti |
“‘Although I am unfit [even] for [the acting of offering] this entreaty for service, still I have hope [of attaining the object of my entreaty] because of [my present] obtainment of residence in Vraja.’ Thus, the author intimates idam ….”
इदं सेवाभाग्यं भवति सुलभं येन युवयो-
श्छटाप्यस्य प्रेम्णः स्फुरति नहि सुप्तावपि मम ।
पदार्थेऽस्मिन्युष्मद्व्रजमनु निवासेन जनित-
स्तथाप्याशाबन्धः परिवृढवरौ मां द्रढयति ॥६५॥
idaṁ sevā-bhāgyaṁ bhavati sulabhaṁ yena yuvayoś
chaṭāpy asya premṇaḥ sphurati nahi suptāv api mama |
padārthe’smin yuṣmad vrajam anu nivāsena janitas
tathāpy āśā-bandhaḥ parivṛḍha-varau māṁ draḍhayati ||65||
Even the luster of that prema,
By which this fortune of service
To you both is easily attainable,
Does not manifest [to me]
Even in my sleep [i.e., in my dreams].
Still,
O Beloved Masters,
A tie of hope for this object,
Produced by residence in your Vraja,
Affirms me.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “this object” (padārthe’smin) refers to the aforementioned “fortune of service” (sevā-bhāgyaṁ), which was prayed for throughout verses 47–64. He introduces the next verse as follows:
mama vraja-nivāso’pi yuṣmat-kṛpaika-sādhya iti mayānumitam | tataḥ sevā-bhāgyam api tat-sādhyaṁ bhāvīti vyañjayann āha—prapadyeti |
“That even my residence in Vraja has been achievable only by the grace of you two has been inferred by me. Therefore, suggesting that the fortune of service [to you two] as well will be achievable [only] thereby, the author says prapadya ….”
प्रपद्य भवदीयतां कलितनिर्मलप्रेमभि-
र्महद्भिरपि काम्यते किमपि यत्र तार्णं जनुः ।
कृतात्र कुजनेरपि व्रजवने स्थितिर्मे यया
कृपां कृपणगामिनीं सदसि नौमि तामेव वाम् ॥६६॥
prapadya bhavadīyatāṁ kalita-nirmala-premabhir
mahadbhir api kāmyate kim api yatra tārṇaṁ januḥ |
kṛtātra kujaner api vraja-vane sthitir me yayā
kṛpāṁ kṛpaṇa-gāminīṁ sadasi naumi tām eva vām ||66||
I praise in assemblies that grace of you two
Which goes to the wretched
And by which dwelling here in the forests of Vraja—
Where any sort of graminaceous birth is desired
Even by mahats in whom taintless prema has manifested
After attaining the state of being your own—
Has been done by even I of condemnable birth.
Commentary
In regard to the statement that mahats possessed of prema pray even for a birth in graminaceous forms in Vraja, Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda cites the example of Śrī Uddhava in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.47.61): “Aho! May I become any of the shrubs, creepers, or herbs in Vṛndāvana carrying the foot-dust of [the Vraja-gopīs,] they who … [followed the way of Mukunda [only] able to be sought after by the Śrutis]” (āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ Vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām).
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
atha bhakti-prabhāvāvabodha-labdhena viśrambheṇa balam āsādyāha—mādhavyeti dvābhyām |
“Now, attaining strength from the confidence acquired by realization of the miraculous power of bhakti, the author speaks with two [verses]: mādhavyā ….”
माधव्या मधुराङ्ग काननपदप्राप्ताधिराज्यश्रिया
वृन्दारण्यविकासिसौरभतते तापिञ्छकल्पद्रुम ।
नोत्तापं जगदेव यस्य भजते कीर्तिच्छटाच्छायया
चित्रा तस्य तवाङ्घ्रिसंनिधिजुषां किं वा फलाप्तिर्नृणाम् ॥६७॥
mādhavyā madhurāṅga kānana-pada-prāptādhirājya-śriyā
vṛndāraṇya-vikāsi-saurabha-tate tāpiñcha-kalpa-druma |
nottāpaṁ jagad eva yasya bhajate kīrti-cchaṭā-cchāyayā
citrā tasya tavāṅghri-saṁnidhi-juṣāṁ kiṁ vā phalāptir nṛṇām ||67||
O you of charming limbs!
O you the mass of whose fragrance
Diffuses throughout Vṛndāvana!
O tamāla desire-tree
With Mādhavī,
She by whom the majesty of sovereignty
Over the domain of the forest has been attained!
Is the attainment of fruits
By human beings who dwell
In the vicinity of your roots—
[You who are] He [just] by means of the shade of whose extensions
The entire world feels no severe heat—
Surprising? [Not at all!]
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that the author employs in this verse the alaṅkāra known as aprastuta-praśaṁsā, lit., “mention (praśaṁsā) of that which is not the subject under discussion (aprastuta).” In this form of indirect expression, something is conveyed about the subject under discussion by describing something other than that subject. Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda cites in his commentary his own treatment of this alaṅkāra in his Sāhitya-kaumudī (10.72–73):
aprastuta-praśaṁsā hi yā saiva prastutāśrayā |
kārye nimitte sāmānye viśeṣe prastute sati ||
tad-anyasya vacas tulye tulyasyeti ca pañcadhā ||
“Aprastuta-praśaṁsā (a mention (praśaṁsā) of that which is not the subject under discussion (aprastuta)), the basis of which is the subject under discussion, is of five types: when the subject under discussion is (1) an effect, (2) a cause, (3) a generality, or (4) a particularity, a mention of the opposite of that [is an instance of aprastuta-praśaṁsā], and when [the subject under discussion is] (5) an equivalent, [a mention] of an equivalent [is an instance of aprastuta-praśaṁsā, i.e., aprastuta-praśaṁsā occurs when (1) an effect is understood from a mention of its cause, (2) a cause is understood from a mention of its effect, (3) a generality is understood from a mention of a particularity thereof, (4) a particularity is understood from a mention of a generality to which it belongs, and (5) an equivalent is understood from a mention of its equivalent].”
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda explains that here in this verse the author employs the fifth type of aprastuta-praśaṁsā, the mention of an equivalent when the subject under discussion is an equivalent because of a shade of paronomasia (iha tulye prastute tulyasyoktiḥ śleṣa-cchāyayā bodhyā) on account of the words mādhavī and so forth having double meaning (mādhavyādi-padānāṁ hy arthakatvāc chleṣa-cchāyā).
The intended sense is that in this verse the author is praying both to a fragrant tamāla tree in Vṛndāvana around which a mādhavī vine has grown and to Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with Śrī Rādhā, the reason for this comparison being that as a tamāla tree around whose trunk, branches, and so forth a mādhavī creeper has intwined itself from its base to its tips appears most charming, so Śrī Kṛṣṇa intwined in the embrace of Śrī Rādhā appears most charming. “O tamāla desire-tree” (tāpiñcha-kalpa-druma), “O you of charming limbs” (madhurāṅga), and “O you the mass of whose fragrance diffuses throughout Vṛndāvana!” (Vṛndāraṇya-vikāsi-saurabha-tate) thus refer to both a physical tamāla tree and to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, “with Mādhavī” (Mādhavyā) and “with she by whom the majesty of sovereignty over the domain of the forest has been attained” (kānana-pada-prāptādhirājya-śriyā) refer to both a physical mādhavī creeper, which is widely regarded as the foremost of forest creepers, and to Śrī Rādhā, who is well-known to have been crowned the queen of Vṛndāvana and to be the foremost of the gopīs with whom Śrī Kṛṣṇa consorts in the forests of Vṛndāvana. “By means of the shade of whose extensions” (kīrti-cchaṭā-cchāyayā ) refers to both the branches of a tamāla tree and to the glories (kīrti) of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, since the word kīrti means both extension and glory. “Severe heat” (uttāpam) refers to both the heat that the shade of a tamāla tree protects one from and to the threefold distress of saṁsāra that Śrī Kṛṣṇa protects one from. “The vicinity of your roots” (tavāṅghri-saṁnidhi) refers to the roots of the tamāla tree and the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, since the word aṅghri means both root and foot. Finally, the “attainment of fruits” (phalāptiḥ) refers both to the fruits of the tamāla tree and to the spiritual ends one can attain by the grace of Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with Śrī Rādhā, who are capable of fulfilling all of one’s spiritual aspirations and thus compared to a desire-tree and desire-creeper.
The intended sense of the rhetorical question in the verse, “Is the attainment of fruits by human beings surprising?” is that just as it is no surprise that a person who has reached the shade and base of a tamāla tree will so also obtain some of the tree’s fruits, so it is no surprise that one who dwells at the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with Śrī Rādhā will obtain the spiritual attainments they aspire for by their grace.
त्वल्लीलामधुकुल्ययोल्लसितया कृष्णाम्बुदस्यामृतैः
श्रीवृन्दावनकल्पवल्लि परितः सौरभ्यविस्फारया ।
माधुर्येण समस्तमेव पृथुना ब्रह्माण्डमप्यायितं
नाश्चर्यं भुवि लब्धपादरजसां पर्वोन्नतिर्वीरुधाम् ॥६८॥
tval-līlā-madhukulyayollasitayā kṛṣṇāmbudasyāmṛtaiḥ
śrī-vṛndāvana-kalpa-valli paritaḥ saurabhya-visphārayā |
mādhuryeṇa samastam eva pṛthunā brahmāṇḍam apyāyitaṁ
nāścaryaṁ bhuvi labdha-pāda-rajasāṁ parvonnatir vīrudhām ||68||
O desire-vine of Śrī Vṛndāvana!
Exuberant because of the amṛta from a kṛṣṇa cloud,
And discharging fragrance in all directions,
The entire universe is satisfied
By the stream of the nectar of your līlā
By means of [its] copious sweetness.
The growth of the limbs
Of the creepers on the ground
That have obtained the dust of your feet
Is [therefore] not astonishing.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that the same alaṅkāra, aprastuta-praśaṁsā, is employed again by the author in this verse (atrāpi saivālaṅkṛtiḥ). Thus, “O desire-vine of Śrī Vṛndāvana!” (Śrī-Vṛndāvana-kalpa-valli) refers both to vine in Vṛndāvana, specifically, the mādhavī vine entwined around the tamāla tree described in the previous verse, and to Śrī Rādhā just as in the previous verse. “By the stream of the nectar of your līlā” (tval-līlā-madhukulyayā) thus refers to both the stream of nectar of the vine’s ‘play,’ that is, blossoming, and to the stream of the nectar of Śrī Rādhā’s līlās with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. “Exuberant because of the amṛta from a kṛṣṇa cloud” (ullasitayā kṛṣṇāmbudasyāmṛtaiḥ) refers to the vine flourishing because of water (amṛta), that is, rain, from a dark (kṛṣṇa) cloud and to Śrī Rādhā, who becomes elated by the nectar of līlā with Kṛṣṇa, who is comparable to a cloud because he showers a vast amount of the nectar of his līlā just as a cloud showers a vast amount of water (kṛṣṇāmbudasya śyāmābhrasyāmṛtair ambubhir ullasitayocchalitayā, pakṣe Hari-balāhakasyāmṛtair līlā-sudhābhiḥ). “Discharging fragrance in all directions” (paritaḥ saurabhya-visphārayā) refers to the vine’s emitting fragrance all around it and to the extensive pervasiveness of Śrī Rādhā’s bodily fragrance. “The growth of the limbs of the creepers on the ground that have obtained the dust of your feet” (bhuvi labdha-pāda-rajasāṁ parvonnatir vīrudhām) refer to the creepers growing in the ground around the vine that come in touch with the vine’s base and to Śrī Rādhā’s mañjarīs who are sheltered at the soles of Śrī Rādhā’s feet; the growth of these mañjarīs refers to them flourishing and rejoicing in their service to Śrī Rādhā.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
pūrvam arthitaṁ sevā-bhāgyaṁ me’tidurlabham eva, kintu yatra kvāpi jātasya bhavat-padābja-bhaktir astv iti prārthayati—paśupāleti |
“[The author reflects:] ‘The fortune of service entreated for previously [in verses 47–64] is verily exceedingly difficult to attain for me, but wherever I am born [again], let me have bhakti to your lotus feet.’ Thus, the author prays Paśupāla ….”
पशुपालवरेण्यनन्दनौ
वरमेतं मुहुरर्थये युवाम् ।
भवतु प्रणयो भवे भवे
भवतोरेव पदाम्बुजेषु मे ॥६९॥
paśupāla-vareṇya-nandanau
varam etaṁ muhur arthaye yuvām |
bhavatu praṇayo bhave bhave
bhavator eva padāmbujeṣu me ||69||
O Darlings of the foremost of the cowherds!
I request this boon from you two at every moment:
Birth after birth,
May I have love (praṇaya)
For the cherished lotus feet
Of you both.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “O Darlings of the foremost of the cowherds!” (Paśupāla-vareṇya-nandanau) refers to the Darling Daughter of Śrīmad Vṛṣabhānu, and the Darling Son of Śrīmad Nanda, who are the kings of the cowherd people (paśupālānāṁ vareṇyau teṣāṁ rājānau Śrīmad-Vṛṣabhānu-Nandau tayor Nandinī ca Nandanaś ca tau tat-sambodhane tathā). The author’s couching his humble prayer to Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa for love (praṇaya) in the form of an address to Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa that alludes to them being a princess and a prince is likely to evoke their deep sense of compassion for those in distress, as members of the royal order naturally foster a spirit of compassion and support towards their subjects who are in distress. This manner of prayer to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa hearkens back to the author’s opening statement in this Utkalikā-vallari and his opening statement in the preceding Kārpaṇya-pañjikā-stotra, wherein he also appeals to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with reference to their compassionate dispositions by virtue of their being a princess and prince respectively.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the next verse as follows:
stotra-pāṭhād vāñchita-lābhaṁ yācate—ud iti |
“The author prays for the attainment of his desired object as a result of recitation of this hymn: udgīrṇa ….”
उद्गीर्णाभूदुत्कलिकावल्लरिरग्रे
वृन्दाटाव्यां नित्यविलासव्रतयोर्वाम् ।
वाङ्मात्रेण व्याहरतोऽप्युल्ललमेता-
माकर्ण्येशौ कामितसिद्धिं कुरुतं मे ॥७०॥
udgīrṇābhūd utkalikā-vallarir agre
vṛndāṭāvyāṁ nitya-vilāsa-vratayor vām |
vāṅ-mātreṇa vyāharato’py ullalam etām
ākarṇyeśau kāmita-siddhiṁ kurutaṁ me ||70||
This vine of longing (utkalikā-vallari) has sprouted
Before you two
Devoted to eternal play in Vṛndāvana.
Although reciting this only with my speech,
O Īśas,
After listening [to it],
Please bring about the fulfillment of the desire
of I who am trembling.
Commentary
Regarding, “Although reciting this only with my speech” ( vāṅ-mātreṇa vyāharato’pi), Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda comments that “much less by mind as well” is the sense (etāṁ vāṅ-mātreṇa kiṁ punar manasāpi vyāharataḥ paṭhato), meaning, the author in his humility conveys that he is unable to sustain mental focus while verbally reciting the stotra yet still he prays that his desire may be fulfilled as a result of his recitation of it.
A statement of a śruti-phala, that is, a statement of the benefit others may hope to attain by reciting this stotra, is also implied in this prayer as follows: “May you two also fulfill the desired end of those who recite this Utkalikā-vallari only by speech, that is, even without mental absorption.”
Given that it is a standard convention to mention a śruti-phala at the end of a poem, that the author does this in this poem only indirectly and in form of a prayer is likely to stress the focus and intensity of longing that the author wishes to convey through this work.
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda introduces the final verse as follows:
stotrasya janma-kālaṁ janma-sthānaṁ cāha—candreti |
“The author states the time of the creation of the stotra and the place of creation as well: candra ….”
चन्द्राश्वभुवने शाके पौषे गोकुलवासिना ।
इयमुत्कलिकापूर्वा वल्लरी निर्मिता मया ॥७१॥
candrāśva-bhuvane śāke pauṣe gokula-vāsinā |
iyam utkalikā-pūrvā vallarī nirmitā mayā ||71||
This vine of aforementioned longing was composed by me, residing in Gokula, during [the month of] Pauṣa (December-January) in Śāka [year] 1471 (1549–50 CE).
इत्युत्कलिकावल्लरी समाप्ता ॥
ity utkalikā-vallarī samāptā ||
Thus, the Utkalikā-vallarī is completed.
Commentary
Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda concludes his commentary on Utkalilā-vallari with the following verse:
iyam utkalikā-vallarir udagra-bhāvā vimṛṣṭa-kāvya-kalā |
vidyābhūṣaṇa-vivṛtā śaśvad bhāvaka-vibhūtaye bhūyāt ||
“May this vine of longing (Utkalikā-vallari)—
Possessed of elevated bhāva,
Finely sprinkled with poetic artistry,
And cleared [alt., explained] by Vidyābhūṣaṇa—
Lead to the flourishing of bhāvakas perpetually.”
In light of how Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda described this Utkalikā-vallari as a cause of the complete melting of the stones of hard hearts in his prayer to Śrī Rūpapāda at the start of his commentary on this text, Śrī Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda’s metaphor and intent in this closing verse of his commentary is likely as follows: as a medicinal vine leads to the health and well-being of people when it grows to a high level, is suitably sprinkled with water, and kept clear, that is, unimpeded by other plants and pests, so this this vine of longing in the form of Śrī Rūpapāda’s Utkalikā-vallari, which is filled with the author’s highly elevated bhāva and aptly nourished [i.e., enriched] with his expertise in poetry, will surely lead to the flourishing of bhaktas following the path of rāgānugā-bhakti as taught by Śrī Rūpapāda by virtue of it melting their hearts when it is clearly explained and thus understood by means of this commentary.
Sources
The Stava-mālā editions of Śrī Rāmanārāyaṇa Vidyāratna, Śrī Purī Dāsa Mahāśaya, and Nirṇaya Sāgara Press, as well as the Stava-puṣpāñjali published by Nitya Svarūpa Brahmacārī and the edition of Utkalikā-vallarīḥ by Śrī Ananta Dāsa Bābājī.