Ujjvala-nilamani of Sri Rupa

[Nitaidas]

Here I will post some of the verses of the Ujjvala of Sri Rupa as I translate them. These are rough and unpolished. They will certainly be different when they appear in the book. These are from the fourth chapter, the Radha-prakarana.

tava vadanavidhau vidhautamadhyāṃ\\
smitasudhayādharalekhikāmudīkṣya |\\
sakhi laghuraghabhiccakoravaryaḥ\\
pramadamadoddhurabuddhirujjihīte|| 23||


Noticing on your moon-like face,\\
The lines of your lips washed in the middle\\
By the ambrosia of your smile, friend,\\
The splitter of sins, best of {\it cakoras},\\
Quickly became drunk with delight.\footnote{Spoken by Viśākhā. (Viśvanātha)} (23)

[Nitaidas]

And another. We are going through the wonderful qualities of Sri Radhika.

atha cārusaubhāgyarekhāḍhyā

aghahara bhaja tuṣṭiṃ paśya yaccandralekhā-\\
valayakusumavallīkuṇḍalākārabhāgbhiḥ |\\
abhidadhati nilīnāmatra saubhāgyarekhā-\\
vitatibhiranuviddhāḥ suṣṭhu rādhāṃ padāṅkāḥ|| 24||

Now her having lovely lines of good fortune:

O Remover of sin, be pleased!\\
Look there at the footprints having\\
Numerous marks of good fortune:\\
Moon-lines, circles, and flower vines,\\
And the shape of a coil; they tell\\
That Rādhā is certainly hidden here.\footnote{Spoken by Madhumaṅgala. (Viśvanātha)} (24)

[Nitaidas]

One more for Radhapada and I shall quit for today:

atha gandhonmāditamādhavā

vallīmaṇḍalapallavālibhiritaḥ saṅgopanāyātmano\\
mā vṛndāvanacakravartini kṛthā yatnaṃ mudhā mādhavi |\\
bhrāmyadbhiḥ svavirodhibhiḥ parimalairunmādanaiḥ sūcitāṃ\\
kṛṣṇastvāṃ bhramādhipaḥ sakhi dhuvandhūrto dhruvaṃ dhāsyati|| 25||


Now her fragrance which maddens Mādhava:

To hide yourself here surrounded\\
By circles of vines, blossoms, and bees,\\
Do not waste your efforts in vain,\\
Mādhavi, Empress of Vṛndāvana.\\
Your intoxicating fragrance\\
Wandering about works against you,\\
Gives you away. Cunning Kṛṣṇa,\\
King of bees, trembling will always find you.\footnote{Spoken by
Tuṅgavidyā. (Viśvanātha)} (25)

[Nitaidas]

Here are a few more verses of the Ujjvala:

atha saṅgītaprasarābhijñā

kṛṣṇasāraharapañcamasvare muñca gītakutukāni rādhike |\\
prekṣate 'tra hariṇānudhāvitāṃ tvāṃ na yāvadatiroṣaṇaḥ patiḥ|| 26||


Now her skill in many forms of music:

Quit your playful songs, Rādhikā,\\
On the fifth note of the scalle which\\
Steal away Kṛṣṇa's self-control\\
While your wrathful husband watches\\
You here being chased by Hari.\footnote{Spoken by Viśākhā. (Viśvanātha)} (26)

[Nitaidas]

And the next:

atha ramyavāk

suvadane vadane tava rādhike sphurati keyamihākṣaramādhurī |\\
vikalatāṃ labhate kila kokilaḥ sakhi yayādya sudhāpi mudhārthatām|| 27||

Now her pleasing speech:

O Beautiful-faced Rādhikā!\\
What is this syllabic sweetness\\
That appears here in your mouth,\\
By which the kokila becomes\\
Imperfect and now, friend, even nectar's\\
meaning becomes without value.\footnote{Spoken by
Kṛṣṇa. (Viśvanātha)} (27)

[Nitaidas]

Here is another. This one shows something of Radha's sense of humor:

atha narmapaṇḍitā

vaṃśyāstvamupādhyāyaḥ kimupādhyāyī tavātra vaṃśī vā |\\
kulayuvatidharmaharaṇādasti yuyornāparaṃ karma|| 28||


And now her cleverness in jokes (sense of humor):

Are you the teacher of your flute,\\
Or, is the flute your teacher here?\\
You both have nothing else to do but\\
Steal away the dharma of family wives.\footnote{Rādhā's statement to
Kṛṣṇa, of course.} (28)

[Nitaidas]

And another on the same topic:

yathā vā

deva prasīda vṛṣavardhana puṇyakīrte\\
sādhvīgaṇastanaśivārcananityapūta |\\
nirmañchanaṃ tava bhaje ravipūjanāya\\
snātāsmi hanta mama na spṛśa na spṛśāṅgam|| 29||

Or another:

O Lord be kind, increaser of virtue,\\
Famous for merit, ever purified\\
By causing many chaste women's\\
worship of Śiva with their breasts.\\
I make this humble submission to you:\\
I am bathed for the worship of the sun,\\
Oh! Touch not, touch not my body! (29)

[Nitaidas]

Here are a couple of verses from the Ujjvala portraying Sri Radhika's humility:

atha vinītā

api gokule prasiddhā bhrūbhramibhiḥ parijanairniṣiddhāpi |\\
pīṭhaṃ mumoca rādhā bhadrikāmapi dūrataḥ prekṣya|| 30||

yathā vā, vidagdhamādhave (5.15)

bhūyo bhūyaḥ kalivilasitaiḥ sāparādhāpi rādhā\\
ślāghyenāhaṃ yadagharipuṇā bāḍhamaṅgīkṛtāsmi |\\
tatra kṣāmodari kimaparaṃ kāraṇaṃ vaḥ sakhīnāṃ\\
dattāmodāṃ praguṇakaruṇāmañjarīmantareṇa|| 31||

Her humility:

Though she is famed in Gokula\\
And hindered by her companions,\\
Whose brows were rolling up and down,\\
Rādhā gave up her seat after\\
Noticing Bhadrikā from a distance.\footnote{Spoken to Kṛṣṇa by some
gopī. (Śrī Jīva)} (30)

Or, for instance:

Though Rādhā again and again\\
Offends with quarrelsome remarks,\\
Yet I am indeed accepted\\
As praiseworthy by Agha's enemy;\\
For that, what reason could there be\\
Other than the gladdening bud\\
Of the meritorious compassion\\
O thin-wasted, of you, my friends?\footnote{Spoken by Rādhā
when separated from Kṛṣṇa because of a lover's tiff. (Viśvanātha)}
(31)

[Nitaidas]

Here is a verse for today:

atha vidagdhā

ācāryā dhātucitre pacanaviracanācāturīcārucittā\\
vāgyuddhe mugdhayantī gurumapi ca girāṃ paṇḍitā mālyagumphe|\\
pāṭhe śārīśukānāṃ paṭurajitamapi dyūtakeliṣu jiṣṇu-\\
rvidyāvidyotibuddhiḥ sphurati ratikalāśālinī rādhikeyam|| 33||

Now her cleverness:

She's an ācārya at picture painting;\\
Her beautiful mind is expert\\
At inventing new cooked delights;\\
In word battles she can outwit\\
Even the teacher of language;\\
She is learned at stringing of garlands;\\
In reciting she has the craft\\
Of clever mainas and parrots;\\
At games of dice she can defeat\\
Even someone undefeated.\\
This Rādhikā, distinguished in\\
The arts and practices of love,\\
Her intellect illuminating all\\
Fields of knowledge, is brilliant.\footnote{This is a statement of
Kundalatā responding to a cowherd woman asking “What sort of
abilities has Rādhā, whose birth I witnessed not so long ago,
developed?” (Viśvanātha)} (33)

[Nitaidas]

Here is another verse:

atha pāṭavānvitā, yathā vidagdhamādhave (3.3)

chinnaḥ priyo maṇisaraḥ sakhi mauktikāni\\
vṛttānyahaṃ vicinuyāmiti kaitavena |\\
mugdhaṃ vivṛtya mayi hanta dṛgantabhaṅgīṃ\\
rādhā gurorapi puraḥ praṇayādvyatānīt|| 34||

Her skillfulness, as in the Clever Mādhava (3.3):

“Torn is that dear necklace of mine,\\
Friend; I recognize the pearl beads.”\\
With this decoy so charmingly\\
Rādhā turned towards me and let fly\\
A sidelong signal out of love\\
Right in front of her elders.\footnote{Spoken by Kṛṣṇa to Madhumaṅgala.} (34)

[Nitaidas]

Here is another for your delectation:

atha lajjāśīlā

vrajanarapatisūnurdurlabhālokano 'yaṃ\\
sphurati rahasi tāmyatyeṣa tarṣājjano 'pi |\\
virama janani lajje kiñcidudghāṭya vaktraṃ\\
nimiṣamiha manāgapyakṣikoṇaṃ kṣipāmi|| 35||

Now her bashfulness:

This rare sight of the King of Vraja's\\
Son happens in a lonely place\\
And this person is frozen with desire.\\
Please stop it, o Mother Shyness!\\
Release my face just a little\\
For a moment here, so that I\\
May send the corner of my eye\\
Towards him ever so slightly.\footnote{Rādhā speaks.} (35)