Post by madanmohandas on Sept 28, 2019 17:29:25 GMT -6
Something that swells by accresions every now and then, but it has grown to 16 pages on paper. I hope that is not too long.
The Diurnal and nocturnal Acts of Navadvipa and Vraja ,
A Synopsis of Navadvipa and Vrndavan daily pastimes, derived from Gaura Govinda Lilamrta Gutika of Siddha Krishna das of Govardhan, etc.
Navadvipa Nishanta Lila 03:36 - 06:00
In Navadveep, when night draws to a close,
The servants of the lord from slumber rose;
Some fragrant oils in golden vessels keep,
Some, highly fortunate, the bowers sweep,
Some fresh lotuses into garlands twine,
Others prepare fresh unguents divine
Some, polished articles of worship bring;
When now the parrot couples start to sing,
And greedy bees from flowers nectar take,
And pollen from the ravished petals shake.
When the sweet chirping of the birds was heard,
Gauranga was with great emotion stirred,
And roused by deepest sentiments of love,
Remembered Radha-Krishna in the grove.
Then sainted Shrivas and his brethren hie,
Followed by lord Advaita and Nitai;
To where the devotees each other meet,
With warm embrace and salutation greet,
And in a body hasten to the place
Where creeping vines the wishing trees embrace,
And mount the terrace, shaded by a tree,
That they might through the lattice window see,
With soft and milky fine white sheets o'erspread,
The lord Gaura recumbent on his bed.
His golden limbs reclining on white silk,
Seems a gold lily on a lake of milk.
The lord who on a serpent takes his rest,
Whose feet are by the hands of Lakshmi pressed,
Now in a garden cottage did abide,
Not far from holy Ganga's southern side.
Meanwhile, Mukunda with his dulcet voice,
Whereat the devotee's pure hearts rejoice,
Sings how Govinda and Radhika fair,
At night's end to their several homes repair.
Vraja
The Argument
Recall Radha and Krishna at night’s close,
Whom Vrinda’s parrots waken from repose,
Reciting sweet couplets agreeable,
Mixed with allusions disagreeable.
The couple from the play bed soon arise,
Exchanging glances with their rolling eyes;
And by their dear companions are observed
In lazy languor, and are by them served.
But when Kakkhati, the old she monkey,
Raises th’alarm, then sore perplexity
Fills all of them, and fraught with anxious care,
The couple to their several homes repair.
In the Sanat Kumara Samhita
Narad interrogates goddess Vrinda,
‘Oh sylvan goddess Vrinda, kindly deign
The daily sports of Krishna to explain;
I have an eager wish to comprehend
Those sports from the beginning to the end.
Therefore if thinkest thou I am worthy,
Oh beauteous one, relate those sports to me.’
Said Vrinda, ‘ You are devoted and blest,
Of contemplative saints you are the best,
And though it is a secret mystery,
I shall disclose the truth of it to thee.
This subject, it should be noted with care,
Is not be divulged hither and there.
Before night's end, within the leafy bowers,
The soft breeze shakes the pollen from the flowers;
The parrot couples perched upon the trees,
Are roused from slumber by the humming bees.
The sylvan goddess Vrnda then arose,
And ventured forth to rouse from sweet repose,
The prince of cowherds and his consort fair,
Radhika, whose abundant curly hair
Lay scattered and entangled in the snares
Of ear rings fastened to Govinda's ears.
The servant maids now roused to busy care,
Compose their garments and bind up their hair;
This damsel brings a shiny peacock fan,
Another, a gem studded watering can;
Some cull sweet flowers, others sweep the ground,
And tinkling anklets and bracelets resound.
A learned parrot flaps his gaudy wings,
And in heroic couplets proudly sings;
His name Vichakshan, eloquent and wise;
And like a minstrel, urged Krishna to rise.
'Hail to the prince of Vraja, Nanda's pride!
The cowherd people's friend, hail lotus eyed!
Mark how the Dawn spreads out across the east,
And gem like stars their lustre have decreased,
The greedy bees the night lilies forsake,
And to sweet jessamine their way betake;
Before the people on the pathways roam,
You should, methinks, return to your own home.'
A female parrot then, with bristling wings,
To waken Radha, ecstatically sings;
‘Hail to the lovely empress of the grove!
Hail to the object of Govinda’s love!
You like a golden swan forever stray,
In the lake of Mukunda’s mind to play.
Oh foremost of accomplished damosels!
The light of morn the dark of night dispels;
Your dear companions, tremulous with love,
Forgather in the hortyard of the grove.
While now you rest your head on Hari's arm,
Lest the ancient Jatila raise th'alarm,
It is imperative, O my sweet friend,
You rise, depart, and to your chambers wend.'
While in Hari’s embrace Radhika lies,
She slowly opens her bright rolling eyes.
Fair Radha viewed the dawn with slight regard,
And wished she might the hast'ning day retard;
Hari, by Cupid's darts had been transfixed,
And now his blue with her gold lustre mixed.
And as the creeper does the tree entwine,
As Passion's thralls, the lovers still recline.
They waken soon, and after some delay,
Go home to bed before the light of day.
Navadvipa
Meantime in Navadvip, Mukunda ends
His song, Then Sachi’s son with all his friends,
Repairs to his own chambers with delight,
Before Surya had spread his beams of light.
Navadvipa Pratah Lila 06;00-08;24
Now Bhaskara, heralded by the Dawn,
His golden car by panting horses drawn,
The stars extinguished, all their lustre spent,
And spread his light across the orient.
The holy mother Sachi rose from bed,
Her morning duties in due order sped,
Then to Gauranga's bed chamber she went,
While to their diverse tasks the maids were sent.
Impelled by deep maternal affection,
She called aloud to waken her dear son,
" O darling Nimai, of the lotus-eyes,
'Tis getting late, now you must needs arise,
Your friends and servants in the courtyard stay,
Awake! arise! and bathe and eat and play.
Adore with flower wreaths and scents divine,
The mighty lord Narayan in his shrine."
As ofttimes bees are trapped when flowers close
Their petals, and again when they disclose,
The bee 'scapes and to other blossoms flies,
So slowly opened Nimai's rolling eyes.
Then sitting up and yawning as he speaks,
While mother Sachi strokes his comely cheeks,
He stretches out his limbs and shakes his curls,
And as he yawns, his teeth glisten like pearls;
He bows in humble salutation meet,
Before his revered mother's holy feet.
Then by her leave he ventures forth to go
Where his friends wait beneath a portico,
And meeting there they hasten on the path
To Ganga's bank to take their morning bath.
Then having bathed and clad in raiment fair,
Eager they to the lecture hall repair,
Where pious Gadadhar deigns to recite
The holy Bhagavat with vast delight,
And tells of Krishna's deeds of days gone by,
Eloquently laid clear before the eye;
And as Gaura the recitation hears,
His glist'ning cheeks are drenched with flowing tears.
After some while he gains external sense,
All praise the reader for his eloquence.
Then Sachima sends Ishandas to call
Nimai to come into the dining hall,
And when all his dear friends were seated there,
They all partook a feast of dainty fare,
Of golden rice and leafy vegetables,
And endless kinds of fine comestibles.
Adore the lover of each devotee,
The magnanimous lord Gaura Hari;
Who is that self-same playful cowherd boy,
Who Nanda and Yashoda filled with joy.
Vraja
When Aruna had brightened o'er the east,
Krishna arose and took a light repast.
Now Hari showed the innocence and grace
Of childhood in his smiling lotus-face;
Who slowly opes his lotus-petal eyes,
And sees his mother, and although he tries
To keep them open, closes them again,
While the sweet smile does on his face remain.
Then he went forth, as daily task demands,
To milk the cows with his soft lotus-hands.
Meantime, fair Radha and her maids and friends,
First bathes, and then to Nandi-grama wends,
Where she, with Rohini, the labours share,
Govinda's lavish breakfast to prepare.
When Radhika Yashoda came to greet,
She prostrated herself to touch her feet;
Yashoda placed her hand on Radha’s head,
And raised her up, by love disquieted,
And from her head breathed in the fragrance rare,
Emitted from Radhika's sable hair.
And with affection, when she had observed,
How Radha was with modesty reserved,
How Radhika held down her moon like face,
She took her in her arms with warm embrace.
Yashoda, the fond mother, with a call,
Bade Krishna come into the dining hall,
Invited his companions to the treat,
And urged her child repeatedly to eat.
'Come now, O Damodar, it is the time
To join with your friends in the hall to dine.'
The Mountain-wielder, on Nanda's behest,
With Baladev, sat down for his repast;
In ordered lines the boys all take their seat,
Where all the company laugh, drink, and eat
All the varieties of four-fold food,
That which is licked or sucked, or drunk or chewed.
Shukta and Shak, and diverse vegetables,
Nalita and other comestibles;
Kushmanda pie, Dalna, and sweet Dadhi,
And Mochakhanda, and Dugdhatumbi;
Mugdha bara and Masha bara fries,
With odorous and ghee besprinkled rice;
Evaporated milk and Shashkuli,
Rice pudding and sweet Amrtakeli;
With camphor, clotted cream and Rasala,
Pishtaka, curds, Pooli, and Payasa;
And twelve varieties of sweet and sour
Pickles and chutneys of finest odour.
Then Luchi, sugar, and cream-puff puris,
And Laddu sweets of all varieties.
Krishna, in love, enjoys the fine viands,
And sweet confections made by Radha's hands.
Pointing his finger, Madhumangal cheats
The other boys, and gobbles down their sweets,
And slaps his sides, and drains another bowl
Of sweet Dadhi, exclaiming, "Hari bol!"
Radha observes Govinda take his meal,
And both with secret joy, fond glances steal.
After the meal Govinda takes and sips
Some scented water and rinses his lips,
And cleanses his soft hands with powder fine.
The other boys, all standing in a line,
Their hands and mouths with fragrant water rinse.
Thereafter, Govinda, Vrndavan's prince,
An hundred paces, with his merry friends,
To rest a while, to his own chambers wends.
Then wide-eyed Vishalaksa, with a fan
Of peacock plumes, to drive a breeze began;
While other dear companions, standing by,
White yak tail whisks in circling motions ply.
One rubs his feet, his vigour to renew,
Another gives a betel-wrap to chew.
Meantime, Dhanishtha, upon the behest
Of Yashoda, made eager her request
To Radha and her friends to take their seat,
And without hesitation drink and eat.
Dhanishtha brought in dainties of all sorts,
Secretly mixed with SriGovinda's orts.
Navadvipa Purvahna Lila, mid morning, 08:24-10:48.
Gauranga with his friends the pathways roam,
When to a pellucid clear lake they come.
Wide petalled lotuses of red and blue,
And blooming lilies of a golden hue,
Sway gently in the fragrant cooling breeze,
Which thus disrupts the labour of the bees.
Ah me! what moods of loving ecstasy
Rise in the mind of the Fair-limbed today!
He called in his resonant voice sublime,
Dhavali, Shyamali, and other kine.
With bugle horns and flutes both short and long,
They raise the auspicious victory song;
Gauranga turns about and cries, Hoy hoy!
With his companions exulting in joy.
Ramai and Sundarananda are there
With the Master, and Nityananda dear;
And Gauridas and Abhiram Thakur,
Absorbed in ecstasy of love most pure.
Exuberantly Vasudev Gosh says,
See, Gaura the cow tending sport now plays!
The devotees all gather in a ring,
And Svarup then sweetly begins to sing
How Krishna and the cowherd boys all lead
The cows to forest pastures, there to feed.
How Radhika the articles prepares
For Sun worship, while down the path she stares,
With anxious care and ever brooding doubts,
She waits for news of Krishna's whereabouts.
As Gaura's mind becomes immersed and steeps
In Radha's love, he laughs, trembles, and weeps.
Vraja
Now radiant Ravi mounts his car on high
To mid morning, and brightens all the sky;
Rama and Krishna with their merry friends
And countless cows, to forest pastures wends,
Bedecked with flower wreaths and goonja beads,
His dear companions sing his hallowed deeds;
Madhumangal cracks many witty jokes,
Which mirth and laughter in the boys provokes.
And now they sing in concert with the bees,
Now with the monkeys climb up in the trees,
Mukunda does his dear friends joy enhance,
By mimicking the plumy peacock's dance;
And now he calls the names of straying kine,
Later, when tired of play he does recline
His head upon the lap of a dear friend;
Sometimes in bouts of wrestling they contend,
Some sing his praises in sweet melodies,
Some wave palm fans to drive a cooling breeze,
Some blest with heaps of merit do engage,
His tender feet most gently to massage;
Then they proceed to the cool shady brink
Of Flower Lake*, to let the cattle drink.
Meantime the beauteous empress of the grove,
Essayed to venture forth, impelled by Love,
With her companions, under the pretence
Of worshipping the Sun with flowers and scents.
And having the old Jatila deceived,
Permission to go with her friends received
To gather from the fragrant leafy bowers,
In reed baskets, crimson hibiscus flowers.
Meantime Krishna slips off with one or two
Dear comrades to enjoy the pleasant view.
Eventually the couple find their way
To Radha Kund, and there spend all the day.
Navadvipa Madhyahna Lila 10:48 - 15:36
Meantime in Navaveep, Gaura Hari,
Floats on the waves of divine ecstasy;
With clashing cymbals and the clay drum's roll,
And frequently exclaiming, Hari bol!
Lord Gauranga and Nityananda Ray,
The lord Advaita and Pandit Gosai,
Mukunda, Murari, and Vakreshvar,
Handsome Ramai, and Shri Chandrasekhar,
Shrivas, and Hari das, and many more,
Sing, weep, and laugh, and roll upon the floor;
In Vraja's love they were deeply entranced,
With arms upraised, ecstatically danced.
They sung how Radha, with her faithful friends,
Toward the Sanket trysting bower wends;
Then Gaura o'er his head a veil doth throw,
And says, Come friend, O let us quickly go!
Vraja
Now tyrant Cupid rules with sovereign sway
And guides the games and sports of middle day.
Adorned with peacock plumes and flower wreaths,
Into his bamboo flute Govinda breaths;
Now when the cowherd dames that music heard,
Their minds were by the ruthless Cupid stirred.
Th'unbodied archer eftsoons took his aim,
And kindled in their hearts th'amorous flame.
Now when Radhika Govinda beheld,
In eager haste she came, by love compelled.
Krishna a Viajayanti garland wears,
With Karnikara blossoms o'er his ears,
His yellow garment shines like burnished gold,
He looks the foremost actor, brave and bold.
Then Hari, to conceal his conscious pride,
The cowherd damosels strictly denied
Permission to pick flowers in his grove;
Then they his arrogance sharply reprove.
Achyuta was bewildered when he saw
The beautiful Radha, and stunned with awe,
He stood confounded, dumbfounded and mute,
And from his hand let fall his bamboo flute.
Thereafter, on a flower bedecked swing
The lovers sit, while round them in a ring
Their dear companions heave with vigorous pace,
That Radha and Govinda must embrace.
Thereafter as they from the swing alight,
They wander through the forest with delight,
Where all six seasons of the circling year,
In all their gay apparel do appear.
They play within the waters of the lake,
Thereafter of fine fruits and sweets partake.
Krishna's midday meal
Adore Govinda, Madhava, Hari!
The lifter of mountains, Giridhari.
In fragrant bowers by the Kunda's shore,
The loving couple Kishori Kishor,
Partake a feast of fruits and varied treats,
Esculent roots and finely made sweetmeats.
Now when the joyous water games were o'er,
They mount the banks of Radha kunda's shore,
And having bathed and dressed in raiment fine,
Hari with his companions sits to dine.
Meantime Radha was bathed and dressed with care,
Then ventured forth the luncheon to prepare.
There were the four varieties of food,
The which is licked or sucked or drunk or chewed;
On golden platters the fine viands keeps,
With diverse kinds of cates and rice in heaps;
There was plain rice, fried rice, and rice pudding,
And redolent clear water for drinking.
Varieties of fruits on golden trays,
Were washed and peeled and cut in diverse ways.
Then to the lotus temple they repair,
And spread out soft seats with officious care.
And having thus arranged the seats at last,
Call Krishna and his friends for there repast.
Sri Radhika with her own lovely hands,
Immersed in joy, serves up the fine viands;
Lalita to Radhika's hand supplies
The dishes, while she glances with her eyes,
And perusing Hari's beautiful face,
Before him does his favourite dishes place.
What merriment and laughter did prevail,
When Govinda partook his midday meal!
Thus having eaten, Krishna with his friends,
With water rinse their mouths and wash their hands.
Then Krishna sat upon a lion-chair,
And chewing betel wraps, he rested there.
Thereafter Radha and her friends partake
Their meal, and Syama's divine remnant take,
Mixed with the nectar which his lips do bare,
Which filled her with delight beyond compare.
They rinse their mouths, chew pan, then Radha goes
To rest beside Syama in sweet repose.
Thus when the sweet refection was complete,
The serving maids began to rub their feet.
Manohar das their glory to prolong,
Sings the auspicious midday bhojan song.
Now rest they in a shady fragrant bower,
Where Cupid shows his ineffable power,
But goddess Vrnda rouses them ere long,
They listen to the parrots dulcet song.
The Parrot said, My Krishna doth beguile
Even Cupid, with his delightsome smile.
That’s true indeed, the Sari then replied,
Only when he hath Radha by his side,
The Parrot then, pride swelling in his breast,
The female Parrot, Sari, then addressed,
My Krishna held aloft a mighty hill.
The Sari said, That’s also true, but still,
It was the power of my Radha’s love,
That gave him confidence his strength to prove.
With joyful bristling wings, the Parrot thus,
My Krishna is the most magnanimous.
The Sari then, with tears of ecstasy,
My Radha is his wish-fulfilling tree.
The Parrot then, elate with conscious pride,
With all the force of eloquence replied,
My Krishna is the universal Lord.
The Sari said, My Radha is adored
By that same Krishna, what more need I say?
And having said so, joyful, flew away.
Thereafter, Radha her pet Sari feeds,
With sweet and juicy pomegranate seed.
After a brief rest the lovers awake,
Their seats within a bosky grove they take,
And set the pieces for the dice board game,
Known as the Pasha-keli sport by name.
They fix the wagers as a pearl necklace,
A flower garland, a kiss, or embrace;
With laughter and insinuating jokes,
The competitors rivalry provokes.
When Radha wins, Krishna with cunning wit,
His obvious defeat will not admit;
I am the victor, he loudly proclaims,
Now give to me the prize the victor gains!
Then shamelessly, without any remorse,
He tries to take her pearl necklace by force.
And when he did the wagered kiss demand,
She smote him with the lotus in her hand.
He feigned humility with lowered head,
Then to Radha, his best beloved, said,
I have in truth been defeated by you,
Now take the kiss and embrace that are due.
Then her contracted brow showed her annoy,
The which afforded him the supreme joy
Now, after playing dice they must return
To Vraja, and in separation burn.
Navadvipa Aparahna Lila 15:36 - 18:00
Meantime in Srivas Thakur's garden grove,
The devotees are overwhelmed with love;
With high pitched flutes, and reeds, and rolling drums,
In grand procession Gaura Hari comes
Along the wide wayed paths and ally ways,
Dancing and singing Krishna's endless praise.
The town's people all hasten to the place.
Men, women,old, and young, to see his face;
He greets his elders with obeisance meet,
And bows his head at mother Sachi's feet.
Thereafter, with his friends he mounts the stairs,
And to the roof top moon chamber repairs;
They sing how Krishna, of the lotus eyes,
In the late afternoon to Vraja hies.
Vraja
While Rai completes her worship of the Sun,
Back to his cowherd friends Krishna must run,
They welcomed him whom they had sorely missed,
But now their melancholy was dismissed.
They make their way back home with all the kine,
While rangers of the sky, with hymns divine,
Sing praises of the wondrous cowherd child,
Govinda, Gopal, merciful and mild.
Thus Mukunda who wears a peacock crown,
In the late afternoon entered the town.
On his approach the cowherd damsels hie,
To gaze on him from a high balcony,
The clouds of dust raised up by lowing kine,
Cover his bee like locks with powder fine,
His face seems like a bright blue lotus flower,
With fragrant pollen dust all sprinkled o'er.
Upon his flute he plays sweet melodies,
While smiling from the corners of his eyes;
Surrounded by companions who prolong
The glory of his deeds in charming song.
The cowherd dames their bee eyes on him place,
And drink the nectar of his lotus face,
Which pain of separation did assuage;
A moment's absence from him seemed an age.
With bashful glances and gestures of love,
They to conceal the signs of passion strove,
Yet marking how they were with love elate,
He their fond glances did reciprocate.
Now when Rohini and Yashoda came
To greet their darling boys back home again,
They fondled them and served their every need,
And blessed them and with dainties they did feed;
When they were bathed and clad in raiment fine,
The brothers twain upon soft beds recline
Meanwhile fair Radha to her duty tends,
And pensive, ever brooding, homeward wends;
Vrndavan's empress hastens to prepare
Varieties of sweets with loving care,
Which by the hand of her dear maid was sent
To Nanda's pious wife, with complement.
Navavipa Sayahana Lila 18:00 - 20:24
Meantime in Navadveep with all his friends,
Gauranga from the moon chamber descends;
Thereon he does his ecstasy conceal,
And having bathed, partakes his evening meal.
Thereafter joining with his devotees,
They make their way beneath the blooming trees;
When they arrive at Ganga's shelving shore,
They with salutations Ganga adore.
Upon a lion throne Gauranga sits,
Where evening jasmine sweet odours emits;
To right Nitai, to left Gadadhar stands,
Advaita stands before, with folded hands,
The scholar Srivas, overwhelmed with love,
Holds up a shady canopy above;
Some drive a pleasant breeze with fans, or ply
Cham'ras in circling motions, standing nigh.
Gauranga casts around his loving glance,
Whereat the devotees begin to dance.
Narad and Shiva, and the Four-faced god,
Confirm the joy with their approving nod.
The sound of conches, cymbals, drums, and bells,
All inauspiciousness at once dispels;
Tathoy! Tathoy! Tathoy! the clay drums roll,
The universe re-echos, Hari bol!
Then to a flower cottage they repair,
Where divine fragrances surcharge the air;
And Damodar Svarup begins to sing
The pastimes of Vraja in the evening.
Vraja
When Ravi, wearied, sinks into the west,
Fair Radha, in an azure garment dressed,
Enters the kitchen with her serving maid,
And cooks a dainty feast, to be conveyed
To Nandi gram, where Krishna and his friends,
Back from the milking parlour joyous wends.
Hari is dressed in robes of yellow hue,
And takes the hand of Ram, in order due,
With Nanda and his household retinue.
When Govinda appears, like the moon rise,
Then bloom the Vraja people's lily eyes;
The balmy moon beams of his smiles inspire,
Their limbs, like melting moon gems, to perspire.
When Krishna and his friends all eat their fill,
And bards and panegyrists showed their skill,
The maid again returns to Radha's house,
To bring the orts, and tidings of her spouse.
Navadvipa Pradosa Lila 20:24 - 22:48
After a brief rest, lord Gauranga Ray,
Awakens suddenly with a loud cry,
Remembering how Radhika, the fair,
Spends the late evening steeped in anxious care.
Then, having risen, Sachi's noble son,
Sits on the veranda outside his room,
Where Nitai, Advaita, with love elate,
And all the devotees eagerly wait
To serve the Master's lovely lotus feet,
With flower offerings and incense sweet.
Then Svarup Damodar, having divined,
The certain mood of Gaura Hari's mind,
Begins to recount in exquisite verse,
How Radha with her friends the way traverse
Toward the trysting bower, bathed in light
Of the full moon, in raptures of delight.
Vraja
When night arrives, Radhika, beauty's queen,
Who radiates a golden pearly sheen,
Is dressed according to the lunar phase,
(Whether he shows or covers up his face);
And hastens to the assignations place.
There goddess Vrnda, by a message sent,
Gave sure signs of Govinda's firm intent,
That he would wait beneath a certain tree,
Near Yamuna, at Govinda sthali.
When Radha had the means to go contrived,
Soon at the assignation place arrived.
Meantime to Krishna, in the banquet hall,
His mother sent a servant boy to call
Govinda to his bed chamber, and there
Urged him to rest with a fond mother's care.
But when she left the room Krishna arose,
And by a postern gate, lest he expose
His night time exploits to the public view,
Went forth alone, without his retinue.
Navadvipa Nisha Lila, 22:48 - 03:36
Now in Srivas's courtyard was begun
The eternal nocturnal Sankeertan;
Where Sri Chaitanya, in the fair moon light,
With his companions dances with delight.
Fresh jasmine buds and shiny strands of pearls
Bind up Gauranga's luxuriant curls;
A flower wreath, invaded by black bees,
Hangs from his comely neck down to his knees.
While he himself sang Hari's holy name,
Signifying his immaculate fame,
He raised one hand aloft, the other placed
Upon his hip, and round the courtyard paced.
In rapturous delight and ecstasy,
All sang, O Rama! O Krishna! Hari!
Some weep, some laugh, some ecstatically roar,
Some leap, some fall and roll upon the floor.
The sound of anklets fastened to their feet,
With chiming tinkling holds the rhythmic beat.
Thus having in this way their joy expressed,
They retire to a jasmine grove to rest.
Then Damodar, whose comprehensive view,
The thoughts within Gauranga's mind well knew,
Began to sing of Radha-Krishna's love,
And secret play enacted in the grove,
Whereon Gauranga is immersed in trance,
In recollection of the Rasa dance.
Vraja
The Autumnal moon and the limpid breeze,
Intoxicates the greedy buzzing bees;
Surcharging the forest with sweet odours,
From bright Mallika and Malati flowers.
Beholding the beauty of such a night,
Bathed in the pleasing rays of the moonlight,
And hearing the charming and dulcet strains,
From the flute, robs the minds of pious dames.
The cowherd girls when they that music heard,
Their hearts were with eager love-longing stirred,
Intrepidly they hasten on their way.
The flute music made them eager for play.
Forgetful of themselves, in haste they fly,
With collyrium only on one eye;
Another, while she hastened off to meet
Her lover, had one anklet on her feet;
Another, in her passionate career,
Had only placed one pendant on her ear.
As they pursued the path in their great haste,
The belts slackened that fastened round their waist,
Their garments slip and loosen as they go,
Their braided tresses swinging to and fro.
Although they could not clearly see the way,
They could not tolerate any delay;
And in this manner with the Lord unite,
Who is himself Gokula's dear moon bright.
And thus the sport of the Autumnal Ras,
Is here, in song, told by Govinda Das.
The radiant moon and fragrant jessamine
Surcharge the atmosphere with love divine;
Radha and her companions pensive wait
And sit expectant, by the bower gate.
When Govinda upon the scene arrives,
To bring them to forgather Vrnda strives,
And after worshipping with honour due,
This one of fair complexion, that one blue,
They wander through the groves and alleyways,
While their companions laud their endless praise.
One holds a flower canopy on high,
While gods rain heav'nly flowers from the sky.
They circle round and form a dancing ring,
Alternate of the moon and Krishna sing;
Sometimes the dancers measure back their pace,
And then their steps, with clashing sticks, retrace;
Ta dig! Ta dig! Ta dig! the clay drums roll,
The fortune of Radhika to extol.
Thus having spent some portion of the night,
In loving ecstasy and vast delight,
Radha and Krishna wander through the wood,
Then with their friends they enter in the flood
Of Kalindi, whose sable waters glow,
Wherein blue lilies in dense clusters grow.
Thus having sported in the holy stream,
Whose lapping ripples in the moonlight gleam,
They mount the bank, and then prepare to dine,
On sweet confections and strong honey wine,
Which redoubles their amorous desire,
Whence to a leafy bower they retire.
The periods eight are wonderful to hear,
Like pouring nectar sweet into the ear,
And fit for contemplation in the mind,
By sedulous discipline thus refined.
This secret doctrine has thus been extolled,
Not ordinarily to be thus told;
E'en Sesh and Shiva cannot comprehend
Where Krishna's timeless sports begin or end;
How can a tiny creature ever hope
With subject matter infinite to cope?
Finis
The Diurnal and nocturnal Acts of Navadvipa and Vraja ,
A Synopsis of Navadvipa and Vrndavan daily pastimes, derived from Gaura Govinda Lilamrta Gutika of Siddha Krishna das of Govardhan, etc.
Navadvipa Nishanta Lila 03:36 - 06:00
In Navadveep, when night draws to a close,
The servants of the lord from slumber rose;
Some fragrant oils in golden vessels keep,
Some, highly fortunate, the bowers sweep,
Some fresh lotuses into garlands twine,
Others prepare fresh unguents divine
Some, polished articles of worship bring;
When now the parrot couples start to sing,
And greedy bees from flowers nectar take,
And pollen from the ravished petals shake.
When the sweet chirping of the birds was heard,
Gauranga was with great emotion stirred,
And roused by deepest sentiments of love,
Remembered Radha-Krishna in the grove.
Then sainted Shrivas and his brethren hie,
Followed by lord Advaita and Nitai;
To where the devotees each other meet,
With warm embrace and salutation greet,
And in a body hasten to the place
Where creeping vines the wishing trees embrace,
And mount the terrace, shaded by a tree,
That they might through the lattice window see,
With soft and milky fine white sheets o'erspread,
The lord Gaura recumbent on his bed.
His golden limbs reclining on white silk,
Seems a gold lily on a lake of milk.
The lord who on a serpent takes his rest,
Whose feet are by the hands of Lakshmi pressed,
Now in a garden cottage did abide,
Not far from holy Ganga's southern side.
Meanwhile, Mukunda with his dulcet voice,
Whereat the devotee's pure hearts rejoice,
Sings how Govinda and Radhika fair,
At night's end to their several homes repair.
Vraja
The Argument
Recall Radha and Krishna at night’s close,
Whom Vrinda’s parrots waken from repose,
Reciting sweet couplets agreeable,
Mixed with allusions disagreeable.
The couple from the play bed soon arise,
Exchanging glances with their rolling eyes;
And by their dear companions are observed
In lazy languor, and are by them served.
But when Kakkhati, the old she monkey,
Raises th’alarm, then sore perplexity
Fills all of them, and fraught with anxious care,
The couple to their several homes repair.
In the Sanat Kumara Samhita
Narad interrogates goddess Vrinda,
‘Oh sylvan goddess Vrinda, kindly deign
The daily sports of Krishna to explain;
I have an eager wish to comprehend
Those sports from the beginning to the end.
Therefore if thinkest thou I am worthy,
Oh beauteous one, relate those sports to me.’
Said Vrinda, ‘ You are devoted and blest,
Of contemplative saints you are the best,
And though it is a secret mystery,
I shall disclose the truth of it to thee.
This subject, it should be noted with care,
Is not be divulged hither and there.
Before night's end, within the leafy bowers,
The soft breeze shakes the pollen from the flowers;
The parrot couples perched upon the trees,
Are roused from slumber by the humming bees.
The sylvan goddess Vrnda then arose,
And ventured forth to rouse from sweet repose,
The prince of cowherds and his consort fair,
Radhika, whose abundant curly hair
Lay scattered and entangled in the snares
Of ear rings fastened to Govinda's ears.
The servant maids now roused to busy care,
Compose their garments and bind up their hair;
This damsel brings a shiny peacock fan,
Another, a gem studded watering can;
Some cull sweet flowers, others sweep the ground,
And tinkling anklets and bracelets resound.
A learned parrot flaps his gaudy wings,
And in heroic couplets proudly sings;
His name Vichakshan, eloquent and wise;
And like a minstrel, urged Krishna to rise.
'Hail to the prince of Vraja, Nanda's pride!
The cowherd people's friend, hail lotus eyed!
Mark how the Dawn spreads out across the east,
And gem like stars their lustre have decreased,
The greedy bees the night lilies forsake,
And to sweet jessamine their way betake;
Before the people on the pathways roam,
You should, methinks, return to your own home.'
A female parrot then, with bristling wings,
To waken Radha, ecstatically sings;
‘Hail to the lovely empress of the grove!
Hail to the object of Govinda’s love!
You like a golden swan forever stray,
In the lake of Mukunda’s mind to play.
Oh foremost of accomplished damosels!
The light of morn the dark of night dispels;
Your dear companions, tremulous with love,
Forgather in the hortyard of the grove.
While now you rest your head on Hari's arm,
Lest the ancient Jatila raise th'alarm,
It is imperative, O my sweet friend,
You rise, depart, and to your chambers wend.'
While in Hari’s embrace Radhika lies,
She slowly opens her bright rolling eyes.
Fair Radha viewed the dawn with slight regard,
And wished she might the hast'ning day retard;
Hari, by Cupid's darts had been transfixed,
And now his blue with her gold lustre mixed.
And as the creeper does the tree entwine,
As Passion's thralls, the lovers still recline.
They waken soon, and after some delay,
Go home to bed before the light of day.
Navadvipa
Meantime in Navadvip, Mukunda ends
His song, Then Sachi’s son with all his friends,
Repairs to his own chambers with delight,
Before Surya had spread his beams of light.
Navadvipa Pratah Lila 06;00-08;24
Now Bhaskara, heralded by the Dawn,
His golden car by panting horses drawn,
The stars extinguished, all their lustre spent,
And spread his light across the orient.
The holy mother Sachi rose from bed,
Her morning duties in due order sped,
Then to Gauranga's bed chamber she went,
While to their diverse tasks the maids were sent.
Impelled by deep maternal affection,
She called aloud to waken her dear son,
" O darling Nimai, of the lotus-eyes,
'Tis getting late, now you must needs arise,
Your friends and servants in the courtyard stay,
Awake! arise! and bathe and eat and play.
Adore with flower wreaths and scents divine,
The mighty lord Narayan in his shrine."
As ofttimes bees are trapped when flowers close
Their petals, and again when they disclose,
The bee 'scapes and to other blossoms flies,
So slowly opened Nimai's rolling eyes.
Then sitting up and yawning as he speaks,
While mother Sachi strokes his comely cheeks,
He stretches out his limbs and shakes his curls,
And as he yawns, his teeth glisten like pearls;
He bows in humble salutation meet,
Before his revered mother's holy feet.
Then by her leave he ventures forth to go
Where his friends wait beneath a portico,
And meeting there they hasten on the path
To Ganga's bank to take their morning bath.
Then having bathed and clad in raiment fair,
Eager they to the lecture hall repair,
Where pious Gadadhar deigns to recite
The holy Bhagavat with vast delight,
And tells of Krishna's deeds of days gone by,
Eloquently laid clear before the eye;
And as Gaura the recitation hears,
His glist'ning cheeks are drenched with flowing tears.
After some while he gains external sense,
All praise the reader for his eloquence.
Then Sachima sends Ishandas to call
Nimai to come into the dining hall,
And when all his dear friends were seated there,
They all partook a feast of dainty fare,
Of golden rice and leafy vegetables,
And endless kinds of fine comestibles.
Adore the lover of each devotee,
The magnanimous lord Gaura Hari;
Who is that self-same playful cowherd boy,
Who Nanda and Yashoda filled with joy.
Vraja
When Aruna had brightened o'er the east,
Krishna arose and took a light repast.
Now Hari showed the innocence and grace
Of childhood in his smiling lotus-face;
Who slowly opes his lotus-petal eyes,
And sees his mother, and although he tries
To keep them open, closes them again,
While the sweet smile does on his face remain.
Then he went forth, as daily task demands,
To milk the cows with his soft lotus-hands.
Meantime, fair Radha and her maids and friends,
First bathes, and then to Nandi-grama wends,
Where she, with Rohini, the labours share,
Govinda's lavish breakfast to prepare.
When Radhika Yashoda came to greet,
She prostrated herself to touch her feet;
Yashoda placed her hand on Radha’s head,
And raised her up, by love disquieted,
And from her head breathed in the fragrance rare,
Emitted from Radhika's sable hair.
And with affection, when she had observed,
How Radha was with modesty reserved,
How Radhika held down her moon like face,
She took her in her arms with warm embrace.
Yashoda, the fond mother, with a call,
Bade Krishna come into the dining hall,
Invited his companions to the treat,
And urged her child repeatedly to eat.
'Come now, O Damodar, it is the time
To join with your friends in the hall to dine.'
The Mountain-wielder, on Nanda's behest,
With Baladev, sat down for his repast;
In ordered lines the boys all take their seat,
Where all the company laugh, drink, and eat
All the varieties of four-fold food,
That which is licked or sucked, or drunk or chewed.
Shukta and Shak, and diverse vegetables,
Nalita and other comestibles;
Kushmanda pie, Dalna, and sweet Dadhi,
And Mochakhanda, and Dugdhatumbi;
Mugdha bara and Masha bara fries,
With odorous and ghee besprinkled rice;
Evaporated milk and Shashkuli,
Rice pudding and sweet Amrtakeli;
With camphor, clotted cream and Rasala,
Pishtaka, curds, Pooli, and Payasa;
And twelve varieties of sweet and sour
Pickles and chutneys of finest odour.
Then Luchi, sugar, and cream-puff puris,
And Laddu sweets of all varieties.
Krishna, in love, enjoys the fine viands,
And sweet confections made by Radha's hands.
Pointing his finger, Madhumangal cheats
The other boys, and gobbles down their sweets,
And slaps his sides, and drains another bowl
Of sweet Dadhi, exclaiming, "Hari bol!"
Radha observes Govinda take his meal,
And both with secret joy, fond glances steal.
After the meal Govinda takes and sips
Some scented water and rinses his lips,
And cleanses his soft hands with powder fine.
The other boys, all standing in a line,
Their hands and mouths with fragrant water rinse.
Thereafter, Govinda, Vrndavan's prince,
An hundred paces, with his merry friends,
To rest a while, to his own chambers wends.
Then wide-eyed Vishalaksa, with a fan
Of peacock plumes, to drive a breeze began;
While other dear companions, standing by,
White yak tail whisks in circling motions ply.
One rubs his feet, his vigour to renew,
Another gives a betel-wrap to chew.
Meantime, Dhanishtha, upon the behest
Of Yashoda, made eager her request
To Radha and her friends to take their seat,
And without hesitation drink and eat.
Dhanishtha brought in dainties of all sorts,
Secretly mixed with SriGovinda's orts.
Navadvipa Purvahna Lila, mid morning, 08:24-10:48.
Gauranga with his friends the pathways roam,
When to a pellucid clear lake they come.
Wide petalled lotuses of red and blue,
And blooming lilies of a golden hue,
Sway gently in the fragrant cooling breeze,
Which thus disrupts the labour of the bees.
Ah me! what moods of loving ecstasy
Rise in the mind of the Fair-limbed today!
He called in his resonant voice sublime,
Dhavali, Shyamali, and other kine.
With bugle horns and flutes both short and long,
They raise the auspicious victory song;
Gauranga turns about and cries, Hoy hoy!
With his companions exulting in joy.
Ramai and Sundarananda are there
With the Master, and Nityananda dear;
And Gauridas and Abhiram Thakur,
Absorbed in ecstasy of love most pure.
Exuberantly Vasudev Gosh says,
See, Gaura the cow tending sport now plays!
The devotees all gather in a ring,
And Svarup then sweetly begins to sing
How Krishna and the cowherd boys all lead
The cows to forest pastures, there to feed.
How Radhika the articles prepares
For Sun worship, while down the path she stares,
With anxious care and ever brooding doubts,
She waits for news of Krishna's whereabouts.
As Gaura's mind becomes immersed and steeps
In Radha's love, he laughs, trembles, and weeps.
Vraja
Now radiant Ravi mounts his car on high
To mid morning, and brightens all the sky;
Rama and Krishna with their merry friends
And countless cows, to forest pastures wends,
Bedecked with flower wreaths and goonja beads,
His dear companions sing his hallowed deeds;
Madhumangal cracks many witty jokes,
Which mirth and laughter in the boys provokes.
And now they sing in concert with the bees,
Now with the monkeys climb up in the trees,
Mukunda does his dear friends joy enhance,
By mimicking the plumy peacock's dance;
And now he calls the names of straying kine,
Later, when tired of play he does recline
His head upon the lap of a dear friend;
Sometimes in bouts of wrestling they contend,
Some sing his praises in sweet melodies,
Some wave palm fans to drive a cooling breeze,
Some blest with heaps of merit do engage,
His tender feet most gently to massage;
Then they proceed to the cool shady brink
Of Flower Lake*, to let the cattle drink.
Meantime the beauteous empress of the grove,
Essayed to venture forth, impelled by Love,
With her companions, under the pretence
Of worshipping the Sun with flowers and scents.
And having the old Jatila deceived,
Permission to go with her friends received
To gather from the fragrant leafy bowers,
In reed baskets, crimson hibiscus flowers.
Meantime Krishna slips off with one or two
Dear comrades to enjoy the pleasant view.
Eventually the couple find their way
To Radha Kund, and there spend all the day.
Navadvipa Madhyahna Lila 10:48 - 15:36
Meantime in Navaveep, Gaura Hari,
Floats on the waves of divine ecstasy;
With clashing cymbals and the clay drum's roll,
And frequently exclaiming, Hari bol!
Lord Gauranga and Nityananda Ray,
The lord Advaita and Pandit Gosai,
Mukunda, Murari, and Vakreshvar,
Handsome Ramai, and Shri Chandrasekhar,
Shrivas, and Hari das, and many more,
Sing, weep, and laugh, and roll upon the floor;
In Vraja's love they were deeply entranced,
With arms upraised, ecstatically danced.
They sung how Radha, with her faithful friends,
Toward the Sanket trysting bower wends;
Then Gaura o'er his head a veil doth throw,
And says, Come friend, O let us quickly go!
Vraja
Now tyrant Cupid rules with sovereign sway
And guides the games and sports of middle day.
Adorned with peacock plumes and flower wreaths,
Into his bamboo flute Govinda breaths;
Now when the cowherd dames that music heard,
Their minds were by the ruthless Cupid stirred.
Th'unbodied archer eftsoons took his aim,
And kindled in their hearts th'amorous flame.
Now when Radhika Govinda beheld,
In eager haste she came, by love compelled.
Krishna a Viajayanti garland wears,
With Karnikara blossoms o'er his ears,
His yellow garment shines like burnished gold,
He looks the foremost actor, brave and bold.
Then Hari, to conceal his conscious pride,
The cowherd damosels strictly denied
Permission to pick flowers in his grove;
Then they his arrogance sharply reprove.
Achyuta was bewildered when he saw
The beautiful Radha, and stunned with awe,
He stood confounded, dumbfounded and mute,
And from his hand let fall his bamboo flute.
Thereafter, on a flower bedecked swing
The lovers sit, while round them in a ring
Their dear companions heave with vigorous pace,
That Radha and Govinda must embrace.
Thereafter as they from the swing alight,
They wander through the forest with delight,
Where all six seasons of the circling year,
In all their gay apparel do appear.
They play within the waters of the lake,
Thereafter of fine fruits and sweets partake.
Krishna's midday meal
Adore Govinda, Madhava, Hari!
The lifter of mountains, Giridhari.
In fragrant bowers by the Kunda's shore,
The loving couple Kishori Kishor,
Partake a feast of fruits and varied treats,
Esculent roots and finely made sweetmeats.
Now when the joyous water games were o'er,
They mount the banks of Radha kunda's shore,
And having bathed and dressed in raiment fine,
Hari with his companions sits to dine.
Meantime Radha was bathed and dressed with care,
Then ventured forth the luncheon to prepare.
There were the four varieties of food,
The which is licked or sucked or drunk or chewed;
On golden platters the fine viands keeps,
With diverse kinds of cates and rice in heaps;
There was plain rice, fried rice, and rice pudding,
And redolent clear water for drinking.
Varieties of fruits on golden trays,
Were washed and peeled and cut in diverse ways.
Then to the lotus temple they repair,
And spread out soft seats with officious care.
And having thus arranged the seats at last,
Call Krishna and his friends for there repast.
Sri Radhika with her own lovely hands,
Immersed in joy, serves up the fine viands;
Lalita to Radhika's hand supplies
The dishes, while she glances with her eyes,
And perusing Hari's beautiful face,
Before him does his favourite dishes place.
What merriment and laughter did prevail,
When Govinda partook his midday meal!
Thus having eaten, Krishna with his friends,
With water rinse their mouths and wash their hands.
Then Krishna sat upon a lion-chair,
And chewing betel wraps, he rested there.
Thereafter Radha and her friends partake
Their meal, and Syama's divine remnant take,
Mixed with the nectar which his lips do bare,
Which filled her with delight beyond compare.
They rinse their mouths, chew pan, then Radha goes
To rest beside Syama in sweet repose.
Thus when the sweet refection was complete,
The serving maids began to rub their feet.
Manohar das their glory to prolong,
Sings the auspicious midday bhojan song.
Now rest they in a shady fragrant bower,
Where Cupid shows his ineffable power,
But goddess Vrnda rouses them ere long,
They listen to the parrots dulcet song.
The Parrot said, My Krishna doth beguile
Even Cupid, with his delightsome smile.
That’s true indeed, the Sari then replied,
Only when he hath Radha by his side,
The Parrot then, pride swelling in his breast,
The female Parrot, Sari, then addressed,
My Krishna held aloft a mighty hill.
The Sari said, That’s also true, but still,
It was the power of my Radha’s love,
That gave him confidence his strength to prove.
With joyful bristling wings, the Parrot thus,
My Krishna is the most magnanimous.
The Sari then, with tears of ecstasy,
My Radha is his wish-fulfilling tree.
The Parrot then, elate with conscious pride,
With all the force of eloquence replied,
My Krishna is the universal Lord.
The Sari said, My Radha is adored
By that same Krishna, what more need I say?
And having said so, joyful, flew away.
Thereafter, Radha her pet Sari feeds,
With sweet and juicy pomegranate seed.
After a brief rest the lovers awake,
Their seats within a bosky grove they take,
And set the pieces for the dice board game,
Known as the Pasha-keli sport by name.
They fix the wagers as a pearl necklace,
A flower garland, a kiss, or embrace;
With laughter and insinuating jokes,
The competitors rivalry provokes.
When Radha wins, Krishna with cunning wit,
His obvious defeat will not admit;
I am the victor, he loudly proclaims,
Now give to me the prize the victor gains!
Then shamelessly, without any remorse,
He tries to take her pearl necklace by force.
And when he did the wagered kiss demand,
She smote him with the lotus in her hand.
He feigned humility with lowered head,
Then to Radha, his best beloved, said,
I have in truth been defeated by you,
Now take the kiss and embrace that are due.
Then her contracted brow showed her annoy,
The which afforded him the supreme joy
Now, after playing dice they must return
To Vraja, and in separation burn.
Navadvipa Aparahna Lila 15:36 - 18:00
Meantime in Srivas Thakur's garden grove,
The devotees are overwhelmed with love;
With high pitched flutes, and reeds, and rolling drums,
In grand procession Gaura Hari comes
Along the wide wayed paths and ally ways,
Dancing and singing Krishna's endless praise.
The town's people all hasten to the place.
Men, women,old, and young, to see his face;
He greets his elders with obeisance meet,
And bows his head at mother Sachi's feet.
Thereafter, with his friends he mounts the stairs,
And to the roof top moon chamber repairs;
They sing how Krishna, of the lotus eyes,
In the late afternoon to Vraja hies.
Vraja
While Rai completes her worship of the Sun,
Back to his cowherd friends Krishna must run,
They welcomed him whom they had sorely missed,
But now their melancholy was dismissed.
They make their way back home with all the kine,
While rangers of the sky, with hymns divine,
Sing praises of the wondrous cowherd child,
Govinda, Gopal, merciful and mild.
Thus Mukunda who wears a peacock crown,
In the late afternoon entered the town.
On his approach the cowherd damsels hie,
To gaze on him from a high balcony,
The clouds of dust raised up by lowing kine,
Cover his bee like locks with powder fine,
His face seems like a bright blue lotus flower,
With fragrant pollen dust all sprinkled o'er.
Upon his flute he plays sweet melodies,
While smiling from the corners of his eyes;
Surrounded by companions who prolong
The glory of his deeds in charming song.
The cowherd dames their bee eyes on him place,
And drink the nectar of his lotus face,
Which pain of separation did assuage;
A moment's absence from him seemed an age.
With bashful glances and gestures of love,
They to conceal the signs of passion strove,
Yet marking how they were with love elate,
He their fond glances did reciprocate.
Now when Rohini and Yashoda came
To greet their darling boys back home again,
They fondled them and served their every need,
And blessed them and with dainties they did feed;
When they were bathed and clad in raiment fine,
The brothers twain upon soft beds recline
Meanwhile fair Radha to her duty tends,
And pensive, ever brooding, homeward wends;
Vrndavan's empress hastens to prepare
Varieties of sweets with loving care,
Which by the hand of her dear maid was sent
To Nanda's pious wife, with complement.
Navavipa Sayahana Lila 18:00 - 20:24
Meantime in Navadveep with all his friends,
Gauranga from the moon chamber descends;
Thereon he does his ecstasy conceal,
And having bathed, partakes his evening meal.
Thereafter joining with his devotees,
They make their way beneath the blooming trees;
When they arrive at Ganga's shelving shore,
They with salutations Ganga adore.
Upon a lion throne Gauranga sits,
Where evening jasmine sweet odours emits;
To right Nitai, to left Gadadhar stands,
Advaita stands before, with folded hands,
The scholar Srivas, overwhelmed with love,
Holds up a shady canopy above;
Some drive a pleasant breeze with fans, or ply
Cham'ras in circling motions, standing nigh.
Gauranga casts around his loving glance,
Whereat the devotees begin to dance.
Narad and Shiva, and the Four-faced god,
Confirm the joy with their approving nod.
The sound of conches, cymbals, drums, and bells,
All inauspiciousness at once dispels;
Tathoy! Tathoy! Tathoy! the clay drums roll,
The universe re-echos, Hari bol!
Then to a flower cottage they repair,
Where divine fragrances surcharge the air;
And Damodar Svarup begins to sing
The pastimes of Vraja in the evening.
Vraja
When Ravi, wearied, sinks into the west,
Fair Radha, in an azure garment dressed,
Enters the kitchen with her serving maid,
And cooks a dainty feast, to be conveyed
To Nandi gram, where Krishna and his friends,
Back from the milking parlour joyous wends.
Hari is dressed in robes of yellow hue,
And takes the hand of Ram, in order due,
With Nanda and his household retinue.
When Govinda appears, like the moon rise,
Then bloom the Vraja people's lily eyes;
The balmy moon beams of his smiles inspire,
Their limbs, like melting moon gems, to perspire.
When Krishna and his friends all eat their fill,
And bards and panegyrists showed their skill,
The maid again returns to Radha's house,
To bring the orts, and tidings of her spouse.
Navadvipa Pradosa Lila 20:24 - 22:48
After a brief rest, lord Gauranga Ray,
Awakens suddenly with a loud cry,
Remembering how Radhika, the fair,
Spends the late evening steeped in anxious care.
Then, having risen, Sachi's noble son,
Sits on the veranda outside his room,
Where Nitai, Advaita, with love elate,
And all the devotees eagerly wait
To serve the Master's lovely lotus feet,
With flower offerings and incense sweet.
Then Svarup Damodar, having divined,
The certain mood of Gaura Hari's mind,
Begins to recount in exquisite verse,
How Radha with her friends the way traverse
Toward the trysting bower, bathed in light
Of the full moon, in raptures of delight.
Vraja
When night arrives, Radhika, beauty's queen,
Who radiates a golden pearly sheen,
Is dressed according to the lunar phase,
(Whether he shows or covers up his face);
And hastens to the assignations place.
There goddess Vrnda, by a message sent,
Gave sure signs of Govinda's firm intent,
That he would wait beneath a certain tree,
Near Yamuna, at Govinda sthali.
When Radha had the means to go contrived,
Soon at the assignation place arrived.
Meantime to Krishna, in the banquet hall,
His mother sent a servant boy to call
Govinda to his bed chamber, and there
Urged him to rest with a fond mother's care.
But when she left the room Krishna arose,
And by a postern gate, lest he expose
His night time exploits to the public view,
Went forth alone, without his retinue.
Navadvipa Nisha Lila, 22:48 - 03:36
Now in Srivas's courtyard was begun
The eternal nocturnal Sankeertan;
Where Sri Chaitanya, in the fair moon light,
With his companions dances with delight.
Fresh jasmine buds and shiny strands of pearls
Bind up Gauranga's luxuriant curls;
A flower wreath, invaded by black bees,
Hangs from his comely neck down to his knees.
While he himself sang Hari's holy name,
Signifying his immaculate fame,
He raised one hand aloft, the other placed
Upon his hip, and round the courtyard paced.
In rapturous delight and ecstasy,
All sang, O Rama! O Krishna! Hari!
Some weep, some laugh, some ecstatically roar,
Some leap, some fall and roll upon the floor.
The sound of anklets fastened to their feet,
With chiming tinkling holds the rhythmic beat.
Thus having in this way their joy expressed,
They retire to a jasmine grove to rest.
Then Damodar, whose comprehensive view,
The thoughts within Gauranga's mind well knew,
Began to sing of Radha-Krishna's love,
And secret play enacted in the grove,
Whereon Gauranga is immersed in trance,
In recollection of the Rasa dance.
Vraja
The Autumnal moon and the limpid breeze,
Intoxicates the greedy buzzing bees;
Surcharging the forest with sweet odours,
From bright Mallika and Malati flowers.
Beholding the beauty of such a night,
Bathed in the pleasing rays of the moonlight,
And hearing the charming and dulcet strains,
From the flute, robs the minds of pious dames.
The cowherd girls when they that music heard,
Their hearts were with eager love-longing stirred,
Intrepidly they hasten on their way.
The flute music made them eager for play.
Forgetful of themselves, in haste they fly,
With collyrium only on one eye;
Another, while she hastened off to meet
Her lover, had one anklet on her feet;
Another, in her passionate career,
Had only placed one pendant on her ear.
As they pursued the path in their great haste,
The belts slackened that fastened round their waist,
Their garments slip and loosen as they go,
Their braided tresses swinging to and fro.
Although they could not clearly see the way,
They could not tolerate any delay;
And in this manner with the Lord unite,
Who is himself Gokula's dear moon bright.
And thus the sport of the Autumnal Ras,
Is here, in song, told by Govinda Das.
The radiant moon and fragrant jessamine
Surcharge the atmosphere with love divine;
Radha and her companions pensive wait
And sit expectant, by the bower gate.
When Govinda upon the scene arrives,
To bring them to forgather Vrnda strives,
And after worshipping with honour due,
This one of fair complexion, that one blue,
They wander through the groves and alleyways,
While their companions laud their endless praise.
One holds a flower canopy on high,
While gods rain heav'nly flowers from the sky.
They circle round and form a dancing ring,
Alternate of the moon and Krishna sing;
Sometimes the dancers measure back their pace,
And then their steps, with clashing sticks, retrace;
Ta dig! Ta dig! Ta dig! the clay drums roll,
The fortune of Radhika to extol.
Thus having spent some portion of the night,
In loving ecstasy and vast delight,
Radha and Krishna wander through the wood,
Then with their friends they enter in the flood
Of Kalindi, whose sable waters glow,
Wherein blue lilies in dense clusters grow.
Thus having sported in the holy stream,
Whose lapping ripples in the moonlight gleam,
They mount the bank, and then prepare to dine,
On sweet confections and strong honey wine,
Which redoubles their amorous desire,
Whence to a leafy bower they retire.
The periods eight are wonderful to hear,
Like pouring nectar sweet into the ear,
And fit for contemplation in the mind,
By sedulous discipline thus refined.
This secret doctrine has thus been extolled,
Not ordinarily to be thus told;
E'en Sesh and Shiva cannot comprehend
Where Krishna's timeless sports begin or end;
How can a tiny creature ever hope
With subject matter infinite to cope?
Finis