Some new verses from Sri Rupa's Stavamala

[madanmohandas]

Sri Karpanya Panjika Stotram

This wretched one who in Vrindavan stays,
Declares his eager petition and prays,
And thus Vrindavan's sov'reigns doth entreat
For mercy, and bows at their lotus-feet. 1

Deriding lotus flowers of soft blue,
One of them bears a dark and handsome hue;
The other a gold lustre radiates,
That pride of yellow pigment castigates. 2

His garments shine like heaps of massy gold,
Which beautiful kadamba flowers scold;
She with a red raiment is beautified,
Which of kimsuka flowers break the pride. 3

He is of youthful heroes of renown,
The glistering emerald in the crown;
Of damsels that in Vrindavan abound,
She is the garland in their chignon bound. 4

He is more handsome than the Lord of Sri,
And the embodiment of sweet beauty;
And she in radiance Ramaa excels;
Astounding to the cowherd damosels. 5

His sweet fragrance Gandharva captivates;
And her scent Madhava intoxicates;
Radha is stunned when he plays on the flute;
As is Madhava when she plays her lute. 6

He is the thief who with his rolling glance,
Robs Radha of her treasure of patience;
When she bee-like gazes doth at him dart,
She pierces the core of his lotus-heart. 7

Radha's joking in private doth astound,
Which renders him speechless and doth confound;
The cowherd chief's son's clever repartee,
Makes her to bristle up in ecstasy. 8

He like the Rohan mountain doth abound
In divine gem-like qualities profound;
Uma and other delightsome beauties,
Aspire to her sublime qualities. 9

O you who are Vrindavan's sov'reign Lord!
And you, Empress of Vrindavan adored!
In plaintive tones and bowing I declare,
Although in rash folly, my humble prayer. 10

Although I am unfit and unworthy,
You still grant fearlessness and sweet mercy;
Like the crest-gems of compassion you glow,
And all the more much kindness you bestow. 11

To those unfit, guilty of transgression,
You are restless to show your compassion;
Ah me, you are with such mercy replete,
That mankind and the gods salute your feet. 12

Of that devotion which evokes your grace,
I do not have an iota or trace;
Since you enact great deeds of ecstasy,
May you be pleased herein to favour me. 13

Great potentates within this world are seen,
To show favour to the base and the mean;
As Mahesh in his sport favours the base,
O Sovereigns mine, bestow on me your grace! 14

Though I be low, yet me you highly prize;
Though but a fool, you think that I am wise;
Though wicked, yet you still think well of me,
And do not think of my iniquity; 15

Thus even so, I sometime praise your fame,
And now and then utter your holy name;
A shadow whereof saves from sinfulness;
May you be pleased with me and deign to bless. 16

Those sins unpardonable are effaced,
When even by a touch of bhakti graced;
Which does with eagerness my plaint endue,
And thus lay my petition before you. 17

'Ah me alas!' this feeble creature cries,
Though base, afflicted, courage doth arise;
My sovereigns, thus I pray repeatedly,
That you may favour and show grace to me. 18

This sinner thus bewails himself and weeps,
And bowing low, straw twixt his teeth he keeps;
Alas my sovereigns, hear my prayer and bless;
Have mercy on this creature in distress! 19

Alas, this poor one raves in misery,
And like a beggar begs persistently;
Thus to my lover's plaint give willing ear,
O my dear sovereigns, be you pleased to hear. 20

Crying aloud again and yet again,
And sighing, alas, alas, in my pain;
Though unworthy, pray you have grace on me,
Since you of grace are like a boundless sea. 21

Thus he before his mouth his finger keeps,
This fellow in distress but weeps and weeps;
O my sovereigns of kindness and pity,
Have mercy, O have mercy upon me! 22

My lowly speech herein is quite unfit,
Who only weep, devoid of any wit;
Oh favour this one who your mercy craves,
And splash me in your great compassions' waves. 23

To those who are to your sweet love disposed,
The sweetness of your sweet love is disclosed;
And who in contemplation thus conceive,
The sweetness of your own pure love achieve. 24

To serve you now is my only desire,
To nothing else at all do I aspire;
Therefore my divine sovereign moiety,
May both of you show favour unto me. 25

Thus dear sovereigns my prayer is consigned
To you, always to the destitute kind;
May this one, gaining grace and overjoyed,
Be in your intimate service employed. 26

This lowly one but begs disquieted,
With palms folded and held above his head;
May accomplishment whereto I aspire,
Fulfil my long cherished hope and desire. 27

When shall I apprehend the fragrance rare,
Of both of you, conveyed upon the air,
And carried by the breeze that limpid blows,
And fill with immense ecstasy my nose? 28

When shall my ears be charmed with much delight,
To hear the tinkling of your anklets bright;
Which puts to shame the modulating note
That warbles forth from the swan's tuneful throat. 29

Observing the auspicious marks divine
Upon the path, such as the cartwheel sign;
When in Vrindavan, surveying around,
Will I see, with joy, your prints on the ground? 30

All beauty honours you and doth entreat,
With salutation at your lotus-feet;
When will you grant my eyes the festive sight
Of your enchanting beauty with delight? 31

This is the long cherished desire I hold;
Your lotus flower soft feet to behold.
Will this one in this life directly see
The both of you and relish your beauty? 32

Oh when shall I observe with my own eyes,
In bower caves, the beauteous ones arise,
Engrossed in the bliss of amorous play,
While stationed in a place not far away? 33

Sometimes, before the elders, both of you
Find difficulty each other to view;
When shall I please you and afford respite,
As I convey love-letters with delight? 34

Searching about up to Vrindavan's bound,
When shall I see you as you look around?
I shall cause you to meet, joy to afford;
And thence receive a gift as my reward. 35

The wagers having placed a game ensues
Of dice, where one must win the other lose;
A quarrel thence, each claiming victory,
Erupts forthwith. Oh when will I this see? 36

While both of you recline upon a bed
With soft and stemless flowers overspread,
Ah me, this lowly one while seated there,
Will then massage your feet with tender care. 37

After the battle of Cupid you lay
In a vine cot; your garlands slipped away;
Oh when will you engage me to repair
Your scattered wreaths and necklaces with care? 38

O sovereigns of Vrindavan! In a grove
You float on waves of dalliance and love;
When shall I rearrange your tumbled hair,
And fix the peacock feather lying there? 39

Displaying skill in Cupid's play profound,
Your ornaments lay scattered on the ground;
With keen dexterity, O when will I
Bright tilak on your smooth foreheads apply? 40

With flower garlands, Deus, for your neck,
And black ointment, Dea, your eyes to deck;
When will this one, inside the bower grove,
Adorn and decorate you both with love? 41

When shall this one a betel leaf wrap fold,
With lustre as of Jambunada gold,
Then raising to your lotus flower face,
The tasty tambul into your mouths place? 42

But what am I? A base and sinful man;
And where is my petition, all I can?
And who is there that would not, I confess,
Be maddened by your abundant sweetness! 43

As I in that very favour confide,
That lets this one in Vrindavan abide,
By that favour, my sovereigns, and pity,
Grant my long wished perfection unto me. 44

This Karpanya Panjika Stotra hight,
The dancers of Vrinda forest delight;
And who recites or sings it with love filled,
His long wished-for perfection is fulfilled. 45

Thus ends Sri Karpanya Panjika Stotra
composed by Sri Rupa Goswami,
done into the English by
Madanamohana Dasa.

[madanmohandas]

Sri Rupa's Chatuh Puspanjali

from Stava Mala. The first verse as far as I can guess is Sri Jiva's.

(The praises of Radhika to recite,
Some sweet words of flattery I indite;
To please my Swamini, standing close by,
And gain her favour and to glorify.)


O Gauri fair, as yellow pigment bright!
In lustrous lotus blue fine raiment dight;
Fresh flowers and clusters of jewels rare
Bind up the coils of your cobra-like hair. 1

No comparison can set forth the grace
Of the fair orb of your delightsome face;
And the musk tilak sign upon your brow
Derides the lambent moon with its fresh glow. 2

Your lovely curving eyebrows put to shame
The bow of him known by Ananga's name;
With black collyrium your eyes are dight,
And glance restless as chakori birds bright. 3

A big and lustrous pearl suspended glows
From the tip of your tila flower nose;
Your lips as red bandhuka flowers shine;
Your teeth sparkle like buds of jessamine. 4

With shiny pendants hung upon each ear;
In your crown karnikara blooms you wear;
A spot of musk your fair chin doth bedeck;
With gem studded graiveya on your neck. 5

Your tender lotus stem like arms are graced
And by divine shiny armlets embraced;
Your fine wrists with sapphire bangles bound;
Shine radiant and soft tinkling resound. 6

Your lotus-hands with petal-fingers shine,
With gem studded glistering rings divine;
And an expansive charming necklace rests
On your ample bud-like protruding breasts. 7

The line of your hair like a serpent twines,
Whose head, shimmering, with fair jewels shines;
Your midriff with three vine-like lines is graced,
Supporting thus your slender dainty waist. 8

A belt of gems with bells and golden ties
Is girt about your ample sturdy thighs;
Like two fair columns of gold that deride
Tapering plantain trunks, and crush their pride. 9

O damsel fair, your knees minish the shine,
Of yellow topaz gem caskets divine;
The Sharad lotus worships to entreat,
Adorned with sounding anklets, your soft feet. 10

Diminished is the radiance that glows
From millions of moons, by your gem-like toes;
When eight ecstatic responses are stirred,
Your person becomes restless and perturbed. 11

Gazing at Mukunda with side long eyes,
You cause the billows of Cupid to rise;
And thus begins your sport of ecstasy;
Hail, all hail, to Vrindavaneshvari! 12

When great emotion rises, Goddess mine,
With a restless and sweet favour you shine;
All heroines in you are manifest,
And wonder in your haviour is expressed. 13

The abundance of bliss amorous sweet
Is distilled from your lotus flower feet;
And the Goddess Indira's beauty fails,
In radiant lustre of your toenails. 14

Among all damsels in Gokula town,
You are the chaplet adorning the crown;
Of Lalita you are the life and grace,
And budding smiles adorn your lovely face. 15

Your side long glance such sweetness generates,
Which Madhava himself intoxicates;
The moonlight of your glory radiant,
The good fame of your father doth augment. 16

O Goddess fraught with compassion and kind,
With pity overflows your heart and mind;
Be pleased to grant your favour unto me,
Who desire your maidservant to be. 17

When shall I note you in fair speech addressed,
By the noble cowherd chief's son expressed?
And begging, since occasion did now chance,
That he may be graced by your side long glance. 18

When clever Madhava in bloomy bowers,
Adorns you with blooming madhavi flowers;
Seated with discomfort from the heat there,
When shall I fan you cool with loving care? 19

When due to excess of amorous play,
Your curling locks tumble in disarray;
When shall this one receive your order kind,
And rearrange your soft hair thus and bind? 20

Oh when as I a tasty tambul place
Into the mouth of your fair lotus-face,
Will not the Vraja's Lord, in eager haste,
Snatch it away and enjoy the fine taste? 21

O jewel in the crown that shining dwells,
Of the prince of Vraja's sweet damosels;
Be pleased to count me mid your servant train,
And may your path not far from me remain. 22

I always seek your compassion to gain,
O Goddess who in Vrindavan doth reign;
May with such fine speech, Keshi's deadly foe,
His mercy on this lowly one bestow. 23

Whoever doth this divine hymn recite,
To Vrindavaneshvari with delight,
Called by the name Chatuh Puspanjali,
Recipient of divine grace shall be. 24

Thus ends Sri Chatuh Puspanjali,
composed by Sri Rupa Goswami,
done into the English by
Madamohan dasa.

[madanmohandas]

Bonus verse.

From Sri Rupa's Utkalika Vallari. 37

When your dear friends in two parties divide,
Each choosing freely their respective side,
Thereon begins a quarrel and debate,
And each to each with crooked speech berate.
With covert meaning in their hidden speech,
The deep purport is hard to grasp or reach.
When shall I hear all this, O sovereigns mine,
And fill my ears with wonderment divine?

[madanmohandas]

Commencing Utkalika Vallari. 1-12

In the midst of Vrindavan forest I
Have gained a place, where anxiously I cry;
And thence shall show the marks grief doth impart,
And signs that tears have carved into my heart. 1

O Vrindaranya, sacred forest, who
That renders devout service unto you,
Hath not attained the path to supreme bliss,
Or revels not in immense happiness?
Therefore, this base one craves your clemency,
That by your favour you may instruct me,
How I might gain fulfilment and delight,
And obtain of my sovereigns dear the sight. 2

Your divine forest, O Goddess, is where
Murari sports with his beloved fair,
And sublime exploits of amour displays,
Which Sruti texts and Smriti scriptures praise.
This knowing, I bow to you and entreat
Your grace and lay me at your holy feet;
May you bring to fruition and inspire,
Without delay, the tree of my desire. 3

For long these hopes within my heart I bear,
O most accomplished Goddess Vrinda fair;
My earnest petition deign to convey
To your beloved sovereigns dear I pray;
And cast, compassionate, your glance on me,
For my fulfilment, melting with mercy. 4

One manifests the pleasing lustrous hue,
Of blooming clusters of the lotus blue;
The other bears such beauty to behold,
That robs the shine of heaps of molten gold. 5

He is in yellow glowing raiment dight,
That sparkles radiant as lightning bright;
And she is clad in garments of dark sheen,
Dark as a heap of deer musk scent is seen. 6

He is of passing wondrous sweet beauty,
By far more handsome that the Lord of Sri;
More than Indira she is radiant,
And fills the cowherd dames with wonderment. 7

The gem-virtues others can hardly gain,
Sparkle in him like the Rohan mountain;
And pious dames for all their virtue praised,
By her wondrous qualities are amazed. 8

Of all the peerless youths of Vraja's town
He is the glowing sapphire in the crown;
Of fresh dames that in Gokula abound,
She is the garland in their chignons bound. 9

In the depth of his ocean-heart there stays
Radha who like a playful dolphin strays;
In Radha's heart Krishna is impressed clear;
Her heart the moon; his image there the deer;
The scent of his beloved drives him mad,
Her heart and senses by his scent are glad. 10

The form of love, Karttika-devi hight,
He praises with his flute-song in delight;
She doth in Mukunda's exploits rejoice,
And praises him with her tongue and her voice. 11

The sweetness of his lotus-eyes ensnare
The swan-like best of Vraja's damsels fair;
She doth the prince of Vraja's heart entrance;
Caught like a fish in the net of her glance. 12

[madanmohandas]

Utkaloka Vallari 13-25

The ocean of the steadfast patience rare
In the friend of Gopendra's daughter fair,
Is drained by his flute music and subsumed,
As when the Pot-born sage the sea consumed.
When she plucks on the Veena's warbling strings,
And songs that cast enchantment sweetly sings,
Krishna's soft heart like a fond deer beguiles,
Though he charms all the world with witching wiles. 13

Whenever Radhika's name he but hears,
All play he forgets as it charms his ears;
When syllables of Krishna's name are heard,
She is stunned into silence by that word. 14

O son of the cowherd chief radiant!
O daughter of Vraja's prince eminent!
This lowly one by misfortune distressed,
With palms above his head together pressed;
Begs alms, beseeching, although mean and base,
That both of you may grant to me your grace. 15

Ah! Streams of compassion like flowing rills
The reservoir of your heart and mind fills;
Grant to this misfortunate your mercy,
Which me assures your beauty I will see. 16

O Shyama, of the darksome beauty rare!
O Shyamaa, best of lovesome damsels fair!
One fair in form, one fair in spotless fame,
Of all the crowning gems of high acclaim.
May you somewhat of your favour impart,
And manifest your sweetness in my heart. 17

O children of the best of cowherd men,
I pray you both and bowing low remain;
Bestow on me your divine servitude,
Bestow on me your divine servitude. 18

O tender son of the cowherd chief, hear,
I bow in entreaty and ardent prayer;
Make me object of the sweet compassion,
Of she who is of Vraja's dames the crown. 19

O Goddess Urja, in piteous tone,
And ardent prayer, I make my purpose known;
May I be graced by him who Baka slew,
Considering that I belong to you. 20

O dear companions of the lovesome pair,
Who sport with them in Vraja here and there;
The daughter and the son of the chief men
Of cowherds, and with them ever remain;
Oh hear my plaint and see my misery,
And on me have compassion and pity. 21

O Lalita, you control with your power
The couple who play in the cottage bower;
Nothing for you is hard to accomplish,
Deign to accept me and fulfil my wish. 22

O Vishakha, sweet confidence you bare,
In love for the couple, one dark, one fair;
Your sweet loving compassion to me show,
That they on me kind glances may bestow. 23

O Subala, friend of the loving pair,
The chief of cowherds' son and daughter fair;
Do take a moment, since you are their friend,
And having mercy, to their grace commend. 24

O hearken ye loving companions dear!
Who intense love for the sweet couple bare,
How may this poor presumptuous creature pray,
Or my petition unto you convey?
How may I to such lofty heights proceed,
Who may be likened to a mustard seed?
Yet still I pray with all solicitude,
When will I gain the couples' servitude? 25

[madanmohandas]

Continuing Utkalika Vallari. 26-32

But what am I, extremely low and base?
And where is such devotion pure and grace?
Yet still my longing and my thirst to slake,
Beneath the ponderous burthen I quake. 26

The chime of Urjeshvari's ankle bells,
The pride of Brahma's warbling swan dispels;
O Lord Almighty, the strains of your flute
Reigns in the city of sounds absolute;
O when will I worship with my dull ear
When I that mellifluous music hear? 27

The one who wears a crown of peacock plumes,
And plays upon the flute, confounded swoons,
When she plays the veena with dulcet strains,
He hears with wonder and silent remains.
O Vrindavan's empress, will I be bless'd,
When my ears welcome that sound as a guest? 28

O my dear sovereigns, when will that day be
When I imbibe your sweetest melody?
Swept off in waves of the melodic strain,
Will purge my very ears of taint and stain. 29

Sweet odours are conveyed upon the air,
Emitted from the lovers, dark and fair;
With fragrant deer musk and vermilion blent,
Effacing all the trace of other scent;
O when will my bee-like nose gain the treat,
And festive relish of that odour sweet? 30

Alas, this lowly one, wretched and base,
Who doth his finger over his mouth place,
And wanders in the wood distressed by pain,
And loudly weeps again and yet again;
Be pleased, be pleased, O my sovereigns divine,
Who as a darksome cloud and lightning shine,
May your forms of such exquisite beauty,
Be manifest before my eyes to see! 31

O crown gems of Vraja who all excel,
Who in Vraja's sweet pleasant pastures dwell,
This one in salutation doth entreat,
Bowing in reverence before your feet;
But for a moment to my eyes bestow
A sight of your toenails which like moons glow! 32

[madanmohandas]

Sri Utkalika Vallari. 33-39

When suddenly you both embrace with love
Upon the courtyard of the bower grove,
Your limbs are pressed together in delight,
One dark in form, the other lustrous bright.
One like a greedy honey seeking bee,
The other like blooming jasmine to see;
O when will you as upon you I gaze,
Afford my eyes wonderment and amaze? 33

Ah me! Even the great ones cannot find
Direct vision of you nor in the the mind;
This creature, hiding fear and modesty,
Desires that you show yourselves to me. 34

But as for that, it is no fault of mine,
O Vrindavana's dear sovereigns divine;
For who would not be enamoured of this;
Of your sweet novel qualities the bliss? 35

Alas, alas! O best dancers sublime!
When shall arrive that most fortunate time,
When this one will be favoured by your sight,
And relish of sweet nectar in delight?
Your friends, like moon-birds, in wonderment gaze
At your moon-faces, fraught with vast amaze! 36

When your dear friends in two parties divide,
Each choosing freely their respective side,
Thereon begins a quarrel and debate,
And each to each, with crooked speech berate;
With covert meaning in their hidden speech,
The deep purport is hard to grasp and reach.
When shall I hear all this, O sovereigns mine,
And fill my ears with wonderment divine? 37

When your beloved stole your flute away,
You look around here and there in dismay,
And question in eager anxiety,
To find out where your stolen flute might be.
With smiles upon their bright faces that glow,
The sakhi-friends with laughter mock your woe.
O Aghahara, you who Agha slew,
When will you grant my eyes this joy to view? 38

When Krishna bit his own lips, my Goddess,
He did then to your friends falsely confess,
And did to your dear friend Lalita say,
That you bit him in excess of love-play.
O when will I delighted be to gaze
Beholding your contracted eyebrows raise,
Your angry glances ready to revile,
And the sweet beauty of your hidden smile? 39

[madanmohandas]

Utkalika Vallari. 40-42

Even those highly qualified desire,
O dear sovereigns, and to your grace aspire;
How can this lowly one, disqualified,
In your divine service and grace abide?
Yet you do not consider high or low.
Hail to the splendid grace that you both show! 40

When chance or fate doth separation bring,
You are assailed with pain and suffering,
In absence of your beloved adored,
The daughter of the friend of Vraja's lord.
And as your eyes scan here and there to trace,
Your glance lights fearful on Lalita's face;
A female parrot then, expert and wise,
With eloquence your conduct doth chastise.
O Damodara, Belly-bound, dear Lord,
When will you to my eyes this joy afford? 41

At the commencement of the Rasa-play,
Keshava covertly stole you away,
And all the lotus-eyed damsels forsook
Then you to a sequestered grove he took.
Shall I, observing, as you order him,
To worship and adorn your every limb,
In which he faithfully with love complied,
From a distance, be filled with sudden pride. 42

[madanmohandas]

Sri Utkalika Vallari 43-46

Whose tumbled locks are stained with ointment sweet,
Transferred there from the Goddess Urja's feet;
Who fatigued from love-play would fain repose,
As little by little his tired eyes close.
But is observed as rosy dawn ascends,
By Chandravali and her sakhi friends,
With crooked side-long glances they assail,
And in shame and embarrassment turn pale.
O when, Lord of Vraja, will you delight,
And make me proud and happy at this sight? 43

O Goddess, when the water sports begin,
In festive mirth where one must lose, one win,
The wager set as whoso wins must sip
By quaffing nectar from the losers' lip.
When Hari wins, he seeks without remorse,
To come and clasp you round the neck perforce;
When shall I thus behold your witching wiles,
With feigned annoyance blent with tender smiles;
Your squinting eyes that angry redness show,
And the contracted movement of your brow? 44

When Gandharvika with her friends had come
Before you, O the cowherd cheiftains' son,
They stole away all your flowers with joy.
You entered then their midst with feigned annoy;
When shall I see you smile and forceful wrest
The silken veil off Bhanumanti's breast? 45

When shall I see, O son of Vraja's king,
Eager to play the festival of spring,
My Goddess with smiles and glances of bliss,
Encourage you to plant a loving kiss,
Upon the lips of Guna-manjari;
When will I be delighted this to see? 46

[madanmohandas]

A brief digression of my own.

With eager zeal my study I devote
To verses Rupa and Raghunath wrote;
Then may be gained a glimpse or some insight,
Of the divine couple's playful delight.

Read Rupa and Raghunath every day,
Nor let the time, distracted, slip away;
And Radha-Krishna's deeds, as they describe,
Study with deep attention and imbibe.

Let no one say, 'Hmm, this is not for you',
But still your study earnestly pursue,
If anyone should chastise or revile,
Then take it humbly with a friendly smile.

If someone feels themself unqualified,
That's well, but do not put the book aside,
But learn from a devotee how to read,
Then Rupa-Raghunath are all you need.

[madanmohandas]

Sri Rupa's Sri Utkalika Vallari 47/56

In a grove by Kalinda's daughter's shore,
In a cottage with flowers covered o'er,
And blooming creepers of sweet jessamine,
The lovesome pair in weariness recline.
O when will I with tender loving care,
Your lotus-feet rub with my unbound hair? 47

O ruling sovereigns of the bower grove,
When shall I with expedience and love,
Arrange soft pillows on the flower bed,
With bee-frequented blossoms overspread,
That may the burthen bear when you resort
To amorous skirmish in Cupids' sport? 48

When shall I, with your friends, in gold jugs bring,
Like glossy black bees, dark and glistering,
Fresh water from the Sun-daughter replete,
And while you recline, wash your lotus-feet? 49

While you upon a soft play-bed recline,
With smiles and laughter in humour sublime;
Enthused with eager curiosity,
And anxious to obtain the victory;
When shall I, at approach of eventide,
O my beloved sovereigns, lotus-eyed,
Softly and more softly, as seemeth meet,
Massage your tender lotus-flower feet? 50

O dear sovereigns of Vrindavan divine,
When shall I bring a cup of honey wine,
That you may drink to enhance the delight,
In the sweet encounter and Cupids' fight? 51

O Vraja's fresh young couple, when will I
A vine leaf fan to cool you gently ply;
While you upon a flower strewn play-bed
Recline, your tumbled locks of hair outspread;
Exhausted and to rest a while disposed,
Bedewed with perspiration, eyes half closed;
While talks of love indistinct and unclear,
You softy whisper in each others ear? 52

O Lord by whom the demons are subdued,
When will I with a service attitude,
Collect your peacock plumes, all disarrayed,
And bind your locks again into a braid,
And fix a lotus bud in your headdress,
Upon the order of my fair Goddess? 53

O lotus-faced damsel, during love play,
Your tresses tumble into disarray;
And like the fanning peacock plumes outspread,
Hangs over your shoulders down from your head;
O when will I, with blooming jasmine fair,
Bind up the glory of your curly hair? 54

O Lord, when in the dice game you oppose
The stated wager, quarrel then arose
Twixt you, O Vraja's Lord of high renown,
And she who is of Vraja's dames the crown.
Will she to me her eye gestures convey
Since you had lost, to fetch your deer away
From the midst of your friends to take and bind,
And into her custody be consigned? 55

O my Goddess, will that day ever be,
When you direct your eye gestures to me,
To mock with haughty words and put to shame
Proud Madhava, who lost the dice-board game? 56

[madanmohandas]

Sri Utkalika Vallari. 57-66

Lord, when will that day for this one arrive,
When anxiously you urge me to contrive
To break the stubborn jealous pride in her,
The peer of Vraja's monarch's dear daughter? 57

When heard I what the female parrot said,
With eager haste I to your presence sped,
And met you there on the bank of your pond,
Who wished with a letter to correspond.
'This flower-letter take,' to me you prayed,
'To Sridama's sister be it conveyed,
Which reads, 'O my dear friend, why are you late?'
O Damodara, when will I relate
Your message to Sridama's dear sister,
And on your order, pass it on to her? 58

'I will not see that deceiver again!
I will the wealth of my honour maintain!
Subala's friend, my ruin to conspire,
Hath come here dressed in a damsels' attire!'
Hearing this plaintive speech, O my Goddess,
Will I prevent that cowherders' address;
And by my clever tricks his cunning mar,
And further access to your person bar? 59

'O Agha's bane, a bull demon, alas!
Doth threaten your young pet bull and harass,
Make haste and save!' Thus with false speech will I
From Chandravali's grove cause you to fly;
And bring you to the place Mukunda, where
My Goddess in the wood awaits you there. 60

When all the world is swallowed in darkness,
So dense that e'en a needle could not pierce;
I shall remove the bells from off your feet,
And cover you with a black veil complete,
As black as glossy bumble bees to view,
And thus prepare for your night rendezvous. 61

O Lord, somehow you transferred the tambul,
Mouth to mouth to my Goddess beautiful;
But as into her mouth that gift you placed,
She spat it on a leaf, feigning distaste;
O when will I receive that dainty fare,
Which on my small body raises the hair? 62

After a quarrel between both of you,
In pride of love you each refuse to view
The others' face, and stubbornly remain,
Although you both long to make friends again.
O when will I with expedient guile,
Cause both of you to break forth in a smile,
When I with covert speech, deceptively,
Say, 'Mukunda, why do you wink at me?' 63

O sovereigns mine, within the bower grove,
Will this one gain the chance, endued with love,
To paint designs in coloured substances,
On your smooth foreheads, with sweet fragrances? 64

The bless'd fortune whereby one easy gains
Your service, and ecstatic love attains,
I do not have a spark, my king and queen,
Of that fortune, not even in a dream;
But dwelling here in Vrindavan, at length,
The hopes that bind me gain increase of strength. 65

Somehow in that great fortune I confide,
That I in Vraja's forest yet abide,
And despite of my mean capacity,
My low condition and my pedigree,
While devotees in whom virtues surpass,
Desire to be born here as the grass.
I praise your compassion and meekly bow,
Whose grace is inclined to favour the low. 66

[madanmohandas]

Utkalika Vallari. 67/71

O sweet limbed and stately Tamala tree,
You yield all desire abundantly;
The beauty of your branches and your grace,
Soft tendrils of the jasmine vine embrace;
The glory of Vrindavan is wide spread,
By ambient fragrances that you shed;
If those who sing your glory are relieved
Of all sorrow, and are no more aggrieved,
What wonder then, resorting to your roots,
One quaffs the relish of your mellowed fruits! 67

O wish-fulfilling, nectar-oozing vine,
That flourishes in Vrindavan divine,
The dulcet stream of your dear pastimes flow,
Which Krishna, like a dark cloud doth bestow;
And permeates the world with fragrant scent,
Of purest love and sweetness redolent;
What wonder if those vines that serve your well,
Should grow with vigour and with blossoms swell! 68

O children of the best of cowherd men,
I pray you over and over again,
From birth to birth I earnestly entreat,
Be pleased to grant love for your lotus-feet. 69

Having sprouted this importunate vine
Of supplication, my sovereigns divine,
Who every day to Vrindavan resort,
Intent on revelling in sublime sport;
Mere words I have but uttered for loves' sake,
And I, in much anticipation, quake;
Now having heard my supplication dear,
Be pleased to grant fulfilment of my prayer. 70

In fourteen hundred, one and seventy,
In Paush*, in Vrindavan's residency;
I have endeavoured this poem to write,
As the Utkalika Vallari hight. 71

*Answering to Dec/Jan 1549/50

(Thus ends Sri Rupa's sublime poetry,
Known as the Utkalika Vallari;
And more than one might hope or haply wish,
By Madanmohan done into English.)

[madanmohandas]

Song three.

The glory of your sable curly hair,
Is decked with buds and flower clusters fair;
Your loving friends a powder shower sent,
Of kumkum with fresh camphor redolent.

All hail, all hail to Nanda's handsome boy!
Who plays his springtime exploits full of joy;
In Vrindavan up to the forest bound,
Where fragrances and sweet odours abound.
(Chorus)

As your soft lips broaden into a smile,
Your loving friends eagerly gaze the while;
When you dart glances from your roving eyes,
Radha is stirred as Cupid doth arise.

Your dance enchantment to the world conveys,
The wreath upon your chest glittering sways.
O you to whom your devotees are dear,
In Sanatan's mind, sporting, you appear.

(Sri Rupa's Stavamala)

[madanmohandas]

Song twenty four from Sri Rupa's Stavamala

yadyapi samādhiṣu vidhir api paśyati na tava nakhāgra-marīcim
idam icchāmi niśamya tavācyuta! tad api kṛpādbhuta-vīcim

Though Vidhi's self can hardly gain the sight
In meditation, of thy toenails bright,
Yet hearing of thy compassion inspires,
O Acyuta, surges of fond desires.

deva! bhavantaḿ vande
man-mānasa-madhukaram arpaya nija-pada-pańkaja-
makarande

Deus, I bow in homage unto thee,
And may my mind, e'en as a honey bee
Alight upon the lotus of thy feet,
And suck therefrom the fragrant nectar sweet.
(Chorus)

bhaktir udañcati yadyapi mādhava! na tvayi mama tila-mātrī
parameśvaratā tad api tavādhika-durghaṭa-ghaṭana-vidhātrī

O Madhava, there is no love in me,
Not so much as a seed of sesame;
But since thou art Almighty Lord of all,
For thee there is nothing impossible.

ayam avilolatayādya sanātana! kalitādbhuta-rasa-bhāram
nivasatu nityam ihāmṛta-nindini-vindan madhurima-sāram

O Eviternal Lord, today I find,
A wondrous resort for my bee-like mind,
Quaffing the quintessence of nectar rare,
Denouncing other tastes, I revel there.