॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
28 April 2023Thursday X a.29 Part 3 Raasa Leela - The Gopis make an impassioned plea to Sri Krishna. Raasa Leela begins.
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You can listen to the recitation and read along:
The recitation reflects the anxiety and intensity in the plea of Gopis as they responded to Bhagavan Sri Krishna's advice to them to go home.
गोप्य ऊचुः
मैवं विभोऽर्हति भवान् गदितुं नृशंसं सन्त्यज्य सर्वविषयांस्तवपादमूलम् ।
भक्ता भजस्व दुरवग्रह मा त्यजास्मान्देवो यथाऽऽदिपुरुषो भजते मुमुक्षून् ॥
T: The Gopis spoke: "Come on, Krishna! You should not speak so hearshly to us, who have come to you casting aside our all! Don't be stubborn, please! Should you not have mercy on us, your loved ones, just as Bhagavan loves and cares for His devotees aspiring for liberation?"
यत्पत्यपत्यसुहृदामनुवृत्तिरङ्ग स्त्रीणां स्वधर्म इति धर्मविदा त्वयोक्तम् ।
अस्त्वेवमेतदुपदेशपदे त्वयीशे प्रेष्ठो भवांस्तनुभृतां किल बन्धुरात्मा ॥
T: "This advice you gave us that women should devote themselves to husbands, children and such, speaking like an expert in Dharma, keep it to yourself please! What we know is that Bhagavan is everything and all relationships and duties are subordinate to serving the Lord, because You are the innermost Self of all living beings!"
कुर्वन्ति हि त्वयि रतिं कुशलाः स्व आत्मन्नित्यप्रिये पतिसुतादिभिरार्तिदैः किम् ।
तन्नः प्रसीद परमेश्वर मा स्म छिन्द्या आशां धृतां त्वयि चिरादरविन्दनेत्र ॥
T: "Indeed, even the liberation-aspirants, who meditate, only devote themselves to You as their Self! As such, husbands and children etc. are only sources of misery as they are worldly attachments. So dearest, Lord, Lotus-eyed one! Please don't tear down our lovelorn hopes long-cherished for You!"
चित्तं सुखेन भवतापहृतं गृहेषु यन्निर्विशत्युत करावपि गृह्यकृत्ये ।
पादौ पदं न चलतस्तव पादमूलाद्यामः कथं व्रजमथो करवाम किं वा ॥
T: "Till today, were we not engaged in our household duties!? It was You, oh Lord, who stole our hearts and tore us away from our homes! Now our feet won't move even one step away from Your lotus-feet, oh Lord! So how can we go away!?"
सिञ्चाङ्ग नस्त्वदधरामृतपूरकेण हासावलोककलगीतजहृच्छयाग्निम् ।
नो चेद्वयं विरहजाग्न्युपयुक्तदेहा ध्यानेन याम पदयोः पदवीं सखे ते ॥
T: "Dearest, with the nectar from Your lips, with Your smiling glances, with Your lovely flute songs, please quench the burning desire in your hearts. Otherwise, our option will be that with that same fire of desire, we immolate (give up) our bodies and merge with You in meditation."
यर्ह्यम्बुजाक्ष तव पादतलं रमाया दत्तक्षणं क्वचिदरण्यजनप्रियस्य ।
अस्प्राक्ष्म तत्प्रभृति नान्यसमक्षमङ्ग स्थातुं त्वयाभिरमिता बत पारयामः ॥
T: "Dear Lotus-eyed one! Even Sri Lakshmi gets only occasional opportunities to touch Your feet! But You have graced this forest and us dwellers of Vrindavan with the opportunity to serve You and touch Your feet! Do You then think we will go elsewhere or to other people!?"
श्रीर्यत्पदाम्बुजरजश्चकमे तुलस्या लब्ध्वापि वक्षसि पदं किल भृत्यजुष्टम् ।
यस्याः स्ववीक्षणकृतेऽन्यसुरप्रयासः तद्वद्वयं च तव पादरजः प्रपन्नाः ॥
T: "Consider this. Devi Lakshmi is enshrined as Srivasta in Your chest. But still she covets to serve the dust of Your feet, even if it means sharing it with Devi Tulasi (her rival) and other devotees. And this is the same Lakshmi whose very glance is craved for by even the gods, as it confers prosperity! So why not we seek Your feet, oh Lord!?"
तन्नः प्रसीद वृजिनार्दन तेऽङ्घ्रिमूलं प्राप्ता विसृज्य वसतीस्त्वदुपासनाशाः ।
त्वत्सुन्दरस्मितनिरीक्षणतीव्रकामतप्तात्मनां पुरुषभूषण देहि दास्यम् ॥
T: "Therefore, oh, dearest Lord with the reputation of wiping out Your devotees' distress, give us the pleasure of touching Your feet; we have given up everything else. Our burning love and hankering for Your love needs to be satisfied with Your bewitching glances, Oh Supreme among desirable men! make us Your slaves!"
वीक्ष्यालकावृतमुखं तव कुण्डलश्रीगण्डस्थलाधरसुधं हसितावलोकम् ।
दत्ताभयं च भुजदण्डयुगं विलोक्य वक्षःश्रियैकरमणं च भवाम दास्यः ॥
T: "All that we want is to be Your servants, glancing at Your lovely locks of hair covering Your face sometimes, Your ear-ornaments dancing on Your lovely cheeks, Your nectarine lips, Your loving glances, Your mighty arms that grant fearlessness to us, and the mark of Sri Lakshmi adroning Your chest!"
का स्त्र्यङ्ग ते कलपदायतमूर्च्छितेन सम्मोहिताऽऽर्यचरितान्न चलेत्त्रिलोक्याम् ।
त्रैलोक्यसौभगमिदं च निरीक्ष्य रूपं यद्गोद्विजद्रुममृगाः पुलकान्यबिभ्रन् ॥
T: "Dearest! Is there a woman who can resist the pull of the music from Your flute filled with Your betwitching tunes? Who can keep in mind the social norms of conduct when thus obsessed with Your mesmerising beauty!? Your form confers grace on all the three worlds, Bhagavan! Indeed, just notice how even the cows, birds, deer, and trees are evidently thrilled by You!"
व्यक्तं भवान् व्रजभयार्तिहरोऽभिजातो देवो यथाऽऽदिपुरुषः सुरलोकगोप्ता ।
तन्नो निधेहि करपङ्कजमार्तबन्धो तप्तस्तनेषु च शिरःसु च किङ्करीणाम् ॥
T: "Bhagavan! You, the Supreme Primeval Being taking care of even the gods, have incarnated here amidst us for dispelling the dangers faced by Vraja. Therefore, Dearest, place Your lotus hand on our love-inflamed bosoms, and our disconsolate heads, for we are Your abject servants!"
श्रीशुक उवाच
इति विक्लवितं तासां श्रुत्वा योगेश्वरेश्वरः । प्रहस्य सदयंगोपीरात्मारामोऽप्यरीरमत् ॥
ताभिः समेताभिरुदारचेष्टितः प्रियेक्षणोत्फुल्लमुखीभिरच्युतः ।
उदारहासद्विजकुन्ददीधतिर्व्यरोचतैणाङ्क इवोडुभिर्वृतः ॥
उपगीयमान उद्गायन् वनिताशतयूथपः । मालां बिभ्रद्वैजयन्तीं व्यचरन्मण्डयन् वनम् ॥
नद्याः पुलिनमाविश्य गोपीभिर्हिमवालुकम् । रेमे तत्तरलानन्दकुमुदामोदवायुना ॥
बाहुप्रसारपरिरम्भकरालकोरुनीवीस्तनालभननर्मनखाग्रपातैः ।
क्ष्वेल्यावलोकहसितैर्व्रजसुन्दरीणामुत्तम्भयन् रतिपतिं रमयाञ्चकार ॥
एवं भगवतः कृष्णाल्लब्धमाना महात्मनः । आत्मानं मेनिरे स्त्रीणां मानिन्योऽभ्यधिकं भुवि ॥
तासां तत्सौभगमदं वीक्ष्य मानं च केशवः । प्रशमाय प्रसादाय तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ॥
T: Sage Shuka said: "Smiling upon hearing these despondent words from the Gopis, Sri Krishna, the Supreme Lord of all masters of Yoga (those who have overcome the Gunas), most graciously sported with the Gopis, despite His being self-complete with no craving. Surrounded by the assembled Gopis, Sri Krishna, who could never fail in his mission, appeared just like the moon surrounded by stars. Sri Krishna, who embodied magnanimity, made their faces blossom with His affectionate glances, and His broad smiles revealed the effulgence of His jasmine-bud-like teeth. As the Gopis sang His praises, the one surrounded by hundreds of women sang resonantly in reply. He moved among them, wearing His Vaijayanti garland, beautifying the Vrindavan forest."
"Sri Krishna went with the Gopis to the bank of the Yamuna, where the sand was cool and the wind, enlivened by the river’s waves, bore the fragrance of lotuses. There, Sri Krishna threw His arms around the Gopis and embraced them. He aroused Cupid in the beautiful young ladies of Vraja by touching their hands, hair, thighs, waists and breasts; by playfully scratching them with His fingernails; and also by joking with them, glancing at them and laughing with them. In this way, the Lord enjoyed His pastimes."
"The Gopis now became proud of themselves for having received such special attention from Sri Krishna, Bhagavan Himself! Each of them thought of herself as the best woman on earth. Lord Keshava, seeing the Gopis too proud of their good fortune, wanted to relieve them of this pride and show them further compassion. Therefore He suddenly disappeared!"
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
