॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
1 May 2023, Monday - X a.31 - The Gopi Geeta - famous for its ardour and devotion to Bhagavan.
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In every Bhakti tradition of India, the exemplary love of the Gopis for Sri Krishna is extolled. Every temple and congregation worshipping Sri Krishna sings the Gopi Geeta. The Gopis' impassioned expression of devotion is lyrical, musical, and ecstatic in love. The pangs of separation express themselves in words of unreserved love and a strident demand for reunion. There can be no better prayer. They are not asking for anything except Bhagavan Himself! I reproduce the entire Gopi Geeta. I also have here a beautiful rendition to enjoy. The words, the music, and the visuals, are all enchanting.
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गोप्य ऊचुः
जयति तेऽधिकं जन्मना व्रजः श्रयत इन्दिरा शश्वदत्र हि । दयित दृश्यतां दिक्षु तावकास्त्वयि धृतासवस्त्वां विचिन्वते ॥
T: The Gopis cried out to Sri Krishna, " Dearest. owing to your birth here, Vraja excels all the heavens, and Devi Lakshmi resides here permanently now! Kindly reveal yourself to us, desperately searching for you everywhere!"
शरदुदाशये साधुजातसत्सरसिजोदर श्रीमुषा दृशा ।सुरतनाथ तेऽशुल्कदासिका वरद निघ्नतो नेह किं वधः ॥
T: "Oh Lord of Love! We are your unpaid slaves. Your eyes are more beautiful than all the lotuses that have bloomed this autumn. Your loving glances are more deadly than any weapons! You have killed us, Lord!"
विषजलाप्ययाद्व्यालराक्षसाद्वर्षमारुताद्वैद्युतानलात् । वृषमयात्मजाद्विश्वतोभयादृषभ ते वयं रक्षिता मुहुः ॥ न खलु गोपिकानन्दनो भवानखिलदेहिनामन्तरात्मदृक् ।
विखनसार्थितो विश्वगुप्तये सख उदेयिवान् सात्वतां कुले ॥
T: "Oh mighty Lord, repeatedly you have saved us - from Kaliya, from Agha, from Arishta, from Trinavarta, from the forest fire, from the deadly downpour and wind! You were not born just to be the son of Yashoda, but to protect the whole world at the behest of Brahma. You are the Indweller in every soul!"
विरचिताभयं वृष्णिधुर्य ते चरणमीयुषां संसृतेर्भयात् । करसरोरुहं कान्त कामदं शिरसि धेहि नः श्रीकरग्रहम् ॥व्रजजनार्तिहन् वीरयोषितां निजजनस्मयध्वंसनस्मित ।
भज सखे भवत्किङ्करीः स्म नोजलरुहाननं चारु दर्शय ॥
T: "Dear Lord, scion of Vrishnis, your very touch dispels the fear in your devotees of the birth-death cycle! Your hand lovingly clasped Devi Lakshmi's in marriage! Won't you now touch our heads with your lotus hand, dearest!? You are adept at destroying the arrogance of Gopis with a mere smile as quickly as dispelling the dangers faced by Vraja! We are your slaves. Please show us your bewitching lotus face! "
प्रणतदेहिनां पापकर्शनं तृणचरानुगं श्रीनिकेतनम् ।
फणिफणार्पितं ते पदाम्बुजं कृणु कुचेषु नः कृन्धि हृच्छयम् ॥
मधुरया गिरा वल्गुवाक्यया बुधमनोज्ञया पुष्करेक्षण ।
विधिकरीरिमा वीर मुह्यतीरधरसीधुनाऽऽप्याययस्व नः ॥
T: "Dear Lord, those surrendered to you are absolved of sins by your holy feet. The same feet follow the cattle while grazing, and are also the object of worship of Devi Lakshmi! Place them on our breasts and heal us of our anguish! Your sweet words are nectarine to us, and also attract the minds of the learned! Your lotus eyes bewitch us, your servants! Oh, Hero! Give us the nectar of your lips and quench our thirst please!"
तव कथामृतं तप्तजीवनं कविभिरीडितं कल्मषापहम् ।
श्रवणमङ्गलं श्रीमदाततं भुविगृणन्ति ते भूरिदा जनाः ॥
T: 'Dear Lord, the ambrosia of your stories heal the souls scorched in this world. They are sung by the best of poets and remove all sins. They are the holiest subjects for anyone to hear and are filled with the power to grant divine prosperity. Only those who have won through their good lives in the past the fortune of listening to your stories get to hear them, oh, Lord!"
प्रहसितं प्रिय प्रेमवीक्षणं विहरणं च ते ध्यानमङ्गलम् ।
रहसि संविदो या हृदिस्पृशः कुहक नो मनः क्षोभयन्ति हि ॥
T: 'Look at this paradox. Dearest, your smile, your glance, and your company are all most auspicious to meditate on! Your secret rendezvous, your expressions of love - destroy all duplicity in any heart. And yet, you are making us suffer by the same means!"
चलसि यद्व्रजाच्चारयन् पशून्नलिनसुन्दरं नाथ ते पदम् ।
शिलतृणाङ्कुरैः सीदतीति नः कलिलतां मनः कान्त गच्छति ॥
T: "Beloved! As you walk out of Vraja grazing the cattle, your lotus feet are so beautiful to behold! And yet, we are concerned that they would be hurt by the pebbles and sharp shoots of grass as you walk on them!"
दिनपरिक्षये नीलकुन्तलैर्वनरुहाननं बिभ्रदावृतम् । घनरजस्वलं दर्शयन् मुहुर्मनसि नः स्मरं वीर यच्छसि ॥
T: "Our hero! At the end of the day, with your lovely dark locks covering your lotus face, smeared with dust by your day's work, you reveal yourself to us, and install the god of love in our hearts!"
प्रणतकामदं पद्मजार्चितं धरणिमण्डनं ध्येयमापदि । चरणपङ्कजं शन्तमं च ते रमण नः स्तनेष्वर्पयाधिहन् ॥
T: "Your feet are worshipped by Brahma, they are known to grant all desires of those who surrender to them. They are known as the most worshippable by anyone in distress, as these lotus feet grant the highest of grace. Would you kindly place them on our bosoms, dearest?"
सुरतवर्धनं शोकनाशनं स्वरितवेणुना सुष्ठु चुम्बितम् । इतरराग-विस्मारणं नृणां वितर वीर नस्तेऽधरामृतम् ॥T: "Beloved hero! Give us the nectar of your lips that intensify love, destory sorrow, remove worldly attachments, and so tenderly caress the flute that fills the world with your music!"
अटति यद्भवानह्नि काननं त्रुटिर्युगायते त्वामपश्यताम् ।
कुटिलकुन्तलं श्रीमुखं च ते जड उदीक्षतां पक्ष्मकृद्दृशाम् ॥
T: "Beloved, when you go away every day to the forest to graze the cows, every second of separation for us is unbearably long like a millennium! We want to gaze at your divine face framed by your lovely locks! Which fool invented eyelids that force eyes to shut momentarily hindering our gaze!?"
पतिसुतान्वयभ्रातृबान्धवानतिविलङ्घ्य तेऽन्त्यच्युतागताः ।
गतिविदस्तवोद्गीतमोहिताः कितव योषितः कस्त्यजेन्निशि ॥
रहसि संविदं हृच्छयोदयं प्रहसिताननं प्रेमवीक्षणम् ।
बृहदुरः श्रियो वीक्ष्य धाम ते मुहुरति स्पृहा मुह्यते मनः ॥
व्रजवनौकसां व्यक्तिरङ्ग ते वृजिनहन्त्र्यलं विश्वमङ्गलम् ।
त्यज मनाक् च नस्त्वत्स्पृहात्मनां स्वजनहृद्रुजां यन्निषूदनम् ॥
T: "Oh you cheat of a lover! We all came away, abandoning our husbands, children, and others, mesmerised and pulled away by the sweet strains of your music on the flute! We came into this dense forest, in the dead of the night! How heartlessly have you abandoned us and gone away! And here we are, our minds and our good sense totally lost in your smiling face, loving glances, your broad chest chosen as her abode by Lakshmi herself, attracted by your promise of an intimate private meeting! Your very presence saves residents of Vraja. Oh dearest, kindly give us a little bit of that medicine (of your company) as it will heal our distress and anguish! After all, you are known as the saviour of your devotees!"
यत्ते सुजात चरणाम्बुरुहं स्तनेषु भीताः शनैः प्रिय दधीमहि कर्कशेषु ।
तेनाटवीमटसि तद्व्यथते न किंस्वित्कूर्पादिभिर्भ्रमति धीर्भवदायुषां नः ॥
तेनाटवीमटसि तद्व्यथते न किंस्वित्कूर्पादिभिर्भ्रमति धीर्भवदायुषां नः ॥
T: "Dearest, we take care to place your delicate feet tenderly on our breasts, lest they be hurt by any rough contact. And now, as you are wandering in these forests, we are so worried that your feet are hurting from stepping on pebbles and so on! Please be gracious, and come back to us, you are our very life!"
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
