Thursday, March 29, 2007

Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta, chapters 14-20


Chapter Fourteen

Unless one is a knower of the text it is highly recommended to keep my English translation of Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta at hand, in order to follow these additional notes:

A footnote is added to 14.10, the verse which outlines the 8 sakhīs' kuñjas, with a song by Uddhava Dās:

aparūpa rādhā mādhava saṅge ;
vṛndā racita vipina duhu vilasaye kore kora, kara dhari koto raṅge
lalitānanda kuñje yāi duhu baiṭhalo, citrā sukhada saba sahacarī meli

"How wonderful is the association of Rādhā and Mādhava! They ramble in Vṛnda's forest, holding hands. Coming to Lalitānandada Kuñja, They sit down and in Citrā Sukhada Kuñja They meet Their friends."

kṣaṇe eka rahi punaḥ madana sukhada nāma kuñjaha sakhī saha meli; 
kuñje punaḥ bhrami bhrami coluṅ campakalatā kuñje 
sudevī raṅgadevī kuñje yāi duhuṅ koru koto ānanda puñje

"They dwell for a while in Madana Sukhada Kuñja and meet Their girlfriends there before proceeding to Campakalatā's kuñja, and then blissfully going on to Sudevī and Raṅgadevī's groves."

pūrṇa indu sukhada nāme, kuñjahi tahi koto koto kautuka kelo;
tuṅgavidyā sakhī kuñjaka heraite, sahacarīgaṇa loi gelo
bhramaite sakala kuñja duhu heralo ṣaḍ ṛtu śobhana rīte;
aichana kusuma suṣamavara dvijagaṇe uddhava dāsa rasa gīte

"Then they had some fun in a grove named full moon (named after Indulekhā sakhī), and took their girlfriends along to see the grove of Tuṅgavidyā sakhī. In this way they wandered through all the groves and admired the beauty of all the six seasons. In this way Uddhav Dās sings a rasik song about the excellent beauty of the flowers and the birds (of Vraja)."

14.22 sarasvatī also means sarasa rasavatī - A luscious rasika girl.

14.26 Ref. Rāy Śekhara padāvali song nr. 68

14.50 Footnote carries a song by padakartā Madhusūdana (not sure if this is the same person as the Bengali translator):

kuṇḍe sināna korolo duhuṅ meli; sahacarī-gaṇa soye kori jala-keli.
vasana bibhūṣaṇa pahiraṇa keli; nibhṛta nikuñja mājhe coli geli

"Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa meet to bathe and play in the Kuṇḍa with their girlfriends; They play after abandoning Their garments and ornaments and then proceeded into the solitary bower."

ratana pīṭhopari kiśorī kiśora; baiṭhalo duhuṅ jana ānanda vibhora;
vṛndādevī yogāyato tathāibahu mata phala mūla vividha miṭhāi;
bhojana koru duhuṅ sakhīgaṇa saṅge; madhusūdana kobe herabo raṅge

"Blissfully Kiśorī and Kiśor sit on a jewelled throne while Vṛndā Devī serves Them many different kinds of fruits, roots and sweets. Madhusūdana rejoices when he witnesses Their fun as They enjoy this snack with Their girlfriends."

14.51 Here in the footnote a song by Rāy Śekhara is added, though this is not in the songbook I published:

ratana bhavane, kuñja dāsīgaṇe, phala mūla āni koto.
saṁskāra kori, thāli bhori bhori, rākhalo vividha mata
bādāma chohārā, drākṣā madhurā, kaṅalā keśara belo,
dāḍima, nāraṅgā, kharjjura cholaṅgā, sālu pilu nārikela

'The maidservants in the grove gathered in a jewelled house and brought so many fruits and roots, filling up trays with peanuts, dried dates, sweet grapes, pomegranates, oranges, juicy dates, grapefruits, Pilus and coconuts."

kharamujā kṣiriṇī, badarī vīriṇī, kadalī kanda-mūla,
āmra panasa vividha surasa, āta, ānārasa kula
pehārā mṛṇala, tāla pāṇi-phala, ṭeṭi miṭhi karakaṭi;
vividha miṭhāi, dharalo tathāi nānā mata paripāṭi

"They also expertly carried in various kinds of melons, jujubes, bananas, radish, mangoes, jack-fruits, berries, pineapple-juice, palm-fruits, water-fruits and sweets."

bātasā bundiyā nāḍu manoharā micharī navāta pheṇi;
chenā pānā sara-bhājā, sarakarā khaṇḍāmaṇḍā
padma-cini amṛta-kelikā laḍḍukā adhikā; karpūra kelikā āra;
rasālā mākhane, rākhilā jatane, nānā mata parakāra

"These sweets included hollow drops like Bātās, Pheṇī and Bundiyā and Laḍḍus like Manoharā, Nāḍu, Padma-cini (lotus-sugar), Karpūr-kelikā and Amṛta kelikā. There was also rock candy, sherbet sweet cold drinks, Rasāla milkshake, Sarabhājā milk sweets and butter (Mākhān) - all these items were carefully kept there."

dekhiyā nāgara, rasera sāgara, baṭure ānilā tathā,
dvijera kumāra, dekhi upahāra, saghane ḍhulāya māthā
tāre kori bāme, subale ḍāhine, bosilā rasika rāya.
deyata sumukhī saṅge saba sakhī, śekhara dāḍiye cāy

"When Nāgar Kṛṣṇa saw this ocean of rasa He brought His pal Madhumangal there. When this brahmin boy saw all the preparations he frantically shook his head. Keeping Madhumangala on His left and Subala on His right, Rasika Rāya (Kṛṣṇa) sat down and fair-faced Rāi and Her girlfriends began to serve. Rāy Śekhara stood by and watched."

14.52 A song is added here of Balarām Dās:

saba sakhīgaṇa soye, rāi sudhāmukhī, kānuka bhojana śeṣa.
bhuñjaye koto, paramānanda kautuke, guṇa mañjarī pariveśa
aparūpa bhojana keli,
koriyā ācamana, nibhṛte niketana, coluṅ saba sahacarī meli.
ratana pālaṅka para, sutala rāi kānu, priya sakhī tāmbūla delo.
kṣaṇe eka ninde nindāyali duhu jana balarāma haraṣita bhelo

"After Kṛṣṇa and His friends finished eating, nectar-faced Rāi blissfully enjoyed some (remnants) with all Her girlfriends, served to them by Guṇa Mañjarī. How wonderful is this eating pastime! After flushing Her mouth, Rādhikā proceeded to a solitary abode with Her girlfriends. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa then reclined on a jewelled bedstead while Their dearest girlfriends served Them betel-leaves. Balarām Dās rejoices when he then sees Them falling asleep a short while later."

Chapter Fifteen
15.56 A lengthy pada by Yadunandan Thākur is quoted in the footnote:

jaṭilā āsiyā tabe, kohoye sabāre ebe, purohita ānaho jāiyā.
śuni puna kundalatā, hoye ati harṣa citā, sei kṣaṇe colilā dhāiyā
dekhe kṛṣṇa aparūpa līlā.
dhīra-śānta kalevara, sākṣāt vipraveśa dhara, keho nāhi lakhite nārilā

'Jaṭilā then came around and told everyone: 'Get a priest here to conduct the Sūrya pūjā!" Hearing this, Kundalatā joyfully ran off at once. Behold Kṛṣṇa's wonderful pastimes! He looked just like a real brahmin with His grave and peaceful posture - no one could discern Him!"

āsi kundalatā devī, kohoye vṛddhāre bhāvi, māthura deśīya garga chātra.
brahmacarya sadā dhare, nā dekhe abalā kare, āmāra sādhane āilā mātra

"Kundalatā returned to Jaṭilā and told her: "This brahmin boy from Mathurā is a disciple of Garga muni - he is always celibate and does not even look at a girl's hand - he came here just to please me!"

śuni sei harṣa-mati, koroye minati stuti, tvarānvitā kohoye badhūre
ei vipra viñja-vara, suśīla sarva guṇa dhara, paurohitye boroho ihāre

"Hearing this, Jaṭilā joyfully told her daughter-in-law: "Please accept this very learned brahmin boy, who is so well-behaved and endowed with all qualities, as Your priest!"

śuni rāi harṣa hoiyā, dhīre dhīre kohe jāiyā, ei mora mitra pūjibāre
viśvaśarmā nāme khyāta, jagata maṅgala gotra, purohite varinu tomāre

"Hearing this, Rāi joyfully and gently said: "I accept this renowned Viśvaśarma, whose gotra is auspicious in this world, as My priest."

tabe sei vipra-vara, kuśāgre karṣiyā kore, rāi haste puṣpāñjali dilo
namo namo mitra-vare, ei mantra uccāre, arghya diyā pūjā samarpilo

"Then this best of brahmins took a straw of Kuśa grass and placed a handful of flowers in Rāi's hand. Then He offered oblations by pronouncing the mantra namo namo mitra-vara."


tabe vṛddhā harṣa-bhore, dakṣiṇā loite tāre, punaḥ punaḥ yatnete sādhilo
teṅho kohe kārya nāhi, tomā sobāra prīti cāhi, ei mora dakṣiṇā hoilo

'Jaṭilā then joyfully took out a remuneration for the young priest and repeatedly offered it to Him. He said, 'No need, Your love is the only reward I want'.

tabe sei tuṣṭa hoiyā, ratana mudrādi diyā, kohe nitya korābe pūjana.
daṇḍavat praṇati koilā, rāike loiyā gelā saṅge coluṅ e yadu-nandana

"Satisfied, Jaṭilā donated Kṛṣṇa Rādhikā's jewel ring and told Him to always do pūjā with Her. After offering prostrated obeisances to Him, she took Rāi with her in the company of Yadunandan (the poet)."

Chapter Sixteen
16.23 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma confirms that Baladeva takes the cows and boys into Nandagram to give Kṛṣṇa the chance to meet Rādhā - śrīkṛṣṇasya preyasī-varga sahita milana samayam ālakṣya kiñcin miṣeṇa baladeva śrīdāmādīnāṁ puri praveśam āha. This remains problematic, because earlier in Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta and also in the Vilāpa comments of Ānanda Gopāla Gosvāmī it is said that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are concerned about Baladeva's presence - does He or doesn't He know?

16.24 "The restless Vraja-girls joyfully threw flower-balls from the garden at Kṛṣṇa, who caught them with trembling hand and threw them back at them. By thus catching and throwing the flower-balls an ocean of ever-fresh luster surged within His body." Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: pakṣe rāmāṇāṁ strīṇāṁ śobhana mano rūpa kandukasya, which is elaborated upon by Madhusūdana Vācaspati as: "Or the beautiful minds of these restless, contrary beauties from Vraja are like balls that cause waves in the ever-fresh luster-ocean of Kṛṣṇa's body on the pretext of being thrown to and caught by Him."

16.28 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments: yad yasmāt rādhikā rūpa mālatyāḥ "That Mālatī flower is Rādhikā."

16.32 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments: atra nirjana sthale kulāṅganānāṁ sthitir na yogya kintu gṛhaṁ yāma - "This solitary place is not fit for housewives, so lets go home."

16.33 Not the gopīs' eyes, but the gopīs themselves are compared to lotus flowers here.

16.34 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: mūrcchātaḥ prabuddhaṁ mithunaṁ pratyāśayā baddha hṛdayam akārṣīt - 'The sakhās and sakhīs first woke Them up from Their swoon and then consoled Them, giving Them new hope (for future meetings)."

16.35 I forgot to translate the adjective viduṣī here, Viśākhā is a wise girl.

16.37  Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: ahaṁ grāmād bahiḥ puṣpa-bāṭikāyāṁ śrī-kṛṣṇena saṅgatā āsaṁ katham atra puṣpa śayyāyāṁ vidyamāneti  "Am I lying in a flower garden outside of the village in union with Śrī Kṛṣṇa? How come I am lying here on this bed of flowers?"

16.38 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: prati dinaṁ vihārānantaraṁ gṛhāgamanocitaṁ prātaḥ kim ajani "Has the morning come, the time that each day I should go home, after enjoying with My beloved?"

Chapter Eighteen
18.32 netra śrotra daṁśād actually means "If you fear the bites of the people's eyes and ears (not just the eyes)."

18.33 Guru vādhā can also mean 'heavy obstacles'.

18.40 Bali here can also mean "Bali Mahārāja, who donated the whole universe to Lord Trivikrama, but You donate three lines (tribali) to Kṛṣṇa, in whom there is the power of 100 Cupids (śata vikrama)!"

18.43 Unknown commentator makes a good point here in a footnote - 'Kṛṣṇa is so bewildered by prema that He imagines Caṭaka-birds singing at night (obviously they normally only sing in the daytime)."

18.44 Kṛṣṇa didn't embrace the tree but leaned against it.

18.45 druta hṛd atanu ghūrṇākīrṇa-dhīḥ in the last line means: "Her heart melted and Her mind was dizzy with amorous feelings."

18.49  yāvad evānayāmaḥ  actually means 'as long as we don't take You (into that Bokul grove)......"

18.54 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: aprāptiṁ sambhāvayati iti bhāvaḥ - 'anurāga is such that one always thinks it is impossible to attain the beloved."

18.55 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sakhīnām āgamana śaṅkayā - 'Rādhikā was afraid Her girlfriends would show up'.

18.57 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sva-dharma vāmyam akṛtvā - "Rādhikā gave up Her natural vāmya (opposition)....." and, at the end, sismiye smitaṁ cakāra"She smiled"

Chapter Nineteen

19.2 It should be in future tense - kariṣye - 'I will mark Your girlfriends."


19.4 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: śrī kṛṣṇena kṛtaṁ yad viḍambanaṁ tasya hetu-bhūtāṁ rādhikāṁ prati kuṭila bhruvaḥ sakhīḥ rādhā viṣādam abhinīyam abravīt: "Before Her sakhīs, that had arched eyebrows, Rādhikā pretended to be dejected because She wanted to conceal from them that She was the cause of Kṛṣṇa's impudent behaviour towards them."

19.8 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: sva-dharmaṁ vāmyaṁ vihāya - "Rādhikā abandoned Her natural opposition (vāmya) and spoke so submissively..."

19.16 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: niṣkuṭa eva nija nandīśvara gṛhodyāna eva sva gṛha-dāsībhir eva tāṁ spṛhāṁ sādhaya na tu mayeti. 'Satisfy those desires with the maidservants at my home garden in Nandagrāma, not with Me."

19.21 The end of my translation was not correct. khedam evābhininyuḥ  means 'The gopīs imitated their grief (of the original Rāsa dance, when they were similarly distressed at seeing Kṛṣṇa enjoying with Rādhikā). Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: keśa prasādhanaṁ tvatra kāminyāḥ kāminī kṛtam iti vadantīnāṁ vipakṣāṇāṁ khedottha vacanam anusṛtya - 'They imitated the distressed words of the rival party when they saw Kṛṣṇa decorating Rādhikā's hair'.

19.26 The end of my translation was not correct. vitatākṣī actually means 'wide-eyed', not 'tear-filled eyes'. “Making Kṛṣṇa relish it with wide eyes.”

19.29 phala puṣpa-mālādibhiḥ sevyamānau - “They were served with fruits, flower garlands etc.”

19.31 Madhusūdana Vācaspati adds: 'The obvious meaning of the riddle is the body'.

19.33 Madhusūdana Vācaspati gives an elaborate explanation of the riddle here: "Your Vīṇā is singing tata vādya - it is a stringed instrument, and it is anurāginī, it plays all the rāgas, like the Vasanta. Just as anurāgiṇī women sing the glories of their beloved man and faint (mūrcchā) in the process, Your Vīṇā also attains different mūrcchas (scales). On a Vīṇā there are rasanta, or resounding strings (guṇa) and in the Saṅgīta śāstras there are similarly 7 notes and 3 grāmas (three gatis of the svaras). grāma also means village or group. When the Vīṇā resides in that grāma it is expert in atanu-rasa (the greatest rasa, which can also mean erotic rasa).

19.38 The word ujjvalātma-vedana should really mean, according to Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma, kṛpārdrayā yayā yoginyā ahaṁ muhuḥ pāṭhito'bhavam….dṛk pakṣe kandarpa saukhya siddhaye yat ujjvalātmanaḥ śṛṅgāra rasa svarūpasya vedanaṁ jñānaṁ bhavati tad eva jñānaṁ yayā dṛśā ahaṁ paṭhitaḥ "I was repeatedly educated by this yoginī who was melting with compassion...." "The pun of priya-dṛk is: For the sake of attaining erotic bliss and the knowledge of rasa svarūpa I am studying (on the strength of Her) merciful glance."

19.46 Rādhikānātha Gosvāmī says the gṛhasthas want su-kha (happiness), but Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says surataruta padasyānta ta-kāreṇa saha ādya varṇa su śabdasya yoge sati sutam icched iti praśnasyārthaḥ - The last syllable of surataruta (ta) combined with the first one (su), makes 'suta', or sons. The rest of the explanation is the same as in my original translation.

19.52 In connection with the Rāsa dance, ullāsa means joyful and udāra means liberal.

19.53 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says: "Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse not just to Rādhikā, but to all the gopīs - he alasa dṛśo gopyaḥ, and actually Rādhikānātha Gosvāmī said the same.

19.54 I forgot to add that kalāṁ prathayañcakāra (not prabhayāṁ) - by doing this the Creator showed his great artistic skills."

19.55 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma (and Madhusūdana) add: avaśiṣṭa bhāgastha malināṁśaḥ kalaṅko'bhūt - "The remaining dirty portions of this strained portion became the spots on the moon."

19.58 The missing syllables that were on a broken page when I copied the Sanskrit from a book in Madrasi Baba's library are cā-ru and pa-tra. Thus the third line of the śloka reads as follows: kastūrikā cāru tamāla patrakaṁ.

19.66 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: tat kālotpanna śṛṅgāra rasa rūpa jalena mṛdulāli śobhanamanāṁsyeva sumanāṁsi puṣpāṇi yāsāṁ tāḥ 'It seemed as if flowers of erotic rasa were growing on the golden vines of the gopīs' bodies, and their jingling waist-bells resounded like bees that are attracted to such flowers."

19.71 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: kuṣṭhī-jano yathā sva gātra-sthaṁ śvitraṁ kṣatādi cihna khyāpanena ācchādayati tathā candro'pi sva-sthitaṁ duryaśaḥ mṛga-cihna khyāpanenācchādayatītyarthaḥ "Just as a leper is shamefully  trying to hide the scars of his disease on his body by covering them over, the moon also tries to hide the shameful deer-spots on its surface (when compared to Rādhikā's moonlike face)." And: brāhmaṇasya viṣa-bhakṣaṇam atyanta niṣiddhaṁ tadapi kṛtaṁ amṛta-mayatvena maraṇaṁ ca na bhaviṣyatye tādṛśa jñānābhāvāt mūḍhaḥ "It is forbidden for a brahmin to drink poison, and besides, since the moon is full of nectar (or immortality) it is simply impossible for him to die - that is how bereft of knowledge, or foolish, he is!"

19.72 ṣaḍja etc are of course the full names of sa ri ga ma etc., not alternatives.

19.76 'came to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's faces' means they uttered these syllables that expressed the rhythms. They 'danced in Their faces (mouths)' (Madhusūdana)

19.80 Madhusūdana Vācaspati says Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa then sat down.

19.81 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: prema-bhaktiṁ vinā rāsa varṇanaṁ na sambhaved - 'Without prema bhakti it is not possible to describe the Rāsa līlā."

Chapter Twenty
20.1 prabandhān anusṛtya means 'following the composition'.

20.14 nirmanchanam means ārati, according to Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma.

20.15 tayoḥ in the ṭīkā means 'Both Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's feet', not just Kṛṣṇa's.

20.16 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: śveta puṣpamaya vyajana - The flower-fan was made of white flowers. Madhusūdana adds that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's fame is similarly white.

20.23 Madhusūdana explains āśābandha as: "After touching Her breasts, Kṛṣṇa could be sure His desires would be fulfilled because Rādhikā's desires had been incited by that...."

20.24 '...then he worshipped the demigods...' should have been 'he wrote soma on the golden pitcher', soma meaning Śiva, who is accompanied (sa) by Pārvatī (umā). And that soma reappears in the pun as the moon-beam-like scratches Kṛṣṇa makes on Rādhikā's breasts. Same for the last mentioning of 'demigods' in the translation - it should be Soma or Śiva.

20.32 It is not vedhaiva but vedaiva, and I forgot to translate that last line. Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says: iyaṁ vidagdhā kiṅkarī tayoḥ sarvaṁ hārddaṁ veda. kathambhūtā tayor bhāva rūpa puṣpena bhāvito vāsitaḥ ātmā antaḥkaraṇaṁ yasyāḥ sā "These clever maidservants know all about Their (dual, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa) hearts. How? Their hearts are scented with the fragrance of the flowers of Their feelings and Their forms." In my original translation I wrote that the maidservants say that about themselves, which makes no sense. Actually this statement is just made by the author.

20.39 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: śrī-kṛṣṇasya mukha-candratvena śrī-rādhāyā mukhaṁ kamalatvena ca varṇayitvā "Kṛṣṇa's face is here described as a moon and Śrī Rādhikā's face as a lotus flower." Madhusūdana says: "Look sakhi! How Śrī Kṛṣṇa's moon-like face is absorbed in drinking the honey from Śrī Rādhikā's lotus-like face! This is also an amazing thing! As incitements both the lotus and the moon are friends of Cupid.... (follows regular translation)

20.40 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: nanu mukhayoḥ kamalatve kiṁ pramāṇaṁ. tatrānumānālaṅkāram āha - yayor mukhayor antare madhye sambhoga-samaye śītkāra rūpa bhramara dhvanir lakṣyate. tathā ca madhya sthita bhramara dhvani hetunā kamalatvaṁ siddhim iti bhāvaḥ. "And if you claim that they are both lotuses, what is the proof of that? Listen here, during sambhoga the lotus-mouths emit screams that sound like the buzzing of bees. That proves that the (sources of those) bees are lotusflowers!"

20.42 “Sakhi, look look! When they drank the honey of Each others lips, Śrī Rādhikā's eyeliner got stuck on Śrī Kṛṣṇa's lips; now, as Śrī Rādhikā drinks the honey of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's lips, these spots are erased and instead She marks Kṛṣṇa's lips with the signs of Her passion, the red spots of Her Pān consumption. Is it as if She offered these ink spots to Kṛṣṇa's captivating lips just as the moon has ink-like spots on it?” (follows regular translation)

20.44 The verse says śatābhā, not śatāthā, in either case śata means 'hundreds', that is 'hundreds of drops'.

20.48 Verses 48-50 require a full re-translation, for the current one is not fully comprehensible. Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma explains: adhunā jñāna siddhānāṁ sūrya-maṇḍala dvārā arcirādi mārgaṁ varṇayan tādṛśa śabdānāṁ śleṣeṇa viparīta sambhogam apyāha "Now the author will compare Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's reverse enjoyment with the way the siddha jñānīs practise their worship through the sunglobe." Just as the liberated souls (muktāvalī) dance in ecstasy when they attain mokṣa within the restless sun globe that rises within a cloud, Śrī Rādhikā's muktāvalī (pearl necklaces) ecstatically dances on the cloud-like chest of Kṛṣṇa, that is adorned with the sun-globe-like Kaustubha gem. Just as swans (paramahaṁsas) and avadhūtas joyfully play various musical instruments while watching the liberated souls dance on a golden ground (Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma says: pañcama skandhokta kāñcanī-bhūmi - "Such a golden ground is described in the fifth canto Bhāgavata." Only, I don't know where...), similarly, during reverse pastimes, Rādhikā's lotus feet are golden places where swans (haṁsa, or kaṭaka-footbangles) tremble (avadhūta) and thus make wonderful music."

20.49 Others can not come to this golden ground. When Lord Madhusūdana arrives there will be music which will delight the ears of rasikas like Śukadeva and Nārada, whose vine-like bodies will melt of the resultant sāttvika vikāras. Similarly, when Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's fragrance increases because of Their union of Their bodies the Madhusūdanas, or bumblebees, will come and sing sweetly, which will cause the vine-like bodies of rasikā mañjarīs like Rūpa and Rati to melt of sāttvika vikāras." rasikāṇāṁ kiṅkarīṇāṁ aṅga-vallyeva sabhyā (KDS)

20.50 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: jñānināṁ sūrya-maṇḍala dvārā arcirādi mārgam uktā karmiṇāṁ candra-maṇḍala dvārā dhūma-mārgam āha - 'After describing how the jñānīs worship their path through the sunglobe, the author now proceeds to say how the karmīs tread the path of smoke through the moonglobe, also in comparison to the reverse pastimes....." Crooked bālas, or ignorant souls always greedily worship material life left and right. Attached to the fruitive path mentioned in the śrutis (Vedas) they are busily engaged (karmaṭha) in prati-karma (each fruitive activity); thus they reside on the moonglobe (candra-maṇḍala). In the same way the bālas or crooked curly locks always restlessly dangle left and right, extending to the śrutis (ears), being a suitable embellishment (pratikarma), beautifying Kṛṣṇa's moonlike face (candra-maṇḍala)."

20.51 Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma adds: vāmyādyabhāvena avāryamāṇāṁ vāraṇa rahitaṁ 'They had lost all selfcontrol and restraint because there was no more vāmya."

20.52 Madhusūdana Vācaspati adds: 'śrānti sakhī (the girlfriend named Fatigue) tells Nidrā devī (the goddess of sleep): "Come come sakhi Nidre! Come here and relish the sweetness of the Divine Pair!" At the end of the verse translation Madhusūdana writes: "Seeing this, the sakhīs and mañjarīs go to their own abodes and fall asleep there."

20.54 The footnote existing in my published translation originates from Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma's ṭīkā of verse 52.

The Sanskrit of the two additional verses which is in this edition, while it may not have been included in the Sanskrit edition I copied by hand in 1987, runs as follows:

Verse 1:
viśvākāśa vikāra sammita śake vāre guroḥ phālgune
viśvānandini pūrṇimā pratipadoḥ sandhau sarasyās taṭe
gāndharvā giridhāriṇoḥ sarabhasaṁ dolādhirūḍhāṅgayoḥ
śrī caitanya dine tad etad udagāt kāvyaṁ bhajat pūrṇitām

Kṛṣṇadeva Sārvabhauma comments that viśva, the universe, is one, ākāśa (sky) is void, thus 0, and vikāra (transformations) are 16 in number. Traditionally the order of these figures is reversed, so that one comes to 1601. And that is 1680 AD, not 1686.

Verse 2:
tasya śrī guru pāda-padma madhunaḥ kena stave prābhavat
yat pītaṁ sahasaiva hanta malinaṁ maccitta mattālinam
saṁsārogra mātaṅgajasya madirāṁ vismārya vṛndāvane
rādhā-mādhava keli-kalpa-latikā vāse sadāvīvasat.

This zuddhi-patra, or correction-sheet, stripped of most personal comments, will be turned into a portable document format (pdf) and uploaded to the literature-dept. of http://www.madangopal.com/ as a free appendix to my published translation of Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta.

2 comments:

  1. That should be zuddhi not zuci. But otherwise, you've been busy indeed. Lots of rasasvadana in there, looks like.

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  2. "That should be zuddhi not zuci."

    You are correct. I will change that.

    "you've been busy indeed."

    It was a huge, demanding job indeed. It seems this may not be the end yet. Pandora's box.....

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