Gopalacampu 1.32: uttara-campūḥ

Now begins the first chapter.

Obeisance to Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Auspicious invocation.

O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, accompanied by Sanātana and Rūpa! / O Gopāla, beloved of Vraja attained by Raghunātha, protect me! ||

Because of taking refuge in them alone, the first Gopālacampū / was swiftly completed; / therefore may this northern one also become superior! / Thus let us worship that desirable Lord. ||

[1] Now the previous story must be recounted in proper order. [2] There is indeed a forest named Vṛndāvana, which comprises the entire Vṛndāvana. [3] Wherein—like the stellar sphere in the sky, like virtue in a virtuous person, like ascertainment of truth in the Veda, like joy in attaining the desired object, like rasa in the collection of vibhāvas and so on, like the six attributes in the soul, like Himself in His own love, like Nārāyaṇa in the supreme sky—He, Kṛṣṇa, the refuge of all, accepts being the refuge of His own people through being experienced by yearning devotees.

[4] And there, existing through the art of disappearance beyond the sight of people like us, is an abode called Goloka, as the scriptures teach. And there in Goloka, Keśava—in whom the least care acts like a wish-fulfilling jewel—never abandoning his engagement in multiplying the wealth of the fifth human goal called divine love for the inhabitants who shine with complete bliss, sportingly plays under their sway as a son and so forth, never departing anywhere at all.

[5] And emerging from just such an [abode], shining matchlessly with them in loveliness, he, the destroyer of wicked villains, at times also delights this very world; and then, like the principal actor in a divine dance, enters it again from the tiring-room.

[6] This being so, when subsequently—following the tidings of the desired duel with Dantavakra, who possessed crooked, sharp teeth—their entry into that region occurred as will be indicated by scriptural authority to be stated, then one day two young youths born of a bard, named Madhukaṇṭha and Snigdha-kaṇṭha, who had obtained the essence of that subject from the waves of the ocean of mercy of Śrī Nārada (who is skilled in the science of flawless devotion to Hari and the alchemical mercury for all desires), arrived at that very assembly hall adorned by the glorious sovereign of Vraja, his son, and others.

[7] And then, intently absorbed in the task assigned by them, like instruments whose melodies are controlled by strings, the exceedingly noble pair—continually displaying between themselves the roles of narrator and inquirer—revealed in their narrative Śrī Kṛṣṇa's divine play in Vraja, which embodies all auspiciousness.

[8] And there, first turning into meter the deeds of his father and grandfather, they did the same, as it were, for the new poem composed of his splendid deeds, and portrayed the course of his birth through the narrative of his birth.

[9] And immediately afterward, they described in due sequence his wonderful life;

[10] which is now recalled in this way for the expansion of the subsequent story: Ah! He by whom Pūtanā indeed became a purified woman; the cart suffered a fall because of its lightness like a reed-mat; Tṛṇāvarta met with the shattering of his limbs like a whirlwind of grass; and the pair of Arjuna trees received the grace made for them, like Arjuna. There Vatsaka [was conquered as easily as] a mere calf; Baka [as easily as] a crane; [11] and Vyoma, too, was fit to become like empty space [in death].

[12] Let this also be; but this was most wonderful of all: ah! Agha also became sinless, and Kāliya, like one shedding a snake-skin, was spoken of as liberated while still living!

[13] Although possessed of supreme valor in this way, yet yielding to modesty, he attributed glory to his elder brother; and by suspending Dhenuka and Pralamba in the blazing flames of his prowess, he made the practice of sweet conduct known—and this produces the essence of emotional agitation in our hearts.
[14] Ah! Behold the charming nature of his affection toward his own people: he who indeed made even the fiery forest fire into his own food, diminishing its heat!

[15] Though a boy in boyhood by the count of years, by virtue of his unimpaired limbs he made his left arm into a mighty staff for the umbrella of the mountain. Ha! Consider also his boundless cleverness: he made Sudarśana truly fair to behold, even though he had assumed an ugly appearance. Thinking, as it were, that the name Śaṅkhacūḍa should not belong to one whose crest-gem was a jewel, he seized the crest-gem of that Yakṣa renowned for his wealth, leaving him only a conch, ruined Ariṣṭa, drew out Keśin’s confidence, and having attained the fulfillment of his purpose through that act, demonstrated his title of Keśava.

Moreover—
The splendor of birth that arose and was told, the beauty of his infancy, / the radiance of boyhood of the foe of Agha, and the charm of his youth: / singly, each one quickly stole our heart then; but now / all together they powerfully agitate it out of intense yearning. ||

Continually remembering the parental love of the parents in Mukunda's first age, / the friendship of those many boys in his boyhood, and something indescribable in the beauty of fresh youth for the doe-eyed maidens, / our mind does not move forward, but repeatedly collects itself / and lingers there, like a merchant longing to depart far away [lingers over] a treasure inside his house. || Thus.

[16] Thus, as we reflect while making another effort to nourish that [theme] through comparison with it: even though those two sons of the bard manifested that sweetness, which bears the burden of enchantment in various episodes according to propriety, yet—on the principle that "union does not attain maturity without separation"—they also concisely described his departure for the Yadu city, his return to Vraja, and his entrance into the Goloka abode following the conversation between Śrī Kṛṣṇa, longing for Vraja, and Śrī Nārada, who is skilled in removing the burden of his devotees' sorrow.

[17] Hearing all that being described, on another day when an opportunity arose, in the morning just as before, the people of Vraja, headed by the glorious master of Vraja and shining in the assembly blessed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa's presence, asked those two [narrators] for an elaboration of that departure and other events.

For—
Even though inward torment may visibly flare up
from listening to one’s own extensive sorrow, nevertheless people do not forsake it:
even when their own wound has become dry, through memory
they violently press and press it, reliving it intensely. ||

Or rather—
Even though a friend is found after a long time, the sorrow does not completely depart at that time
unless the dearest friend clasps his neck and laments;
being ever modest, however, the people of Vraja did not do this themselves;
likewise, Kṛṣṇa told the two narrators in the assembly [to speak of it]. ||

[18] Then, being questioned, the two [bards], touched by joy and sorrow, began their praise in this assembly of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, just like Kuśa and Lava in the assembly of Śrī Rāmacandra. There, first of all, Snigdhakaṇṭha spoke with deep longing.

[19] And there, the auspicious invocation:

We follow the Goddess of Speech,
who takes the form of the Bhāgavata, the essence of all the Vedas;
through whose aesthetic rasa and philosophical doctrine
even a new poem attains the status of authoritative scripture. ||

[20] Now, recalling the Pūrvacampū, the narrative [continues]:

Day after day Vraja was thus delighted
by Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa was exceedingly [delighted] by Vraja,
just as the bright fortnight [is delighted] by the moon of white radiance,
and just as the moon of white radiance [is delighted] by the bright fortnight. ||

[21] So, even in this manner:

There was thirst everywhere for Kṛṣṇa,
or Kṛṣṇa existed for that thirst—in this matter there was no difference;
thus the wise give the example of the spirit (puruṣa)
united with its own primordial nature (prakṛti). ||

Just as water is to the thirsty, and food completely to those seized by hunger,
just as cool [breezes] are to those scorching with heat, and an abundance of warmth to those whose hearts are frozen stiff with frost,
so did Kṛṣṇa become to the people of the land of Gokula;
then he set out with eagerness to bring delight to each and every person. ||

The father, the group of his brothers, all his sisters' husbands, the prominent sons-in-law,
the mother, the women led by the sisters of the mother and the father, and likewise whoever else there were—
Kṛṣṇa, dwelling simultaneously within them all and settling them within his own mind,
manifested them, as it were, according to the declaration of the Vāsudeva-śruti. ||

With the beauty of his limbs honoured by the sapphire gem,
his eyes captivating the essence of the autumn lotus,
and being the path of every mind, how could he not be
the bearer of the sweet joy of his father and mother? ||

Like a tortoise in meditation, like a fish in watching, like a cow in smelling [her calf],
and like a bird in touching, the two rulers of Vraja were constantly intent on nurturing him;
their hope, ever sprouting into new buds and long nourished,
having reached its full fruition in his youth, they attained a stupor [of ecstasy] with joy. ||

Observing his noble brotherhood toward himself, Rāma
attained such blooming of limbs day by day,
that people formed the belief: 'Will he, through the course of fate,
expand his body to the measure of Śeṣa?' ||

Just as the vital breath is primary and its divisions [depend upon it],
so was Kṛṣṇa and illustrious Dāman and the others;
always keeping in view a single aim as of one soul,
they engaged in various pastimes. ||

For those servants whose object of service was Hari,
he became the counterpart of their vital breath, sharing the semblance of their bodies;
toward him they rendered service, and without him they could not remain;
that he also placed his own self in them was the view of the wise, serving as an example among them. ||

If the fragrance of Aghāri, which gratifies the sense of smell,
should touch the calf-pens, the cowherd settlements, the forests, and other places,
then at once the herd of white cows there
would assume sleeplessness, and at no other time. ||

The world might not believe that through his qualities even the wild creatures
became his prompt followers, and that even natural enemies delighted in one another;
[yet it must be so,] for otherwise the glorious son of Vyāsa himself, endowed with majesty,
would not have inscribed it before [us] with the diamond-letters named the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. ||

Even though such a mass of happiness arose in the cowherd settlement, nevertheless
fear repeatedly arose from Kaṃsa's soldiers dispatched out of enmity toward Acyuta;
realizing therefore that the night of peace had not yet arrived, the mind
ceaselessly desires to recount here this divine play which dispels fear. ||

[21] Then he spoke words of comfort and conclusion to the lord of Vraja, who was remembering that sorrow:

This physician for the sorrow in the cowherd settlement, the ornament of your lineage,
dispelling all apprehension again,
has arrived right into your lap. ||

[22] Thus the morning narrative was spoken inside the assembly of the glorious lord of Vraja, in which Śrī Vrajēśvarī and the others, and Śrī Rādhā and the others, sitting in a screened place, brought syllable after syllable near to their respective ears.
[23] Then, just as before, as the glorious beloved [Kṛṣṇa] was shining solitary in the private chamber, at the end of the night in the house of Śrī Rādhikā, the remainder of that narrative reached its union.

[24] And there Snigdhakaṇṭha said:

Even Lakṣmī herself, though residing on Acyuta's chest, having assumed another form
and performed austerities, never obtained him anywhere in the festival of the rāsa dance and other pastimes;
how can anyone describe what great happiness the host of the beauties of Vraja attained,
finding this Govinda completely brought under their sway? ||

That favour of Hari which even Lakṣmī did not obtain even in a dream,
the glorious gopīs experienced in the festival of the rāsa dance and other pastimes;
oh, how can any poet describe the joy consisting of him belonging to this Rādhā,
whose good fortune was not grasped even by them, though longed for? ||

[25] Then, having become feverish for a moment and fallen silent, he spoke again: 'Even so, brother Madhukaṇṭha, the power to retell this again with an open throat does not attach to me, because:'

Although they were surrounded by praised members of their own noble families,
and their conduct, worthy of noble women, was indeed unshakable,
nevertheless, their extreme performance of various transgressions, which destroyed everything,
and their anguish of love for Mukunda spread delusion in my heart. ||

[26] Again, looking with tears at the face of Śrī Rādhā, he said:

Just as a collection of sun-stones touches the sun's rays and takes on their nature,
and just as a collection of moon-stones touches the moon's lustre and assumes its condition,
so, alas, repeatedly bearing flames and also melting away
at the mere direction of Murāri, she bewilders my mind. ||

[27] Repeating in this very manner, he spoke again about those various matters, as follows:

When Hari somehow came within their sight, he then
produced only an illusion of a visionary flash, not as before;
and even when he was somehow touched, then too it was as at first.
This agitation violently shatters my heart. ||

And this agitation in the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, from her realization of him,
was deeply hidden; when she laughed, or when she wept,
then, as her smile flashed, everything rejoiced exceedingly;
and likewise, when she wept, alas, even the universe was plunged into utmost sorrow. ||

When Hari's divine plays, beginning with the joy of the rāsa-dance, were in full swing,
the cowherd maidens truly attained the highest, supreme happiness;
but the coming and going caused all around it a great sorrow born of separation from him,
which repeatedly crushes our hearts. ||

That he formerly cherished lovingly within his heart
Rādhā extraordinarily, far above all his beloveds,
ah, does this short verse, 'O Master! O Lover!',
drink up all our happiness? What can I say or do? ||

Remembering and remembering this, my mind burns: that the love for Hari
of those deer-eyed maidens of Vraja, who had cast off shame, became manifest.
Let that be: the crookedness in her eye to behold him,
causing that flash of him as though beside Rādhā, burns me deeply. ||

That host of fair-browed cowherd women continuously sees Kṛṣṇa in another,
speaks of Kṛṣṇa in the speech of another, and, oh, hears Kṛṣṇa in the hearing of another's words!
Alas, if she obtains the power of concealment in their midst, would not Rādhā's
complete stupor, even being such as this, clearly become dominant? ||

[28] Now the story of the lover of the cowherd women is likewise to be unfolded:

He under whose control one Goddess of Fortune shines has a continuity of joy under his sway;
Kṛṣṇa, who controls ten million Goddesses of Fortune, clearly deserves ten million times that joy. ||

[29] Even so, through the power of a specific rasa of his divine play, the virtuous saw him at that time displaying another appearance, as follows:

Following the fading when his beloveds faded,
and their luster when they shone,
he was seen by those who knew the inner heart
as the substrate follows its states of mind. ||

Because of the enemy of Mura's profundity,
his emaciation and the like, as with an ocean, do not visibly appear;
yet by that very profundity, it can be inferred
from the life-breaths that depend on him. ||

Although Hari did not obtain complete freedom
in possessing them,
still, in mere identification with himself,
he considered himself eternally fulfilled. ||

Let alone the rendezvousing of the fair-browed maidens of Vraja,
and meeting at the secret bower;
even seeing their carefree presence
made Kṛṣṇa joyful. ||

Constantly longing to obtain them,
as if they were his own Lakṣmī stolen by Bali,
Kṛṣṇa, like a wish-fulfilling jewel,
thought constantly of Rādhā among them. ||

When Hari gazed upon the finest Lakṣmīs of Vraja,
a blinking of an eye was like an eon, the peak of an eyelash like a mountain,
and the water of his eyes like an ocean;
whether such a state passed from them to him or from him to them,
neither can be determined. ||

Hari, his intellect lacking discernment as he wondered,
'Is this visionary flash of mine causing a meeting with that woman,
or is it a direct perception?',
his body surrounded by the fire of his inner heart at one moment,
and with limbs fully blossoming at another, repeatedly fell into extreme confusion. ||

[30] Thus, what has been somehow described as swallowed up in sorrow, and what else is brought near to be described even more fully than this, will indeed ultimately contribute to bringing about the highest joy, just like crossing a fortress to reach a well-watered land from places consisting of impassable wells and deserts.

[31] And it should not be said that it will happen only in that future description. Look! Look! It happens even now in the depiction of the unhindered mutual meeting of Rādhā and Mādhava, from which alone anything of that can be described.

[32] And that description is as follows: Thus, along with the ascent of mahābhāva which caused the bewilderment of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's beloveds, full youthfulness also quickly arrived. In that regard, of Śrī Kṛṣṇa it is said:

Born from the milk ocean of the glorious lord of cowherds, white with noble fame,
surrounded by a flashing dark splendor, outdoing lotuses with the luster of his very long eyes,
the life-giving light for the cakora-birds of the cowherd maidens' eyes, a source for the spreading of love-desire,
filled with the nectar of early youth, and having imperishable digits—I worship the moon of Govinda. ||

[34] Regarding them, it is said:
Having the splendor of night-lotuses in the eyes manifest upon their moon-like faces, with cheek-regions turning pale,
shining with an abundant row of thousand-petaled lotus buds born upon their chests,
granting the beauty of sandy banks to the circles of their fresh, praiseworthy hips—the emergence of the cowherd maidens' fresh youth,
like moonlight, brought glory to the eyes of Śrī Hari. ||

[35] Thus, when the ocean of fresh youth and the moon of supreme love belonging to both parties—their hands fully filling each other—extended their influence everywhere, then that which Garga had previously indicated to avert their marriage conducted by Kṛṣṇa caused no small apprehension among the people.

[36] 'If they were to have physical contact with Kṛṣṇa, right before that all of Gokula would be tormented by separation from Him.' [37] And it was this word of Garga that made their parents and others place obstacles in giving them to Kṛṣṇa. [38] In this regard, Yogamāyā in person, serving Kṛṣṇa, in order to conceal herself, engaged in austerities under the name of Pūrṇimā; enduring hardships and seeing no other recourse, she brought about their marriages elsewhere in an illusory manner, because it was carried out everywhere virtually as a waking reality even in an abundant fantasy like a dream. In that way she also brought about the dissolution of their bodily contact with their pseudo-husbands. In this very manner the general direction was shown by Śrī Śuka, just as by a parrot, through the passage beginning: 'They were not envious of Kṛṣṇa' [BhP 10.33.37].

[39] This being so, drawn by supreme longing and acting in secret, He and they somehow gathered together the great joy of each other's union.

[40] Then, according to the manner described before, because their great passion gradually became perceived through the conviction of the people nearby, their elders—fearing in mind a future meeting with Kṛṣṇa, but in words emphasizing the blemish of the brides' going to the forest—imposed a restriction. As an understanding arose, Balarāma's younger brother brought up the subject with the twice-born Madhumaṅgala, who was his dear, playful friend: "Why is the coming of Rādhā and the others seen to be blocked for so many days?"

[41] Madhumaṅgala said: "The restraint imposed by the numerous elders is certainly understood as the root cause in this matter."

[42] Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: "Oh! Has that secret event also reached the ears of the elders?"

[43] Madhumaṅgala said:

"In that transformation of the mind in which / knowledge shines forth neither within nor without, / could there not be an manifestation of even one [person]? / How much less for people such as these? ||"

[44] Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: "Even previously, when they had attained fresh youth, the elders' restriction was already great regarding their going outside and inside. But how is it greater now?"

[45] Madhumaṅgala said: "Although this matter, being hostile to love, does not happily come from our mouth, nonetheless, precisely out of the prominence of Your question, it is made a subject of discourse. And thus let the famous reproach of the matriarchs toward them, which was actually heard by me, be observed:

'Fie, why do you meditate? Alas, why do you sigh? Why do you watch the pathways? / Why do you gaze at your girlfriend's face here? Why do you wet your breasts with tears? / Why do you fall into a deep swoon? Why do you repeatedly mutter the two syllables "Kṛ-ṣṇa" / to her, and why do you constantly display bristling hair and trembling?' || Thus.

[46] Now listen also to the general description of the speech of the sisters-in-law to their respective mothers, causing distress to those guardians of family honor:

'The line of sight of the family matriarchs has blocked the path of hearing; / arranged by me, the many fragrant incenses have covered the path to the nose with talk of them. / That condition composed of Kṛṣṇa which is in her mind—by what effort / could it be veiled? Therefore, mother, why are you vainly angry with me?' || Thus.

[47] Hearing this being described thus, and seeing for a moment His complexion fade, He sent Madhumaṅgala away to follow up on the particulars of this news, and feeling anxiety within, reflected:

[48] "My elders have brought this rumor into their perception; most likely My glorious parents too will lend an ear to it. Then who will remove this formidable obstacle?" Having a mind desolate for a moment, He reflected again:

[49] "Distance from here is indeed the sole refuge for Me who have incurred disgrace. For: / Where a stain occurs arising from an unavoidable circumstance, / it is proper that a well-born person should stay far away from it. / With time it may be wiped away, for there is indeed a remedy for it; / therefore My departure from this cowherd settlement brings no distress. ||"

"The affection of My parents and others / was My very life in the cowherd settlement; / alas, through cruel fate, / embarrassment before them alone has arisen on every side! ||"

[50] Then He reflected differently once again:

"Let the life-breaths abandon the body, / and let the body abandon the life-breaths; / but the cowherd maidens and Hari are each other's life-breaths— / how can they ever abandon each other? ||"

[51] Again He changed that thought as well:

"In one and the same dwelling, / separation is unbearable for a couple; / therefore going far away / brings about the passage of time. ||"

[52] "Yet, ah, O sun to Vṛṣabhānu, O giver of fame to Kīrtidā! Ah, O You who have bestowed a virtuous mind from birth by having Your mind fixed on Me! Ah, O You who have brought delight to all through the excellence of the tenderness of body, speech, and mind since childhood! Ah, O You whose longing is intensified by the blaze of thoughts of being without Me! Ah, O You who, having no other recourse, somehow met Me briefly and then, not meeting Me, were consumed by grief! Ah, beloved! Now that I, Your beloved, am trusted, how will You live when about to be abandoned by Me with harsh cruelty? Ah, You who surpass all happiness, O Rādhikā! Where in the world will You go?" Thus.

[53] Then Madhumaṅgala approached and reported this unpleasant news:

"They all decided on / a continuous confinement of Rādhā and the others; / for those female keepers of the house / are hemming in these does on all sides." || Thus.

[54] Thus, unable to pass the time with all-around anxious thoughts that found no end, with the expectation and reflection regarding the wrestling match, his purpose faltering and filled with longing, that very Kṛṣṇa brought the three watches of the night to a close, disporting only with his agemates. Enough with an over-expansion [of speech] that breaks the heart to its core! [55] Having said this, the narrator spoke the conclusion:

“O Rādhā, though unuttered it would not be proper, and yet when uttered it was delightful to you both; / I have endeavored to tell plainly your mutual weight of love. //

Formerly this narrative, which increases Murāri's passion, was recounted; / behold, that very lord of your life desires your favor.” //

[56] In this way, receiving the expansion of the divine play just as it was narrated, and gaining confidence from its non-existence at present at its conclusion, everyone went with great joy to their respective abodes. And Śrī Rādhā and Mādhava made their own bedchamber their home with a desire filled with bliss.

Thus ends the first chapter in the auspicious Uttaragopālacampū, entitled “The Display of the Ocean of Affection for Vraja.” ||1