Gita Govinda 1.2

1.2.1

viharati vane rādhā sādhāraṇa-praṇaye harau vigalita-nijotkarṣād īrṣyā-vaśena gatā'nyataḥ |
kvacid api latā-kuñje guñjan-madhu-vrata-maṇḍalī mukhara-śikhare līna dīnāpy uvāca rahaḥ sakhīm ||

While Hari sported in the forest, his love shared equally with all, Rādhā, feeling her own preeminence diminished, went elsewhere overcome with jealousy; / hidden in a vine bower whose topmost foliage hummed with swarms of bees, dejected though she was, she spoke in secret to her confidante:

Thus lingered Krishna in the deep, green wood,
And gave himself, too prodigal, to those;
But Radha, heart-sick at his falling-off,
Seeing her heavenly beauty slighted so,
Withdrew; and, in a bower of Paradise--
Where nectarous blossoms wove a shrine of shade,
Haunted by birds and bees of unknown skies--
She sate deep-sorrowful, and sang this strain,

1.2.1.p1

|| prabandhaḥ 5 ||

|| Lyric Composition 5

(What follows is to the Music GURJJARÎ and the Mode YATI.)

1.2.1.p2

gurjarī-rāgeṇa yati-tālena gīyate |

Sung in the rāga Gurjarī and the tāla Yati.

1.2.2

sañcarad-adhara-sudhā-madhura-dhvani-mukharita-mohana-vaṃśam |
calita-dṛg-añcala-cañcala-mauli-kapola-vilola-vataṃsam |
rāse harim iha vihita-vilāsaṃ smarati mano mama kṛta-parihāsam || dhru. ||

His enchanting flute resounding with the sweet tone of the nectar of his moving lips, / his head swaying with trembling glances from the corners of his eyes, his earrings dangling against his cheeks— / my mind remembers Hari here, laughing and sporting in the rāsa. || Refrain

Ah, my Beloved! taken with those glances,
Ah, my Beloved! dancing those rash dances,
Ah, Minstrel! playing wrongful strains so well;
Ah, Krishna! Krishna with the honeyed lip!
Ah, Wanderer into foolish fellowship!
My Dancer, my Delight!--I love thee still.

1.2.3

candraka-cāru-mayūra-śikhaṇḍaka-maṇḍala-valayita-keśam |
pracura-purandara-dhanur-anurañjita-medura-mudira-suveśam ||

His hair encircled with a crown of lovely eyes from peacock feathers, / splendidly arrayed like a dense cloud illuminated by an abundant rainbow;

O Dancer! strip thy peacock-crown away,
Rise! thou whose forehead is the star of day,
With beauty for its silver halo set;
Come! thou whose greatness gleams beneath its shroud
Like Indra's rainbow shining through the cloud--
Come, for I love thee, my Beloved! yet.

1.2.4

gopa-kadamba-nitambavatī-mukha-cumbana-lambhita-lobham |
bandhujīva-madhurādhara-pallavam ullasita-smita-śobham ||

Eagerly longing to kiss the faces of the shapely-hipped cowherd women, / the sprout of his sweet lower lip red as a bandhujīva flower, radiant with an open smile;

Must love thee--cannot choose but love thee ever,
My best Beloved--set on this endeavor,
To win thy tender heart and earnest eye
From lips but sadly sweet, from restless bosoms,
To mine, O Krishna with the mouth of blossoms!
To mine, thou soul of Krishna! yet I sigh

1.2.5

vipula-pulaka-bhuja-pallava-valayita-ballava-yuvati-sahasram |
kara-caraṇorasi maṇi-gaṇa-bhūṣaṇa-kiraṇa-vibhinna-tamisram ||

Encompassing thousands of young cowherd women with his sprout-like arms thrilled with intense horripilation, / dispelling the darkness with rays from the gem-encrusted ornaments on his hands, feet, and chest;

Half hopeless, thinking of myself forsaken,
And thee, dear Loiterer, in the wood o'ertaken
With passion for those bold and wanton ones,
Who knit thine arms as poison-plants gripe trees
With twining cords--their flowers the braveries
That flash in the green gloom, sparkling stars and stones.

1.2.6

jalada-paṭala-calad-indu-vinindaka-candana-tilaka-lalāṭam |
pīna-payodhara-parisara-mardana-nirdaya-hṛdaya-kapāṭam ||

His forehead marked with a sandal tilaka mocking the moon gliding through cloud banks, / the portal of his broad chest ruthless in pressing against the swell of full breasts;

My Prince! my Lotus-faced! my woe! my love!
Whose broad brow, with the tilka-spot above,
Shames the bright moon at full with fleck of cloud;
Thou to mistake so little for so much!
Thou, Krishna, to be palm to palm with such!
O Soul made for my joys, pure, perfect, proud!

1.2.7

maṇi-maya-makara-manohara-kuṇḍala-maṇḍita-gaṇḍam udāram |
pīta-vasanam anugata-muni-manuja-surāsura-vara-parivāram ||

Noble, his cheeks adorned with charming earrings shaped like jeweled sea-monsters, / clad in yellow garments, attended by an assembly of sages, mortals, gods, and demons;

Ah, my Beloved! in thy darkness dear;
Ah, Dancer! with the jewels in thine ear,
Swinging to music of a loveless love;
O my Beloved! in thy fall so high
That angels, sages, spirits of the sky
Linger about thee, watching in the grove.

1.2.8

viśada-kadamba-tale militaṃ kali-kaluṣa-bhayaṃ śamayantam |
mām api kim api tarala-taraṅgad-anaṅga-dṛśā manasā ramayantam ||

Gathered beneath a fair kadamba tree, removing fear born of the impurities of the Kali age, / and delighting me as well in his mind with eyes restless and trembling with love;

I will be patient still, and draw thee ever,
My one Beloved, sitting by the river
Under the thick kadambas with that throng:
Will there not come an end to earthly madness?
Shall I not, past the sorrow, have the gladness?
Must not the love-light shine for him ere long?

1.2.9

śrī-jayadeva-bhaṇitam atisundara-mohana-madhu-ripu-rūpam |
hari-caraṇa-smaraṇaṃ prati samprati puṇyavatām anurūpam ||

This utterance of illustrious Jayadeva, portraying the exceedingly beautiful and enchanting form of the enemy of Madhu, / is now suitable for the righteous to remember the feet of Hari.

Shine, thou Light by Radha given,
Shine, thou splendid star of heaven!
Be a lamp to Krishna's feet,
Show to all hearts secrets sweet,
Of the wonder and the love
Jayadev hath writ above.
Be the quick Interpreter
Unto wisest ears of her
Who always sings to all, "I wait,
He loveth still who loveth late."

1.2.10

gaṇayati guṇa-grāmaṃ bhāmaṃ bhrāmād api nehate vahati ca paritoṣaṃ doṣaṃ vimuñcati dūrataḥ |
NOTE: {bhrāmam}
yuvatiṣu valat-tṛṣṇe kṛṣṇe vihāriṇi māṃ vinā punar api mano vāmaṃ kāmaṃ karoti karomi kim ||

It counts his multitude of virtues, does not seek anger even by mistake, / carries contentment, and casts faults far away. / Though Kṛṣṇa's thirst roves among young women as he sports without me, / my contrary mind yet longs for him—what can I do?

For (sang on that high Lady in the shade)
My soul for tenderness, not blame, was made;
Mine eyes look through his evil to his good;
My heart coins pleas for him; my fervent thought
Prevents what he will say when these are naught,
And that which I am shall be understood.

1.2.10.p1

|| prabandhaḥ 6 ||

|| Song 6

(What follows is to the Music MÂLAVAGAUDA and the Mode EKATÂLÎ.)

1.2.10.p2

mālava-gauḍa-rāgena ekatālī-tālena ca gīyate |

Sung in the rāga Mālava-gauḍa and the tāla Ekatālī.

1.2.11

nibhṛta-nikuñja-gṛhaṃ gatayā niśi rahasi nilīya vasantam |
cakīta-vilokita-sakala-diśā rati-rabhasa-bhareṇa hasantam ||

To him who had entered a secluded bower-home and was dwelling hidden in secret at night, / glancing timidly in all directions, laughing in the rush of amorous passion—

Go to him,--win him hither,--whisper low
How he may find me if he searches well;
Say, if he will--joys past his hope to know
Await him here; go now to him, and tell
Where Radha is, and that henceforth she charms
His spirit to her arms.

1.2.11.p1

sakhi he keśī-mathanam udāram
ramaya mayā saha madana-manoratha-bhāvitayā sa-vikāram ||dhruvam ||

O friend, make the generous slayer of Keśin delight / passionately with me, who am transformed by the longing of desire! // Refrain

1.2.12

prathama-samāgama-lajjitayā paṭu-cāṭu-śatair anukūlam |
mṛdu-madhura-smita-bhāṣitayā śithilī-kṛta-jaghana-dukūlam ||

To him who was soothed with hundreds of clever flatteries when I was shy at our first encounter, / whose loin-cloth loosened as I spoke with a soft, sweet smile—

Yes, go! say, if he will, that he may come--
May come, my love, my longing, my desire;
May come forgiven, shriven, to me his home,
And make his happy peace; nay, and aspire
To uplift Radha's veil, and learn at length
What love is in its strength.

1.2.13

kīsala-śayana-niveśitayā ciram urasi mamaiva śayānam |
kṛta-parirambhaṇa-cumbanayā parirabhya kṛtādhara-pānam ||

To him who was placed upon a bed of tender sprouts and lay for a long time on my very breast, / who embraced me and drank my lower lip after I had embraced and kissed him—

Lead him; say softly I shall chide his blindness,
And vex him with my angers; yet add this,
He shall not vainly sue for loving-kindness,
Nor miss to see me close, nor lose the bliss
That lives upon my lip, nor be denied
The rose-throne at my side.

1.2.14

alasa-nimīlita-locanayā pulakāvali-lalita-kapolam |
śrama-jala-sakala-kalevarayā vara-madana-madād atilolam ||

To him whose cheeks were adorned with bristling hair while my eyes were languidly closed, / who grew utterly restless from the intoxicating frenzy of supreme desire while my whole body was wet with sweat—

Say that I--Radha--in my bower languish
All widowed, till he find the way to me;
Say that mine eyes are dim, my breast all anguish,
Until with gentle murmured shame I see
His steps come near, his anxious pleading face
Bend for my pardoning grace.

1.2.15

kokila-kala-rava-kūjitayā jita-manasija-tantra-vicāram |
ślatha-kusumākula-kuntalayā nakha-likhita-ghana-stana-bhāram ||

To him who mastered the lore of the mind-born god as I cooed with the soft sweet call of a cuckoo, / who scored my dense, heavy breasts with nails while my hair was disheveled with loosened flowers—

While I--what, did he deem light loves so tender,
To tarry for them when the vow was made
To yield him up my bosom's maiden splendour,
And fold him in my fragrance, and unbraid
My shining hair for him, and clasp him close
To the gold heart of his Rose?

1.2.16

caraṇa-raṇita-maṇi-nūpurayā paripūrita-surata-vitānam |
mukhara-viśṛṅkhala-mekhalayā sa-kaca-graha-cumbana-dānam ||

To him who fully spread the canopy of lovemaking as the jeweled anklets on my feet jingled, / who bestowed kisses while grasping my hair as my jingling girdle came loose—

And sing him strains which only spirits know,
And make him captive with the silk-soft chain
Of twinned-wings brooding round him, and bestow
Kisses of Paradise, as pure as rain;
My gems, my moonlight-pearls, my girdle-gold,
Cymbaling music bold?

1.2.17

rati-sukha-samaya-rasālasayā dara-mukulita-nayana-sarojam |
niḥsaha-nipatita-tanu-latayā madhusūdanam udita-manojam ||

To him whose lotus eyes were half-closed, languid with the flavor of the time of erotic pleasure, / to Madhusūdana, whose desire was awakened as my creeper-like body fell down helplessly—

While gained for ever, I shall dare to grow
Life to life with him, in the realms divine;
And--Love's large cup at happy overflow,
Yet ever to be filled--his eyes and mine
Will meet in that glad look, when Time's great gate
Closes and shuts out Fate.

1.2.18

śrī-jayadeva-bhaṇitam idam atiśaya-madhu-ripu-nidhuvana-śīlam |
sukham utkaṇṭhita-gopa-vadhū-kathitaṃ vitanotu salīlaṃ ||

May this utterance of Śrī Jayadeva, portraying the consummate love-play of the enemy of Madhu, / playfully spread joy as told by the longing cowherd maiden.

Listen to the unsaid things
Of the song that Radha sings,
For the soul draws near to bliss,
As it comprehendeth this.
I am Jayadev, who write
All this subtle-rich delight
For your teaching. Ponder, then,
What it tells to Gods and men.
Err not, watching Krishna gay,
With those brown girls all at play;
Understand how Radha charms
Her wandering lover to her arms,
Waiting with divinest love
Till his dream ends in the grove.

1.2.19

hasta-srasta-vilāsa-vaṃśam anṛju-bhrū-vallimad-ballavī-vṛndotsāri-dṛganta-vīkṣitam atisvedārdra-gaṇḍa-sthalam |
mām udvīkṣya vilajjitaṃ smṛta-sudhā-mugdhānana-kānane govindaṃ vraja-sundarī-gaṇa-vṛtaṃ paśyāmi hṛṣyāmi ca ||

His playful flute slipped from his hand; his sidelong glances were turned aside by the cowherd women with curved eyebrow-creepers; his cheek was moist with excessive sweat. / Seeing me, he was embarrassed, his sweet mouth in the forest charming with memories of nectar: I behold Govinda surrounded by the beauties of Vraja, and I rejoice.

For even now (she sang) I see him pause,
Heart-stricken with the waste of heart he makes
Amid them;--all the bows of their bent brows
Wound him no more: no more for all their sakes
Plays he one note upon his amorous lute,
But lets the strings lie mute.

1.2.20

durāloka-stoka-stavaka-navakāśoka-latikā-vikāsaḥ kāsāropavana-pavano'pi vyathayati |
api bhrāmyad-bhṛṅgī-raṇita-ramaṇīyā na mukula-prasūtiś cūtānāṃ sakhi śikhariṇīyaṃ sukhayati ||

Even the wind from the garden pool pains me with the blossoming of fresh aśoka creepers with small, dazzling clusters; / and, O friend, this crowned sprout of mangoes, lovely with the humming of wandering bees, brings no joy.

"My feet with the dances are weary,
The music has dropped from the song,
There is no more delight in the lute-strings,
Sweet Shadows! what thing has gone wrong?
The wings of the wind have left fanning
The palms of the glade;
They are dead, and the blossoms seem dying
In the place where we played.

1.2.21

sakūta-smitam ākulākula-galad-dhammillam ullāsita-bhrū-vallīkam alīka-darśita-bhujā-mūlārdha-hasta-stanam |
gopīnāṃ nibhṛtaṃ nirīkṣya gamitākāṅkṣaś ciraṃ cintayann antar mugdha-manoharaṃ haratu vaḥ kleśaṃ navaḥ keśavaḥ ||

Having secretly observed the gopīs with meaningful smiles, their braid-knots utterly loose and falling, their eyebrow-creepers raised, and their armpits and half their breasts deceitfully exposed with hands; and having his desire awakened, long meditating within on what is enchantingly lovely: may the youthful Keśava remove your distress!

(Here ends that Sarga of the Gîta Govinda entitled KLESHAKESHAVO.)

1.2.21.p1

iti śrī-gīta-govinda-mahā-kāvye akleśa-keśavo nāma
dvitīyaḥ sargaḥ
||2||

Thus ends the second canto, entitled “Unvexed Keśava,” in the great poem Gītagovinda.
|| 2

1.2.21.p2

(3)
tṛtīyaḥ sargaḥ
mugdha-madhusūdanaḥ

(3)
Third Canto
Enamored Madhusūdana

SARGA THE THIRD.