Sri Vilapa Kusumanjali. 1/4

Sri Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami

A Handful of Flower Lamentations

tvaṁ rūpa-mañjari sakhi prathitā pure'smin

puṁsaḥ parasya vadanaṁ na hi paśyasīti |

bimbādhare kṣatam anāgata-bhartṛkāyā

yat te vyadhāyi kim u tac chuka-puṅgavena ||1|| (vasanta)

You, O my friend, Sri Rupa manjari,

Here in this town are known for chastity,

And never cast your glance upon the face

Of other men, while in some other place

Your husband stays, and thus I wonder much,

Who durst to bruise your lips or e’en to touch!

Was it that best of parrots that did so,

Attracted by their bimba berry glow? 1

sthala-kamalini yuktaṁ garvitā kānane'smin

praṇayasi vara-hāsyaṁ puṣpa-guccha-cchalena |

api nikhila-latās tāḥ saurabhāktāḥ sa muñcan

mṛgayati tava mārgaṁ kṛṣṇa-bhṛṅgo yad adya ||2|| (mālinī)

O Lotus dear that on the dry land grows,

Your blooming smile your lofty merit shows;

And flower cluster smiles do well befit

That fragrance of your conscious pride emit;

Since quite disdaining all the other vines,

That black bee of the forest so inclines

To forsake them and search to you his way,

Seeking the place where you abide today. 2

vrajendra-vasati-sthale vividha-vallavī-saṅkule

tvam eva rati-mañjari pracura-puṇya-puñjodayā |

vilāsa-bhara-vismṛta-praṇayi-mekhalā-mārgaṇe

yad adya nija-nāthayā vrajati nāthitā kandaram ||3|| (pṛthvī)

My dear companion, Rati manjari,

Your merit is of much higher degree;

Midst all the throng of cowherd dames that dwell

In cowherd Nanda’s region you excel

All others in the favours you receive;

Since you were sent by our queen to retrieve

Her favourite belt, which she had quite forgot,

Absorbed in love-play in a shady grot;

And for you are her serving maid and friend,

‘Twas you alone she deemed it best to send. 3

prabhur api yadunandano ca eṣa

priya-yadunandana unnata-prabhāvaḥ |

svayam atula-kṛpāmṛtābhiṣekaṁ

mama kṛtavāṁs tam ahaṁ guruṁ prapadye ||4|| (puṣpitāgrā)

Even my master Yadu-nandana,

Most dear unto the Yadu’s joy, Krishna,

And vested with the Lords’ almighty power,

Upon me did his matchless mercy shower.

I bow in salutation and entreat

For refuge at my preceptor’s dear feet. 4

yo māṁ dustara-geha-nirjala-mahā-kūpād apāra-klamāt

sadyaḥ sāndra-dayāmbudhiḥ prakṛtitaḥ svairī kṛpā-rajjubhiḥ |

uddhṛtyātma-saroja-nindi-caraṇa-prāntaṁ prapādya svayaṁ

śrī-dāmodara-sāc-cakāra tam ahaṁ caitanya-candraṁ bhaje ||5|| (śardūla)

The moon-like Sri Chaitanya I adore,

Mercy’s vast ocean and love’s boundless store;

Who with the sturdy rope of his fair grace,

Rescued me from that dire and dismal place,

From whence it is not easy to get free,

The pride of wealth, immense prosperity,

Fraught with calamity, distress and strife,

Which is the dried up well of household life,

And drew me to his feet’s propinquity,

Disdaining lotus blossoms in beauty,

And handed me into the tender care

Of Damodara, his companion dear. 5

vairāgya-yug-bhakti-rasa-prayatnair

apāyayan mām anabhīpsum andham |

kṛpāmbudhir yaḥ para-duḥkha-duḥkhī

sanātanaṁ taṁ prabhum āśrayāmi ||6|| (upajāti)

Although to my true welfare I was blind,

To quaff love and dispassion disinclined;

That sea of mercy did with care bestow

His grace. Whose only woe is others woe.

I take refuge and seek the benison

Of my reverend master Sanatan. 6

atyutkaṭena nitarāṁ virahānalena

dandahyamāna-hṛdayā kila kāpi dāsī |

hā svāmini kṣaṇam iha praṇayena gāḍham

ākrandanena vidhurā vilapāmi padyaiḥ ||7|| (vasanta)

My queen, the heart of this maidservant yearns

For mercy, and in separation burns;

Herein, awhile, most fervently I pray,

And unto you my tears of love convey.

I shall to you my hearts’ distress disclose,

And lamentation in sweet verse compose. 7

devi duḥkha-kula-sāgarodare

dūyamānam atidurgataṁ janam |

tvaṁ kṛpā-prabala-naukayādbhutaṁ

prāpaya sva-pada-paṅkajālayam ||8|| (rathoddhatā)

O my Goddess, I flounder in the sea

Of helplessness and abject misery;

This wretched one can hardly stay afloat,

Unless you rescue with the sturdy boat

Of great compassion that you always bear,

And to that bless’d abode my soul can steer.

Thence all my longings shall be made complete,

Gaining the lotus flowers of your feet. 8

tvad-alokana-kālāhi-daṁśair eva mṛtaṁ janam |

tvat-pādābja-milal-lākṣā-bheṣajair devi jīvaya ||9|| (anuṣṭubh)

O Goddess, in your absence the black snake

To bite this creature did occasion take,

And in the scorching heat of severance fried,

In anguish and in pain this wretch has died.

With crimson dye from your lotus-feet deign

To anoint me and bring back life again. 9

devi te caraṇa-padma-dāsikāṁ

viprayoga-bhara-dāva-pāvakaiḥ |

dahyamānatara-kāya-vallarīṁ

jīvaya kṣaṇa-nirīkṣaṇāmṛtaiḥ ||10|| (rathoddhatā)

O Goddess, in the raging forest fire

The lapping flames of severance conspire

To burn the vine-like body in the heat

Of this poor servant of your lotus-feet;

Thus languishing I fervently entreat,

The nectar of your gracious glances pour

Upon me and my wretched life restore. 10

svapne'pi kiṁ sumukhi te caraṇāmbu-jāta-

rājat-parāga-paṭa-vāsa-vibhūṣaṇena |

śobhāṁ parām atitarām ahahottamāṅgaṁ

bibhrad bhaviṣyati kadā mama sārtha-nāmā ||11|| (vasanta)

O you with the propitious smiling face,

Ah, when will I receive especial grace,

That even in the dreaming state with care,

Your lotus-feet upon my head I bear,

And justify by example the claim,

That calls the head the topmost limb by name

amṛtābdhi-rasa-prāyais tava nūpura-siñjitaiḥ |

hā kadā mama kalyāṇi vādhiryam apaneṣyate ||12|| (anuṣṭubh)

O most auspicious of sweet damosels,

The charming tinkling of your ankle bells,

Is as a flowing stream of nectar pure;

Alas, when will that sound my deafness cure? 12

śaśaka-bhṛd-abhisāre netra-bhṛṅgāñcalābhyāṁ

diśi vidiśi bhayenodghurṇitābhyāṁ vanāni |

kuvalaya-dala-koṣāṇy eva kḷptāni yābhyāṁ

kim u kila kalanīyo devi tābhyāṁ jano'yam ||13|| (mālinī)

O Goddess, when the moon is shining bright,

Your startled glances dart from left to right,

And as you on the lonesome path persist

In hopes to meet your lover at the tryst,

Wherever in the wood your glances rove,

The transforms to a blue lotus grove.

Oh, when will this one as I follow you,

Remain always in the range of your view. 13

yad-avadhi mama kācin mañjarī rūpa-pūrvā

vraja-bhuvi bata netra-dvandva-dīptiṁ cakāra |

tad-avadhi tava vṛndāraṇya-rājñi prakāmaṁ

caraṇa-kamala-lākṣā-sandidṛkṣā mamābhūt ||14|| (mālinī)

O blessed Goddess of Vrindavan’s grove,

What time some maidservant, endued with love,

Called by the name of Rupa manjari,

Infused my eyes with the power to see

The bless’d realm of the cowherd settlement,

Since then indeed, my hope and my intent,

Is to behold with my own very eyes

Your lotus-feet anointed with red dyes. 14

yadā tava sarovaraṁ sarasa-bhṛṅga-saṅghollasan

saroruha-kulojjvalaṁ madhura-vāri-sampūritam |

sphuṭat-sarasijākṣi he nayana-yugma-sākṣād-babhau

tadaiva mama lālasājani tavaiva dāsye rase ||15|| (pṛthvī)

The buzzing bees around your lake resound,

Which does with lily and lotus abound,

With fragrant water filled and glist’ning bright,

Which takes the heart and mind with vast delight.

O you whose face does like a lotus shine,

When first I saw your lake, e’en from that time,

I long to gain that high beatitude,

Of joy derived from your sweet servitude. 15

pādābjayos tava vinā vara-dāsyam eva

nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devi yāce |

sakhyāya te mama namo'stu namo'stu nityaṁ

dāsyāsya te mama raso'stu raso'stu satyam ||16|| (vasanta)

I never do at any time entreat

For boons, but for best service of your feet.

O Goddess, if your friendship I attain,

I could not with you equal status claim.

No, friendship I repeatedly salute,

But hear my vow, wherein I’m resolute;

To gain your servitude is my desire;

To always taste your service I aspire. 16

ati-sulalita-lākṣāśliṣṭa-saubhāgya-mudrā-

tatibhir adhika-tuṣṭyā cihnitīkṛtya bāhū |

nakha-dalita-haridrā-garva-gauri priyāṁ me

caraṇa-kamala-sevāṁ hā kadā dāsyasi tvam ||17|| (mālinī)

O you whose golden lustre far excels

A turmeric bulb pierced by fingernails8;

Ah, when will you, most highly pleased with me,

Print on my arm, that all may plainly see

The signs of fortune that your foot-soles show,

Still wet with the red dye with which they glow?

When will I such high grace from you receive,

And service of your lotus-feet achieve? 17

praṇālīṁ kīlālair bahubhir abhi saṅkṣālya madhurair

mudā saṁmārjya svair vivṛta-kaca-vṛndaiḥ priyatayā |

kadā bāhyāgāraṁ vara-parimalair dhūpa-nivahair

vidhāsye te devi pratidinam aho vāsitam aham ||18|| (śikhariṇī)

O Goddess, having with sweet water flushed

Your drain, and with my own hair dried and brushed,

For anything of yours is dear to me,

And so to clean your private lavat’ry;

Oh, when will you such service delegate,

That I each day your latrine fumigate,

With pleasant odours rising from the smoke

Of incense, your love and grace to invoke? 18

prātaḥ sudhāṁśu-militāṁ mṛdam atra yatnād

āhṛtya vāsita-payaś ca gṛhāntare ca |

pādāmbuje bata kadā jaladhārayā te

prakṣālya bhāvini kacair iha mārjayāmi ||19|| (vasanta)

O fair damsel, your heart with love is filled.

And when will I, in your sweet service skilled,

At dawn to your room lovingly convey

Sweet water and some camphor mixed with clay?

Then while you sit down in a place that’s meet,

I shall, attentive, wash your lotus-feet,

And with a singular and loving care,

Tenderly rub them dry with my soft hair. 19

prakṣālya pāda-kamalaṁ kṛta-dānta-kāṣṭhāṁ

snānārtham anya-sadane bhavatīṁ niviṣṭām |

abhyajya gandhitatarair iha taila-pūraiḥ

prodvartayiṣyati kadā kim u kiṅkarīyam ||20|| (vasanta)

O lovesome damsel, having washed your feet,

With which in beauty lotus blooms compete,

When you have brushed your teeth with pearly glow,

We shall into your bathing chamber go;

Ah, when will this maidservant gently toil,

To rub your tender limbs with fragrant oil? 20

ayi vimala-jalānāṁ gandha-karpūra-puṣpair

jita-vidhu-mukha-padme vāsitānāṁ ghaṭoghaiḥ |

praṇaya-lalita-sakhyā dīyamānaiḥ purastāt

tava varam abhiṣekaṁ hā kadāhaṁ kariṣye ||21|| (mālinī)

O you whose lotus-face doth shine more bright,

And triumphs o’er the moon’s soft balmy light,

When one of your beloved friends conveyed

Large pots of water, in due order laid,

Mixed with fresh camphor and the sweet odours

By adding petals from soft fragrant flowers;

Oh, then will I, your servant who doth crave,

Your fair limbs ceremoniously lave9? 21

pānīyaṁ cīna-vastraiḥ śaśimukhi śanakai ramya-mṛdv-aṅga-yaṣṭer

yatnād utsārya modād diśi diśi vicalan netra-mīnāñcalāyāḥ |

śroṇau raktaṁ dukūlaṁ tad-aparam atulaṁ cāru-nīlaṁ śiro’grāt

sarvāṅgeṣu pramodāt pulakita-vapuṣā kiṁ mayā te prayojyam ||22|| (sragdharā)

O you with the bright shining face that dims

The moon, when having bathed your tender limbs,

Your restless glances dart from side to side,

Like flashing fishes in your beauty’s pride.

O moon-faced damsel Radhe, when will I,

With a soft towel your limbs cautiously dry?

Then place around your loins a garment red,

And a blue veil, descending from your head,

Which draping down covers your body fair;

And when will I, with joy and bristling hair,

Adorn you in your famed garments with care. 22

prakṣālya pāda-kamalaṁ tad-anukrameṇa

goṣṭhendra-sūnu-dayite tava keśa-pāśam |

hā narmadāgrathita-sundara-sūkṣma-mālyair

veṇīṁ kariṣyati kadā praṇayair jano’yam ||23|| (vasanta)

Then having washed your feet in order due,

The service that I fain would render you,

O darling of the cowherd chief’s dear son;

As when your dear friend Narmada had come,

In great delight to you, as she had brought

A fragrant wreath of budding jasmine wrought;

And will I then that fragrant wreath entwine

Within the braid of your soft hair divine. 23

subhaga-mṛgamadenākhaṇḍa-śubhrāṁśuvat te

tilakam iha lalāṭe devi modād vidhāya |

masṛṇa-ghusṛṇa-carcām arpayitvā ca gātre

stana-yugam api gandhaiś citritaṁ kiṁ kariṣye ||24|| (mālinī)

O Goddess, when will I paint o’er your brows

A musk tilak, which like the full moon glows?

And when will I your fair limbs beautify,

By smearing them with scented kumkum dye?

With fragrant substances, will I be bless’d,

To paint designs and pictures on your breast? 24

sindūra-rekhā sīmante devi ratna-śalākayā |

mayā yā kalpitā kiṁ te sālakāñ chobhayiṣyati ||25|| (anuṣṭubh)

Goddess, with a gem-pencil, when will I

With fine red powder your hair beautify,

And then, therewith your tresses decorate,

The parting of your hair to separate. 25

hanta devi tilakasya samantād

bindavo’ruṇa-sugandhi-rasena |

kṛṣṇa-mādana-mahauṣadhi-mukhyā

dhīra-hastam iha kiṁ parikalpyāḥ ||26|| (svāgatā)

Goddess, shall I, around your tilak sign

With steady hand, paint dots in fair design;

Which acts as the best potent simple herb,

The mind of playful Krishna to disturb? 26

goṣṭhendra-putra-mada-citta-karīndra-rāja-

bandhāya puṣpa-dhanuṣaḥ kila baddha-rajjvoḥ |

kiṁ karṇayos tava varoru varāvataṁsa-

yugmena bhūṣaṇam ahaṁ sukhitā kariṣye ||27|| (vasanta)

Your earrings are the flower archer’s ropes,

That bind the elephant with eager hopes,

And thus the son of Nanda firmly ties;

O when will I, O you of sturdy thighs,

Fasten upon your ears, with joyful care,

Bright pendant ornaments to dangle there? 27

yā te kañculir atra sundari mayā vakṣojayor arpitā

śyāmācchādana-kāmyayā kila na sāsatyeti vijñāyatām |

kintu svāmini kṛṣṇa eva sahasā tat tām avāpya svayaṁ

prāṇebhyo’py adhikaṁ svakaṁ nidhi-yugaṁ saṁgopayaty eva hi ||28|| (śārdūla)

O mistress mine, of exquisite beauty,

I do not wish that Syama should not see

Your ample bosom hidden by your dress,

While I enclose them in the fine bodice;

But no, that Krishna might himself remove

The lid to gain the jewels of his love,

And with his own broad chest the blouse replace,

By folding you in his loving embrace. 28

nānā-maṇi-prakara-gumphita-cāru-puṣṭā

muktā-srajas tava suvakṣasi hema-gauri |

śrāntyābhṛtālasa-mukunda-sutūlikāyāṁ

kiṁ kalpayiṣyatitarāṁ tava dāsikeyam ||29|| (vasanta)

O fair and golden beauty, will I place

Upon your breast a gem studded necklace,

With big round pearls, where Mukunda may rest,

When tired of play, upon your pillow-breast? 29

maṇi-caya-khacitābhir nīla-cūḍāvalībhir

hari-dayita-kalāvid-dvandvam indīvarākṣi |

api bata tava divyair aṅgulīr aṅgulīyaiḥ

kvacid api kila kāle bhūṣayiṣyāmi kiṁ nu ||30|| (mālinī)

O you with eyes dark as the lotus blue,

Will I gain occasion to adorn you,

With glist’ning armlets on your graceful arms,

Dear to Hari for all their graceful charms?

And let me put on your fingers with care

Gem studded rings that shine with lustre rare. 30