I remember the infant Mukunda, Who sleeps inside a hollow Banyan leaf¹, and Who, by His lotus-hands, is putting His lotus-feet in His lotus-mouth.||1||
I remember the infant Mukunda, Who, having collected the worlds in His mouth, sleeps on a Banyan leaf, Whose form is without a beginning or an end, Who is the Lord of all, and Who incarnates for the benefit of everyone.||2||
I remember the infant Mukunda, Who has a blue-lotus like delicate and soft body, and Whose lotus-feet is reverred by Indra and other demi-gods².||3||
I remember the infant Mukunda, Who is adorned with long tresses and a long garland, Who, for the sake of amusement, has attained ornate and shiny teeth, Who has red lips, and Who has enticing and large eyes.||4||
I remeber the infant Mukunda, Who, in the absence of milkmaids (literally when the milkmaids went out), used a sling and having broken the earthen pots containing butter and eaten, used to pretend that He is sleeping.||5||
I meditate on the infant Mukunda, Who loves dancing on the hood of the serpent Kaliya situated in the river Kalindi (Yamuna), Who holds the tail of Kaliya in His hands (while dancing), and Whose face is resplendent like moon.||6||
I remember the infant Mukunda, Who allowed Yashoda to tie Him to wooden-mortar, Who is immense in valor, Who uprooted the two trees of Arjun with a mighty but effortless pull, and Whose eyes are like abode of blooming lotuses.||7||
I remember the infant Mukunda, Who, having looked at the resplendent face of Mother Yashoda with respect, starts suckling Her breasts, Who has eyes like blooming lotus, Who has pure bliss, Who is Divine, and is infinite in every way.||8||
Notes:
¹ The poem is inspired by the episode of sage Markandeya's vision of the lord as an infant lying on leaf of a banyan tree, in the midst of the primordeal ocean. The venrable sage gets sucked into the mouth of this infant and is surprized to find the entire world arrayed safely inside him, while the pralaya seemed to have destroyed everything, on the outside. [Credits: Sushil Sharma]
² The meaning ofsa.mtaanakalpadruma.m aa"sritaanaa.m is unclear.
Poet: Bilwamangalacharya
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