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Krishna Karnamrita Verse 52 Purport

kara-kamala-dala-kalita-lalita-tara vamshi-

kala-ninada-galad-amrita-ghana-sarasi deve,

sahaja-rasa-bhara-bharita-dara-hasita-vithi-

 -satata-bahad-adhara-mani-madhurimani liye.52. 

 

Translation

 

He is like luscious lake of sweetness!!!

 

He is holding the flute to His lotus-face and its resonance is pouring forth Amritam, so much so, that it is creating a deep lake; His lips are sweetly coloured with natural ras-full soft smiles – may my innermost mind absorb in That God. 52.

 

E

arlier Sri Krishna had smiled and sent a message to Sri Râdhâ by playing on His flute. He had conveyed to Her that She should proceed to thekunja. Now that same smiling face of Sri Krishna, playing sweet notes on His flute was revealed to Sri Râdhâ in Her heart. Srimati was absorbed in that sweetness and spoke in love ecstasy. Sri Lilâshuk has echoed Her feelings in this verse.

 

Srimati is telling Her sakhi – O sakhi! I am absorbed in Sri Krishna with His Divine sports. She is describing Sri Krishna as – ‘kara-kamala-dala-kalita-lalita-tara-vamshi-kala-ninada-galad-amrita-ghana-sarasi’, meaning, ‘Sri Krishna’s hands (kara) are like lotuses. So His fingers resemble lotus petals (kamala dala). They are playing on the flute that is resounding (kalita) with very lovely, pleasing (lalita-tara) notes. The notes are cascading (galad) like nectar (amritam) and creating a deep (ghana) lake (sarasi)’. Here the poet is calling Sri Krishna Himself ‘a deep lake’. Sri Krishna is like a luscious lake (sara) that is full of the shower of nectarine ras (the notes of the flute). This verse describes the sweetness of Sri Krishna’s beautiful form and His flute – two incredible oceans of sweet nectar in which the graceful maidens of Vraja take a deep plunge!

 

“Gem-studded anklets are tinkling sweetly on Sri Krishna’s rosy feet, and he walks in a slow gait. He is attired in charming robes that are more golden than gold and he sports a garland of wild flowers that is attracting the honeybees.

 

Madan-Mohan is very delightful indeed! Each part of His body is sending out vibrations of passion and His eyes dance in fun and frolic. His waist is slim while the expanse of His chest is broad and flat. He wears a chain with a big splendid jewelled locket on the middle of His chest.

 

His arms are like the trunk of an elephant (rippling with muscles) on which He dons jewelled armlets and bangles. When the amorous damsels of Vraja see Him, their hearts melt. Their eyes become like intoxicated bumble bees that hover all around a lotus and fall into it. Hence, their lotus like eyes seem to stretch until the ears.

 

The crescent shaped tilak on His forehead is so captivating that is ensnares the heart of the fair sex like a honeybee-trap. The picture of this ‘Best of all paramours’, Who resemble a youthful Tamâl tree, is constantly sporting in the heart of poet Govinda dâs.”

 

Another Mahâjan poem –           

 

“Sri Krishna’s face is so sweet that it gains victory over the full moon of Sharad-ritu (autumn) while His body is tall and slender like a youthful Tamâl tree. His hair is fashioned in an attractive ‘chudâ’ that is adorned with peacock feathers surrounded by Mâlati flowers and honeybees. Oh! All glory to Kânhâ, the young lover. He poses in the all-enchanting ‘tribhanga’ style and plays sweetly on His flute. Curly locks of hair toss and fall on His sparkling tilak, and this scene is enough to shatter the Love-god’s bow. Dignified ladies flinch their eyes as the flower-tipped arrows of Eros pierced and hurt them. His soft smile is so sweet that He seems to have smeared honey on His rosy lips. He walks with a slow amorous gait as if He is so amused, says poet Govinda dâs.”

 

Sri Râdhâ described Sri Krishna further – sahaja-ras-bhara-bharita-dara-hasita-vithi-satata-bahad-ahara-mani-madhurimani’, meaning ‘Sri Krishna’s smile flows constantly like a shower of ras, and that smile is always spreading the extreme sweetness of His ruby-like lips all around.’ She says, ‘my heart is absorbed in such a Divine Being with Divine sports.’ So here, we realize how sweet Sri Krishna’s lips and natural smile are! They obviously mesmerize theVrajabâlâs.

 

(Srimati is saying) – “My heart is struck with the ‘chikan’ (fine, smooth and glossy) beauty of Shyâm, so much so, that I have lost all control over it. His face looks like it has been marinated in loads of nectar squeezed from infinite moons. His lips sporting a hint of smile put cherry blossoms to shame. He appears like a lightning flitting across a fresh cloud and forces us to disgrace the pride and honour of our family! His rose-tipped eyes are like the Love-god’s arrows shot from His bow-like eyebrows. Once He had briefly cast a sidelong glance at me and ever since I have been seeing only the beautiful Shyâm, wherever I look. O sakhi, I saw this incredibly gorgeous lover on the way back from Yamunâ. Poet Gyâna dâs says – The Son of Nanda in Gokul is the embodiment of pure nectar.”

 

We hear what we do not wish to hear and we speak what we ought not to speak

 

Sri Krishna-Vallabhâ

 

Let us relish Sri Krishna-Vallabhâ purport. Once again, Sri Lilâshuk is praying so that his heart should be lost in Sri Krishna in every manner. He is saying, ‘may my heart be lost to that divinely sporting Sri Krishna.’ He has described Sri Krishna as ‘kara-kamala-dala-kalita-lalita-tara-vamshi-kala-ninada-galad-amrita-ghana-sarasi’, meaning, ‘Sri Krishna’s hands are like lotus and His fingers are like its petals. He is holding the flute from which pleasing notes are cascading like nectar and forming a deep lake.’ This means the poet is describing Sri Krishna when He is playing the flute. So here, this verse is resounding Sri Krishna’s nectarine form, that His hands are like lotuses and that His flute sounds nectarine. He has also described Sri Krishna as sahaja-ras-bhara-bharita-dara-hasita-vithi-satata-bahad-ahara-mani-madhurimani,meaning, ‘Sri Krishna is naturally overflowing with sweet ras and His ruby-like lips are radiant with constantly flowing smile.’ Bhatta Goswâmipâd has explained that, in the previous verse Sri Krishna had desired victory in the battle of love against the young maidens of Vraja. His desire has been fulfilled. So in this verse He is joyously celebrating His victory by playing the flute. Seeing Him happy, the Vraja-beauties are full of love-anger. So Sri Krishna is smiling softly! This is a very expert and ras-full explanation indeed!

 

Sri Chaitanyadâs Goswâmipâd says, Sri Lilâshuk once again has a sphurti of Sri Krishna playing the flute and so he has recited this verse. Sri Krishna’s fingers that resemble lotus-petals are playing on the flute that is pouring forth pleasing notes like a shower of nectar and they are creating a deep lake. His rosy lips are radiating soft smiles. I am losing my heart to such a Divine Being. When the Vrajabâlâs behold Sri Krishna’s sweet lips, they feel as if the nectar from His sweetly smiling lips is entering the pores of the flute and that is why its song is transforming every object into nectar. Sriman-Mahâprabhu has lamented in the mood of Sri Râdhâ –

 

“Sri Krishna’s soft and radiant smile is nectar mingled with camphor. It enters the flute and then intoxicates all universes. It resonates in the sky and fills all quarters with nectarine sound vibrations. It rushes in all directions and piercing the Brahmânda, it enters the Vaikuntha planets. It forces its entry into everyone’s ears. It intoxicates and forcibly drags everyone, especially young damsels. The song of the flute is extremely audacious – it forces a chaste woman to break her marital vow and fetches her out right from her husband’s lap! It attracts even the Laxmis from Vaikuntha, what to speak of the Gopis? It loosens the skirt-strings of women right in front of their husbands, forces them (the women) to forsake all household chores, catches them and drags them in front of Krishna. It makes the women dance like puppets – by making them lose all sense of righteousness, societal norms, shame and fear. It nestles within the ears and keeps on playing eternally; it does not allow any other sound to penetrate the ears. The ears, then, do not hear anything else and the mouth speaks what it does not wish to speak. Such is the character of the flute.”

             - [Sri Chaitanya-Charitâmrita.Madhya.21.118-122]

 

The poet, who is in the mood of a sakhi, is lost in the sweet song of the flute. 

 

 

 

 

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