Argument to Aparahna Lila - payar

This is from Sri Madanmohan das babaji's edition of the Gutika. I'm particularly fond of this version because it is all in verse (payar) and, as pointed out in it's introduction, this is of great benefit for those who would commit certain passages to memory. Here is the versification in Bengali of the mula sloka that starts, "parAvrtim gosthe....etc."

dhenugana, priyasakhAgana kari sange/
vana haite vraje krsna jAya nAnA range//

Accompanied by his dear friends and the herds of cattle, Krsna returns from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement with much merriement and frolics.

natavara vesa, cUrA mayurera puccha/
gale vanamAlA, karne asokera guccha//

Attired as the foremost of theatrical players,he has a peacock-feather head dress, a vanamAlA hanging from his neck and asoka-clusters adorning his ears...

goraje dhusara mukhacandra sobhA kare/
prAge bhUsita yena nIlAmbuja bare//

His moon-like countenance is o'erlaid with dust upraised by the cows, resembling the choisest blue lotus besprinkled with fragrant pollen.

adhare murali dhari bAjAya susvare/
sakhAgana dala srnga nAnA vAdya kare//

Holding the flute to his lower lip he breathes forth such dulcet tones while his companions blow on reeds and horns and other instruments.

uccha puccha kari dhAya dhenu vrajamAjhe/
hAmbA hAmbA dhvani yena jalada garaje//

With tails upraised and running, the herds enter Vraja, making deep resounding "hAmbA hAmbA" like the rumbling clouds.

attAlite SrI rAdhikA dekhiyA krsnere/
nAnA bhAva vibhUsita haya kalevare//

Radhika, then from her roof-top apartment, beholds Krsna's return, and various transformations by degrees of ecstacy adorn her delicate body.

sei bhAve vibhUsita haiyA gaurahari/
vrajalIlA rUpa guna smarana se kari//

And Gaurahari becomes adorned with those very same BhAvas as he actively recalls the beauty and excellence of the Vraja Lila.

stambha kampa asru gharma pulaka hunkAra/
Ananda tarange uthe kata sata Ara//

Now he's stunned with paralasys, now he trembles uncontrolably, now he sheds profuse torrents of tears and perspiration cascades from his limbs, now his hairs stand on end and now he roars like a lion. What endless hundreds of tidal waves break upon the surgging billows of love's ecstacy!

bhakta mAjhe nAnAlIlA kare prakatana/
hena prabhu pAdapadma bhaja mora mana//

Thus in the midst of his bhaktas he manifest manifold exploits; O my mind I importune you to adore the lotus-feet of such a lord.

Bhagavata, Skandha 10, Canto 15, Verse 43; Gita Press.

pItvA mukunda-mukha-sAragham-aksi-bhrngair-
stApam jahurvirahajam vraja-yosito'hni/
tatsatkrtim samadhigamya vivesa gostham
savrIdahAsavinayam yadapAngamoksam//

Drinking deep the ambrosia of Mukunda's lotus-face
With their greedy bee-like eyes, the Vraja beauties
Dismissed their long grief of separation from him.
As he entered Vraja he duly recieved their homage
Which took the form of side-long glances mixed
With bashfull smiles displaying modesty.

Altered a bit

Bhag 10/19/15-16

gAh sannivartya sAyAnhe saharAmo janArdanah/
venum viranayan gosthamagAd gopairabhistutah//
gopInAm paramAnanda AsId govindadarsane/
ksanam yugasatamiva vIksya te vinAbhavat//

Driving back the cows at eventide, Janardan ( who is solicited by the people), accompanied by Rama, withdrew to Vraja playing on his flute, and extolled on all sides by his cowherd companions.
The cowherd damsels attained the highest joy at the sight of Govinda as he approached, in whose absence a single momment hung heavy on them as a hundred yugas.

You need to be more careful when typing up Sanskrit. For example, mukundamukhasAragham should not, as you have indicated with a hyphen, be compounded with akSibhRGgais (there should be no r there) which again should not be compounded with tApam. There are more errors of this type. Also, if you want to indicate diacritical marks, please be consistent. Vocalic r is represented by R, not r, cerebral s by S, not s, etc., and it is vrIDa in the last pAda, not vrIda. If you want to use hyphens to separate words in compounds (something which I do not think is necessarily a good idea), please be consistent. You separate mukunda and mukha with a hyphen, but not apAGga and mokSam, for example.

I do not mean to be too critical. It is just that one may as well do it right if one is doing it.

It is a nice verse indeed.

more more!

Yes you're right Elpis, my appologies.Lazy and inadvertant are a couple of my virtues, but I will be more careful. Anyway here is another sloka on the same theme, but this time it is from the Gopi Gitam from Ch 31,10th Skandha, sloka12


dinapariksaye nIlakuntalairvanaruhAnanam bibhradAvrtam/
ghanarajasvalam darsayan muhurmanasi nah smaram vIra yacchasi//

You kindle love in our heart, O gallant lord, again and again even as you reveal yourself (before us) at the close of day, wearing a countenance overhung by dark curly locks and soiled with the dust raised by the cows, and thus resembling a lotus (surrounded by black bees and covered with pollen).

Gita Press

rucirapatah pulinanatah pasupagatirgunavasati/
sa mama sucirjaladaruci-manasi parisphuratu harih//

Who is attired in lustrous silken garments; who dances on the river bank;
who protects the cowherds and is the abode of all excellences; may that Hari, the embodiement of amorous rasa who shines like a laden cloud, be fully manifest in my mind.

Mukunda Muktavali 24

This one is interesting in that there are no long vowels, it's quite a tounge twister.

Back to the Aparahna theme;

mukhajitasaradinduh kelilAvanyasindhuh
karavinihitakandurvallavIprAnabandhuh/
vapurupasrtarenuh kaksaniksiptavenur
vacanavasagadhenuh pAtu mAm nandasUnuh//

Whose face conquers the autumn moon, who is an ocean of playfulness and beauty, who holds a ball in his hand, who is the dear hearts-friend to the cowherd damsels, whose body is besmeared with upraised dust, who tucks the flute in his loin cloth and who controls the herds with his call, may that son of Nanda save me.

Mukunda Muktavali 2

bhoh srIdAmansubala vrsabha stoka krsnArjunAdyAh
kim vo drsta mama nu cakitA drgatA naiva kunje/
kAciddevI sakalabhuvanAplAvilAvanyapUrA
dUrAdevAkhilamaharatapreyaso vastu sakhyuh//

O, Sridam, Subal, Vrsabha, Stokakrsna, Arjuna and the rest-
Have anyone of you seen it? My dazed look could not penetrate into the bower,
but some indeterminate goddess, drowning the whole universe in the flood of her beauty, has captivated, even from a distance, the heart of your dear companion!

gatA dUre gAvo dinamapi turIyAmsamabhaja-
dvayam hAtum klAntAstava ca jananI vartmanayanA/
akasmAttusnIke sajalanayane dInavadane
luthatasyAm bhUmau tvayi nahi vayam prAninisavah//

The cows have wandered off to a distance, three fourths of the day has passed,
we can't leave you alone in this condition, more so when your mother's eyes are fixed upon the path of your return. Now that you have become silent suddenly like this, and keep rolling about on the ground with tearfilled eyes and doleful face, we cannot retain our vital breath. (Aha mari!)

RRSN 228-229 based on Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan rendering.

Sri Rupa's Sri Kesavastakam from Stavamala. Translated from Smti Arpana Devi's Bengali rendering.

Whose ears are adorned with fresh kadamba buds, whose glossy tresses are bound up with a garland of fully bloomed malati flowers and who wears a wreath of partially blooming yuthika flowers draped accross his chest; I worship that curl-haired Kesava as he thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja.1

Who calls the herds by the names of thier resective leaders, such as, "Hey Pisangi! Hey Manikstani! Hey Pranatasrngi! Hey Pingeksane! Hey Mrdangamukhi! Hey Dhumale! Hey Sabali! Hey Hamsi! Hey Vamsipriye!" , and so forth. Wherupon, in joyful eagerness, the herds of surabhi cows hasten to him; I worship that curl-haired Kesava as he thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja.2

Whose cowherd companions are all embued with the most profound affection and are adept in sweet discourse, dancing and singing, and are fully aquainted with all the artful ways of sporting, and are tastefully attired and ornamented; I worship that curl-haired Kesava who thus repairs from the forest pasture, laughing and joking with his friends all the way, to the cowherd settlement of Vraja.3

Whose soft cheeks are beautified with droplets of perspiration, whose face is painted with lovely leaf designs made with colourful mineral pigments, whose forehead is overhung with sable ringlets that freely dangle like a swarm of greedy bees about a lotus flower; I worship that curl-haired Kesava as he thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja. 4

All those cows whose new calves were kept back in the pens, became very eager and full of anxious care to see their calves, thus they heaved forward, breaking the Earth with their hooves, but with the sound of his flute they were restrained and kept in order; I worship that curl-haired Kesava who thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja. 5

Who beautifies the path whereon he walks by leaving the impressions of the distinctive markings on his feet, whose flowergarland, body and attire are covered with the dust upraised by the cows as they hasten on their way ahead of him and whose garment and head dress flutter in the gentle breeze; I worship that curl-haired Kesava as he thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja. 6

Well here is the rest of Kesavastakam; These last two now introduce Vatsalya and Madhurya bhavasrayalamban(?)

Whose playful flute breathes forth such dulcet tones that the cowherd damsels in their rooms become overwhelmed with amorous exitement and are suddenly all thrilled with horripilation. And by repeatedly hearing whose flute song, Gosthesvari Yasoda's heart is filled with extreem delight; I worship that curl-haired Kesava who thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja. 7

The beauties of Vraja hastily ascend their roof tops and balconies and welcome him with bouquets of covert smiles and darting side-long glances, while his black bee-like eyes hover round and land on their protruding bud-like breasts; I worship that curl-haired Kesava who thus repairs from the forest pasture to the cowherd settlement of Vraja. 8

Whoever attentively recites this eight verse hymn enchants and augments the delight of all the cowherd damsels. Visakha's friend, Krsna, granting a clear conscience awards an unflinching sentiment of love to his lotus-like beautiful feet,
the reciter thereby enjoys ever lasting happines. 9

That's so beautiful! Thank you.

Your pleasure, my pleasure and I hope the pleasure of Sri Hari.