Krishnakarnamrtham of Leelasuka

 

About the author

The name of the author is Bilavamangala and he acquired the name Leelasuka because of his becoming immersed in the leela of Krishna and described in detail like Sukabrahmarshi. He originated from Kerala and lived in the 13th century. He was infatuated with a courtesan named Chintamani in his early years and one day being obsessed with his love for her she told him that o if he had placed even one thoudandth part of his love for her in the Lord he would become liberated. This , by the divine will of the Lord transformed his lif in a moment and he became a great devotee. So in the first invocatory sloka he paid tribute to her by starting it as 'chimtamaniH jayathi.'

 

1.chinthAmaNirjayathisomagirirgururmes

SikshAguruscha bhagavAn Sikhipiccha moulih

yathpAdhakalpatharupallavaSekhareshu

leelAsvayamvararasam labhathe jayaSreeh

 

My guru Somagiri who is like chinthamani, the wish-giving stone is victorious. Also does Sri Krishna who is wearing the peacockfeathers on His head who has graced me with His mercy. To those who wear the feet of Him which are like the sprouts of Kalpaka tree (wish giving tree), the Lakshmi in the form of success will come by her own accord like the bride who search for the suitable bridegroom and garland him in a svayamvara.

 

The word bhagavan implies only Sri Krishna as said in Srimadbhagavatham,

ethe cha amSakalaah pumsah krishnasthu bhagavaan svayam. He Himself is the chimthamani not only in the sense that He is the wish fulfilling gem of the devotees but also because He is 'chithyamaanaanaam maNih', luminous like a gem in the hearts of those who contemplate on Him. The word Somagiri, which presumably denotes the guru of Leelasuka also has connotation to Krishna as He is the somagiri, 'somasya amrthasya giri,' the mountain of soma which means amrtha. The Moon is called Soma because he is supposed to have rays of nectar.

 

Thus by the word 'mamaguru' Leelasuka means the Lord Himself who is not only the instructs but also shows the way, sikshaaguru.

 

His feet are the wish giving tree as they give all to those who surrender to them. Hence the Jayalakshmi, denoting success  is said to choose the feet of the Lord as in svayamvara.

 

2.asthi svastharunee karAgra vigalath kalpa prasoonAplutham

   vasthu prasthutha veNunAdha laharee nirvana nirvyAkulam

   srastha srastha niruddha neevivilasath gopeesahasrAvrtham

   hastha nyastha nathApavargam akhilodhAram kiSorAkrthih

 

Here is the Supreme Reality in the form of a young boy, who is worshipped by the flowers of the kalpatharu that fell from the celestial damsels, is motionless immersed in the eternal joy of the music from His flute, surrounded by the cowherd girls and who has in his hand the moksha for those who bow down to Him and also gives to all the fruits of their desires.

 

Svastharunee means the celestial damsels. They collect the flowers from the kalpatharu, the wish-giving tree of heaven and shower them on Krishna. He is lost to the world around Him, immersed in his music being the personification of nadhabrahma. The music from His flute flows like waves, submerging all around, including the gopikas who were also equally so as they did not care to tie their garments slipping but only adjusting it with their hands.

 

Leela suka says that this boy is none other than Brahman and he is ready to give Moksha to those who resort to Him. He has it in his hands, hasthanyastham. Not only that, He gives whatever one asks for, akhilodharam until they are ready for Moksha.

 

Leelasuka calls Him 'asthi vasthu' there is an entity which is real, meaning the absolute reality. The word ‘asti’ is used to denote the ‘trikaAlaabadhyaroopam’ existence in past, present and future, that is eternity. By ‘astivastu’ Leelasuka implies that He is always present in the heart of His devotees. The’ kiSorAkrti ‘ the youthful form is understood only as the Brahman without form, The word can be split as’ kiSoram cha tat akrtiScha’, meaning  the youthful form which has really no form. It is also explained as ‘kiSoram cha tat Akrthischa,,’ meaning that the krti or the action of this kiSora is till moksha which secures brahmananda, the s particle ‘A’ meaning ‘till.’

 

The word svataruNee is also explained to mean the heavenly consorts of the Lord, Sri, Bhoo and neela who on seeing His kiSorabhava forget themselves and the flowers they gathered to showere on Him simply fell from their hands, karAgravigalat, without their being aware of them. It could also mean the gopis who were His own, svatarunee.

 

His venunada, provides nirvana, salvation and nirvyakulam, destroys all suffering, meaning, it secures here in this world as well as brings eternal joy in the form of mukti.

The word ‘hastanyasta apavarga,’ means the moksha is in His hands ready to be given to His devotees or it could also mean that the moksha is laid                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        on the hands of His devotees.

 

 

 

 

3.chAthuryaika niDhaana seema chapalA apAngacChadA mandharam

    lAvaNyAmrthaveechi lAlitha dhrSam lakshmeekatAkshAdDhrtham

kAlindhee pulinAngNapraNayinam kAmavathArAnkuram

bAlam neelamayee vayam maDhurima svArAjyam ArADhnumaH

 

Krishna is the ultimate resort of smartness. His series of his glances that spring from him are ever dancing and the waves of beauty that fondle his looks are like nectar to the onlookers, and graced by the glance of Lakshmi. He loves playing on the sand banks of Yamuna and love sprouts from him. We are blessed to worship this blue-hued boy who is the empire of sweetness.

 

Krishna conquers all with his skill, glances, beauty, auspicious qualities and richness which is the exact purpose of his incarnation.

 

The glances of Krishna are described as the last resort of chaathurya of ingenuity because he conversed with his eyes to the gopis whose wishes were unspoken and expressed by their eyes alone and he replied to them through his glances. They are also chapala or ever moving, and delightful  being fondled by the nectarine  waves of his beauty, laavaNyaamrthaveecheebhiH laalithadhrsa. Besides he was  looked at by Lakshmi who never left him in any incarnation as the azvar says , ‘agalakillen ena alarmel mangai uRai maarbaa.’

 

It is commented by the devotee-scholars that even in his vamanavatara when a he appeared as a brahmachari, Lakshmi was residing in his chest and that is why he covered it with his upper cloth so that her glances will not fall on Mahabali in which case his possessions could not be taken away.

 

Those who worship the blue hued boy are indeed fortunate, says Leelasuka. He is madhurimasvarajaya, kingdom of sweetness  and kaamavataara ankusa, kindles desire by his looks on the onlookers.

 

 

4.barhotthamsavilAsi kunthalabharam mAdhuryamagnAnanam

   pronmeelan navayouvanam prilasat veNu praNAdhAmrtham

  ApeenasthanakungmalAbhih abhithaH gopeebhiH ArADhitam

  jyothiH chetasi nah cakAsthi jagathAm ekAbhirAmAdhbhutham

 

There is a form of light, of unparalleled and wonderful beauty which is worshipped by the young gopis, is shining in our hearts, a picture of budding youth with a face merged in sweetness, wearing peacock feathers on his beautiful lock of hair, giving out exquisite music from his flute .

 

Krishna is playing the flute and the sweet music fills the air. His hair is tied with peacock feather on the top of it. His face is a portrait of sweetness and his form beautiful with his budding youth and he is adored by the young gopis. This is the picture of light that shines in the heart of the devotees.

 

The word maadhuryamagnaananam is also explained as maadhuraye magnaaH are those who are immersed in madhurya , madhurabhakthi, and  theshaam ananam, he is their life force.

 

Here we can compare the exquisite verse of Vedanta desika in his Gopalavimsati, 20 or odd verses in praise of Krishna.

 

animEshanishevaNaNeeyam akshNoh ajahadhyouvanam Avirasthu chitthE

 

kalaHAyithakunthalam kalApaih karONmAdhaka vibhramam mahO mE

 

(gopala visathi-10)

 

May the brilliant form of the Lord, which should be enjoyed with unblinking eyes, the ever youthful, with His crown of peacock feathers always agitated by His tresses, thus enchanting all the senses with His playful actions, be present in my mind always.

 

 

 

His form is so beautiful that the onlookers are afraid even to bat their eyelids that the form will be lost for that moment. So Desika says that he should be seen with animesha akshinee, unblinking eyes. His youth is eternal and gives pleasure to all the senses.

 

5.Madhurathara smithaamrtha vimugDhamukhaamburuham

  madhaSikhipicchalaanchitha  manojnakachaprachayam

  vishyavishaamishagrasana grDhnushi chethasi me

  vipulavilochanam kimapi Dhaama chakaasthi chiram

 

 The lock of hair on the head of Krishna, kachaprachayam, is delightfully decorated with peacock feathers picchalanchitham and  manojnam. Leelasuka says it was taken from a madhaSikhi , meaning that it was a stout peacock and hence having a rich flock of feathers. Even the birds and animals took pleasure in serving Krishna, the peacocks gave him feathers the moment he touched them, the cows gave him milk when he came near them, the horses did his bidding when he handled them as the Parthasarathy.

 

His face like lotus, mukhaambhuruham, is beautiful, vimugDha, with his nectarine sweet smile, maDhuratarasmithaamrtha and with his eyes wide with joy.

 

Leelasuka says that there is a luminous presence of the form of Krishna in his mind for long. It has transformed his mind which was longing to swallow the sensual pleasures like a chunk of meat, which is like poison.

 

 

6. mukulaayamaananayanaambujam vibhoH

   muraleeninaadhamakarandha nirbharam

   mukurayamaaNamrdhugandamandalam

   mukhapankajam manasi me vijrmbhathaam

 

May the lotus-like face of the Lord, filled with the  pollen of the music from his flute shine outstandingly in my mind, with eyes like blossoming lotuses and mirror-like  soft cheeks..

 

The mind is here pictured as a lake where the face of the Lord shines like a lotus. His soft cheeks act as an added reflecting medium shining like a mirror in the lake rendering the lake a mirror-like clarity. The lotus is filled with the  pollen of the music coming from his flute which attracts the hearts of the devotees like bees to drink the honey of the music.

 

The kavitva  of Leelasuka is seen in saying that on the lotus that is his face two other lotuses are seen in the form of his eyes which are in full bloom owing to the joy of playing the flute.

 

 

7.kamaneeya kiSora mugdhamoortheh

 kalaveNukvaNitha aadhrtha aananendhoh

 mamavaachi vjrmbhathaam muraareh

madhurimNah kaNikaapi kaapi kaapi

 

 Let my words show at least a little of the joy expressed due to the playing of the flute in the face of the  Krishna , the destroyer of the demon Madhu, whose form is attractive and young.

 

The picture of Krishna playing the flute is described as kamaneeya, attractive, kiSora, young and mugdha, beautiful. The sound of the flute is sweet and give joy to the one who plays and to the one who hears, as it is divine music. His moonlike face expresses his joy and Leelasuka feels that it is impossible to describe it with words and hopes that he will be able to express at least a drop of the sweetness he experiences through words.

 

It is said that ‘ikshuksheeragudaadheenaam maadhuryasyaantharam mahath,’ the difference betweent the sweetness of one thing and another, like sugarcane, milk and jaggery,  is great. That is , the taste cannot be described as sweet in general and the difference  also cannot be described by words. So the sweetness of  the Lord who is the ocean of sweetness, maadhuryalaharee and  who is described as ‘raso vai sah,’ by the Upanishads  is indeed indescribable by words.

 

The epithet Muraari is explained as the enemy of Mura, and also as the destroyer of ignorance as the word mura means avidya or ignorance, derived as murathi, badhnaathi ithi mura, one that binds, that is avidya.

 

 

8. madha SikhandiSikhandavibhooshaNam

   madhanamanTharamugDhamukhaambujam

   vrajavaDhoo nayanaanjana ranjitham

   vijayathaam mama vaangmaya jeevitam

 

Krishna is decorated with the peacock feathers and his lotus-like face  agitates even the god of love  by its beauty, which has been enhanced by the marks of the collyrium on it from the eyes of the gopis. May that face, which is the life force of my words manifest in me.

Leelasuka  considers the beauty of the face of the Lord as the inspiration of his poetry. The imagination and eloquence can arise only if the subject of the literary work inspires the heart of the poet by its excellent qualities. No poetry is possible on a worthless subject. Here Leelasuka says that the beauty of the divine form alone gives the life to his words and makes it possible for him to express the joy he feels on visualizing it in words. If even by reading it we could be transported to a world of joy , how much more would  have been the ecstasy of a devotee like Leelasuka! The inspiration he has received can be well understood by his description of Krishna as wearing the feather of a peacock with madha, pride. The peacock must have been overjoyed by the presence of Krishna and must hav proudly presented its feathers to him. The reason is not far to seek. In the previous verse the poet described the venugana which alone could enchant man, bird and beast and added to that his form has put to shame even the god of love by its beauty and madana, the god of love is agitated either because of envy or because he himself was attracted towards Krishna which made his heart restless.

 

9. pallavaaruNa paaNipankaja sangiveNuravaakulam

    phullapaatala paataleeparivaadhi  paadhasaroruham

   ullasan maDhuraadhara dhyuthi manjaree sarasaananam

   vallavee kucha kunkuma pankilam prabhum aaSraye

 

I resort to the Lord whose body is marked with the kumkum of the gopis, his face with lips glowing with lustre and sweetness, expressing the joy of his music from the flute in his hands like lotuses and red like sprouts, his feet vanquishing the fully blossomed patalee flowers.

 

The hands of Krishna are red like the sprouts and resemble the lotus thus signifying the fragrance along with the red colour. His feet put to shame the red patalee flower fully blossomed. His face shines with his lips which are sweet and send out rays of light by their beauty. His body is marked by the kumkum from that of the gopis who embrace him . Thus Leelasuka presents a picture of a lustrous and red lotus like form which reminds us of the words of Azvar kanpaahdam kai kamalam or those of Kamban who said that when Rama was walking he looked like a forest of lotuses, ‘thaamaraikkaadu pootthu.’

 

 

10. apaangarekhaabhih abhanguraabhih

      anangarekhaarasa ranjithaabhih

      anukshaNam vallavasundareebhih

      abhyarchyamaanaM vibhuM aaSrayaamah

 

We resort to the Lord, who is being worshipped by the gopis by means of their glances, beautified by their love acting  like a collyrium, which are showered on him uninterrupted.

 

The gopis are looking incessantly at Krishna  and their glances are falling on him like a shower of flowers to worship him. Their eyes and brows are curved ,bhanga, but the shower of glances coming from them is abhanga, meaning, without interruption, as well as straight. They are falling on him like shafts like a shower of arrows, straight and swift. They look at him with eyes full of love which acts like a collyrium to beautify them. They do not flinch with discomfort  on looking at him unblinkingly. Their eyes will hurt not by looking but only by his going away when the day dawns after the rasakreeda.

 

By play on the word abhanga, the poet indicates that there is nothing crooked in their glances which are pure with love.

 

 

11.hrdaye mama hrdhyavibhramaaNaam

     hrdhayam harshaviSaalalolanethram

     tharuNam vrajabaalasundareeNaam

     tharalam kimchana Dhaama sanniDhatthaam

 

 

May that light manifest in my heart, the young form , whose eyes are wide and dancing with joy, who is the heart of the beautiful young gopis, who please him with their actions.

 

Leelasuka prays that the form of Krishna should be always shining in his heart. Dhama  means light. The word taken with tharalam and hrdhayam vrajabaalasundareeNaam, can be explained as the lustre of the central gem that shines in the heart of the young and beautiful gopis set in a necklace. That is, Krishna shines in their heart like the central gem of their necklace because he is their heart or the life force. TharuNam, he is young. Not only he is in the heart of the gopis but they are also in his heart by their actions, showing their love which were pleasing to him. As a result of this his eyes are wide with joy and dancing.

 

 

12.nikhilabhuvanalakshmee nithyaleelaaspadhaabhyaam

     kamalavipinaveeThee garvasarvankashaabhyaam

     praNamadhabhayadhaana prouDigaaDodhDhathaabhyaam

     kimapi vahathu chethah kRshnapaadhaambhujaabhyaam

 

Let my mind attain indescribable joy resorting to the lotus-feet  of Krishna, which are the permanent abode of  play of all that is  auspicious and prosperous in all the worlds, which dispel the pride of the hosts of lotuses standing row by row and which is unexcelled in giving refuge to those who bow down to them.

 

In this sloka Leelaskuka surrenders to the feet of the Lord and experiences an inexpressible joy doing so. “Let my mind revel in the joy of surrender, “  he says. The feet of the Lord are described as follows.

 

1. They are the playful resort, leelaaspadha, of prosperity and auspiciousness  of the whole cosmos, nikhila bhuvanasree, from vaikunta down to the world of mortals. Or, it may mean the goddess Lakshmi who enjoys playing with them in all the worlds, wherever the Lord is.

 

2. The long row of lotuses, kamalavipina veeThee which take pride not only of their fragrance, coolness , tenderness and beauty but also of being the abode of Lakshmi, are vanquished by the feet of the Lord which not only possesses all these qualities but also excel them in other respects. What is the special aspect of the feet of the Lord that quells the pride of the lotus? This is given in the next line.

 

3. pranamadhabhayadhaana prouDigaaDodDhathaabhyaam, they are supreme, udDhatah, in granting refuge, abhayadhaana, to those who surrender to them, praNamath. prouDi means big and ghaaDa means firm.

 

The Lord says in His Ramavathara,

‘Sakrdheva prapannaayah thavaasmeethi cha yaachathe; abhayam sarvadhaa thasmai dhdhaami ithi ethath vratham mama.’-(Ram.yud.18-33)

 

“ To give refuge always to the one, who surrenders to me even once saying that he belongs to me , is my vow.”

 

This shows His prouDathva, the greatness  and ghaaDathva, the firmness in giving refuge to those who surrender to Him.

There is another version to this sloka also in which the second line reads as,

Abhayam sarvabhoothaanaam dhdhaameethi vrathama mama

 

This was demonstrated in Gajendhra episode.

 

When Gajendhra called Him in distress, the Lord came running dragging the Garuda along with Him, even without His padhuka. Such is His proudathva and ghaadathva in protecting the prapannas.

 

 

13.praNayapariNathaabhyaam Sreebharaalambanaabhyaam

     prathipadhalalithaabhyaam prathyaham noothanaabhyaam

     prathimuhuraDhikaabhyaam prasphuralllocanaabhyaam

     pravahathu hrdhaye nah praaNanaaThah kiSorah

 

May the Lord of our life, in His youthful form flow in to our minds through His twinkling eyes, which are transformed by love, filled with beauty, graceful at every step, and appearing fresh and new at every moment, its loveliness increasing every time.

 

He is our praananaatha, the Lord of our life force, says Leelasuka, because He is the inner self of all. He lives in the heart of His devotees, His youthful form flowing like a stream of beauty through His eyes, which are twinkling with joy and love.

 

Normally we see a person at the eyes only which shows their heart. The eyes of the Lord is  filled with love and beauty and looking at them one never gets satisfied as they are tender and graceful and one feels that he is seeing them anew every moment  because the more you gaze at them they seem to convey more and more  messages of love and  mercy. This is the experience described by Leelasuka here.

 

The eyes are trnaformed, pariNatha, by love, praNaya, beauty and glory clinging to them,Sreebharaalambana. At every step His glance is tender and graceful, prathipadhalalitha, and you never have your  fill by looking at them because you feel as though you are seeing them anew every time, prathyaham noothana. Hence they seem to be more and more attractive every moment. This is the experience of all devotees who gaze at the lotus-like eyes of the Lord

 

 

14. maaDhurya vaariDhi madhaambu tharangabhangee

      Srngaara sankulitha Seetha kiSoravesham

      Aamandhahaasalalithaanana chandhrabimbam

      Aanandhasamplavam anu plavathaam mano me.

 

 

 

Let my mind plunge repeatedly into the waves of the flood of   joy that is  arising and breaking     from the cool sea of sweetness, which dons the costume of a young boy, encompassing  love, with his moon-like face beautiful with a smile.

 

Krishna is the sea of loveliness , soundaryalaharee , and of joy, aanandalaharee., maadhuryavaaridhi. The water of the sea is the ecstasy of  joy of the gopis, madhaambu. The beauty of young Krishna, and his love expressed in his moon-like face rise and break ,tarangabhanagee, like the waves  creating a flood of joy around and the hearts of the devotees take plunge in it again and again because he is also sringaaralaharee, ocean of love. His very form, kiSoravesham,  emits love  that pervades the whole universe, srngaarasamkulitham. His moon-like face, lalitha, dainty and Seetha , cool, is lit up with a smile, aamandahaasam On the whole it is aanandasamplavam, flood of joy.

 

15.avyaajamanjula mukhaambujamugDhabhaavaih

     aasvaadhyamaana nijaveNuvinodha naadham

     aakreedathaam aruNapaadhasaroruhaabhyaam

     aardhre madheeya hrdhaye bhuvanaardhram ojah

 

May the light, that is Krishna, who wets the whole universe with his love, play in my heart which is soaked in devotion, with his feet like red lotus, with his lotus-like face naturally expressive, enjoying the sound of music from his flute.

 

Leelasuka  expresses a wish that  Krishna should play in his heart in His lustrous  form, His lotus- red feet dancing on the heart wet with devotion.  The heart without devotion is hard like a stone and the feet of the Lord as soft as lotuses will get hurt by moving on it. Hence Leelasuka  assures the Lord  that his heart is soft because it is soaked in devotion and Krishna can play in it happily. The poet  imagines the lustrous form of the Lord, charming by nature and expressive of love and joy arising out of the music from his flute. The whole universe is immersed in the love of Krishna and so it is no wonder that the heart of the poet is also soaked with love.

 

 

16.maNinoopuravaachaalam vandhe taccharaNam vibhoH

     lalithaani yadheeyaani lakshmaaNi vrajaveeThishu

 

I bow down to the feet of the Lord, which mark the streets of  Gokula  with His footsteps, accompanied with the eloquent sound of His anklets.

 

The streets of Gokula  are marked with the footsteps of Krishna with the signs of shankha,  chakra etc. found on His foot  and the sound of his anklets seems eloquent due to their incessant sound made by His running and playing on the streets.

 

Sri Yamunacharya  in his sthothra rathna says,

 

Kadhaapunah shankha raThaanga kalpaka

Dhvaja aravindha ankuSa vajra laancChanam

thrivikrama thvaccharaNambujadhvayam

madheeyamoorDhaanam alamkarishyathi ( Alavandar sthothrarathnam-31)

 

When will  thy lotus-feet  adorn my head, Oh Lord  Thrivikrama, the feet marked with the sign of, shankha, the conch, chakra, the disc,  dhvaja, the flag,  aravindha, the lotus, ankuSa, the goad and vajra, thunderbolt?

 

Periazvar says, describing the footsteps of Krishna,

 

orukaaliRsangu orukaaliR chakkaram uLladi poRitthamaindha

irukaalum kondu angangu ezudhinaaRpOl ilacchinai pada nadandhu

 

The uLLadi, that is the under-feet  are marked with shankha and chakra respectively and when he walks,  he seems to put his seal on the floor.

 

 

Here an episode described by some upanyaasaka comes to the mind. When Krishna and Balarama were crawling on the floor Balarama heard a sweet sound  and not knowing what it was, stopped and seeing him Krishna also stopped .Then the sound stopped. Krishna laughed and moved on as though saying that if they stop the sound also will stop, because it was the sound of their anklets.

 

Hearing this  the mind wonders whether Balarama could have been that naïve not knowing  what the sound was and therefore stopping to hear it.  Then this sloka came to mind.

 

maNikuttimasThale gathavaan

 kimidham ithi raamah achalan aaseeth

jaanuhasthaabhyaam chalathoh thayoh

 noopuraDhvanim Srthvaa raamakrshNayoh

 

hasan gacchathi krshNah bruvan

achalanthou na Srooyaavah ithi

raamo naalpamathih kinthu aicChath

 Srothum bhavagavathah hi noopuraSabdham

 

That is , Balarama was not naïve enough not to know that it was the sound of their anklets but he stopped purposely because he wanted to hear the eloquent sound of the anklets of the Lord.

 

 

 

17.mamachethasi sphurathu vallavee vibhoh

     mani noopurapraNayimanju Sinjitham

     kamalaavanechara kalindhakanyakaa

     kalahamsakanTa kalakoojithaadhrtham

 

May the sweet sound of the anklets of Krishna , the beloved of gopis, be heard in my mind, the sound that is deemed superior to that of the best of swans found in the river Yamuna among the assemblage of lotuses.

 

In this sloka  Leelasuka  continues to describe the sweet sound of the anklets of Krishna. The sound made by the kalahamasas, a special kind of swans which are known for their sweet sound, is even sweeter by eating the tender inside of the lotuses in the river Yamuna. But the musical sound of the anklets of Krishna  is extolled as being even superior to that.

 

The word kamalaavanam denotes that the assemblage of lotuses which  are dear to Lakshmi , who resides in them. As Lakshmi always accompanies the Lord in all His incarnations, she must have been present among the lotuses in Yamuna river. Kamalaavana as the abode of Lakshmi also indicates the lord Himself as He is also a kamalavana, a forest of lotuses, His eyes, hands and feet resembling lotuses, a thaamaraikkaadu , to quote Kamban.

 

18.tharuNaaruNa karuNaamaya vipulaayatha nayanam

    kamalaakucha kalaSeebhara vipuleekrthapulakam

    muraleerava tharaleekrtha munimaanasanalinam

    mamakhelathu madhachethasi maDhuraaDharam amrtham

 

May the form of Krishna , with nectar-like sweet lips, his eyes beautiful and red at the corners like a lotus and filled with mercy and wide,   his body with horripilation due to the contact with that of Lakshmi,(who is in his chest), the sound of music from his flute transforming the firm hearts of the sages into tenderness, play in my heart which is intoxicated with love.

 

His eyes are aruna, red  at the edges like a lotus, and wide, vipula, with mercy, karuNaamaya, towards his devotees and aayatha, long. His whole body shows the horipilation, vipuleekrthapulakam, resulting from the embrace of Lakshmi , The music that arises from his flute, muraleerava, makes the heart of the sages, munimaanasa, solidified with penance , become tender, nalineekrtha.

 

Amrtham means immortal and the nectar is called amrtha as it was supposed to create immortality to those who take it. Here the amrtha is the nithya paripoorNa paraanandaikarasasaaram, the eternal rasaanubhava  of the presence of the Lord, who is rasa itself. ‘raso vai sah.’ The heart of Leelasuka is intoxicated, madha chethas, with love, premarasa. When the lovely form of the Lord is visualized in the mind the rasanubhava or joy experienced by it rises as a series of waves never ending.

 

The form of Krishna is a vision of beauty, sweetness and tenderness. He is filled with joy not only by the embrace of Lakshmi but also due to the love of his devotees, like the gopis . His eyes ,long and charming like red lotuses, express the mercy he feels towards the devotees and hence wide open as Andal said , ‘chengaNN siruchiridhE emmEl vizhiyaavo---angaN irandum kondu engaL mEl nOkkudhiyEl.’

 

Visualising Krishna is not possible without his flute on his lips from which flows sweet music that melts even the hardest heart. Leelasuka says that even the hearts of sages who have become hardened by years of penance become tender on hearing the music and  they are distracted from their Samadhi. The idea is when the brahmananda, the bliss absolute is available so easily who would waste his time on stringent measures like penance etc.

 

Leelasuka says elsewhere that those who try to understand the meaning of the Upanishads tiring themselves by roaming around inthe forest of the Vedas can find the essence of the Upanishads in the house of Nanda tied to the mortar.(KK.2.28)

 

The words maDhurADharam and kamala are explained by some commentators thus:

 

maDhuraaNi aDhararaythi ithi maDhraaDharam , that which makes the well-known sweet objects inferior. Thus it means the form of Krishna which is described and not the lips. Otherwise maDhuram Dhaarayathi (sarvaangeshu) ithi madhuraaDharam, the form which has sweetness all over.

 

Kamala normally means Lakshmi, while the followers of Chaithanya cult take it to mean Radha. But it is explained as anyone who is filled with love of Krishna , kam, Krishna sukham, thena alam , athiparyaaptham bhavathi ithi kamala. Meaning the one who is filled with the joy of Krishna.

 

 

19.aamugDham arDhanayanaambujachumbyamaana

    harshaakula vrajavaDhoomaDhuraananendhoh

    aarabDhaveNuravam aatthakiSoramoortheh

    aavirbhavanthi mama chethasi ke api bhaavaah

 

My mind experiences certain inexplicable emotions visualizing the form of Krishna manifest as a young boy, who just begins to play the flute and his moon like face create joy to the gopis , who look at him with half closed eyes as though kissing him with their eyes.

 

The contact of eyes with the face is compared to kissing.

AmugDham , lovely in all respects.

The eyes half closed resemble lotuses, arDhanayanaambujam. The gopis look at the moon-like face of Krishna, maDhuraananendhu, with their eyes half closed as in kissing, But at the same time they are filled with joy, harshaakula as he starts playing the flute, aarabDhaveNuravam.

 

The joy expressed by the gopis and their eyes looking at the face of Krishna as if they are kissing his face with their eyes, and Krishna beginning to play the flute and his young form, aatthakiSoramoorthi , all these create inexpressible emotion, kea pi bhaavaah in the mind of Leelasuka.

 

 

20. kalakvaNithakankaNam karanirudDha peethaambaram

      klamaprasrthapunthalam galithabarhabhoosham vibhoh

      punah prasrthichaapalam praNayineebhujaayanthritham

      mamasphurathu maanase madanakeliSayyotThitham

 

In this sloka Leelasuka imagines Krishna rising from his bed. As a form of madhura bhakthi the Lord is portrayed as a lover and rises from bed where he was in the company of his consort.

 

His bracelet, kankaNam, sounds sweetly, kalakvanitha, he clutches his peethambara, the yellow silk garment with one hand, karanirudDha peethaambaram his hair dishevelled, klamaprasrtha kunthalam his peacock feather placed as an ornament on his head, displaced, galithabarha bhooshaNam desiring to come out, prasrthichaapalam he is stopped, bujaniruddha, by his consort, praNayee.. Leelasuka says “ the Lord such portrayed may shine in my mind, mamasphurathu maanase.”

 

This sloka resembles the idea expressed in Thiruppavai of Andal, in which she calls Krishna to come out of his bed and bless them. She beseeches Nappinna, the consort of Krishna not to stop him from coming out because of her love. ‘Itthanai aagilum pirivaattRakillayyaal thatthuvam anRu,’ meaning, “if you cannot bear to be separated from Krishna even now (when the day has dawned) it is not fair. Nappinnai is also considered as Lakshmi herself by the devotees and this line is explained with a great devotional fervour by the commentators.

 

Here also the commentators express the same sentiments as in Thiruppavai as a whole, where Andal is waking up everyone and finally Krishna drawing their attention to the daybreak, denoted by the bugle sound of the cowherds and the sound of churning of the curd.

 

 

21. sthokasthoka nirudDhyamaana mrdhulaprasyandhimanhasmitham

      premodhbhedhanirargalaprasrmarapravyaktharomodhgamam

      Srothum Srothramanoharam vrajavaDhooleelaamiThojalpitham

      miThyaasvaapam upaasmahe bhagavathah kreedaanimeeladhrSah

 

 

      Let us meditate on the fake sleep of Krishna, miThyaasvaapam, who has closed his eyes playfully, kreedaanimeeladhrSah, with his lips trembling in  uncontrollable smile,  on  hearing the sweet conversations of the gopis who seeing him exchange teasing words, vrajavaDhooleelaamiThojalpitham and his whole body displaying the excitement  with love for them.

 

Krishna sees the gopis coming towards him and feigns sleep. But his body shows his excitement on seeing them due to his love for them. They start conversing among themselves referring to his exploits teasingly which makes him smile. But he tries to control it yet it becomes perceptible slowly. Leelasuka contemplates on this delightful picture of Krishna pretending to sleep.

 

The devotees long to see the Lord open His eyes slowly and look at them. Andal says , ‘chengaN sirucchiridhE emmEl vizhiyaavO,’ entreating Krishna to slowly open his eyes and look at them.  The sight of  the Lord sleeping is a great joy . Hence the  Lord  as Ranganatha and Padmanabha is very dear to His devotees. When He looks at us with half-closed eyes, He will only see the devotion and not our faults as when He opens His eyes fully.

 

The sleep of the Lord is always feigned as the world will collapse if He really close His eyes. He is incessantly acting in order to protect the world and His sleep is only yoganidra. Krishna says in Bhagavatgita, ‘uthseedheyurime lokaah na kuryaam karma cheth aham,’(BG-3-24 ), meaning that if He does not act always the worlds will cease to exist. This is the idea expressed here which shows that the devotees in all places and all ages think alike.

 

22.vichithrapathraankuraSaalibaalaa sthanaantharam mouni manaantharam vaa

 

     apaasya brindhaavanpaadhapaasyam upaasyam anyam na vilokayaama

 

 

Except the chest of the young girls, baalaasthanaantharam, decorated with  variety of leaves and buds, vichithra pathrankurasaali, or the heart of the sages, mouni manontharam, or the foot of the trees of Brindavan, brindhaavanapaadhapaasyam, there is no other place to seek Krishna upaasyam anyath na vilokayaama.

 

Krishna lives in the heart of the gopis whose devotion even surpasses that of sages. So Leelasuka says you can find Him in the mind of the sages by all means but He is easily available in the  heart of the gopis and under the trees of Brindavan.

 

 

In Srimadbhagavatham Krishna himself extols the love of gopis to Uddava. He says that the gopis, cows and even trees and other animals attained him by sheer love. Here the word mouni can mean those who have their minds engrossed in the Lord as mentioned in the Gita.' mayyeva manaaadhathsva,' who have given up all attachment and contemplate only on Him with devotion. The gopis were equal to the sages in this respect,  if  not more because they never studied the sasthras or observed any austerities but surrendered  to Him body and soul.

 

 

Uddhava says on seeing the devotion of the gopis,

 

 

Ethaah param thanubhrtho bhuvi gopavaDhvah

 

govinda eva nikhilaathmani rooDabhaavaah

 

vaancChanthi yath bhavabhiyah muanyah vayam cha

 

kim brahmajanmabhih ananthakaThaa  rasasya (Bh. 10-47-58)

 

 

It means that the gopis are really obtained the fruit of embodiment by their firm-rooted love for Govinda, surrendering to Him body and soul, whom the sages and the devotees like himself wish to attain, fearing  the samsara . What earthly use is the birth as a brahmin for one who savoured the story of Hari!

 

 

This reflects the idea expressed by the Lord in Bhagavtgita,

 

`Naaham vedairna thapasa nadhaanena na chejyayaa----- bhakthyaathu ananyayaa labhyah.'

 

"I am not attained by learning the Vedas, nor by penance nor by charitable acts nor by performing sacrifices. I am solely attainable through selfless and unswerving devotion. "

 

 

 Uddhava  says, `vandhe nandhavrajasthreeNaam paadhareNum abheekshnaSah, yaasaam harikaThodhgeetham punaathi bhuvanathrayam.'meaning, "I salute the dust under the feet of the gopis  who purify the three worlds by singing the names of Hari."

 

 

 

23. saarDham samrddhaih amrthaayamaanaih

 

      aaDhymayamaanaih muraleeninaadhaih

 

      moorDhaabhiShiktham maDhuraakrtheenaam

 

      baalam kadhaa naama vilokayishye

 

 

When am I going to see  the young Krishna who is the crowning beauty of all lovely forms along with his music from the flute that creates abundance of nectar!

 

 

Krishna plays the flute which pours nectar in the ears of the listeners, and added to that His form is loveliness personified a crowning glory of all things beautiful. He is thus soundaryalaharee, ocean of beauty and  maadhurya laharee, sea of sweetness by his  music and thus creating aanandhalaharee, waves of joy in the mind of the devotees. He creates the longing for more in  those who see him and hear him,

 

 

This reminds us of the sloka in Narayaneeyam where NarayanaBhattadhri describes Guruvayurappan from head to foot. He says, "seeing the beautiful young form in front of me, dhivya kaiSoraveSham, I am merged in nectar, peeyooShaaplaavithoham. He entreats the Lord, ` place your flute, veNunaaleem, on your lips , and fill our ears with the flow of the nectar of nadha brahmam that cools the whole universe, SabdhabrahmaamrthaiH SiSirithabhuvanaiH sincha me karNaveeTheem.'

 

 

24. SiSireekuruthe kadhaa nu naH SikhipicChaabharanaSiSur dhrSoH

 

      yugalam vigalan maDhudhrava smitha mudhraa mrdhunaa mukhendhunaa

 

 

When will the child Krishna wearing the ornament of the peacock feathers please our eyes with his soft moon-like face giving out his nectarine smile!

 

 

Let us see how Narayana bhattadhri describes the form of Krishna adorned by peacock feathers and his smile.

 

Neelaabham kunchithaagram ghanam amalatharam samyatham chaarubhangyaa

 

Rathnotthamsabhiraamam valayitham udhayath chandhrikaih pincChjaalaih (Nara.100-2)

 

The hair of Krishna is thick and black curling at the ends and bound beautifully and adorned with gems. On that the peacock feathers shine with the eye-like center resembling the rising moon.

 

 

Vedantadesika gives a tall order to the Lord,

 

 

adharaahitha chaaruvamsanaaLaah makutaalambhimayoorapicchamaalaah

 

harineelasilaavibhangaleelaah prathibhaah mamaanthimaprayaaNe santhu

 

                                                                                                   (  (Gopalavimsathi-12)

 

 

Desika entreats the Lord to appear in front of him during his last journey with all His splendour , His flute on His lower lip, peacockfeather applied to his locks as a garland and His body shining like a blue sapphire.

 

 

Leelasuka also expresses the same wish elsewhere.

 

 

25. kaaruNyakarburakataakShanireekshaNena

 

      thaaruNya samvalitha SaiSava vaibhavena

 

      aapuShNathaa bhuvanam adbhuthavibhrameNa

 

      Sree krshNa chandhra SiSireepurulochanam me.

 

 

Oh Krishna chandhra, with your look tender with mercy, with your form elegant and young, with your sportive acts that nourish the whole world, cool down my eyes also.

 

 

Here Krishna is called Krishna Chandra , the moon  who is Krishna. It denotes wonder as he is Krishna dark and yet he is the moon.  He is elegant like the moon, nourishes the world by he is nectar of glance like the rays of the moon. The commentators say that by denoting Krishna as the moon the eye of the devotee signifies the lily, kumudha that blossoms by the rays of the moon.

 

 

The eyes of the Lord is compared to both the Sun and the Moon, fierce like the Sun to wards the wicked and cool like the Moon towards His devotees. Andal says,' thingaLum aadhitthiyanum ezhundhaarpol angaN iraNdum koNdu engaL mel nokkudhiyEl engaL mEl Saapam izhindhElO rempaavaai.' (Thiruppavai-23)

 

 

It means that if the Lord looks at us with both His eyes like the rising Sun and the Moon our sins will be washed off. Rising Sun is quite pleasant and the Moon is always cool.

 

 

Here Krishna himself is addressed as chandhra because his whole being is oozing with nectar and his glance full of mercy will be cooling to the devotee who is tormented by the heat of the samsara.

 

26.Kadhaavaa kaalindhee kuvalayadhala SyaamalatharaaH

    Kataakshaa lakshyanthe kimapi karuNaa veechi nichithaaH

    Kadhaavaa kandharpaprathibhata jataachandhra SiSiraaH

    Kimapi anthasthosham dhadhathi muralee kelininadhaaH

 

When will the glances of Krishna,  darker than the blue lotuses in the river Yamuna, sending out the waves of indescribable mercy, be seen by me? When will the sound of His flute , cooler than the rays of the moon on the matted hair of Siva  give me pleasure?

 

This is a beautiful sloka describing the yearning of the devotee for the kataaksha and the venunadha of the Lord. The glances of Krishna are sending out waves of mercy, karuNaaveechinichithaaH, and the poet says that they are indescribable in their showering of mercy and more beautiful than the blue lotuses in the river Yamuna. The eyes of Krishna  are like red lotuses but the pupils of the eyes are dark blue in colour resembling the blue lotuses. The blue lotuses that are found in the river Yamuna are even darker than usual because of the dark colour of the water of Yamuna. Krishna’s glances are even darker like rain-bearing clouds, owing to perhaps their quality of showering mercy. So it is indescribable. The kuvalaya flowers are moving constantly  with the waves of the river. Similarly the eyes of Krishna are moving with the waves of mercy among his devotees. The word kataaksha  is derived as katanthi aksheeniyeshu the. The verb kat , to show ,to display. Hence the glances of the Lord are kataaksha that show mercy. Katanthi,  viviDha rasaan varshanthi, aksheeni , dhrshtayah, yeshu the , is how the word is explained by the commentators. The glance showers all sentiments besides mercy, or communicative of His grace.

 

The second thing yearned by the devotee is the sound of music from the flute of Krishna. It is cooling the love –stricken heart of the devotees with madhurabhakthi, and create inner joy. The reason for this is that it is cool like the rays of the moon on the matted locks of Siva. There is a beautiful explanation for the extraordinary coolness of the moon on the head of Siva. Lord Siva bears the river Ganges  on his head which is under the shadow of his matted locks and hence cooler than elsewhere. The moon on his head is being continuously bathed by that water and hence the extraordinary coolness of his rays. Here the idea in combining the sight of the glance and the hearing of the music of the flute is that the former is giving solace by perception which is quite understandable but the latter, though distant, creates happiness inside in the same manner. This is similar to the solace obtained by mere chanting of His name which is equally effective as the darsan.

 

 27. aDheeram aalokitham aardhrajalpitham

       gatham cha gambheera vilaasa manTharam

       amandham aalingitham aakulonmadha

       smitham cha the naaTha vidhanthi gopikaaH

 

Oh Lord! The gopis know your glance always moving , your speech full of love,  your gait majestic  and enchanting , your close embrace and your intoxicating smile .

 

Krishna looks at the gopis and his eyes are always darting to and fro, aDheeram aalokitham which makes his glances attractive. The word aDheeram may also be derived as na Dheeh, aDheeh, meaning delusion ( Dhee meaning intellect na Dheeh denotes delusion) and tham raathi, that which gives or creates delusion, implying that the glances of Krishna makes them forget themselves. This is further enhanced by his aardhrajalpitham, loving speech. The gait , gatham ,of Krishna is gambheera, majestic, vilaasam, graceful and manTharam, enchanting. When he embraces them, aalingitham, with love it is full of feeling ,amandham and on the top of everything his smile is intoxicating, aakulaunmaadhasmitham.

 

28.asthokasmithabharam aayathaayathaaksham

     niSSeshasthanamrdhitham vrajaanganaabhiH

     nisseemasthabakitha neelakaanthiDhaaram

     dhrSyaasam thribhuvanasundharam mahasthe

 

May I be blessed to see your lustrous form, of immense blue light,, embraced tightly by the gopis,  most beautiful in all the three worlds, your long eyes made longer , blossoming with your wide smile.

 

Leelasuka  expresses his wish to see the form of Krishna,  and he visualizes the lustrous form like a shining blue light, nisseemasthbakithaneela kaanthiDhaaram with his long eyes even looking longer, aayathaayathaaksham, like full blown lotuses with his wide smile, asthokasmithabharam. The form of Krishna is most beautiful as he was  closely embraced by the gopis, niSSeshasthanamrdhithamvrajaanganaabhiH and hence it is attractive to the inhabitants of all the three worlds, thribhuvanasundharam, who consider the manifestation of the Lord as Krishna to be the most enchanting especially during the rasakreeda. 

 

 

Oh Lord! Direct your glances which are as sweet as your music from the flute towards me. When you are pleased with me why do I need other things and when you are not what is the use of  other things?

 

The poet prays to Krishna, “Please direct your glances towards me.” The glances of Krishna invokes the same sweet sensation as his music flowing through the flute. This reflects the idea already expressed in the sloka 26 where the poet yearns for the glances as well as the sound of the music from the flute. The former gives joy to the eyes and the latter to the ears. Both are inseparable. When one gets the grace of the Lord, other things are mere trifle. When the grace of the Lord cannot be had, then also other things fail to please. This is similar to the sloka of Desika in his kaamasikaashtaka, where he says, ‘thvayi rakshathi rakshaj kaiH kim anyaiH thvayi cha arakshathi rakshakaiH  kim anyaiH,’  which means that when the Lord Nrsimha is there to protect why does one need anybody else and when he does not what is the use of others who are powerless because He is the inner strength of all.

 

30. nibadDhamoorDhanjalireva yaache

      neeranDhra dhainyonnatha mukthakanTam

      dhayaambuDhe dhevabhavathkataaksha

      dhaakshiNyaleSena sakrth nishincha

 

Oh Lord, the ocean of mercy, with hands folded over my head, I entreat you, please sprinkle me, who is crying out loudly with incessant misery in this world, once with the drops of your merciful glance .

 

The poet prays with hands folded on his head, nibadDhamoorDhaanjali, to the Lord to shower him with at least few drops of mercy, katAkshadhaakshiNyaleSa, by his glance once,sakrth, as he is crying  out piteously with incessant misery, neeranDhradhainyonnatahmukthakanTam, living in this world.

 

31.picChaavathamsa  rachanochitha kesapaaSe

     peenasthaneenayanpankaja poojaneeyaiH

     chandhraaravindha vijayodhyathavakthrabimbe

     chaapalyamethi nayanam thavaSaisave nah

 

Our eyes are drawn towards the beauty of your childhood form, the locks adorned with peacock feathers, worshipped by the lotuses of the eyes of the gopis, and  the face which conquers both the moon and the lotus.

 

Here the poet visualizes the childhood form, Saiavam, of Krishna and says that the eyes of the devotees long to see him, chaapalyam ethi nayanam, with his locks of hair decorated with the peacock feathers, picchaavathamsa rachanochithakeSapaaSe. The eyes of the gopis are like lotuses, peenasthaneenayanapankaja, offered for his worship, poojaneye,. as the glances are directed towards him like flowers thrown at his feet. His face  conquers the moon and the lotus, chandhraaravindha vijayodhyatah, in their charm and beauty. Devotees perceive his face as oozing nectar of joy more than the nectarine rays of the moon  cool and pleasant to all beings. The beauty of his face surpasses that of the lotus.  The eyes of the gopis resembling lotuses blossom on seeing his moon-like  face  instead of fading as it is usual with the lotuses and hence he has conquered the moon. Being ever in full bloom his face conquers the lotuses also.

 

32. thvath SaiSavam thribhuvanaadhbhutham ithi avaimi

      yacchaapalam cha mamavaag avivaadhagamyam

      thathkim karomi viraNan muraleevilaasa

      mugDham mukhaambujam udheekshithumeekshaNaabhyaam

 

I know that your  childhood form is the wonder of the three worlds and my desire to see you is indescribable by words. What do I do to see your lotus-like face more beautiful with the flute that creates sweet music?

 

Leelasuka continues to describe the child hood form of Krishna in this sloka. He says that it is thrbhuvana adhbhutham, wonder of the three worlds. The desire to see that form cannot be measured in words,vak avivaadhagamyam. Leelasuka says that though the longing to see the divine form of Krishna as a child is so great that it cannot be expressed in words the form of the  Lord is so wonderful, thribhuvanaadhbhutham that Leelasuka  is dismayed as to how he could see it, udheekshithum eekshaNaabhyaam kim karomi. Krishna with the flute on his lips, viraNan muraleevilaasamugDham mukhaambujam, present an enchanting picture that creates longing in the mind of the devotee.

 

The commentators explain the word  thribhuvanaadhbhutham thus:

The thribhuvan mentioned here is the three worlds referred to here are Mathura, Gokula and Brindhavana, the word thribhuvana derived as thrishu bhooH yasya thath thribhooH, the three lands. Atha eva vanaani yena thath thribhuvanam. The forests like Brindhavan, which are wonderful on account of being inhabited by Krishna.

 

One is reminded of  the desire of Arjuna to see the wonderful cosmic for of Krishna and entreats Him to show it and the Lord gives divine sight in order to enable Arjuna to see it. Similarly Leelasuka may be praying that he should be given the power to see the divine form.

 

The words udheekshithum eekshaNaabhyaam deserves special mention. It means to see with my eyes. As one could see only with eyes it appears superfluous to say so but what it means is that the eyes can be termed as so only if they see the divine form. The parallel idea is found in Srimadbhagavatha  as ‘ barhaayathe the nayane naraaNaam lingaani viShNoh nireekshatho ye,’ (SB. 2-3-22), meaning, the eyes of those who do not see the form of Lord VishNu are only similar to the eyes in the peacock feathers.

 

33.Paryaachithaamrtharasaani padhaarThabhangee

     valgooni valgitha viSaala vilochanaani

     baalyaaDhikaani madhavallavabhaavineebhiH

bhaave luTanthi  sukrthaam thava jalpithaani

 

Your talk with the enchanted gopis  which spreads nectar-like sweetness around, contain hidden meaning being beyond that of a young boy, and hence delightful, causing eyes widen with joy, keep recurring in the minds of the blessed.

 

The conversations Krishna exchanges with the gopis, his eyes wide and beautiful,valgithaviSaalanethraaNi, give them delight as though spreading nectar around, paryaachitha amrtha rasaani being beyond his tender years, baalyaaDhikaani containing inner meaning, padhaarThabhangee, comprehended only by them. This  is contemplated by the blessed ones again and again, bhaave luTanthi sukrthaam .

 

 

34. punaH prasannenea mukhendhu thejasaa

      purovatheernasaya krpaamahaambuDheH

      thadheva leelaamuralee ravaamrtham

      samaaDhivighnaaya kadhaanu me bhaveth

 

When will my contemplation be disturbed by the  appearance of Him, who is the great ocean of mercy, in front, with the nectar of the sound of His flute,  with redoubled lustre on His moon-like face.

 

The devotee is contemplating on the form of the Lord in his mind and he wishes that his meditation should be disturbed by nothing else except the Lord Himself with His presence in front, with more lustrous form than that which is visualized in the heart, playing His flute, hearing which the meditation should be disturbed only to see the Lord Himself in front. This sloka brings to mind the episode of Dhruva in Srimadhbhagavatham. When Dhruva was seeing the Lord inside his heart the Lord Himself appeared in front but the boy did not see Him as he was concentrating  on the form inside . then the Lord made the form inside his heart disappear when Dhruva opened his eyes and beheld the Lord in front. This is the state Leelasuka wishes to attain.

 

35.bhaalena mugDhachapalena vilokanena

     manmaanase kimapi chaapalam udhvahantham

     lolena lochanarasaayanam eekshaNena

     leelaakiSoram upagoohithum uthsuko asmi

 

I am anxious to embrace the playful boy, who kindles desire in my mind by his actions and lovely glance of his dancing eyes, which delights ,  with my eyes.

 

Krishna is called leelaakishora, playful boy or being a boy through His leela. By looking at him everyone acquires a pleasure so great that they seem to embrace him, upagoohithum by their eyes. The sight of him acts as a lochanarasayana, elixir to the eyes and the mind becomes excited kimapi chaapalam udhvahantham by his lovely  dancing glances, mugDhachaapalena vilokanena.

 

36.aDheerabimbaaDhara vibhrameNa  

    harshaardhraveNusvarasampadhaacha

    anena  kenaapi manohareNa

    haa hantha haa hantha  mano Dhunothi

 

By the beauty of the moving lower-lip like the bimba fruit and the richness of the sound of the flute exuding joy, there is something forceful that  makes my mind restless. Alas alas!

 

Krishna is playing the flute and his lower lip resembling the bimba fruit by its redness is moving due to this and it is beautiful, aDheerabimbaaDharaibhrameNa to look at. The sound of the music that flows from the flute expresses the joy felt by him, harshaardhra veNusvara sampadhaa cha  and creates the same feeling on the listeners. Leelasuka wonders at the power of the form and the music that makes the mind restless and yearn to reach him.

 

37.yaavanna me nikhilamarmaDhrDaabhighaatha

     nissanDhi bandhanam udhethi asavopathaapaH

    thaavath vibho bhavathu thaavakavakthrachandhra

    chandhraathapadhviguNithaa mamachitthadhaaraa

 

Oh Lord! Let my contemplation on your moon-like face become redoubled with the luster of your face like that of the moonlight before my limbs are shattered by the attack of death on the  whole of my body.

 

The Lord says in Bhagavatgita, ‘anthakaale cha maameva smaran mukthvaa kalebharam; yah prayaathi sa madhbhaavam yaathi naasthyathra samSayaH.’

“The one who leaves this body thinking of Me even at the last moment attains Me without a doubt.” Here the word ‘cha’ is very important. It means that one who thinks of the Lord throughout his life and during his last moments. The stories like that of Ajamila  extolling the utterance of narayana nama inadvertently is to extol the importance of the nama. Ajamila was pious earlier and by God’s grace he regained  his earlier state after the incident of vishnudhoothas coming and saving him which happened only through the will of the Lord. So to remember Him at the last moment of life is not that easy and requires lifelong practice. This too happens with His grace only. So the devotees prays to the Lord to give them the wisdom to think an bout Him at the time of death.

We have a sloka from Mukundamala and a pasuram by Periazvar to illustrate that even the ardent devotees are with trepidation regarding this and prays to the Lord to save them.

 

Kulasekhara says,

krshNa thvadheeya padhapankaja panjaraantham

adhyaiva me viSathu maanasaraajahamsaH

praaNaprayaaNasamye kapavaathapitthaih

kaNtaavaroDhanavidhOu smaranam kuthasthe

 

The meaning of the sloka is as follows:

“Let my mind which is like maanasa rajahamsa, royalswan in the Mansalake, enter into the cage of your feet now itself. When my life is about to depart, and my throat and other parts are affected by kappa,vaatha and pittha, the disorders of the faculties, where is the possibility of remembering You. “  The feet of the Lord are like the cage that protects the mind from straying outside and the mind like the royal swan that resorts to the Manasa lake revels in the memory of the Lord.

 

Periazvar says that he will not remember the Lord at the time of death and hence he is telling the Lord now itself to save him then.

 

It is a common misconception that one can shelve the thought of the Lord till the old age and while young we can enjoy life. Unless we make an effort in the prime of life to turn towards God we will never be able to make it in old age where both body and mind become week.

 

38.yaavanna me naradhaSaa dhaSameedhrSo api

     ranDhraath udhethi thimireerthasarvabhaavaaH

     laavaNyakelibhavanam thava thaavadhethu

     lakshmyaah samutkvaNithaveNumukhendhubimbam

 

Until the darkness  envelops me through my eyes at the tenth stage of human life, may your moon-like face, the  playground of all the  beauty  and the source of  sweet music from the flute, appear before me  with its full splendour.

 

Leelasuka wishes to  enjoy the beauty and the music of Krishna till the last moment.  The tenth stage of human life is death. It could mean the end of the tenth decade signifying the end of life or  the end of the different stages of life like babyhood childhood etc.

At the time of death when all the faculties are inactive and lastly the eyes close in death enveloping one in darkness. Till that time, Leelasuks prays to the Lord to appear in front of Him in full splendour of His beauty playing the flute. What a wonderful end to aspire for!

Vedanta desika in his Gopalavimsathi  says,

 

adharaahitha chaaruvamsanaaLaah makutaalambhimayoorapicchamaalaah

harineelasilaavibhangaleelaah prathibhaah mamaanthimaprayaaNe santhu

 

 

Desika entreats the Lord to appear in front of him during his last journey with all His splendour, with His flute on His lowerlip, peacock feather decorating His crown, and His body of blue hue like sapphire.

 

39.aalolalochanavilokithakeliDhaaraa

     neeraajithagrasaNeh karuNaamburaaSeh

    aardhraani veNuninadhaaih prathinaadhapooraih

    aakarNayaami maninoopurasinchithaani

 

I am hearing the sound of anklets filled with  gems, like the time-beat for the  music of the flute of Krishna, the ocean of mercy, who have been performed mangalarathi by the moving eyes of the gopis along his path.

 

When Krishna walks or rather dances with his anklets keeping time with his music from the flute, the eyes of the gopis who are watching him coming with their eyes moving from his face to the feet and back and it looks like as though they are doing mangalrathi to Krishna with their eyes..

 

40. he dheva hedhayitha he jagadhekabanDho

      he krshna he chapala he karuNaikasinDho

      he naaTha he ramaNa he nayanaabhiraama

      ha haa kadhaa nu bhavithaasi padham dhrSorme

 

Oh Lord, oh beloved one, oh the only close  relative of the whole world, Oh Krishna, oh the eternal benefactor of the devotees, oh the ocean of mercy, oh master oh dear one, the beautiful one., when are you going to be the object of my sight.?

 

The word dheva is derived  as dheevyathe ithi, one who plays, shines, pleased or wishes to win etc. Here however the word playful, leelaapara,  may be suitable to Krishna.

Dhayitha means the beloved. Not only he is the beloved of His devotees they are also loved by Him equally.

bhuvanaikasinDho means that He is the one and only relation, ekabanDho, to all world, bhuvana.

The word krshNa  means, besides the one who attracts, karshathi ithi, one who is the  bliss absolute , that is parabrahman.

 

krshirbhoovaachakah Sabdhah nascha nirvrtthisamjnakah

thayoraikyam parambrahma krshnaithabhiDheeyathi

 

The word krshi means the earth and ‘na’ means bliss. Krsh +na+krshNa.  That is, one who gives  bliss to earth, the universe.

Chapala is the one who is bent on gracing the devotees.

karuNaikasinDhu – He is the only solace and a ocean of mercy.

naaTha- Besides the meaning of master or lord, this word is derived from the root ‘naaTh,’ to ask or to bless with. So here the word naaTha may mean the one who blesses the devotees with what they ask for.

RamaNa-  ramayathi chittham ithi ramNah. The one who pleases the heart.

Nayanaabhiraama  means the one who is a delight of the eyes.

 

41.amooni aDhanyaani dhinaantharaaNi

     hare thvadhaalokanam anthareNa

     anaaThabanDho karuNaiakasimDho

     haa hantha haa hantha kaTham nayaami?

 

Oh ocean of mercy, the refuge of the destitutes, how am I going to bear the days that intervene  before I  see you, as the days without your darsan are inauspicious and waste.

 

In the previous sloka  Leelasuka asked the Lord “When will I see you?” Anticipating the answer that he has to exhaust his prarabdha before he gets the grace of the Lord, Leelasuka is entreating Krishna to do away with his prarabDha which stands as an obstacle between him and his heart’s desire by saying that he cannot bear the separation from Krishna and the days intervene between His darsan  and now are unbearable and aDhanyaani, evil. He calls Krishna kripasindhu, ocean of mercy, meaning that if He wills he could destroy the karma that prevents one from seeing Him. Leelasuka says that the Lord is also anaaThabanDhu, only true relative of a devotee who has no other to resort to.

 

42.kim iha SruNumaH kasya broomaH kaTham krtham aaSayaa

    kaThayatha kaThaam Dhanyaam anyaam aho hrdhayeSayaH

    maDhura madHura smeraakaare manonayanothsave

    krpaNakrpaNaa krshNe thrshNaa chiram yatha lambathe

 

What can we  hear, whom can we tell, and how it was done , everything is a great wonder and He is sleeping in our heart. Speak only about His stories and not anything else. The longing, like that of a miser to his wealth, has taken hold long since, for Krishna who has sweet, sweet smile giving joy to the eyes and the heart.

 

Leelasuka here explains the joy experienced by the devotee when he finds the Lord in His. heart. Once He comes in and finds a place in our hearts He will never leave and rests there peacefully which is denoted by hrdhaye SayaH, one who sleeps in the heart. When one has that experience the ears do not hear anything else, kim iha SruNumaH except His nama and kaThaa, kaThayatha kaThaam Dhanyaam. It is not possible to convey the experience of finding the Lord inside and the joy born out of it, as Thyagaraja says, ‘eelaagani vivarimpalEnu tsaalasvaanubhavavEdhyamE,’  it cannot b described in words but could be understood only by experience. This is exactly what is meant by the words of Leelasuka, kasyabroomaH. The attitude of a devotee on having the Lord in his heart is like that of a miser who does not let go his wealth. Nammazvar says ‘unnai emmuLLe kuzaittha maindhaa , vaanERE ini enguppoginRadhE ----unaai naan adaindhEn viduvEnO,’(Thiruvaimozi-2-9.10) meaning that “you have come inside me, and how can you go from her because once I got you I will never let you go.”

 

kaThayatha kaThaam Dhanyaam- Leelasuka advises everyone to give up worthless talk and to engage ourselves only in the talk of Him and His kaThaa, as the Lord Himself says in the Bhagavatgita, the devotees are always engrossed in the thought of the Lord and they communicate with each other about the glory of the lord and speak only of Him reveling in it. ‘macchittha madhgathapraaNaaH boDhayanathaH parasparam kaThayanthaScha maam nithyam thushyanthi cha ramanthi cha.’ BG.-10.9)

The Upanishad also enjoins this-‘thamaivaikam jaanatha aathmaanam anyaa vaacho vimunchath amrthasyaisha sethuH,’ (Mund.Up.2-2-5) meaning , ‘know only Him and give up all other talk. This is the bridge for moksha.’

43.aabhyaam vilochanaabhyaam ambujadhalalalitham lochanam baalam

     dhvaabhyaam api parirabDhum  dhoore mama hantha dhaivasaamagree

 

I wish to embrace the child –Krishna , having eyes like th elouspetals, with my two eyes. But far is the divine grace for me to do so.

 

Leelasuka expresses his wish to embrace Krishna appearing as a child,baalam, with his eyes resembling the petals of lotuses,ambujadhalalalitham. It is not possible to do so by his arms since the divine form is not gross like ours. So he wants to embrace him, parirabDhum with his two eyes, aabhyaam dhvaabhyaam vilochanaabhyaam serving as his arms but even that is not possible ,he laments,hantha,, because he lacks the divine grace to do so as the form of the Lord is not appearing in front, dhoore mamadhaivasaamagree, because this divine experience seems to be far away for him.

 

44.aSraanthasmitham aruNaaDharoshTam

     harshaardhradhviguNamanojnaveNugeetham

     vibhraamyath vipula vilochanaarDhamugDham

     veekshishye thava vahanaambujam kadhaa nu

 

When indeed am I going to see your lotus-like face with its everlasting smile on the red -red lips, giving out the music of the flute which is doubly attractive due to the joy expressed through it, and with eyes half closed and incessantly moving and wide?

 

The face of Krishna is aSraanthasmitham, with uninterrupted smile. In the whole of Krishnavathara  it is difficult to imagine Krishna not smiling wherever He is and whatever He does, unlike in other avatharas, where one could imagine the Lord showing anger at least, and in Ramavatara one could see Rama showing all the nine rasas on different occasions.

His lower lip, aDharoshTam, are redder than the red, aruNaaruNaaDharam, and the venugeetham  that comes out of his lips is doubly fascinating because of the quality of the music and also due to the joy expressed through it.

The eyes of Krishna is half closed and hence more beautiful,  arDhamugDham, in the ecstasy of the music and it is incessantly moving, vibhraamyath, and wide, vipula.

The doubt that may arise is , if the eyes are half closed how can they be described as wide, vipula? His eyes are not half-closed in the ordinary sense of the term but it is half-closed because it is full of mercy. Hence it is wide.

Leelasuka exclaims that when he is going to see the face of the Lord as described.

 

45. leelaayathaabhyaam  rasaSeethalaabhyaam

      neelaaruNaabhyaam nayanaambujaabhyaam

      aalokayeth adhbhuthavibramaabhyaam

      baalaH kadhaa kaaruNikaH kiSoraH

 

When will the playful but merciful  Krishna look at me with His eyes, that are enchanting and moving, dark and red at the ends, cool with mercy .

 

Leelasuka  wishes that even if he cannot see Krishna at least Krishna would see Him because He is kaaruNika, full of mercy, though he seems to be  just a kiSora,  playful boy. His eyes are wide with playfulness, leelaayatha, like that of a child but His glances are cool and merciful, raaSeethala, to the devotee giving solace from the heat of the samsara. His eyeballs are dark and at the ends the eyes are red like a lotus, neelaaruNa, thus signifying beauty, and also they move enchantingly, adhbhuthavibhrama.   

 

46.Bahulachikurabhaaram baDdhapicchaavathamsam

     chapala chapala nethram chaarubimbaaDharoshTam

     maDhura mrdhulahaasam  mandharodhaaraleelam

     mrgayathi nayanam me mugDhavesham muraareH

 

 

My eyes are searching for  the enchanting form of Krishna, mughavesham muraareH, with His abundant tresses, bahulachikurabhaaram, decorated with the peacock feathers,badDhapicChavathamsam, with His eyes always dancing here and there,chapalachapalanethram, with His lower lip red like the bimbafruit, chaarubimbaaDharoshTam,sporting a sweet and charming smile, while His actions though seem to be playful, are capable of bestowing everything like the celestial wish-giving tree.

 

47.bahulajaladhacChaayaa choram vilaasabharalasam

     madhaSikhiSikhaa leelotthamsam manojna mukhaambujam

     kamapi kamalaapaangodhgraprapannajagajjitham

     maDhurimapareepaakodhrekam  vayam mrgayaamahe

 

We seek Him , who has appropriated the hue of the dark clouds,, bahula jaladhacChaayachoram, who shines out of  abundance of joy, vilaasabharalasam who is wearing the feather of a hefty peacock playfully on his head,madhaSikhiSikhaaleelotthamsam, whose face is enchantingly beautiful like a lotus, manojnamukhaambujam, who is the abode of abundant sweeteness, maDhurimapareepaakodhrekam,who is won over by the world of prapannas, who are blessed with the side-long glance of Lakshmi, kamalaapaangodhagraprapannajagajjitham.

 

The prapannas are those who have surrendered to the Lord, and this happens only due to the kataaksha of Lakshmi. Here what is meant is the purushakaara of Thayaar, without whose glance the grace of the Lord cannot  be had. This has been emphasized by Desika and azvars.

 

 

48. paraamrSyam dhoore parishadhimuneenaam vrajavaDhoo

      dhrSaam dhrSyamSaaSvath thribhuvanamanohaarivapusham

      anaamrSyam vaachaam anidham udhayaanaam api kadhaa

      dhareedhrSye dheva dharadhalitha neelothpalanibham

 

He is being enquired always by the sages yet remains inaccessible to them but easily visible to the gopis. He is incomprehensible even to the Vedas which have divine origin. When will I see the form of the Lord, resembling a fresh blue lotus and attractive to all the three worlds?

 

Krishna was not accessible even to the sages, dhoore parishadhi muneenaam, who meditate on Him through penance and enquiries, paraamrSyam, through the sastras. Even the Vedas which are  un-originated, anidham udhayaanaam are not able to describe Him fully, anaamrSyam.. Yet He is easily seen and enjoyed by the  gopis, vrajavaDhoodhrSaam dhrSyam.. This is the power of bhakthi.

 

The Lord says in the Gita,

“I am not to be seen by Vedas, by penance or by any austerities except through bhakthi,” ‘naahamvedairnathapasaa------bhakthyaathu ananyayaa Sakyam.’(BG-11-54) Vedas themselves say,

'nAyam AthmA pravachanEna labhyah na mEDhayA na bahunA SruthEna;yamaivEshavrnuthE thEna labhyah.(Kato.2-2-23)

 

The supreme self can never be attained through discourses, nor by intellect, nor by hearing. Only whom He chooses by him alone  He can be attained.

 

The Vedas are called apourusheya , not composed by anyone but have eternal existence being  part of the Lord. They,  in spite of being the only source of  knowledge about Parabrahman, are not able to describe Him fully.

Vedanta Desika says this beautifully in yadhavabhyudhaya.

‘Yadhekaika gunapraanthe Sraanthaah nigamavandhinaH yaThaavathvarNane asya’

 meaning , the Vedas starting to talk about His guNas  become tired even before they finish describing one of them.

 Leelasuka himself admonishes those who spend their lives in doing penance in order to see the Lord and asks them to come and see the Supreme reality being bound in a mortar in Gokula. Yasodha was able to bind Him who is out of reach even to the sages through her love. Leelasuka says here that  the company of Krishna was enjoyed by the gopis who were filled with pure love and they were blessed indeed to get the experience not available even to he sages. That is why Andal says, ‘arivonrum illaadha aaykkulatthu unthannai piravipperumthanai o puNniyam yam udaiyom, we are blessed to have you being born  among us in the clan of cowherds  who lack knowledge.’ She also gives the reason for the Lord doing so. ‘Kurai onrum illaadha Govinda unthannodu uravel namakkingu ozikka oziyaadhu, ’ meaning that they cannot survive without His association. That is the height of devotion bhakthyaaH paraa kaashTaa.

 

49. leelaananaambujam aDheeram udheekshamaaNam

      narmaaNi venuvivareshu nivesayantham

      dolaayamaananayanam nayanaabhiraamaam

       dhevam kadhaa nu dhayitham vyathilokayishye

 

When am I going to see and be seen by the beloved Lord, who is a delight to the eyes, whose eyes are like the lotus held  for play, dancing ,  with look that enchants,  with his flute emanating sounds that convey secret messages.

 

 

 The face of Krishna is described as leelaananaambuja, his lotus-like face is full of playfulness, like the lotus held in the hand of Lakshmi. His glances, udheekshaNa, are aDheera, make one lose his mental poise making him aDheera, weak. Not only that. His eyes are dancing  moving like a swing, dholaayamaana. And He is a delight to the eyes, nayanaabhiraama.

 

He is inserting secret messages into the holes of His flute, narmaaNi veNuvivareshu nivesayantham, as into a mailbox and delivering them through His music that ats like a postman! Conveying messages through the music of the flute has also been mentioned by Desika in his Gopalavimsati. He says,

 

 

vamsenakrishnah prathisambabhaashe varthaaharaan vaamadhrsaan kataakshaan

 

 

 The gopis were talking to him with their beautiful glances, vaarthaaharaan vaamadrsaan kataakshaan to which Krishna answered with his flute, vamsena krishnah prathisambabhaashe.

 

 

50. lagnam muhurmanasi lampatasampradhaaya

     lekhaavalehini rasajnamanojnavesham

     rajyanmrdhusmithamrdhoollasithaaDharaamSu

    rakendhulaalitha mukhendhu mukundhabaalyam  

 

The     face of young Mukunda   appears frequently in my mind, the form which is like a traditional painting  portrayed by desire and  delightful to the rasikas of beauty, the soft rays of  smile on   His lower lip, His moon-like face which is dear even to the full moon.

 

To a devotee the face of the Lord appears now and again in the mind, lagnam muhurmanasi as always painted by the desire to see Him and it is traditional lampatasampradhaaya as Periazvar says, endhai thandhai thandhai thandhai tham mootthappan Ezpadikaal thodangi,’  meaning that we are your devotees for several generatons.

The form of the Lord is delightful to whom? Only to a rasajna, who is filled with the rasanubhava  of the divine, rasajnamanojnavesham. The smile on His lower-lip sends out the rays of  sweetness like that of the moon and even the full moon is seen to extol, raakendhulaalithamukhendhu the moon-like face of the Lord.

 

51. ahimakara karanikara mrdhu mrdhitha lakshmee

      sarasathara sarasiruha sadhrSadhrsi dheve

      vrajayuvathi rathikalaha vijayanijaleelaa

      madhamudhitha vadhanaSaSi maDhurimaNi leeye

 

I am engulfed with the sweet moon-like face of  Krishna who has eyes like the gentle lotus softly touched by the rays of the Sun, and who is exalted with the pride of winning the gopis in playful fights.

 

This and the next two are full of rhetoric beauty which will be felt , not by reading the meaning alone but only by reading the slokas aloud.

 

Ahimakara- opposite of himakara , hima meaning snow, or dew  and hence ahimakara is the one who removes the snow ,that is the Sun.

Karanikara  means the host of his rays, which are his hands, karas.

Lakshmee is  beauty and mrdhu mrdhitha, touched softly.

Sarasiruha is  lotus and sarasathara denoted its tenderness.

Dhrsi here denotes the eyes and they are similar, sadhrSa, to the lotus petals softly touched by rays of the Sun which open slowly in the morning.

His leela, sport is to appear victorious and therefore happy, madhamudhitha, in the love-fights with the gopis, vrajayuvathirathikalaha..

Such a face which is like the moon, vadhanaSaSi, engulfs the consciousness of Leelasuka with its madhurima, sweetness.

 

52.karakamala dharadhalitha lalithatharavamSee

     kalaninadha galadhamrtha ghanasarasi dheve

     sahaja rasabhara bharitha dharahasithaveeThee

     sathathavahad AdharamaNi maDhurimaNi leeye

 

I am immersed in the sweetness of Krishna whose lower lip like a gem bearing the continuous smile depicting the inner joy and who is like a pond filled with the nectar of sweet sound that flows from his flute on which his fingers like the petals of lotus play by opening and closing the holes.

 

Krishna is like a pond ,saras, which is constantly filled, ghana, by the nectar that flows, galadhamrtha, in the form of sweet sound,  kalaninadha, from the beautiful flute, lalithatharavamSee, played upon  by his fingers that resemble the petals of lotus, karakamaldhaladhalitha, and his lower lip that looks like a gem, aDharamaNi, always wears a continuous smile, dharahasithaveeThee sathathavahat, which is filled with the inner joy that is natural to him, sahajarasabharabharitha.

 

 

53 kusumaSara Sarasamara kupithamadha gopee

     kuchakalaSa ghusrnarasa lasat urasi dheve

     madhalulitha mrdhuhasitha mushitha SaSiSobhaa

     muhuraDhikamukhakamala maDhurimaNi leeye

 

I am engrossed in Krishna who vanquishes the moon by the luster of his bewitching smile and by oozing nectar by his lotus-like face and whose chest is marked by the kumkum from that of the gopis in conquering them with the arrows of cupid in love-combat.

 

KusumaSara is Cupid with flower arrows and sarasamara denotes the battle with his arrows. Krishna conquers the gopis who were angry and proud, kupithamadha, and when they succumb, the kumkum, ghsrNarasa, from their chest marks the chest, lasadhurasi, of Krishna. His proud shining smile, madhalulithamrdhuhasitha, due to his victory, defeats even the moon by its luster and by the ever increasing flow of nectar, muhuraDhika madhurimaa from his lotus-like face.

 

 

54. aanamraam asithabhruvoH upachithaam aksheenapakshmaankureshu

       aalolaam anuraagiNoH nayanayoH aardhraam mrdhou jalpithe

       aathaamraam aDharaamrthe madhakalaam amlaanavamSeeraveshu

       aaSaasthe mamalochanam vrajaSiSoH moorthim jaganmohineem

 

When am I going to see the beautiful form of the child Krishna, which enchants the whole world,  with dark eyebrows slightly bent with thick and heavy eyelashes, his eyes full of mercy and moving, his speech gentle and comforting, his lips red oozing nectar through his sweet playing of the flute ?

 

The form of Krishna, whom Leelasuka calls vrajaSiSu, the child of Gokula, is enchanting the whole world, jaganmohinee moorthy. His eyebrows bhruvaH are dark,asitha and slightly arched, aanamraou and his eyes, which are full of mercy,anuraagiNah,  have thick and dense lashes, aksheeNapakshmaankura, his speech, jalpitha, is gentle, mrdhu, and full of compassion, aardhram. His lips are red, aathaamram, and oozing nectar, aDharaamrtha, especially when he plays the flute, the music of which is sweet, madhakalaa, amlaanavamSeerava.

 

55.thathkaiSoram thath cha vakthraaravindham

     thatahkaaruNyam the cha leelaakataakshaaH

     thath soundharyam saa cha mandhasmithaSreeH

     sathyam sathyam dhurlabham dhevatheshu

 

It is truly hard to find, the childhood, the lotus-like face, the mercy, the playful eyes, the beauty, the brilliant smile, in other divine forms.

 

 

Leelasuka says that no other form of deity has all these qualities, like Krishna. His childhood, kaisoram, gives joy to the beholder, His  face is like lotus, vakthraaravindham and the eyes show his playfulness, leelaakataakshaaH. Beauty, soundharyam, is combined with mercy, displayed in his sweet smile, mandhasmithaSreeh. All these are rare to find in any other divine personality, durlabham dhevatheshu.

 

56.viSvopaplavaSamanaika badDhadheeksham

     viSvaasasthakithachethasaam janaanaam

     paSyaamaH prathinavakaanthikandhalaardhram

     paSyaamah paThi paThi saisavam muraareh

 

We perceive the firm resolve only to remove all  the obstacles in the world for those whose hearts are blossomed with devotion and melt, seeing his glorious form appearing fresh every moment, in the youthful for m of Krishna at every step wherever we proceed.

 

Krishna has taken a vow, badDha eka dheeksha, to remove the obstacles in the world of his devotees, visvaupaplavasamana, who have their hearts filled with devotion, viSvaasasthakithachethassam seeing his lustrous form inside which melts their heart because it gives them joy every moment as though they are seeing him afresh., prathinavakaanthikandhalaardhram. Leelasuka says let us see the  young form, Saisavam, of Krishna at every step, paThipaThi, in our path towards salvation.

 

57. mouliH chandhrakabhooshanNaa marakatha sthambhaabhiraamam vapuH

      vakthram chithravimugDhahaasa maDhuram baalee vilole dhrSou

      vaachaH SaisavaSeethalaa madhagajaSlaaghyaa vilaasassThithiH

      mandham mandham aye ka esha maDhuraaveeTheem ithaH gaahathe

 

Who is this who enters the street of Madhura slowly? His crown is decorated by peacock feather. His body is beautiful like a pillar of emerald. His face is sweet-looking with wonderful joyous smile. His eyes are moving here and there. His speech is of cool youthfulness. His gait resembles that of an elephant in rut.

 

In this sloka  a girl is asking another about Krishna whom they see entering, gaahathe, the streets of Madhura, maDhuraaveeTheem. He is walking slowly, mandham mandham, with a gait like an elephant in rut, madha gaja vilaasa. When they hear him speak with Balarama and others who were with him his words, vaachaH, sound very cool and youthful, SaiSavaSeethalaa. He is looking around and his eyes are constantly moving, viloladhrSou. His face, vakthram, wears a wonderful smile full of joy, chithravimugDhahaasa, (perhaps expecting to see his parents and to destroy Kamsa for which he has incarnated.). His strong  body has the hue of emerald and he looks like a pillar made of emerald. His crown, mouliH, is decorated with peacock feather,chandharkabhooshaNa.

 

58.padhou paadhavinirjithaambujavanou padhmaalayaalankrthou

     paaNee veNu vinodhanapranayinou paryaapthaSilpasriyou

     baahoo dhohadha bhaajanam mrgadhrSaam maaDhuryaDhaaragiro

     vakthram vaagvibhavaathilanGhitham aho baalam kimethath mahaaH

 

Is this lustrous form really  a child? His feet, attended by Lakshmi, have conquered the crowd of lotuses by their fractional glory. His hands fond of playing the flute, appear to demonstrate the natyamudras. His arms create desire to the deer-eyed damsels. His words shower nectar.  His face excels his speech in expression. It is a wonder indeed.

The form  of light which is the boy Krishna looks as though it is the brilliance of puresatthva or of Brahman, the supreme reality. But the former has no limbs while this one has arms feet etc. It is a wonder since such self-illumined brilliance can exist only in Brahman. His feet have won over the beauty of a crowd or forest of lotuses. But the lotus is the abode of Lakshmi and hence how could this be conquered by the feet of Krishna? The answer is given in the next line. It is because the feet of Krishna are padmaalayaalambithou,  resorted by Lakshmi who has left her former abode, the lotus. Thus the feet have vanquished the glory of the lotuses. His fingers love to play on the flute and seem to display the mudras of natya. His arms are the seat of desire to the young damsels of Gokula. When he speaks his words seem to shower nectar. But his face is even sweeter and more powerful than his words in being expressive. Hence it creates wonder in seeing the young form of Krishna. What Narayana bhattadri has done in Narayaneeyam in ten slokas,  Leelasuka enjoys the beauty of Krishna from head to foot in just one sloka.

 

59.barham naama vibhooshaNam bahumatham veshaaya SeshaiH alam

   vakthram dhvi thri viSeshakaanthilaharee vinyaasa DhanyaaDharam

   SeelaiH alpaDhiyaam agamyavibhavaiH Srngaarabhangeemayam

   Chithram chithram aho vichithritham aho chithram vichithram mahaH

 

It is a wonder that the peacock feather alone is his favourite ornament and all the other decorations to him are superfluous. It is a wonder that his face sending out the waves of splendour by two or three special aspects along with his charming lips. Thus his form , a personification of love that cannot be perceived by those with mean mentality is a wonder indeed. Thus his form shines amazingly with various wonderful attributes.

 

Leelasuka could not contain his amazement is seeing the form of Krishna which makes him exclaim ‘chithram chithram aho vichithritham aho chithram vichithram’ expressing the wonder so many times. The peacock feather alone is enough to serve as his ornament and what is the purpose served by others, veshaaya SeshaiH alam, and isn’t it wonderful, says Leelasuka, even though the gopavesha , the costume of a gopala, the Lord has put on, is decorated wit a lot of ornaments, none is dearer to him, barham naama vibhooshaNam bahumatham, than the peacock feather?

 

Here the mind recalls the sloka of Desika in Yadhavabhyaudhaya, where he says that when the Lord appeared in front of the devas who prayed Him to relieve the earth from the burden of the wicked, his own limbs were so beautiful that the ornaments on His body seemed to be decorated by Him and not vice versa.’angaiH amithasoundharyaiH anukampithabhaashanam.’

 

The face of Krishna sends out luminant waves by two or three, dhvithriviseshakaanthilaharee, special features. His eyes ,cheeks and nose and above all,  his smile on his  charming lips, all this creating wonder in the mind of the beholder. His whole form is rasamaya, as the Upanishadic declaration goes,’raso vai SaH,’ the personification of srngaara,srngaarabhangeemayam, which could be understood only by those who have the intellect to see the real nature of his leelas and not by the people who lack the perception, alpaDhiyaam agamya vishayaiH SeelaaiH, and hence judge his acts from the worldly point of view.To the one who comprehends the real meaning in his actions it is really a great wonder.

 

60.agre samagrayathi kaamapi kelilakshmeem

     anyaasu dhikshvapi vilochanameva saakshee

     haa hantha hasthapaThadhooram aho kimethath

     aaseeth kiSoramayam amba jagathrayam me

 

The  indescribabale leela of  Krishna is manifest in front in its  full glory and also pervades in all directions. As witnessed by my eyes.hence in all the threeworlds I find only Krishna. Yet he eludes my grasp. How lamenatable is this state!

 

 Leelasuka sees Krishna everywhere through his devotion .visualising all his sportive actions and his beautiful form so that whreever he looks he sees Krishna alone. But  when he extends his hand Krishna eludes his grasp. Leelasuka says what a sorrow it is to see him near yet to find him not when trying to grasp him! This is the experience of all devotees.The Lord plays like this in order to increase the yearning of the devotee to attain Him.

 

The Lord appeared in the heart  of Narada in his previous birth when he was meditating but when he started njoying the peresence the form disappeared. When he became desolate, he heard the divine voice of the Lord saying, ‘sakrth yath dharSitham roopam ethath kaamaaya the anagha;mathkaamaH SanakaiH saaDhuh sarvaan muncChathi hrthChayaan.’(srimad.Bhagavatham-1-6-23)

 

The above sloka means that the Lord showed His form in order to make the desire grow towards Him and a devotee who thus yerns for the darsan of the Lord, gives up all his worldly desires and becaomes pure and then he can enjoy the presence of the Lord forever when the Lord, bound by the shakles of bhakthi could not escape the clasp of the devotee as Nammazvar says, ‘unnai naan piditthEn chikkenavE’ and asks the Lord ‘ini enguppoginradhE,’ and tells Him ‘unnai naan adaindhen viduvEnO.’ These lines means that Azvar has clasped the Lord through his devotion and He cannot escape .

 

61.Chikuram bahulam viralam bhramaram

     mrdhulamvachanam vipulamnayanam

    aDharam maDhuram vadhanam lalitham

    chapalam charitham nu kadhaa anubhave

 

When will I enjoy the profuse tresses , broad forehead, soft speech, wide eyes, sweet lips, graceful face and agile behaviour ?

 

This sloka resembles that of madhurashtakam having the same prosody, the meaning also is similar, which is called thotaka. Some of this type are found in narayaneeyam in the chapter describing kaaliyamardhanam.

 

The picture presented in this sloka is very beautiful. The luxurious hair, bahulam chikuram, of Krishna induces the desire to decorate it with peacock feathers and flowers to make it even more copious. His broad forehead, vipulam,( the word vipula means broad but here it has the secondary meaning the forehead which is broad because of the next  word bhramara)  is adorned with strands of his curly hair, bhramara, which, like the word  vipula means bhramaraalaka, locks on the forehead, which stand apart like the bees, bhramara that have come, attracted by his lotus-like face. His lips are sweet, maDhuram aDharam, playing the flute from which flows the nectar-like music.His face is graceful, lalitham, with the joy of music. His movements are always agile, chapalam charitham in accordance with his baalavesham.

 

62. paripaalaya nah krpaalaya ithi asakrth jalpitham aathmabaanDhavah

     muralee mrdhula svanaanaathare vibhuh aakarNayithaa kadhaa nu naH

 

 

When will the Lord who is the closeset relative of  the self, hear my plaintive cry ‘ oh the temple of mercy save me,’ in the interval between his play of the flute?

 

Krishna is suggestively portrayed as playing the flute in the previous sloka and Leelasuka wonders whether he will hear the cry of the devotees, asakrth jalpitham, ‘ save us Oh Lord, paripaalaya naH,’ amidst the music in which he is immersed in. But becomes reassured that since  he is krpaalaya, abode of mercy will hear the pleas of his devotees in between the notes of music, muraleemrdhusvanaanthare, because he is the aathmabandhu, related to the self and not the body, like other relatives.

 

As the azvar said ‘oorilEn kaaNiyillEn uravu mattroruvarillEn, the Lord is the only bandhu, relation, to all through out our existence, all the other relations last only till this body does.

 

Sankara says in his arthiharanaarayanaashtakam,

Na sodharo janako jananee na jaayaa

 naivathmajo nacha kulam vipulam balamvaa

samdhrSyathe na kila lopi sahaayako me

tasmaath thvameva saraNam mama sankhapaaNe

 

“Neither my brother, nor father nor mother nor wife , nor son nor all my relatives are of any use to me. Therefore you alone is my refuge OhLord, the wielder of the conch.”

 

The Lord is the real and only relative and friend as all the  others are short-lived.

 

63.kadhaa nu kasyaam nu vipadh dhaSaayaam

    kaiSoraganDhiH karuNaambhuDhiH naH

    vilochanaabhyaam vipulaayathaabhyaam

    vyaalokayishyan vishayeekarothi

 

At which   state of calamity indeed the youthful Krishna, who is the ocean of mercy, look at us with his wide eyes and accept us into his fold?

 

Leelasuks thinks that Krishna ignores us because he thinks that there is no need for noticing us yet. So perhaps if we are in a calmity like Droupadhi or Gajendhra he may perceive us and come to our rescue.So he wonders that what would be the calsmity, kasyaam vipaddhdaSaayaam, that may summon him to us for help.  He is sure to come to our rescue then because he is the ocean of mercy, karuNaambuDhiH.But he looks so young , kaisoraganDhih,(smelling of tender youth)  and our heart is filled with trepidation, says Leelasuka.

 

Here we are reminded of the Kunthisthuthi in srimadbhgavatham where she says to Krishna that if  getting a calamity ensures his arrival then let them get moere amnd more of the calamities so that they can see him often which will lead them to bierthless state..

Vipadhah santhu nah saSvath thathra thathra jagathguro

Bhavatho dharsanam yathsyaath apunarbhavadharsanam (srimadbhagavatham-1.8.25)

 

64.maDhuram aDharabimbe manjulam mandhahaase

    SiSiram amrthavaakye Seethalam dhrshtipaathe

    Vipulam aruNa nethram viSrutham veNunaadhe

    markathamaNineelambaalam aalokaye nu

 

Will I see the young Krishna, blue like sapphire, playing wonderful music in his flute with sweet lips like the bimbafruit, with attractive smile, with his nectar-like speech spreading coolness all around and with his cool glances from his lotus-red wide eyes.

 

maDhuram aDharabimbe- sweetness is due to the music, viSrutham veNunaadham that flowed from the flute from hislips..

Mandhahaasa, the smile is manjulam , attractive.

Amrthavakyam- nectar-like speech is cooling,SiSiram that is comforting.

dhrshtipaatha-  the glance  from his wide, vipula, lotus-red eyes, arunanethram is also Seethalam, cooling.he gives comfort through his glance and his speech.

 

 

65.maaDhuryaadhapi maDhuram manmaTha thaathasya kimapi kaiSoram

    chaapalyaadhapi chapalamchetho mama harathihantha kim kurmaH

 

The indescribable beauty of the youthfulness of  Krishna , which is sweetest of all that is sweet, the movement which is swiftest of all that is swift, stole my heart. What to do?

 

The word Leelasuka uses for Krishna here is manmaThathaatha, father of Cupid, as Pradhyumna , the son of Krishna was none other than ManmaTha, the lord of love. This is to imply that there is no wonder that he stole the heart, chethoharathi, of all by his indescribabale youthful charm, kimapi kaiSoram which is sweetest of the sweet,maDhuryaadhapi maDhuram,  and swiftest of the swift., chaapalyaadhapi chapalam, by being ever changing .

 

66.vakshasThale cha vipulam nayanothpale cha

     mandhasmithe cha mrdhulam madhajalpithe cha

     bimbaaDhare cha maDhuram muraleerave cha

     baalam vilaasaniDhim aakalaye kadhaa nu.

 

When am I going to see  the wide chest, eyes like blue lotuses , soft smile, charming speech, the  lips like bimba fruit and the sweet music of the  flute of the boy the treasurehouse of  elegance and beauty?

 

The chest of Krishna ,vakshasThala is broad, vipula, his eyes are like blue lotuses, uthpala, his smile and speech are soft and enchanting, his lips resemble the bimbafruit, bimbaaDhara, and the music from his flute, muraleerava, is maDhuram, sweet. The child Krishna, baala, is the treasurehouse, of all that is elengant and beautiful, vilaasaniDhi..

 

67. ardhraavalokithadhayaapariNaddhanethram

     aavishkrthasmithasuDhaamaDhuraadharoshTam

     aadhyam pumaamsam avathamsithabarhin barham

     aalokayanthi krthinaH krthapunyapunjaaH

 

Blessed are they who are seeing the Supreme being manifest as Krishna, with eyes full of mercy and comforting glances,his lowerlip charming with the nectarine smile bursting out, with peacock feather on his head.

 

Leelasuka  says those who see Krishna always have done some punya, krthapuNyapunjaaH, because they are seeing the Supreme being, aadhyam pumaamsam, who has assumed the form of a cowherd boy, with peacock feather adorning his head, avathamsithabarhibarham.. His eyes are filled with mercy, dhayaa pariNadDhanethram and his glances are providing cool comfort, aardhraavalokitham. A nectarine smile,smithasuDhaa, emerges out of his lower lip, aDharoshTam. Leelasuka exclaims that how blessed are they, krthinaH, who are able to see him thus.

 

Those who have the perception of  Brhaman, the Supreme reality through meditation  do so after a lot of Thapas and punyakarmas. Those who see  Krishna without understanding that he is the supremepurusha but love him as the gopas and gopis did , also have acquired merit through their previous births. How much more blessed are they who see Krshna as the supreme purusha, like Uddhava, Vidura, Bheeshma etc. this is the implied meaning of the sloka.

 

68.maaraH svayam nu madhuradhyuthimandalam nu

     maaDhryameva nu manonayanaamrtham nu

     vaaNeemrjaa nu mamajeevithavallabho nu

     baalo ayam abhyudhyathe mama lochanaaya

Is this boy who appears in front of me, Cupid himself, or the orb of the moon, spreading pleasant light, or the personification of sweetness, or the nectar for eyes and the mind, or purity of  speech itself, or  is he my dearest life?

 

Leelasuka  visualizes, abhyudhayathe mama lochanaaya, Krishna in front and wonders about his enchanting presence. Is he the ManmaTha, maara himself ? No because ManmaTha has no limbs, ananga. Is he the orb of the moon maDhuradhyuthimndalam who spreads the pleasant luminance? No because the moon has light which is sweet but Krishna is sweetness itself maaDhuryameva, . But the sweetness is abstract but Krishna is sentient. He is the nectar to our eyes and mind, manonayanaamrtham. Yet the nectar is liquid.  He is the purity of speech, vaaneemrjaa? But he is vaachaam agocharam, beyond speech. Is he my dearest life, praaNavallabha? No he is the life of my life.

 

Srimadbhagavatham has a sloka describibg Krishna who appeared to the gopis after making them sorrowful by sudden disappearance.

Thaasaam aavirabhooth Sourih smayamaanamukhaambujaH

Peethaambardharasrgvee saakshaath manmaThamanmaThaH(srimadbhagavatham(10-32-2)

 

69.baalo ayam aalola vilochanena vakthreNa chithreekrthaDhingmukhena

     vesheNa ghoshochithabhooshaNena mugDhena dhugDhe nayanothsukam naH

 

This boy with his moving eyes, with is face that adorns the directions, by his attaractive attire and ornaments suited to his assumed costume of a  cow-herd, msakes the joy flow from our eyes.

 

The eyes of Krishna are always moving here and there, aalolavilochana, and his face,vakthra that turns in all directions beautifying them, chithreekrthadhingmukha with his looks , smiles and speech. He has put on a costume of a cow-herd with all the suitable ornaments, vesheNa ghoshochithabhooshaNena, hiding his parathva, supremacy and looks attractive. By all this he causes the tears of joy to flow, dugDhe nayanothsukam, from the eyes of his devotees.

 

The joy of seeing the eyes, the face and other aspects of the beauty of Krishna, the devotee could not contain his joy and it flows from his eyes as tears.

 

We find the parallel idea in Desika’s Hayagreevasthothra where he says,

 

 

   .svaamin pratheechaa hrdhayena DhanyaaH

     thvadDhyaanachandhrodhayavarDhamaanam

     amaanthm aanandhapayoDhim anthaH

     payobhiH akshNaam parivaahayanthi

 

Oh Lord, the blessed ones  see you inside them by their mind turned inward and their joy becomes boundless like the sea on the rise of moon , that is You. They let the flood of joy out in the form of tears.

70. aandholithaagrabujam aakula nethraleelam

      aardhram smithaardhram vadhanaambuja chandhrabimbam

      SinjaanabhooshaNaSathamSikhipicChamoulim

      Seetham vilochanarasaayanam abhyupaithi

 

An elixir to the eyes is approaching me, swinging his arms, moving his eyes,  his face lookin cool anf fresh like the lotus and the moon with his heart-melting smile, wearing peacock feather on his head and various  ornaments on his body, pleasing to the mind.

 

Visualising Krishna walking towards him Leelasuka describes him. He is coming with his arms swinging, aandholithaagrabhujam.  Looking around, aakulanethraleelam, he gives asmile which melts the heart, aardhram smitham, that makes his lotus like face, vadhanaambujam, cool and comforting like the moon, aardhrachandhrabimbam. He is decorated with hundeds odfornaments that make jingling sound, SinjaanabhooshaNaSatham. To top all this he is wearing thepeacock feather on his head, which heightens the beauty. Such a picture of Krishna is a veritable rasayana for the eyes. He is indeed the rasaayana, rasaanaam ayanam, abode of all rasa, sentiments or the essence of joy. He is the manifestation of Brahman of the Upanishads of whom it is said  ‘raso vai saH, rasam hyevaayamlabDhvaa aanandhee bhavathi’ meaning, ‘he is the rasa itself obtaining which one becomes joyful.’

 

71.paSupaalbaalaparishadvibhooshaNam

     SiSuresha SeethalavilolalochanaH

     mrdhulasmithaardhram vadhnendhusampadhaa

    madhayan madheeyahrdhayamvigaahathe

 

 

This child Krishna, who I like the ornament of the gopa youngsters, with his cool glances, with his moon-like face that shines with tender smile, entered into  my heart and enchants me.

 

Krishna is the ornament, vibhooshaNam, of the whole group of cowherd boys, paSuabaalaparishad. His cool glances, Seethavilochana, his gentle smile, mrdhulasmitha, which is comforting,aardhram and his face like the moon, vadhnendhu, with all this wealth of attributes he has enterd deep intothe mind of the devotee and gives joy. The heart of a devotee is like an ocean which contains the treasures of the attributes and the form of the Lord.

 

As desika said in his vairagyasathaka, ‘asthi me hasthisailaagre vasthu paithaamaham Dhanam,’ the Lord is the most valuable treasure for the devotee, which is protected at the heart like the pearls and other gems are inside the ocean.

 

72.thadhidham upanatham thamaalaneelam

    tharaLavilochanathaarakaabhiraamam

    mudhitha mudhitha vakthra chandhrabimbam

    mukharithaveNuvilaasajeevitham me

 

This form of Krishna, blue like the thamalaflower, beautiful with the eyes that move enchantingly,the face like the moon creating waves of joy, giving life to the music that arises from the flute placed on his mouth, is appearing before me.

 

Leelasuka visualizes the form of Krishna in front. He is blue like the thamaala flower, ,tamaalaneelam, his eyes are enchanting, abhiraamam, with the ever moving eyeballs, tharala vilochanthaarakam, his moon-like face creates waves of joy, mudhith mudhitha vakthraachandhrabimbam and his flute placed  sends out sweet music which is himself, mukharithaveNuvilaasajeevitham, which is now wonder because he is gaanamurthy, embodiment of music.

 

73. chaapalyaseema chapalaanubhavaikaseema

      chaathuryaseema chathuraananaSilpaseema

      sourabhyaseema  sakalaadhbhutha keliseema

     soubhaagyaseema thadhidham vrajabhaagyaseema

    

 

This is the boundary of, playfulness,  joy of Lakshmi,  smartness, the creative ability of Brahma, fragrance,wonderful  actions,beautyand the fortune of the people of ayarpadi.

 

Leelasuka  says that Krishna is outside limit, seemaa, of all that is glorious and wonderful. His playful movements,chaapalya, clever and smart words and deeds,chaaturya, his actions that create wonder, sakalaadbhuthakeli, his beauty and the fragrance of the flowers, sandal paste etc he wears on his body,sourabhya, all this are the result of the good fortune of the people of Gokulam, soubhaagya, and is beauty is the utmost limit of the creative ability of Brahma, chathuraananSilpa if not exceeding it because he created himself. The Lord is also the boundary of joy to Lakshmi who is known as chapala or fickle, as the wealth never stays for long and Lakshmi stands for wealth, though for the devotees she is the divine mother who stays always with the Lord.

 

74.maaDhuryeNa dhviguNaSiSiram vakthrachandhram vahanthee

    vamSee veeThee vigalath amrthasrothasaH sechayanthee

    madhvaaNeenaam viharaNapadham matthasoubhaagyabhaajaam

    mathpuNyaanaam pariNathirahonethrayoh sanniDhatthe

 

The result of my punya which have attained fruition,  has appeared before my eyes, with his moonlike face, doubly sweet with its cool comfort, showering thefileld of my words with the flow of nectar arising in waves from his flute.

 

Leelasuka was able to see Krishna now and he exclaims about his good fortune,matthasoubhaagyabaajaam. It is due to the fruition of his punyas, mathpunyaanaam parinathih, he says, that the form of Krishna appears in front of his eyes, nethrayoH sanniDhatthe. His moon-like face,vakthrachandhram, is doubly comforting,dhvigunaSisiram, with his cool glances and sweet words,maadhuryeNa and the nectarine  music, amrthasrothas, that flows from his flute emerges in waves, vamSeeveeThee, and engulfs the field of  eloquence, madhvaaNeenaamviharaNapadham, of Leelasuka, meaning that the music is the inspiration behind his poetry.

 

75.thejase asthu namo Dhenupaaline lokao paaline

    raaDhaapayoDharothsanga Saayinee SeshaSaayine

 

salutations to the light that is Krishna, who is the protector of cows as well as the world, who rests on radha as joyfully as on Sesha.

 

His sloka is referring to the parathva of Krishna by the mention of his dhenupaalana along with his lokapalaana. The one who protects the whole world and who reclines on the bed of Ashisesha, seshasaayee , Lord Narayana is none other than Ktishna who looks after the cows and revels in the love of Radha, raadhaapayodharotthsangasaayee.. On seeing  Krishna in front, Leealsuka bows down to him.

 

76. DhenupaaladhayithaasthanasThaleeDhanyakumkumasanaaThakaanthaye

      veNugeethagathimoolaveDhase thejase thadhidham om namo namaH

 

 

Salutations again to Krishna whose chest is shining with the kumkum from that of the gopis,and who is the first creator of the nuances of music through his playing on the flute as he is the source of pranava itself.

 

Krishna , being the supremepurusha, is the source of Pranava from which the whole universe of sound, sabdhabrahman, arose. This is denoted by referring to him as the prime creator of the nuances of music that came from his flute,veNugeethagathimoolavedhas .He is now playing with the gopis like a cowherd boy and the kumkum on their chest is smeared on his chest when they embrace him.

 

77.mrdhukvaNan noopura manThareNa baalena paadhaambujapallavena

    anukvaNan manjula venugeetham aayaathi me jeevitham aattha keli

 

Krishna who is my dearest life, is coming towards me, dancing , aattakeli. the anklets, noopura, on his  small lotus-like feet, paadhaambujapallava, sounding softly, mrdhukvaNan, accompanied by the  beautiful music from his flute, anukvaNan manjulaveNugeetham.

 

The four slokas starting with this one describe Krishna coming towards Leelasuka.

 

Krishna is coming with his dancing steps,  and his anklets are sounding softly. The flute and the anklets are in perfect accompaniment. This recalls to the mind the song by oothukadu venkata subbaier, ‘aadaadhu aSangaadhu vaa kaNNa,’ which shows that the experience of all the devotees are the same.He says to Krishna, ‘come to me without too much dancing or else some may cast their evil eyes on you.” This song, which is a beautiful composition describing the scene which is refereed to here, contains a line ‘chinnamchiru padhangaL Silambolitthidume, adahi Sevimadutthaa piravi manam kaLitthidume.’ It means the anklets on your small feet make sound and our lives become fruitful on hearing it.

 

Desika in his Gopalavimsathi says that the flute accompanies the sound of the bracelets of the gopis.

 

Jayathi lalithavrtthim sikshithO vallaveenAm

SiThilavalayaSinjASeethalairhasthathAlAih

akhilabhuvanarakshAvEshagOpasyaVishnOh

aDHaramaNisuDHAyAm amSavAn vENunAlah (gopalavimsati-16)

 

 

The flute at the gemlike lips of Krishna, the saviour of the whole world who has assumed the disguise of a cowherd,  shine well, being taught of the dance of lalithavrtthi by the loose bangles worn by the coolhands of the gopis. The dance of the svaras that flow out of the flute was set to the thala  of the sound of the bangles.This  is just to show the bhakthavAthsalya of the Lord.

 

78.soayam vilaasa muralee ninaadhaamrthena

    sinchan udhanchitham mamakarnayugmam

    aayaathi me nayanabanDhuH ananyabanDhuh

    aanandha kandhalitha keli kataakshalakshmeeH

Krishna is coming towards me, drenching my two eager ears,  with his nectarine music, with his glances glorious  with bubbling joy, binding the eyes is he who is the one and only close relative to all.

 

Krishna advances l playing his flute, and the eager ears, udhanchithakarNayugalam, of Leelasuka is  drenched with the nectarine music, muraleeninaadhamrtham. The glances of  Krishna is beautiful expressing the joy that bubbles within, aanandhakandhalithakataakshalakshmeeH, the joy that is the bliss of Brahman, brahmaanandha. He binds the eyes of the onlooker, nayanabanDhu, by his appearance so that it is not possible to look anywhere else. He is the real close relative, ananyabanDhu who persists through all our lives.

 

The word banDhu is derived as baDhnaathi ithi , one who binds and hence here nayanbanDhu means that he binds the eyes which are fastened on him. anayabanDhu means he is the reltive of those who do not care for any other.

 

79.dhooraathvilikayathi vaaranakhelagaamee

     dhaaraakataakshabharithena vilokanena

    aaraadhupaithi hrdhayangamaveNunaadha

    veNeedhughena dhasanaavaraNenadhevah

 

Krishna is looking at me from afar,walking like a playful elephant, his eyes wide with continous flow of glances, his lips beautiful sednig out continous music through the flute which is enchanting to the heart.

 

Krishna was walking towards Leelasuka and looks at him from a distance, dhooraath vilokayathi..His gait is like a playful elephant, vaaranakhelagaamee.

 His contionous looks, dhaaraakataaksha, fall on the devotees like a shower. He is playing the flute, the music of which flows from his lips and enters the heart, hrdhayangamaveNunaadha.

 

80. thribhuvansarasaabhyaam dheepthabhooshaapadhaabhyaam

      dhrSi dhrSi SiSiraabhyaam dhivyaleelaakulaabhyaam

      aSaraNaSaraNaabhyaam adhbhuthaabhyaam padhaabhyaam

      ayam ayam anukoojath veNuraayaathi dhevaH

 

Krishna is walking with his twofeet,  playing the flute. His feet are the resort of  those who have no other refuge and they are wonderful with shining ornaments, and most thrilling in all the threeworlds, and give comfort every moment to those who look at them, remembering their divine sports.

 

In this sloka, Krishana has come near and Leelasuka is enjoying the beauty of his feet. They are adorned with shining anklets,dheepthabhooshaa, and merely by looking at them the devotee gets comfort,dhrSi dhrSi SiSira, because it reminds one of the divine sports he engaged in, dhivyaleelaakula, in order to protect his devotees like roaming around in Brindavan, lifting the ovardhana, killing the asuras, going as an envoy to help the Pandavas etc., thus beingthe refuge of the distressed and hence there is nothing more enchanting than his feet in all the three worlds, thribhuvanasarasa.

 

81.so ayam muneendhrajanamaanasathaapahaaree

soayam madhavrajavadhoo vsanaapahaaree

soayam thrtheeyabhuvanesvara dharpahaaree

soayam madheeyahrdhyaamburuhaapahaare

 

This indeed is the Krishna who took away , the ignorance from the mind of the sages,  the clothes of the gopis and the pride of Indhra, and ha has stolen the lotus of my heart.

 

Krishna destroyed the ignorance in the minds of the sages and gave them jnana. He took away the clothes of  young gopis and made them free of body-consciousness. He quelled the pride of Indra by holding up the Govardhana mountain. Thus he purified the sages ,gopis and Indra at the level of intellect, body and mind respectively. But in my case, saya Leelasuka he did all this by  heart, which became his possession. The heart is termed as a lotus  in the Upanishads, dharaakaasa, inside which the Lord dwells.So it has become his abode and hence the devotee has become pure at all levels, body, mind and intellect.

 

82.  sarvajnathve cha mougDhye cha saarvabhoumama idham mama

       nirviSan nayanam thejaH nirvaaNpadham aSnuthe  

 

My eye is experiencing the joy of salvation by resorting to this light that is Krishna who is the sovereign of both omniscience and innocence.

 

By looking at the brilliance of the form of Krishna the eye has reached its salvation,nayanam nirvaanapadham aSnuthe, as there is nothing beyond that experience of joy that arises on seeing  him who is the sovereign Lord, saaravabhoumaH, of both jnana and  ajnana. He is the supreme self , Brahman, knowing whom there is nothing else to be known, sarvajnathva.Thus he is the Lord of jnana. But as Krishna .a cowherd boy he looks as though he does not know anything,mougDhya, a perfect picture of innocence,  which creates wonder to the devotees. Thus   he is the Lord of maya.

 

Upanishad declares that by knowing  Brahman everything else becomes known, ekavijnaanena sarvavijnaanam, as Krishna himself says in Bhagavatgita, ‘yath jnaathvaa na iha bhooyo anyath jnaathavyam avaSishyathe,’ knowing which there is nothing else to be known further.

 

Desika says in his Gopalavimsathi,

 

 

 AmnaayaganDHirudhithasphurithaadDHaroshtam

aasraavilekshaNam anukshaNamandhahaasam

gopaladimbhavapusham kuhanaajananyaah

praanNsthananDHayam avaimi param pumaamsam.(Gopalavimsathi-3)

 

 

'I know for certain that this child in the form of a cowherd  is none other than the Supreme Purusha, whose lower lip trembling when he cries has the fragrance of the vedas, whose eyes are stained with tears but the next moment lit up with smile, who drank the life of Poothana , who came disguised as His mother.'

 

Krishna was crying or pretends so because even though His lower lip was trembling  it gives out the fragrance of the vedas and eyes were full of tears, He gives a charming smile( perhaps when no one was looking) which belies His grief. Besides He drank the life of Poothana who came in the guise of His mother. So Desika says that he is sure that this is none else than the Lord.

 

 

83. pushNaanam ethath punarukthaSobham

      ushNetharaamSoH udhayam mukhendhoH

      thrshNaamburaaSim dhviguNee karothi

      krshNaahvayam kimchana jeevitham me

 

Something  wonderful , called Krishna, which is my life itself,  makes the sea of my desire rise up redoubled  by the moon-like face, which increasing the beauty of even the moon itelf which looks like tautology.   

 

The face of Krishna is like the moon, mukhendhu, and hence the beauty of the moon rising, ushNetharaamSoH udhayam, seems to be a repetition as the face which has arisen earlier has all the charm of the moon already. The face is comparable to the moon not only in its beauty and cool charm but also because it raises the waves  of desire towards him  as the moon does to the ocean. In the sea of desire for Krishna the waves are rising double fold,thrshNaamburaaSim dhviguNeekarothi, by the appearance of the moon-like face of Krishna. Leelasuka says, somthing that is called Krishna ,krishNaahvayam kimchith, to denote the wonder that he feels on seeing Krishna.                                                   

 

84.thadhethath aathaamravilochanaSree

   sambhaavithaaSesha vinamra vargam

   muhuH muraareH maDhuraaDharoshTam

   muknaambujam chumbathi maanaso me.

 

My mind  often kisses the face of Krishna , which is extolled by the devotees, with its lotus-red eyes and sweet lips.

 

The eyes of Krishna is red at the ends  like a lotus, aathaamravilochanaSree, and his lips look so sweet, maDhura aDharoshTam. This form of Krishna is extolled by all the devotees, sambhaavitha aSesha vinamra vargam. Leelasuka says that he kisses, chumbathi, the face of Krishna in his mind, maanasam, again and again,muhuh.

 

85. karou Saradhudhanchidhaambuja vilaasa Sikshaaguroo

     padhou vibuDha paadhapa praThama pallava ullanghinou

     dhrSou dhalitha dhurmadhathribhuvanaopamaana Sriyou

     vilokya suvilochanaamrtham  aho mahath Saiasavam

 

The hands of Krishna are imparting like a preceptor, the beauty to the lotuses in autumn. His feet are excelling the young sprouts of the celestial tree in softness. His eyes are enough to quell the pride of all that is beautiful in all the three worlds which could be the objects of comparison. What a wonderful form of childhood which is a nectar to the eyes!

 

The lotuses that blossom in the autumn, saradhudhancidhambuja, seem to have learnt the secret of beauty from the hands of Krishan, which are termed as their guru, vilaasaSikshaaguru, by Leelasuka, in soundharyakala. The feet of Krishna  excel the celestial tree, vibuDha paadhapa, that grants all the wishes to those who come near it, by their power to give all to those who even think of him. The feet are like tender sprouts, praThamapallva, which  put to shame those of the celestial tree. His eyes are incomparable in beauty and hence seem to have quelled the pride, dhalithadhurmadha, of all the usual objects of comparison in all the three worlds, thribhuvanaupamaanaSri.Thus What a wonderful form of childhood, mahath saisavam, exclaims Leelasuka, which is like the nectar to the eyes, suvilochanaamrtham, of the onlookers.

 

86.aachinvaanam ahani ahani ahani saakaaraan vihaarakramaan

    aarunDhaanam arunDhathee hrdhayam api aardhrasmithaasyaSriyaa

   aathanvaanam ananyajanmanayanaSlaaghyaam anrghyaam dhasaam

   aamandham vrajasundhareesThanathatee saamraajyam ujjrmbhathe

 

The existence that is Krishna, whose playful activities go on appearing afresh day by day, whose smile tender and merciful in his beautiful face, churns even the mind of ArunDhathi , whose evergrowing youth is extolled by and attracts even the eye of Manmatha and who rules over the kingdom of the gopis who love him, appear in front and grows fast.

 

The existence that is Krishna, the Krishnathatthva, is manifest in front of Leelasuka. He is the ruler of the hearts of gopis, vrajasundharee sthanathatee saamraajyam, and his beautiful smile, aardhrasmithaasyasree, is enough to turn even the chaste heart of Arundhathi, aarunDhaanam arunDhathee hrdhayam. He is naturally more beautiful than Cupid, Manmatha, who after all was his own offspring. ananyajanma. So Krishna gives joy even to the eyes of Manmatha, nayanaSlaaghya, who holds him in high esteem, anrghya.

 

87. samucChvasithayouvanam tharalaSaiSavaalamkrtham

      madhacChurithalochanam madhanamugDhahaasaamrtham

      prathikshaNavilokanam praNayapreethavaSeemukham

      jagatthryavimohanam jayathi maamakam jeevitham

 

The Krishna thathva which is my life itself, appear victorious, jayathi,  the signs and decorations of his childhood slowly disappearing, tharalaSaiSavaalamkrtham,  with the appearance of budding youth, samucChvasithayouvanam, his eyes expressing love, madhacchurithalochanam displayed afresh every moment,      prathikshaNavilokanam his nectarine smile  beautiful and desirable, madhanamugDhahaasaamrtham,  his flute that seems to drink the nectar of his lips, praNayapreethavaSeemukham by its openings and his form is enchanting the three worlds, jagatthryavimohanam.

 

Youth is making its appearance in Krishna, and the ornaments he wore in childhood and other signs of childhood are slowly disappearing. His eyes look intoxicated with love  and his beautiful nectarine smile creates love in others. His looks wear different expressions every moment. The flute on his lips seems to drink the nectar of Krishnarasayana by its holes through which it flows in the form of music. Thus his form enchants the three worlds and it is the life-giving force for the devotees.

 

88. chithram thadhethath charanaaravindham

      chithram thadhethath nayanaaravindham

      chithram thadhethath   vadhanaaravindham

      chithram thadhethath  punaramba chitharam

 

Wonderful  is this lotus, which is the feet of Krishna, wonderful is  the lotus ,that is his eyes, wonderful is this face like lotus it is wonderful wonderful indeed!

 

Krishna appearing before Leelasuka makes him exclaim in surprise, chithram thadhethath punaramba chithram on seeing the wonderful form.His feet are like lotuses, charanaaravindham, but marked with the divine signs of shankha chakra etc. His eyes are like lotuses, nayanaaravindham, yet show love and mercy. His face is like a lotus, vadhanaaravindham, but excels the beauty of a lotus by his sweet smile. All this are the cause of wonder. Also the feet , the eyes , the face, to see which the sages  go through severe austerities like penance, is easily visible through devotion which is a wonder indeed.

 

 

89.akhilabhuvanaikabhoosham aDhibhooshitha

    jalaDhidhuhithru kuchakumbham

    vrajayuvaythee haaraavali marakatha

    naayakamahaamaNim vandhe

 

I bow down to Him who is the ornament of the whole universe, akhilabhuvanaikabhoosham,  and also  an iornament on the  breasts of Lakshmi, the daughter of the ocean, jalaDhidhuhithru kuchakumbham and is  the central emerald pendant, marakatanaayakan mahaamaNi of the pearl necklace formed by gopis, vrajayuvatheehaaraavali.

 

 

90. kaanthaakachagrahana vigraha badDhalakshmee

khandaangaraaga rasaranjitha manjulaSreeH

gandasThaleemukura mandalakhelamaana

gharmaankuram kimapi khelathi krshNathejaH

 

There is a light called Krishna playing in front of me, shining with the coloured pigments like sandal paste etc on his body due to the playing in love catching the hair etc., and with the sweat drops that look like playing on his body.

 

Krishna is playing with gopis and catches the one, who tries to escape,  by hair, j kaanthaakachagrhana,  and in the play his body is marked with colours of sandal, kumkum etc., khandaangaraagarasa , and the sweat drops, gharmaankuram, are formed on his body due to exertion.

 

91.maDhuram madhuram maDhurasya vib hoh     

    maDhuram maDhuram vadhanam   maDhuram

    madhuganDhimrdhusmitham ethath aho

    maDhuram maDhuram maDhuram  maDhuram

 

Everything with reference to the Lord is sweet, because he himself is sweet. His face, the fragrance on him and his smile, everything is sweet sweet nothing but sweet.

 

In Madhurashtakam we have the line ‘maDhuraadhipatherakhilam madhuram,’ and the same idea is reflected here.Since Krishna is akhandasacchidhaananadha svaroopa, he is annandha lahari, ocean of bliss maadhuryalahari, ocean of sweetness. As the sugar candy is sweet wherever one tastes it, similarly Krishna is sweet in all his aspects and forms.

 

92, Srngaararasa sarvasTham SikhipicChavibhooshaNam

      angeekrthanaraakaaram aaSraye bhuvanaaSrayam

 

I take refuge in him, who is the refuge of the whole world, bhuvanaaSraya, and who has taken a human form,angeekrthanaraakaara, wearing peacock feather, SikhipiccChvibhooshana, and embodiment of love, srngaara rasa sarvasTha.

 

Krishna is embodiment of love as Rama was the embodiment of dharma. Each and every part of his body and actions create love in others and also expresses his love for all.It is because he is the Lord Himself, the refuge of all, manifesting in human form.

 

93, naadhyaapi paSyathi kadhaachanadharsanena

      chitthena cha upanishadhaa sudhrsaam sahasram

     sa thvam chiram anayoH nayanayoH padhavyaaam

     svaamin kayaa nu krpayaa mama sanniDhathse

 

Oh Lord! You are not to be seen by the study of sasthras, by meditation, by enquiry through the Upanishads and by sages having divine sight. But you appear  to my eyes for such along time. To what extraordinary grace is this due to!

 

Naradabhakthi suthra says, ‘sa keerthyamaanaHSeeghrameva aavirbhavathianubhaavayathi bhakthaan.’ The Lord appears quickly to those who sing his glories and protects them as He Himself has said, naaham vasaami vaikunte na yogi hrdhaye ravou;madbhakthaa yathra gaayanthi thathra thishTaami naaradha.’ “I do not dwell in Vaikunta , nor in the heart of the sages nor in the orbit of the Sun. I stand in front of my devotees who sing my glories.” This is the experienxe of Leelasuka mentioned here.

 

 

 

94. keyam kaanthiH kesava thvanmukhendhoH

     koayam veshaH koapivaachaam abhoomiH

     seyam soayam svaadhuthaa manjulaSreeH

     bhooyo bhooyo bhooyaSaH thaam namaami

 

Oh Kesava! What a brilliance, kaa iyam kaanthiH, there is, in your moon-like face, mukhendhu and what an enchanting form have you, ko ayam veshaH, which is beyond description, vaachaam abhoomiH! The sweetness and beauty, svaadhuthaa manjulaSree manifested by you makes me bow down to you again and again, bhooyo bhooyo bhooyasaH, many times.

 

The particle kaa and kaH used by way of praise imply wonder.

 

 

95. vadhanendhu vinirjithaH saSee

    dhaSaDhaa dheva padham prapadhyathe

    aDhikaam Sriyam asnuthe itharaam

   thava kaaruNyavijrmbhitham kiyath

 

The moon is vanquished by your face in beauty and brilliance and hence resort to you dividing himself into ten parts and what ever additional merit he gets as a result is due to your mercy alone.

 

After comparing the face of Krishna to the moon now Leelsuka sets out to extol the face  saying the moon has been vanquished by the face, vadhanendhu vinirjitha saSee, and the moon himself gets his beauty and brilliance only from the face of Kishna. For that he makes himself into ten parts, dasaDhaa, and resorts to the feet of Krishna, padham prapadhyathe, and whatever, kiyath, he acquired through that , aDhikam Sriyam asnuthe itharaam, is entirely due to the mercy of the Lord.

The moon dividing himself into ten has reference to the ten finger nails of Krishna which are moon-like.

 

96. thath thvath mukham kaThamivaambujathulyakaksham

       vaachaam avaachi nanu parvaNi parvaNi indhoH

      thath kim bruve kimaparam bhuvanaikakaantham

      yasya thavdhaananasamaa sushamaasadhaasyaath

 

How can your face be  like the lotus? It is not possible to compare it with moon also who waxes and wanes. What else is there which enchants the whole world, and could be compared to the ever beautiful   face of yours.

 

Continuing the line of thought in the two previous slokas, Leelasuka finds that the usual things that are compared  to a  beautiful face fall short of comparison to the face of Krishna. It is not comparable to a lotus because it is always in full bloom while the lotus closes at dusk. Neither can it be compared to the moon who waxes and wanes while the face of Krishna is ever like the full moon. There is nothing so enchants the whole world with its beauty forever.

 

97.SuSrooyase yadhi vachaH SrNu maamakeenam

     poorvaiH apoorvakavibhiH na kataakshitham yath

     neeraajanakramaDhuram bhavadhaananendhoH  

     nirvyaajam arhathi chiraaya SaSi pradheepaH

 

Hear from me the words which  has not been perceived even by unexcelled poets before me .The moon serves as the fitting light that does neeraajana to your face naturally.

 

Leelasuka further establishes the inferiority of the moon as a standard of comparison to the face of Krishna. Moon has become the natural, nirvyaajam, light, pradheepaH  that does neeraajana,  to the face of Krishna. This fact, Leelasuka claims,  no one else before him has remarked on , not even the great poets who were extraordinary, poorvaiH apoorvakavibhiH na kataakshitham.

 

98. akhandanirvaana rasapravaahaiH vikhandithaaSesharasaanthraaNi

     ayanthrithodhvaantha suDhaarNavaani jayanthi Seethaani thava smithaani

 

Your smiles,  cool and comforting,  effortlessly emitting oceans of nectar, by its uninterrupted flow of the bliss of salvation, which pulverizes all the other sense experience, always triumph.

 

The smiles of Krishna, cool and comforting. Seethaani smithaani emit  waves of nectar that engulfs the onlooker with joy that is equal only to the bliss of Barhman, nirvana. Experiencing that, as though a sea of nectar has emerged , (a Tsunaami!), udhvanthasuDhaarNava, all the other sense experience is reduced to shreds, vikhanditha SesharasaanthraaNi, It is a rasapravaaha , a cascade of essence because he is the rasa itself as declared by the Upanishad ‘raso vai sah.’ Compared with that, all the other rasas are nothing because they are all fleeting while this alone is akhanda, ceaseless.

 

99. kaamam santhu sahasrasaH anye svaarasyaDhoureyakaah

      kaamam vaa kamaneeythaa parinathiH svaaraajyabadDhavrathaaH

      thairnaivam vivadhaamahe  na cha vayam dheva priyam broomahe

      yath sathyam ramaNeeyathaa parinathiH thvayyeva paaram gathaa

 

Let there be many others who are  foremost in excellence, or let there be those who profess to be sovereigns of beauty. We are not going to argue with them nor be pleasant to them, because we know the truth, my Lord , that the you are the utmost limit of  all that is attractive.

 

The expression ‘kaamam santhu’ is usually used to denote the meaning let there  be others, who is bothered, to denote the inferiority of I others compared to the subject on hand. Kalidasa says in Raghuvamsa, ‘kaamam nrpaaH santhu sahasraSo anye raajanvatheem aahuH anena bhomim,’ meaning , let there be thousands of kings but the earth is said to be having a king only because of him.’

 

Svaarasya means excellence and Dhoureyaka is one who stands first and foremost.

Svaaraajya also means heaven and it could refer to other devas like ManmaTha who are reputed for their beauty.

 

Leelasuka means that the devotees of Krishna do not enter into argument with others because they know the truth that Krishna alone is the outer limit of beauty, love and bliss. Sathyam, jananam, anantham, aanandham ,  amalathvam and soundharyam.

 

100. mandhaaramoole  madhanaabhiraamam bimbaaDharaapoorithaveNunaadham

       gogopagopeejanamaDhya samsTham gopam bhaje gokula poornachandhram

 

I worship Krishna who is the full moon of Gokula, standing at the bottom of mandhaara tree surrounded by the cows, cowherds and gopis, looking beautiful like the Cupid himself, the sound of music from his flute emiited by his bimbafruit-like lower lip.

 

Here Leelasuka  paints a beautiful portrait of Krishna standing under the tree, playing the flute, in the midstof the cows cowherds and gopis.he looks like the lord of love Manmatha himself, ‘saakshaath manmaTha  manamaThah.’(Srimadbhagavatham)

 

101. galadhvreedaa lolaa madhanavinathaa gopavanithaa

        maDhuspheetham geetham kimapi  maDhuraa chaapalaDhuraaH

       samujjrmbhaa gumphaa maDhurimakiraam maadhrsagiraam

      thvayi sThaane yaathe dhaDhathi chapalam janma saphalam

 

 

When you resorted to the place (Brindavan), the gopis became influenced with love and shed their modesty and their song became sweet , from which flowed honey.All the play in brindhavan became delightful to all. The words of people like me also became sweet and the life has become fruitful.

 

The life becomes fruitful, janma saphalam, only when we speak or sing about the glory of the Lord. The rasakreeda is supposed to be the heart of Bhagavathapurana and the gopika geetham is extolled as the epitome of devotion.That is what Leelasuka refers to here and says that the gopis who forgot their body- consciousness, galadhvreedaaH,  became the sarira of the Lord who is their inner self. Their song on Krishna was full of the nectar of devotion, maDhuspheetham geetham and the play in brindhavan of Krishna with the gopis are contemplated by the sages as being the paraakaashTaa, outer limit of bhakthi. Describing that,  says Leelasuka, even his words have become like honey, maDhurimakiram. The competence or eloquence becomes enriched with the richness of the subject matter which is the story of the Lord as Desika says in his Yadhavabhyudhaya that the subject matter of his work being SourikaThaa, the story of the Lord it will be relished by all even if the narrator is a dullwitted person.

 

102. bhuvanam bhavanam vilaasinee Sreeh thanayaH thaanarasaasanah smaraScha

        parichaaraparamparaaH surendhraaH thadhapi thvaccharitham prabho vichithram

 

Your abode is the universe. Your consort is Lakshmi. Your offsprings are Brahma and Manmatha.  Your attendents are devas. Your actions as Gopala is most wonderful.

 

The whole universe, bhuvanam, is the abode, bhavanam of the Lord as He is tramscendent and imminent. His consort, vilaasinee, is Mahalakshmi.. Brahma whose abode is the lotus, thaamarasaasanaH, is his son, thanayaH, and so is Manmatha, smaraH, who was born to Krishna as Pradhyumna. But most wonderful thing of all, vichithram, is his birth and activities, charitham, as Krishna.The Lord of the universe  is born as  cowherd and got bound in the  mortar, freed the twin trees, killed the demons,  held up the GovarDhan mountain and played with the gopis etc., each one of his actions more wonderful than other.

 

 

103. dhevasthriloka soubhaagyakasthooree thilakaankuraH

        jeeyaath vrajaanganaa anangakelee lalithavibhramaH

 

 

Hail the Lord, who is the auspicious mark of all the three worlds and who is engaged in the love sports with the gopis.

 

The kasthuri thilaka on the forehead of Krishna is the sign of auspiciousness of the three worlds, thriloka soubhaagya, or he himself is the kasthuri thilaka of the three worlds because the residents of all the three worlds are blessed by hearing and meditating on  the leelas of Krishna anangakelee lalithaa vibhrama, in brindavan with the gopis, vrajaanganaaH.

 

104.  premadham cha me kaamadham cha me vedhanam cha me vaibhavam cha me

         jeevanam cha me jeevitham cha me dhaivatham cha me dheva naaparam.

 

 

Oh Lord,  there is no one else but you to give me love, fulfil my desire, give me knowledge, prosperity  and you alone is my life and longevity and my God.

 

Leelasuka seems to have written a chamaka on Krishna by this sloka. The idea expressed here is the same as the wellknown sloka , ‘thvamevamaathaa cha pithaa thvameva, thvameva banDhuScha sakhaa thvameva thvameva vidhyaa dhraviNam thvameve thvameva sarvam mamadevadeva.’, meaning, ‘you are my mother, my father, my relative , my friend, my knlwledge, my wealth and you are everything to me, oh Lord of the devas.’

 

105.maaDhryeNa vijrmbhanthaam vaacho nah thava vaibhave

       chaapalyena vivarDhanthaam chinthaa nah thava SaiSave

 

May our speech. Vaachah, flourish with sweetness, maaDhuryam vijjrmbhathaam, in speaking about your glory. May our thoughts be enriched, vivarDhathaam chinthaa, by thinking of your childhood activities, chaaplayena Saisave, as Krishna.

 

Kulasekhara says in his Mukundamala,

 

Jihve keerthay kesavam muraripum chetho bhaja SreeDharam

paaNidhvandhva tham archaya achyutha kaThaah srothradhvaya thvam SrNu

krshNam lokaya lochandhvaya hareH gacChaanghriyugma aalayam

jighra ghraaNa mukundhapaadha thulseem moorDhan nama aDhokshajam

 

 

Oh tongue, sing about Kesava., the slayer of Mura. Oh mind, think of SreeDhara. Two hands, you worship Him , Two ears, you hear the stories about Achyutha. Oh eyes, look at Krishna. Pair of feet, you go to the temple of Hari. Oh nose, you smell the tulsi leaves from the feet of Mukundha. Oh head, bow down to ADhokshaja.

 

When all the senses are thus engaged in the service of the Lord they will cease to be attracted by the worldly  sensual pleasures. This reminds one, of the KuraL of the famous Tamil sage Thiruvalluvar, who has given to the world maxims with deep meaning in short sentences.

Pattruga pattrattrAn pattrinai  appattrai

 pattruga pattru vidarku.

 

It means that in order to relinquish the attachment of the world one has to develop attachment towards the Lord. If we want to give up something it is easier to do so  by shifting our attachment to something else which is more desirable.

 

This calls to the  mind an episode in the life of Sri Ramanuja. There was a man in Srirangam who had a beautiful wife and he was much enamoured with her and use to spread an umbrella on her head to shield her from the Sun, much to the ridicule of others. Ramanuja saw him and took pity on him and asked him what is that he found so attractive in his wife. He replied that she had beautiful eyes. Ramanuja told him that if he finds a pair of eyes more attractive will he switch his devotion to that. When the man asked who has more beautiful eyes, Ramanuja took him inside the temple of Ranganatha and showed him the Lord and asked him has he ever seen a pair of more beautiful eyes. Due to past merit, and due to the grace of the acharya, the man along with his wife became a great devotee of the Lord and a great disciple of Ramanuja, renouncing all that he had. This illustrates  well the KuraL quoted above .

 

106. yaani thvaccharithaamrhaani rasalehyaani Dhanyaathmanaam

        ye vaa chaapalaSaisava vyathikaraaH raaDhaaparaaDhonmukhaah

        yaa vaa bhaavitha veNugeetha gathayo leelaamukhaambhruhe

        Dhaaraavaahikayaa vahanthu hrdhaye thaanyeva thannyeva me

 

May the heart of me enjoy the continuous flow of  thoughts about your exoloits which taste delicious to the blessed, your naughtiness to radha that was contrary to your childhood form and  the melody of the music that came from four lotus face playing the flute.

 

Srimadbhagavatham says,

 

 

NigamakalpatharOh galitham phalam

shukamukhAthadbhuthadhravasamyutham

 

pibatha bhAgavatham rasamAlayam

 

muhurahO rasikA bhuvi bhAvukAh(Srimadbhagavatham-1-1-3)

 

 

Oh connoisseurs of the world! you who understand the nuances of tastes, drink again and again, the nectar-like juice of this fruit from the wish-fulfilling tree called veda nigamakalpatharu, which fell, galitham from the mouth of the parrot ,shukamukhAth (shuka denotes a parrot as well as shukabrahma maharshi, who was supposed to have the face of a parrot)

 

It requires poorvajanma puNya to be able to have a taste for the nectarine  stories of the Lord, charithaamrthaani. Hence leelasuka says ‘rasalehyaani Dhanyaanaam,’ relished by the blessed. This is because the actions of  Krishna are belying his childhood, Saisavavyathikaraah, and could be understood only by those who have the insight about his real identity.The music from the flute, veNugeethagathi, forms the background of all his exploits in brundhavan.

 

107. bhakthiH thvayi sThiratharaa bhagavan yadhi syaath

        dhaivena nah phalitha dhivya kiSoraveshe

        mukthiH svayam mukulithaanjalih sevathe asmaan

        DharmaarTha kaamagathayaH samayapradheekshaaH

 

 

If the devotion on you, who has appeared to us in your child form, dhivyakiSoravesha due to our good fortune, is firm,sThiratharaa, then salvation will attend on  us of its own accord wth folded hands,mukthaanjaliH sevathe, and the other three purusharThaas , dharma .artha and kama will wait their turn, samayapradheekshaaH, to serve us.

 

Bhakthi towards Krishna is love for Krishna who appears as a child in front of us and it is due to our good fortune, says Leelasuka. The supreme purusha whom even the Vedas cannot discern and the sages are not able to see through their austerities,  appears as a cowherd boy to make himself accessible to the pure-hearted through His soulabhya.To His devotees who do not want anything else except to sing of Him, think of Him and love Him, He gives the greatest purusharTha, namely moksha and the other purusharThas naturally follow. The devotee has no desire for the  purusharThas dharma, artha and kaama and even for moksha because the bliss of bhakthi is enough for him as Azvar says, achutha amarar ErE aayar tham kozhundhe ennum icchuvaui thavira yaan pOy indhir lokam aaLum acchuvai perineum vEndEn. There is a legend that Hanuman was asked to accompany Rama to Vaikunta at the end of the avathara and Hanuman replied that he will rather remain on earth where Ramanama and Ramayana can be heard rather than going to Vaikunta. This is the attitude of a bhaktha. But the Lord gives them moksha unasked. The other three purusharThaas are waiting to serve him  but he is not interested in them, which he can have just by asking.

 

 108.jaya jaya jaya devadevadeva thribhuvanamangaladhivyanaamaDheya

      jaya jya jaya baalakrishnadeva SravaNamanonayanaamtrthaavathaara

 

Victory  to thee, oh Lord of devas, whose name purifies all the three worlds, who as the child Krishna is the nctar of ears, eyes and mind.

 

The name of the Lord when uttered purifies all the three worlds. His incarnation as Krishna is Sravanamrtha, nectar to those who hear about it, necatar to those who see His form, nayanaamrtha, and nectar to the mind of those who think about Him manomrtha.

 

Kulasekhara azvar says,

 

badDhenaanjalinaa nathena Sirasaa gaathraissaromodhgamaiH

kanTena svaragadhgadhen nayanena udhb geernabaashpaambunaa

nithyam thvaccharaNaaravindhayugala Dhyaanaamrthaasvaadhinaa

asmaakam saraseeruhaaksha sahathm sampadhyathaam jeevitham 

 

 Oh lotus-eyed one, may our life reach its fulfillment always by drinking the nectar of meditation on you’re your lotus feet, with folded hands, and bowed head experiencing the horipilation with choking voice and streaming eyes.This idea is carried on further in the next sloka.

 

109.thubhyam nirbhara harshavarsha vivaSaavesa sphutaavirbhavath

       bhooyacchaapalabhooshitheshu sukrthaam bhaavaeshu nirbhaasathe

       srimadgokulamandanaaya mahathe vaachaam vidhoorasphutan

       maaDhuryaikarasaarnavaaya mahase kasmai chidhasmai namah

 

Salutations to you, the light that appears in front of me,the mighty ocean of nothing but sweetness, the ornament to the prosperous Gokula, who manifest himself in the meditation of the  blessed souls, characterized by the manifold actions  resulting in perfect shower of joy which pervades spontaneously and which is beyond description.

 

Leelasuka is overwhelmed with the luminous presence, mahase, of Krishna in front, and to describe the experience, words fail him, vaachaam vidhooram. Krishna who is the  ornament of Gokula signifying its prosperity, srimadgokulamandana, is the ocean of nothing but maDhurya, maadhryaika rasarNava. Leelasuka marvels at the presence of the Lord who appears only to the blessed souls, sukrthaam bhaaveshu nirbhaasath, in their meditation on the various actions that adorn the manifestation, bhooyaacchaapalabhooshotheshu, of the Lord as Krishna. As a result, the boundless joy, nirbharaharshavarsha, spontaneously engulfs, vivsaavesa, their hearts.

 

110. eesaanadhevacharaNaabharaNena neevee

       dhamodharasThirayasah sthabakodhbhavena

       leelaaSukena rachitham thava dheva krishna-

       karnaamrtham vahathu kalpasathaanthre api

Oh Lord, may this work,composed by Leelasuka ,who has the feet of Lord Siva as his head ornament, and  which is like a bouquet of glory of Krishna , who was bound to the mortar,  create a flow of nectar for ages.

 

Leelasuka belonged to a saivite family by tradition. But he became a devotee of  Krishna.hence he refers to his tradional background by saying that he wears the feet of Lord Siva on his head. The word karnamrtha means nectar to the ears. Lelasuka compares that to a bouquet of glory of Krishna, whom he refers as  Damodhara, the one who is bound to the mortar , thus epitomizing the whole story of Krishna,  which describes  his glory.Like a bouquet of flowers, the honey of which is enjoyed by the bees, achuthakaThaa, entering through the ears gives everlasting joy to the devotees. It is karnamrtha, nectar to the ears, as Rukmini said, ‘Srthvaa guNaan bhuvanasundhara SrNvathaam the , nirviSya karNavivariH haratho angathaapam.’

 

Thus ends the first Asvaasa of Krishnakarnamrtham.