HV 107.1
क्रीडाविहारोपगतः कदाचिद् अभवद् भवः । देव्या सह नदीतीरे रम्ये श्रीमति स प्रभुः ॥
krīḍā-vihāropagataḥ kadācid abhavad bhavaḥ | devyā saha nadī-tīre ramye śrī-mati sa prabhuḥ
Bhava, the Lord, once engaged in play and sport with the Goddess, on a lovely, blessed river-bank.
The Living Words
*Krīḍā-vihāra-upagataḥ*, 'engaged in play and sport'. *Bhavaḥ*, 'the Lord (Śiva)'. *Devyā saha*, 'with the Goddess (Pārvatī)'. *Nadī-tīre ramye śrī-mati*, 'on a lovely, blessed river-bank'.
The Heart of It
The verse's opening *krīḍā-vihāra* is important. Śiva, often depicted in ascetic posture, is here *krīḍā-vihāra-upagataḥ* — immersed in playful recreation with his consort. The Varkari tradition's reading: the *krīḍā* of Śiva-Pārvatī is itself a *tīrtha*, and those present — Uṣā among them — absorb something from the mere sight. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's teaching that divine play is contagious, that the bhakta who witnesses the Lord's *krīḍā* is changed by the seeing, has HV 107.1 as its Sanskrit opening.