Fifteenth Sarga: Relishing the Midday Pastimes

Fifteenth Sarga: Relishing the Midday Pastimes

'Friend, because of His superior strength in the delights of drinking wine, playing in the water, swinging, and other sports, this lotus-bearing Lord has defeated us lotus women and now boasts before us. (1)

'Therefore, Lalitā, clearly devise another game in which intelligence is supreme, one capable of quickly reducing His pride to a palmful of water. (2)

'Rādhā, friend, You shine like the moonlight of a water lily born from victory in the dice game. Why should the darkness You have conquered, though it eternally bears masses of pride, cause us any pain?' (3)

After the companions had consulted in this way, Rādhā said to Her supremely powerful beloved, 'You who wish to conquer through skill at dice, why do You not accept the dancing girl of the dice game?' (4)

'Friend, it is true that you make that dancer perform within your heart. But when the king named Victory comes to reside upon the stage of My lotus palm, she will swiftly return home in shame.' (5)

The wine-eyed girl dismissed the enemy of Agha's words with a slight, graceful movement of the vine of Her eyebrow. Sudevī then swiftly brought the dice, the game board, and all the other equipment. (6)

Nāndīmukhī and the forest guardian became witnesses, and Kundavallī served as the official of the dice game. The brāhmaṇa boy and Lalitā shone as they raised their voices to advise the players about the desired throws. (7)

Upon the stage formed by the crimson center of a lotuslike palm, a pair of dice actors began to dance as the young woman's rising bracelets rang loudly. (8)

Though the enemy of Baka's eyes were submerged in the waves of Her waist and breasts, neither His swiftness in seizing the dice nor His skill suffered even the slightest stain of defeat. (9)

Sometimes Her voice rang out, 'Ten, ten!' and at other times, 'Know it, know it!' As She cast the greatly desired throw, did Rādhā not become the goddess of victory embodied? (10)

'Beloved, your eager prayer, Ten, ten, only invites ridicule. Your very discernment has fallen away in this game, so how can there be any news of victory for you?' (11)

Hari, eager to win, played according to the rule for capturing pieces. Unable to move His own myna birds, which were chained within their individual squares, He struck down Hers while carefully considering every move. (12)

Whenever wise Rādhikā won through the fall of Her desired throw, even the exceedingly gentle companions became extraordinarily sharp in laughing at Him. (13)

'Brāhmaṇa boy, why do you lower your face? Where has your hī-hī dancing gone? And where is your clever plan to sell heaps of bracelets for sugar candy?' (14)

'Friends, listen! At this very moment a fresh shower of sugar candy is falling upon the summit of the mountain. Pour a great quantity upon this fellow's head so that he may taste it fully right here.' (15)

'Why do you say nothing, fellow? The deceitful game has brought you defeat today. Have the disciplines of a sage, patience, restraint, and tranquility, now made even your brāhmaṇa-boyhood genuine?' (16)

'Bring the Kaustubha that was wagered. Or, in exchange for it, bring a splendid array of bracelets. My dear friend will place that wondrous jewel upon Her heart.' (17)

'This is not a forest for tending cows, nor is it the killing of Baka, Vatsa, or Bakī. This is a game of dice played in an assembly, a test of the intelligence of clever persons.' (18)

Lalitā said, 'Friend, the brāhmaṇa boy's tree of skill has been felled by the sharp stream of Sarasvatī flowing from us. Whisper into his ear that he should place the Kaustubha in my hand.' (19)

'Son of the lord of Vraja, if You attempt some attack when I withdraw under the pretext of attending to my own duty, remember that even when You are alone, the entire host of Vraja's women surrounds You. (20)

'I shall quickly report everything to the queen of Vraja. Bound by the terrible nooses of her command, will I not then have You cast today into a hidden cavern of punishment and humiliation?' (21)

'Shame on you, witless coward! I am victorious, and I shall win again this very moment. Do not proclaim My imagined defeat through gestures born of foolishness.' (22)

'Why become so angry even when I speak for Your welfare? Very well, let the Kaustubha be taken from Your hand. I am leaving. The troupe of young women may now turn You into their performer and make You dance.' (23)

By moving the corner of His eyebrow, Mukunda brought the members of the assembly over to His own side. He said, 'Look at the extraordinary harshness of these restless girls even after I have defeated them!' (24)

'I am astonished and unable to understand what this host of weak girls would have done if it had won.' Viśākhā laughed and replied, 'My eyebrow would have done to Yours precisely what Yours has done to mine.' (25)

The curved corner of Her eye arose to delight the assembly while making even His statement false: 'She who is an enemy and a destroyer of family dharma has today become like a dear companion.' (26)

When Nāndīmukhī plainly ordered, 'Give up the Kaustubha,' the destroyer of Madhu grew embarrassed. Smiling, Kundavallī took the jewel from the enemy of Agha's neck and placed it upon Rādhikā's breast. (27)

'Kṛṣṇa, look at Your own reflection shining within this excellent jewel between Her breasts. Alas, You once wore the king of gems, but now, out of affection, the jewel wears You.' (28)

The lifter of the mountain gazed upward and said, 'Blessed, blessed are You, beauty-filled Kṛṣṇa! I am only the reflection of Your radiance. You shine there, while My sole desire here is to enter within.' (29)

Rādhikā saw the face She desired gleaming within the hollow between Her own breasts. Becoming hostile to both Her bodice and Her modesty, She sank into an ocean of blissful stillness. (30)

When the reservoirs of rasa began another game, Kundavallī declared an embrace to be the wager. Mukunda at once engaged in the deceitful play, eager to seize the prize of victory. (31)

He said, 'Proud girl, why have Your crooked brows and body now become so contracted? By the rules, although You are skilled in every art, You have been defeated. Why be miserly in paying the wager?' (32)

Then She defeated Him in a game whose stake was a kiss and began to boast. Smiling, He placed His own cheek close beside Her lotus face and spoke. (33)

'Friend, take your wager. I have been defeated by you here in the assembly.' Glancing at Her smiling companions, She covered Her own laughing face with the edge of Her veil. (34)

When the force of their laughter had slightly subsided, She said, 'Bold one, I did not win!' Taking strength from Her admission, He repeatedly kissed Her cheek. (35)

'Kundī, you act like my husband's younger brother by prescribing such a wager for the game, and then you laugh at Me! I will play no more.' With these words, She withdrew. (36)

'Friend, arrange another dice game with the great flute as the stake, and become victorious.' Thus instructed, the wide-eyed Rādhā began to play again. (37)

When She won that game, She said to Him, 'Give Me the flute.' He searched for it, feeling along the knot at His belly with His hands. Unable to find it, He then asked His friend. (38)

'Where have I been for so long here at the forest's edge, and where have You been, wandering about intoxicated by amusement? Absorbed in dice, wine, and women, where are You, and where is dharma embodied?' (39)

'The Kaustubha You possessed is already gone, and so too is Your flute, Your weapon of enchantment. Sit down now and comfortably spread a rī-rī melody with Your own mouth.' (40)

'Noble one, well said! With His flute gone, how will He draw the young women toward the forest, and how will He pass the long hours? Alas, this has indeed become a crisis for You.' (41)

'Lalitā, what do you say? You alone here possess love and compassion for Me, and so, blessed girl, you will remove this crisis.' The beautiful-eyed girls laughed at the brāhmaṇa boy's words. (42)

'Brāhmaṇa, the goddess Durgā has accepted you as her own priest and given you divine offerings to eat. Padmā, whose excellent, full figure is suited to you and whose friendship will greatly delight your friend, will come as your bride.' (43)

'Stop this joking and point out the flute.' Kṛṣṇa replied, 'Lalitā, I do not know where it has gone. Did your friend steal it?' 'No servant of Viṣṇu here desires to take another's property.' (44)

'It either slipped away or was stolen by you after the swing pastime, perhaps from the cloth at Your belly.' 'Friend, by the sun of Mādhava, it was there during the drinking.' 'Acyuta! Viṣṇu! Upon what more will You swear?' (45)

'Could it have been lost during the water battle?' 'No, certainly not, lotus-eyed girl. It was there even afterward.' 'Then where has My flute gone? Members of the assembly, what strange amusement are you watching here?' (46)

Kundalatā said, 'Because You will not surrender the promised stake, perhaps she intends to bind You with the vine-nooses of her arms and take You before King Cupid. What other course could there be?' (47)

'Alas, how can I bear to witness this suffering of the son of Vraja's lord? Forgive Him. Or else, Rādhā, accept His ample cloth in payment of the wager.' (48)

Mādhava said, 'Friend, you have studied the science of astrology. Calculate which of these girls stole the flute.' After reflecting for a moment, Madhumaṅgala answered, 'Lalitā.' (49)

When she cried, 'Crooked one, it was not I!' the lifter of the mountain said to her, 'Show Me your tongue, your bodice, and the mass of your hair with every knot loosened. Otherwise, why should I be free from fear?' (50)

Angrily she shook her shawl again and again, whereupon Hari at once seized her hair. Though she struck away His hand from her bodice, His nails marked it. Understanding the signal of her eyes, He released her. (51)

In the same way He pulled at Rādhikā and Viśākhā, repeatedly checked only by the movements at the corners of their eyes. He did the same to the other girls, and within moments their bodices were torn. (52)

Just then a forest goddess arrived and announced, 'Jaṭilā has come to the Sun temple.' Abandoning all their pastimes, the frightened girls went toward her with anxious eyes. (53)

'Daughter-in-law, why were you delayed? Did you go today to bathe in the river of the gods? Why do I not see Kundalatikā here?' 'She went before me to fetch a priest.' (54)

'Why has she not returned after so long? Look, she is approaching with the priest now.' Kundalatā came with Kṛṣṇa disguised as a brāhmaṇa and addressed the old woman. (55)

'Today, even after a long search, no brāhmaṇa's son could be found in our own settlement. But this young man, born in Mathurā and instructed by Garga in every branch of knowledge, has arrived here. (56)

'The learned community praises this wise celibate student highly. After hundreds of entreaties, I have brought him here. Choose him as the priest for your daughter-in-law.' (57)

The old woman said to Him, 'Today I have become fulfilled merely by seeing You, best of brāhmaṇas. Fulfill my daughter-in-law's desire, conduct the worship, and honor the Sun, our friend.' (58)

His eyes composed and grave, He wore white cloth and held a book together with sacred darbha grass. His throat carried the sweet tones of Sāma chanting. He stood there like sacred learning embodied and spoke. (59)

'Although it is not proper for a celibate student to gaze upon women, this young woman is exceedingly chaste. Therefore, old mother, today I shall have this slender and youthful girl perform the lofty worship that fulfills desire.' (60)

After beginning with auspicious recitations and conducting Her worship, He addressed the downcast-eyed girl: 'For the daily service of the sun of ever-fresh rasa, choose Me here as your officiating teacher and delight that celestial friend.' (61)

'Bring the offerings prescribed for the worship of Love and satisfy Him richly with your devotional moods. I shall recite the mantra: Oṁ, all victory to the all-pervading Lord, the benefactor of the universe! (62)

'O Sun, eye of the sky, eternal dispeller of darkness, radiant one who makes the multitude of lotuses blossom, giver of dharma, generator of the highest purpose, granter of desire, obeisance to your splendor!' (63)

The old woman then petitioned Him: 'By Your mercy, may this radiant sacrifice bring her husband ten thousand cows. May he possess constant health, long life, and continual increase.' (64)

When the enemy of Agha said, 'So be it,' Madhumaṅgala arrived and declared, 'I myself shall recite the hymn to the Sun.' He cast his eyes over every item of food that had been offered. (65)

The old woman asked him, 'Friend of that foolish libertine, why have you come here?' Then she respectfully worshiped him when he replied, 'This exceedingly gentle dark brāhmaṇa boy will conduct your daughter-in-law's worship every day.' (66)

When the great sacrifice was complete, the young woman presented gold as the priestly fee. He did not accept it, but the brāhmaṇa boy came forward, carried it away, and then ate the offered food. (67)

'Now listen, foremost among chaste women. Rise while reciting, Obeisance to the radiant Sun. Walk around Him and then bow with your head touching the earth.' (68)

As She followed His instruction, Her heart absorbed in the nectar of His rising skill, She did not notice the flute fall from Her braid and strike the surface of the ground with a thud. (69)

'What is this? What is this?' The old woman quickly picked it up. Recognizing the flute, she shook her face, cried 'Hum! Hum!' and threatened the doe-eyed girl with reddened eyes, roaring like a rising serpent. (70)

'Noble lady, I surely found this fallen flute while walking along the mountain slope. Because it brings sorrow, I was taking it to throw into the Yamunā. Why are you angry with Me?' (71)

'Ah, shameless girl born in a wicked lineage! Do not deceive me yet again. I shall report this before the assembly of elders and strive to obtain the punishment fitting both you and your lover.' (72)

'Old mother, what is the cause of all this furious shouting at your daughter-in-law? If the matter is fit to be told to one who knows the circumstances and seeks everyone's welfare, tell Me everything.' (73)

'Noble brāhmaṇa's son, you know Nanda, the king of Vraja, whose fame has spread even through the city. A certain son was born to him, and that boy is said to have slain Agha, Baka, and Keśī. (74)

'Hear one quality of that boy. Because of Him, no girl worthy of being called chaste has been able to remain anywhere in our settlement. This daughter-in-law alone remains, and now I do not know what will become of her. (75)

'This is His flute, and with this very instrument He draws respectable women into the forest by means of enchanting mantras disguised as song, crying, Oṁ, obeisance to Śrī Viṣṇu!' (76)

Her words made His face shine with a smile. He said, 'What sort of flute is it? Give it to Me.' She placed it in His own hand, and He examined it as though He had never seen it before. (77)

'Noble lady, if you desire what is auspicious and understand proper conduct, take this jeweled flute as an offering and send it away from Vraja's forest to Mathurā. Let the dharma of chaste families remain here.' (78)

'Daughter-in-law, go quickly home now with your mother-in-law. Young priest, come here every day at the proper time and delight us, Your devotees. Ocean of virtue, bestow Your grace upon my daughter-in-law.' (79)

Thus, within Vraja I have gathered this cluster of great pastime flowers that blossom at midday upon the immortal vine of the enemy of Agha's deeds, a vine that forever spreads throughout the three worlds. (80)

The beautiful girls' very love is the mass of flowers. Cupid turned those flowers into arrows, and they always pierce the girls' vital points. Yet in union with their beloved, that piercing becomes filled with the highest joy. (81)

After bowing to Hari, the old woman returned home with her daughter-in-law and Her companions, filled with boundless longing. Kṛṣṇa, holding His dear friend's hand and sending His gaze along the path behind Her, rejoined His own companions and the cows before Him. (82)

Thus ends the Fifteenth Sarga, entitled 'Relishing the Midday Pastimes,' in the great poem Śrī Kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta.