The Gopī Vow

मदनातुरचेतसोऽन्वहं भवदङ्घ्रिद्वयदास्यकाम्यया ।
यमुनातटसीम्नि सैकतीं तरळाक्ष्यो गिरिजां समार्चिचन्

madanāturacetaso'nvahaṁ bhavadaṅghridvayadāsyakāmyayā yamunātaṭasīmni saikatīṁ taraḻākṣyo girijāṁ samārcican

“Their hearts pained by love, day by day, with the wish to serve at your two feet as their service, on the sand of the Yamunā shore the trembling-eyed ones worshipped Pārvatī.”

तव नामकथारताः समं सुदृशः प्रातरुपागताः नदीम् ।
उपहारशतैरपूजयन् दयितो नन्दसुतो भवेदिति

tava nāmakathāratāḥ samaṁ sudṛśaḥ prātarupāgatāḥ nadīm upahāraśatairapūjayan dayito nandasuto bhavediti

“Devoted to the rasa of your name and stories, in the early morning, going to the river, they worshipped with hundreds of offerings, saying 'may the dear son of Nanda be ours.'”

इति मासमुपाहितव्रतास्तरळाक्षीरभिवीक्ष्य ता भवान् ।
करुणामृदुलो नदीतटं समयासीत्तदनुग्रहेच्छया

iti māsamupāhitavratāstaraḻākṣīrabhivīkṣya tā bhavān karuṇāmṛdulo nadītaṭaṁ samayāsīttadanugrahecchayā

“The vow was the Mārgaśīrṣa-Kātyāyanī-vrata. They bathed in the cold dawn water, made small clay images of the goddess, brought flowers, sang.”

नियमावसितौ निजाम्बरं तटसीमन्यवमुच्य तास्तदा ।
यमुनाजलखेलनाकुलाः पुरतस्त्वामवलोक्य लज्जिताः

niyamāvasitau nijāmbaraṁ taṭasīmanyavamucya tāstadā yamunājalakhelanākulāḥ puratastvāmavalokya lajjitāḥ

“On the last day of the vow, they bathed without their garments, leaving them on the shore, as the vow required. You came to the bank then; you took their clothes, climbed the kadamba tree.”

त्रपया नमिताननास्वथो वनितास्वम्बरजालमन्तिके ।
निहितं परिगृह्य भूरुहो विटपं त्वं तरसाधिरूढवान्

trapayā namitānanāsvatho vanitāsvambarajālamantike nihitaṁ parigṛhya bhūruho viṭapaṁ tvaṁ tarasādhirūḍhavān

“From the tree, you smiled down. They begged you to give back the garments. You said: 'Come out one by one, and ask with hands raised.' Modesty fought devotion in them; devotion won.”

इह तावदुपेत्य नीयतां वसनं वः सुदृशो यथायथम् ।
इति नर्ममृदुस्मिते त्वयि व्रुवति व्यामुमुहे वधूजनैः

iha tāvadupetya nīyatāṁ vasanaṁ vaḥ sudṛśo yathāyatham iti narmamṛdusmite tvayi vruvati vyāmumuhe vadhūjanaiḥ

“By their humility, by the very nakedness of their asking, the last veil of self was taken from them. You blessed them: 'Your wish will be fulfilled. Wait for the harvest moon.'”

अयि जीव चिरं किशोर नस्तव दासीरवशीकरोषि किम् ।
प्रदिशाम्बरमम्बुजेक्षणेत्युदितस्त्वं स्मितमेव दत्तवान्

ayi jīva ciraṁ kiśora nastava dāsīravaśīkaroṣi kim pradiśāmbaramambujekṣaṇetyuditastvaṁ smitameva dattavān

“Returning their garments, you sent them home. The morning's vow was the seed of the great night. The gopis went home knowing something had been made ready.”

अधिरुह्य तटं कृताञ्जलीः परिशुद्धाः स्वगतीर्निरीक्ष्य ताः ।
वसनान्यखिलान्यनुग्रहं पुनरेवं गिरमप्यदा मुदा

adhiruhya taṭaṁ kṛtāñjalīḥ pariśuddhāḥ svagatīrnirīkṣya tāḥ vasanānyakhilānyanugrahaṁ punarevaṁ giramapyadā mudā

“On their pillows that night, they could not sleep. They counted the days to the harvest moon.”

विदितं ननु वो मनीषितं वदितारस्त्विह योग्यमुत्तरम् ।
यमुनापुलिने सचन्द्रिकाः क्षणदा इत्यबलास्त्वमूचिवान्

viditaṁ nanu vo manīṣitaṁ vaditārastviha yogyamuttaram yamunāpuline sacandrikāḥ kṣaṇadā ityabalāstvamūcivān

“By your refusal to give them back the garments at once, the false self was undressed. By your giving the garments back at last, the body was dressed again, with the soul now naked at last.”

उपकर्ण्य भवन्मुखच्युतं मधुनिष्यन्दि वचो मृगीदृशः ।
प्रणयादयि वीक्ष्य वीक्ष्य ते वदनाब्जं शनकैर्गृहं गताः

upakarṇya bhavanmukhacyutaṁ madhuniṣyandi vaco mṛgīdṛśaḥ praṇayādayi vīkṣya vīkṣya te vadanābjaṁ śanakairgṛhaṁ gatāḥ

“Such was the secret. Such you, lord, save me.”

इति नन्वनुगृह्य बल्लवीर्विपिनान्तेषु पुरेव सञ्चरन् ।
करुणाशिशिरो हरे हर त्वरया मे सकलामयावलिम्

iti nanvanugṛhya ballavīrvipinānteṣu pureva sañcaran karuṇāśiśiro hare hara tvarayā me sakalāmayāvalim

“Lord of the wind-house, by such ritual-as-discipline, prepare even my flat heart for the moon.”