Krishna tests the gopīs 66 of 100
10 verses
Of those who have come, the gopīs, struck down by the arrows of Kāmadeva, intent on speaking what they wish, pretending to be unfavourable, you chided. The daśaka tells the famous prologue: Krishna sending the gopīs back as a test.
उपयातानां सुदृशां कुसुमायुधबाणपातविवशानाम् ।
अभिवाञ्छितं विधातुं कृतमतिरपि ता जगाथ वाममिवupayātānāṁ sudṛśāṁ kusumāyudhabāṇapātavivaśānām abhivāñchitaṁ vidhātuṁ kṛtamatirapi tā jagātha vāmamiva
“Of those who had come, the gopis, struck down by the arrows of Kāmadeva, intent on speaking what they wished, pretending to be unfavourable, you chided.”
गगनगतं मुनिनिवहं श्रावयितुं जगिथ कुलवधूधर्मम् ।
धर्म्यं खलु ते वचनं कर्म तु नो निर्मलस्य विश्वास्यम्gaganagataṁ muninivahaṁ śrāvayituṁ jagitha kulavadhūdharmam dharmyaṁ khalu te vacanaṁ karma tu no nirmalasya viśvāsyam
“'Why are you here at midnight in the forest? Husbands at home, children at home; this is no place for honest women. Go back, with my blessing.'”
आकर्ण्य ते प्रतीपां वाणीमेणीदृशः परं दीनाः ।
मा मा करुणासिन्धो परित्यजेत्यतिचिरं विलेपुस्ताःākarṇya te pratīpāṁ vāṇīmeṇīdṛśaḥ paraṁ dīnāḥ mā mā karuṇāsindho parityajetyaticiraṁ vilepustāḥ
“Hearing this, the gopis were shocked. Some wept; some grew angry; some only stood. Your words seemed to break what your flute had made.”
तासां रुदितैर्लपितैः करुणाकुलमानसो मुरारे त्वम् ।
ताभिः समं प्रवृत्तो यमुनापुळिनेषु काममभिरन्तुम्tāsāṁ ruditairlapitaiḥ karuṇākulamānaso murāre tvam tābhiḥ samaṁ pravṛtto yamunāpuḻineṣu kāmamabhirantum
“But you spoke them as a test. By the test, the surface of social attachment was lifted from the gopis; what remained was the real devotion underneath.”
चन्द्रकरस्यन्दलसत्सुन्दरयमुनातटान्तवीथीषु ।
गोपीजनोत्तरीयैरापादितसंस्तरो न्यषीदस्त्वम्candrakarasyandalasatsundarayamunātaṭāntavīthīṣu gopījanottarīyairāpāditasaṁstaro nyaṣīdastvam
“'We did not come to you for permission,' they answered, weeping. 'We came because we could not stay. Send us back if you will; we shall not stay back.'”
सुमधुरनर्मालपनैः करसंग्रहणैश्च चुम्बनोल्लासैः ।
गाढालिङ्गनसङ्गैस्त्वमङ्गनालोकमाकुलीचकृषेsumadhuranarmālapanaiḥ karasaṁgrahaṇaiśca cumbanollāsaiḥ gāḍhāliṅganasaṅgaistvamaṅganālokamākulīcakṛṣe
“Their answer revealed the depth of their devotion. The husbands, the children, the homes were not the chosen path. You, only you, were the chosen path.”
वासोहरणदिने यद्वासोहरणं प्रतिश्रुतं तासाम् ।
तदपि विभो रसविवशस्वान्तानां कान्तसुभ्रुवामदधाःvāsoharaṇadine yadvāsoharaṇaṁ pratiśrutaṁ tāsām tadapi vibho rasavivaśasvāntānāṁ kāntasubhruvāmadadhāḥ
“By that purification of the fire, the rāsa now became possible. The chaff had been removed.”
कन्दळितधर्मलेशं कुन्दमृदुस्मेरवक्त्रपाथोजम् ।
नन्दसुत त्वां त्रिजगत्सुन्दरमुपगूह्य नन्दिता बालाःkandaḻitadharmaleśaṁ kundamṛdusmeravaktrapāthojam nandasuta tvāṁ trijagatsundaramupagūhya nanditā bālāḥ
“You smiled, and the test was over. The hand was extended; the rāsa would begin.”
विरहेष्वङ्गारमयः शृङ्गारमयश्च सङ्गमेऽपि त्वम् ।
नितरामङ्गारमयस्तत्र पुनः सङ्गमेऽपि चित्रमिदम्viraheṣvaṅgāramayaḥ śṛṅgāramayaśca saṅgame'pi tvam nitarāmaṅgāramayastatra punaḥ saṅgame'pi citramidam
“Such you, lord, the tester of the heart: lord of the wind-house, save me.”
राधातुङ्गपयोधरसाधुपरिरम्भलोलुपात्मानम् ।
आराधये भवन्तं पवनपुराधीश शमय सकलगदान्rādhātuṅgapayodharasādhuparirambhalolupātmānam ārādhaye bhavantaṁ pavanapurādhīśa śamaya sakalagadān
“Save me by the same purification, even when its first words feel like rejection.”