The Forest at Night

इति त्वयि रसाकुलं रमितवल्लभे वल्लवाः
कदापि पुनरम्बिकाकमितुरम्बिकाकानने ।
समेत्य भवता समं निशि निषेव्य दिव्योत्सवं
सुखं सुषुवुरग्रसीद्व्रजपमुग्रनागस्तदा

iti tvayi rasākulaṁ ramitavallabhe vallavāḥ kadāpi punarambikākamiturambikākānane sametya bhavatā samaṁ niśi niṣevya divyotsavaṁ sukhaṁ suṣuvuragrasīdvrajapamugranāgastadā

“Having played thus, full of rasa, beloved of the gopis, the cowherds once more, in the forest of Ambikā, came together at night.”

समुन्मुखमथोन्मुकैरभिहतेऽपि तस्मिन्बला
दमुञ्चति भवत्पदे न्यपति पाहि पाहीति तैः ।
तदा खलु पदा भवान्समुपगम्य पस्पर्श तं
बभौ स च निजां तनुं समुपसाद्य वैद्याधरीम्

samunmukhamathonmukairabhihate'pi tasminbalā damuñcati bhavatpade nyapati pāhi pāhīti taiḥ tadā khalu padā bhavānsamupagamya pasparśa taṁ babhau sa ca nijāṁ tanuṁ samupasādya vaidyādharīm

“Coming up, when by the hostile, while Bala released, your foot was placed in danger, 'save us, save us' so by them you, indeed, by foot...”

सुदर्शनधर प्रभो ननु सुदर्शनाख्योऽस्म्यहं
मुनीन्क्वचिदपाहसं त इह मां व्यधुर्वाहसम् ।
भवत्पदसमर्पणादमलतां गतोऽस्मीत्यसौ
स्तुवन्निजपदं ययौ व्रजपदं च गोपा मुदा

sudarśanadhara prabho nanu sudarśanākhyo'smyahaṁ munīnkvacidapāhasaṁ ta iha māṁ vyadhurvāhasam bhavatpadasamarpaṇādamalatāṁ gato'smītyasau stuvannijapadaṁ yayau vrajapadaṁ ca gopā mudā

“Then by your favour, the cowherds returned to the cowherd-place safely. The forest had become safer; the demons had begun to retreat.”

कदापि खलु सीरिणा विहरति त्वयि स्त्रीजनै
र्जहार्धनदानुगः स किल शङ्खचूडोऽबलाः ।
अतिद्रुतमनुद्रुतस्तमथ मुक्तनारीजनं
रुरोजिथ शिरोमणिं हलभृते च तस्याददाः

kadāpi khalu sīriṇā viharati tvayi strījanai rjahārdhanadānugaḥ sa kila śaṅkhacūḍo'balāḥ atidrutamanudrutastamatha muktanārījanaṁ rurojitha śiromaṇiṁ halabhṛte ca tasyādadāḥ

“Day by day, with your protection, the danger of the demons grew less and less. Vraja became a place where children could play in the forest without fear.”

दिनेषु च सुहृज्जनैः सह वनेषु लीलापरं
मनोभवमनोहरं रसितवेणुनादामृतम् ।
भवन्तममरीदृशाममृतपारणादायिनं
विचिन्त्य किमु नालपन् विरहतापिता गोपिकाः

dineṣu ca suhṛjjanaiḥ saha vaneṣu līlāparaṁ manobhavamanoharaṁ rasitaveṇunādāmṛtam bhavantamamarīdṛśāmamṛtapāraṇādāyinaṁ vicintya kimu nālapan virahatāpitā gopikāḥ

“Yet you knew this could not last. The full play required your removal from Vraja. Mathurā waited.”

भोजराजभृतकस्त्वथ कश्चित्कष्टदुष्टपथदृष्टिररिष्टः ।
निष्ठुराकृतिरपष्ठुनिनादस्तिष्ठते स्म भवते वृषरूपी

bhojarājabhṛtakastvatha kaścitkaṣṭaduṣṭapathadṛṣṭirariṣṭaḥ niṣṭhurākṛtirapaṣṭhuninādastiṣṭhate sma bhavate vṛṣarūpī

“On a certain day, the news of you reached Kaṁsa through Nārada; he understood at last that you were the foretold killer. He began to plot your death openly.”

शाक्वरोऽथ जगतीधृतिहारी मूर्तिमेष बृहतीं प्रदधानः ।
पङ्क्तिमाशु परिघूर्ण्य पशूनां छन्दसां निधिमवाप भवन्तम् ॥ ७०७
तुङ्गशृङ्गमुखमाश्वभियन्तं ससंगृहय्य रभसादभियं तम् ।
भद्ररूपमपि दैत्यमभद्रं मर्दयन्नमदयः सुरलोकम्

śākvaro'tha jagatīdhṛtihārī mūrtimeṣa bṛhatīṁ pradadhānaḥ paṅktimāśu parighūrṇya paśūnāṁ chandasāṁ nidhimavāpa bhavantam 707 tuṅgaśṛṅgamukhamāśvabhiyantaṁ sasaṁgṛhayya rabhasādabhiyaṁ tam bhadrarūpamapi daityamabhadraṁ mardayannamadayaḥ suralokam

“He sent demon after demon to Vraja; each was killed by you. He was running out of demons.”

चित्रमद्य भगवन् वृषघातात्सुस्थिराजनि वृषस्थितिरुर्व्याम् ।
वर्धते च वृषचेतसि भूयान्मोद इत्यभिनुतोऽसि सुरस्त्वम्

citramadya bhagavan vṛṣaghātātsusthirājani vṛṣasthitirurvyām vardhate ca vṛṣacetasi bhūyānmoda ityabhinuto'si surastvam

“By each killing, your time in Vraja drew closer to its end. Each demon was a step toward the final move.”

औक्षकाणि परिधावत दूरं वीक्ष्यतामयमिहोक्षविभेदी ।
इत्थमात्तहसितैः सह गोपैर्गेहगस्त्वमव वातपुरेश

aukṣakāṇi paridhāvata dūraṁ vīkṣyatāmayamihokṣavibhedī itthamāttahasitaiḥ saha gopairgehagastvamava vātapureśa

“Lord of the wind-house, by such daily small endings of the play of Vraja, save me from disease.”