The Gopīs' Lament

निशमय्य तवाथ यानवार्तां भृशमार्ताः पशुपालबालिकास्ताः ।
किमिदं किमिदं कथन्न्वितीमाः समवेताः परिदेवितान्यकुर्वन्

niśamayya tavātha yānavārtāṁ bhṛśamārtāḥ paśupālabālikāstāḥ kimidaṁ kimidaṁ kathannvitīmāḥ samavetāḥ paridevitānyakurvan

“Hearing of your departure-news, deeply pained, the cowherd-girl-children gathered together: 'what is this, what is this' so saying, they made their lamentations together.”

करुणानिधिरेषु नन्दसूनुः कथमस्मान्विसृजेदनन्यनाथाः ।
बत नः किमु दैवमेवमासीदिति तास्त्वद्गतमानसा विलेपुः

karuṇānidhireṣu nandasūnuḥ kathamasmānvisṛjedananyanāthāḥ bata naḥ kimu daivamevamāsīditi tāstvadgatamānasā vilepuḥ

“'Compassionate Krishna, son of Nanda, how can he leave us, who have no other refuge? What is this fate?' The gopis wept. Their love was the love of the Bhāgavata.”

चरमप्रहरे प्रतिष्ठमानः सह पित्रा निजमित्रमण्डलैश्च ।
परितापभरं नितम्बिनीनां शमयिष्यन् व्यमुचस्सखायमेकम्

caramaprahare pratiṣṭhamānaḥ saha pitrā nijamitramaṇḍalaiśca paritāpabharaṁ nitambinīnāṁ śamayiṣyan vyamucassakhāyamekam

“Some lay on the ground; some held each other; some called your name in voices that broke. The cowherd-place became a place of mourning.”

अचिरादुपयामि सन्निधिं वो भविता साधु मयैव सङ्गमश्रीः ।
अमृताम्बुनिधौ निमज्जयिष्ये द्रुतमित्याश्वसिता वधूरकार्षीः

acirādupayāmi sannidhiṁ vo bhavitā sādhu mayaiva saṅgamaśrīḥ amṛtāmbunidhau nimajjayiṣye drutamityāśvasitā vadhūrakārṣīḥ

“Yet you had given them, before going, the promise of return. Even in their grief, the promise was a small light.”

सविषादभरं सयाञ्चमुच्चैरतिदूरं वनिताभिरीक्ष्यमाणः ।
मृदु तद्दिशि पातयन्नपाङ्गान् सबलोऽक्रूररथेन निर्गतोऽभूः

saviṣādabharaṁ sayāñcamuccairatidūraṁ vanitābhirīkṣyamāṇaḥ mṛdu taddiśi pātayannapāṅgān sabalo'krūrarathena nirgato'bhūḥ

“Bewildered, helpless, with husbands' eyes lowered before the women's grief, the cowherd-place stood at the threshold of a new age.”

अनसा बहुलेन वल्लवानां मनसा चानुगतोऽथ वल्लभानाम् ।
वनमार्तमृगं विषण्णवृक्षं समतीतो यमुनातटीमयासीः

anasā bahulena vallavānāṁ manasā cānugato'tha vallabhānām vanamārtamṛgaṁ viṣaṇṇavṛkṣaṁ samatīto yamunātaṭīmayāsīḥ

“Some songs from those days became the songs of viraha-bhakti. The whole tradition of love-in-separation begins here.”

नियमाय निमज्य वारिणि त्वमभिवीक्ष्याथ रथेऽपि गान्दिनेयः ।
विवशोऽजनि किन्न्विदं विभोस्ते ननु चित्रं त्ववलोकनं समन्तात्

niyamāya nimajya vāriṇi tvamabhivīkṣyātha rathe'pi gāndineyaḥ vivaśo'jani kinnvidaṁ vibhoste nanu citraṁ tvavalokanaṁ samantāt

“By those songs, the gopis became the eternal teachers of love-in-separation. Even their grief became a school.”

पुनरेष निमज्य पुण्यशाली पुरुषं त्वां परमं भुजङ्गभोगे ।
अरिकम्बुगदाम्बुजैः स्फुरन्तं सुरसिद्धौघपरीतमालुलोके

punareṣa nimajya puṇyaśālī puruṣaṁ tvāṁ paramaṁ bhujaṅgabhoge arikambugadāmbujaiḥ sphurantaṁ surasiddhaughaparītamāluloke

“Lord, by leaving the cowherd-place at the right time, you taught the cowherd-place the lesson it could not have learned by your continuing presence.”

स तदा परमात्मसौख्यसिन्धौ विनिमग्नः प्रणुवन्प्रकारभेदैः ।
अविलोक्य पुनश्च हर्षसिन्धोरनुवृत्या पुलकावृतो ययौ त्वाम्

sa tadā paramātmasaukhyasindhau vinimagnaḥ praṇuvanprakārabhedaiḥ avilokya punaśca harṣasindhoranuvṛtyā pulakāvṛto yayau tvām

“Lord of the wind-house, by such necessary departures, save me from clinging to even your closeness when it is meant to change form.”

किमु शीतलिमा महान्जले यत्पुळकोऽसाविति चोदितेन तेन ।
अतिहर्षनिरुत्तरेण सार्धं रथवासी पवनेश पाहि मां त्वम्

kimu śītalimā mahānjale yatpuḻako'sāviti coditena tena atiharṣaniruttareṇa sārdhaṁ rathavāsī pavaneśa pāhi māṁ tvam

“Save me by what the gopis learned that day: the love does not need the body's presence.”