Krishnakarnamrtham-Part2-slokas31 to 34

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31. karNalambitha kadhambamanjaree

kesaraaruNa kapola mandalam

nirmalam nigamavaag agocharam

neelimaanam avalokayaamahe

 

We behold the blue form of Krishna whose cheeks appear red due to the colour of the kadamba flowers on his ears, who is pure and beyond the scope of the Vedas.

 

neelimaanam- of blue colour.

Kapola mandalam, the region of his cheeks, is kesara aruNa, red by the petals of kadambamanjaree, the bouquet of kadamba flowers, karma lambitha, hanging from his ears. But do not be deceived thinking that he is only a cowherd boy, says Leelasuka, because He is pure, nirmala, being of suddhasathva and He is the Brahman the comprehension of whom is even beyond the Vedas, nigama vaak agocharam.

 

32. saachi sanchalithalochanothpalam

saami kudmalitha komalaaDharam

vegavalgitha karaanguleemukham

veNunaadha rasikam bajaamahe

 

We resort to Krishna, whose eyes like lotuses are slanted, and moving, his lips half open like a bud, his fingertips moving fast on the flute and who is enjoying the music that comes from it.

Here again we find a beautiful picture of Krishna playing the flute, which seems to be the form favourite of Leelasuka. His eyes, like lotuses, utpala, slanted, saachi, due to his head being inclined to one side, also moving here and there, sanchalitha, his tender lips, komlaaDharam, pouted and looking like a half closed bud, saami kudmalitha. His finger tips, karaanguleemukham, are fast moving, vegavalgitha, on the flute while playing, and he is seen enjoying the music coming from the flute, veNu naadha rasikam.

 

The music is at its best only when the musician enjoys his own music. He must be the first rasika when only he will be able to convey the joy of music to the listeners. Hence Krishna is the rasika of his own music.

 

33.syandhane garudanmandithadhvaje

kundineSa thanayaaDhiropithaa

kenachith navathamaalapallava

Syaamalena purusheNa neeyathe

 

The daughter, thanayaa, of the king of Kudinapura, kundineSa, is being taken, aDhiropithaa, by some man, kenachith purusheNa, who is dark like the sprout of thamala tree, navathamaala pallava Syaamalena, on the chariot, syandhane, bearing the flag of Garuda, garudamandithadhvaje.

 

Leelasuka describes Krishna carrying Rukmini in his chariot which has Garuda as its flag.

 

From Krishna playing the flute, suddenly Leelasuka visualizes the scene of Krishna taking away Rukmini, probably the Lord appeared to him so. Again in the next sloka he lapses back to the description of Krishna as a child.

 

34. maa yaatha paanThaaH paThi bheemaraThyaa

dhigambaraH kopi thamaala neelaH

vinyastha hasthopi nithambabimbe

DhoorthaH samaakarshathi chittha vittham

 

Oh travellers, do not go by this fearful path because someone, deceitful, blue like the thamala tree is standing there unclad, and robs the wealth of the mind though his hands are clasped behind his hips.

 

Dhigambarah- This refers to Krishna as a baby, meaning that the directions are his clothing, that is , no clothing. Such a beautiful form of Krishna steals our mind. This is what is meant by Leelasuka by cautioning the traveler, paanTha, not to go, maa yaatha, by the road, panThaaH, where Krishna is standing with his hands behind him, nithambabimbe vinyastha hastha. It is fearful path says the poet, because the deceitful robber, DhoorthaH, is capable of robbing without using his hands, because the wealth he is stealing is the mind, chitthavittham.

 

Leelasuka calls the path fearful and it is so only for those who are attracted by the worldly life and not for the devotees. He cautions that even if one is worldly, one look at Krishna will transform them which is here mentioned as stealing the heart. When the Lord decides to do so he comes and stands in the way as he did in case of Thirumangai azvar who was transformed from a robber into a saint.

 

In this sloka also as in the earlier one, Leelasuka reveals the true identity of Krishna whom he describes as dhigambara and thamalaneela. The latter refers to his form as Krishna while the former though literally means unclad, denotes the parathva as ambara means also the sky and this could be explained as the one who pervades all directions and the sky.