Krishnakarnamrtham-Part3-slokas32 to 40

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32.ananyasaaDhaaraNa kaanthi kaantham

aakraantha gopeenayanaaravindham

pumsaH puraaNasya navam vilaasam

puNyena poorNena vilokayishye

 

I will see the new leela of the ancient purusha, who is possessed of a luster unseen in others, and who has taken possession of the lotus-like eyes of the gopis, owing to my abundant merit earned by my good deeds.

 

Leelasuka calls Krishna puraaNa purusha because He is the supreme being, Brahman of the upanishats and Narayana of Visishtadvaita, who existed in the beginning one only without a second and from whom everything came from, by whom everything is sustained and into whom everything will merge back. As Krishna, the Lord is staging a new leela, navam vilasam, and his glory is ananya saaDhaaraNa, not common to any one else, and he seems to have appropriated the eyes of the gopis, aakraantha gopee nayanaaravindham, because their lotus –like eyes are fastened in him and never leaves his face.

 

33. saashtaangapaadham abhivandhya samasthabhaavaiH

sarvaan surendhra nikaraan idhameva yaache

mandhasmithaardhra maDhuraananachandhrabimbe

nandhasya punyanichaye mamabhakthirasthu

 

I beseech all the deities by bowing down to them with my whole body and mind, and beg them to give me this one boon. Let me have devotion in Krishna, the result of the merit of Nandha, the sweet moonlike face of whom sports a slow smile of mercy.

 

Gita says, `vaasudhevassarvam ithi sa mahathma sudhurlabhaH,' Leelasuka refers to ananyabhakthi in Krishna which makes the devotee pray for nothing else but that, even when he propitiates other deities out of habit or custom. It is like the gopis praying `kaathyaayani mahaamaaye mahaayoginyaDheeSvari; nadhagopasutham dhevi pathim me kuru the namaH,' while they were worshipping Devi asking her to grant the boon that Krishna will make them their consorts.

 

This is the paryer of all the devotee even when the Lord Himself appears in front and ready to grant the boons as in the case of Prahlada who asked the Lord nothing else but undying devotion at His lotus feet, when the Lord asked him what he wanted.

 

Kulasekhara in his Mukundamala says,

 

Ethath praarThyam mamabahumatham

janmajanmaanthre api

Thavath paadhaambhoruhayugagathaa

niSchalaa bhakthirasthu

 

meaning that the greatest wish to be prayed for is that, in all the lives to come he should have steady devotion to the lotus-feet of the Lord.

 

34.eshu pravaheshu sa eva manye

kshaNopi gaNyaH purushaayusheshu

aasvaadhyathe yathra kayaapi bhakthyaa

neelasya balasya nijam charithram

 

In the life that flows fast like a stream, eshu pravaaheshu, I consider only that moment, sa eva manye, in which the stories of Krishna, the blue boy, neelasya baalasya nijam charithram, is enjoyed with devotion bhakthyaa aasvaadhitham, in some manner, kayaapi, as the only moment in life that counts, kshNopi gaNyah.

 

The life flows like a stream , every moment taking us nearer and nearer to the end. Men waste the precious moments thinking that they will never end, fulfilling the desires which are never-ending and forgetting the purpose for which they have been given the human life. Leelasuka says that if one spends even one moment in thinking and hearing and talking about the stories of Krishna , that moment alone is of any value in their whole life.

 

Sankara says in his Mohamudgara, otherwise known as Bajagovindam,

 

kaalo kreedathi gacChathi aayuH

thadhapi na munchathi aaSaa vaayuH

 

meaning, the time plays on and the life expires. Even when the life breath leaves the body the wind of desire never leaves which causes the cycle of birth and death again and again. The only way to get rid of this is to have devotion towards the Lord and to attain His lotus feet which alone is the purpose of human life. Even to do it for one moment, says Leelasuka, makes our life worthwhile. All the other moments of our life are wasted.

 

LKulasekhara says in his Mukundamala, praying to the Lord,

 

Dhivi vaa bhuvi vaa mama asthu vaaso

Narake vaa narakaanthaka prakaamam

avaDheeritha Sardhaaraindhou

charaNou the maraNe api chinthayaami

 

"Whether I am in heaven or on earth, or in hell, Oh the destroyer of Narakasura, I will be thinking of Your feet, which excelled lotus, at the time of my death.

 

 

35. nisarga sarasa aDharam

nijadhayaardhra dhivyekshaNam

manojna mukhapankajam

maDhurasa ardhra mandhasmitham

rasajna hrdhayaaspadham

ramitha vallavee lochanam

punaH punaH Upaasmahe

bhuvanalobhaneeyam mahaH

 

We worship again and again the light, mahaH, that is Krishna, desirable to the whole world, bhuvanalobhaneeyam. with naturally beautiful lips, nisarga sarasa aDharam, eyes soaked with mercy, nijadhayaardhra dhivyekshaNam, lotus-like face that attracts the mind, manojna mukhapankajam nectarine smile, the abode of the heart of devotees, rasajna hrdhayaaspadham, and charming to the eyes of gopis, ramitha vallaveelochanam.

 

The form of Krishna gives joy to the eyes of the gopis, and occupies the heart of devotees who are connoisseurs of beauty with his lips naturally charming made more so by his nectarine smile and his face like a lotus that delights the mind.

 

36. sa kopi baalaH saraseeruhaaKshaH

saa cha vrajasthreejana paadhaDhooliH

muhuH thadhethath yugae madheeye

momuhyamaanopi manasi udhethu

 

Even at the time when my consciousness leaves me, momuhyamaano api, at the end of my life, let these two, thadhethath yugale, frequently, muhuH, appear in my mind, manasi udhethu, namely ,the lotus-eyed boy, kopi baalaH saraseeruhaakshaH, who is beyond description and the dust of the feet of the gopis, vrajasthreejana paadhaDhoolih.

 

Leelasuka prays that when he is nearing the end and all his faculties fail him, only the form of Krishna and the dust of the feet of the gopis should be in front of him.

 

The love of gopis to Krishna is something incomparable as they have surrendered their body, mind and soul to Krishna . Uddava seeing their devotion to Krishna exclaimed `aasaam aho charaNa reNujushaam aham syaam brndhaavane kimapi gulmalathoushaDheenaam,' meaning, "I wish I were some bush, creeper or herb plants in Brindavan where the dust of the feet of these gopis are strewn around."

 

As Krishna says in Gita the one who leaves this body thinking of Him never returns to this world but attains Him. Since there is no guarantee that the memory of the Lord will be there in the last moments the devotees pray for the anthyasmrthi. Periazvar says in his pasuram, `eyppennai vandhu naliyumbOdhu angEdhum naan unnai ninaikkamaattEn ; appOdhaikkippOdhe solli vaitthEn arangattharavaNaippaLLiyenE.'

 

This means " When I am ailing in my last days I will not think about You, so I am telling you now itself and You must come and save me then."

 

Leelasuka has expressed this wish in few slokas already in the part 1 and Part2 of his work.

 

 

37. mayi prayaaNaabhimukhe cha vallavee

sthanadhvayeedhurlalithaH saH baalakaH

SanaiH SanaiH Sraavitha veNunissvano

vilaasavesheNa puraH pratheeyathaam

 

May that boy saH baalakaH, who has been fondled overly by the gopis, vallavee sthanadhvayee dhurlalaithaH, appear in front of me, mayi puraH pratheeyathaam, with his enchanting form, vilaasaveshena, making his music from the flute heard slowly, SanaiH SanaiH Sraavitha veNunissvano, at the time of my departure from this world, mayi prayaaNaabhimukhe

 

The idea of the previous sloka is continued in this also.

 

38. athibhoomim abhoomim eva vaa

vachasam vaasitha vallavee sthanam

manasaam abharama rasaayanam

madhura adhvaitham upaasmahe mahaH

 

We worship the light that is Krishna, mahaH, who is beyond description, athibhoomim, or never the object of description, abhoomim, , by words, vachasaam, the elixir unparalleled to the mind, manasaam abhiraama rasaayanam identical with sweetness, maDhuraadhvaitham, and ever abides in the beauty of the gopis.

 

Krishna, ever lives in the gopis, is the supreme reality, Brahman of the Upanishats, Narayana of visishtdvaita, is beyond mind and intellect and hence cannot be described by words nor become an object of description because as the upanishat declares, `yatho vaacho nivarthanthe apraapye mansasaa saha,' from which (Brahman) speech returns with the mind not able to reach it. But it is the elixir incomparable to the mind, says Leelasuka because the incomprehensible Brahman appears as the cowherd boy for all to see and love.

 

Desika says in his Yadhavbhyudhaya that all the vedas , like the bards, starting to describe the glory of the Lord, become fatigued even after singing about one of His gunas. That is the vaachaam agocharathvam, or vachasaam athibhoomithvam or abhoomithvam mentioned by Leelasuka here.

 

39. jananaanthare api jagadhekamandane

kamaneeya Dhaamni kamalaayathekshaNe

vrajasundhareejana vilochanaamrthe

chapalaani santhu sakalendhriyaaNi me

 

Let my senses be attracted, chapalaani santhu sakalendhriyaaNi me, towards that beautiful light, kamaneeya Dhaamni, that is Krishna, who is the ornament to the whole world, jagadhaikamandane, who has long lotus-like eyes, kamalaayathekshaNe, and is the nectar for the eyes of gopis, vrajasundhareejana vilochanaamrthe, in my next life also, janmaanthare api..

 

The devotee is not averse to be born again if only he will sustain the devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord. Andaal prays to Krishna `ettraikkum EzhEzhu piravikkum uttromE aavom unakkE naam aatseivom mattai namkaamangal maartElO rempaavaai,' that they should be serving Him and be His devotees in all lives to come.

 

40. muniSreNeevandhyam

madhabharalasathvallavavaDhoo

sthanaSroNeebimbasthimitha

nayanaambhojasubhagam

punaH Slaaghaabhoomim

pulakithagiraam naigamagiraam

ghanSyaamam vandhe

kimapi kamaneeyaakrthi mahaH

 

I worship the attractive and magnificent light kamaneeyaakrthiH mahaH, that is Krishna,ghanshyama, who is worshipped by the host of sages, muniSreNee vandhyam, whose beautiful lotus-like eyes, nayanaambhoja subhagam, is ever fastened on the beauty of the gopis and who is the praiseworthy landing place, Slaaghabhoomim, of all the ecstatic praises, pulakithagiraam, of the devotees and the scriptural laudation, naigamagiraam.