A BATTLE OF WITS BETWEEN KRISHNA AND A GOPI

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A BATTLE OF WITS BETWEEN KRISHNA AND A GOPI

 Dear Friends,The following mail was sent earlier but the Sanskrit part got garbled in transit. Hence, we are sending it again writing it entirely in English script.

A BATTLE OF WITS BETWEEN SREE KRISHNA AND A GOPI

In Sree

Krishna Karnaamrutam (literally: Sree Krishna: Nectar to the ears), composed by

Bilwamangal (also known as Leelasuka), there is a very engaging dialogue

between Krishna and a Gopi which is a

delightful battle of wits. This is contained in sloka 105 in the 3rd.

section of the work. There is a skillful play on words making use of  double entendre (a word or a phrase

having two meanings) in which the Gopi emerges the winner! Given below is the

sloka and its meaning in English for the enjoyment of those amongst us who had not had the pleasure of  reading this passage earlier (We had not known about it earlier.)

angulyaa ka: kavaatam praharati- Who is knocking at the door with fingers?kutile maadhava: kim vasanto- O cunning girl! It's Maadhava. Oh, is it spring?

 

no chakree kim kulaalo na hi- No, it's the wheel (chakra) holder. Then, is it the potter? No, no.

dharaNidhara: kim dvijihva: phaneendra:- It''s the One who supports the Earth. Then, is it the two-tongued chief of serpents?

 

naaham dharaahimardee kimasi-No, I am the one who subdued the serpent who lived in the river.khagapatirno hari: kim kapeendra-Is it, then, the chief of birds (the eagle)? No, it's Hari. Is it, then, a monkey?

 

ithevam gopakanyaa prativachana-jita: paatu vaschakarapaaNi: May Chakrapaani (Krishna), who was thus defeated in the exchange by the Gopi, protect you!

 

 

Note:

For a fuller appreciation of the above exchange, the two meanings of the words

in question are given below:

Maadhava----      1.  Maadhava (Consort of Maa-Lakshmi-Krishna) 2.

The spring season.

Chakri--------      1. One who wields the wheel-Sudarsana

Chakra-(Vishnu) 2. A potter.

Dharaneedhara--

1. One who supports the earth; an epithet of Vishnu and 2.of  Sesha.

Dhaarahimardi—1   One who subdued (the serpent) who inhabited

the river (Kaalindi): Krishna.  2. The enemy of the serpent : Eagle.Hari---------------1.   Hari: Krishna. 2. A monkey.

***********************************************************************From G.Sankaran and Parvathi Sankaran