Guest guest Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 About the author The name of the author is Bilavamangala and he acquired the name Leelasuka because of his becoming immersed in the leela of Krishna and described in detail like Sukabrahmarshi. He originated from Kerala and lived in the 13th century. He was infatuated with a courtesan named Chintamani in his early years and one day being obsessed with his love for her she told him that o if he had placed even one thoudandth part of his love for her in the Lord he would become liberated. This , by the divine will of the Lord transformed his lif in a moment and he became a great devotee. So in the first invocatory sloka he paid tribute to her by starting it as 'chimtamaniH jayathi.' 1.chinthAmaNirjayathisomagirirgururmes SikshAguruscha bhagavAn Sikhipiccha moulih yathpAdhakalpatharupallavaSekhareshu leelAsvayamvararasam labhathe jayaSreeh My guru Somagiri who is like chinthamani, the wish-giving stone is victorious. Also does Sri Krishna who is wearing the peacockfeathers on His head who has graced me with His mercy. To those who wear the feet of Him which are like the sprouts of Kalpaka tree (wish giving tree), the Lakshmi in the form of success will come by her own accord like the bride who search for the suitable bridegroom and garland him in a svayamvara. The word bhagavan implies only Sri Krishna as said in Srimadbhagavatham, ethe cha amSakalaah pumsah krishnasthu bhagavaan svayam. He Himself is the chimthamani not only in the sense that He is the wish fulfilling gem of the devotees but also because He is 'chithyamaanaanaam maNih', luminous like a gem in the hearts of those who contemplate on Him. The word Somagiri, which presumably denotes the guru of Leelasuka also has connotation to Krishna as He is the somagiri, 'somasya amrthasya giri,' the mountain of soma which means amrtha. The Moon is called Soma because he is supposed to have rays of nectar. Thus by the word 'mamaguru' Leelasuka means the Lord Himself who is not only the instructs but also shows the way, sikshaaguru. His feet are the wish giving tree as they give all to those who surrender to them. Hence the Jayalakshmi, denoting success is said to choose the feet of the Lord as in svayamvara. 2.asthi svastharunee karAgra vigalath kalpa prasoonAplutham vasthu prasthutha veNunAdha laharee nirvana nirvyAkulam srastha srastha niruddha neevivilasath gopeesahasrAvrtham hastha nyastha nathApavargam akhilodhAram kiSorAkrthih Here is the Supreme Reality in the form of a young boy, who is worshipped by the flowers of the kalpatharu that fell from the celestial damsels, is motionless immersed in the eternal joy of the music from His flute, surrounded by the cowherd girls and who has in his hand the moksha for those who bow down to Him and also gives to all the fruits of their desires. Svastharunee means the celestial damsels. They collect the flowers from the kalpatharu, the wish-giving tree of heaven and shower them on Krishna. He is lost to the world around Him, immersed in his music being the personification of nadhabrahma. The music from His flute flows like waves, submerging all around, including the gopikas who were also equally so as they did not care to tie their garments slipping but only adjusting it with their hands. Leela suka says that this boy is none other than Brahman and he is ready to give Moksha to those who resort to Him. He has it in his hands, hasthanyastham. Not only that, He gives whatever one asks for, akhilodharam until they are ready for Moksha. Leelasuka calls Him 'asthi vasthu' there is an entity which is real, meaning the absolute reality. The word `asti' is used to denote the `trikaAlaabadhyaroopam' existence in past, present and future, that is eternity. By `astivastu' Leelasuka implies that He is always present in the heart of His devotees. The' kiSorAkrti ` the youthful form is understood only as the Brahman without form, The word can be split as' kiSoram cha tat akrtiScha', meaning the youthful form which has really no form. It is also explained as `kiSoram cha tat Akrthischa,,' meaning that the krti or the action of this kiSora is till moksha which secures brahmananda, the s particle `A' meaning `till.' The word svataruNee is also explained to mean the heavenly consorts of the Lord, Sri, Bhoo and neela who on seeing His kiSorabhava forget themselves and the flowers they gathered to showere on Him simply fell from their hands, karAgravigalat, without their being aware of them. It could also mean the gopis who were His own, svatarunee. His venunada, provides nirvana, salvation and nirvyakulam, destroys all suffering, meaning, it secures here in this world as well as brings eternal joy in the form of mukti. The word `hastanyasta apavarga,' means the moksha is in His hands ready to be given to on the hands of His devotees. 3.chAthuryaika niDhaana seema chapalA apAngacChadA mandharam lAvaNyAmrthaveechi lAlitha dhrSam lakshmeekatAkshAdDhrtham kAlindhee pulinAngNapraNayinam kAmavathArAnkuram bAlam neelamayee vayam maDhurima svArAjyam ArADhnumaH Krishna is the ultimate resort of smartness. His series of his glances that spring from him are ever dancing and the waves of beauty that fondle his looks are like nectar to the onlookers, and graced by the glance of Lakshmi. He loves playing on the sand banks of Yamuna and love sprouts from him. We are blessed to worship this blue-hued boy who is the empire of sweetness. Krishna conquers all with his skill, glances, beauty, auspicious qualities and richness which is the exact purpose of his incarnation. The glances of Krishna are described as the last resort of chaathurya of ingenuity because he conversed with his eyes to the gopis whose wishes were unspoken and expressed by their eyes alone and he replied to them through his glances. They are also chapala or ever moving, and delightful being fondled by the nectarine waves of his beauty, laavaNyaamrthaveecheebhiH laalithadhrsa. Besides he was looked at by Lakshmi who never left him in any incarnation as the azvar says , `agalakillen ena alarmel mangai uRai maarbaa.' It is commented by the devotee-scholars that even in his vamanavatara when a he appeared as a brahmachari, Lakshmi was residing in his chest and that is why he covered it with his upper cloth so that her glances will not fall on Mahabali in which case his possessions could not be taken away. Those who worship the blue hued boy are indeed fortunate, says Leelasuka. He is madhurimasvarajaya, kingdom of sweetness and kaamavataara ankusa, kindles desire by his looks on the onlookers. 4.barhotthamsavilAsi kunthalabharam mAdhuryamagnAnanam pronmeelan navayouvanam prilasat veNu praNAdhAmrtham ApeenasthanakungmalAbhih abhithaH gopeebhiH ArADhitam jyothiH chetasi nah cakAsthi jagathAm ekAbhirAmAdhbhutham There is a form of light, of unparalleled and wonderful beauty which is worshipped by the young gopis, is shining in our hearts, a picture of budding youth with a face merged in sweetness, wearing peacock feathers on his beautiful lock of hair, giving out exquisite music from his flute . Krishna is playing the flute and the sweet music fills the air. His hair is tied with peacock feather on the top of it. His face is a portrait of sweetness and his form beautiful with his budding youth and he is adored by the young gopis. This is the picture of light that shines in the heart of the devotees. The word maadhuryamagnaananam is also explained as maadhuraye magnaaH are those who are immersed in madhurya , madhurabhakthi, and theshaam ananam, he is their life force. Here we can compare the exquisite verse of Vedanta desika in his Gopalavimsati, 20 or odd verses in praise of Krishna. animEshanishevaNaNeeyam akshNoh ajahadhyouvanam Avirasthu chitthE kalaHAyithakunthalam kalApaih karONmAdhaka vibhramam mahO mE (gopala visathi-10) May the brilliant form of the Lord, which should be enjoyed with unblinking eyes, the ever youthful, with His crown of peacock feathers always agitated by His tresses, thus enchanting all the senses with His playful actions, be present in my mind always. His form is so beautiful that the onlookers are afraid even to bat their eyelids that the form will be lost for that moment. So Desika says that he should be seen with animesha akshinee, unblinking eyes. His youth is eternal and gives pleasure to all the senses. 5.Madhurathara smithaamrtha vimugDhamukhaamburuham madhaSikhipicchalaanchitha manojnakachaprachayam vishyavishaamishagrasana grDhnushi chethasi me vipulavilochanam kimapi Dhaama chakaasthi chiram The lock of hair on the head of Krishna, kachaprachayam, is delightfully decorated with peacock feathers picchalanchitham and manojnam. Leelasuka says it was taken from a madhaSikhi , meaning that it was a stout peacock and hence having a rich flock of feathers. Even the birds and animals took pleasure in serving Krishna, the peacocks gave him feathers the moment he touched them, the cows gave him milk when he came near them, the horses did his bidding when he handled them as the Parthasarathy. His face like lotus, mukhaambhuruham, is beautiful, vimugDha, with his nectarine sweet smile, maDhuratarasmithaamrtha and with his eyes wide with joy. Leelasuka says that there is a luminous presence of the form of Krishna in his mind for long. It has transformed his mind which was longing to swallow the sensual pleasures like a chunk of meat, which is like poison. 6. mukulaayamaananayanaambujam vibhoH muraleeninaadhamakarandha nirbharam mukurayamaaNamrdhugandamandalam mukhapankajam manasi me vijrmbhathaam May the lotus-like face of the Lord, filled with the pollen of the music from his flute shine outstandingly in my mind, with eyes like blossoming lotuses and mirror-like soft cheeks.. The mind is here pictured as a lake where the face of the Lord shines like a lotus. His soft cheeks act as an added reflecting medium shining like a mirror in the lake rendering the lake a mirror- like clarity. The lotus is filled with the pollen of the music coming from his flute which attracts the hearts of the devotees like bees to drink the honey of the music. The kavitva of Leelasuka is seen in saying that on the lotus that is his face two other lotuses are seen in the form of his eyes which are in full bloom owing to the joy of playing the flute. 7.kamaneeya kiSora mugdhamoortheh kalaveNukvaNitha aadhrtha aananendhoh mamavaachi vjrmbhathaam muraareh madhurimNah kaNikaapi kaapi kaapi Let my words show at least a little of the joy expressed due to the playing of the flute in the face of the Krishna , the destroyer of the demon Madhu, whose form is attractive and young. The picture of Krishna playing the flute is described as kamaneeya, attractive, kiSora, young and mugdha, beautiful. The sound of the flute is sweet and give joy to the one who plays and to the one who hears, as it is divine music. His moonlike face expresses his joy and Leelasuka feels that it is impossible to describe it with words and hopes that he will be able to express at least a drop of the sweetness he experiences through words. It is said that `ikshuksheeragudaadheenaam maadhuryasyaantharam mahath,' the difference betweent the sweetness of one thing and another, like sugarcane, milk and jaggery, is great. That is , the taste cannot be described as sweet in general and the difference also cannot be described by words. So the sweetness of the Lord who is the ocean of sweetness, maadhuryalaharee and who is described as `raso vai sah,' by the Upanishads is indeed indescribable by words. The epithet Muraari is explained as the enemy of Mura, and also as the destroyer of ignorance as the word mura means avidya or ignorance, derived as murathi, badhnaathi ithi mura, one that binds, that is avidya. 8. madha SikhandiSikhandavibhooshaNam madhanamanTharamugDhamukhaambujam vrajavaDhoo nayanaanjana ranjitham vijayathaam mama vaangmaya jeevitam Krishna is decorated with the peacock feathers and his lotus-like face agitates even the god of love by its beauty, which has been enhanced by the marks of the collyrium on it from the eyes of the gopis. May that face, which is the life force of my words manifest in me. Leelasuka considers the beauty of the face of the Lord as the inspiration of his poetry. The imagination and eloquence can arise only if the subject of the literary work inspires the heart of the poet by its excellent qualities. No poetry is possible on a worthless subject. Here Leelasuka says that the beauty of the divine form alone gives the life to his words and makes it possible for him to express the joy he feels on visualizing it in words. If even by reading it we could be transported to a world of joy , how much more would have been the ecstasy of a devotee like Leelasuka! The inspiration he has received can be well understood by his description of Krishna as wearing the feather of a peacock with madha, pride. The peacock must have been overjoyed by the presence of Krishna and must hav proudly presented its feathers to him. The reason is not far to seek. In the previous verse the poet described the venugana which alone could enchant man, bird and beast and added to that his form has put to shame even the god of love by its beauty and madana, the god of love is agitated either because of envy or because he himself was attracted towards Krishna which made his heart restless. 9. pallavaaruNa paaNipankaja sangiveNuravaakulam phullapaatala paataleeparivaadhi paadhasaroruham ullasan maDhuraadhara dhyuthi manjaree sarasaananam vallavee kucha kunkuma pankilam prabhum aaSraye I resort to the Lord whose body is marked with the kumkum of the gopis, his face with lips glowing with lustre and sweetness, expressing the joy of his music from the flute in his hands like lotuses and red like sprouts, his feet vanquishing the fully blossomed patalee flowers. The hands of Krishna are red like the sprouts and resemble the lotus thus signifying the fragrance along with the red colour. His feet put to shame the red patalee flower fully blossomed. His face shines with his lips which are sweet and send out rays of light by their beauty. His body is marked by the kumkum from that of the gopis who embrace him . Thus Leelasuka presents a picture of a lustrous and red lotus like form which reminds us of the words of Azvar kanpaahdam kai kamalam or those of Kamban who said that when Rama was walking he looked like a forest of lotuses, `thaamaraikkaadu pootthu.' 10. apaangarekhaabhih abhanguraabhih anangarekhaarasa ranjithaabhih anukshaNam vallavasundareebhih abhyarchyamaanaM vibhuM aaSrayaamah We resort to the Lord, who is being worshipped by the gopis by means of their glances, beautified by their love acting like a collyrium, which are showered on him uninterrupted. The gopis are looking incessantly at Krishna and their glances are falling on him like a shower of flowers to worship him. Their eyes and brows are curved ,bhanga, but the shower of glances coming from them is abhanga, meaning, without interruption, as well as straight. They are falling on him like shafts like a shower of arrows, straight and swift. They look at him with eyes full of love which acts like a collyrium to beautify them. They do not flinch with discomfort on looking at him unblinkingly. Their eyes will hurt not by looking but only by his going away when the day dawns after the rasakreeda. By play on the word abhanga, the poet indicates that there is nothing crooked in their glances which are pure with love. 11.hrdaye mama hrdhyavibhramaaNaam hrdhayam harshaviSaalalolanethram tharuNam vrajabaalasundareeNaam tharalam kimchana Dhaama sanniDhatthaam May that light manifest in my heart, the young form , whose eyes are wide and dancing with joy, who is the heart of the beautiful young gopis, who please him with their actions. Leelasuka prays that the form of Krishna should be always shining in his heart. Dhama means light. The word taken with tharalam and hrdhayam vrajabaalasundareeNaam, can be explained as the lustre of the central gem that shines in the heart of the young and beautiful gopis set in a necklace. That is, Krishna shines in their heart like the central gem of their necklace because he is their heart or the life force. TharuNam, he is young. Not only he is in the heart of the gopis but they are also in his heart by their actions, showing their love which were pleasing to him. As a result of this his eyes are wide with joy and dancing. 12.nikhilabhuvanalakshmee nithyaleelaaspadhaabhyaam kamalavipinaveeThee garvasarvankashaabhyaam praNamadhabhayadhaana prouDigaaDodhDhathaabhyaam kimapi vahathu chethah kRshnapaadhaambhujaabhyaam Let my mind attain indescribable joy resorting to the lotus-feet of Krishna, which are the permanent abode of play of all that is auspicious and prosperous in all the worlds, which dispel the pride of the hosts of lotuses standing row by row and which is unexcelled in giving refuge to those who bow down to them. In this sloka Leelaskuka surrenders to the feet of the Lord and experiences an inexpressible joy doing so. " Let my mind revel in the joy of surrender, " he says. The feet of the Lord are described as follows. 1. They are the playful resort, leelaaspadha, of prosperity and auspiciousness of the whole cosmos, nikhila bhuvanasree, from vaikunta down to the world of mortals. Or, it may mean the goddess Lakshmi who enjoys playing with them in all the worlds, wherever the Lord is. 2. The long row of lotuses, kamalavipina veeThee which take pride not only of their fragrance, coolness , tenderness and beauty but also of being the abode of Lakshmi, are vanquished by the feet of the Lord which not only possesses all these qualities but also excel them in other respects. What is the special aspect of the feet of the Lord that quells the pride of the lotus? This is given in the next line. 3. pranamadhabhayadhaana prouDigaaDodDhathaabhyaam, they are supreme, udDhatah, in granting refuge, abhayadhaana, to those who surrender to them, praNamath. prouDi means big and ghaaDa means firm. The Lord says in His Ramavathara, `Sakrdheva prapannaayah thavaasmeethi cha yaachathe; abhayam sarvadhaa thasmai dhdhaami ithi ethath vratham mama.'-(Ram.yud.18- 33) " To give refuge always to the one, who surrenders to me even once saying that he belongs to me , is my vow. " This shows His prouDathva, the greatness and ghaaDathva, the firmness in giving refuge to those who surrender to Him. There is another version to this sloka also in which the second line reads as, Abhayam sarvabhoothaanaam dhdhaameethi vrathama mama This was demonstrated in Gajendhra episode. When Gajendhra called Him in distress, the Lord came running dragging the Garuda along with Him, even without His padhuka. Such is His proudathva and ghaadathva in protecting the prapannas. 13.praNayapariNathaabhyaam Sreebharaalambanaabhyaam prathipadhalalithaabhyaam prathyaham noothanaabhyaam prathimuhuraDhikaabhyaam prasphuralllocanaabhyaam pravahathu hrdhaye nah praaNanaaThah kiSorah May the Lord of our life, in His youthful form flow in to our minds through His twinkling eyes, which are transformed by love, filled with beauty, graceful at every step, and appearing fresh and new at every moment, its loveliness increasing every time. He is our praananaatha, the Lord of our life force, says Leelasuka, because He is the inner self of all. He lives in the heart of His devotees, His youthful form flowing like a stream of beauty through His eyes, which are twinkling with joy and love. Normally we see a person at the eyes only which shows their heart. The eyes of the Lord is filled with love and beauty and looking at them one never gets satisfied as they are tender and graceful and one feels that he is seeing them anew every moment because the more you gaze at them they seem to convey more and more messages of love and mercy. This is the experience described by Leelasuka here. The eyes are trnaformed, pariNatha, by love, praNaya, beauty and glory clinging to them,Sreebharaalambana. At every step His glance is tender and graceful, prathipadhalalitha, and you never have your fill by looking at them because you feel as though you are seeing them anew every time, prathyaham noothana. Hence they seem to be more and more attractive every moment. This is the experience of all devotees who gaze at the lotus-like eyes of the Lord 14. maaDhurya vaariDhi madhaambu tharangabhangee Srngaara sankulitha Seetha kiSoravesham Aamandhahaasalalithaanana chandhrabimbam Aanandhasamplavam anu plavathaam mano me. Let my mind plunge repeatedly into the waves of the flood of joy that is arising and breaking from the cool sea of sweetness, which dons the costume of a young boy, encompassing love, with his moon-like face beautiful with a smile. Krishna is the sea of loveliness , soundaryalaharee , and of joy, aanandalaharee., maadhuryavaaridhi. The water of the sea is the ecstasy of joy of the gopis, madhaambu. The beauty of young Krishna, and his love expressed in his moon-like face rise and break ,tarangabhanagee, like the waves creating a flood of joy around and the hearts of the devotees take plunge in it again and again because he is also sringaaralaharee, ocean of love. His very form, kiSoravesham, emits love that pervades the whole universe, srngaarasamkulitham. His moon-like face, lalitha, dainty and Seetha , cool, is lit up with a smile, aamandahaasam On the whole it is aanandasamplavam, flood of joy. 15.avyaajamanjula mukhaambujamugDhabhaavaih aasvaadhyamaana nijaveNuvinodha naadham aakreedathaam aruNapaadhasaroruhaabhyaam aardhre madheeya hrdhaye bhuvanaardhram ojah May the light, that is Krishna, who wets the whole universe with his love, play in my heart which is soaked in devotion, with his feet like red lotus, with his lotus-like face naturally expressive, enjoying the sound of music from his flute. Leelasuka expresses a wish that Krishna should play in his heart in His lustrous form, His lotus- red feet dancing on the heart wet with devotion. The heart without devotion is hard like a stone and the feet of the Lord as soft as lotuses will get hurt by moving on it. Hence Leelasuka assures the Lord that his heart is soft because it is soaked in devotion and Krishna can play in it happily. The poet imagines the lustrous form of the Lord, charming by nature and expressive of love and joy arising out of the music from his flute. The whole universe is immersed in the love of Krishna and so it is no wonder that the heart of the poet is also soaked with love. 16.maNinoopuravaachaalam vandhe taccharaNam vibhoH lalithaani yadheeyaani lakshmaaNi vrajaveeThishu I bow down to the feet of the Lord, which mark the streets of Gokula with His footsteps, accompanied with the eloquent sound of His anklets. The streets of Gokula are marked with the footsteps of Krishna with the signs of shankha, chakra etc. found on His foot and the sound of his anklets seems eloquent due to their incessant sound made by His running and playing on the streets. Sri Yamunacharya in his sthothra rathna says, Kadhaapunah shankha raThaanga kalpaka Dhvaja aravindha ankuSa vajra laancChanam thrivikrama thvaccharaNambujadhvayam madheeyamoorDhaanam alamkarishyathi ( Alavandar sthothrarathnam-31) When will thy lotus-feet adorn my head, Oh Lord Thrivikrama, the feet marked with the sign of, shankha, the conch, chakra, the disc, dhvaja, the flag, aravindha, the lotus, ankuSa, the goad and vajra, thunderbolt? Periazvar says, describing the footsteps of Krishna, orukaaliRsangu orukaaliR chakkaram uLladi poRitthamaindha irukaalum kondu angangu ezudhinaaRpOl ilacchinai pada nadandhu The uLLadi, that is the under-feet are marked with shankha and chakra respectively and when he walks, he seems to put his seal on the floor. Here an episode described by some upanyaasaka comes to the mind. When Krishna and Balarama were crawling on the floor Balarama heard a sweet sound and not knowing what it was, stopped and seeing him Krishna also stopped .Then the sound stopped. Krishna laughed and moved on as though saying that if they stop the sound also will stop, because it was the sound of their anklets. Hearing this the mind wonders whether Balarama could have been that naïve not knowing what the sound was and therefore stopping to hear it. Then this sloka came to mind. maNikuttimasThale gathavaan kimidham ithi raamah achalan aaseeth jaanuhasthaabhyaam chalathoh thayoh noopuraDhvanim Srthvaa raamakrshNayoh hasan gacchathi krshNah bruvan achalanthou na Srooyaavah ithi raamo naalpamathih kinthu aicChath Srothum bhavagavathah hi noopuraSabdham That is , Balarama was not naïve enough not to know that it was the sound of their anklets but he stopped purposely because he wanted to hear the eloquent sound of the anklets of the Lord. 17.mamachethasi sphurathu vallavee vibhoh mani noopurapraNayimanju Sinjitham kamalaavanechara kalindhakanyakaa kalahamsakanTa kalakoojithaadhrtham May the sweet sound of the anklets of Krishna , the beloved of gopis, be heard in my mind, the sound that is deemed superior to that of the best of swans found in the river Yamuna among the assemblage of lotuses. In this sloka Leelasuka continues to describe the sweet sound of the anklets of Krishna. The sound made by the kalahamasas, a special kind of swans which are known for their sweet sound, is even sweeter by eating the tender inside of the lotuses in the river Yamuna. But the musical sound of the anklets of Krishna is extolled as being even superior to that. The word kamalaavanam denotes that the assemblage of lotuses which are dear to Lakshmi , who resides in them. As Lakshmi always accompanies the Lord in all His incarnations, she must have been present among the lotuses in Yamuna river. Kamalaavana as the abode of Lakshmi also indicates the lord Himself as He is also a kamalavana, a forest of lotuses, His eyes, hands and feet resembling lotuses, a thaamaraikkaadu , to quote Kamban. 18.tharuNaaruNa karuNaamaya vipulaayatha nayanam kamalaakucha kalaSeebhara vipuleekrthapulakam muraleerava tharaleekrtha munimaanasanalinam mamakhelathu madhachethasi maDhuraaDharam amrtham May the form of Krishna , with nectar-like sweet lips, his eyes beautiful and red at the corners like a lotus and filled with mercy and wide, his body with horripilation due to the contact with that of Lakshmi,(who is in his chest), the sound of music from his flute transforming the firm hearts of the sages into tenderness, play in my heart which is intoxicated with love. His eyes are aruna, red at the edges like a lotus, and wide, vipula, with mercy, karuNaamaya, towards his devotees and aayatha, long. His whole body shows the horipilation, vipuleekrthapulakam, resulting from the embrace of Lakshmi , The music that arises from his flute, muraleerava, makes the heart of the sages, munimaanasa, solidified with penance , become tender, nalineekrtha. Amrtham means immortal and the nectar is called amrtha as it was supposed to create immortality to those who take it. Here the amrtha is the nithya paripoorNa paraanandaikarasasaaram, the eternal rasaanubhava of the presence of the Lord, who is rasa itself. `raso vai sah.' The heart of Leelasuka is intoxicated, madha chethas, with love, premarasa. When the lovely form of the Lord is visualized in the mind the rasanubhava or joy experienced by it rises as a series of waves never ending. The form of Krishna is a vision of beauty, sweetness and tenderness. He is filled with joy not only by the embrace of Lakshmi but also due to the love of his devotees, like the gopis . His eyes ,long and charming like red lotuses, express the mercy he feels towards the devotees and hence wide open as Andal said , `chengaNN siruchiridhE emmEl vizhiyaavo---angaN irandum kondu engaL mEl nOkkudhiyEl.' Visualising Krishna is not possible without his flute on his lips from which flows sweet music that melts even the hardest heart. Leelasuka says that even the hearts of sages who have become hardened by years of penance become tender on hearing the music and they are distracted from their Samadhi. The idea is when the brahmananda, the bliss absolute is available so easily who would waste his time on stringent measures like penance etc. Leelasuka says elsewhere that those who try to understand the meaning of the Upanishads tiring themselves by roaming around inthe forest of the Vedas can find the essence of the Upanishads in the house of Nanda tied to the mortar.(KK.2.28) The words maDhurADharam and kamala are explained by some commentators thus: maDhuraaNi aDhararaythi ithi maDhraaDharam , that which makes the well-known sweet objects inferior. Thus it means the form of Krishna which is described and not the lips. Otherwise maDhuram Dhaarayathi (sarvaangeshu) ithi madhuraaDharam, the form which has sweetness all over. Kamala normally means Lakshmi, while the followers of Chaithanya cult take it to mean Radha. But it is explained as anyone who is filled with love of Krishna , kam, Krishna sukham, thena alam , athiparyaaptham bhavathi ithi kamala. Meaning the one who is filled with the joy of Krishna. 19.aamugDham arDhanayanaambujachumbyamaana harshaakula vrajavaDhoomaDhuraananendhoh aarabDhaveNuravam aatthakiSoramoortheh aavirbhavanthi mama chethasi ke api bhaavaah My mind experiences certain inexplicable emotions visualizing the form of Krishna manifest as a young boy, who just begins to play the flute and his moon like face create joy to the gopis , who look at him with half closed eyes as though kissing him with their eyes. The contact of eyes with the face is compared to kissing. AmugDham , lovely in all respects. The eyes half closed resemble lotuses, arDhanayanaambujam. The gopis look at the moon-like face of Krishna, maDhuraananendhu, with their eyes half closed as in kissing, But at the same time they are filled with joy, harshaakula as he starts playing the flute, aarabDhaveNuravam. The joy expressed by the gopis and their eyes looking at the face of Krishna as if they are kissing his face with their eyes, and Krishna beginning to play the flute and his young form, aatthakiSoramoorthi , all these create inexpressible emotion, kea pi bhaavaah in the mind of Leelasuka. 20. kalakvaNithakankaNam karanirudDha peethaambaram klamaprasrthapunthalam galithabarhabhoosham vibhoh punah prasrthichaapalam praNayineebhujaayanthritham mamasphurathu maanase madanakeliSayyotThitham In this sloka Leelasuka imagines Krishna rising from his bed. As a form of madhura bhakthi the Lord is portrayed as a lover and rises from bed where he was in the company of his consort. His bracelet, kankaNam, sounds sweetly, kalakvanitha, he clutches his peethambara, the yellow silk garment with one hand, karanirudDha peethaambaram his hair dishevelled, klamaprasrtha kunthalam his peacock feather placed as an ornament on his head, displaced, galithabarha bhooshaNam desiring to come out, prasrthichaapalam he is stopped, bujaniruddha, by his consort, praNayee.. Leelasuka says " the Lord such portrayed may shine in my mind, mamasphurathu maanase. " This sloka resembles the idea expressed in Thiruppavai of Andal, in which she calls Krishna to come out of his bed and bless them. She beseeches Nappinna, the consort of Krishna not to stop him from coming out because of her love. `Itthanai aagilum pirivaattRakillayyaal thatthuvam anRu,' meaning, " if you cannot bear to be separated from Krishna even now (when the day has dawned) it is not fair. Nappinnai is also considered as Lakshmi herself by the devotees and this line is explained with a great devotional fervour by the commentators. Here also the commentators express the same sentiments as in Thiruppavai as a whole, where Andal is waking up everyone and finally Krishna drawing their attention to the daybreak, denoted by the bugle sound of the cowherds and the sound of churning of the curd. 21. sthokasthoka nirudDhyamaana mrdhulaprasyandhimanhasmitham premodhbhedhanirargalaprasrmarapravyaktharomodhgamam Srothum Srothramanoharam vrajavaDhooleelaamiThojalpitham miThyaasvaapam upaasmahe bhagavathah kreedaanimeeladhrSah Let us meditate on the fake sleep of Krishna, miThyaasvaapam, who has closed his eyes playfully, kreedaanimeeladhrSah, with his lips trembling in uncontrollable smile, on hearing the sweet conversations of the gopis who seeing him exchange teasing words, vrajavaDhooleelaamiThojalpitham and his whole body displaying the excitement with love for them. Krishna sees the gopis coming towards him and feigns sleep. But his body shows his excitement on seeing them due to his love for them. They start conversing among themselves referring to his exploits teasingly which makes him smile. But he tries to control it yet it becomes perceptible slowly. Leelasuka contemplates on this delightful picture of Krishna pretending to sleep. The devotees long to see the Lord open His eyes slowly and look at them. Andal says , `chengaN sirucchiridhE emmEl vizhiyaavO,' entreating Krishna to slowly open his eyes and look at them. The sight of the Lord sleeping is a great joy . Hence the Lord as Ranganatha and Padmanabha is very dear to His devotees. When He looks at us with half-closed eyes, He will only see the devotion and not our faults as when He opens His eyes fully. The sleep of the Lord is always feigned as the world will collapse if He really close His eyes. He is incessantly acting in order to protect the world and His sleep is only yoganidra. Krishna says in Bhagavatgita, `uthseedheyurime lokaah na kuryaam karma cheth aham,'(BG-3-24 ), meaning that if He does not act always the worlds will cease to exist. This is the idea expressed here which shows that the devotees in all places and all ages think alike. 22.vichithrapathraankuraSaalibaalaa sthanaantharam mouni manaantharam vaa apaasya brindhaavanpaadhapaasyam upaasyam anyam na vilokayaama Except the chest of the young girls, baalaasthanaantharam, decorated with variety of leaves and buds, vichithra pathrankurasaali, or the heart of the sages, mouni manontharam, or the foot of the trees of Brindavan, brindhaavanapaadhapaasyam, there is no other place to seek Krishna upaasyam anyath na vilokayaama. Krishna lives in the heart of the gopis whose devotion even surpasses that of sages. So Leelasuka says you can find Him in the mind of the sages by all means but He is easily available in the heart of the gopis and under the trees of Brindavan. In Srimadbhagavatham Krishna himself extols the love of gopis to Uddava. He says that the gopis, cows and even trees and other animals attained him by sheer love. Here the word mouni can mean those who have their minds engrossed in the Lord as mentioned in the Gita.' mayyeva manaaadhathsva,' who have given up all attachment and contemplate only on Him with devotion. The gopis were equal to the sages in this respect, if not more because they never studied the sasthras or observed any austerities but surrendered to Him body and soul. Uddhava says on seeing the devotion of the gopis, Ethaah param thanubhrtho bhuvi gopavaDhvah govinda eva nikhilaathmani rooDabhaavaah vaancChanthi yath bhavabhiyah muanyah vayam cha kim brahmajanmabhih ananthakaThaa rasasya (Bh. 10-47-58) It means that the gopis are really obtained the fruit of embodiment by their firm-rooted love for Govinda, surrendering to Him body and soul, whom the sages and the devotees like himself wish to attain, fearing the samsara . What earthly use is the birth as a brahmin for one who savoured the story of Hari! This reflects the idea expressed by the Lord in Bhagavtgita, `Naaham vedairna thapasa nadhaanena na chejyayaa----- bhakthyaathu ananyayaa labhyah.' " I am not attained by learning the Vedas, nor by penance nor by charitable acts nor by performing sacrifices. I am solely attainable through selfless and unswerving devotion. " Uddhava says, `vandhe nandhavrajasthreeNaam paadhareNum abheekshnaSah, yaasaam harikaThodhgeetham punaathi bhuvanathrayam.'meaning, " I salute the dust under the feet of the gopis who purify the three worlds by singing the names of Hari. " 23. saarDham samrddhaih amrthaayamaanaih aaDhymayamaanaih muraleeninaadhaih moorDhaabhiShiktham maDhuraakrtheenaam baalam kadhaa naama vilokayishye When am I going to see the young Krishna who is the crowning beauty of all lovely forms along with his music from the flute that creates abundance of nectar! Krishna plays the flute which pours nectar in the ears of the listeners, and added to that His form is loveliness personified a crowning glory of all things beautiful. He is thus soundaryalaharee, ocean of beauty and maadhurya laharee, sea of sweetness by his music and thus creating aanandhalaharee, waves of joy in the mind of the devotees. He creates the longing for more in those who see him and hear him, This reminds us of the sloka in Narayaneeyam where NarayanaBhattadhri describes Guruvayurappan from head to foot. He says, " seeing the beautiful young form in front of me, dhivya kaiSoraveSham, I am merged in nectar, peeyooShaaplaavithoham. He entreats the Lord, ` place your flute, veNunaaleem, on your lips , and fill our ears with the flow of the nectar of nadha brahmam that cools the whole universe, SabdhabrahmaamrthaiH SiSirithabhuvanaiH sincha me karNaveeTheem.' 24. SiSireekuruthe kadhaa nu naH SikhipicChaabharanaSiSur dhrSoH yugalam vigalan maDhudhrava smitha mudhraa mrdhunaa mukhendhunaa When will the child Krishna wearing the ornament of the peacock feathers please our eyes with his soft moon-like face giving out his nectarine smile! Let us see how Narayana bhattadhri describes the form of Krishna adorned by peacock feathers and his smile. Neelaabham kunchithaagram ghanam amalatharam samyatham chaarubhangyaa Rathnotthamsabhiraamam valayitham udhayath chandhrikaih pincChjaalaih (Nara.100-2) The hair of Krishna is thick and black curling at the ends and bound beautifully and adorned with gems. On that the peacock feathers shine with the eye-like center resembling the rising moon. Vedantadesika gives a tall order to the Lord, adharaahitha chaaruvamsanaaLaah makutaalambhimayoorapicchamaalaah harineelasilaavibhangaleelaah prathibhaah mamaanthimaprayaaNe santhu ( (Gopalavimsathi-12) Desika entreats the Lord to appear in front of him during his last journey with all His splendour , His flute on His lower lip, peacockfeather applied to his locks as a garland and His body shining like a blue sapphire. Leelasuka also expresses the same wish elsewhere. 25. kaaruNyakarburakataakShanireekshaNena thaaruNya samvalitha SaiSava vaibhavena aapuShNathaa bhuvanam adbhuthavibhrameNa Sree krshNa chandhra SiSireepurulochanam me. Oh Krishna chandhra, with your look tender with mercy, with your form elegant and young, with your sportive acts that nourish the whole world, cool down my eyes also. Here Krishna is called Krishna Chandra , the moon who is Krishna. It denotes wonder as he is Krishna dark and yet he is the moon. He is elegant like the moon, nourishes the world by he is nectar of glance like the rays of the moon. The commentators say that by denoting Krishna as the moon the eye of the devotee signifies the lily, kumudha that blossoms by the rays of the moon. The eyes of the Lord is compared to both the Sun and the Moon, fierce like the Sun to wards the wicked and cool like the Moon towards His devotees. Andal says,' thingaLum aadhitthiyanum ezhundhaarpol angaN iraNdum koNdu engaL mel nokkudhiyEl engaL mEl Saapam izhindhElO rempaavaai.' (Thiruppavai-23) It means that if the Lord looks at us with both His eyes like the rising Sun and the Moon our sins will be washed off. Rising Sun is quite pleasant and the Moon is always cool. Here Krishna himself is addressed as chandhra because his whole being is oozing with nectar and his glance full of mercy will be cooling to the devotee who is tormented by the heat of the samsara. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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