More on Radha

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But listen to these songs about Radha¹s relationship to Lord Krishna.

 

³Radha has every right to say it;

She has kept awake for Krishna.

She has stayed awake all night,

And she has every right to be piqued.²

³Krishna, my sole Beloved! Where have you gone with my life? O friends,

O companions of Love, bring my tender Krishna to me! Then alone will you be

my friends. Or take my inert form to Him, and I will be your eternal

slave.²

 

³I have not found my Krishna, O friend!

How cheerless my home without Him!

 

Ah, if Krishna could only be the hair upon my head,

Carefully, I should braid it then, and deck it with wildflowers.

Carefully I should fashion the braids out of my Krishna-hair.

Krishna is black and my hair is black; black would be one with black!

 

Ah, if Krishna could only be the ring I wear in my nose,

Always from my nose He would hang and my two lips could touch Him.

But it can never be, alas! Why should I idly dream?

Why should Krishna care at all to be the ring in my nose?

 

Ah, if Krishna could only be the bracelets on my arms,

Always He would cling to my wrists, and proudly I should walk,

Shaking my bracelets to make them sound, shaking my arms to show them;

Down the king¹s highway I should walk, wearing my Krishna bracelets.²

 

³Behold, there Radha stands by Krishna;

On His bosom she rests.

Behold her standing at His left,

Like a golden creeper twining

Round a black tamala tree!²

 

³Simply by looking in His eyes,

I find the Beloved of my heart;

But rare is such a soul who rides the high tide of heavenly love.²

 

³Can everyone have the vision of Radha? Can everyone taste her love? This,

the rarest treasure of all, no earthly wealth can buy.²

 

 

Note: All quotations come from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by M., English

translation by Swami Nikhilananda, copyright 1942, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda

Center, New York, New York.