Today's Beautiful Gem: Part II of the
nineteenth ashtapadi from Geetagovinda
by Jayadeva, transcreated by me.
"sphuratu kucakumbhayor upari maNimanjarI ranjayatu tava
hRdayades'aM
rasatu ras'anApi tava jaghanamaNDale ghoSayatu manmathanidesam
"May the gem-laden necklaces over your
round breasts glow on your chest;
May the belt around your waist jingle; may the message of
Manmatha echo!
"sthalakamalaganjanaM mama hRdayaranjanaM
janitaratirangaparabhAgaM
bhaNa masRNavaaNi karavANi caraNadvayaM sarasa lasat alaktaka
rAgam
"Resembling the red lotus, pleasing to my
heart, matchless during love-play,
Your two feet, I will adorn them myself with red lac; pray, speak
to me
in your gentle voice.
"smaragaralakhanDanaM mama s'irasi
maNDanaM dehi padapallavam udAraM
jvalati mayi dAruNo madanakadana analo haratu tat upAhita vikAram
"Tonic to the poison of Kama, may your
soft handsome feet be an ornament to
my head;
May the intense heat of love-fire that is burning me be
extinguished by them.
"iti caTula cATu paTu cAru muravairiNo
rAdhikAm adhi vacanajAtaM
jayati jayadevakavi bhArateebhUSitaM
maaninIjanajanitas'Atam"
"Thus the pretty, sweet, skillful words
spoken to Radha by Krishna,
Pleasing to the hearts of women, were composed by the poet
Jayadeva."
Note: The metrical patterns in Gita Govinda are unique and
exquisite.
There is a story concerning the composition of this aSTapadi of
Jayadeva.
Jayadeva wrote the first six padas without any effort. When he
came to the
seventh (smaragarala...), he beacme unsure. He thought that it
would be a
blasphemy for Krishna's head to touch Radha's feet. So he, a
resident of
Puri, left his work aside and went to the Jagannatha temple,
perhaps to seek
divine guidance. After a while he returned home. He asked his
wife
Padmavati what took place while he was in the temple. His wife
replied:
`When did you leave and go to the temple? You were sitting there
and
writing all the while.' Jayadeva took out his palm leaves. Lo and
behold!
The seventh pada was already written for him, may be, by Lord
Krishna
himself. This is only a story and an interesting one too. Anyway,
the moral
is, in love there are no distinctions and there are no
inequalities. Listen
to your heart and the head will take care of itself!
om s'aantih: Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao
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