The Gopi’s Song Of Separation

The gopis or cow-herd girl are the eternally intimate friend of Srimati Radharani. The gopis in Vrindavan total one hundred and eight in number, they are generally divided into three groups, gopi friends of the same age as Krishna, maidservants and gopi messengers. The first group are the most exalted, Krishna’s contemporary gopi friends, the second group are the maidservants and are the next most exalted, and the gopi messengers come after them. The primary eight gopis are considered the foremost after Srimati Radharani. Their names are Lalita, Vishakha, Campakalata, Citra, Tungavidya, Indulekha, Rangadewi and Sudevi.

(1)

gopya ucuh
jayati te ‘dhikam janmana vrajah
srayata indira sasvad atra hi
dayita drsyatam diksu tavakas
tvayi dhrtasavas tvam vicinvate

The gopis say, “O most beloved, because of  Your birth in this land of Vraja, the entire area has become more glorious than Vaikuntha and other planets. It is for this reason that Laksmi, the goddess of beauty and wealth, eternally decorates it with her presence. O beloved, in this most blissful land of Vraja, it is only we gopis who are not happy. We maintion our lives solely for Your sake, being extremely anguished in separation from You, and are wandering from forest to forest in search of You. Therefore, please, appear before us now.

(2)

sarad udasaye sadhu-jata-sat-
sarasi jodara-sri-musa drsa
surata-natha te ‘sulka-dasika
vara-da nighnato neha kim vadhah

O Krsna, master of amorous pleasure, O bestower of benedictions, we are Your unpaid maidservants. You are killing us by the glance of  Your eyes that steal even the proud beauty of the whorl of supremely enchanting, highly born lotuses that blossom exquisitely in ponds during the autumn season. Is killing by a glance not considered murder in this world?

(3)

visa-jalapyayad vyala-raksasad
varsa-marutad vaidyutanalat
vrsa-mayatmajad visvato bhayad
rsabha te vayam raksita muhuh

O crest-jewel among men, time and again You saved us cowherd maidens from the grip of death – from the poisonous water of  Kaliya-hrda in the Yamuna where the srpnt Kaliya resided, from the python Aghasura, and from the rain and terrible storm of  Indra. You saved us from the whirlwind demon Trnavarta, from the firing of  Indra’s thunderbolts, from the dreadful forest fire, from the bull-demon Aristasura, from the son of Maya named Vyomasura, and from every other kind of threat.

(4)

na khalu gopika-nandano bhavan
akhila-dehinam antaratma-drk
vikhanasarthito visva-guptaye
sakha udeyvan satvatam kule

O friend, it is absolutely certain that You are not only the son of  Yasoda; You are also the Supersoul who resides in the hearts of  all living beings. In response to the prayer of Lord Brahma, You have appeared in the dynasty of  devotees in order to protect the universe.

(5)

viracitabhayam vrsni-dhurya te
carnam iyusam samsrter bhayat
kara-saroruham kanta kama-dam
sirasi dhehi nah sri-kara-graham

O crest jewel of the Yadu dynasty, O beloved, Your lotus hand grants fearlessness to those souls who, terrified by the cycle of  birth and death, surrender to Your lotus feet. O fulfiller of our desires, please place on our heads that very lotus hand, which grants fearlessness and which accepted both the hands of Laksmi.

(6)

vraja-janarti-han vira yositam
nija-jana-smaya-dhvamsana-smita
bhaja sakh bhavat-kinkrih sma no
jalaruhananam caru darsaya

O You who destroys the sorrows of the residents of Vraja; O best among heroes, the beam of whose mere smile shatters the pride of  Your near and dear ones, which arises from good fortune, and from the sulky mood (mana) arising from that pride. O dear friend, please fulfill the desire of  Your maidservants. At least this once, kindly show us helpless girls Your attractive lotus face and make us happy.

(7)

pranata-dehinam papa-karsanam
trna-caragunam sri-niketanam
phani-phanarpitam te padambujam
krnu kucesu nah krndhi hrc-chayam

Your lotus feet remove all the past sins of embodied beings who surrender to them, and they chase after the cows and calves that graze in the pastures. Those lotus feet are the abode of  Laksmi-devi, the goddess wealth and beauty, and Your placed them even upon the hoods, of a serpent (Kaliya). Please place those very lotus feet upon our breast, and subdue our sufferings that have arisen from the lust in our hearts.

(8)

madhuraya gira valgu-vakyaya
budha-manojnaya puskareksana
vidhi-karir ima vira muhyatir
adhara-sidhunapyayayasva nah

O lotus-eyed one, we are bewildered by Your sweet voice, replete with enchanting words that capture even the minds of scholars who are clever and expert in rasa. O hero, we gopis are Your maidservants who carry out Your every order. Please restore our lives with the divine ambrosia of  Your lips.

(9)

tava kathamrtam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad atatam
bhuvi grnanti ye bhuri-da janah

Nectarean discussions about You are the life and soul of those who are tormented by separation from You, and geartly learned personalities, such as Brahma, Siva, and the four Kumaras, sing of them. Those narrations vanquish the distress of past sins (prarabdha and aprarabdha). Immediately the wealth of prema. The nectar or Your narrations is expanded by those who glorify Your pastimes, and therefore such narrators are truly the most generous benefactors in the world.

(10)

prahasitam priya-prema-viksanam
viharanam ca te dhyana-mangalam
rahasi samvido ya hrdi sprsah
kuhaka no manah ksobhayanti hi

O beloved master, having seen You as You conversed intimately with us in secret places – having seen Your smiling face, which acts as a stimulus for our amorous desires, Your glancing at us with love, and Your expansive chest, which is the eternal resting place of the goddess of fortune – our hankering to meet with You has increased manifold, and therefore our minds are repeatedly bewildered.

(11)

calasi yad vrajc carayan pasun
nalina-sundaram natha te padam
sila-trnankuraih sidatiti nah
kalilatam manah kanta gacchati

O master, O beloved, when You leave Vraja to take the cows and other animals out to graze, the soles of  Your feet, which are more tender than a lotus, must suffer great pain from sharp pebbles, grasses, and the edges of dry grains. When we think about this, our minds become very agitated.

(12)

dina-pariksaye nila-kuntalair
vanaruhananam bibhrad avrtam
ghana-rajasvalam darsayan muhur
manasi nah smaram vira yacchasi

O beloved hero, as the day draws to an end, You return from the forest, Your lotus face partly covered by Your bluish-black locks of curling hair and veiled in a very thin layer of  dust rising from the host of cows’ hooves. At that time, by repeatedly showing us Your beautiful lotus face so exquisitely ornamented, You arouse amorous desire within our minds.

(13)

pranata-kama-dam padmajarcitam
dharani-mandanam dhyeyam apadi
carana-pankajam santamam ca te
ramana nah stanesv arpayadhi-han

O dear most beloved, O destroyer of all sorrow, Your lotus feet, which fulfill all desires of  Your surrendered devotees, are worshiped by Brahma, who was born from the lotus, and they are the ornament that embellishes the earth. When meditated upon they remove all calamity, and when accepting service, they bestow supreme bliss. Kindly place such lotus feet upon our breast.

(14)

surata-vardhanam soka-nasanam
svarita-venuna susthu cumbitam
itara-raga-vismaranam nrnam
vitara vira nas te ‘dharamrtam

O hero, the nectar of  Your lips increases the pleasure of amorous meeting, and it eliminates all sorrow due to separation from You. Your ambrosial lips are passionately kissed by Your singing flute, and they cause every human being who drinks that nectar, even once, to gorget about all other attachments. O hero, please make us drink the nectar of  Your lips.

(15)

atati yad bhavan ahni kananam
truti yugayate tvam apasyatam
kutila-kuntalam sri-mukham ca te
jada udiksatam paksma-krd drsam

O beloved, unable to see You, as You roam the forest, engaging in pleasure pastime during the day, we experience every moment as a millennium. Then, upon Your return from the forest at dusk, although we eagerly gaze upon Your exquisitely beautiful lotus face adorned with curly locks, we become greatly perturbed by the occasional blinking of our eyes. At that time, the creator of eyelids appears a fool to us.

(16)

pati-sutanvaya-bhratr-bandhavan
ativilanghya te ‘nty acyutagatah
gati-vidas tavodgita-mohitah
kitava yositah kas tyajen nisi

O Acyuta, You know very well, bewitched by the loud song of Your flute, we rejected our husband, sons, brothers, friends, and our entire family. Disregarding their desires we disobeyed their orders and came to You. O cheater, who but You would abandon young ladies like us, who have come in this manner to You during the night?

(17)

rahasi samvidam hrc-chayodayam
prahasitananam prema-viksanam
brhad-urah sriyo viksya dhama te
muhur ati-sprha muhyate manah

O beloved master, having seen You as You conversed intimately with us in secret places – Your smiling face, which acts as a stimulus for our amorous desires, Your glancing at us with love, and Your expansive chest, which is the eternal resting place of the goddess of  fortune – our hankering to meet with you has increased manifold and our minds are separatedly bewildered.

(18)

vraja-vanaukasam vyaktir anga te
vrjina-hantry alam visva-mangalam
tyaja manak ca nas tvat-sprhatmanam
sva-jana-hrd-rujam yan nisudanam

O Krsna, Your appearance completely destroys the sorrows of  Vraja’s residents, and in every way brings auspiciousness to the world. Our hearts, which desire You alone, are agonized by our heart-disease. Therefore, giving up all miserliness, kindly give in charity a little bit of  that medicine which can cure Your dear ones.

(19)

yat te sujata-caranamburuham stanesu
bhitah sanaih priya dadhimahi karkasesu
tenatavim atasi tad vyathate na kim svit
kurpadibhir bhramati dhir bhavad-ayusam nah

O beloved, fearing to hurt Your very tender lotus feet, we carefully plac them on our hard breast. Tonight, with those very same soft feet, You are wandering somewhere in this secluded forest. Are Your lotus feet therefore feet not in pain, being injured by sharp pebbles, stones, and the like? O You who are our very life, our intelligence is bewildered overwhelmed with thoughts of  You.

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