Saturday, September 15, 2012

'Shri Krishna Karnamrita:' Tenth Shloka

apanga-rekhabhir abhangurabhir
                                          ananga-rekha-rasa-rashjitabhih  |
anukshanam ballava-sundaribhir-
                                          abhyarcyamanam vibhum ashrayamah  ||10||


Simple Meaning:

Blue-hued Krishna's Madhurya is Relished by a Gopi's Sidelong Glance

I seek refuge in that Vibhu ( all pervasive Supreme Lord Krishna) whose madhurya rasa is relished constantly and eternally by clusters of lovely Braja gopis when they cast continuous sidelong glances from eyes tinged red with unaffected passion.

The Rasa-laden Commentary:


Lord Krishna's Beauty Adulated by Braj Beauties

Once again Shri Shri Lilashuk takes shelter in the same Vibhu (Supreme Lord) whose ineffable beauty is savoured every moment by Braj beauties who fixedly stare at him with sidelong glances aroused by passion, from the corners of their eyes. How is this Vibhu? When the name 'Vi' , manifests in different names and forms for the sake of showering grace on His bhaktas, that is Vibhu. Secondly He is that Vibhu who is the repository of beauty, madhurya or sweet love, cleverness and generosity. One is acquiring familiarity with Him (Vibhu) through the gopis and the mind is being becoming resolute over and over again, He is repeatedly being made the topic of intentness.



The Sidelong Glance of a Braj Gopi

The assemblage of lovely Braja gopis are repeatedly trying to mark the picture of Lord Krishna on the screen of their mind through their ogling ( sidelong) glance which is indestructible or infinite-the look is not slanting and is straight. The glance is sidelong but the current or flow is straightway reaching its target.Which means  in entirety this unbroken stream sweeps away all the obstacles of this path.



The Gopi's Glance is Loaded with Passion

Does the stream of this gaze have any particular appearance? Shri Lilashuk answers that this stream is attaced to  kama rasa or the essence of passion. Within it is has a red streak and outside it has the dark streak of lampblack. Which means that a glance is the only arrow whose backside, the corners of the eyes, are tinted with the redness of rasa and its front portion is tinted with the darkness of passion. The front and back of the glances are coloured so that whether the target has been pierced or not can be known by the colours themselves. The purpose of casting a sidelong glance which has a mixture of redness and blackness is as if a siddha ( a person perfected or sanctified by penance) transmits energy into a worthy recipient with his gaze. 


The Gopis Transform Krishna Into Rasikraja

In exactly the same way Braj's beloveds seem to be repeately trying to make Rasraja Krishna into Rasikraja ( rasiks are persons moved by passionate religious devoion esp for Krishna)by colouring the glance from within and outside with the streak of passion loaded with rasa. And they long for Him, the icon of rasa, to firmly gain entry into the screen of their heart. However, even on repeatedly looking at Him the ardently longing of the Braj beauties is not being pacified. Kind of unsatisfied and tormented by desire they curse the Creator for having given them just two eyes. If every pore of their being had eyes then they could have stared at Him without blinking, to their heart's content and relished the icon of beauty and rasa.


A Gopi Sheds Tears of Joy On Seeing Krishna

In the words of Kaviraja Goswami Pad, the charming form of Lord Krishna, the ocean of madhurya (sweet love)is gushing forth like infinite waves and swelling. These ever thirsting brides of Braja are drinking  in His beauteous form with the sidelong glance of their thirsting eyes. So that the eyelids may not become a hindrance while drinking in the charming form of Lord Krishna with the tips of their eyes-and tears of joy streaming down may not become an obstruction while having the darshan of Krishna-they are repeatedly praticing to see him directly and fixedly with wide open eyes.  


The Gopis Represent Krishna's Hungering Devotees

Even when the gopis have constinuous darshan of dark-hued Krishna while relishing His madhurya, they are always hungering for more. This ardent longing of theirs is constantly growing and never defeated. It is only possible to taste Lord Krishna's madhurya or sweet love through prema. This rasa can not be relished even with a thousand senses if they are devoid of love.

1 comment:

Minakshi said...

Very beautifully defined "the sidelog glance with unbroken stream"
of Braj gopis to see shri Krishana in this Shloka.Very apealing & attractive photograghs give a
different 'Bhav'.
thanks for this work.
minakshi.