by Muddupalani
Inspired as they are
By the vision of Purushottama, my lady!’
85. As the maids sang his virtues,
She with the dishevelled hair,
Listening to them,
Walked languidly about the garden.
86. And as she meandered
Amongst myriad flowers and verdant greens
Colliding with mango trees, crashing into bushes
Restless and agitated
Anxious and confused
Unsteady of mind and body
She cursed the Fates
Until her able maidens
Held, comforted, consoled her.
87. Fighting shy, seeing the sari slip
The sun ran off to the west
If he, an enemy of kaluva flowers,
Could feel for Radha,
How much worse would the others feel?
88. The redness of dusk spreads visibly,
As though Manmatha is incensed,
Angry at the separation of these lovers.
Darkness shrouds as though Kamadeva’s
Maya envelops the wanderers.
Stars appear as if Kandarpa
Has created balls of fire to strike down Surya.
The moon appears to be the chakra
In the hands of Ananga.
Like the fragrance of jasmine,
Moonlight envelops the earth
As though the Love God
Has covered it with a mammoth, white tent.
89. As the tulips flowered,
The lotus wilted
As chakoras longed for moonlight,
Jakkavas chirped
As the courtesan and her lover settled their differences,
Married couples arose satiated.
As the Love God got ready, sharpening his arrows …
90. Love tormented her within and without
A soft breeze wafted
As songbird and parrots, swans, nightingales
Surrounded her, tormenting her.
Restless as her pain grew, at a loss, so, so tired
Seeing the setting moon in the sky
Set her off.
91. Unhappy at being alone
She addressed the moon:
‘Born of the ocean
Brother to Goddess Lakshmi
Friend of the lotus
Brother-in-law to the lotus-eyed man
Plunging me into deep darkness
Though cool yourself
Is it fair on your part,
O Lord of the Tulip,
To be so unkind to me?
92. ‘Travelling on the ox of time
Preying on separated lovers,
Making their lives miserable,
You call yourself a king?
Yama are you, the King of Death!
93. ‘Your brothers and sons
Accept you not,
Wandering as you do through the night.
Even Ravana and Ditija have you outdone!
You I cannot trust, son of Yatri.
94. ‘Abducting your guru’s wife
Beating up Brahmins and restraining brothers
Acting with discrimination
Is what you do …
O king! To hell and oblivion will you fall!
95. ‘Holding poison in his throat,
The wandering mendicant with the begging bowl,
Smeared ash on his body
The great Ugradeva,
Was a fool to keep you on his head,
You wanderer of the night!’
96. Then, in despair, the despondent lady addressed the god of love:
97. ‘Born was he along with poison,
The moon can do nothing but harass beautiful women,
That’s fine;
But you, born of Padmini and the lotus-eyed Vishnu,
O god of love!
You too are as fickle as your maternal uncle, unfortunately.
98. ‘Having made an enemy of your uncle, the moon
Having assumed your father’s mantle to torment me
Are you trying to kill all women?
Oh! How could you?’
99. Still unhappy, she continued her rant:
‘Is this fair on your part, O breeze from Malaya?
Changing directions, blowing hot and cold,
Captivating hearts with your gentleness
Do you blow from Lanka where women are forcibly abducted?
Are you capable of that too?
Are you the older or younger brother of Ravana?
I know not …’
100. Deeply depressed, she then addressed the various birds:
101. ‘I could imprison you for
Conspiring with the hunter of cranes
I will donate all that’s yours to the crows
I could dethrone you, with help from the gopikas
I could crush you under my feet with help from the dark clouds
I can wear you down with my complaints
And control your dancing with help from the lotus-eyed one
You parrots who have turned red with anger
You nightingales who sing incessantly
You swans who strut at leisure
You peacocks who shriek as you please.’
102. Thus she lamented long and loud …
103. Radha, her heart throbbing with grief,
Said to her friends around her:
‘Where is that parrot who is Manmatha’s vahana,
Who only helped him burn me with his arrows?
God, my fever only rises!
104. ‘Why hasn’t the pretty parrot returned?
Where has it gone?
Did it lose its way?
Did it reach the Lord at all?
Did it see that thief of hearts?
Did it present my case to him?
Or did it to succumb to Souri’s sweet words?
105. ‘Who is the lotus-eyed eyeing now,
That my right eye twitches so?
Whose lips is Souri attracted to now?
That my red lips itch so?
Which of those maidens preoccupies him now,
That my shoulders shake uncontrollably?
The one who lies on Adi Shesha, who is he courting now,
That my thighs ache so?
Who is the woman who controls him now,
That my body trembles?
O! Why hasn’t that parrot returned?
What can the reason be?
I can’t understand, my dear friends!
106. ‘Even when my lover merely thinks of another woman,
My head starts to hurt.
Now there is nothing but pain
Could this be anything else but love?
107. ‘I can’t but remember him
Strumming on the veena
Laughing and singing with pleasure
His shining garments showing though
Dishevelled bed sheets
As colourful anklets tinkled noisily …
My heart beats furiously
I feel so lost
O! I sense Souri returning!
108. ‘Seated on a mast elephant
Led by mahouts moving languorously,
As if approaching me
Seated on a wild white charger,
As though approaching me
Followed by sword-wielding soldiers
Drawing close to me
Accompanied by maids whose toe rings tinkle
As if he is drawing close to me …
109. ‘As he partakes of paan
That ladies offer from either side
His eyes focused on me
Stealing my heart
As if Souri has come home to me
I can see and feel nothing else!
110. ‘His necklaces swing
His sword slaps against his thigh
His upper cloth hangs limp with sweat
Smudged with kasturi
My voice breaks
Is Shrihari m
aking his way through the crowd?
Is this real or an illusion?
111. ‘It’s acceptable for young lovelorn maidens
To feel Manmatha’s painful arrows.
But alas, here I am, depressed and low
Sensing Hari both within and without.
112. ‘Have there not been lovers before?
Have they not been separated?
Did they lament thus?
Did they wander as though bereft of life?
Why do I talk thus?
O dear maidens, truly I shouldn’t have
Spoken ill of Hari, he who walks like an elephant.
113. ‘That epitome of grace and beauty
Of all that is generous and regal
The one who is sensuous but dignified
What stature, what sensitivity,
What pleasure, what loveliness he possesses!
How unlucky am I to not possess such a Lord.
114. ‘When I kiss him, he kisses me back,
Saying, “Here, my lady, I’ve repaid your loan.”
When I press my lips to his, he does the same,
Saying, “Lovely lady, this is a feast in return for your feast.”
When I place my cheeks against his, he does the same,
Saying, “My beautiful tressed lady, we are equal now.”
When I embrace him, he cuddles me back,
Engaging in intercourse, he responds eagerly,
Saying, “My fish-eyed one, this is fair exchange!”
How playful is my young Krishna!
How long will I remember?
What shall I do?
115. ‘If I say, “Don’t press your lips against mine, they’ll tease me,”
He does it all the more.
“Don’t pull my hair,” I say, “our secret will be out,”
Irritatingly he messes my tresses even more.
“Don’t press my breasts, it makes me shy,” I say
He playfully scratches them with his fingernails even more.
“Hurry, I hear voices, finish it fast,” I say.
But he prolongs the act
Making love all night long.
“Be silent,” I say, but he jabbers on even more
“Quieten your laughter,” I say, and he chuckles loudly
His antics fill my heart
Why does he torment me so?
116. ‘His clear eyes and kind words
His playfulness and melodious music
His sweet face and long, curved neck
His strong chest and dignity
His gracious lips and perfumed hair
His bountiful grace and generosity
His proud shoulders and radiant face
His sly glances and loving looks
His attitude
His actions
His richness
No one else has them,
No one can forget them.
117. ‘Afraid of staring at him long and hard
Inviting bad omens as it were
I did not look at him to my heart’s content
Afraid that they may be ruptured
I did not kiss his lips to my heart’s content
Afraid that his chest may crumble under pressure
I did not hold him to my heart’s content
Afraid that if I prolonged the act he would tire,
I did not make love to my heart’s content
Afraid that it may cause pain
I did not press my cheek against his
I thought Nandasuta’s love would last forever …
Not end so abruptly!
118. ‘The moon that promised serenity earlier on,
Now glares at me, aggravating me.
Manmatha, who was a friend and companion,
Has turned into a killer now.
Cool breezes that once offered succour
Now threaten to blow me away.
Giving me all that I needed,
Surabhi chases me like a common cow now.
Fire scorches and arrows sting like bees now
Friends have turned into foes
Is it because Krishna cares no longer for me?
119. ‘Cool me down with kumkum
Apply sandalwood to my forehead
Alas, nothing cools my ardour!’
Thus utterly dejected, sorry and unhappy,
Radha sat still
Waiting …
120. When suddenly like a thunderbolt loud
Like Kamadeva thrown off his mount
When struck by Shiva,
Winging his way across the horizon
Appeared the parrot green …
121. Suddenly animated,
Seeing the parrot approach,
Curly-haired Radha arose excitedly,
‘Come, O parrot mine, come!’
The bird came as bid, settling on her wrist,
Despondent
Dejected.
122. As the sweet-tongued parrot
Settled on her arm,
Radha, her lips shaking, nose ring twitching,
Sweetly inquired:
123. ‘Did you see him, my Lord?
Did you glance at his lovely face?
Have you heard my Lord’s words?
Did it ignite your passions?
Did you sit on the Lord’s chest,
While your injuries healed?
Did he receive you courteously?
Did you experience his playfulness?
Did he run after that woman,
While I lamented here alone?
Dear parrot, life is unbearable without him!
124. ‘Devaki’s young son,
Vasudeva’s child
Yashoda’s favourite,
When can I see him?
Brother of Baladeva,
Life and soul of the gopis,
Greatest of Yadavas,
Souri, Arjuna’s brother-in-law and Lakshmi’s consort,
Did you see him, O parrot?
125. ‘Pray, my pet parrot,
Why don’t you answer?
We can’t foretell our future …
What’s to happen will happen, so tell me true.
When you have come to offer yoghurt, why hide the bowl?
Just tell me!’
126. Hearing this, the parrot,
Clearing its throat, steadied itself, and said,
‘O sweet-voiced beautiful lady,
The other day, you sent me to fetch Krishna …
127. ‘But my dear lady, what can I say?
How can I describe
What I saw at Hari’s house?
For surrounded was he
By thousands of young women.
128. ‘His broad chest is immeasurable
Eyes reach the ends of his face
Smooth, soft cheeks
Shining complexion
Ruby-red lips
Arms long and majestic
Feet like fresh leaves
Neck like a conch
A peacock feather on his crown
An enchanting smile on his face
Arousing all around him
Was the divine Gopala chakravarti.
129. ‘With his flower-decked hair loosened,
Walking regally with his friends,
Inspecting the love garden,
He was the very picture of perfect loveliness …
130. ‘As one gopi tried to press him against her breasts,
Another made kissing gestures.
As one demanded he love her like Radha,
Another pressed her cheeks against his.
One beauty addressed him with gentle sweetness
While another pretended to be angry.
A curly-haired siren blew air kisses
While another devotedly pressed his feet.
One touched him playfully
While another tried to seduce him.
131. ‘“This is no time for talk …”
So thinking,
&
nbsp; I perched on the mango tree,
As the young ladies gathered around …
I watched silently.
132. ‘One gorgeous maiden chided him,
“You cunning man! I admire your guile …
Abandoning our friend to the whims of Manmatha,
Is it fair you play with maidens here?”
133. ‘Realizing she was Ila’s friend,
He embraced her charmingly
Getting her to promise
Not to mention this to Ila!
134. ‘Ignoring the stunner
Staring lustfully at him
Turning away from the approaching beauty
With desire written all over her
Overlooking the seductive woman
Stripping her upper garment to attract him
Shying away from the charmer
Who was loosening her hair and approaching him lustfully …
135. ‘His hair hanging undone
His necklace loosened
Anklets resounding
Body sweating with trepidation,
He thinks only of Ila.
136. ‘As Souri walked into her room, the young beauty, blossoming on love and lust, breasts heaving under her plunging neckline, yearning shining in her eyes, desire overpowering her lovely face, approached the rogue Krishna, Lord of Lords.
She then embraced him, dragging him forcefully to the bed and started to seduce him, herself completely aroused.
137. ‘Surreptitiously then
Entering the room
Hiding behind some dolls
I perched,
To witness their performance.
138. ‘The room was decorated for his arrival, perfumed with jasmine and sampangi flowers, their fragrance wafting through. Silver plates were laden with fruits, sweets and tambulam, filigreed silver pots were filled with sandalwood paste and cool, delicious wine.
Music played softly in the background. And, in the centre of the room, stood a large bed strewn with rose buds and jasmine on which lay down Ila and Madhava.
139. ‘Teasing seductively
Touching tenderly
Laughing lustfully
Whispering sweetly
Ardent kisses preceded the playful foreplay
Of fervent embraces and telling bites.
Whispering sweet words of encouragement,
“Ah! How good is that! Well done! O God!
Wonderful, fantastic, don’t stop!”
With what words can I describe this?
140. ‘As Kamsa’s killer came to embrace,
She coquettishly stepped forward
Pressing her breasts unto him with fervour.
As he pressed his lips against hers,
She responded fervently.
As he drew his nails over her bare back,
She did the same on his cheeks.
141. ‘And thus they indulged
Exploring pleasure
Different postures, differing styles
Regaling and pleasing each other.
142. ‘As Krishna tried different bandhas,
She responded with ease.
And as he climaxed,