KRISHNA PŪRBBARĀGA
The First Passion of Krishna
Rādhā first seen:
'She was a phantom of delight When first she gleamed upon my sight.'
Wordsworth.
2. 'Unstained,' literally 'without antelope.' Indian fancy sees in the moon's markings, not a 'man in the moon,' but an antelope (or a hare). Rādhā is flawless, and so lovelier than the moon itself.
4. 'Sūrm,' viz. añjana, otherwise rendered as kohl or collyrium, with which the lower eyelid is blackened.
10, 11. A woman's throat is commonly compared to a conch. The Shambhu (Shiva-lingam) is the nipple (cf. Nos. [XVI], [LXVI]). The poet suggests that Rādhā's pearl necklace seems to be an ambrosial offering to Shiva, made by Kāmadeva, using the sacrificial vessel of Rādhā's conch-like throat (cf No. [LI], 12).
12, 13. 'Hevene y tolde al his
That o nyght were hire gest.'
Rādhā excels the sources of her charms in every quality, so that each is put to shame. Cf. Prema Sāgara, Ch. LXIII, and
'Straighter than cedar, brighter than glass;
More fine in trip than foot of running roe . . .
Fresher than poplar, smaller than my span.
Shep. Tony (in 'England's Helicon').
4. 'Olifant,'—the elephant is commonly regarded by those least familiar with him, as a clumsy animal, probably on account of his size and weight. For the eastern poet he symbolises strength, grace and symmetry. The old form 'olifant' is therefore used here as if to restore him to his true position by a slight suggestion of mystery.
"The soft and graceful gait of an Indian woman is likened to that of an elephant; and in the East, where a woman's garments permit freedom of movement and sympathetic co-operation of the muscular system this is an apt comparison. In the West the natural swing of the hips, only possible in conjunction with the free, lithe play of the muscles of the foot and torso, is restricted and becomes jerky... The elephant has an exquisite sense of balance and most supple joints, and can even make obeisance with profound dignity."
F. H. Andrews, Journal of Indian Art, X, 52. See also Max Muller,S.B.E., Vol. XI, p. 46, note 2.
11. To save the Worlds, Shiva drank up the poison that appeared at the churning of the Ocean, whence his throat is stained blue. The poet suggests that despair at the sight of Rādhā's beauty was the real cause that Shiva drank.
6. "The Khanjana (wagtail) eyes are characterised by their playful gaiety." (A. N. Tagore, Some notes on Indian Artistic Anatomy, Calcutta, 1914). The 'snakes' are the lines of collyrium drawn on each lower-lid.
8. Lomā-latā-bāli, lit. 'down-vine-wreath,' here compared to a half suffocated snake, to suggest the depth of Rādhā's navel. Garuḍa is the enemy of all snakes. The lomā-latā-bāli is often indicated in Orissan sculpture (e.g. Viśvakarmā LV) by a slight furrow extending upwards from the navel. See also [LI], 17.
12. The Indian Eros is armed with five arrows, from which he sometimes takes the name Five Arrows (cf. No. [CXX]). Here it is suggested that Love with Three Arrows slew the Three Worlds, and gave the two others to Rādhā's eyes, that the slain might be slain again.
The Three Worlds, constantly alluded to are Svarga, Mata and Patal,—Heaven, Earth and Underworld.
17. The well of love: by 'maidens about the village well,' we can hardly doubt that the poet intends to signify the souls of men, attracted to the source of Eternal Life.
18, 19. The names of the poet's patron and his queen are constantly introduced in the refrains.
'Oh woe is me, that ever I did see
The beauty that did me bewitch.''—
John Forbes, 1661.
1. 'Cowdust-time,' viz. evening, when the cows are driven home: a favourite subject of Pahārī painters.
5. 'Tis not the linen shows so fair
Her skin shines through and makes it bright.'—
Anon. (1671).
8. 'Lord of the Five Gaurs'—the Panjab, Kānoja, Bengal, Darbhangā, Orissā. The sway of the Princes of Gaur was of course far less extended than this in Vidyāpati's day. The term is complimentary: see Dinesh Chandra Sen, Bengali Language and Literature, p. 290.
1. 'Milk-white,' a free rendering of 'nanuñga-badanī': nanuñga, modern nanī, is a preparation of milk, not exactly curd.
'Whiter far than Moorish milk.'
Richard Braithwait.
7. 'Cakravākas,' birds (Anas casarca), of which the pairs are said to separate at night, for example, to sleep on opposite sides of a river.
This is one of Vidyāpati's most renowned poems, and a favourite subject of Rājput painters.
1. The bank of the Jamunā, or the steps of a bathing ghāt. Jamunā bank in Vaishnava literature stands for this world regarded as the constant meeting place of Rādhā and Krishna where amidst the affairs of daily life the soul is arrested and beguiled to her (worldly) undoing.
12. It is a popular tradition that the partridge (cakora) is in love with the moon and lives on the moon's rays. (Cf. [XXV], 5).
7. A favourite motif of Indian poets. When the day lotus closes at dusk, the thoughtless bee intent on honey is made a prisoner.
2. Rādhā's feet do not touch the ground, but are upborne by lotus flowers that spring up beneath them. Thus Rādhā is very tenderly represented as divine. Every footfall finds a lotus-footstool,—which is a constant convention of Buddhist and Hindū art. The lightness of her step is also suggested.
8. Called 'water-lily' eyes "for the calm repose of their drooping lids." (Tagore, loc. cit.).