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A Glimpse of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna's Pastimes

Mangalacarana (Obeisances to Om Visnupada Paramahamsa

Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata His Divine Grace A C
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

Falling like a stick I bou before

the holy gentle graceful lotus feet
of Srila Prabhupada who walked the street
of many a mleccha-city to implore
the fallen people of this world to place
within their hearts the gift of Krsna's grace.

Mangalacarana (Obeisances to Lord Caitanya Maharabhu)

Falling like a stick I bou before

the holy gentle graceful lotus feet
of Sri Krsna Caitanya who in a street
of Navadvipa danced and with a roar
of Krsna¡ Krsna!¢ gave a priceless gift
to the lost souls in this darë world adrift.

1 The Flower-thief

1 The pleasant glistening sunlight shines

through branches wide with twigs and buds
and open blossoms Fragrant floods
of sweetness flow The blooming vines
embrace the trees,
and humming bees
nou happily fly and dance and play
on this sweet sweet springtime day.

2 A rustling soft soft sound nou breaks

the air Nou gentle delicate feet
so softly softly slowly meet
the flower-filled forest path Nou shakes
a graceful bough
of flowers Now
five soft delicate fingers surround
the sweetest jasmine flower found.
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3 The flower's green and supple stem

is nou so gently, suddenly trapped,
nou swiftly picked, and carefully wrapped
up like a glistening precious gem.
The picker holds
the bloom in folds
of loosened bright silë garment placed
about a beautiful slender waist.

4 Glistening smiling glances lick

the intricate branches§ many blooms.
The sweetest essence of perfumes
rests there. The moving fingers pick
another flower.
Less than an hour
with playful sweet delight is passed.
A fragrant flower fortune is amassed.

5 The flower-picker is a girl

of fifteen blooming glistening years.
Her perfect features have no peers
in gracefulness Soft-jangling jewel
bracelets rest
upon Her wrist.
Her graceful blacë braids like a snake,
slither down Her glorious back.

6 Her graceful limbs are turned and tossed

in rising waves of playfulness.
Her graceful walking steps nou bless
the grass A splendid perfect host
of virtues rest
in Her tight pressed
with graceful simple earnest art
to Her pure and sincere heart.

7 A smile nou graces Her darë eyes

as they see within Her cloth,
with satisfaction and with mirth,
the forest's fragrant precious prize.
One flower more,
then to the door
of My own home I swiftly go,"
She thinks the forest boughs below.

8 Her graceful hand extends to pick

another precious fragrant bloom.
Then like the beating of a drum
a rustling fills the trees Ah¡ Quick
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She turns to see.

What can it be,
that nou are almost done My tasks?",
Her startled heart nou asks.

9 Nou a form like a monsoon cloud

emerges from behind the trees.
The frowning teenage boy nou sees
the girl With voice both deep and loud
like rolling thunder
He asks Under
whose permission do You take
the forest flowers by this lake?"

10 His necklace is a Kaustubha stone.

Upon His glistening darë blacë locks
of hair nou rests a charming peacock's
feather graceful graceful crown.
With graceful ways
In that girl's gaze
He stands with moonlike face and shark
shaped earrings and Srivatsa mark.

11 He speaks with playful pompous mock

solemnity His smiles betray
Him Every word His red lips say
wears garlands of a glistening joke.
He's on a stage
pretending rage,
an actor On His words are pressed
the smiling playfulness of jest.

12 He says O Radha all the blooms

You see on every vine and tree
are Kamadeva's property.
They are his sweet and fragrant rooms,
the charming maze
wherein he plays,
his palace O his kingdom O
sweet Radha‘ this truth You should know.

13 Alas alas full many a theft

of fragrant blooms and buds and twigs
in many glorious autumns springs,
and summers in his forest left
him sadly weeping.
Ah gentle King
Kamadeva wept to see
the theft of his sweet property.
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14 Then as fragrant breezes blew

on a pleasant nectar moonlit night
a messenger came to invite
Me to his palace `Krsna You
must come with me.
Please come To see
You great King Kamadeva yearns
For in his heart fresh torment burns.'

15 Then Kamadeva I met His hand

was resting on his flower-crowned head.
To Me he sadly smiled and said,
`Alas¡ The thieves have raped my land.
O friend please watch
my land, and catch
the thieves and bring them bacë to me
for punishment This I decree.'

16 Therefore O Radha I arrest

You nou in Kamadeva's name.
O gentle Radha shame shame shame
on You The laws You have transgressed.
A flower-thief
must come to grief.
Before the judge of stern command,
before King Kamadeva stand."

17 Hearing this fantastic tale,

gentle Radha‘ says This forest
of Vrndavana so blessed
with flowers trees and vines and frail
neu twigs and buds
and fragrant floods
of sweetness Ah this wood You see
is My friend Vrnda's property.

18 Sitting on a flower throne,

one day Vrnda said to Me,
`Saintly Radha please please be
happy in the land I own
Night and day
here laugh and play.
And any flower from lotus lake
or vine or tree is Yours to take.'

19 Will Krsna then say I knou well,

O Radha‘, that Your words are lies.
Still when I looë into Your eyes,
somehou I fall into a spell.
What is the power
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in Your flower-
like eyes O slender thief with face
and smile and form so filled with grace?"

20 Will smiling Radha‘ with pretending

humble sweet remorsefulness
then softly say I I confess
My misdeeds I'm a thief Bring bring
Me to the place
where with his mace
of flowers Kamadeva holds
his court a wonder to behold.

21 But but this one request please, please,

please grant My dear sweet kin will worry
If I return not home I'll hurry
home for their sake Please release
Me Then at night
in soft moonlight
smiling Kamadeva the great
wise jurist will decide My fate."?

22 Will smiling Krsna then agree

to Radha's eloquent request.
That evening will They meet on the crest
of a hill among flower-filled vines and trees?
Within that trial
with winë and smile
will Kamadeva hear Radha's case
as he holds his flower-mace?

2 The Poet of the Cooks

1 The morning sun shines through the trees.

Sweet lotus§ fragrance fills the breeze.
The cuckoos sing, and hum the bees.

2 On the pathway lotus-eyed

Radha‘ walks, and at Her side
are friends Nou through the woods they glide.

3 The glorious teenage traveler

quickly walks She playfully rests her
lotus hand on a friend's shoulder.

4 Graceful Radha‘ wears a cloak.

Her stream of clever words invoke
great laughter They all smile and joke.
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5 With smiling eyes in charming bloom

nou the laughing girls all come
to the door of Krsna's home.

6 The slender gopi visitor

with humble smiles falls to the floor
Yasoda's lotus feet before.

7 With love Yasoda smiles Nou quicë

she moves st once to pick
up the girl fallen like a stick.

8 With graceful arms she gives a tug.

Yasoda holds Sri Radha‘ snug
in a mother's love-laced hug.

9 Bowing and greeting, the beautiful

girls all laugh and hug Nou all
is like a smiling festival.

10 Into the kitchen they quickly go.

Hou well hou well these girls all know
the sweet art of cooking O.

11 For smiling Krsna's sweet breakfast

the girls cooë a delicious feast
in the three worlds unsurpassed.

12 Each girl always thinks nou of

Sri Krsna Each is deep in love
with Him He's all they wish or have.

13 Radha‘ cooks and cooks Nou over

a pot of squash She puts the cover.
All Her thoughts are of Her lover.

14 She cooke vegetables with pepper

and spices and She makes sweet nectar
of fruit juices mixed with sugar.

15 Kara bilva and patola fruit

She fries in ghee With alu root
She smiling, makes kusmanda sweet.

16 With care and skill Sri Radha‘ makes

buttermilë and mung-dal cakes,
and fruit-juice sweet like nectar lakes.

17 She fries many a tasty flower,

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and cooks vegetables sweet and sour

delicious like a nectar shower.

18 Ah what sweetness She achieves

with shredded bitter nalita leaves,
sweetness no one quite believes.

19 Placing pans upon the heat.

She makes bitter sour and sweet
foods that nectar do defeat.

20 Ah what a great variety

of sweet delicious foods does She
cook Who can name them all¿ Not I.

Pastimes on a Swing Decorated with Flowers

1 The sweet autumn flowers are blossoming now

on each curling vine and bent blossoming bough.
The gentle and cooling soft afternoon light
hints of the coming the coming of night.

2 Many sweet flowers are carefully sought.

With delicate fingers sweet flowers are brought.
On a tall stately tree nou a swing's ropes are placed.
With networks of flowers the ropes nou are graced.

3 The forest is filled with the humming of bees

and the cooing of cuckoos on flowering trees.
The girls are all talking with smiles on their lips.
A graceful commotion fills their forest trips.

4 The swing nou is ready Nou a teenage boy,

His graceful limbs all marked with youthful sweet joy,
and His face and His mouth and His eyes blossoming
with sweet playful smiles, nou steps up to the swing.

5 On the flower-twined swing nou the boy takes His seat.

His smiles and His limbs are all graceful and sweet.
His limbs are like clouds in the months of monsoon.
Ah hou His eyes dance that sweet afternoon.

6 Nou Lalita takes a shy girl by the hand

and leads Her to where the swing's flower-ropes stand
and makes Her sit down by the smiling boy's side.
At Him the girl looks with smiling eyes wide.
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7 The girl is a vision of sweetness and grace.

She captures the boy with Her glances§ embrace.
Nou gently the girls push the flower-twined swing.
Nou instruments sound, and nou sweet voices sing.

8 So gently so gently so gently the slow

flower-twined swing gently moves to and fro.
The boy and girl's eyes nou with happiness bloom.
The swing bacë and forth is like Kamadeva's loom.

9 All glory all glory to Gokula's prince,

a treasure of glory and sweet opulence!
All glory all glory to His heart's delight
the graceful girl who thinks of Him day and night!

10 The vina resounds and the gopika's clear

graceful sweet songs rest in Radhika's ear.
The mrdanga's thumping is a graceful dance.
Radha‘ and Krsna exchange a sweet glance.

11 Into the air rise Their soles and Their toes.

Tightly Their soft tendril fingers enclose
the flower-twined ropes as the forest-swing flies.
At each other They gaze nou with sweet laughing eyes.

spring
blossoming
bring
swing
sing
cling

Glory to Radha!

vine
entwine
divine
design
shine
recline
line
fine
mine
nine
sign
shrine
assign
combine
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consign
decline

high
sky
tie
fly
by
dry
eye
I
lie
my
ply
shy
sigh
sly
spy
thigh
try
vie
why
ally
apply
awry
comply
reply
standby
untie
beautify
clarify
glorify
multiply
mystify
satisfy
testify

tight
flight
right
sight
plight

blossoming
spring

With a circle of forests

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rests
a small, sweet, clear, glistening
lake, on a spring
time afternoon

clear waters rest

archways
maze

In a forest
garden florist
gopis bring
spring

flowers
decorate

bring
swing

glistening
swing

bring
blossoming
tree and vine
smiling gopis bring
flowers to entwine
about a swing.

spring

bring
string
blossoming

swing

sing

fling
king
ring
sling
sting
thing
wing
wring
evening
something
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everything
laughing
longing
smiling

swing
spring
cling
sing
bring
fling
king
ring
sling
sting
string
thing
wing
wring
evening
something
everything
blossoming
laughing
longing
smiling

The first meeting of Radha‘ and Krsna

Pastimes on a boat
The Rasa dance
Meeting in the forest
The gambling match
holi pastimes
playing the flute
the toll pastime
Pastimes on a swing
Gambling pastimes
The Priest of the Sun-god
A Geography Lesson
Sri Radha's Glories
the lover's quarrel
the parrot's prayers

10 The girl nou like a lightning flash,

Her eyebrows, arching say, You dare
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to speaë such words¿ Have You no care

for Your own welfare¿¢ Ah nou clash
Their dancing eyes.
Nou angry flies
a host of glances Ah still while
They look They do not cease to smile.

24 King Kamadeva thinks and thinks

and then he sighs and sighs and sighs,
and then he looks in Radha's eyes,
andf then he smiles and then he winks.
With playful lilt,
Sri Radha's guilt
he swift declares imprisonment
in Krsna's arms Her punishment.

25 King Kama says Ah I declare

that in the prison
of Sri Krsna's arms the fair

This
is my decision:
within the prison
of Sri Krsna's arms sweet bright-
eyed nou must pass this night."

A fragrant breeze

Thus on a moonlit night

crime
springtime

Nou Radha‘ bows Her head

I am a theif I nou confess.

to Kama's court
I

own
play
guard
protect

If any person O my son,

picks but ten or five or even one
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own

place
disgrace

bereft
of patience

Kamadeva
slave
cave
garden warden
His restless gleaming eyes betray
a smile conflict
contradict
what His lips say

O Krsna Krsna please be kind

to Me.
find

Kaustubha stone
alone one tone own

locks
of hair
a peacock's
feather crown

shark
shaped earrings
Srivatsa mark

playful mischief
mishievous playfulness
toss
smile of mischief
eyes

decoration
Into the grove
a heavy step

wealth
stealth
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cloth garment

blacë bees of her glances lick

take
a flower blossom
hold
fold
bold
circle

entwine
design

press
clasp grasp
touch stroke
grip embrace
hug
roam

takes

15 Krsna's Yoke and Maya's Yoke

Krsna's yoke is very mild

and can be carried by a child.
Of songs and dances it is built
and flowers that will never wilt.

Maya's yoke of endless weight,

made of envy lust and hate,
with many fearful dangers full,
is very difficult to pull.

19 Foolish Stubbornnes