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108 Sonnets
Glorifying Lord Krsnacandra

1 Mangalacarana

(Obeisances to His Divine Grace Om- Visnupada

Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad
A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

Folding my hands I humbly humbly place

my bowing head before the graceful two
sacred lotuslike feet of His Divine Grace
Srila Prabhupadadeva who

made the sweet sweet nectar monsoon rains

of Krsna's mercy fall upon the breath
of thousands of souls who broke the grim cold chains
that bound thousands of souls to this world of birth and death,

who placed the nectar of Krsna's holy name

on thousands of tongues who placed in thousands of hearts
the glistening sacred pure and brilliant flame
of love for Krsna and who with the graceful arts

of poetry translated the holy books

from which Lord Krsna at the reader looks.

2 Mangalacarana (Obeisances to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu)

Smiling Nityananda at His side,

Lord Caitanya dances in the street.
of Navadvipa. Nou His graceful wide
open eyes are blossoming lotus flowers His feet

bless the path His tall and sweet and fair

form gently moves with endless charming grace.
On every side around Him nou the air
is filled with His own holy names His face

is splendid like a million moons His hands

are raised above His head Nou a great host
of bhaktas follows close behind Gold bands
glisten on His waving arms A most

glorious splendor fills His every limb.

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I offer my obeisances to Him.

3 A Prayer

I bou before Lord Krsnacandra's feet,

feet filled with endless splendor and with grace,
feet even learned thinkers cannot trace,
feet with every happiness complete,

feet with glorious nectar always sweet,

feet bhaktas in their thoughts always embrace,
feet that are the bhaktas garden place,
and these words I with broken voice repeat:

O master master take me from this world

so cruelly fenced about by birth and death,
a world where with a broken heart I live,

a world of thorns of poison arrows hurled,

a world so marred with battle at every breath,
and at Your feet to me a shelter give.

4 Lord Krsnacandra Suddenly Stops

I bou before Lord Krsnacandra's feet,

feet that with a dancing motion walk,
feet with marks of gracefulness replete,
feet that seem to eloquently talk

with jingling jewel anklets glistening,

feet that mark the forest's sacred ground,
feet that quickly stop as, listening
to the faraway and unexpected sound

of Vrajapura's doe-eyed teenage girls

talking and joking and laughing as they take
wild flowers from the trees and as their curls
and eyes move restlessly the playful rake

Lord Krsnacandra stops O then arise

festivals of smiles within His eyes.

5 A Question for the Philosophers

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How how how how how how how hou can it be?
It is true It is true It is true It is true It is true
But but but but but what does it mean¿ Will you
please tell tell tell tell tell the answer to me.

It has baffled the greatest of sages Nou they cannot see

the deep deep deep deep deep secret truth. Do a few
or do ten or do five or do four or do three or do two,
or do even one wise saintly sage knou the truth¿ What should we

think¿ Why why why does the master the ruler of all
of the stars and the worlds and the devas and men, laughing dance
in the flower-filled forest¿ Why why does He call
the surabhi cows with His flute¿ Why why does He glance

in Sri Radhika's eyes¿ Why why why why does He tease

Vraja's beautiful lotus-eyed girls¿ Will you tell me please?

6 A Gopi Greets Lord Krsnacandra

O graceful charming king of lotus flowers,

O rake whose cooling glorious charming moon
like face nou places a limitless glorious boon
of bliss and grace on the million million bowers

of blossoms that are Your every limâ, and showers

endless floods of nectar that make noon
of night in the gardens of Your smiles O soon
to be speaking smiling king of pleasant hours,

to us gentle-hearted gopis please make clear

why amongst us You have come We pray
with Your kind sweet words and deeds You'll please us.

We trust and hope O charming smiling dear

king of the lotus flowers You'll not play
the role of taking joking tolls to tease us.

7 The Gopis Call to Arms

Pick up pick up your weapons O My friends.

Thrust and parry nou with sharpened swords
of clever playful glistening joking words.
O soldiers, on this fight so much depends.

O expert sharp-tongued slender archers, fire

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a thundering great monsoon shower of arrows,

arrows of joking rebukes Push a host of sorrows
on the smiling pleasant charming handsome liar

Krsna, the rake with glistening dancing eyes

and nectar honey smiles who aspires to attack
us with javelins of joking rebukes Friends fight Him back.
With arrows surround Him and catch Him by surprise.

The handsome playful rake has come to tease

us with His glistening words Nou fight Him please.

8 The Vision of Lotuses

Glory to Sri Govindadeva whose feet

are like two lotus flowers and whose waist
is like a pond by lotus flowers embraced,
and whose navel is like a lotus flower sweet

with fragrance and whose dark broad glorious chest

is like a lotus forest great and whose arms
are like lotus stems and whose graceful neck is like charms
made of lotus flowers and in whose fingers rest

a host of lotus petals and whose smile

is the fragrance of lotus flowers and whose face
is a million petal lotus flower with grace
and glory and divine sweet nectar while

His glistening restless playful smiling eyes

are of blue lotus flowers the graceful prize.

9 A Gopi Mistakes Lord Krsna for the Moon

Look O slender graceful gopi friend!

The smiling charming glistening moon stepping down
from the darkened night sky walks nou in Sri Vraja's town.
Look Nou with a jesting smiling playful bend

of His eyebrows the restless, sweet poet moon seems to send

a message with a playful, graceful frown.
Look Nou the sweet moon's peacock-feather crown
moves in the breeze Look Nou the moving end

of His fingers dance on the flute and His smiling lips kiss
the happily singing flute's mouth Look at the sweet
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nectar moonlight that shines from His brou to His waist to

His feet.

Look at necklace of colorful flowers that rest

on the glorious moon of His neck and His arms and His chest.
Look Nou the glistening moon fills the forest with bliss.

10 The Glories of Lord Krsnacandra

Glory to the son of Vraja's king!

Glory to the master of all Glory
to the rake who dances in a dancing ring
of graceful girls Glory to Him the story

of whose charming pastimes fills each saintly heart

with bliss Glory to the master of all powers.
Glory to the boy whose every limâ and part
is graceful like a million lotus flowers.

Glory to His lotus hands and feet.

Glory to His restless smiling eyes.
Glory to His heart with mercy sweet.
Glory to the clear and sweet and wise

words He kindly in the scriptures places,

words revealing His form with a million graces.

11 The Swing

Back and forth on the blossomed-flower swing

ride smiling Radha‘ and Krsna a sweet pair
of smiling graceful forms in fragrant air
happily moving as the gopis sing

songs about Their glories Nou a string

of sweet white jasmine flowers wraps Their fair
and dark forms. Nou Their glory shines Ah Their
happy beautiful smiling, glistening

eyes exchange a playful amorous glance.

Their smiles a glorious declaration tell
of sweetest deepest heartfelt nectar love.
Playing on the forest swing They move
while the restless god of sweet mystic romance
holds Them sweetly tightly in His spell.
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12 The Parrot's Lesson

Glory to graceful lovely Radha‘ who

sitting in her jewel palace rooms,
looking from Her windows at the blue
sky and green hills and fragrant jasmine blooms

decorating Her graceful long black braid,

smiled and smiled and sat by Her pet bird.
Dearest dearest Radha,¢ the word played
upon Her tongue Dearest Radha,¢ the word

echoed in Her garrulous parrot's beak.

I always think of You" soft smiling sweet
Sri Radha‘ would then slowly slowly speak,
and the smart parrot would at once repeat.

Radha‘ tried to teach Her pet by rote

the letter on a lotus Krsna wrote.

13 A Teenager in Love

Why does Nanda's graceful teenage son,

whose charming clever joking always sends
the gopas into fits of laughter shun
the surabhi cows and all His cheerful friends?

Why does His flower-twined flute lay on the ground

untouched and why does He not speak a word?
Why does He not make a single sound,
and why does He leave His lunch of fruit and curd?

Why does the fragrant forest grove not fill

Him with glorious feelings of delight¿
Why does He sit alone on Govardhana Hill,
His form shaded from the sun's bright light?

Why is He motionless and pale and why

so sadly does He sigh and sigh and sigh?

14 A Spring Day

Look It is a peaceful springtime day.

Like silent sages all the cows nou sit
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in shade The Yamuna's dark waves are lit

by sunshine Nou the leaping black deer play

in forest groves Lord Krsna finds His way

among the flowering trees Nou infinite
graces adorn His limbs Nou sweet smiles flit
across His eyes He walks Where will He stay?

Playful charming Krsna stops Nou where

will He sit¿ He finds a flowering tree's root
His anklets jingle A peacock feather crown
adorns His graceful curly jet black hair.
A garland of flowers adorns His chest Sitting down
He sings graceful languid melodies on His flute.

15 Lord Krsna's Day

Tears streaming from their eyes

Nanda and Yasoda hug their son
Tightly they hold their dearest prize.
Then as the reddish brilliant thousand-rayed sun

slowly begins to rise in the morning sky

smiling graceful lotus-eyed Krsna walks
in the forest The boys and surabhi cows follou by
His side Playful jokes adorn His talks

with His friends Flowers adorn His limbs and crown.

Complex graceful melodies fill His flute.
He happily leads many millions of cows down
the flower-filled forest path Yogurt and fruit

are His sweet and pleasant lunch in the cooling shade

of a fragrant flowering tree in a forest glade.

16 A Game

Holding a stick and forest-flower in His hands,

His smiling lotus eyes both blooming wide,
boy Krsna as great Ramacandra stands,
With Balarama as Laksmana at His side.

Their friends are monkeys by the great seashore.

Rescue Sita!¢ Sri Krsna demands.
Victory to Rama!¢ the boys all roar.
Then suddenly a hundred eager hands
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build of miraculous floating stones a bridge

to Lanka The bridge is crossed Then Krsna slays
Ravana Amidst the foliage
of Vraja's forest happy Krsna plays

intently Thus boy Sri Krsna pretends

that He is Rama surrounded by monkey friends.

17 A Thief with Lotus Eyes

On a languid afternoon in a forest place

glorious Krsnacandra sweetly naps.
Sri Radha‘ suddenly wakes Her lotus face
suddenly smiles as a plan of mischief wraps

its arms around Her thoughts At the great wealth

Lord Krsna holds She looks with longing eyes.
Then carefully, with noiseless graceful stealth,
She inches slowly to the precious prize.

She fears that sleeping Krsna soon will wake.

Her restless lotus eyes begin to dance.
Her hands and arms and smile begin to shake.
The graceful gopi Radha‘ takes a chance

and roâs the string of forest flowers that rest

on Krsnacandra's sapphire-rampart chest.

18 Lord Krsna's Breakfast

Risen from bed and bathed and with silk dressed,

anointed with sandal and a host of scents,
splendid with gold and jewel ornaments,
a garland of fragrant flowers on His chest,

and sweetly greeting every gopa guest,

Lord Krsna sits at breakfast. Opulence
and sweetness adorn His limbs Sweet eloquence
adorns His jest after jest after jest after jest,

jests and laughter jests that seem to kiss

the eager ears of a slender listener
In the next room unseen and filled with bliss,
Her braids entwined with jasmine flowers Her
eyes wide open and Her soft cheek pressed
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to the doorway Radha‘ watches all of this.

19 Yasoda's Wish

Gracefully falling like a slender stick

Sri Radha‘ bows before Yasoda's feet.
Smiling Yasoda bends at once to pick
Her up She gives a mother's hug With sweet

words she praises Her The two friends walk

into the palace Sri Yasoda smells
Sri Radha's head Joyfully they talk,
and as they talk gentle Yasoda tells

herself these words This virtuous polite,

wise saintly humble gentle charming kind,
and beautiful girl whose smile is like moonlight
and whose glistening braids are graceful with flowers twined,

this slender loving graceful sweet, doe-eyed

girl is for my son the perfect bride."

20 Visiting Vraja

Here is charming Govardhana Hill In the shade

of this tree entwined by a fragrant flowering vine,
charming and graceful Lord Krsnacandra played
sweetly on His flute Here in moonshine

Lord Krsnacandra danced with the lotus-eyed

gopis Amongst these vines Lord Krsna hid
from Radha Here He rode on a swing At His side
was Radha Here His dancing words forbid

Radha‘ to pick the flowers.¢ When with eyes

wide as I hear these words will I see the true
form of Vraja¿ When filled with surprise,
will I see eternal blissful, fresh and neu

Vraja's jewel-pathways fragrant-breeze-

graced lotus-lakes and kalpa-vrksa trees?

21 Rivers in the Sky

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The cows stop chewing grass the deer stand still

the silent birds nou enter a joyful trance,
nou every fragrant forest vale and hill
begins to tremble stagger walk and dance,

the stones begin to melt, the vines and trees

burst into flowers the river's waves are stilled,
the motionless river streams begin to freeze,
and every being is in a moment filled

with enchantment as Krsna His form like a sweet rainfall

of limitless bliss sitting nou by a great tree's root,
and His dark soft lotus-petal fingers all
gracefully running along the holes of the flute

fills the sky above Gokula's beautiful flower-filled ground

with flowing rivers of sweet and glorious sound.

22 Dancing on Jewels

The full moon bathes the summit of the hill

with rippling floods of splendid nectar light.
The pleasing scene at once begins to fill
the eyes of every gopi with delight.

a fragrant grove of flowering trees surrounds

a circle paved with precious jewels bright.
Jewel anklets jingle Ah the graceful sounds
of flute and vina fill the charming night.

The amorous hero Govinda enchants

the hearts of smiling gopis all around,
Sri Govinda the hero of romance
places a foot upon the jewel ground.

Casting at Radha‘ a smiling playful glance,

Govinda enters the circle rasa-dance.

23 Two Thieves on a Mission

Youthful graceful delicate lotus-eyed

Krsna looked to the left and to the right.
No watching elder gopi was in sight.
Smiling Balarama was at His side.

Hesitant The two boys looked inside

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the room Their open lotus eyes were bright

with smiles Into the darkened room's dim light
They peered Where did the cautious gopi hide

what nou with eager hearts the two boys sought?

Their young and graceful limbs were like a host
of lotus petals dark and fair Engrossed
in their prey and anxious that They might be caught,

slowly and silently the two boys crept

into the room where butter and yogurt were kept.

24 Pastimes in a Boat

On a nectar lake on a pleasing autumn night

Sri Radha‘ and Sri Krsnacandra sit
in a gold and jewel boat Their soft moonlit
forms are charming and glorious Moonlight

plays on their smiling faces and graceful limbs

They playfully joke Their lotus eyes glisten.
Radha‘ rests in Krsna's arms They listen
as a gopi sings Kandarpa's softest hymns.

Graceful beautiful Radha‘ places Her hand,

a hand like a budding twig with five sprouts and
Her smiling lotus-eyed arched-eyebrowed head
upon the pillou of a graceful bed,
a head where blossoming jasmine flowers rest,
a bed that is Sri Krsna's lotus chest.

25 A Meditation

Softly pressing Her delicate budding-twig hand

to the filigree window Radha‘ places Her gaze
on the beautiful glorious fragrant flower-filled land
of Vraja beneath Her its forests hills pathways,

streams palaces flower gardens and lakes

all glistening in the cooling sweet moonlight.
So beautiful¡ Suddenly thought overtakes
Her She closes Her lotuslike eyes The sight

of all these places makes Her think and think

of Her pastimes with Her beloved pastimes that brought
Her sweet sweet bliss Nou She begins to drink
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the sweet drink of those memories She is caught

in meditation Suddenly memories dance

in Her thoughts She is like a yogi rapt in trance.

26 A Ballgame and Lunch

Happily leaping and pushing and running about,

in the flower-filled forest the joyful gopa boys call
to each other Nou they smile and laugh and shout.
A large fruit improvised nou as a ball

they toss in the game At first Sri Rama's team

seems close to tasting sweetest victory.
Aha¡ Then suddenly everything changes The dream
of victory flees Nou Krsna's team can see

sweet victory almost almost in its grasp.

The game ends Then they stop for a lunch of fruit
and yogurt and rice Laughing the boys unclasp
their lunch packs Sitting at a flower-tree's root,

they happily eat As smiling Krsna His staff

at His side tells jokes the boys laugh and laugh and laugh.

27 Offering Obeisances

Smiling Indra with a thousand eyes,

Siva with the moon above his brow,
Sesa Candra Agni Varuna wise
Brahma, and his followers all bow

before Sri Radha-Krsna's lotus feet.

Then Narada and philosophers arrive.
They humbly bou and eloquently greet
the divine couple with many prayers alive

with graceful poetry and metaphors.

Aha¡ The Upanisad-goddesses appear
at Vraja's flower-arch-graced forest doors.
With sweetest humbleness they now come near.

Fragrant jasmines in their braided hair

they bou and chant a sweet and glorious prayer.
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28 The Battle of Splashes

This nectar lake where flower petals float

will be Our glorious fragrant battleground."
These words come from Krsna's lotus throat.
Hearing them Sri Radha‘ softly frowned,

then smiled Aha¡ She says O best of knaves,

if splashing battle is Your wish then meet
Me in these fragrant nectar moving waves
and find at My soft lotus hand defeat,

great great defeat.¢ Nou on a summer's day

first Krsnacandra and then Sri Radha‘ strike
the fragrant waves Nou happily They play
in the water With smiling eyes They laugh Nou like

a monsoon cloud and a glittering lightning flash,

Radha‘ and Krsna in the water splash.

29 Dance-steps in the Forest

Krsna is like the moon On His head a crown

of peacock feathers rests His arched eyebrows
are like flowering vines Millions of mooing brown,
white black and different-colored surabhi cows

follou Him Jauntily walking at His side

are Balarama Subala and a host
of glorious laughing joking smiling-eyed
friends Then lotus-eyed sweet cheerful most

glorious Krsna plays His flute It sings

graceful playful notes one after another.
The intoxicating melody nou brings
playfulness to every step The brother

of Krsna smiles As the afternoon sunlight slants

through the trees The boys and cows seem not to walk but to dance.

30 Krsna's Grandmother

Three-year-old Sri Sri Krsnacandra runs

into His smiling lotus-eyed grandmother's arms.
His dark limbs are bright like a million suns.
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The joyous smile that fills His sweet face charms

His grandmother's happy throbbing heart She feels

filled with blisses Krsnacandra wriggles
with delight Grandmother¡ Grandmother!¢ He squeals.
Animated Krsnacandra giggles

and giggles in her arms With lotus eyes

smiling, He sits in her soft and pleasant lap
His large eyes wide with wonder and surprise,
awe-struck Krsna listens His ears wrap

themselves around her words as His grandmother

tells one wonderful story after another.

31 Arati in the Forest

In fragrant Vrndavana forest late at night

some smiling gopis all pass through a door
of flowers Their lotus feet glide over the floor
of jewels and enter the sacred forest grove white

in the moon's sweet soft, and cooling light.

Their hearts smiling with love, they stand before
Radha‘ and Krsna With arati they adore
the divine couple Her soft large eyes bright

with love, one gopi gives a fragrant flower.

Another smiling gopi plays the flute.
Singing songs one gopi makes a shower
of sweet melodies Nou touching the lute,

another gopi follows her Smiles kiss

Radha‘ and Krsna's eyes with kisses of bliss.

32 No Jewelry

Beautiful blossoming-lotus-eyed Radha‘ slides

the golden bracelets from Her delicate wrists.
The great and ornate jewel locket glides
from Her graceful neck Then She untwists

the glistening jingling anklets from Her feet.

In a trance She thinks of dark Syamasundara's charms.
Thinking She soon will be trapped in the black and the sweet
snakes of Sri Syamasundara's great arms,
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donning a great black cloak and filled with fear

that some kinsman's eye might chance to see Her form
or some nearby kinsman's ear might somehou hear
Her muffled step Her heart tossed by a storm

of thoughts and Her large doe-eyes nou kissed with fright,

Radha slips out the door to the dark moonless night.

33 A Picture of Krsna

Lord Krsna's peacock-feather crown is blue

and green His lips are red like bimba fruit.
His smiling eyes are glistening black His two
shark-shaped earrings glisten with rubies His flute

is multicolored with many jewels Pressed

to His waist are glorious golden garments Red
lotus flowers garland His sapphire chest.
Krsna's dark limbs are graceful His two feet tread

Vraja's forest From vivid memory

Visakha paints this picture on a leaf.
She labors over the picture She carefully
makes it beautiful She gives a brief

look From the picture Krsna seems to kiss

her eyes with His smiling eyes of playful bliss.

34 Under a Kalpa-vrksa Tree

After lunch was eaten and many a game was played

with His friends nou tired and sleepy-eyed Sri Krsna lay
amidst colorful flowers and grass in the sweet cooling shade
of a fragrant-flower-filled tree on a hot summer's day.

Around Him are surabhi cows The tree's graceful root

is a soft gentle pillou where His head and hand find their rest
At His side are His horn and His stick and His flower-twined flute.
A garland of lotuses sleeps on His sapphire chest.

His dark limbs are home to all splendor and glory and grace.
His smile is the best of all that is pleasing and sweet.
Narada Brahma Ananta and Siva all place
very humbly their heads at the soles of His soft lotus feet.
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His navel the home of the worlds is both graceful and deep.
Nou Sri Krsna rests His glistening eyes closed in sleep.

35 Decorating Sri Radha

Smiling Krsna braids Sri Radha's hair

with a host of white and fragrant jasmine flowers.
On Her graceful ears He rests a pair
of lotus earrings Fragrant nectar showers

of smiles fall from Goddess Radha's eyes

as Krsna with black ointment circles them.
Krsna is splashed with happiness He ties
a campaka garland on Her neck A gem-

like lotus He puts in Radha's graceful hands.

He makes fragrant flower bracelets take their seat
on Radha's delicate wrists Two fragrant bands
of flowers He makes into anklets on Her feet.

In this way Radha‘ and Krsna happily play

in Vraja's forest on a springtime day.

36 Dancing in the Moonlight

The graceful lotus-eyed gopis gather around

in a circle Krsna places a smiling glance
upon Radha‘'s eyes The sweet and graceful sound
of drums and flute and lute arise The dance

begins The charming handsome gently bent

form of Krsna gracefully moves on the bright
jewel dance floor Nou a breeze bears the scent
of neu jasmine blossoms The moon's nectar cooling white light

bathes the dance Around Radha‘ and Krsna in a great ornate

ring the gopis dance The demigods shower
flowers on Them Sri Radha's arms decorate
Lord Krsna's graceful broad shoulders Alas¡ Nou the hour

grows late Soon will be dawn and the sun will ascend
to its seat in the sky Nou the rasa dance comes to an end.

37 A Comic Play
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Lotus-limbed Krsna and the gopas sit

in a circle In the center graceful wise
and smiling lotus-limbed gopa boys improvise
a funny and poetic comic skit.

The gopas' clever and poetic wit

makes wreathes of curling blissful smiles arise
on the watching large and gentle lotus eyes.
Krsna and His friends fall to a fit

of laughter They laugh and laugh and laugh They bend

over with laughter Tears of happiness stream
from their eyes When will the limitless laughter end?
The forest grove rings with laughter The gopa boys scream
with laughter Lord Krsna and His every friend
laugh with a laughter sublime a laughter supreme.

38 Lord Krsna's Mother

Happy Yasoda casts her smiling glance

at the smiling infant in her pleasant lap,
an infant newly risen from a nap,
an infant whose every motion seems a dance,

a sublimely beautiful infant who enchants

His gazing mother Playful smiles wrap
themselves around His eyes He begins to tap
His chubby hand against His thigh In a trance

Yasoda watches His smiling face shines

like the moon The newly-blossomed jasmine bud
of His first tooth nou grows Three graceful lines
adorn His waist Nou limitless sweetnesses flood

His limbs A vine of charming laughter entwines

His face He is marked with all auspicious signs.

39 Waiting Behind a Kalpa-padapa Tree

The blossoming-lotus-limbed teenager Sri Krsna slides

behind a great many-branched kalpa-padapa tree
covered with flowering vines Nou no one can see
His dark graceful monsoon-cloud form There He patiently hides.

There He carefully plans all the words He will speak There He bides
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His time In the distance He happily sees tuo or three

slender and beautiful gopis playfully
laughing as they walk with gentle strides.

Sri Krsna the restless-eyed prince of all joking debates,

plans all of the outrageous words He will say to tease them.
Smiling Sri Krsna charming with all of the traits
of a playful and amorous boy Sri Krsna the gem

of all charming rakes whose chest is like sapphire gates

and whose eyes are like blossoming flowers, stealthily waits.

40 By His Father's Side

The people gather Nou the play will start.

Sitting by His glorious father's side,
small-boy Krsnacandra smiles with pride.
As each handsome actor plays his part,

plays with glory grace, passion and art,

small-boy Krsna with eyes open wide
watches Ah¡ He deeply feels inside
His gentle peaceful kind and saintly heart

sublime wonder enchantment and joy.

Nou the very beautiful play ends.
To the players smiling Nanda extends
His arms Accompanied by His little boy,

He speaks words of praise At his side is his smiling son.

He gives costly gifts to each actor one by one.

41 A Meeting To Discuss Future Plans

Small-boy Krsna gathers with His friends

in the courtyard underneath the trees.
The boys all smile Playful Krsna bends
and whispers secrets They all giggle Please

tell me what He said¿ Many a hole

these boys poked in yougurt pots They broke
the locks on many a wooden door and stole
glistening butter from the cowherd folk

and fed it to chattering monkeys in the forest.

Krsna is their ringleader Yes Yes,
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Krsna whose smiling blooming lotus eyes rest

in the moon of His face Krsna whose jasmine teeth press

against His smile In the air is that the scent

of mischief? Is Krsna on some mischief bent?

42 First Steps

Infant Krsna slowly begins to stand.

With one little lotus hand He clasps
His father's finger With the other hand
blossoming-lotus-limbed Krsna happily grasps

His mother's finger Nou He slowly walks

with tenuous steps His lotus feet tap and tap
Vraja's sacred glorious land He talks
with baby syllables Smiles playfully wrap

around His happy blossoming-lotus face

He is Nanda's and Yasoda's happiness.
They watch Krsna's slou motions of grace
and charm They watch as Krsna's two feet bless

the land of Vraja a land with a fragrant breeze,

and lotus lakes and kalpa-druma trees.

43 Stopping for a Drink

Krsna and Balarama lead the boys

to the water's edge A lotus in His ear,
the smiling gopa Sri Krsna enjoys
the Yamuna's rippling dark sweet pure and clear

water Then the boys each one of them

decorated with forest flowers and leaves,
happily drink Sri Krsna with lotus-stem
limbs smiles The herd of surabhi calves receives

a signal from smiling Krsnacandra They

also drink All are satisfied.
The calves sit in the shade The desire to play
peeks out of the edge of graceful lotus-eyed

Krsna's glance As in the sky the sun

falls, Krsna and the gopas jump and run.
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44 A Wrestling-match in the Forest

Krsna and His friends gather around

in a happy noisy great circle within
Vraja's flower-filled forest Nou a great sound,
a tumult of cheers, arises Nou begin

the games of lotus-limbed gopa wrestling matches.

A challenge comes from a strong gopa friend.
Lord Krsna ties His belt Everyone watches
The two smiling and graceful wrestlers bend

their arms to one another They roll on the grass.

First the jester Krsna seems to win
with His strong arms and skill Alas¡ Alas!
Nou Krsna seems to lose Nou a great din

arises The two wrestlers push and defend.

Thus smiling Krsna and His friend contend.

45 News

Smiling Krsna and the gopas pass

the morningtime in jokes and puns and play,
as peacefully the surabhi cows chew grass.
Walking by a hidden forest way,

Madhumangala whispers in Krsna's ear.

The two dark lotus flowers of Krsna's eyes
then blossom wide Lord Krsna smiles to hear
the news Then thinking of the priceless prize

that soon will rest within His grasp and of

the lotus-limbed gopis and with leafy green
branches nou a canopy above
His black-haired peacock-feather-crowned head unseen

by any friend soft-blossoming-lotus-eyed

Sri Krsna leaves with Madhu at His side.

46 Reflected in Lord Krsna's Kaustubha Gem

More glorious than a million million suns,

Lord Krsna's glittering Kaustubha gem reflects
 21

a graceful face speaking playful jokes and puns

a fair face that carefully inspects

the gem a face with smiles sweet smiles with teeth

like jasmine flowers charming smiles with lips
like bimba fruits sweet gentle smiles beneath
a restless teenage glance that slowly sips,

so it seems a limitless sweet sweet sweet flood

of nectar a glance framed by glistening black
braids entwined with many a flower bud,
the glance of a graceful and slender young girl with Her back

resting on a tree a glance above

a throbbing heart bewildered nou with love.

47 A Doe and Stag Meet in the Forest

Krsna black pet stag and Radha's doe

with happy hearts nou seem by chance to meet
in Vraja's fragrant flower-filled forest O!
Their hearts are dizzy with happiness They greet

each other with smiling eyes They playfully prance

about Effulgent with happiness they run
after each other Then they seeem to dance.
Playing happy games they go from one

to another flowering forest grove One's face

happily snuggles the other's. They leap and play,
their every motion filled with joy and grace.
As Sri Sri Radha‘ and Krsnacandra stay

there and watch with smiling eyes, is there perchance,

some hint nou hid in Radha's smiling glance?

48 The Circle of Vraja

Hou beautiful¡ Hou beautiful is the land

of Vrajabhumi! You see on the right
is Nandaraja's opulent and grand
palace glistening in the sun's light

On the left rubies and many jewels pave

the rasa-dance circles There are the dark
waves of the Yamuna There is a cave
 22

on Govardhana Hill Look¡ There is a forest park

filled with glorious fragrant blossoming trees

and vines There is the holy holy place where
the playful rake Sri Krsna tries to tease
the smiling gopis with lotus eyes and fair

delicate limbs Look¡ There forming a ring

around Radha‘ and Krsna the gopis dance and sing.

49 The Gopis Defense

The smiling gopis gather in a ring

that embraces smiling Krsna Nou the land
of Vraja is filled with the sound of sweet jangling
bracelets and anklets A jesting outrageous demand

dances in Krsna's words words that tell of a toll

of millions of millions emeralds rubies and sapphires
the gopis must pay to Him He plays the role
of a tollkeeper In the gopis eyes fires

of glistening anger burn Nou eloquence

plays on their tongues The lotus-eyed gopis nou press
with powerful weapons of glittering words their defense.
Outrageous Krsna smiles at His jest's success.

With playful words and glances He beguiles

the gopis Gracefully He smiles and smiles.

50 First Flute Lessons

Small boy Krsna sits His little hips

are circled by a yellou cloth With a slow
motion of His chubby fingers He grips
the flute Now gently He moves to and fro

as He begins to play He rests His lips

on the flute With a gentle breath He begins to blow.
A tiny flower-petal finger slips
over a hole Sweet music begins to flow

and fill the flower-fragrant air A note

dances in the flower-twined flute First one
note and then many sweet notes swim and float
in the air Many sweet waves of bliss seem to stun
 23

everyone Small boy Krsna seems to kiss

the flute What is it¿ What kind of sweet music is this?

51 Haggling With a Pearl-Merchant

Passionate Radha‘ with reddish lotus eyes

haggles about the glistening pearls price.
Gazing in Krsna's eyes She gives advice:
The price is high You must the price revise."

Her vinelike eyebrows arching in surprise,

With amorous glances She struggles to entice
Her lover Krsna She tries every device
somehou to prevent the soon steep rise

in the price of precious sea-foam nectar pearls.

The price is lou and must be higher still."
Krsna demands She thinks Hou how much will
Sri Krsna ask¿" Sri Radha's graceful black curls

frame the moon of Her face Her passionate wild

eyes shou a teenage girl by Her lover beguiled.

52 Learning To Talk

Infant Krsna's back and shoulders rest

in His mother's arms From Him one wonderful
enchanting sweet and broken syllable
follows another His graceful limbs are dressed

in yellou garments Lovingly caressed

by her arms He happily smiles His heart is full
of bliss Playing He nou begins to pull
at His mother's garments On His infant chest

a jewel necklace glistens On His feet

jewel anklets jingle A nectar stream
of broken syllables flous from His mouth A dream
of bliss fills Sri Yasoda's heart Sweet sweet

sounds fill her listening ears and a sweet, sweet sight

fills her wide-open graceful and lotuslike eyes so bright.

53 Dancing in a Circle
 24

Yasoda's gopi friends all gather now

in a circle around a little boy
Small-boy Krsna His blossoming-flower-vine brow
and smiling lotus eyes flooded with joy

so charming and graceful to the gopis sight,

Dances Yellou garments adorn His waist.
Gracefully He sways to the left and the right.
His graceful dancing footsteps nou are placed

on Vrajabhumi's sacred glorious ground.

A flowing sweet and graceful song nou fills
every ear Nou dancing Krsna follows the sound
of clapping hands The sight of Krsna thrills

the gopis Every smiling gopi eye

rests on Krsna with His hands raised high.

54 Gambling in a Forest Grove

Amongst the vines and kalpa-vrksa trees

surrounded by His smiling gopi friends,
in a forest scented by a fragrant breeze
of lotus flowers Krsna nou extends

His gentle flower-bud hand to the gambling piece.

By His side rests the flute that is the wagered prize.
Carefully and slowly He moves to release
the dice Every pair of gopi eyes

rests on Him Nou it is Radha's chance.

On hou flower-crowned lotus-eyed Radha sends
the spotted pair of dice upon their dance
the smiling lovers wager nou depends.

In the glistening moons of Her fingernails moons without price,

Graceful Radha holds the pair of dice.

55 Lessons in Jealousy

In the fragrant forest Lalita sits beside

Radha Nou They are both beyond the reach
of any ears Nou she begins to chide
gentle Radha‘ Nou she begins to preach
 25

the glories of angry words She begins to teach

the method of a lover's jealous pride
The teacher Lalita explains nou each
point one by one Nou listening with wide

open ears Sri Radha‘ is silent Nou She starts

to speak Sri Radha's words nou seem to sing.
Her words are full of all the glorious arts
of angry words She smiles now practicing

jealous outbursts that the rake dear dear

Krsna in His heart delights to hear.

56 Crawling in the Courtyard

Infant Krsna nou begins to crawl

in the courtyard Nou He begins to pull
His dark chubby graceful delicate small
limbs limbs splendid like a host of full

moons shining together in the autumn sky.

His gold and jewel belt and anklets jingle
as He crawls His chest and belly and thigh
all slowly move on Vraja's ground A single

hand with graceful chubby fingers is first

raised and then is placed upon the ground.
On His face rises a smile like a flower nou burst
into bloom The smiling gopis all stand around

Him Smiling Yasoda gazes at the charms

of infant Krsna crawling on knees and arms.

57 Blocking the Path

Their eyes and faces and smiles and limbs like sweet
lotus flowers the gopis walk. Clay jars
of yogurt they carry Their soft and delicate feet
playfully cross the path Patterned with stars

or other designs their garments are glorious Their

hearts are happy Nou Krsna suddenly blocks
the fragrant flower-filled forest path From where
did He come¿ His friends are at His side He mocks
 26

the gopis with graceful teasing jokes A toll

payment He nou demands No¡ No! No! No!"
the girls protest Smiling in His new role,
the actor Krsnacandra persists O¡ O!

What will stop this rake?¢ one girl protests.

In Krsna's glistening eyes nou mischief rests.

58 The Flute Messenger

The messenger that is the music of

Lord Krsna's flower-twined flute now swiftly flies
through Vraja's pathways of the air above
sweet hills and forests to girls with lotus-eyes,

to slender beautiful gopis ears, and there

this proclamation sweetly does recite:
O glorious lotus-limbed saintly slender fair,
playful gracious gentle wise and bright-

eyed girls of Vraja hear the message that

I speak to you Sri Krsna invites you to meet
Him smiling playful graceful Krsna at
the Yamuna's flower-filled bank Sri Krsna whose sweet

smiling glance will soon rest on your eyes Sri Krsna waits
for you Sri Krsna whose chest is like sapphire gates."

59 The Hunter's Trap

Smiling and laughing the graceful bright-eyed teen-

age gopis follou the crooked serpentine
path through Vraja's fragrant forest Green-
leaved branches pass overhead and many a vine

with delicate flower-filled tendrils delights to entwine

many a tree and many a flower is seen
by happy eyes and glorious sunshine
peeks through the trees Then suddenly unforseen,

a flowing graceful sweet flute melody rings

through the forest leaves a melody with long
notes and graceful florishes It sings
and playfully dances, music like a strong

nectar music like a hunter's net

 27

carefully on the forest pathway set.

60 Attached to Play

Please gaze O my restless heart please happily gaze.

on youthful Krsna Sri Krsna who runs
on lotus feet who calls out to His friends and plays
in the forest whose graceful brilliant jokes and puns

make His playful smiling, talkative gopa friends burst

into wild laughter who makes His friend the clown
Madhumangala burst into peals of laughter whose thirst
for playing games seems never quenched whose crown

of flowers rests on curly locks whose bright

and restless eyes dance with many a jest,
whose smile is charming whose lotus flower light
steps seem to dance and whose soft limbs, nou dressed

in yellou silk, nou move with endless grace

as in the game He to His friends gives chase.

61 Milking the Surabhi Cows

As the bright-red morning-sun begins to rise,

Krsna a gentle graceful slender boy
with bimba lips and smiling lotus eyes
filled with endless wisdom and with joy,

and with dark curling hair and with a brow

glorious like the crescent moon nou stands
in the door of the barn Nou He sits by a surabhi cow.
Lord Krsna's soft and gentle lotus hands

soon will make the nectar milk to flow.

Krsna who dearly loves the cows now takes
His place Krsna whose every delicate toe
is worshiped by Brahma and Siva and Sesa nou makes

the slender stream of foamy warm and sweet

milk slowly fill the bucket at His feet.

62 Gazing at Vraja
 28

Look¡ Look¡ Look at the beautiful glorious land

of Vraja There is the fragrant blossoming tree
where Krsna meets the gopis and there stand
the lotus forests where Krsna's plays There see

great magnificent Govardhana Hill

with hundreds of peaks towering above
Radha's beautiful lake where flowers fill
the air with sweetness There, trembling with love,

Radha‘ and Krsna play There jewels pave

the glistening circle of the rasa dance.
On that graceful hill is a dark cave
great like a palace Nou please place your glance

upon this grove where Radha‘ plays the lute

as Krsna plays sweet melodies on the flute.

63 On a Moonless Night

No glistening moon shines The night is black.

A slender graceful gopi's lotus feet climb
the winding path on Govardhana Hill At Her back
stands the verdant valley of Vraja The cool nightime

breeze is thick with the sweet scent of jasmine flowers.

The fair and smiling gopi's lotus feet walk
past sweet nectar streams and lakes and through dark forest bowers.
Her smiling eyes speak poetry Her talk

to the gopi friend at Her side is all of Her lover.

She comes to a sapphire gate like the door to a cave.
Fragrant flower-filled arching branches cover
Her form The gate opens Bright rubies pave

the great circle bathed in glorious light With a glance

of pleasure She quickly enters the rasa dance.

64 What Krsna Heard in a Nap

On a pleasant languid summer afternoon

Krsnacandra tries to take a nap.
As He naps, two gopis come, and soon
many playful graceful sweet words wrap

themselves around the gopis smiling lips.

 29

The gopis talk with restless smiling sighs

of Krsna's limbs and jokes and hou He sips
the nectar of their forms with thirsty eyes.

Intently listening Krsna pretends

to sleep within that fragrant forest grove.
He struggles to supress the smile that bends
His lips Ah these two laughing girls that wove

their glistening braids with jasmine flowers now

talk and talk beneath a leafy bough.

65 Krsna Searches for s Straying Calf

In a pleasant cooling forest shade

Krsna with wide-open lotus eyes
intently searches for a calf that strayed
from the herd For a moment He stops and sighs.

With deep concern He asks Where did that calf

go?¢ On His chest is the Srivatsa mark.
His eyes are stars and His forehead a half
moon shining in the glorious great and dark

evening sky that is His limbs His feet

quickly walk upon the forest ground.
Picking up His flute He makes a sweet,
clear glorious delightful charming sound.

The sad lost calf nou hears and understands,

and happily runs into his master's hands.

66 Dreams

A gopi sees Sri Krsna in her dreams

within the glorious middle of the night.
The dreams are filled with throbbing life All seems
more real than waking Everything is bright

with many colors Charming Krsna walks

slowly The anklets jingle on His feet.
His arms are like two graceful lotus stalks.
His playful smile is like a lotus' sweet

fragrance His fingers are like lotus sprouts.

His chest is like a lotus-forest lake.
 30

The gopi's heart is restless Nou she doubts,

Do I see what I see¿ Am I awake?"

Into the gopi's eyes with a soft deep

glance Krsna gazes She thinks Do I sleep?"

67 Servants Decorate Sri Krsna

Servants massage Sri Krsna's lotus flower

limbs Together happily standing by
His side they bathe Him with a gentle shower
of fragrant water Then they softly dry

His form with silken towels Then they place

yellow garments on His hips His chest
they gently push into a fast embrace
with a Kaustubha jewel They make rest

fragrant cooling yellou sandal paste

above His arching brows glistening rings
upon His ears a sash about His waist,
jewel armlets on His arms two strings

of jewel anklets on His soft feet and

rings and bracelets on each delicate hand.

68 Hide and Seek

In the forest are many great kalpa trees with wide

shady branches Behind a flowering madhavi vine
graceful gentle smitten-with-love lotus-eyed
Radha‘ hides Fragrant madhavi flowers twine

Her braids A bent and crooked playful smile

of mischief glistens in Her eyes Sunshine
flows through flowering forest branches, while
smiling bewildered Krsna looks for some sign

of His beloved Where did Radha go?",

He wonders First one and then another stride
He takes He looks and looks He does not know
where Radha hides Sighing He stands beside

the place where Radha‘ of delicate graceful limb,

suppressing mischievous laughter hides from Him.
 31

69 Cooking for Krsna

In Sri Yasoda's kitchen Radha‘ looks

with smiles on smiling friends. They make a plan.
The graceful slender charming gopi cooks
nou cook Krsna's feast Nou many a pan

or pot or tray is filled with squash or rice

or leafy vegetables Nou fragrant steam
ascends from all the cooking work Nou spice
is added with artistic skill Nou cream

is hardened into many a tempting sweet

delight Nou gently simmering plantains
are done Nou puffs up many a whole-wheat
bread Nou flowing juice of sugar canes

is added here and there with loving hands.

In every cook's thoughts smiling Krsna stands.

70 The Flute Player

On the slope of Govardhana Hill

on a sunny autumn afternoon
Smiling Krsnacandra likes to fill
the air with many a playful graceful tune

from His jewel flute The fragrant breeze

carries the notes nou through the lotus flowers
over placid lakes and through the flowering trees
in glorious beautiful leafy forest bowers

and into many a startled blissful ear.

Entering within, the sweet notes stay
in many a heart The playful nectar clear
notes laugh and dance and sing and joke and play

in many a heart A host of hearts embrace

the notes that dance with sweetness and with grace.

71 Look

Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡
Look¡ There is the place where Krsnacandra dressed
 32

in glistening yellou silk with a great crest

of peacock feathers played His flute by a brook

on a hill Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ Look¡ There Krsna shook

off the sleep from His afternoon nap There Krsna the best
of the cowherd boys played with His friends Speaking many a jest,
in that flowering forest He laughed Look¡ Krsna took

lunch in that grove Look¡ Look¡ There Krsna made

the mooing great-horned surabhi cows slake
their thirst in the clear waters of that lake
and made them sit and rest in those trees' shade.

That path He walked Look¡ There, with laughing face,

He ran into His mother's and father's embrace.

72 Sri Balarama

Yasoda called Sri Balarama near.

Balarama came quick to her side.
Yasoda had a secret to confide.
Her eyes and voice and stance betraying fear,

Sri Yasoda said Dear dear dear dear

Krsna is a child In You reside
all heroic powers¢ She stopped and sighed,
Please please protect Him always.¢ In His ear

she said Protect Him when You with Him play."

Then His eyes like glorious blooming red
lotus flowers Rama smiled and said:
O Mother, I will follou what you say.

With all My power and with My mighty arm

small Krsna I'll protect from any harm."

73 Crossing a Grand River

As They wandered in Vraja's forest land,

Sri Krsna friends and cows all came to cross
a very deep and swift and dark and grand
river where hosts and hosts of great waves toss

the restless dark blue waters to and fro.

The cowherd boys all said Alas¡ Alas!
This river is very mighty We have no
 33

power to pass no power to pass to pass

this way" then Krsna played a melody

upon His bamboo flute Then that great stream
at once was frozen stunned in ecstasy.
The startled boys thought Do we wake or dream?"

Then Krsna, boys, and cows all crossed the wide,

grand frozen river to the other side.

74 Imitating the Animals

Krsna and His friends nou imitate

the forest animals One gopa jumps
like a young frog Another takes the gait
of a young fawn Another in some clumps

of grass nou slithers and hisses like a snake.

Another dances like a proud peacock.
Another is a swan in a clear lake.
Another gopa sitting on a rock,

imitates a parrot's playful chant.

Another imitates a bird in flight.
Another is a baby elephant.
But suddenly they stop trembling in fright,

when Krsna crouching on the forest floor,

imitates an angry tiger's roar.

75 The Jesting Lovers

The teenage lovers Radha‘ and Krsna jest

and laugh within a fragrant forest grove.
Their graceful forms so lovingly caressed
with smiling glances and their foreheads wove

with blooming flowers They laugh and laugh O now

what jest does smiling Krsna say that makes
the Kama's bou of Sri Radha's eyebrow
arch to shoot an arrow¿ Nou She shakes

with laughter O what was the sweet sweet sweet

jest that Krsna spoke¿ What did He say
that made Her place Her head upon His feet?
What giddy jests and puns did He make play
 34

within His words¿ What are the jests that kiss

Her ears and make Her heart nou bloom with bliss?

76 A Leaf

Smiling Krsnacandra stops to browse

among the forest trees After a brief
search among the fragrant flowering boughs
Krsnacandra finds the perfect leaf.

The great broad leaf with earnest care He rolls

into the perfect charming graceful form.
With earnest care He carves the perfect holes.
Nou a great tumult a great bustling swarm

of melodies flies from this piccolo.

Some melodies are like a lively dance.
Some melodies are deep and grave and slow.
Some melodies are like a mystic trance.

Some melodies are like a nectar stream.

Some melodies are like a lover's dream.

77 Kamadeva's Battle

Under Radha's florid eyebrow arch,

running on the path of Radha's glance,
Kamadeva's thousand warriors march.
Each warrior bears Sri Kamadeva's lance.

From each warrior come monsoon showers

of thousands of thousands of thousands of glistening bright
flying axes and javelins and arrows of flowers.
In a moonlit forest an autumn night

these millions and millions of glorious fighters attack

Sri Krsna's army The two armies run
at each other In a forest grove in the black
night with sharp mantra arrous of many a pun

the two armies fight Nou a tumultuous rattle

marks the first skirmish of smiling Kama's battle.

78 Listening to a Messenger
 35

A gopi messenger nou reads aloud

the letter written on a fragrant red
lotus-petal page The monsoon cloud
of Krsna's graceful form sits on a bed,

a couch of forest leaves and flowers While

the flower-braided slender graceful wise
messenger reads the splendid words a smile
dances in Krsnacandra's glistening eyes.

The letter ends Nou Sri Krsna approves

the graceful poem-letter's sweet request.
Nou the great campaka flower garland moves
upon His broad and glorious sapphire chest.

Nou with a deep and sweet and gentle sigh,

happy Krsna dictates His reply.

79 Stepping into the Boat

Beside His boat the boatman is asleep,

smiling at what seems the sweetest dream.
The frightened gopis need to cross the deep
and swiftly-flowing dark and wave-tossed stream.

Alas¡ The boatman is Krsna the frivolous rake.

This the gopis clearly see Alas!"
they sigh With a great effort nou they wake
Him from His sleep We gopis need to pass

nou to the river's farther shore,¢ they say

He says Please pay some coins and you will float
in My good ferry to the shore They pay
the fare They place their feet within the boat.

The doubting gopis wonder Is it wise

to trust this boatman with bright dancing eyes?"

80 Radha's Desire

Nou the two smiling lovers joke and laugh

in the forest of fragrant flowering trees and vines.
Sri Radha‘ is graceful and beautiful The half
moon of Her forehead shines with grace Black lines
 36

of kajjala anoint Her restless eyes,

eyes that for some fleeting moment watch
the slender glistening priceless bamboo prize
at Krsnacandra's waist She yearns to catch

laughing Krsnacandra unaware,

touch Him with Her lotus-petal hand,
quietly gently quickly place Her fair
soft fingers around Krsnacandra and

then in an unseen passing moment's flash

steal the flute tucked under Krsna's sash.

81 Glistening in the Moonlight

Look from this window! Hills and valleys engrave

the land of Vraja¡ See hou all is white,
bathed and bathed in glistening moonlight.
Look at the graceful flowing gentle wave

filled Yamuna See hou great jewels pave

the forest pathways See the forests bright
within the middle of this autumn night.
Look at the door of that mysterious cave

on green and glorious Govardhana Hill.

Look¡ Look¡ There is the blooming-flower-twined swing
where Radha‘ and Krsna play Look at the sweet

nectar lakes Look hou the moonbeams fill

the circle of the rasa-lila ring.
Look at the marks of Krsna's lotus feet.

82 Listening to The Story of Lord Rama

Mother Yasoda tells the whole long story

of Ramacandra's pastimes long ago
With many words she sweetly tells the glory
of Ramacandra's virtues of His bow

and arrows of His mighty power of

His perfect rule of ideal government,
His devotion to the brahmanas, and His love
for Mother Sita Ah the sweetest scent
 37

of these words brings delight Nou listening

with eager ears boy Krsna is filled with wonder.
Boy Krsna listens With graceful glistening
eyes He gently sweetly smiles Nou under

His smiling bimba lips rest His jasmine teeth,

and under them a sigh rests on His breath.

83 Looking in a Cave

Walking on a flowering forest way,

walking by a sweetly flowing brook,
searching for a calf that went astray,
Sri Krsna stops His lotus eyes now look

to see some sign Aha¡ He sees the mark

of hoofprints clearly in the brookside clay.
Following the marks, He meets a dark
cave's door He looks within He starts to play

His flute He leans upon His wooden staff.

He plays again He looks ahead Behind
He looks The melodies are sweet The calf
runs to His arms So happy nou to find

His master! Ah the joyful smiling bright-

eyed calf nou dances dances with delight.

84 The Council of Vraja

Sitting by His smiling fathers side,

small boy Krsnacandra nou attends
the council of the elders Nou His wide
eyes bloom like lotus flowers as His friends'

fathers meet and solemnly decide

the affairs of Vrajabhumi's government.
Small Krsna a blue lotus-flower tied
in His black hair nou hears their argument.

Nou He begins to speak Nou sweet silence

falls Nou Sri Krsna speaks with eloquent
words words glorious with intelligence.
The elders listen The startled reverent

elders look with eyes wide surprise.

 38

Hou did Nanda's son become so wise?

85 Lord Krsna's Birthday Festival

On the day of Krsnacandra's birth

is a glorious joyful beautiful grand
festival of songs and feasts The earth
is joyful Krsna with His lotus hand

gives to brahmanas staunch in sacred vows

priceless glistening garments sewn with silk
and golden threads and many surabhi cows
that are the source of streams of sweetest milk,

and gold and many jewels and many rare

and priceless gifts Nou happily to bless
the boy the brahmanas speak a sacred prayer
to grant Him joy and great auspiciousness.

Nou Nanda casts a smiling glance upon

his gentle graceful saintly righteous son.

86 Lord Krsna Returns at Day's End

As the great red sun sets on the western mountain

smiling Krsnacandra returns to the town
of Vraja From the glistening endless fountain
of His flute sweet streams of music flow White brown,

grey and black cows nou follou Him Beside

Him Balarama jokes The boys all laugh.
Sri Krsna's glistening curly hair is tied
with flowers and His horn and wooden staff

are tucked into His sash His parents run

to greet Him with great hugs Soft tears now glide
from Sri Yasoda's reddened eyes Son¡ Son!",
she cries Great flooding streams of tears nou slide

down Nandaraja's cheeks Son¡ Son¡", he cries

with heaving chest and moistened reddened eyes.

87 Pastimes With the Gopas

 39

Krsnacandra and His friends nou pick

blooming forest flowers and ripe fruit.
Nou they sing and dance and play the flute.
Nou they eat a snack and nou they lick

the sweet-rice remnants from their fingers Quick

with wit and smiles they play a mock dispute.
Laughing in the forest they refute
each other nou with many a glistening trick

of crooked logic Joking they each take

a different role Nou one boy plays the part
of a buffoon His words are filled with art
and sublime foolishness Soon the boys shake
with ringing sounds of laughter sounds that start
to flood that blooming forest by a lake.

88 Hiding in the Forest of Lotus Flowers

Into the lotus forest Radha‘ fled

with laughter Nou behind the giant wide
green leaves and giant fragrant blooming red
petals smiling Radha tries to hide.

Krsnacandra looks but cannot find

the graceful girl with mischief in Her eyes.
Stealthily She quickly hides behind
the giant bending leaves Filled with surprise,

Krsna does not see Her though almost

He brushes up against Her as He walks
within that lake Surrounded by a host
of fragrant flowers leaves and swaying stalks,

He pauses Where did smiling Radha‘ go?"

Bewildered Krsnacandra does not know.

89 Sri Radha's Glance

As within a fragrant forest grove

Krsnacandra smiles and jests and plays,
Radha‘ looks and looks with eyes of love.
She looks with a sweet bewildered gaze.

She looks with two eyes that seem to dance,

eyes reciting Kamadeva's prayer,
 40

eyes that cast a playful sidelong glance,

maidservants respectful eyes that bear

a host of jewel gifts sweet gentle wide-

open eyes like lotus flowers sweet
smiling eyes that laughing nou play hide
and seek to hide and then to laughing meet,

eyes that both embrace Sri Krsna tight,

glistening eyes that blossom with delight.

90 A Parrots Prayer

Glory to Sri Krsnacandra!" prays

a smiling parrot sitting in a tree.
Glory to the graceful boy who plays
in Vraja to the boy who gracefully

dances in the forest to the boy

whose eyes are like blooming lotus flowers,
to the boy whose restless glance makes joy
fill the gopis hearts makes monsoon showers

of joy flood their hearts¡ Glory to

the boy whose playful charming joking words
bring sweet delight whose ever fresh and new
form and pastimes bring delight!¢ This bird's

prayer nou softly flows with sweet delight

in the flowering forest late at night.

91 What Lord Krsna Said to a Gopi He Sau Picking Flowers in the

Forest

Sri Krsna suddenly appears He glowers

with angry eyes O uninvited guest
invading these sweet fragrant forest bowers,
O girl with graceful sidelong glances blessed,

O thief of many flowers I arrest

You for the crime of picking jasmine flowers
from these vines Don't smile I do not jest
with You King Kamadeva gave Me powers

to protect his garden As his monitor

he placed Me here and said that any fair,
 41

smiling, graceful gentle girls that dare

to pick his flowers should be brought before
him tried judged sentenced then held by the hair,
and then thrust through his flower-twined prison door.

92 The Gopi's Reply

Hearing these words the startled gopi said:

O handsome graceful charming sweet-limbed rake,
O teenage boy with eyes like blooming red
sweet lotus flowers O O hissing snake

that hid so long in wait for innocent

young girls our saintly Radha‘ is the queen
in all this forest land O insolent
boy, here the fragrant flowers and the green

leaves and the trees are all Her property.

Aha¡ The words we speak to You are true.
Sri Radha‘ is the mighty queen and we
gopis are Her maidservants Nou You,

for teasing us O rake will soon soon dwell

in Kamsaraja's cold dark prison cell."

93 An Unexpected Event

On the forest pathway in the shade

of leafy blooming kalpa-vrksa trees,
jasmine flowers twined within Her braid,
Radha‘ walks The lotus-fragrant breeze

delights Her graceful nose The kuhu¢ song

of playful chirping birds delights Her ears.
The forest beauty charms Her eyes Hou long
will She walk here all alone¿ She hears

a rustling sound among the leaves Ah¡ Who

is that?¢ The hunter Krsna hiding there,
with lotus feet nou steps into Her view.
He smiles A peacock feather crowns His hair.

A fragrant garland drapes His chest Ah why

does Krsna suddenly stand before Her eye?
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94 The Painted Picture

Surrounded by His friends and surabhi cows,

His smiling bimba lips happy to blow
sweet songs into the flute His two eyebrows
the archer Kamadeva's flower bow,

and His playful restless glance a monsoon shower

of Kamadeva's arrows Krsna walks
at day's end into Vraja Nou His flower
limbs are seen by Vraja's girls All talks

are stopped The gopis' graceful movements stop.

They are struck by the arrows of Krsna's glances. Sighs
are their only motion Standing on the top
of the palace roof they look with unblinking eyes.

Stunned by Kamadeva's thoughts they all

look like a mural painted on a wall.

95 The Necklace

Alas¡ Alas¡ Sri Radhika's divine

glistening necklace with great art designed
of rubies and sapphires was left behind.
A gopi nou is sent Nou for some sign

of it she looks along the serpentine

forest path Alas¡ She cannot find
it Within the grove of trees entwined
by many a fragrant flowering jasmine vine

she looks and looks within the cooling shade

of the great-branching kalpa-vrksa trees.
She looks within the fragrant courtyard made
within the forest Aha¡ Nou she sees

the jewel necklace Sees Sees it with showers

of happiness Sees it amongst the flowers.

96 The Priest of the Sun-god

Through the beautiful shady forest blows

a sweet delightful lotus-flower breeze.
With Her talking friends Sri Radha‘ goes
 43

to a temple hid amongst the trees.

From the village a learned brahmana soon

will come to be the priest Within that pleasant
flower-fragrant springtime afternoon
with rituals and mantras he'll present

many an offering to the great sun-god.

Radha‘ and Her friends nou wait and wait.
Frustrated they wonder This is odd!
The saintly priest now comes so very late.

Nou smiling Radha‘ sees with blooming eyes

the priest is Krsnacandra in disguise.

97 Radha‘ Sees Krsna in a Picture

From a picture Krsna casts a glance

at beautiful Radha‘ as She looks at Him
Like a silent yogi in a trance,
Radha‘ gazes at His every limb.

His face is like a rising nectar moon

shining in the evening of His chest.
His limbs are like great sweet and dark monsoon
clouds that filled with floods of nectar rest

within the sky that is His playfulness.

His gestures are a jewel host that paves
the dancing circle of His gracefulness.
His gestures are some flowing nectar waves.

On the picture She fixes Her eyes

as with Her breath She sighs and sighs and sighs.

98 Warriors Wielding Weapons of Puns

The warriors Radha‘ and Krsna enter the field.

At once the fearsome merciless war begins.
With mightly arms the smiling warriors wield
fearsome weapons With arrows and javelins

of glistening jokes and sharpened playful puns,

the jester Krsna presses His attack.
Sri Radha at Her adversary runs
with swords of jokes Then Krsna strikes Her back.
 44

Kamadeva watches from nearby,

delighted with the battle he can see.
Kamadeva smiles with happy eye.
On whom nou will rest the victory?

Thus Sri Radha‘ and Krsna armed with jokes,

attack each other with many thrusts and strokes.

99 The Wrestling Match

Gracefully entering the parliament

of Vraja's girls his arching eyebrows bent,
his steps a breeze nou carrying the scent
of lotuses and his limbs magnificent,

Kamadeva speaks of a wrestling match

where smiling Radha‘ will be set against
the jester Krsna As the gopis watch,
the passionate lovers battle is commenced.

First mighty Krsna seems almost to win.

Then Radha‘ pushes His great sapphire chest.
Laughing with glistening eyes She tries to pin
Him to the ground This way the fight is pressed.

As playful Radha‘ fights with Her heart's treasure,

restless Kamadeva smiles with pleasure.

100 Kamadeva Whispers in Sri Radha's Ear

Sri Sri Radha‘ and Krsna laugh and joke,

sitting in a forest grove of flowers.
All their playful jesting words invoke
smiling restless Kamadeva Such powers

rest within Their words The smiling guest

approaches softly and begins to listen.
Laughing Radha with a fragrant crest
of jasmine flowers speaks Her sweet eyes glisten.

She speaks a graceful but outrageous jest.

Sri Krsna laughs and Kamadeva approves.
Kamadeva feels his ears are blessed.
Nou restless mighty Kamadeva moves
 45

close and softly so no one can hear,

whispers in Sri Radha's graceful ear.

101 Sri Sri Radha‘ and Krsna Perform a Kamadeva-yaja

The priests Sri Radha‘ and Krsna take Their seat.

Nou They touch the sacred arani sticks
of playful gentle glorious restless sweet
caresses Ah the sacred flame nou licks

the sky The couple's mantras are the play

of joking words Into the sacred fire
They pour oblations for Kamadeva They
offer prayers Nou Kamadeva's desire

is manifest His form filled with delight,

nou Kamadeva arises from the flames.
His form is filled with majesty and light.
Radha‘ and Krsna nou chant Kama's names.

His restless glance nou tossed with sweet unrest,

smiling Kamadeva is manifest.

102 Kamadeva Follows the Divine Couple

In Vrndavana's gardens by the streams

of flowing rivers by the foreat ways,
in Their waking moments and Their dreams,
in Their moonlit nights and in Their days,

in an ornate palace glstening

with jewels in a secret mountain cave,
in forest places where They dance and sing,
on the forested hills and by the wave-

filled nectar lakes wherever They may be,

blissful playful Radha‘ and Krsna always
see that restless smiling eternally
youthful Kamadeva stays with Them.

He sits in Radha's gentle graceful charms.

He embraces Them both with his majestic arms.

103 Visnu-tattva and Jiva-tattva

 46

Sri Radha‘ and Sri Krsna are the great

supreme rulers of the universe.
The great philosophers all contemplate
Their glories With sublime and skillful verse

the poets praise Them Vedic mantras sing

of Them True wisdom leads one to Their feet.
They are the two great Lords of everything.
Their graceful charming and delightful sweet

pastimes are the object of the true

saintly persons meditation Their
graceful beauty and handsomeness is new
and fresh always Their forms are spirit and where

They live is the spiritual world and we,

the souls are Their servants eternally.

104 Lord Krsnacandra's Glories

Glory to Krsnacanda who kills many proud

demons who rescues His devoted friends,
whose form like a dark black monsoon cloud,
who always and in every place defends

His faithful devotees from any harm,

whose form His mother tied up with rope,
whose form is filled with sweetness and with charm,
whose kindness is the devotees great hope,

who by the riverbank nou sweetly plays

melodies upon the flute who steals
the gopis garments who nou always stays
in the devotees hearts who nou reveals

Himself to the devotees and always

protects them during nights and during days.

105 The Praise of Lord Krsnacandra

Glory to Sri Govinda who lifts

Govardhana Hill with one small finger, who
smiling accepts the yaja-patnis gifts,
whose youthfulness is always fresh and new,
 47

whom Brahma and Indra worship with eloquent prayer,

who rescues His friends who swallows a forest fire,
who wears a peacock feather in His hair,
whose chest is like a splendid great sapphire

gateway whose supremely mighty arms

crush the challenging demons who subdues
the Kaliya snake whose playful graceful charms
enchant the people of Gokula and whose

limitless merciful kindness saves the souls

trapped in maya's dark and twisting coils.

106 The Meaning of Life

Rebellious souls from the spiritual world are thrust

into the world of repeated birth and death
by Krsna who is always right and just.
The soul is placed in a body of matter The breath

of life comes from the soul At death the soul

enters another body The soul always yearns
for endless bliss The soul accepts false role
after false role Again and again he burns

with suffering Searching he finds only small

crumbs of happiness When a soul spurns
matter and turns to spirit Krsna does all
to help him Then Lord Krsna gradually turns

him into a devotee His mercy unfurled,

Lord Krsna brings him back to the spiritual world.

107 The Path to the Marketplace

At every moment of the day and night

I worship Vrajabhumi's smiling prince.
I offer Him a splendid ghee-lamp's light,
a flower, and an incense scent Tears rinse

my eyes as with great love I nou recite

the prayers that praise His blossoming-lotus feet.
Smiling I hear with limitless delight
the stories of His wonderful and sweet

and playful pastimes On His handsome face

 48

I place my love-filled eyes unending glance.

When I hear of His mercy and His grace,
the hope within my heart begins to dance.

Thinking of giving that hope to others I sing

Sri Krsna's names within this market's ring.

108 The Poets Lament

Vraja's smiling saintly poets meet

to fervently debate and to decide
hou to praise correctly Krsna's feet.
Each great poet deftly opens wide

his glistening chest of metaphors With pride

each poet pulls out many shapely sweet,
and graceful words from deep deep deep inside.
Alas¡ Alas¡ Hou can these things compete

with Krsna¿ Ah the lotus flowers wilt.

The cooling nectar moons are growing dim.
The sapphire gateway seems of pebbles built.
The poets eyes are sad Their words are grim.

The poets weep Nou what more can be said?

They feel so frustrated so frustrated.