S'rî
S'uka said: 'O
best of the Kurus, the Supreme Lord Balarâma mounted
[one day] His chariot eager to see His friends and
traveled to Nanda's cowherd village.
S'rî
S'uka said: 'O best of the Kurus, the Supreme Lord
Balarâma mounted [one day] His chariot eager
to see His friends and traveled to Nanda's cowherd village.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
By
the
gopas and gopîs,
who for a long
time had missed Him indeed, was Râma embraced and
offering His respects to His parents was He joyfully greeted
with prayers:
By
the gopas and gopîs, who for a long time had missed
Him indeed, was Râma embraced and offering His
respects to His parents was He joyfully greeted with
prayers: (Vedabase)
Text
3
'O
descendant of Das'ârha, please always protect us together
with Your younger brother, the Lord of the Universe', and
saying this pulling Him close on their laps embraced they Him
wetting Him with the water from their eyes.
'O
descendant of Das'ârha, please always protect us
together with Your younger brother, the Lord of the
Universe', and saying this pulling Him close on their laps
embraced they Him wetting Him with the water from their
eyes.
(Vedabase)
Text
4-6
Next
He headed for the elderly cowherds whom He, taking their hands,
greeted with smiles. After having offered Him a comfortable
seat so that He could rest a bit and such, gathered they, who
had dedicated their all and everything to the service of their
lotus-eyed Krishna, around Him and asked they Him, with voices
faltering of their love, questions relating to the welfare of
their beloved ones.
Then
going up to the cowherd men with smiles taking their hands
and being seated comfortably and so on, asked they, who had
dedicated all their good fortune to lotus-eyed Krishna and
had gathered from all sides, with Him at ease with voices
faltering of love questions in regard to the well-being of
their dear ones. (Vedabase)
Text
7
'O
Balarâma are all our relatives well? Do all of You,
wives, children and all, still remember us, o
Râma?
'O
Balarâma are all our relatives well? Do all of You,
wives, children and all, still remember us, o Râma?
(Vedabase)
Text
8
To
our fortune was the sinful Kamsa killed and were our relatives
freed; thank God found they shelter in a fortress
[Dvârakâ] and were our enemies killed and
conquered!
To
our fortune was the sinful Kamsa killed and were our
relatives freed; thank heaven were our enemies killed and
conquered and found they shelter in a fortress
[Dvârakâ]!'
(Vedabase)
Text
9
Honored
to see Râma in their midst asked the gopîs
with a smile: 'Is Krishna, the darling of the city women,
living happily?
Honored
to see Râma in their midst the gopîs asked with
a smile: 'Is Krishna, the darling of the city women, living
happily?' (Vedabase)
Text
10
Does
He still think of His folk, His
[foster]
father
and His mother; will He ever come to visit His mother Himself
and does He with His mighty arms remember our enduring
service?
Does
He still think of His folk, His [foster] father and
His mother; will He indeed also ever once come to see His
mother Himself and does He with His mighty arms remember our
enduring service?
(Vedabase)
Text
11-12
For
His sake have we, o Lord, detached ourselves from those who are
so difficult to give up: our mothers, fathers, brothers,
husbands, children and sisters, o descendant of Das'ârha.
With Him suddenly rejecting us and leaving, has He broken with
the friendship, but what woman wouldn't believe in Him now
she's again being addressed?
For
His sake have we, o Lord, abandoned our own people so
difficult to give up; our mothers, fathers, brothers,
husbands, children and sisters, o descendant of
Das'ârha. Suddenly rejecting, leaving us, these ones,
broke He off the friendship; what woman would not believe
now then being addressed? (Vedabase)
Text
13
In
what way could those smart city women put faith in the words of
Him who so easily has His heart elsewhere and breaks off the
contact? They are mistaken about His eloquence and nice smiles
because they factually are motivated by lust!
How
indeed would those smart city women take heed of the words
of Him so unsteady of heart in His breaking up; they verily
are, with His wonderful talks and beautiful smiles, brought
to life by the rouse of lust. (Vedabase)
Text
14
But
why woud we dilate about Him any longer o gopîs,
let's talk about other things; if He wants to pass His time
without us, will we do likewise [in trying to live without
Him being present. See also
10.47:
47].'
What
use has it for us to discuss Him, o gopîs, please
speak of other topics; if He passes His time without us,
then we will do likewise [see also 10.47:
47].'
(Vedabase)
Text
15
Thus
speaking of the laughter, the conversations, the attractive
glances and remembering the gait and the loving embrace of
S'auri, the women cried.
Thus
speaking of the laughter, the conversations, the attractive
glances and remembering the gait and the loving embrace of
S'âuri, the women cried. (Vedabase)
Text
16
Sankarshana,
the Supreme Lord, being an expert in different kinds of
conciliation, consoled them with Krishna's confidential
messages that touched their hearts.
Sankarshana,
the Supreme Lord, being an expert in different kinds of
conciliation, consoled them with Krishna's confidential
messages that touched their hearts.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
Râma
then resided there for the two months of Madhu and
Mâdhava [the first two of the vernal equinox],
during which He also during the nights brought
[amorous] delight to the gopîs [see
also 10.15:
8].
Râma
then resided there for the two months of Madhu and
Mâdhava [the first two from the vernal
equinox], indeed also during the nights bringing
[amorous] delight to the gopîs [see also
10.15: 8]. (Vedabase)
Text
18
In a grove near
the Yamunâ [known as
S'rîrâma-ghaththa] with by the wind carried the
fragrance of kumuda [night-blooming] lotuses, enjoyed
He it, bathing in the light of the full moon, to be served by
the many women.
In
a grove near the Yamunâ [known as
S'rîrâma- ghaththa] with by the wind the
fragrance of kumuda [night-blooming] lotuses,
enjoyed He, bathing in the light of the full moon, it to be
served by the many women. (Vedabase)
Text
19
Sent by Varuna
flowed from the hollow of a tree the divine [intoxicating
spirit] Vârunî that with its aroma made the
entire forest even more fragrant.
Sent
by Varuna flowed from the hollow of a tree the divine
[intoxicating spirit] Vârunî that with
its aroma made the entire forest even more fragrant.
(Vedabase)
Text
20
Balarâma,
smelling the fragrance of that honey flow carried over by the
wind, sought the place where it could be found and drank from
it together with the women.
Balarâma,
smelling the fragrance of that honeyflow carried over by the
wind, went to where it was and drank from it together with
the women. (Vedabase)
Text
21
Kettledrums
resounded in the sky, the Gandharvas with joy rained down
flowers and the sages praised Râma for His heroic
deeds.
Kettledrums
resounded in the sky, the Gandharvas with joy rained down
flowers and the sages praised Râma in His heroic
deeds. (Vedabase)
Text
22
As the singers
of heaven sang the glory enjoyed He, beautified by the circle
of young women, just like Indra's bull elephant in a herd of
females.
(22)
As the singers of heaven sang the glory enjoyed He,
beautified by the circle of young women, just like Indra's
bull elephant in a herd of females.
(Vedabase)
Text
23
With His
pastimes being sung by the women wandered Halâyudha
[Balarâma as 'armed with the plow'] through the
forest inebriated with his eyes heavy of the
intoxication.
With
His pastimes being sung by the women wandered
Halâyudha [Balarâma as 'armed with the
plow'] through the forest inebriated with his eyes
overcome by the intoxication.
(Vedabase)
Text
24-25
With
flowers, with one earring, mad with joy and carrying His
Vaijayantî garland and with His smiling, lotuslike face
covered by beads of perspiration like it were snowflakes,
called He for the Yamunâ with the purpose to play in the
water, but when the river thereupon ignored His drunken words,
was she by Him angrily with the tip of His plow dragged because
she didn't come:
With
flowers, with one earring, mad with joy and carrying His
Vaijayantî garland and with His smiling, lotuslike
face covered with perspiration like snowflakes, called He
for the Yamunâ with the purpose to play in the water,
but when the river ignored His drunken words therewith, was
she by Him with the tip of His plow dragged angrily for not
coming: (Vedabase)
Text
26
'You
sinful one do not come, being called by Me, and because you, in
disrespect of Me, are moving about as you like, will I,
dividing you with My plow in a hundred little streams, make you
come!'
'You
sinful one do not come, being called by Me, and because of
disrespecting Me moving as you like, will I bring you in a
hundredfold with the tip of My
plow!
(Vedabase)
Text
27
Yamunâ
thus chided, afraid fallen at His feet, o King, spoke trembling
to the Yadu descendant the words [*]:
Yamunâ
thus chided, afraid fallen at His feet, o King, spoke
trembling to the Yadu-child the words [*]:
(Vedabase)
Text
28
'Râma,
Râma, o mighty armed one, what do I know about the
prowess of You by whose single portion [of S'esha] the
earth is sustained, o Master of the Universe?
'Râma,
Râma, o mighty armed one, I don't know the prowess of
You by whose single portion [of S'esha] the earth is
sustained, o Master of the Universe.
(Vedabase)
Text
29
Please,
o Lord Supreme, let me go, I have surrendered, I wasn't aware
of Your status as the Supreme Personality, o Soul of the
Universe so compassionate with Your devotees!'
Please,
o Lord Supreme, let go of me, who has surrendered, I had no
knowledge of the status of [You as the] Supreme
Personality, o Soul of the Universe so compassionate with
Your devotees!'.
(Vedabase)
Text
30
Thus
entreated released Balarâma, the Supreme Lord, the
Yamunâ and then submerged Himself with the women in the
water like He was the king of the elephants with his
wives.
Entreated
released Balarâma, the Supreme Lord, the Yamunâ
and then submerged Himself with the women in the water like
he was the elephant king with his wives.
(Vedabase)
Text
31
Having
played as He wanted emerging from the water presented
Kânti ['the female beauty, the brightness of the
moon', a name of Lakshmî] Him a set of blue garments,
most valuable ornaments and a splendid necklace.
Having
played to His liking and risen from the water presented
Kânti ['the female beauty, the brightness of the
moon', a name of Lakshmî] a pair of blue garments,
most valuable ornaments and a splendid necklace.
(Vedabase)
Text
32
Dressing
up with the blue clothes and putting on the golden necklace
appeared He, excellently ornamented and anointed, as
resplendent as great lord Indra's elephant.
Dressing
up with the blue clothes and putting on the golden necklace
appeared He, excellently ornamented and anointed, as
resplendent as great lord Indra his elephant.
(Vedabase)
Text
33
Even
today are, o King, the currents of the Yamunâ the way
they are drawn by Balarâma in His unlimited potency, seen
as evidence of His prowess.
Even
today are, o King, the currents of the Yamunâ pulled
by Balarâma unlimited in His potency, seen as evidence
of His prowess. (Vedabase)
Text
34
Thus passed for
Râma, who in His mind was enchanted by the exquisite
women of the cow-community, all the nights that He enjoyed in
Vraja, like a single one.'
Thus
passed for Râma, in His mind enchanted by the
exquisite women of the cow-community, all the nights that He
enjoyed in Vraja, like a single
one.
(Vedabase)
*
The
paramparâ comments: 'According to S'rîla
Jîva Gosvâmî, the goddess who appeared before
Lord Balarâma is an expansion of S'rîmatî
Kâlindî, one of Lord Krishna's queens in
Dvârakâ. S'rîla Jîva
Gosvâmî calls her a "shadow" of
Kâlindî, and S'rîla Vis'vanâtha
Cakravartî confirms that she is an expansion of
Kâlindî, not Kâlindî herself.
S'rîla Jîva Gosvâmî also gives evidence
from S'rî Hari-vams'a - in the statement
pratyuvâcârnava-vadhûm - that Goddess
Yamunâ is the wife of the ocean. The Hari-vams'a
therefore also refers to her as
Sâgarânganâ.'