The Lord of Confluence

I bought 'The Lord of the Meeting Rivers' (K.V.Zvelebil/Motilal Banarsidas) yesterday from a local second hand book shop. There are many 'vacanas' - sayings - of Basava, where he expounds his ideology of the Virashaivas, woven into devotional poetry that is offered to Shiva. The vacanas have no metrical line or stanza, they are uttered 'on the spur of the moment', and are the reflection of spontaneous devotional experience. They have essentially an oral origen and quality to them and are often sung and so may be called songs. In one verse he states:

I know nothing of prosody, of time-beat or of metre,
nor do I know the count of rhythm or of tone.
I don't know this variety of feet or that.

O Lord of Confluence,

since nothing will offend you,
I shall sing to your tune of love.

Basava was a bramin by birth who gave up his brahminhood at an early age tearing off his sacred thread and disregarding wealth and propriety. he left home and came to Kappadi Sangama - the place where two rivers meet. The temple of Kudala Sangamadeva, the Lord of Confluence, was erected at the junction of the rivers Krsna and Malaprabha. There he worshipped Shiva who later appeared in a dream and told him that the next day he would present himself, through the mouth of Nandi. The next day Basava waited, and whilst leaning against Nandi in the temple, Shiva formed a Linga in the heart lotus of Nandi which passed onto Nandi's tongue and dropped into Basava's hand, thus initiating him.

This is Basava's prayer at this time:

"Your wideness is the wideness of the world,
the wideness of the firmament, and wider still.
Your feet go deeper than the underworld,
Your crown is higher than the universe,
You Linga, who are imperceptible, past understanding, unlimited, incomparable.
By coming to the hollow of my hand you shrink to almost nothing.
O Lord of confluence.

The following poems are a random selection from the book:

You can't just do this thing called bhakti.
Like a saw it cuts when it comes, it cuts when goes
Place your hand in a pitcherwith a hooded snake: Won't it bite?

O Lord of the Meeting Rivers
------------
To give me birth, Maya bore me - as mother
To delight me, Maya was born - as my daughter
To embrace me, Maya shared my bed - as my wife
So many different ways she has, Maya, To worry and trouble me!
It's not in my power to unhinge this Maya!
And you are amused,

O Lord of the Meeting Rivers
----------------
Melt my mind, O Lord, and purge its stains,
Test it on the touchstone for its colour, and refine it in fire
Cut it and beat it to pure shining gold,
and hammer from it anklets for the feet of your devotees.

O Lord of the Meeting Rivers
------------------
Come Lord and pour down the nectar of thy name upon me.
until my heart bursts forth
until my mind is drenched
until my tongue reverberates with joy!
Let my heart like a blown bud rest upon the flowers of your holy feet

O Lord of the Meeting Rivers
----------------------
Make of my body, O Lord the pole;
Make of my head the gourd
Of my nerves the strings,
O Lord,Of my fingers the plectrum
Intone your two and thirty notes
and press my heart and play

O Lord of Confluence
--------------------------

I am no worshipper
I am no servant
I am not even a beggar, O Lord
Without your grace
O Shiva
Whenever the maid feels worn out and tired
the mistress of the house does the work
Do it all yourself

O Lord of Confluence
-----------------------

To become a devotee is to surrender one's devotion.
To become a fit man is to surrender one's fitness.
To enter Union is to surrender one's ego.
Self-surrender must be in everything.
The worth of this surrender
The lord of Confluence alone knows.

The Genius of Pratbha. Is the Poet greater than the Philosopher?

Bhatta's Kavykantaka

"There are two paths of the goddess of speech; one is sastra (philosophy), the other is kavikarma (poetry). The first arises from intellectual ability (prajna) the second from genius (pratibha)".

Abhinavagupta on Pratibha:
"Creative imagination. The form of intelligence which is able to create new things".

From wikipedia on Sphota

Sphota (literally "bursting, opening") denotes the "internal and imperceptible element of sounds and words and the vehicle of the idea which bursts or flashes on the mind when a sound is uttered" (Monier-Williams). The concept was introduced by Bhartrihari in ca. the 6th century AD. The notion of "flash or insight" or "revelation" central to the concept has induced much learned debate in Indian philosophy of language.
Bhartrihari refers to the meaning of an utterance that is not affected by variations in performance, taking the "bursting forth" to refer to the idea that by uttering of certain sounds is induced as a mental state in the listener in a flash of recognition or intuition (pratibhā "shining forth")

Ghosts in the City of Widows

From a New Statesmen article, by Jeremy Seabrook
Published 16 December 2002

When their husbands die, devout Indian women make the pilgrimage to Vrindavan, where they will pray for others, and await their own deaths
Vrindavan is a city of widows, of ashrams, temples and lodging-houses for the wasted women of India, whose husbands have died and whose children have rejected them. They have made the pilgrimage to one of the holiest sites in India to await death. No one quite knows how many widows live here; certainly there are thousands, in dusty white saris (the weeds of Indian widowhood), and they lead lives of extreme penury and hardship, but sometimes, also, of high religious exaltation.
The town is close to Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna, and is part of the holy ground where he spent his boyhood and youth. His dalliance with the gopis, young herdswomen of the countryside, is commemorated in carvings and pictures all over India. The elderly women who have come here are themselves a caricature of the gopis, evicted from society by the ancient stigma of widowhood. Theirs is a kind of psychological suttee: instead of immolating themselves on their husband's funeral pyre, they migrate into this city of ghosts.
The testimony of the women is strikingly similar; it is a story of the privilege of dying in a state of extreme purification; but at the same time, tears smear their faces, tears of grief at their exclu- sion from family and homestead. They spend the day chanting bhajans, devotional songs, in the temples, two sessions of four hours daily. Each receives two and a half rupees per session (less than five US cents). Some have the option of taking payment in the form of food - 100 grams of rice or dhal.
HelpAge India brings its mobile clinic here once a week. Its medical personnel have found malnutrition, eyes veiled by cataracts, breathing difficulties, infections, intermittent fevers, stomach disorders that weaken and dehydrate bodies already desiccated by age.
Tulsi Chatterjee, like many, is from West Bengal. Here, traditionally, widows were forced to shave their heads in order not to provoke desire in men other than their dead husbands - a kind of posthumous policing of chastity. She came here six years ago, "for the sake of religion". She said: "I had married my children, and now I have to find my way into the other world. I thought while I can still move independently, I should go. If I stay at home and cannot move, I will become a burden and they will wish for my death sooner. I fled without telling them where I was going. Children do not want to look after their parents."
Suhila Mandal's husband, a landless labourer, died 12 years ago. She had two sons and two daughters; her younger son is dead. "I was not getting food at home. My older son would not let me stay with him. Nobody took care of me.
"I am happy here - whoever is not happy to be in Vrindavan will not be happy anywhere in the world. I recite bhajans in the Mirabai temple, and pay 50 rupees a month to the ashram where I stay. That leaves me 100 rupees ($2) a month for food. I do not beg in the streets, but I accept what people give."
Lalbhai is 70, from a village about 70 kilometres from Vrindavan. She came eight years ago, when her children turned her out of her home. "Sometimes I eat once a day, sometimes twice, often not at all. I have no place to stay, so I sleep in the temple. Even if I have money, I have no place to cook, no utensils. I have two saris, that is all. I recite bhajans in the Radheshyan temple. I get frightened sometimes, when the fever comes. There is no one to look after me. Sometimes" - and she indicates the surrounding circle of old women, eyes glittering in their ghost-robes - "my sisters help. When we are sick, we must depend on the charity of sisters."
Some women have stories of extreme hardship: married in early childhood, their husbands died within months or weeks of marriage. They were regarded as ill-omened infant brides, guilty of having lost their husbands even before the marriage was consummated, and condemned to a destiny of permanent widowhood.
Vidyadevi is in her sixties. Her son has two wives, the older of whom used to beat her. The younger one was kinder, but could not maintain her, because the older one forbade it. She has been here six years. She says: "It is fate that brought me here. If the Lord wants me to be hungry, I'll be hungry; if he wants me to eat, I'll eat."
Rajamati was one of the few women to express the horror of a life spent chanting bhajans. "I am not happy. Who can be happy? I do not want to sing bhajans, but this is my luck. I suppress these feelings and place them elsewhere in my mind. Only in the night they sometimes come back in dreams and I wake up crying."
I went to the Aamar Bari ashram ("Our Home" in Bengali), opened four years ago as a charity by a woman who had been chair of the National Commission for Women. This is one of the better ashrams, where necessities are provided, including food and medicine. Each woman has her own tiny room, and all are devotees of Krishna. Whatever sins they have committed, here they will find moksha (nirvana or peace), because the earth is purified and their wrongs will be washed away. Few of the 100 residents are visited by their children.
The regime relieves them of having to chant for their food. They rise at 5am to prepare for the day. Breakfast is at 7am, simple but varied. At 8.30, a yoga class is compulsory except for those who are bed-bound. It is followed by readings from the Bhagavadgita. HelpAge India sends a mobile medical unit here twice a month. Lunch is at 1.30pm. Today is a fast day, so the menu is modest - a bucket of rice and another of thin dhal stand outside the kitchen. On other days, there are vegetables, rice, cottage cheese, milk, and khir (a sweet milk pudding) twice a month.
At 2pm they clean the vessels and wash their clothes. The more active assist the helpless, bathe and feed them. From 2-4pm they rest. Then fruits are distributed, followed by tea. From 5-7.30pm there is meditation or bhajans. Dinner at 7.30 and milk at 8.30. By 10pm the whole ashram is sleeping. Occasionally, there are video films - mainly devotional, but sometimes a Hindi movie.
The ashram is constructed around a series of courtyards, which boast pots of tulsi, or holy basil. The rooms are tiny cubes - no more than a couple of metres, small windowless cells with green-painted doors. Above the central yard, wire mesh prevents the ubiquitous monkeys from stealing the food.
In spite of this, it was at this ashram that I saw one of the most distressing scenes in Vrindavan. An old woman, almost 90 years old, lies spreadeagled on a mat on the floor. She is very ill, and has a saline drip in her arm. To prevent her from tearing it out, her hands have been tied on either side to two bricks. The door is closed, and she lies silently in the dark, alone, waiting for death.
But I also met Shapla Sundheri here, a small cheerful woman, the embodiment of religious joy. She is 72, and was born into the royal family in what is now Bangladesh. She came to the ashram at 14 when her husband died. Her brother comes from Delhi to see her, and she sometimes visits her relatives. In her little room, the narrow bed is covered with a bright cloth. There is a mat on the stone floor, and a change of sari on a string. Shapla has built a shrine to Krishna: a box covered with gold and silver tinsel. Inside, a small lamp, and above, a picture of Krishna, and below him, a frieze of dancing gopis. In front of the shrine, she has placed a bowl of milk, slices of coconut, a banana and water in a metal tumbler.
Outside the ashram, Lokti Das was struggling up the steps leading to the entrance. A tiny, frail woman in her late eighties, with big spectacles that magnify her eyes, she has been here 60 years, and walks with the help of a rough stick. Her husband left her, and someone in the village gave her the money to travel from her native Agartala. She says: "Give me your blessing, so that I can go in peace to the other world. We are waiting to die, that is all. I am weak with pain and loneliness, but here you live so long you cannot count the years."
I went to a restaurant in Vrindavan. The owner, Banshi Chatterjee, a jolly rotund man in his fifties, sat behind the till, next to a glass counter of pyramids of sweets in gold and silver foil. "I don't ever want to leave Vrindavan, not even for one second of my life. I want my body to be burnt here only. It is a blessing for the widows that they can come here instead of facing the consequences of widowhood. To sing bhajans is good for them.
"Our business is best during [the festival of] Holi and the rainy months, especially at Janmashthami, the birthday of Krishna. There is one day, Akshay Tritiya, when the lord sits in a golden swinging chair, which goes in procession around the town. That day is like heaven. I stopped wearing shoes 15 years ago, so I can feel the holy earth beneath my feet."
Vrindavan is full of stories of material dereliction and abandonment. The expanse of tiny old faces beneath the neem trees, with their gestures of entreaty and supplication, are like the ghosts of all the women in the world, whose sacrificial love and generosity have been as measureless as they have been unrequited.

Kamadeva

Krishna is worshiped with the Kama Gayatri, establishing Himself as the transcendental Kamadeva of Vraja. The following sheds some light on the life of Kama as cupid, his lila, qualities and names, as told in the Kalika Purana:

Brahma created ten Prajapatis. After that he created a beautiful lady called Sandhya. Seeing her exquisite beauty he became perplexed, Brahma and the Prajapatis where irresistibly fascinated by her charm and sprang forth from their seats. All there thoughts converged on the same object. At his time an extremely handsome youth emerged from Brahma's mind, with a floral bow in his hands. On appearing he asked Brahma, "kam darpayami" - whom should I make proud? From this time onwards he was known as Kandarpa.
Brahma replied, let the minds of the living entities be the aim of your arrows... you will enter the hearts if all in an invisible form ( your flower arrows will pierce the heart)". Since he churned the mind of Brahma, he got the name 'manmatha' and since he was extremely attractive in appearance he came to be called Kama.

In the assembly of Brahma and the Prajapatis he shot five arrows:
Harsanam - Pleasing or gladdening
Rocanam - Attracting or tempting
Mohanam - Deluding or infatuating
Shoshanam - Weakening
Maranam - Killing

Braham beacame aroused by the arrows and all became infatuated by Sandhya. Sandhya was also excited and from her came 49 parts and 64 kalas (Arts).
From the drop of perspiration that fell on the ground from Daksha arose a beautiful woman and Daksha told Kama that this woman would become famous as Rati Devi, and gave her as his wife.

Kama's names in the Puranas:
Madana, Manmatha, Mara, Pradyumna, Minaketana, Kandarpa, Darpaka, Ananga, Pancasara, Sambarari, Manasija, Kusumeshu, Ananyaja, Puspadhanva, Ratipati, Makaradhvaja, Atmabhu, Iraja, Isma, Kinkira, Abhirupa, Grdhukalakeli, Kanjana, Ramana, Dipika, Madhudipa, Samantaka, Muhira, Rupastra, Vama, Puspaketana, makaraketu, Ratinayaka, Ragavrnta, Samsaraguru, Gadayitnu, Mapatya, Mayi.

Weapons: Bow of sugarcane, string of beetles, the arrows are tipped with flowers.
Vahana is the parrot and the sign on his banner is Makara.
The flowers on his arrows are: Aravinda, Ashoka, Cuta, Navamalika and Nilotpala. Also known as Unmada, Tapana, Shoshana, Stambhana and Sammohana.

Krishna is Saksanmanmathamanmathah - The essence of cupidity in Cupid himself.
Radha is known as Madan Mohan Mohini - She bewilders Him, who captivates even Cupid himself with His beauty.

Prema Prayojana

Sri Caitanya taught that Bhagavan is the sambandha of all the Vedas. Sambandha is a technical term in rhetoric meaning the matter which is to be discussed. Bhagavan is that to be realised. The forms of bhakti which are the means of attaining Bhagavan are called abhidheya. From sadhana bhakti comes the sprout of prema. The great wealth of prema is the prayojana (the fifth end of man beyond artha, kama, dharma and moksha), which makes one taste the madhurya rasa of krsna. By prema, krsna is placed under the control of his own bhaktas; by prema one is able to relish the bliss of krsna bhakti. He states that all the Vedanta Sutras conclude on these three ends: sambhandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

The consorts of krishna are of three kinds:lakshmis, mahishis and vrajadevis, all emanate from Radharani. Radha is the cause of Govinda's bliss, the enchanter of Govinda. She is the be-all and end-all of Govinda; the crest jewel of all the consorts.

sloka 13 Brhadgautamiya Tantra
Radha is said to be devi, krsnamayi, paradevata, sarvalakshmimayi, sarvakanti, and the highest sanmohini.

Devi means 'She who is most brilliant', 'She of the utmost beauty', or the nagari 'the dwelling place of the play and worship of krsna. Krishnamayi is she whom perceives krishna within and without. She is the true form of krishna, full of prema rasa; as his shakti she is one with him. In her worship she fulfills the desire of krishna; thus her name is called 'Radhika'. Thus she is to be worshipped as the highest goddess. She is the preserver of all things and the mother of the world. She is the abode of all the lakshmis, in her reside all beauty and all splendour, the charm of all the lakshmis emanantes from her. Sarvakanti means that Radha fulfils all the desires of Krishna, all the desires of Krishna reside in Radha.

Krishna is Madan Mohan - the enchanter of the world; Radha is Madan Mohan Mohini - the enchantress of the enchanter; thus she is the Thakurani of all.

radha purna shakti, krishna purna shaktiman...

Sri Radha is the full shakti and Sri Krishna is the container of full shakti. They are two principles, though non-different, as evidenced by the revealed scriptures. They are indeed the same, just as musk and it's scent are inseperable, or as fire and it's heat are non divided. Thus Radha and Krishna are one, yet they have taken two forms to taste lila-rasa. It is to teach prema-bhakti that Krishna assumed the beauty and bhava of Radha and advented as the avatara Krishna Caitanya.

C.C.1.1.5
radha krsna pranaya vikritir hladini asmadekatmanau api bhuvi pura deha bhedam gatau taucaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad dvayam caikyam aptamradha bhava dyuti suvalitam naumi krsna svarupam

Radha is the manifested form of pure love for Krishna, His hladini shakti. Although one in identity, Radha and Krishna had previously assumed separate forms on earth, now these two transcendental identities have become united in the form of Sri Krishna Caitanya. I bow to him, identical with Sri Krishna enveloped in the radiance of the bhava of Srimati Radharani.

C.C.1.1.6
sri radhaya pranaya mahima kidrso vanayaivasvadyo yenadbhuta madhurima kidrso va madiyahsaukhyam casya mad anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhattad bhavadhyah samjani scai garbha sindhu harinduh

Desiring to understand the glory of Radha's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through her love, and the happiness she feels when she realizes the sweetness of his love, Hari endowed with her bhava, appears from the womb of Sacidevi, as the moon appears from the ocean.

Radha is the highest development of love for Krishna ; she is his svarupa shakti called hladini. Hladini causes krishna to taste bliss. By hladini he nourishes his bhaktas. The svarupa of krishna is made of sat cit ananda; his cit shakti also has three forms: the ananda part is hladini, the sat is sandhini, and the cit part is samvit, which is known as jnana. An amsa of the essence of sandhini is called suddha sattva, and the reality of Bhagavan has his refuge in this. Knowledge of Bhagavan is the essence of samvit. The essence of hladini is bhava; the highest state of bhava is called mahabhava. The form of mahabhava is Radha Thakurani.

That mahabhava is the essential crest-jewel; it fulfils the desires of krishna - that is its function. The crest-jewel of mahabhava is the svarupa of Radha. The sakhis are simply extensions of her form. The love of krishna toward radha is a fragrant ointment for the body; by it, her body the colour of glowing fire, becomes even sweeter in scent. The first bath is in the stream of the nectar of compassion; the middle bath is in the stream of the nectar of youth; and the final bath is in the stream of the nectar of beauty. The syama coloured sari which she wears is her own modesty. The passion of krishna is the dawn coloured cloth; her breast is hidden by the blouse of her mana and her love. The saffron is her beauty, her sandalwood the love of her sakhis, and the radiance of her smile is the camphor - with these three her body is annointed. The deciept of her hidden mana is the decoration of her hair, and the ground scent on her body is the quality of her own dhiradhira. Her lips burned with the red of the tambula of passion and the guile of prema is the kohl decorating her eyes. With the sattvika-bhava she is suddipta and with harsha and the other sancari bhavas; her body is covered with the ornamentation of all the bhavas. Decorated with the kilakicita bhava and others of the twenty - these clusters of gunas blossomed on her whole body like garlands of flowers. On her beautiful forehead the tilaka of good fortune glowed, and the jewel of prema-vaicittya was in the hollow of her heart. Fixed in her youth, her hand placed on the shoulder of her friends, directing their minds to the krishna lila. There is a beautiful conch in the fragrant abode of her own body; she remain ensconced on it, eternally thinking of union with krsna. The earrings of the glory and qualities of krishna dangle from her ear; the glory and qualities of the name of krishna flow from her lips. She causes krishna to drink the honey of her syama rasa and eternally fulfils all the desires of krishna. The pure prema of krishna is a mine of jewels, his body replate with many incomparable qualities. (CC. 2.8.121-142)

Her body is the swarupa of prema, she is prema manifest; the best of the beloveds of krishna, famed throughout the world. Loving service to her lotus feet is the prayojana - the ultimate goal, attainment and destination. To this end Raghunatha dasa Goswami prays:
Oh Devi! I shall never pray to you for anything else but the excellent service of your lotusfeet! I offer my constant obeisances to the idea of becoming your friend, but I really relish the idea of becoming your maidservant!

Vidyapati

Vidyapati (c 1374-1460) famous Vaisnava poet, was born in a scholarly Shaivite Brahmin family in the village of Bisfi in the Sitamari subdivision of Mithila. His father's name was Ganapati. The family, whose title was 'Thakkar' or 'Thakur, were employed in high positions at the court of the rulers of Mithila and had made many important contributions in military matters as well as artistic and cultural areas. Vidyapati himself was a member of the court of the kings Dev Singh and Shivsing. Vidyapati studied under Sri Hari Mishra.

Vidyapati wrote in Maithili, abahattha, and sanskrit. Since he was born in a Shaivite family, he also wrote many Shaivite songs. However, the verses on Radha-Krishna that are written in brajabuli are considered his masterpieces. It is because of these Vaisnava verses, that he has gained immortality. These songs, in metrical feet and written in Maithili, gradually became popular all over Bengal. However, they were later transformed by the influences of local dialects and the singers of kirtan. From this grew a type of Vaisnava verse language known as Brajabuli.

Although Brajabuli is mainly a mixture of Bangla and Maithili, it also includes some Hindi words. Vaisnava verses continued to be written in Brajabuli till the nineteenth century. rabindranath tagore wrote the Bhanusingha Thakurer Padavali in this language. Sri chaitanya himself was fond of listening to the songs of Vidyapati. Kirtan and Padasangit were the main pillars of the vaisnavism. Vidyapati's fame spread all over Bengal. Later, many Bengali and non-Bengali poets wrote verses in imitation of Vidyapati. Research on Vidyapati started in the late nineteenth century. Nagendranath Gupta was the first to publish an authentic version of the songs written by Vidyapati.

Apart from writing songs, Vidyapati also wrote books on ethics, history, geography and law. Among his books are Puruspariksa (moral teaching), Likhanabali (on writing), Kirttilata (history), Bhu-Parikrama (geography), Danbakyabali (on charity), Gangabakyabali (on holy sites). Durgabhaktitarangini and Bibhagsar are autobiographical in nature. [Basanti Choudhury]

Chandidas

Chandidas (c 14th century) poet. There were at least four poets with the name of Chandidas: Baru Chandidas, Dwija Chandidas, Dina Chandidas, and Chandidas. It is not clear whether these different names found in the bhanita (autobiographical lines in poetry mentioning the name of the poet) refer to different individuals or to the same person. Only Baru Chandidas has been more or less identified. But many questions still remain unresolved, creating the Chandidas mystery.

It is believed that Baru Chandidas was born in the village of Nanur in Birbhum district, son of Durgadas Bagchi, a Varendra Brahmin. Chandidas, who was a priest in the temple of the goddess Bashuli (Bishalaksi), fell in love with a washerwoman named Rami and was excommunicated.

Baru Chandidas is known mainly as the writer of the lyrical srikrishnakirtan, the manuscript of which was discovered by Basantaranjan Vidvadvallabh at Bankura. Basantaranjan, who published the manuscript in 1916, believed that Chandidas was born in 1339 and died in 1399. However, other scholars, suggest a somewhat earlier date.

The poems ascribed to Chandidas have been popular in Bengal through the centuries. The first humanist poet in Bangla, he believed that 'sabar upare manus satya tahar upare nai' (The supreme truth is man, there is nothing more important than he is). The verses that bear his name approximate 1,100.

A school and a hospital have been established at Nanur village in Birbhum as memorials to Chandidas. Countless people visit the village to pay homage to the poet. [Samaresh Devnath]

Jayadeva / Gita Govinda

Jaydev (12th century) Sanskrit poet and one of the five 'gems' of the court of laksmanasena, the others being govardhan, sharan, umapatidhara and dhoyi. Jaydev's monumental work is the Gitagovindam.

According to the Gitagovindam, Jaydev's parents were Bhojdev and Vamadevi and his wife was Padmavati. He was born in the village of Kenduvilva, on the bank of the river Ajaya. However, few facts are known about Jaydev's life and he has been variously described as an inhabitant of Mithila or Orissa. It also said that he was, for a period, the court poet of the king of Utkal. Sridharadasa's poem Saduktikarnamrta quotes 31 verses from Jaydev, with five being from the Gitagovindam. Two verses ascribed to Jaydev are preserved in the Sikh Adi Granth or granth sahib. In some later works such as Bhaktamala, sekhashubhodaya etc. there are many stories relating to Jaydev and Padmavati. [Kanailal Ray]

Gitgovindam Jaydev's Sanskrit poem about the love affair of radha and krishna was a source of inspiration for vaisnavism, which interpreted it as an allegory of the human soul's love for the divine. The poem has greatly influenced Bangla padavali. Learned and popular audiences in India and elsewhere have continued to appreciate the emotional lyricism of the poem on the theme of separated lovers.

The poem, really a kind of drama of the ragakavya type since it is usually acted, consists of twelve cantos containing twenty-four songs. The songs are sung by Krishna, Radha or Radha's maid and are connected by brief narrative or descriptive passages. The appropriate raga for each song is noted in the text.

Although the poem originated in eastern India in the twelfth century and remains most popular there, it spread throughout the subcontinent in the centuries following its composition. As early as the thirteenth century, it was quoted in a temple inscription in Gujarat, in western India. Apart from Bengal and Orissa, its songs form an important part of the devotional music and literature of South India. The songs were introduced into Kerala in the sixteenth century and are still sung in temples there. Furthermore, the poem provided subjects for medieval Rajput painting.

The first English translation of the Gitagovindam was by william jones in 1792. It has subsequently been translated into most modern Indian languages and many other modern European languages as well. Notable English versions include Edwin Arnold's The Indian Songs of Songs, George Keyt's Sri Jayadeva's Gita Govinda: The Loves of Krishna and Radha, S Lakshminarasimha Sastri's The Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, Duncan Greenlees' The Song of Divine Love, Monica Varma's The Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, Barbara Stoler Miller's The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva. [Paresh Chandra Mandal]

The nectar of the lotus of love

Premambhoja-maranda-stava-raja by Raghunath Das Goswami
Translated by Jagadananda Das (Gaudiya Discussions)

(1) Radha’s body is the embodiment of true love conceived in the most resplendent chintamani gem, anointed with the sweet-smelling love of her girlfriends, and shining with an inconceivable lustrous splendour.

(2) She bathes in waves of the nectar of compassion, a shower of the nectar of youthfulness, and a flood of the nectar of charming loveliness,so that the Goddess of Fortune languours in lassitude at her side.

(3) Her graceful form is hidden by the silken garment of shyness, decorated with the kunkuma of graceful beauty and dappled with the black musk of erotic sentiments for Shyamasundar.

(4) She puts on her natural ornaments, fashioned from the best nine jewels: shivering, tears in the eyes, horripilation, becoming stunned, perspiration, faltering of the voice, blushing, madness and inertness.

(5) She is garlanded with the flowers of wonderful virtues, such as her sweet-tongued speech. She is adorned with perfumed powders smelling of her sometimes sober and sometimes restless moods.

(6) Her imperceptible amour-propre is concealed within the coils of her hair. Her forehead is brightened with the tilakof her immense good fortune.

(7) Hearing Krishna’s name and qualities are the ornaments swinging in splendour and jubilation from her ears. The reddish colour of her lips is produced from the betelnut of her obsession for Krishna.

(8) The black collyrium on her eyes is the crookedness of her loving affairs. Her body is perfumed by the camphor of her sweet smile, the joking words spilling from her.

(9) Within the inner apartments of her bodily fragrance is a bed of pride upon which she sits, bemused,while wearing the restless necklace of prema-vaicittya, the love in separation felt even in union.

(10) Her breasts are concealed, bound with a bodice of wounded vanity.The sounds of her lute, her fame and beauty, dry up the faces and hearts of her competitors in love.

(11) She leans with her lotus hands on the shoulder of her friend, adolescent youth personified, just before beginning to distribute the mead of intoxicating love for Krishna,herself the personification of the erotic sentiment.

(12) Please bring back to life this very sombre nobody, who is bowing down before you with straw between his teeth, by sprinkling him with the nectar of your servitorship.

(13) Oh Gandharvika! A truly compassionate person will not reject even a rascal if he is surrendered to him. Therefore please, never abandon this person who is similarly surrendered to you.

(14) Whoever recites this hymn entitled “the nectar of the lotus of love," produced of her mercy, will surely attain service at her lotus feet.

premAmbhoja-marandAkhyaM stava-rAjammahA-bhAvojjvalac-cintA-ratnodbhAvita-vigrahAm sakhI-praNaya-sad-gandha-varodvartana-suprabhAm 1kAruNyAmRta-vIcibhis tAruNyAmRta-dhArayA lAvaNyAmRta-vanyAbhiH snapitAM glaptendirAm 2hrI-paTTa-vastra-guptAGgIM saundarya-ghusRNAJcitAm zyAmalojjvala-kastUrI-vicitrita-kalevarAm 3kampAzru-pulaka-stambha-sveda-gadgada-raktatAH unmAdo jADyam ity etai rathanir navabhir uttamaiH 4kLptAlaGkRti-saMsliSTAM guNAlI-puSpa-mAlinIm dhIrAdhIrAtva-sad-vAsa-paTa-vAsaiH pariSkRtAm 5pracchanna-mAna-dhammillAM saubhAgya-tilakojjvalAm kRSNa-nAma-yazaH-zrAva-vataMsollAsi-karNikAm 6rAga-tAmbUla-raktauSThIM prema-kauTilya-kajjalAm narma-bhASita-nisyanda-smita-karpUra-vAsitAm 7saurabhAntaH-pure garva-paryaGkopari lIlayA niviSTAM prema-vaicittya-vicalat-taralAJcitAm 8praNaya-krodha-sac-colI-bandh-guptI-kRta-stanAm sapatnI-vaktra-hRc-choSi-yazaH-zrI-kacchapI-varAm 9madhyatAtma-sakhI-skandha-lIlAnyasta-karAmbujAm zyAmAM zyAma-smarAmoda-madhulI-parivezikAm 10tvAM natvA yAcate dhRtvA tRNaM dantair ayaM janaH sva-dAsyAmRta-sekena jIvayAmuM suduHkhitam 11na muJcec charaNAyAtam api duSTaM dayAmayaH ato gAndharvike hA hA muJcainaM naiva tAdRzam 12premAmbhoja-marandAkhyaM stavarAjam imaM janaH zrI-rAdhikA-kRpA-hetuM paThaMs tad-dAsyam ApnuyAt 13

SRI RADHIKA 108 NAMA STOTRAM

By Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami

aviksatmesvari kascid vrndavana-mahesvarim
tat padamboja-matraika gati dasyati katara
patita tat-saras tire ruda tyartha-ravakulam
tac chri-vaktreksanavaptyai namanyetani sanjagau

Some maidservant, unable to find her mistress, has fallen on the bank
of Radhakunda, crying in great anxiety, being very eager to take
exclusive shelter of Her lotus feet, glorifying Her by singing the following
names of Her:

radha gandharvika gosthayuva-rajaika-kamita
gandharva radhika candrakantir madhava-sangini

1. Radha, 2. Gandharvika, 3. The only girl desired by the prince of
Vraja, 4. Who is worshipped by the Gandharva-angels, 5. Whose luster is
like the moon, 6. Who accompanies Madhava.

damodaradvaita-sakhi kartikotkirtidesvari
mukunda dayita-vrnda dhammilla mani-manjari

7. Damodar's unrivalled girlfriend, 8. The queen who bestows fame on
the Kartika month, 9. The crestjewel of Mukunda's ladyfriends.

bhaskaropasika varsabhanavi vrsabhanuja
ananga manjari jyestha sridama varajottama

10. Who worships the sun, 11. Who belongs to King Vrsabhanu, 12. Who is
born from King Vrsabhanu, 13. Ananga Manjari's older sister, 14.
Sridama's younger sister, 15. The greatest (fem.)

kirtida-kanyaka matr-sneha-piyusa-putrika
visakha-savayah prestha visakha jivitadhika

16. Kirtida's daughter, 17. Who is the nectarean object of Her mother's
affection, 18. Who is of the same age as Visakha, 19. Who is dearer
than life to Visakha.

pranadvitiya lalita vrndavana viharini
lalita prana-laksaika-raksa vrndavanesvari

20. Who is none other than Lalita's very life, 21. Enjoys in Vrndavana,
22. Who saves Lalita's life lakhs of times, 23. Queen of Vrndavana.

vrajendra-grhini krishna-praya-sneha-niketanam
vraja go-gopa-gopali jiva-matraika-jivanam

24. Who is as dear to Mother Yasoda as Krishna, 25. Who is the only
life of the life of the cows, cowherdsmen and cowherdgirls of Vraja.

snehalabhira-rajendra vatsalacyuta-purva-ja
govinda pranayadhara surabhi sevanotsuka



26. Who is the object of King Nanda's affection, 27. Who gets parental
affection from Balaram, 28. Who is the object of Govinda's love
(Govinda is eager to serve His surabhi cows).

dhrta nandisvara-ksema gamanotkanthi-manasa
sva-dehadvaitata drsta dhanistha dhyeya-darsana

29. Who is very eager to go to Nandisvara for serving Krishna, 30. Who
is regarded as non-different from her by Dhanistha and seen in her
meditations, (Dhanistha is Yasoda's maidservant).

gopendra-mahisi paka-sala-vedi prakasika
ayur-varddha-karaddhana rohini ghrata-mastaka

31. Who is seen in Mother Yadosa's kitchen, 32. Whose cooked grains
increase Krishna's life, 33. Whose head is smelt by Rohini.

subala nyasta sarupya subala priti-tosita
mukhara-drk sudha-naptri jatila drsti-bhasita

34. Who has bestowed a form equal to Hers to Subala, 35. Who is very
fond of Subala, 36. Who is nectar in Mukhara's eyes, 37. Who is afraid to
see Her mother-in-law, Jatila.

madhumangala narmokti janita-smita-candrika
paurnamasi bahih khelat prana-panjara sarika

38. Who smiles like the moonbeams after hearing Madhumangala's jokes,
39. The she-parrot of Whose heart is caught in Paurnamasi's cage.

sva ganadvaita jivatuh sviyahankara-vardhini
sva ganopendra padabja sparsa-lambhana harsini

40. Who is the only life of Her friends, 41. Who increases the pride of
Her relatives, 42. Who is very happy to touch Upendra's feet with Her
friends.

sviya vrndavanodyana paliki krta-vrndaka
jnata vrndatavi sarva lata-taru-mrga-dvija

43. Who has placed Vrnda in charge of Vrndavana's gardens, 44. Who is
known by all the vines, trees, deer and birds of Vrndavana.

isac candana samghrsta nava-kasmira-deha-bhah
java-puspa pritha-hari patta cinarunambara

Whose body shines with fresh vermillion ground with some sandalpaste,
46. Whose silken dress shines more reddish than the java flower.

caranabja-tala-jyotir arunakrta-bhutala
hari citta camatkari caru nupura nihsvana

47. Whose lotus footsoles make the surface of the earth shine
crimson-red, 48. Who astonishes Hari's mind with the sweet sound of Her
anklebells.

krishna-sranti-hara sroni pitha-valgita ghantika
krishna sarvasva pinodyat kucancan mani-malika

49. The nice sounds of whose waistbells remove Krishna's fatigue, 50.
The pearl necklace on whose firm, raised breasts is everything to
Krishna.

nana-ratnollasad sankha-cuda caru bhuja-dvaya
syamantaka-mani bhrajan mani-bandhati-bandhura

51. Whose two beautiful arms are adorned with conchshell bangles inset
with various jewels, 52. On Whose wrist the beautiful Syamantaka jewel
shines.

suvarna darpana-jyotir ullanghi mukha-mandala
pakka dadima bijabha dantakrstaghabhic chuka

53. The shining of Whose face defeats that of a golden mirror, 54.
Whose teeth, that shine like ripe pomegranate seeds, attract the
parrot-like Aghabhit (Krishna).

abja-ragadi srstabja-kalika karna-bhusana
saubhagya kajjalankakta netranandita khanjana

55. Whose ruby earrings are shaped like lotus buds, 56. Whose
wagtail-like eyes are anointed with beautiful eyeliner, giving great joy to the
eyes.

suvrtta mauktika mukta nasika tilapuspika
sucaru nava-kasturi tilakancita-bhalaka

57. Whose nose, that is beautiful as a sesame flower, is adorned with a
round pearl, 58. Whose forehead is adorned with beautiful tilak made of
fresh musk.

divya veni vinirdhuta keki-pincha-vara-stutih
netranta-sara vidhvamsakrta canurajid dhrtih

59. Whose divine hairbraid is worshiped by peacock feathers (being
defeated in beauty), 60. The arrows of Whose glances destroy the patience
of Krishna, Who defeated the Canura wrestler.

sphurat kaisora-tarunya sandhi-bandhura-vigraha
madhavollasakonmatta pikoru madhura-svara

61. Who is blooming teenage beauty personified, 62. Who pleases
Madhava, 63. Who maddens Madhava with Her sweet, cuckoo-like voice.

pranayuta-sata prestha madhavotkirti-lampata
krishnapanga-tarangodyat smita-piyusa-budbuda

64. Who is more attached to Madhava's great glories than to millions of
lives, 65. Whose nectarean smiles provide bubbles on the waves of
Krishna's glances.

punjibhuta jagallajja vaidagdhi-digdha-vigraha
karuna vidravad deha murtiman madhuri-ghata

66. Who is the very form of cleverness, embarrassing the whole world,
67. Whose body melts in kindness, 68. Who is abundant sweetness
personified.

jagad-gunavati-varga giyamana gunoccaya
sacyadi subhaga-vrnda vandyamanoru-saubhaga

69. Whose glories arre loudly sung by all the great ladies of the
world, 70. Who is incessantly praised by beautiful ladies like Saci.

vina-vadana sangita rasalasya visarada
narada pramukhodgita jagad anandi sad-yasah

71. Who is expert in singing and playing vina in the rasa dance, 72.
Whose pure glories are sung by sages headed by Narada, giving joy to the
world.

govardhana-guha geha grhini kunja-mandana
candamsu-nandini baddha bhagini-bhava-vibhrama

73. She is the housewife in the caves in Govardhana, 74. She decorates
the kunja, 75. She has a sisterly relationship with Yamuna, (Yamuna is
the daughter of the sun and Radha is the daughter of Vrsabhanu, the sun
in Taurus).

divya kundalata narma sakhya-dama-vibhusita
govardhanadharahladi srngara-rasa-pandita

76. She is adorned with the wreath of divine Kundalata's friendship,
77. She is the professor in amorous rapture, giving joy to the holder of
Govardhana.

girindra-dhara vaksah srih sankhacudari-jivanam
gokulendra-suta-prema kama-bhupendra-pattanam

78. She is Laksmi on the chest of the holder of Govardhan, 79. She is
the life of the enemy of Sankhacuda, 80. She is the settlement of Cupid
for the love of the son of Gokulendra.

vrsa-vidhvamsa narmokti sva-nirmita sarovara
nija kunda-jala-krida jita sankarsananuja

81. Who made Her own pond after the killer of Arista mocked Her, 82.
Who defeats Sankarsana's younger brother in sports in Her own pond.

mura-mardana mattebha vihara-mrta-dirghika
girindra-dhara-parindra rati-yuddhoru simhika

83. She is the ambrosial pond of enjoyment for the intoxicated elephant
who defeated Mura, 84. She is a powerful lioness fighting amorous
sports with the king of lions, the holder of the best of mountains.

sva tanu-saurabhonmatti krta mohana madhava
dor-muloccalana krida vyakuli-krta kesava

85. Who enchants Madhava with Her intoxicating bodily fragrance, 86.
Who agitates Kesava by playfully showing Her armpit.

nija kunda-tati kunja klrpta keli kalodyama
divya malli-kulollasi sayyakalpita vigraha

87. Who expands Her artful plays in the kunja on the bank of Her own
pond, 88. Who makes a bed of divine jasmine flowers there with joy.

krishna vama-bhuja nyasta caru daksina gandaka
savya bahu-lata baddha krishna daksina sad-bhuja

89. Who places Her beautiful right cheek on Krishna's left arm, 90. Who
holds Krishna's right arm with Her left vine-like arm.

krishna daksina caruru slista vamoru-rambhika
girindra-dhara drg-vaksor mardi-sustana-parvata

91. Whose beautiful, broad, banana-like left hip touches Krishna's
right hip, 92. Whose nice, mountain-like breasts are being massaged by the
Holder of Govardhana.

govindadhara piyusa vasitadhara-pallava
sudha-sancaya carukti sitali-krta madhava

93. Whose leaf-like lips are scented by the nectar of Govinda's lips,
94. Whose beautiful words distribute nectar, cooling Madhava off.

govindodgirna tambula raga rajyat kapolika
krishna sambhoga saphali-krta manmatha sambhava

95. Whose cheeks are colored by the pan from Govinda's lips, 96. Who
realizes Krishna's fancies of amorous enjoyments.

govinda marjitoddama rati-prasvinna sanmukha
visakha vijita krida-santi nidralu-vigraha

97. The profuse perspiration from whose face is wiped off by Govinda,
98. Who is being fanned by Visakha when She falls asleep after playing
with Krishna.

govinda-carana-nyasta kaya-manasa jivana
svapranarbuda nirmanchya hari pada-rajah kana

99. Who has placed Her life, body and mind at Govinda's lotus feet,
100. Who worships the dust of Hari's lotus feet with billions of hearts.

anumatracyutadarsa sayyamanatma locana
nitya-nutana govinda vaktra-subhramsu-darsana

101. Who curses Her eyes for every second that they do not see Acyuta,
102. Who beholds Govinda's ever-fresh moonlike face.

nihsima hari-madhurya saundaryadyeka-bhogini
sapatnya dhama murali-matra bhagya kataksini

103. Who is the only enjoyer of Hari's endless sweetness and beauty,
104. Who can only blink at the fortune of Her co-wife, the Murali flute.

gadha buddhi-bala krida jita vamsi-vikarsini
narmokti candrikotphulla krishna kamabdi-vardhini

105. Who takes Krishna's flute after defeating Him in a gambling match,
106. Who increases the ocean of Krishna's desires by the full moonbeams
of Her joking words.

vraja-candrendriya-grama visrama-vidhu-salika
krishna sarvendriyonmadi radhetyaksara-yugmaka

107. Who is the moonlike resting place for all the senses of the moon
of Vraja (Sri Krishna), 108. The two syllables of Whose name Ra-dha
madden all of Krishna's senses.

idam sri radhika namnam astottara satojjvalam
sri radhalambhakam nama stotram caru-rasayanam

yo dhite parama pritya dinah katara-manasah
sa natham acirenaiva sa natham iksate dhruvam

Whoever recites these 108 names of Sri Radha, that consists of all
beautiful, nectarean Radha-nama, with great love, humility and eagerness,
will certainly and swiftly behold her Mistress.

iti srimad raghunatha dasa gosvami viracita stavavalyam sri
radhika-stottara-sata nama stotram sampurnam.

Mahaprabhu's instructions to Raghunatha Das

Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 6 .234

grāmya-kathā nā śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe
bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe

amānī mānada hañā krsna-nāma sadā la'be
vraje rādhā-krsna-sevā mānase karibe

Do not listen to gossip and do not speak gossip;
Do not eat well and do not wear fine clothes;
Do not be proud but give honour to others;
Always chant the name of krsna; (and)
In your mind serve radha and krsna in vraja

SYNONYMS
amānī — not expecting any respect; māna-da — offering respect to others; hañā — becoming; krsna-nāma ; sadā — always; la'be — you should chant; vraje — in Vrndāvana; rādhā-krsna-sevā — service to Rādhā and Krsna; mānase — within the mind; karibe — you should do.

The last trial of Witchcraft (UK)

The trial of a Scottish witch
CRAIG HOWIE - The Scotsman
ON THE surface, it seemed the classic witchcraft trial conducted a la Salem. An alleged witch could admit to practising magic and face prison or admit she was not conspiring with the dark arts and be jailed for fraud. To sink or float, as it were.
But this was not the Middle Ages - it was wartime Britain - and Helen Duncan's fate was sealed after she held the dubious honour of being the last Briton convicted on charges relating to witchcraft. While the Callander-born psychic died in 1956, the fight to clear her name continues today.
"A massive miscarriage of justice has occurred," claims the publisher of the magazine that today spearheads Duncan's appeal.
It has been more than 50 years since one of the country's more bizarre criminal trials occurred. The case not only involved alleged paranormal activity, but national security, Winston Churchill and a Scotsman reporter's admission under oath of witnessing an apparition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
A practising medium who specialised in producing "materialisations" at seances held across Scotland, Duncan's crime was to claim that she contacted a dead sailor whose ship had been sunk by the German U-boats. The wartime government, then plotting to invade occupied France, would only report the sinking of the HMS Barham two weeks after Duncan's witnessed revelation.
Amid concerns in the coalition government that her psychic intelligence could endanger national security, Duncan was tried in London's Old Bailey under antiquated witchcraft laws. The government also claimed that by the nature of her work - contacting the dead - Duncan was fraudulently preying on a nation's suffering psyche, as the death toll mounted in the Second World War.

Was Helen Duncan a witch, a fraud or someone with extraordinary powers?
The 46-year-old from Edinburgh pleaded not guilty in February 1944 to a charge of contravening Section 4 of the Witchcraft Act, 1735, as well as causing "money to be paid by false pretences" and "creating a public mischief", following a police raid at a seance conducted by Duncan, in the Master Temple Psychic Centre, atop a drug store in Portsmouth, England.
As in the Massachusetts town of Salem, and in the cases of thousands of witches over history, Duncan's legal hands were tied. In the short trial, the prosecution convinced the jury that all goings-on at seances were so "palpably ridiculous", that Duncan was by default a fraud who had extracted money by craft. The judge agreed and sent the Scot to prison for nine months, though Duncan's not-guilty plea to witchcraft was upheld.
The trial continues to fascinate, and to be scrutinised. Duncan's defence produced 44 witnesses to her alleged supernatural acts and called to testify The Scotsman's chief news correspondent, who would say under oath to have witnessed Duncan conjure an apparition of the late Sir Arthur at a séance the reporter had attended.
James Herries, an investigator of psychic phenomena for 20 years and a personal friend of the Edinburgh-born author of Sherlock Holmes, claims: "The figure was a little ghostly, but I easily recognised the rounded features of Sir Arthur, particularly the moustache. The figure spoke, and I traced a distinct similarity to Sir Arthur's voice." A navy brigadier also backed his claims.
The Scotsman reported a trial tinged with bizarreness, such as the court's collective, impromptu singing of Loch Lomond when Duncan's Scottish accent was commented upon by the prosecuting attorney.
It was also notable for the involvement of Churchill, then-Prime Minister, who wrote to his Home Secretary demanding to know why Duncan was being tried, and under a bill dredged up from 1935. Unable to secure Duncan's release, Churchill, who had a documented interest in the paranomal, would later visit Duncan in jail.
Ray Taylor, owner of Psychic World, the magazine which originally broke the story of Duncan's demise under the headline "Mediums demand pardon for the murder of Helen Duncan", also speaks of "several contradictions" in the case that he believes could work in favour of the appeal. The matter is currently in the hands of the criminal case review body.
"We found one or two interesting aspects, that the barrister who defended Helen Duncan was not a criminal one; he specialised in conveyancing and the like - he was not the right one to defend her," Taylor notes. "Also we dug out some records that belong to the Home Office, which they say they don't have, so we seem to be at an advantage over this one."
Several trial witnesses described seances at which long-dead relatives materialised, alongside ectoplasm - a white, morphous substance secreted from Duncan's stomach. The sitting judge denied the defence's request that Duncan should be allowed to give a demonstration of her powers in court. Notably, Duncan's legal team also argued that nobody had proved photos of the apparent ghosts were false.
Several publications have also highlighted an apparent assault on Duncan in 1956 by the arresting officers, who had seized the medium as she was conducting another séance. This was said to have resulted in her serious injury – second-degree burns to her stomach area - that led to her death.
Medium or fraud, Duncan had been silenced as in Salem, and as with all other "convicted" witches before her.