Poetry Of Devotion

BY PROF. T. VIRABHADRUDU, M.A.

One of the great Krishna-worshippers in Ancient India as Bilvamangala or Lilasuka, the author of Sri Krishna Karnamritam, a series of lyrics in Sanskrit in which the poet reveals his great devotion to Sri Krishna. He seems to have belonged to the 11th century A.D. ¹ and though no accurate biographical details are within our reach, traditional accounts of him indicate that he was a Telugu Brahmin of Srikakulam ² and that a certain woman, Chintamani, whom he loved, was the cause of his transformation from worldliness and dissipation into saintliness and devotion.³ From the poem itself we can learn one very interesting thing: that the poet belonged to a family of staunch Saivites, enthusiastic about the significance, of the utterance of Panchakshari (the five letters –Na ma ssi va ya), but that his heart was ever throbbing to utter the name and see the smiling face, with its dark blue radiance, of the sweet little child of that famous milk-woman (Yasoda). ⁴ As the title of the book indicates, the poem is full of a nectar-like music which is a solace to the ear and a solace to the soul. The poet's bhakti or devotion to God Vishnu in this shape or Avatar is most extraordinary. That he is specially in love with this aspect of Sri Krishna's life, His wonderful child-hood, can be inferred from this one verse, among others of a similar nature, where he shows how even the image of Rama does not satisfy his soul as much as that of Krishna. Kodanda-Rama (Rama with the bow) one day stood before him, but the poet's reply shows that He was rejected:

‘Having given up Thy bow and arrow for a minute, take a flute in hand, and put a peacock-feather in Thy hair. I shall, Lord of Sita, gladly greet Thee.’ ⁵

In the Course of his rapturous description of the lovely little Boy, he sings:

Such a childhood! such lotus-face! such love! the charm of those ever-rolling eyes! that enchanting beauty! the wealth of that soft smile! It is true, it is true, I can declare to the world: ‘Even among the gods it is impossible to seek! ⁶

Addressing his God he says:

Thy gait is slow and majestic, Thy words are honeyed, Thy smile sprinkles nectar, Thy embrace is tight and warm; I see; now I see, the reason why the Gopis are enamoured so highly of Thy deeds! ⁷

In his opinion his Boy-God is the most lovely object in the Universe and there is nothing else, however beautiful, that can approach it in excellence or charm. He vehemently proclaims:

If there be any, a thousand, who are critics of art, let them be;

If there be any who are images of Supreme beauty, let them be;

We have no quarrel with them: we don't want to please them either by flattery;

All we know is, "Perfection of beauty exists only in one place–Thyself"!⁸

His enthusiasm reaches its zenith when he, seeing, in one of his mystical moods, a little boy walking in 'the streets of Mathura, asks:

O, little girl, who is this boy that has just entered the streets of Mathura?

and recognising, on coming near, the jewel-like peacock-feather on the head, the inviting lips, the smiling face and embodied joy, exclaims in ecstasy:

Oh! What a splendour! Wonderful! Wonderful!

Oh! A wonderful, very wonderful Light!

It is this picture that the poet feels painted on the tablet of his heart. He would sometimes feel that his mind was stuck up in the meshes of Sri Krishna's love and could not be drawn out. Once he would feel that his heart was absorbed into His. Sometimes he would feel triumphant that he could catch Sri Krishna and keep Him in his heart, as when he makes one of the milk-maids say:-

Thou didst forcibly get out when I caught Thee in my hands. That was nothing. I would consider it manliness if Thou couldst by any means go out of my heart ! ⁹

There are also occasions when the Bhakta feels depressed, for he cannot see his God-Friend; nevertheless he eagerly looks forward to the moment when he can enjoy eternal bliss in His presence. He often asks: "Will the time arrive when I can see Him? Will He ever cast a glance at me? Can I ever kiss Him to my heart's content with my two eyes ?" and exclaims ioyfully, "How happy would I be if I could see Him! How blessed the day on which I see Him!" But the thought that the God who has manifold duties to perform and might forget him altogether, often intrudes upon his peace, reminding us of Tukaram the great Maratha psalmist who said: -

So many tasks and cares
Are Thine, while I–
I am forgot thus, alas,

And left to die! ¹⁰

He admits that Krishna is absorbed in the music of the flute but he often asks himself, "cannot the sounds of my song creep into His ear in the intervals?" Seeing no way out of the difficulty, he makes an earnest appeal to the flute in these words:

.

Dear Flute, tasting, as thou dost, the sweet honey of the breath of Sri Krishna's smiling lotus-face, grant me one boon. Being so near His pearl-lip, wilt thou, unobserved by others, whisper into the ears of Nanda's son my sad plight? ¹¹

The devotee's condition is pitiable when, in spite of all his efforts, he cannot see Him or meet Him. His song is pathetic when he sings:

Friend of the helpless, Ocean of kindness, Hari, I have been spending fruitless days without sight of Thee. Alas! Alas! What a pity!¹²

Once or twice he tried to catch his friend but was defeated in his purpose, for,

Sweeter than Sweetness, it captivated my heart: Quicker than Quickness, it eluded my grasp.¹³

On the other hand, Sri Krishna played the little thief that He generally is:

It was He who stole away the hearts of pious sages:

It was He who stole away the garments of the love-intoxicated cowherdesses:

It was He who stole away the pride of Indra, Lord of the Heavens:

How powerless I am when he is stealing away the lotus of my heart now! ¹⁴

This sage, like all other poet-admirers of Krishna, represents Him as one who steals away cream and butter, and whatever is tasteful in the world. Undoubtedly the human heart is the most precious thing on earth, and what wonder is there if the Great Stealer carries away men's hearts with Him? The poet says that on one occasion he met Him, but his heart was not satisfied and was longing to see Him again. We are told, ‘Love grows by what it feeds on,’ and it is certainly a curious stream, for, the more we drink of it, the greater is the thirst. The enthusiasm of the poet for his object of love is so intense that whatever belongs to Him is lovely; His lips, His smile, His feet, His anklets, His flute, His peacock-feather, His blue colour and His sleep. The Child-Krishna is ever the object of his devotion, whose spirit has sunk in him. He is the dream of his dreams and it is enough if his dear God should listen to his last prayer:

Standing, legs cross-wise, with the peacock-feather adorning the head, singing the flute song with the head turned to one side, how blessed should I be if this Light, the Transcendental and the kind, stood before me at the time of my final parting! ¹⁵

or will Sri Krishna remember him at least after his death? He suggests:

The bamboo on the bank of the Jumna has been blessed by its association with Sri Krishna's diamond-lip.
Can I have the fortune, in my next birth at least, of my being born on the Jumna bank to serve as Krishna's flute and be blessed? ¹⁶

He confesses that he sees only one figure, hears only one sound, and knows only one thing:

Protector of cows, Ocean of love, Husband of Lakshmi, Destroyer of Kamsa, Saviour of the Elephant-King,
Father of the three worlds, Lotus-eyed God, Lord of the milk-maids, save me. I confess I know nothing except Thee– ¹⁷

A confession which all wise men have made after much travailing. After having read and read, thought and thought, every great sage has admitted, with Tukaram the devotee of Vithoba:

Naught know I but Thy name alone.

(The writer apologises to all lovers of Sanskrit for having ventured upon this ‘free translation’ of the lyrics of one of the greatest poet-mystics of the world. Apart from the inaccuracy of the translation, in the tame and prosaic language of the translator, one misses the exquisite music and the wonderful lyric charm of the original).

1 Keith's History of Skt. Literature.

2 Sri Krishna Karnamritam (Anandasrama Grandhamala, Madras.)

3 See opening verse: also the Telugu drama, Chintamani.

4 S. K. II-24.

5 S.K. III-95.

6 S.K. I-55.

7 S. K. I-27.

8 S. K. I-99.

9 S.K.III–97.

10 Psalms of Maratha Saints (The ‘Heritage of India.’ series) P. 59.

11 S.K. II–11.

12 S.K. I–41.

13 S.K. I–65.

14 S.K. I-81.

15 S. K. II-22.

16 S. K. II-9.

17 S.K. II-l08