Sri Krishna Appeases Satya

By MUKKU TIMMANA
(Rendered by ‘Rasika’ from the Parijathapaharana,
a Telugu classic of the 16th century.)

Translator’s Note: Tradition assigns to Mukku Timmana an honoured place among the ‘Ashta Diggajas’, the eight famous poets, who adorned the court of Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagara, the royal patron under whose fostering care and discriminating patronage Telugu literature enjoyed one of its most prosperous periods, the golden age of its history. Prabandha or Romance was the poetic form affected in the age and Timmana’s Parijathapaharanaranks with the famous classics, the Manucharitraof Peddana and the Vasucharitraof Ramarajabhushana. Timmana’s poem is held to excel in sweetness of diction and rhythm and delicacy of sentiment.

This extract belongs to the First Canto of the poem, and deals with the episode of the presentation of a parijatha flower by the sage Narada to Sri Krishna who passes it on to Rukmini, and the envy the incident provokes in Satya, the favourite consort of Sri Krishna. She is finally appeased only by a promise by Sri Krishna to bring down the parijatha tree itself from its abode in the Nandanavana of Paradise and plant it in the pleasure-garden of Satya in Dwaraka.

Satya has been, for centuries, a favourite heroine of the Andhras in poetry and drama; and her sentiment for the Lord, a compound of pride, jealousy and genuine love, is the theme of the extract in particular, as of the poem in general. An attempt is made here, with considerable misgiving, to present, in the garb of an alien language, the charming portrait, by Timmana, of her elusive personality and exquisite grace. Timmana is supposed incidentally to have portrayed contemporary life in the palaces of kings and noblemen.

CANTO I.

37. When the Lord (Sri Krishna) destroyed the demon-king Naraka, he found, in captivity in his palace, thousands of fair young damsels of Apsara descent (denizens of Heaven). They were all set free; and, from among them, at the bidding of Narada, and devoted as he was to the cultivation of love and bliss,–Lord Krishna married sixteen thousand of the fairest who were eager for his love.

38. Already he had wedded eight princesses, all of noble birth, and all claiming equal honour and equal share in his love, Rukmini, Satya, Jambavati, Mitravinda, Bhadra, Sudanta, Kalindi and Lakshana.

39. The Lord lived happily with them all, enjoying his time in the bowers of the pleasure gardens on the outskirts of his city Dwaravati, and his pleasure domes on the seashore and on the sand-dunes of the beach.

40. By virtue of his extraordinary yogic powers, Lord Krishna was able to assume many forms simultaneously and please every one of these thousands of fair young damsels according to their individual desires and tastes and fancies.

41. Thus he pleased them all equally; but two of them, Rukmini, the daughter of the King of the Bhojas, and Satya, the daughter of Satrajit, enjoyed his love and regard in an especial degree;

42. On one hand Rukmini claimed that she excelled (the others) in birth, beauty and the Lord’s affection, but on the otherSatya contested her claim in all the three respects; thus there was keen rivalry and mutual jealousy between the two favourite queens.

43. 44. In this situation, one day, while Lord Krishna was at the palace of Rukmini, enjoying a game of chess with her, seated on a marble couch and surrounded by beautiful ladies in attendance, suddenly there dropped from the sky, on an unexpected visit, the sage Narada, well known for his zest for quarrels.

45. Sri Krishna at once rose from his seat, with his queen, and received the sage with due honour and hospitality.

46. At a glance from Rukmini, the ladies in attendance set a comfortable seat for the sage; and, after he was seated, and with his permission, Lord Krishna resumed his seat and said, with folded hands:

47. “Holy sage! blessed am I now by the favour of this visit of yours, which, I am sure, I owe to sheer kindness on your part to me and nothing else. In fact there could be no other reason for your visit except to bless me thus.”

48. The sage replied: “Is it fair for you to speak thus (in the usual words of formal courtesy) like a common mortal? Don’t I know you, Lord of the Universe?

“51. “You are the Lord Vishnu, this Rukmini is no other than Lakshmi, and since you are here, this city itself is Vaikuntha, and you know that is the reason for my frequent visits to this place with a view to pay my respects to you and worship you.”

52. Then he praised the Lord in eloquent terms and in the end presented, as a token of his regard, a parijatha flower, enfolded in a golden lotus petal from the celestial Ganges.

53. With respect and wonder contending for possession of his heart, the Lord received the flower, glanced at Rukmini who was by his side, thought of Satya in his mind, and reflected:

54. “If I now bestow this precious gift of the sage on Rukmini, I am certain to incur the displeasure of Satya; if I send it to her, on the other hand, I will be guilty of slighting Rukmini, who is on the spot. But since I happen to be here now, it will not be proper for me to send the flower to anyone else.”

55. Thus coming to a decision, with a smile on his lips and with the approval of the sage, evident in his eyes, Sri Krishna bestowed the celestial flower on Rukmini. Bowing before the sage, in respect, she rose and wore it in her hair and it shone like the cusp of the moon in the hair of Parvati, daughter of Himavan and consort of Chandrasekhara.

56. Then there came a new fight into her eyes,
of the beautiful shape of sleek fish;
There appeared a new beauty in her breasts
which excelled, in symmetry and rounded
fullness, a pair of zakkava birds;
There shone a new gloss on the dark hair,
dark as the glistering bee;
There arose a new brilliance in the face
which resembled the moon, the delight of the red lotus.
Her beauty was more beautiful
Her youth was more youthful
Her grace was more graceful
On account of the celestial flower she wore.

57. As the queen thus shone in resplendent beauty like a white pearl washed clean of all dress, the sage, ever eager for an opportunity to make trouble, spoke, with a smile on his lips:

58.              “Lady! this is the celebrated parijatha flower 
which to wear is a rare privilege for mortals;
This is worn in the hair every day by the consort of Indra,
by the goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati;
You have it now, being the beloved of Krishna,
Who has therefore bestowed it on you;
Thereby you stand apart, among the many
wives of the Lord, unrivalled in honour;
The flower is also blessed today, worn by you,
being put to proper use;
This will bring- about the fulfillment of your every wish.
Listen, I will describe its virtues to you.

59. “This flower never withers, never loses its fragrance. Its beauty never fades; filled with fragrant pollen, it delights ever, this king of flowers.

61.              “It will provide you with plenty of delicious
dishes at a moment’s notice;
You will never suffer from hunger or lassitude
while you wear it in the hair;
It will protect you from all adversity,
This is a flower of virtue unrivalled in the three worlds;
So, wearing this, enjoy the benefit of its
manifold virtues and shine supreme
among the consorts of the Lord.

62. “Beautiful damsel, with eyes resembling the petals of the blue lotus, by virtue of this flower in your hair, the other consorts of Sri Krishna will feel humble before you, and seek refuge at your feet; your Lord will honour your every word, in unbounded love. You will enjoy endless honour, happiness and prosperity.

62.              “In the hot season the flower has a cooling effect;
In the cold season, a warming effect suitably;
Miraculous indeed are its powers.

64. “You will be the most honoured among women. Wear this flower in your hair, and enjoy unequalled prosperity, without a hair of your head being disturbed from its place, Oh, you lady with full-blown lotus eyes!

65. “All these days, we have been told, Satya is the favourite of the Lord, and he is always at her bidding, eager to carry out her least wishes, expressed even in a glance of her eyes; but now, I know the truth. I see the honour and esteem in which he holds you, to whom and none else he has presented this celestial flower of many virtues.

66. “I am the most beautiful, the most youthful, the most renowned in the world, and the best loved by the Lord’. Such has been the delusion of Satya on account of which she has been feeling proud, arrogant and contemptuous to all other women. How mortified she will feel when she learns of this signal proof of your prestige from her maidens, who, I am sure, are present here and will carry it to her!”

68. These words of Narada and the incident which provided the occasion for them, the maids of the several other wives of Sri Krishna duly carried to their respective mistresses in no time.

69. They all felt slighted, no doubt, but they all reconciled themselves to it, with the consideration that Rukmini was the eldest wife of Sri Krishna, the first wedded, and hence deserved the distinction.

70. All, except Satya, the beautiful, the favoured and the proud, who was eagerly waiting for the return of her maid, whom she had sent to Rukumini’s to watch Sri Krishna during his stay there.

71. She was whiling away her time in her pleasure garden, to fight her impatience, on a marble seat spread over with pollen of flowers by the side of a cool stream of flower-honey, discussing her Lord with her companion.

72. She was uneasy at the delay inthe returnof the maid. The buzzing of the bees, the cooing of the birds, the cool breezes across the lakes, could not please her as usual. Full of vague misgiving, she said to her companion:

73. “Alas! I feel puzzled and depressed. I see bad omens on all sides. I do not know what unprecedented insults are in store for me at the hands of my Lord, perhaps at this moment enticed by another damsel and weaned away from me.

74. Just then the maid returned from Rukmini’s palace and began at once, with bewildered and angry eyes:

75. “Alas! How am I to convey such bad news! When the Lord was in the palace of Rukmini, the sage Narada made his appearance there suddenly on an unexpected visit.

76. And he presented to the Lord a celestial flower, praising it to the skies, as worthy of the gods only, of rare virtue and capable of giving very great pleasure and conferring untold benefits on the wearer of it.

77. “The Lord felt flattered, received it with eagerness, pressed it to his eyes, and passed it on to Rukmini who folded it in her hair.

78. “At once, to the wonder of all, she began to shine with a new splendour, like the very weapon of the Love God, burnished anew.

79. “With the celestial flower in her hair, she looked, at the moment, queen of all the three worlds, to be worshipped without envy and acknowledged as mistress by all women, including the other wives of the Lord.

80. “And then the impudent sage declared in the hearing of all, Sri Krishna, Rukmini and all of us, that the arrogant Satya should feel humble hereafter, shedding her conceit of standing unrivalled in the favour of the Lord.

81. “Witnessing the tricks of the mischievous sage, the pretence of the cunning Rukmini, and the behaviour of the faithless Sri Krishna, I could hardly restrain myself.”

82. Hearing these words of the maid, Satya started and sat up like a female-serpent suddenly trod upon, or the flame which shoots up when the oblation of melted butter is poured into the sacrificial fire; and with her face crimsoned by the fury in her angry eyes, and in a voice choked with emotion, she wailed:

83. “What! the meddlesome Narada, who verily feeds on quarrels, came and spoke in that strain? And the lover of many Gopis listened to the talk with approval? But what were the words actually uttered by Rukmini? Why do you keep them from me?” Shed your reserve, dear one, and let me know the worst.

84. “He may make much of the flower, attributing all conceivable virtues to it and present it to Sri Krishna to please and flatter him, and he in his turn may bestow it wherever he pleases; but why should the arrogant sage mention my name wantonly on that occasion?

85. “I should expect no better of the sage, who is always going about the worlds carrying tales from place to place provoking quarrels and delighting in them. But should not the Lord have checked him?

86. “I cannot complain against the sage, or quarrel with Rukmini. It is all the fault of the mischievous Gopala. Is it not heartrending to find the Lord, dear as my very life, thus turning against me?

87. “ ‘Women’ are frail and fickle. Their love is not to be trusted’, they say. But, in truth, the minds of men are as unsteady as the fleeting clouds of autumn. Their words should never be trusted, dear.

88, “All these days, I have been the most honoured among the many wives of Sri Krishna, esteemed as his favourite, and precious to him as his eyes. Now how can I bear to be despised and slighted by them, as I must, hereafter? Is life so sweet that I should cling to it after such a reverse?

89. “Evidently the Lord was dissembling before me all these days, carefully hiding from my notice all his respect, good- will and love for Rukmini. He thus managed to win my innocent love. It is his skill in dissembling that we have to appreciate.

90. “Dear! ‘Narada brought a rare flower and presented it to Sri Krishna and he, Sri Krishna, bestowed it on Rukmini. I have lived to hear such words (and remain alive)! Who knows what further disgrace is in store for me?

91. “But is the world blind to the loyalty of those who remain steady in their love and devotion, in prosperity and adversity alike? Does not the Lord, the slayer of Naraka know? ¹ Does not she (Rukmini) herself know?

92. “Because he happened to be at her house at the time, the Lord naturally presented the flower to Rukmini. What surprises and pains me is the conduct of the other wives of Krishna in applauding the preference and making much of it without any sense of self-respect, honour, decency, discrimination or reason.

93. “It is only a lucky few among women, with a lot of merit accumulated in several virtuous lives in the past, that enjoy the constant, undeviating and entire love of the husband!

94.              “My Lord would never venture to go against my word
even in fun or even in dreams;
He would never present any gift to anyone
before offering it to me first;
He would stoop to bribe my maids
for fear they should complain to me against him;
He would never brook any attempt on the part
of any other wife of his to vie with me in any respect;
Such uninterrupted love we have been enjoying
in endless bouts of blissful amours,
in guileless mutual endearments;
And such a Lord to slight me thus!

95.              “Caught in the wiles of Rukmini, my Lord
has altogether obliterated from his mind all the
sweet memories of our love:
The games of hide and seek, the mutual
escapes and pursuits in the caves of the artificial rocks;
The many delightful episodes in the
mock marriage celebrations of the malati creeper
and the punnaga tree in the pleasure garden;
The playful scuffles for the appropriation
of the stakes won by skill in the games of chance;
The common delights of watching the
spectacle of the tender love-making of the
zakkava couples in the eve;
The exhilarating group games in the moonlight?
The cool restings on the marble seats;
The contemplation of mutual images in the mirror.

96. “For a woman, her Lord is precious as life, the only refuge and protector, even as God; he is the very Sun of her existence, and if he should forsake her, the lot of a married woman is miserable.

97        “If one gives riches and takes them ,
The loss can be endured!
But if the Lord lavishes his love on a woman
for some time, and then cools off, even existence is impossible.”

98.              Thus smarting with envy and humiliation,
in a raging fury, the fair damsel resorted to the Kopa-griha ²
Like the snake to the sandal-wood tree.

99. Donning a soiled scarf, stripping off all jewels and ornaments, drawing tight the girdle round her waist, with a plaster of musk on her forehead, on the edge of the dark chamber she lay, tossing, in the uneasy pangs of slighted love, resembling the narrow cusp of the moon on the edge of a dark cloud.

100. But jealousy only intensified her love; she began to perspire; to tremble and to fade in agitation, like one verily stung by a serpent.

101. She would close and open her eyes, smile and shake her head alternately, drop down on the bed and rise from it suddenly, and toss in love and jealousy like a lotus in the trunk of a wild elephant.

102. Thus lay Satya, neglecting all her normal activities, suffering from the pangs born of anger and jealousy. There Sri Krishna reflected!

103. “Satya’s maid was loitering hereabout, when the sage presented the flower to me and I bestowed it on Rukmini, She has, by this time, reported the incident to her. No doubt, she would embellish her narration with spicy details of her own concoction.” Thus fearing untoward developments, the Lord instructed Pradyumna, his son, to deputise for him as host to the sage, and mounting on his chariot, drove straight to the street in which the golden palace of Satya was situated, his mind as much agitated as the pennon on the chariot top, fluttering in the wind, anxious to rush in advance of the horse and revolving rapidly like the wheels of the chariot.

104. On reaching the mansion, he dismounted and, leaving the charioteer Daraka at the entrance, went in alone, crossing the numerous courtyards, all deserted now and lifeless.

105. The palace was not as usual, but silent, cheerless and forbidding, He feared the incident of the parijatha flower must have already reached the ears of Satya.

106.          He did not find the parrots in the golden cages,
fed with sugar by the maids while teaching them words.
He did not find the palace peacocks learning to dance,
to the beating of time by the hands of the maids;
He did not find the ladies in attendance
striking with their delicate nails the strings of the Vina.
He did not find the clusters of swans
learning to walk in slow majesty after the maids.

107. Cautiously he advanced from chamber to chamber and at last came to the Chamber of Indignation where he found the proud daughter of Satrajit, who lay veiled on the threshold.

He noticed the faded appearance of the delicate damsel, looking like a tender creeper exposed to the scorching rays of the Sun at noon.

108. He had so far managed to prevent his visit being announced to her. At sight of her:

109. The Lord was surprised and pained but the mischievous Gopala in him prompted him to tease her a bit. Snatching a fan from the hands of a servant-maid standing behind the lady, he began to wave it himself gently, as if to fan the flame of love in her heart.

110. At once the rare fragrance of the parijatha flower, wafted by Sri Krishna who had handled it for a few moments, filled the atmosphere; and the surprise of it provoked the damsel to lift her veil slightly from her face and look all round the room, when she found, before her, her beloved, with the fan in his hand.

111. Tears of wounded pride and slighted love filled her eyes; she bent her head, and replaced the veil again while the tears trickled down the sides of her face like the drops of honey down the petals of the lavali creeper.

112. Smothered by the stress of pride and anger in her heart, breathing out heavy sighs and perspiring profusely she yet held her silence, absorbed in her own consuming thoughts.

114. In his love and compassion the Lord addressed her thus:

115.          “Beloved! How is it you have donned these coarse plain clothes
and stripped off all the ornaments from your limbs?
How is it the house is devoid of all the usual cheer and bustle?
I am anxious to know what could be the reason.
Pray let me know.

116.          “Is it a deep-laid ruse to test me? Or is it a practical joke?
You wish to threaten me? Or have I really given you offence?
How is it you do not cast even a look of welcome at me?
Am I a stranger or foe? Why should you treat me thus?
Can I endure a moment if you do not look upon me with favour?

117.          “Today you do not greet me as usual with
your honeyed words of love;
you do not cast on roe your shy locks and
side-long glances;
you do not clasp me tight,
pressing me in a fond embrace;
What is responsible for this coldness on your part?
Sweet! Why are you so sullen?
118. “In thought, word or deed, I never really favour
any other woman except for outward appearance and decorum;
My whole-hearted love is always centred on you;
And don’t you know, I deem it an honour to do
your bidding, in every matter?

118.          “Dearest! If I do not deserve the privilege
of enjoying the nectar of your lip
or the fond embrace of your arms, do me the favour
of at least a glance from the end of your drooping eyes!

So saying, unable to restrain himself, the Lord advanced to hold her by the edge of her skirt, at which attempt She threatened to strike him with the lotus m her hand.

120. Failing thus in all his varied attempts to appease her anger, the Lord the First Cause, responsible for the entire play of this universe, himself knelt at her feet, so that the beautiful orange colour of her tender feet added fresh lustre to the brilliant range gems in the diadem on his head.

121. The proud lady, in her peevishness, then pushed off with her left foot the bent head of Sri Krishna, the father of the God of Love, and the object of devout worship by all the gods, from Brahma and Indra downwards. Alas! What sense of propriety or decorum can be expected from ladies offended by the misdeeds, real or supposed, of their lovers?

122. Thus struck by the toot of the angry damsel, the cunning Gopala experienced but a rare thrill of joy and an accession of irresistible love for her and said:

123. “Your servant feels honoured and flattered to be hit by you in your anger. But I fear your foot, tender as a fresh blossom might be hurt by contact with my body hardened on the surface by the excitement of love. Give up your anger, at least now, I implore you, O damsel with captivating curls of hair.”

124. At these words, the lady sat up and stretched herself, so that her body was partly visible, tidied her hair which had been flying loose, covered her bosom fully with her skirt, and with beads of perspiration (due to excess of passion) on her brow, spoke, her lower lip trembling with excitement:

125.          “What is the use of this attempt at consolation
and these words of flattery?
I know these cunning tricks. I have paid
dearly for having trusted you,
I forbid you to approach me. Don’t worry me.
You do not seem to realise the ridicule
to which you are exposing me by this foolery of yours.
I am indeed foolish to expect a cowherd
to appreciate refined manners or
The delicate nuances of love!

126. “I have resolved to trust you no longer. Why do you worry me? These insincere professions of love are not to my taste; perhaps they are dear to your favourite Rukmini. Do not irritate me further with your shows of false love.
127. “It is well known that tricks, pretences and lies were all born along with you. Various are the falsehoods and dissemblings you have imbibed at birth and cultivated from your childhood. Knowing all this I trusted you, fool that I was, and hence forfeited all my honour and self-respect.

128. “It is a pity you have to listen to these unpleasant, insipid words of mine, after drinking with delight the songs of praise of your beloved consort Rukmini and of the sage who presented the celestial flower. Tell me the truth. Is it not to publish the fragrance of the parijatha flower and thereby insult and humiliate me further that you have now come here?

129. “Honour is the most precious ornament for a woman, more than life, and it is the source of all other benefits. Life without honour is indeed worthless to a sensitive woman.

130. “I am used to be treated with respect and distinction among her daughters-in-law by your mother Devaki, on account of the love and regard you have been showing to me. How can I approach her now after this humiliation?”

132. “How you have slighted me!” she exclaimed in reproach and bent down her head in shame, unable to proceed with the expostulation, on account of the swelling tears which choked her voice.

133. Born of jealousy and nursed in the heart, her grief reached unbearable intensity and overpowered her; the delicate and sensitive lady wept before her Lord, hiding her face, beautiful as the lotus, behind the edge of her skirt, in a melodious voice which sounded (even in grief) sweet as the song of the koil, fed on the tender blossoms of spring.

134. As the lady thus gave vent to her grief, unable to contain it any longer, the Lord gathered her in his arms, fondled her, brushed away with his hands the tears trickling down her face and spoke gently and sweetly:

135.          “O Fair One with dark glossy hair of the
brilliance of black diamonds,
Why should you grieve so much for the
trifle of a mere flower, while
I am ready to do your bidding? Listen,
If you wish, I will go straight to the garden of the gods.
And defeating and driving away even Indra, the King of the gods.
should he offer any resistance, bring over to you
The entire parijatha tree.

136. “And then, my lovely dear, I shall plant it in your pleasure garden, in the grove of the sweet smelling plantains, beside the cool lake of the beautiful lotus flowers.”

137. Thus only was Satya appeased at last!

¹ Satya accompanied Sri Krishna when he invaded Naraka’s city; she drove his chariot in battle, and displayed her skill in archery.
² The Chamber of Indignation.