O Lord of Guruvayur! fond of embracing the raised breasts of Radha! I worship you. Please cure me of my diseases.

O Lord of Guruvayur! when you stole curd and ghee the milkmaids felt neither anger nor sorrow in their hearts, You had already stolen their hearts and submerged them in an ocean of bliss. O Lord of such kindness! Put an end to my diseases.

दशकम्-४६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

This dasaka describes how Yasoda saw the whole of this cosmos in the open mouth of her child Krishna. One day children complained to Yasoda that Krishna had eaten mud while playing with them. Yasoda asked Krishna whether that was true but Krishna .repeatedly denied it. Yasoda, with a tinge of annoyance in her voice, asked Krishna to open his mouth. Krishna opened his mouth as if a lotus blooming. Yasoda expected to see a lump of mud in his mouth but what she actually saw was something unbelievable. She saw not only the whole of this earth but also the other worlds with forests, oceans, clouds, the nether worlds, humans, demons, celestial beings, Mahavishnu reclining on Adishesha and Krishna himself standing with open mouth before Yasoda. Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the following sloka:

धृततत्त्वधियं तदा क्षणं

जननीं तां प्रणयेन मोहयन् ।

’स्तनमंब दिशे’ त्युपासृजन्

भगवन्नद्भुत बाल! पाहि माम् ॥४६.१०॥

For a moment your mother realised the Truth (that you were not her child but the Supreme Lord Himself in whom all these created worlds subsist). Next moment you clung to her saying ‘Mother! suckle me at your breast’, deluding her into believing that you really were her child. O Lord of Guruvayur!, the wonder child ! save me from my ailments.

दशकम्-४७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

This dasaka describes the episode in which Yashoda ties child Krishna to a mortar. One day while Yashoda was churning curd, Krishna nestled up to her and wanted to be breast-fed. Half way through breast-feeding, Yasoda disengaged herself to attend to milk which was boiling over in the kitchen. Krishna, annoyed at the abrupt termination of his feeding, broke the pot containing curd with the churning rod. The curd in the pot spilt and spread all over the place.

When Yasoda came back she saw the muddle created by Krishna who was no where nearby. Finally she saw him somewhere in a corner feeding a cat fresh better. Annoyed, she wanted to tie him to a mortar and brought a piece of rope. But it was two inches short. She joined another piece to the first one but that also fell short by two inches. This process went on for some time until Yasoda, tired and perspiring, wondered what was happening. Finally Krishna, moved by compassion, allowed himself to be tied to the mortar.

Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:

’यद्यपाशसुगमो विभो!

भवान् संयतः किमु सपाशयानया ।

एवमादि दिविजैरभिष्टुतो

वातनाथ परिपाहि मां गदात् ॥४७.१०॥

(The celestials were seeing this play of the Lord and they said) ‘O Lord you are approachable by those who have cut all their bondages (apashah); how were you controlled by this Yasoda with a rope (sapasha)? O Lord of Guruvayur! thus praised by the devas! save me from my afflictions.

दशकम्-४८ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

This dasaka describes how child Krishna released the sons of Kubera from the curse of Narada. Krishna, dragging the mortar to which he was tied by his mother, came near a pair of tall arjuna trees. The mortar stuck across their trunks. While Krishna pulled at the mortar, the trees broke with a thundering sound and fell to the ground. Krishna was unhurt. From the tree trunk arose the forms of two yakshas, Nalakubara and Manigreeva, sons of Kubera who had been turned into the trees by the curse of Narada.

They were drunk and sporting in the Ganga with young women, all without clothes on their bodies. When Narada passed that way the women covered themselves with clothes but the sons of Kubera carried on with their nudity. For disciplining them for their own welfare Narada cursed them to be trees until they had the darshan of Hari in his incarnation as Krishna. Now released from the curse, the sons of Kubera prostrated before Krishna, sang his praises and went back to their world. Hearing the sound of trees breaking, Nanda and other gopas came running and saw the huge trees which had fallen with Krishna tied to the mortar standing near them unhurt. Nanda untied the rope which bound Krishna to the mortar and thanked the Lord for saving the child. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:

’महीरुहोर्मध्यगतो बतार्भको

हरेः प्रभावादपरिक्षतोऽधुना’ ।

इति ब्रुवाणैर्गमितो गृहं भवान्

मरुत्पुराधीश्वर! पाहि मां गदात् ॥४८.१०॥

“The child caught in the middle of two falling trees was saved unhurt by the power of the Lord “ so saying, you were taken home by Nanda and the other gopas. O Lord of Guruvayur! Save me from my vataroga.

दशकम्-४९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

This dasaka describes the episode of Nanda and others shifting their abode from Gokula to Vrindavan. Nanda and other gopas, seeing unexplained and unforeseen calamities, like falling of trees, happening in Gokula thought of moving out to another place. Upananda, one of the gopas, suggested moving to Vrindeavan, a beautiful forest area to the west of Gokula. The suggestion was accepted by everyone and the inhabitants of Gokula packed their belongings, put them in bullock carts and set out on the journey to Vrindavan along with their cows and calves, led by a well-furnished cart occupied by Krishna and Yasoda. They did not experience the distance traversed lulled by the sound from the carts and the hooves of the cattle and the jokes and comments by Krishna. Reaching Vrindavan, they built new shelters for accommodating all the families and for the cattle. Krishna, with his friends, enjoyed the natural setting of the place with the Yamuna flowing nearby with her clearer waters, coo of swans and blossoming lotuses, velvety green pastures for the cows, flowering creepers like jasmine, trees laden with their fruits, flocks of peacocks and peahens and the Govardhana mountain kissing the skies. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:

तथाविधेऽस्मिन् विपिने पशव्ये

समुत्सुको वत्सगणप्रचारे ।

चरन् सरामोऽथ कुमारकैस्त्वं

समीरगेहाधिप! पाहि रोगात् ॥४९.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayur! you, along with Rama and other cowboys, were raring to graze the calves in the green pastures of Vrindavan. May you Lord of Guruvayoor, of such enthusiasm, protect me from my afflictions.

दशकम्-४९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

This dasaka describes the killing, by Krishna, of two demons. Krishna, equipped with a cane, a horn and a flute, with his dark blue complexion, grazing the calves with Rama and other children was a feast to the eyes of every one. Grazing the cattle in the pastures within the forest, on the banks of the Yamuna and the plateaus of Govardhana, Krishna one day espied an asura who had taken the form of a calf. Krishna recognised him by his vigorous shaking of the tail, frequent turning of his neck with eyes seeming to wait for a chance to strike. Immediately he caught hold of his hind legs and whirling him vigorously a few times, threw him up against a tall tree when he was dead. Another day, when the cowboys were quenching their thirst with the water from Yamuna, an asura in the form of a huge crane caught Krishna in his beak. Immediately the crane dropped him like a hot potato unable to withstand the heat emanating from Krishna’s body as if he were Agni (the god of Fire) himself. Krishna caught hold of his upper and lower beaks and split him into two, killing him instantly. Bhattatiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:

ललितमुरलीनादं दूरान्निशम्य वधूजनै-

स्त्वरितमुपगम्यारादारूढमोदमुदीक्षितः।

जनितजननीनन्दानन्दः समीरणमन्दिर-

प्रथितवसते! शौरे! दूरीकुरुष्व ममामयान् ॥५०.१०॥

Hearing the sweet melody from your flute from a distance, the milkmaids hastened to come close and see you with joyous eyes. You were the source of joy to your mother and Nanda. O Lord of Guruvayur! drive away my maladies.

***

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor

from Narayaneeyam (6)

Given below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas 51 to 60 of this great devotional work with a prosaic translation in English. A brief note on the contents of each dasaka is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.

दशकम्-५१ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

In this dasakam is narrated the story of Aghasura whom Krishna killed and the picnicking of Krishna with the cowboys. One day Krishna decided on picnicking in the forest along with the cowboys. They packed their eatables and set out early morning to the forest. Grazing the calves, the cowboys came across a huge cave-like structure right in the middle of their path. It looked like a huge python with its mouth wide open. Actually it was aghasura who had taken this form to kill Krishna, who was a little distance away. The cowboys entered what they thought was a cave and the asura waited for the entry of Krishna without closing his mouth. The heat within the body of the python was unbearable. Krishna instantly knew that this was a trap laid by the asura in which the cowboys had been caught. To save them Krishna entered the mouth of the python. At its neck his body started growing until all the passages for inhaling air had been closed. The asura died unable to breathe and Krishna ripped open his neck and came out extricating the cowboys. The moment Krishna came out a lustrous form emerged from the body of the asura and merged in Krishna. It was now midday and Krishna and the cowboys assembled in a comfortable place for picnicking. Krishna, seated in the middle of a circle formed by the cowboys, with his horn and flute stuck at his waist and the eatables arranged on the palms of his hands, was making the cowboys laugh with his jokes. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:

’सुखाशनं त्विह तव गोपमण्डले

मखाशनात्प्रियमिव गोपमण्डले ।’

इति स्तुतस्त्रिदशवरैर्जगत्पते!

मरुत्पुरीनिलय! गदात् प्रपाहि मां ॥५१.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayur ! the celestials wondered that you seemed to enjoy the picnic with the cowboys than the offerings made in sacrifices and praised you. O Lord of the worlds! Lord of Guruvayoor! save me from my afflictions.

दशकम्-५२ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

The story of this dasaka is described below:

Brahma was amazed by Krishna’s divine powers not evident in other incarnations and also by the merging of the soul of aghasura in him. To test Krishna he made the calves disappear by his maya. When Krishna went in search of the calves Brahma hid the cowboys also. Krishna understood that this was the handiwork of Brahma. Then he himself became all the cowboys, the calves, the horns, the bugles, the canes, the pouches and everything else, and sporting, as before, in the forest he came back and went into the respective houses as calves, cowboys etc. Now that Krishna, who is the very soul of everyone, had come as their sons, unknowingly, the gopis felt more love for them. Similarly the cows loved their calves more. This play continued for a year by the reckoning of the time on the earth. For Brahma this was like a second. Seeing two sets of calves and cowboys, one set hidden by him and the other set created by Krishna, Brahma was confounded. As he was contemplating what had happened, all the calves and cowboys appeared to him as so many Mahavishnus reclining on Adisesha, decked out in resplendent jewellery and tended by Lakshmi. He saw himself at the service of so many forms of Narayana. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:

नश्यन्मदे तदनु विश्वपतिं मुहुस्त्वां

नत्वा च नूतवति धातरि धाम याते ।

पोतैः समं प्रमुदितैः प्रविशन् निकेतं

वाताल्याधिप! विभॊ ! परिपाहि रोगात् ॥५२.१०॥

His conceit shattered, Brahma showered encomiums on you, the Lord of all the worlds, again and again, and went back to his abode. Lord of Guruvayur! you also returned home along with the happy cowboys. Please save me from my ailments.

दशकम्-५३ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Krishna by now had left behind his childhood and was in the age group of five to ten years. Now, instead of tending calves he switched to tending cows. One day when Krishna, along with Balaram, was enjoying the beauty of the forest, they visited the Dhenuka forest full of high Palmyra trees at the suggestion of a friend Sridama. Balarama shook the trees with his strong hands and the ground was spread with fruits which fell from the trees. Hearing the sound of falling fruits, the demon Dhenuka came running in the form of a donkey. At the instance of Krishna Balarama killed him. His followers in the form of foxes were killed by Krishna and Balarama together by throwing them against the tall palm trees. Then they enjoyed the soft and sweet jellylike substance at the core of the fruits along with the cowboys.

’हतो हतो धेनुक’ इत्युपेत्य

फलान्यदद्भिर्मधुराणि लोकैः ।

जयेति जीवेति नुतो विभो! त्वं

मरुत्पुराधीश्वर पाहि रोगात् ॥५३.१०॥

Saying ‘Dhenuka was killed’ every one ate those fruits and showered praises on you saying ‘Victory to Krishna’ and ‘Long Live Krishna’. O Lord of Guruvayur! save me from my diseases.

दशकम्-५४ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Maharshi Saubhari did tapas for twelve years submerged in the waters of Kalindi (Yamuna). Garuda who was eating the fish in the Kalindi was cursed by Saubhari saying that he would die if he fed on the fish in Kalindi. Around that time, Kaliya the serpent, on he strength of his powerful venom, dared to appropriate for himself Garuda’s share of food. Garuda struck Kaliya with his powerful wings. For fear of Garuda, Kaliya took refuge in the Kalindi river where Garuda was forbidden by Saubhari’s curse. The waters of Yamuna were poisoned and the trees on the bank were scorched by the intensity of the poison. Birds flying over Kalindi fell dead. Krishna was moved by compassion. Then one day, when Balarama did not accompany Krishna, the cowboys, driven by intense thirst because of the hot summer, drank the poisoned Yamuna water. Seeing them falling to the ground dead, one after another, Krishna revived them by the glances from the corners of his eyes showering nectar (amrit). The cowboys, who got up as if from sleep, were experiencing a wonderful sense of rejuvenation. Seeing Krishna before them they embraced him knowing that this miracle was wrought by him.

This dasaka concludes with the following sloka:

एवं भक्तान् मुक्तजीवानपि त्वं

मुग्धापाङ्गैरस्तरोगांस्तनोषि ।

तादृग्भूतस्फीतकरुण्यभूमा

रोगात् पाया वायुगेहधिवास ॥५४.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayur! You revive, by the glances from the corners of your eyes, even those devotees of yours who have given up their lives. You are the repository of such compassion. Kindly save me from my diseases.

दशकम्-५५ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Krishna, determined to drive away Kaliya from Kalindi, climbed on to the branch of a Kadamba tree on the bank and plunged into the deep waters of the Kalindi river, turbulent with billowing waves. Kaliya, disturbed by the turbulence, rose to the surface with blood-shot eyes and his thousand hoods radiating poison. He coiled around Krishna and injected his poison into many places in his body. Seeing Krishna’s condition, the cowboys and cows fell in deep sorrow. There were omens in Vraja portending evil because of which every one assembled on the banks of Kalindi. When all had lost hope to the extent of being prepared to giveup their own lives, Krishna extricated himself from the coilss of the snake and, jumping on to the top of Kaliya’s hoods, started a beautiful dance. Bhattathiri concludes to narrative of this dasaka with the following sloka:

जहृषुः पशुपास्तुतुषुर्मुनयो

ववृषुः कुसुमानि सुरेन्द्रगणाः

त्वयि नृत्यति मारुतगेहपते!

परिपाहि स मां त्वमदान्तगदात् ॥५५.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayur ! when you were dancing, gopas were overjoyed, the sages sang your praises and the celestials showered flowers on You. Save me, O Lord!, from this intractable disease.

दशकम्-५६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Krishna danced on the hoods of Kaliya, with his sparkling Kundalas oscillating, for quite sometime, to the beating of drums by the celestials and the dancing of the damsels of heaven. Leaving those hoods which had bowed down, Krishna danced on Kalia’s hoods which were raised, beating time with the clapping of his hands. With all his hoods pounded to pulp by Krishna, Kaliya was in real bad shape, vomiting blood which turned the water purple. Kalia’s wives, seeing the pitiable condition of their husband requested Krishna to pardon him and sang his praises eulogising his exploits. Seeing the devotional fervour of the wives of Kalia, Krishna was moved by compassion and granted life to Kalia who, surrendering himself, bowed to Krishna. At the instance of Krishna, Kalia left Kalindi and moved to a place called Ramanakam in the midst of the sea where Garuda would not harm him. Since it was already late evening every one spent the night sleeping on the banks of the river. All of a sudden they were surrounded by a forest fire and, finding themselves trapped in the middle, they cried to Krishna for help. Krishna swallowed the fire; this is no wonder as Agni is the Lord’s mouth, in his cosmic form. This dasaka concludes with the following sloka:

’शिखिनि वर्णत एव हि पीतता

परिलसत्यधुना क्रिययाप्यसौ” ।

इति नुतः पशुपैर्मुदितैर्विभो!

हर हरे! दुरितैः सह मे गदान् ॥५६.१०॥

The happy gopas praised Krishna saying “Agni (Fire) is yellow (peetataa) by colour ; now it has attained peetata ( the state of having been drunk) by action also” ,O the Lord of Guruvayur! Please take away my sins as well as my diseases

दशकम्-५७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

One day Krishna and Balaram, along with the other cowboys, went to a banyan tree, known as bhandeeraka, in Vrindavan. There Krishna found that an asura had sneaked into their group in the guise of a cowboy. He, however, did not give an inkling of this to the asura, with a plan in his mind. He picked cowboys who could do hand-to-hand fighting and divided them into two groups. Two members, one from each group, would engage in fighting. The vanquished would carry the victor on his shoulders. The asura in the guise of a gopa, who was afraid of Krishna’s strength, was accommodated in Krishna’s group so that he would not be called upon to fight Krishna. Sridama defeated Krishna in the fight and Krishna carried him on his shoulders. The asura fought with Balaram and was defeated. He carried Balaram on his shoulders for a long distance away from Krishna assuming his original form seeing which Balaram was taken aback. Balaram looked back on Krishna’s face and his confidence and courage returned. He killed the asura striking with his iron-strong fists. Krishna embraced Balaram when he returned to Bhandiraka after killing pralamba which was the name of the asura.

The concluding sloka of this dasaka is this:

आलंबो भुवनानां

प्रालंबं निधनमेवमारचयन् ।

कालं विहाय सद्यो

लोलंबरुचे हरे! हरेः क्लेशान् ॥५७.११॥

O Lord of Guruvayur! You, the aalamba (support) of all the worlds, thus managed to kill pralamba, the asura. O Lolambaruche ( dark as the honey-bee)! O Lord Hari! take away my afflictions.

दशकम्-५८ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

While Krishna was engaged in playing with the children and killing the pralambasura, the cows strayed far away grazing and reached a forest called Aisheeka. They had strayed far away from Vrindavan where they did not experience the summer heat. But here the heat was unbearable and on top of it they were thirsty and separated from Krishna. Krishna, with a few other gopas, went in search of the cows and found that they had lost their way and were wandering, directionless, in a munja forest. When Krishna approached the herd of cows, a forest fire started raging from all sides. Caught in the forest fire and almost half-burnt they cried out in pain for help and took refuge in Krishna, the only one who could save them. Krishna asked them not to be afraid and to close their eyes. They obeyed him and Lo! there was no forest fire and no munja forest when they opened their eyes. All of them were in the vicinity of bhandeera. Krishna and others spent the summer time on the banks of the Yamuna. During the rainy season they spent time in the caves of mountains. The Govardhan Mountain sang the praises of Krishna by the coo of peacocks and worshipped him with a variety of flowers.

The concluding sloka of this dasaka is this:

अथ शरदमुपेतां तां भवद्भक्तचेतो-

विमलसलिलपूरां मानयन् काननेषु ।

तृणममलवनांते चारु सञ्चारयन् गाः

पवनपुरपते! त्वं देहि मे देहसौख्यम् ॥५८.१०॥

In the season after the rains (sharat), when water was pure as the hearts of your devotees, you took the cows for grazing into the forest. O Lord of Guruvayur! Give me bodily comfort and health.

दशकम्-५९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Seeing the captivating form of Krishna daily the gopis became more and more in love with him. Struck as they were by the arrows of Cupid, they could not bear his separation evening during the day time when he went into the forest with his cows. .When Krishna set out to the forest in the mornings they cast their glances on him, their hearts thinking only of him. They heard the melodies emanating from Krishna’s flute from a distance and spent their time talking about Krishna’s exploits. Hearing the melodies from Krishna’s flute, the damsels of heaven were stricken by the arrows of Cupid, birds and animals stood still as if in intense concentration and even the rocks of the mountain melted. The Gopis thought that the celestial damsels, the birds, the animals, the cows and the forest who could look at Krishna without inhibitions had indeed achieved the purpose of their lives. Every day the gopis, struck by love for Krishna, and helpless in that love, did not know what to do.

Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following verse:

रागस्तावज्जायते हि स्वभावा-

न्मोक्षोपायो यत्नतः स्यान्न वा स्यात् ।

तासां त्वेकं तत् द्वयं लब्धमासीत्

भाग्यं भाग्यं ! पाहि मां मारुतेश ॥५९.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayoor! Love arises naturally in the heart, the path to mukti (liberation) my open or not open with human effort. For the Gopis both the above things were at hand. Love for Krishna is also a path to liberation. They were indeed most fortunate. Please save me from my afflictions.

दशकम्-६० श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Gopis of Vrindavan in their teens, deeply in love with Krishna, observed during the first month of winter, a month-long vrata wherein they bathed in the Yamuna early morning and offered worship to the sand idol of Girija, consort of siva, praying to her that they get the son of Nanda as their husband. When the vrata was about to conclude Krishna, moved by their love, went to Yamuna where they were bathing leaving their clothes on the banks of the river. Gathering their clothes in his hands, Krishna climbed up a tree on the bank and told the gopis to come to him one by one to receive their clothes. Moved by the conflicting emotions of love and shyness, they requested Krishna not to embarrass them but Krishna’s reply was only a sweet smile. Finally the gopis came up to the tree and, joining their palms in salutation, received their clothes and got an assurance from Krishna that he was aware of what was in their mind and he would give a fitting reply to them. Hearing these sweet words from Krishna the gopis, glancing at his face again and again with passionate love, went back to their homes. Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the following verse:

इति नन्वनुगृह्य वल्लवी-

र्यमुनान्तेषु पुरेव सञ्चरन् ।

करुणाशिशिरो हरे! हर

त्वरया मे सकलामयावलिम् ॥।६०.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayur! after blessing the gopis with your assurance you continued your daily routine of grazing the cows in the vicinity of Yamuna in the forests. O Lord, full of compassion! please free me of my afflictions quickly.

***

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor

from Narayaneeyam (7)

Given below is the collection of last slokas from Daskasmn 61 to 70 of this great devotional work with a prosaic translation in English. A brief note on the contents of each dasaka is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.

दशकम्-६१ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

One day Krishna took the cowboys far away from Vrindvan with idea of blessing the wives of the brahmins. BY the time they reached the place it was midday and every one was hungry and thirsty. Krishna told the cowboys to go and ask food from the brahmins who were conducting a yagna. The Brahmins pretended that they did not hear anything and kept mum. The gopas went back and reported to Krishna. Krishna told the gopas to go and tell the wives of the brahmins that Krishna had come and was asking food for him and his friends. As soon as they heard Krishna’s name, the wives were excited and immediately went with the gopas with a variety of food preparations and liquids to drink. They saw Krishna with the peacock feather on his hair, Kundalas shining on his cheeks, compassion in his eyes with one hand on the shoulder of a gopa. Krishna accepted the food brought with pleasure and persuaded them to go back to their husbands and complete the yagna though they were reluctant to leave the company of Krishna. One brahmani was prevented by her husband from going and she gave up her life then and there with her heart filled with the thought of Krishna.

निरूप्य दोषं निजमंगनाजने

विलोक्य भक्तिं च पुनर्विचारिभिः

प्रबुद्धतत्त्वैस्त्वमभिष्टुतो द्विजै-

र्मरुत्पुराधीश्! निरुन्धि मे गदान् ॥६१.१०॥

The Brahmins realised their mistake and appreciated the devotion of their wives. Realising that you are the incarnation of Mahavishnu, the pure sattwic aspect of Brahman, they sang your praises. O Lord of Guruvayur! save me from my maladies.

दशकम्-६२ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Once Krishna saw the gopas collecting material for a yagna to propitiate Indra. Though he knew this very well he pretended ignorance and enquired for what purpose these arrangements were being made. Nanda explained that Indra blesses them with rains every year. Without rains their cows will not have grass to eat and there won’t be any water for agriculture. That is why every year they perform this yagna to please Indra. Krishna argued: “Rains are created by the punya (good deeds) of beings, not by the whim of Indra. Do the trees in the dense forests offer worship to Indra? Our cows need grazing grounds with grass for which we should offer worship to the Govardhana mountain. Brahmins are at a higher pedestal than the devas. Let us also worship them.” Gopas accepted Krishna’s arguments and arranged to worship the Govardhana Mountain.

Krishna himself accepted the offerings made to the mountain and told the people that the mountain is accepting the offerings and it can protect all of them if at all Indra got angry. This daska concludes with the following sloka:

सुरेन्द्रः क्रुद्धश्चेत् द्विजकरुणया शैलकृपया-

प्यनातङ्कोऽस्माकं नियत इति विश्वास्य पशुपान् ।

अहो किं नायातोगिरिभिदिति सञ्चित्य निवसन्

मरुद्गेहाधीश! प्रणुद मुरवैरिन्! मम गदान् ॥६२.१०॥

O Lord! You convinced the gopas that If Indra becomes angry they will have no problems by the grace of the brahmins and the mountain. You then wondered why Indra had not come so long (after his yagna was thwarted). O Lord of Guruvayur! slayer of Mura! Please free me from my afflictions.

दशकम्-६३ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Dark clouds matching the complexion of Krishna, accompanied by thunder reverberating in all directions, gathered over the sky of Vraja. The gopas, threatened by the continuous downpour accompanied by hailstones, cried out to Krishna for protection from an angry Indra. Krishna told them not to be afraid, the Govardhana mountain was capable of warding off the attack of Indra, they should not doubt this. Saying thus Krishna, a smile playing on his face, lifted up the Govardhana mountain from its roots and held it aloft with one hand asking every one to come and occupy the expanse of fine sand under it, away from the downpour. He playfully carried on a banter with the girls and those of his age and scratched the bodies of cows that nestled up to him with one hand. Indra maintained the downpour continuously for seven days thinking that Krishna would put down the mountain when his hand started aching. But nothing of that sort happened. Krishna was unmoved even after the lapse of seven days.

But the clouds had exhausted themselves and the rain stopped automatically. Krishna asked every one to move out and put the mountain back on its base. This dasaka concludes with the following sloka:

’धरणिमेव पुरा धृतवानसि

क्षितिधरोद्धरणे तव कः श्रमः’ ।

इति नुतस्त्रिदशैः कमलापते!

गुरुपुरालय पालय मां गदात् ॥६३.१०॥

“O consort of Lakshmi! You had held aloft the whole of this earth before (in your Varaha incarnation); what to talk of lifting this mountain, it is child’s play for you”, thus praised by the celestials, O Lord of Guruvayur! save me from my aliments.

दशकम्-६४ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

The gopas, seeing the superhuman exploits of Krishna, like lifting up the mountain with one hand, asked Nanda about the predictions in his horoscope. Nanda narrated to them what Garga Muni had told him about the greatness of Krishna. After hearing that their love and respect for Krishna increased many times. Indra, mortified in his attempt to put down Krishna and his conceit deflated, came down from heaven with Kamadhenu, the celestial cow, and bowed at the feet of Krishna begging his pardon. Kamadhenu, moved by love for Krishna, drenched him with milk from her udders, calling him “Govinda’. Indra also bathed Krishna by the waters of the celestial Ganga brought by his elephant airavata and, taking leave of Krishna, went back to his world.

Once, when Nanda was bathing in Yamuna, the aides of Varuna took him away. Krishna went to the abode of Varuna who, excited on Krishna’s arrival, received him with honour and sent back with him Nanda who narrated the incident to the gopas. They were convinced by now that Krishna was none other than the Lord of the worlds. They were raring to see his abode and Krishna revealed to them his sachidananda swarupa, (ocean of Consciousness and Bliss) in which they were submerged for long until Krishna brought them back to their mundane existence.

करबदरवदेवं देव! कुत्रावतारे

परपदमनवाप्यं दर्शितं भक्तिभाजाम् ।

तदिह पशुपरूपी त्वं हि साक्षात् परात्मा

पवनपुरनिवासिन् पाहि मामामयेभ्यः ॥६४.१०॥

O Lord! In which other incarnation have you shown your devotees your real nature as clearly as a ‘badara fruit on the plam’? O the Lord of Guruvayur! seen here in the form of a cowboy, you are certainly the sachidanada brahman, save me from my maladies.

दशकम्-६५, श्लोकसंख्या-९

Krishna, to redeem his promise to the gopis, chose a moonlit night to repair to the forests on the banks of the Yamuna and played his flute. The melodies from the flute created a commotion in the hearts of the gopis and they left whatever they were doing ‘ as is where is’ and hastened to meet their sweetheart Krishna. Some came half-adorned, some wore the ornaments in the wrong places, some forgot to cover their breasts, some left their children half-fed Some, unable to come out of the house, identifying themselves with Krishna in their heart of hearts left their mortal bodies and became one with the sachidananda brahman. These were the real fortunate ones.

अभ्यागताभिरभितो व्रजसुन्दरीभि-

र्मुग्धस्मितार्द्रवदनः करुणावलोकी ।

निस्सीमकान्तिजलधिस्त्वमवेक्ष्यमाणो

विश्वैकहृद्य हर मे परमेश रोगान् ॥६५.९॥

The beauties of Vraja who had come there saw you as a sea of limitless brilliance, with face lit up by a captivating smile and glances tinged with compassion. O Beloved to the heart of all !, please take away my ailments.

दशकम्-६६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

Though Krishna wanted to satisfy the gopis who were stricken by the arrows of Cupid, he told them virtues of observing their dharma as wives to their husbands, as mothers to their children as daughers-in-law to the parents of the husband, daughters to their parents and so on and asked them to go back to their homes. The gopis, however, were not in a state of mind to heed this advice of Krishna. They beseeched Krishna not to be so unkind and abandon them. Moved by their tears, Krishna started to play with them on the moonlit banks of the Yamuna with sweet talks, hand-holdings, kisses, embraces and so on. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following verse:

राधातुंगपयोधर साधुपरीरंभलोलुपात्मानम्।

आराधये भवन्तं पवनपुराधीश! शमय सकलगदान् ॥६६.१०॥

O Lord of Guruvayur! fond of embracing the raised breasts of Radha! I worship you. Please cure me of my diseases.

दशकम्-६७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०

The gopis, thus pleased by Krishna, became conceited and each one thought that Krishna loved her more than the others. Sensing this conceit of the gopis, Krishna vanished from the scene of their activities, taking with him only Radha. Now it was the turn of gopis to lament the disappearance of Krishna. They started searching for Krishna in groups and unable to stand the pangs of separation they asked every tree, creeper or plant whether they had seen Krishna who had stolen their hearts. Gopis completely identified themselves with Krishna and enacted Krishna’s leelas. Again they started searching and found Radha also abandoned. Then all of them searched in the forest until darkness set in.

Seeing the gopis steeped in sorrow Krishna, his heart full of compassion for them, appeared before them again, his form enthralling all the three worlds.

This dasaka concludes with the following verse:

सन्दिग्धसन्दर्शनमात्मकान्तं

त्वां वीक्ष्य तन्व्यः सहसा तदानीम् ।

किं किं न चक्रुः प्रमदातिभारात्?

स त्वं गदात् पालय मारुतेश! ॥६७.१०॥

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