Shrimad Chaturasi Path — Pad 19 | Chaurasi Ji Ka Path Arth Sahit | रास-लीला — मुरली और चाँदनी रात

Original pad (Devanagari)

खेलत रास रसिक ब्रज मण्डन ।
जुवतिन अंस दिये भुज दण्डन ॥
सरद विमल नभ चन्द्र विराजै ।
मधुर-मधुर मुरली कल बाजे ॥
अति राजत घनश्याम तमाला ।
कंचन बेलि बनी ब्रजबाला ॥
बाजत ताल मृदंग उपंगा ।
गान मथत मन कोटि अनंगा ॥
भूषन बहुत विविध रंग सारी ।
अंग सुधंग दिखावत नारी ॥
बरसत कुसुम मुदित सुरयोषा ।
सुनियत दिवि ढुंदुभि कल घोषा ॥
जय श्री हित हरिवंश मगन मन श्यामा ।
राधारमन सकल सुख धामा ॥

Transliteration

khelata rāsa rasika braja maṇḍana.
juvatina aṁsa diye bhuja daṇḍana.
sarada vimala nabha candra virājai.
madhura-madhura muralī kala bāje.
ati rājata ghanaśyāma tamālā.
kañcana beli banī brajabālā.
bājata tāla mṛdaṁga upaṁgā.
gāna mathata mana koṭi anaṁgā.
bhūṣana bahuta vividha raṁga sārī.
aṁga sudhaṁga dikhāvata nārī.
barasata kusuma mudita surayoṣā.
suniyata divi ḍhuṁdubhi kala ghoṣā.
jaya śrī hita harivaṁśa magana mana śyāmā.
rādhāramaṇa sakala sukha dhāmā.

Word-by-word meanings

khelata — playing; rāsa — the rāsa dance; rasika — the relisher; braja maṇḍana — the ornament of Vraja; juvatina — of the young women; aṁsa — on the shoulders; diye — placed; bhuja daṇḍana — His staff-like arms; sarada — of autumn; vimala — spotless; nabha — the sky; candra virājai — the moon shines; madhura-madhura — sweet, sweet; muralī kala — the sweet sound of the flute; bāje — sounds; ati rājata — shines most beautifully; ghanaśyāma — dark as a raincloud; tamālā — the tamāla tree; kañcana beli — the golden creeper; banī — appear; brajabālā — the maidens of Vraja; bājata — sound; tāla — the tāla; mṛdaṁga — the mṛdaṅga; upaṁgā — the upāṅga instruments; gāna — the song; mathata — churns; mana — the mind; koṭi anaṁgā — of millions of Kāmadevas; bhūṣana — ornaments; bahuta — many; vividha raṁga sārī — sārīs of many colours; aṁga sudhaṁga — beautiful limbs; dikhāvata — display; nārī — the women; barasata — shower; kusuma — flowers; mudita — joyful; surayoṣā — the celestial women; suniyata — is heard; divi — in the sky; ḍhuṁdubhi — the kettledrum; kala ghoṣā — the sweet sound; magana mana — the absorbed mind; śyāmā — Śyāmā; rādhāramaṇa — Rādhāramaṇa; sakala sukha dhāmā — the abode of all happiness.

Translation

The relisher, the ornament of Vraja, is playing the rāsa, His staff-like arms resting on the shoulders of the young women of Vraja. The autumn sky is spotless and the moon shines in it; the sweet, sweet flute sounds. Dark as a raincloud, Śyāma shines like the tamāla tree, and the maidens of Vraja shine beside Him like golden creepers. The tāla, the mṛdaṅga and the upāṅga instruments sound, and the song is such that it churns the minds of millions of Kāmadevas. The women, adorned with many ornaments and sārīs of many colours, display their beautiful limbs in dance. The joyful celestial women shower flowers, and the sweet sound of the kettledrum is heard in the sky. Says Śrī Hita Harivaṁśa — Śyāmā's mind is absorbed in this rāsa, and Rādhāramaṇa is the abode of all happiness.

Explanation

This is the autumn full-moon rāsa in all its glory. The moon, the flute, the drums, the song, the shower of flowers and the kettledrums of heaven all come together to make the night divine. Kṛṣṇa, dark like the tamāla tree, stands among the maidens shining like golden creepers, and even the gods above cannot stay away — they shower flowers and beat their drums. At the centre of it all is Śyāmā, Her mind absorbed, and Rādhāramaṇa, the abode of every happiness.

Summary

Under the autumn moon, Kṛṣṇa dances the rāsa — flute, drums and flowers fill the night, and the gods themselves shower blossoms.

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