Gita Govinda -Jayadeva 418

Gita Govinda -Shri Jayadeva Gosvami

Act Eleven : sänanda govindaù

The Blissful Cowherd Boy

Scene Twenty : Song 20 : Verse 12

Commentary The sakhé says, “My dear friend, for trysting heroines whose bodies are as lustrous as saffron, this darkness, deep blue as a tamäla leaf, is the testing stone for the gold of love. The darkness is marked everywhere with the lines of their shimmering golden lustre. “The darkness is a testing stone who presents himself to examine the gold of these young women’s love. The quality of gold is tested on such a stone. The gold leaves a mark on the stone but the colour of the stone does not show up on the gold. However, when you enter this dense darkness, golden-limbed Rädhä, the testing stone will make a dark blue mark upon the strip of gold. Now go to the meeting place as quickly as possible.” This verse features upamä alaìkära and vasanta-tilakä chanda.