Contents
Gita Govinda -Shri Jayadeva Gosvami
Act One : sämoda dämodaraù
The Delighted Captive of Love
Scene Two
Song 2
Verse 27
Commentary
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In the current verse Rädhikä is depicted as a heroine who is anxious due to separation from her beloved (utkaëöhitä näyikä). Bharata Muni has explained the symptoms of this heroine in Näöya-çästra, his work on dramatic theory. This heroine is wanton, afflicted with sensual passion and a high fever. The limbs of her lacklustre body tremble, her bodily hair stands on end and she is repeatedly bewildered. She experiences bodily tremors and intense horripilation. Her speech is impelled by fervent impatience. In Çåìgära-tilaka (1.78) the symptoms of virahotkaëöhitä näyikä have been described as follows: A heroine whose hero does not arrive punctually at the appointed meeting place is called virahotkaëöhitä näyikä. She carefully ponders over the reasons for her beloved’s absence and becomes fraught with anxiety. The current verse is the foundation of vipralambha-çåìgära, a lover’s sentiments during separation. The poet narrates an incident in which one sakhé of Rädhikä says, “O Rädhä, your body is as soft as a mädhavé flower, yet you are wandering in search of your lover here in the undergrowth of the forest, which is full of thorns and sharp grass. Despite searching extensively, you have not found your dearest one. You are tormented by Cupid’s arrows and burning in a fever of sensuous desires as you pine for Kṛṣṇa’s association.” The specific time or season, indicated by the word vasanta, springtime, is the stimulant (uddépana-vibhäva) in this verse. The word calad (an alternative reading for the word valad) is an adjective referring to Rädhä, indicating that she has repeatedly searched for Kṛṣṇa in the forest. Hoping against hope, she thinks, “Perhaps my dearest is about to arrive. He may come at any moment now.” |
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