Brahma Vaivarta Purana Chapter 27:1-10

Brahma Vaivarta Purana

Çri Gopikä-vastra-haraëa

Stealing the Gopis' Garments

Chapter 27: Verse 1-10

ENGLISH TRANSLATION 1.Çri Näräyaëa Åñi said: O Närada, please listen and I will tell another pastime of Lord Kåñëa, the pastime where He stole the gopis' garments, and gave them the boon they desired. 2.-3.In the first month of the hemanta season the young gopis, bewildered with amorous desires and following a vow of eating only haviñya, daily made of sand a deity of Goddess Pärvati and with devotion daily worshiped her with mantras, . . . 4.. . . with pleasing sandal, aguru, musk, and kuìkuma, with many kinds of beautiful flowers and many kinds of flower garlands, . . 5.. . . and with incense, lamps, food, garments, many kinds of fuits, jewels, pearls, coral, and many kinds of music, O sage. 6.O saintly goddess, O mother of the universe, O cause of creation, maintainence, and destruction, please give to us Nanda's son, Kåñëa, as our dear husband." 7.They chanted this mantra before the queen of the demigods, expressed their desire before her, and worshiped her by chanting the müla-mantra. 8.Eternally-new, fulfilling all desires, and spoken in the Säma Veda, this müla-mantra, with its bija-syllable, is Hrià durgäyai namaù" (I offer my respectful obeisances to Goddess Durgä). 9.With this mantra all the happy gopis devotedly offered flowers, garlands, food, incense, lamps, and garments to Goddess Durgä. 10.They chanted this mantra a thousand times, recited prayers, and bowed down, touching their heads to the ground.