Contents
Gita Govinda -Shri Jayadeva Gosvami
Act One : sämoda dämodaraù
The Delighted Captive of Love
Scene One
Song 1
Verse 8
Commentary
|
|
Now Shri Jayadeva praises Bhagavän in his Nåsiàha avatära. Bhagavän Shri Kṛṣṇa is distressed by the sorrow of others. He can accept any difficulty for himself, but he cannot tolerate the suffering of others. Hiraëyakaçipu, the son of Diti, committed atrocities against his own son, the great devotee Prahläda Mahäräja. So Bhagavän protected Prahläda by tearing apart the chest of that powerful demon with his nails. “O Keçava! You have assumed a form which is part man and part lion. One is struck with wonder because the sharp nails of your excellent lotus hands appear to be the pinnacles of a mountain range. They also resemble the tips of the best lotus petals. Bumblebees tear apart the tips of other lotus flowers, but the tips of your lotus hands have torn apart the bee-like body of the demon Hiraëyakaçipu.” This is an example of virodhäbhäsa alaìkära, the reverse analogy. Rüpaka alaìkära has also been employed by comparing the demon with a bumblebee to convey his blackness. In the Viçvakoça Sanskrit dictionary the word çåìga can refer to a musical horn, excellence and the extreme tip. Shri Nåsiàha is considered to be the presiding deity of vätsalya-rasa (parental affection). |
 |
