Thereupon beholding the charming autumnal night and the beautiful moon
the powerful Krishna felt a desire of sporting (15). Sometimes he made
the haughty bulls fight with one another in the roads of Vraja adorned
with cow-dung pastes. He again set the powerful cow-herds against one
another. He sometimes got hold of the kine in the forest like a
crocodile. (16–17). Sometimes thinking of his boyhood and bringing the
youthful women of Gopas under his control at night he used to enjoy
there (18). With their glances those Gopa women used to drink as if the
ambrosia of his beautiful face who was like the moon come down on earth
(19). Krishna was by nature beautiful but clad in a silken raiment of
shining yellow colour he appeared more beautiful (20). Having his arms
adorned with Angadas and bedecked with garlands of wild flowers Govinda
beautified the entire Vraja (21). Filled with surprise at witnessing the
wonderful conduct of that powerful (being) the beautiful Gopa women used
to call him by the name of Dāmodara (22). And casting again and again
their glances accompanied by various gestures they began to assail him
with their rising breasts (23). After a few days had passed away in this
way the parents of those milk-women prevented them (from doing so).
Those damsels however, fond of amusements, used to hunt Krishna at night
(24). Sometimes arranging themselves in rows and sometimes in circles
they, singing hymns relating to Krishna’s glories, used to satisfy him.
And all of them appeared in pairs with Krishna (25). Casting loving
glances at Krishna and following his course those youthful damsels of
Vraja imitated all his sports (26). Sometimes striking their palms in
the forest they used to imitate him and sometimes they used to take
delight in imitating his songs and dances accompanied by lovely smiles
and looks (27-28). Singing sweet songs describing the profuse love for
Krishna these beautiful women, devoted to Dāmodara, used to range at
Pleasure in Vraja (29). As she-elephants, covered with dust, enjoy with
an infuriated elephant so those milk-women, their limbs covered all over
with dust and cow-dung, used to sport with Krishna encircling him on all
sides (30). Drinking repeatedly his ambrosia-like beauty with their eyes
accompanied by side-long and smiling looks the Gopa-women, having
antelope eyes, could not attain to the consummation of delight (31).
When Damodara used to exclaim "O! Alas!" the damsels anxiously and
delightedly used to listen to the words given vent to by him (33). Thus
encircled by the milk-women Krishna used to sport, of his own accord, in
the autumnal night adorned by the moon²⁴⁴ (35).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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