Love-Mad*
The poetic image used in the following verses is characteristically
Indian. The mother of a love-stricken girl (symbolising the human soul yearning
to merge into the Godhead) is complaining to her friend of the sad plight of
her child whom love for Krishna has rendered "mad" — the effect of
the "madness^ being that in all things she is able to see nothing but
forms of Krishna —, the ultimate Spirit of the universe.
The Realisation of God in all things by .the Vision of Divine Love.
1. Seated,
she caresses Earth and cries, "This Earth is Vishnu's";
Salutes
the sky and bids us "behold the Heaven He ruleth";
Or standing with tear-filled eyes cries
aloud, "0 sea hued Lord!"
All helpless am I, my friends; my child
He has rendered mad.
2. Or
joining her hands she fancies "The Sea where my Lord reposes!"
Or hailing the ruddy Sun
she cries: "Yes, this is His form",
Languid, she bursts into tears and
mutters Narayan's name.
I am dazed at the things she is doing, my
gazelle, my child shaped god-like.
-
Knowing,
she embraces red Fire, is scorched and, cries "0 Death-less!"
And she hugs the Wind;
" Tis my own Govinda", she tells us.
She smells of the honied
Tuisi, my gazelle-like child. Ah me!
How many the pranks she
plays for my sinful eyes to behold.
-
The
rising moon she showeth, " 'Tis the shining gem-hued Krishna!"
Or, eyeing the standing hill, she cries:
"0 come, high Vishnu!"
It rains; and she dances and cries out
"He hath come, the God of my love!"
0 the mad conceits He hath given to my
tender, dear one!
5. The soft-limbed calf she
embraces, for "Such did Krishna tend",
And follows the gliding
serpent, explaining "That is His couch".
* Namfflalwar
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I know not where this will end, this folly's play in my sweet one
Afflicted, ay, for my sins, by Him, the Divine Magician.
6. Where tumblers dance with
their pots, she runs and cries "Goymda":
At the charming notes of
a flute she faints, for "Krishna, He playeth."
When cowherd dames bring
butter, she is sure it was tasted by Him, —
So mad for the Lord who
sucked out the Demoness' life through her bosom!
-
In rising
madness she raves, "All worlds are by Krishna made"
And she runs after folk
ash-smeared; forsooth, they serve high Vishnu!
Or she looks at the
fragrant Tuki and claims Narayan's garland.
She is ever for Vishnu,
my darling, or in, or out of her wits.
8. And in all your wealthy
princes she but sees the Lord of Lakshmi_
At the sight of beautiful
colours, she cries, "0 ray Lord world-scanning!"
And all the shrines in
the land, to her, are shrines of Vishnu.
In awe and in love, unceasing, she adores the feet of that Wizard.
-
All Gods
and saints are Krishna—Devourer of infinite Space!
And the huge, dark clouds
are Krishna; all fain would she fly to reach them.
Or the kine, they graze on the meadow and
thither she runs to find Him.
The Lord of Illusions, He makes my dear
one pant and rave.
10. Languid she stares around her or gazes afar into space;
She sweats and with eyes
full of tears she sighs and faints away;
Rising, she speaks but
His name and cries, "Do come, 0 Lord."
Ah, what shall I do with
my poor child o'erwhelmed by this maddest
love?
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