Stava-mālā chapter-57

prathamam nandotsavadi

putram udaram asuta yasoda I samajani ballava-tatir atimoda || dhruva || ko’py upanayati vividham upaharam | nrtyati ko’pijano bahu-varam || ko’pi madhuram upagdyati gltam | vikirati ko’pi sad adhi navanitam II ko’pi tanoti manoratha-purtim I pasyati ko’pi sandtana-murtim ||

Yasoda gave birth to a generous son. All the cowherds became joyful. (Chorus) Someone offered various gifts. Someone danced for a long time. Someone sang sweet songs. Someone sprinkled butter everywhere. Someone was fulfilled in his desires. Someone gazed at the eternal form of Krsna.

This is a collection of songs. The first describes Nanda s festival

in bhairava raga.

vitti virakti srl-hari kathanuklrtana krtat samyat I sukam ucuryam santas tam stave mdlartha desikam vande II

I offer respects to the guru for the meaning of Stavamala, whom the devotees call Suka, because of similar glorification of Krsna’s pastimes, which are detached

from material acquisition.

619

The son was excellent (udaram) with all thirty-two qualities mentioned in samudrika-sastra. Or he was a generous giver (udaram) giving even himself.

Upahdram means gifts. Someone sprinkled (vikirati) butter on the people.

Someone satisfied the minds of the singers by giving them plenty of wealth. Someone, such as Nanda, coming, sees the eternal form of Yasoda’s son, not desiring anything else. Or he sees the form worshipped (word to be supplied) by Sanatana.

This may refer to Krsna (who is eternal), Rupa’s elder brother or to the third son of Brahma. With the last two meanings, it becomes mudra alankara.

The meter is gatha. It is described as follows.

visamaksara padam va padair asamam dasa dharmavat I yac chando noktam atra gatheti tat suribhih proktam II

The wise say that gatha meter, where meter is not stated, has irregular arrangement of syllables per line (for instance eight, ten, seven, nine) or irregular number of lines (like three, five or six lines) or ten, like the ten dharmas. (Vrtta-ratnakara)

The first type is the above verse. The second type has ten lines. The ten dharmas are described in Mahabharata.

dasa-dharmam najananti dhrtarastra nibodha tan | mattah pramatta unmattah santah kruddho bubhuksitah | tvaramanas ca bhlrus calasah kaml ca te dasa II

O Dhrtarastra! They do not know the ten dharmas. Understand these ten: bewilderment, agitation, insanity, peace, anger, hunger, haste, fright, laziness and lust.

Gitavali 621

This poem has six lines. The meters which are not mentioned in Vrtta-ratnakara are gatha.

vipra-vrndam abhud alarikrti-godhanair api piirnam | gayanan api mad-vidhan vrajanatha tosaya turnam 11 sunur adbhuta-sundaro’jani nandaraja tavayam | dehi gostha-janaya vanchitam utsavocita-dayam II dhruva ||

All the brahmanas were fully satisfied by the gift of ornamented cows. O lord of Vraja! Quickly satisfy singers like me. O King Nanda! Your astonishingly beautiful son has been bom. Give to the people of Gokula the desired mercy suitable to this festival.

tavakatmaja-viksana-ksana-nandi mad-vidha-cittam | yan na hair api labdham arthibhir etad icchati vittam || sri-sanatana-citta-manasa-keli-nila-marale I madrsam ratir atra tisthatu sarvada tava bale ||

My heart, expanding with joy on seeing your son, desires a treasure which is not attainable by any wealth. May my rati for your son, a black swan playing in the Manasa Lake heart of Sanatana, always remain.

The raga is asavari.

Narada makes generous Nanda happy at the birth of Krsna as he attempts to give generously.

The brahmanas became fully satisfied with donations of decorated cows.

O lord of Vraja! Quickly satisfy singers like me.

Not only to us singers, but to the people of Gokula, give mercy, proper for a festival. The singular janaya is used to indicate the whole group.