इत: परं न किमपि जानासि ? अस्तु, श्रावयामि...


When I was in Vrindavan, I talked with Satya Narayan about Madhusudana Saraswati. He said, Madhusudan was mixed up. In one chapter he writes his famous verse about there being no truth higher than Krishna, and in the next he goes right back to his Advaita philosophy. I remarked that the verse is probably the only thing that everyone knows about Madhusudan. It is even in my little Gita Press day book, with a picture of Krishna. Even Satya Narayan knew it by heart.

vaṁśī-vibhūṣita-karān nava-nīradābhāt
pītāmbarād aruṇa-bimba-phalādharauṣṭhāt |
pūrṇendu-sundara-mukhād aravinda-netrāt
kṛṣṇāt paraṁ kim api tattvam ahaṁ na jāne ||

With a flute adorning his hand, the color of a new cloud, dressed in a yellow cloth and with lips as red as dawn or the bimba fruit, with a face as beautiful as the full moon and eyes like lotuses, I know of no truth higher than Krishna.

Yesterday I was copying some verses from an old notebook and happened on one from Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi. It seemed like Prabodhananda Saraswati, that old Benares-wallah, was directly commenting on Madhusudan's verse, even though that is impossible, as Madhusudana was definitely in his prime after Prabodhananda had already left this world. Anyway, this is the Radha-sudha-nidhi verse:

veṇuḥ karān nipatitaḥ skhalitaṁ śikhaṇḍaṁ
bhraṣṭaṁ ca pīta-vasanaṁ vraja-rāja-sūnoḥ |
yasyāḥ kaṭākṣa-śara-ghāta-vimūrcchitasya
tāṁ rādhikāṁ paricarāmi kadā rasena ||

The flute has fallen from his hand, and the peacock crown slipped from his head. The yellow cloth has loosened from the waist of the son of the king of Braja, who has fallen into a faint after being pierced by a sidelong glance from Srimati Radharani. Oh when will I serve her with delight?


From Jagat

Comments

Anonymous said…
"When I was in Vrindavan, I talked with Satya Narayan about Madhusudana Saraswati. He said, Madhusudan was mixed up."

Gee who would have thought, mmm I guess Sridhar Svami was mixed up too..

I mean honestly Jagat, do you still buy this one sided sectarian line anymore..?

yours truly
Tuesday, 11 March, 2008
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