For the first meeting of the quarter, we will read a sequence of poems from the Kṣaṇadāgītacintāmaṇi that illustrates the awakening of love and physical self-awareness.

Word version: https://uchicago.box.com/s/3r75ybz3n1fqohg51qsyo2do4eo1ppkv

(৫)

তিরোথা ধানশী (বয়ঃসন্ধি)[1]

1. শৈশব যৌবন দরশন ভেল।
   দোহু দল-বলে ধনি দ্বন্দ্ব পড়ি গেল॥[2]
2. কবহুঁ বান্ধয়ে কচ কবহুঁ বিথার।[3]
   কবহুঁ ঝাঁপয়ে অঙ্গ কবহুঁ উঘার॥[4]
3. থির নয়ন অথির কছু ভেলা।[5]
   উরজ-উদয়-থল লালিম দেলা॥[6]
4. শশীমুখী ছোড়ল শৈশব দেহে।
   খত দেই তেজল ত্রিবলী তিন রেহে॥[7]
5. অব যৌবন ভেল বঙ্কিম-দিঠ।
   উপজল লাজ হাস ভেল মিঠ॥
6. চরণ চঞ্চল চিত চঞ্চল ভাণ।
   জাগল মনসিজ মুদিত-নয়ান॥
7. বিদ্যাপতি কহে কর অবধান।[8]
   বালা-অঙ্গে লাগল পাঁচবাণ ॥[9] ৫

 

1. śaiśava yauvana daraśana bhēla |
   dohu dala-bale dhani dvandva paṛi gela ||
2. kabahũ bāndhaẏe kaca kabahũ bithāra |
   kabahũ jhā̃paẏe aṅga kabahũ ughāra ||
3. thira naẏana athira kachu bhēlā̆ |
   uraja-udaẏa-thala lālima dēlā̆ ||
4. śaśī̆mukhī̆ chōṛala śaiśava dēhe |
   khata dei tejala tribalī tina rēhe ||
5. aba yauvana bhēla baṅkima-díṭha |
   upajala lāja hāsa bhela míṭha ||
6. caraṇa cañcala cita cañcala bhēla |
   jāgala manasija mudita naẏāna ||
7. vidyāpati kahe kara avadhāna |
   bālā aṅgē lāgala pā̃cabāṇa || 5

Meter: 15 mātrās (4/4/4/3); except for 1b and 2, which are in syllabic paẏār.

See also the translation of the version given in the Padakalpataru in Edward C. Dimock and Roushan Jahan, trans. Bengali Vaiṣṇava Lyrics: A Reader for Advanced Students, 3rd ed. (Chicago: South Asian Languages Research Program, University of Chicago, 2006), 42. You will see that the translators made very different choices when interpreting the text.

Commentary in Rādhāmohan Ṭhākur’s Padāmr̥tasamudra, song no. 91:

tato’py utkaṇṭhavantaṃ śrīkr̥ṣṇaṃ paśyantī spaṣṭa-yuddhollekhena punas tulya-balatvena varṇayantī paścānmilanāśvāsa-vacanaṃ “śaiśava yauvana daraśana bhela”-ityādinā āha | asmin gīte’pi “jāgala manasija”-ity atra tasyā hr̥di jāgradavastho’pi madano mudrita-nayana āsīd ity arthe tasya dr̥ṣṭy-abhāvena bodhitā | tat-kārya-yogyatvena bālyasyātiprābalyaṃ vyañjitam | 91 |

Then, when seeing Kr̥ṣṇa longing [for Rādhā, the messenger] is describing [her] by mentioning the visible war [that takes place in her body] and the confrontation of both camps (i.e. childhood and youth). She says words that appease him and announce their future meeting: “Childhood and youth confronted each other…” Moreover, in this song the line “Love awoke…” [means] that in her heart intoxicating Love is awake but still has his eyes closed; this points to the fact that she learned about love without even seeing [her lover]. This appropriate behavior [for a young girl] suggests that childhood is still predominant. 91

1. Childhood and youth confronted each other,
   between both camps she felt confused.
2. She ties her hair, then lets it loose.
   She draws her veil, then lets it down.
3. Her still gaze turned a bit restless,
   her dawning breasts a little red.
4. Childhood who left the limbs of the moon-faced
   when fleeing wounded her:
   the three folds on her belly.
5. Now a maiden, her glance is playful;
   shyness arose and sweetened her smile.
6. Her restless feet bespeak a restless heart.
   Love awoke but still his eyes are closed.
7. Vidyāpati says, take heed,
   five-arrowed Love struck the girl’s body. 5

(৬)

বড়ারি রাগ (বয়ঃসন্ধি)

1. খনে খনে নয়ন-কোণে অনুসরই।
   খনে খনে বসন ধূলি ভরে ভরই॥
2. খনে খনে দশনকো ছটছটি হাস।
   খনে খনে অধর আগে গহে বাস॥
3. বালা শৈশব তারুণ ভেট।
   লখই না পারই জেঠ কনেঠ॥
4. হৃদয় মুকূলিত হেরি থোরি থোরি।
   খনে আঁচর দেই খনে ভই ভোরি॥
5. চঙকি চলয়ে খনে খনে চলু মন্দ।
   মনমথ-পাঠকো করি অনুবন্ধ॥
6. বিদ্যাপতি কহ শুন বর কান।
   তরুণিম শৈশব চিহ্নই না জান॥ ৬

 

1. khane khane naẏana-koṇe anusaraï |
   khane khane vasana dhūli bhare bharaï ||
2. khane khane daśanako chaṭachaṭi hāsa |
   khane khane adhara āge gahe vāsa ||
3. bālā śaiśava tāruṇa bhēṭa |
   lakhaï nā̆ pāraï jēṭha kanēṭha ||
4. hr̥daẏa mukūlita hēri thori thōri |
   khane ā̃cara dei khanē bhaï bhōri ||
5. caṅaki calaẏe khane khane calu manda |
   manamatha-pāṭhako kari anubandha ||
6. vidyāpati kaha śuna vara kāna |
   taruṇima śaiśava cinhaï nā jāna || 6

Meter: Couplets 1 and 2 are syllabic pāẏars (2b is one foot short). The rest follows the 15 mātrā pattern.

Commentary in Rādhāmohan Ṭhākur’s Padāmr̥tasamudra, song no. 90:

tataḥ śrīkr̥ṣṇasya vākyaṃ śrutvā—nāma-śravaṇa-mātreṇaitādr̥śī daśā bhūtā, vayaḥ-sarvāṅga-saundaryādivarṇane na jāne kiṃ bhaviṣyati!—evaṃ kīdr̥śī votkaṇṭhā, kīdr̥g vā buddhi-kauśalaṃ—ta[ṃ] niṣṭaṅkayāmīti manasi kr̥tvā śrīmatyāḥ saundaryādikaṃ saṃgopya tāruṇya-śaiśavayos tulya-balatvena vyaṅgyena yuddha-rūpeṇa tad-agre sakhī “khene khene naẏana-koṇa anusaraï”-ityādinā vayaḥsandhiṃ varṇayati |
prathamato nayana-koṇa-cāñcalyena tāruṇya-balaṃ vyaktam | tato dhūli-dhūsarāṅgatvena śaiśava-balasyaurjityam | dvitīya-caraṇasya prathamato’ṭṭa-hāsādinā bālyasya prābalyaṃ, parārdhe vastreṇa mukhāvaraṇena kaiśorasya prābalyam | tr̥tīya-caraṇa etad-rūpam | caturtha-caraṇe prathamatas tāruṇya-balaṃ tato bālasyātiprābalyam | atrāyam bhāvaḥ | ubhayos tulya-bala-kathane’pi vāk-kauśalena bālya-balasyādhikyaṃ sūcitaṃ—bālyoktyā gīta-viśrānteḥ || 90 ||

Then, after hearing Kr̥ṣṇa’s speech, she thought: “He is in such a state simply after hearing her name, who knows how he will react to the description of the beauty of her young body! I will reveal how much she longs for him and tries to find stratagems to obtain him.” The companion first conceals her (i.e. Rādhā’s) charms and through the suggestive confrontation of youth and childhood presented as a war, she describes the transition between two ages (vayaḥsandhi): “Sometimes she throws side glances…”
First she manifests the power of youth with the restlessness of her gaze. Then, [she suggests] the strength of childhood with her body covered with dust. In the second couplet, it is first the predominance of childhood through her loud laughter, and in the second half it is the predominance of youth with the covering of her face with her garment. It is the same in the third couplet. In the fourth couplet [we observe] first the power of youth and then of childhood. Such is the mood [of the song]. Even if she mentions the comparable strength of both, using verbal cleverness she points to the relative superiority of childhood because the song ends with a reference to this latter state. 90

1. Sometimes she throws side glances,
   sometimes she covers her garment with dust.
2. Sometimes her teeth shine in a beaming smile,
   sometimes she pulls her hem over her lips.
3. The girl’s childhood and youth met;
   one cannot tell which prevails.
4. She glimpses at her blossoming breasts,
   sometimes she pulls her hem, sometimes she is careless.
5. Sometimes she rushes her gait, and then walks slowly
   following Love’s first lesson.
6. Vidyāpati says: “Listen, excellent Kr̥ṣṇa,
   one cannot tell youth from childhood.”

(৭)

তথারাগ (দূতীর শিক্ষা)

1. দূতী সেয়ানী করহ সোই ঠাট।
   পণ্ডিত হাম পড়াওব পাঠ॥
2. চেতন মঝু ঝষ-কেতন-তন্ত্র।
   অবগাহি লেঙ শিখঙ রস-মন্ত্র॥
3. আপন তন কাঞ্চন হামে দেই।
   যতনহিঁ প্রেম-রতন ভরি লেই॥
4. বিদ্যাবল্লভ ইহ আজীব।
   ইহ বিনু দোঁহুকো জীউ না জীব॥ ৭

 

1. dūtī̆ seẏānī̆ karaha soi ṭhāṭa |
   paṇḍita hāma paṛāoba pāṭha ||
2. cetana majhu jhaṣa-ketana-tantra |
   avagāhi leṅ śikhaṅ rasa-mantra ||
3. āpana tana kāñcana hāme dēi |
   yatanahĩ prēma-ratana bhari lēi ||
4. vidyāvallabha iha ājīva |
   iha binu dõhuko jīu nā̆ jīva || 7

Meter: 15 mātrās.

1. Clever messenger, work things out
   so a master like me may teach her a lesson.
2. My heart follows the ways of the fish-bannered god:
   I dive in and learn the mantra of pleasure.
3. I will give away the gold of my limbs
   and strive to get my fill of love’s gems.
4. Vidyāvallabh, it should always remain [so];
   without it, these two couldn’t live.

[1] বাঙ্গালরাগ-কন্দর্পতালৌ (সমুদ্র)
[2] ধ্রু (সমু্দ্র)
[3] বিথার] উঘারি (সমুদ্র), বিথারি (পদ)
[4] উঘার] বিঘারি (সমুদ্র), উঘারি (পদ)
[5] থীর নয়ন অথীর কছু ভেল (সমুদ্র)। থীর … অথির (পদ)
[6] দেল] দেলা (সমুদ্র)
[7] Couplets 4 and 5 are absent in PAS and PKT.
[8] কর অবধান] শুন বর কান (সমুদ্র)
[9] ধৈরজ কর পিছে মিলাওব আন (সমুদ্র)