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Dear BhakthAs :

Our dear SrI Madhavakkannan shares with us
the treasures that he comes across frequently .
Here is one for your enjoyment !

V.Sadagopan

P.S : SrI Lela Sukhar is the One who asked Lord Raamamchandra
to drop His mighty bow of KodhaNdam and take up instead
flute in His hand and adorn peacock feather in His tresses
so that he can worship the Lord as his ishta dhaivam.


----- Original Message ----- From: "Madhavakkannan V" <srivaishnavan@xxxx>
To: <nama-singapore@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <bakthi-indonesia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <acharya@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <malolan_net@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 8:43 PM
Subject: Verses filled with nectar - from the Hindu



Verses filled with nectar
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/09/03/stories/2004090300810600.htm


Lila Sukha's "Krishna Karnamritam " is a beautiful garland of poems. LAKSHMI DEVNATH elaborates...

CAPTIVATING, CHARMING fascinating, enchanting...
adjectives do seem to fall short while describing the
personality of Krishna. His life too was a
kaleidoscopic one brimming with incidents, varied and
colourful. At Gokulam and Brindavan, where he grew up
as one among simple cowherds, he charmed the girls
with his quaint pranks, delightful barbs and above all
with the magic of his flute and graceful dance.

Years rolled by. The Supreme Lord played diverse roles
to fulfil the purpose of his incarnation. He was
supremely affable and divinely charming. "This is
indeed the most complete avatar," raved philosophers
and litterateurs.

In subsequent centuries, Krishna became the central
theme of many a story, poem, drama, song and so on. It
was thus that, in the 13th century, a beautiful ode
was created on Him. It focussed predominantly on the
childhood phase of Krishna.

The author Lila Suka titled his creation, "Krishna
Karnamritam. True to its name, its verses, when read
or heard indeed fill the ears with nectar.

"If you place just one per cent of the love you have
for me on the Lord, your future is guaranteed."
Bilvamangala's ladylove Chintamani rebuked her
paramour. This sharp remark spurred him on to the
spiritual path. Krishna enveloped him completely. His
unbridled passion for the lila-s (divine sport) of
Lord Krishna struck a chord in the minds of people.
"Ah, isn't his devotion reminiscent of the legendary
Suka's (composer of the Srimad Bhagavatam) devotion to
the same Lord?" the transformation was now complete
and Bilvamangala attained fame as Lila Suka. Authentic
details about his life are not available and whatever
has been chronicled has been pieced together by
inferences. Kerala was his home town. Along the way,
Lila Suka also equipped himself with a deep knowledge
of the Sanskrit language and it is said that in his
later years he even adopted the ascetic order.

Scanty details about his life notwithstanding, his
work - the Krishna Karnaamritam - is fortunately
available with us in its entirety. It is made up of
three portions that are referred to as Aashvasah.
Three hundred and twenty eight slokas, all strung
together by the thread of love for Krishna go to make
up an odoriferous and colourful garland fit to be
offered to the Lord. The beauty of this poem
captivated the attention of the great Krishna
Chaitanya, during his south tour, and he took back a
copy of the manuscript and wrote a commentary on it.
Interestingly the Bengali version has only one asvasah
of the verses. The composition for the major part
focuses, on the early life of Krishna and his
delightful exploits at Gokulam and Brindavan. Krishna
as Parthasarathy and as the beloved of Rukmini,
Satyabhama and Radha are very briefly touched upon.

Dark and magnetic


Krishna - a more apt name could not have been chosen for the foster son of Yashoda and Nanda. The word can be interpreted to mean both darkness and the ability to draw people. The Sanskrit interpretation of the word is Karshati iti Krishna - one who pulls other to him is Krishna. Dark as the rain bearing clouds, Krishna exuded a magnetic charm that, true to his name, instantly captivated all those who came in contact with him.

Centuries later poet Lila Suka relived the era and
burst into rhapsody over the luminous dark complexion
of Krishna, "herds of thirsty cows approach him
thinking him to be the Yamuna, peacocks eagerly look
up to him under the impression that he is a
rain-bearing cloud, the Gopis (cowherd girls),
desirous to adorn their hair with the Tamala flower,
pinch him thinking that he is a black blossom. May
this black lustre that has destroyed the pride of the
snake Kaliya protect us (2.2)."

However, let us enter the world of Krishna Karnamritam
through the main doorway. Lila Suka begins his ode to
Lord Krishna by paying his respects to his guru
Somagiri whom he describes as the Chintamani gem that
has the power to grant one's desires. He also pays his
obeisance to Lord Krishna whom he addresses as his
siksha guru (teacher of knowledge) saying that Goddess
Lakshmi always dwells with those who worship his Lord.
Having thus started off on an auspicious note Lila
Suka, with gay abandon, plunges deep into the ocean of
Krishna and emerges with a myriad variety of gems. It
is significant that, while Lila Suka revels on the
child Krishna, he never forgets his divinity. In the
very second verse, Lila Suka states that Krishna is
the Supreme Brahman incarnated in the hamlet of Gokula
albeit as a child. Mesmerising


Incomparable Krishna was in more ways than one. His looks were undoubtedly charming but his music was absolutely mesmerising. His chosen instrument was the flute and when he breathed air into it, it came out in the form of ethereal music. It is said that, when the music drifted into the air, the wind stopped blowing, the cows stopped grazing and the gopis stood transfixed. Lila Suka, while he is lulled into deep reverie by this magical music, is also envious of the good fortune of the flute. "Will I ever earn that much merit so as to be born as a flute on the banks of the Yamuna for, it is the Lord's instrument that occupies an exalted position near his beautiful lips."

Stories of the gopis' love for Krishna and his
reciprocal grace are too many to be recounted. But
there can be no doubt that the flute player was the
darling of the cowherd girls and their love for
Krishna was harmless. The Lord, in response to their
devotion, danced with each one of them. The Rasakrida,
as the dance is popularly known, has been extensively
dealt with in cantos 29-33 of the tenth book of the
Bhagavatam. Lila Suka in his inimitable style
describes the dance thus: "Madhava stood between two
gopis; there was one girl between two Madhavas. In
this kind of arrangement, Krishna also stood in the
middle and played the flute melodiously." But let us
move on from Krishna the beloved of the Gopis to
Krishna the incorrigible tease.

It was a daily ritual for Yashoda to listen to the
complaint of the gopis about Krishna stealing butter
or curds, untying calves on the sky and so on. Lila
Suka describes such episodes in a delightful manner.
But lest anybody be under the delusion that Krishna
was an ordinary butter thief Lila Suka, in several
verses, unfolds the Supreme nature of the child. The
meaning of one of them runs as follows:

"Oh yogis, you who tired by searching for Him in the
forests of the Vedas, listen to my valuable advice.

Search for the meaning of the Upanishads in the houses
of the gopis. You will find it tied to the mortar!"

Thus, Lila Suka revels in the Lord and regales us too
with his descriptions of the Supreme Brahma who lived
as one amongst the simple cowherd folk of Gokulam and
Brindavan. The Krishna Karnamritam indeed offers a
lavish and delectable feast both to the intellect of
the litterateur and to the heart of the devotee.



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Srivaasa Ranga Parakaala Munitrayaapta Lakshmaatma Rakshana Yathitva Yugaagamaantham / Achaarya Bhakthi Pari pootham Anargha Seelam Gopaala Desika Munim Gurum Aasrayaamaha //

(meaning)
We seek refuge at the sacred feet of our revered AchAryan,
Sri Gopala MahA Desikan, who received the sacred rites of samAsrayaNam , Bhara SamarpaNam from the great AchAryA,
Sri Srinivasa MahA Desikan (Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan); ThurIyAsramam from Sri Srinivasa MahA Desikan
(Srimad VeNNaaRRankarai Andavan) and the wealth of
Ubhaya VedAntham from Srimad Abhinava Ranganatha
Brahmatantra Swantantra Parakaala Yatindra Maha Deshikan.
He shines with illustrious sadAchAram and is resplendent
with his limitless AchArya Bhakthi.
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