Candana Carcita Nila Kalevara

Jayadeva Goswami has written this song “Candana Carcita Nila Kalevara”. This song is taken from the book Gita Govinda. In this song, Jayadeva Goswami gives a wonderful description of Lord Krishna’s amazing and secret Vrndavana prema keli (prema keli means “The loving affairs of Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna“).

(1)
candana-carcita-nīla-kalevara-pīta-vasana-vana-mālī
keli-calan-maṇi-kuṇḍala-maṇḍita-gaṇḍa-yuga-smita-śālī
(2)
harir iha mugdha-vadhū-nikare vilāsini vilāsati kelī-pare 
(3)
pīna-payodhara-bhāra-bhareṇa hariḿ parirabhya sarāgam 
gopa-vadhūr anugāyati kācid udañcita-parama-rāgam
(4)
kāpi vilāsa-vilola-vilocana-khelana-janita-manojam 
dhyāyati mugdha-vadhūr adhikaḿ madhusūdana-vadana-sarojam
(5)
kapi kapola-tale militā lapituḿ kim api śruti-mūle
cāru cucumba nitambavatī dayitaḿ pulakair anukūle
(6)
keli-kalā-kutukena ca kācid amuḿ yamunā-jala-kūle 
mañjula-va
ñjula-kuñja-gataḿ vicakarṣa kareṇa dukūle
(7)
kara-tala-tāla-tarala-valayāvali-kalita-kalasvana-vaḿśe 
rāsa-rase saha-nṛtya-parā hariṇa-yuvatī-praśaśaḿse
(8)
śliṣyati kām api cumbati kām api kām api ramayati rāmām 
paśyati sa-smita-cāru-tarām aparām anugacchati vāmām
(9)
śrī-jayadeva-bhaṇitam idam adbhuta-keśava-keli-rahasyam 
vṛndāvana-vipine lalitaḿ vitanotu śubhāni yaśasyam

TRANSLATION

1) Lord Krsna wears yellow garments and His lovely, dark complexioned body is decorated with sandalwood paste. While He enjoys loving pastimes with His gopis, His jewel earrings dance over His cheeks as He smiles at them.

2) Look Radhe! Look at Krsna’s loving and divine lila with all of His surrendered gopis!

3) One beautiful gopi lovingly smacks Krsna with the heavy weight of her devotion! Then she sings to Him from the fifth scale at a higher octave.

4-5) One charmed gopi fixes her love filled gaze upon Krsna’s mukharvinda.Aho! Her playful, batting eyes light become lamps of love for Krsna’s heart! A gopi attempts to whisper something to Krsna’s ear, but ends up kissing His cheek.

6) One haughty gopi grabs hold of Krsna’s garments to playfully pull Him into a solitary location beside the Yamuna.

7) Another gopi is dancing with the rasa with Krsna. As He plays the flute; she claps her hands making her bracelets sweetly tinkle in time with the music. Seeing her skill, Krsna praises.

8) Krsna embraces a gopi, kisses another, and associates with someone else. Then, He eagerly smiles to attract another gopi with His vulnerable eyes. However, noticing a resisting damsel, who is ever more beautiful, He begins pursuing her.

9)  O reader! Let Jayadeva’s description of Sri Kesava’s amazing and secret Vrndavana prema keli bring good fortune to you.