All glories to Krishna’s pet bull Padmagandha, whose horns are very beautiful because they are studded with gold, whose hooves are extremely charming because they are endowed with a sweet bluish sapphire luster, and around whose neck a brilliant red necklace swings!
I love to see the calves of Krishna jumping around. Krishna lovingly places small amounts of fresh soft grass in their mouths and lightly scratches their bodies.
VERSE 46-47
maṇi khacita suvarṇa śliṣṭa śṛṅga-dvaya-śrīr
asita maṇi manojïa jyotir udyat khurāḍhyaḥ
sphurad aruṇima gucchāndola vidyoti kaṇṭhaḥ
sa jayati baka-śatroḥ padma-gandhaḥ kakudmī
mṛdu nava tṛṇam alpaṁ sa-spṛhaṁ vaktra madhye
kṣipati parama yatnād alpa kaṇḍuṁ ca gātre
prathayati muravairī hanta yad vatsakānāṁ
sapadi kila didṛkṣe tat tadāṭīkanāni
Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In these two verses, Raghunath Das Goswami praises Krishna’s pet bull Padmagandha and his calves. padmagandha piśaṅgākṣau balīvardāvati priyau (Dīpikā) “Krishna’s dearmost bulls are Padmagandha and Piśaṅgākṣa.”
Krishna has a natural love for bulls and calves, and bulls and calves also have a natural love for Krishna. Sri Śuka Muni has mentioned this when he described Krishna’s riṅgaṇa-līlā (childhood-pastimes of crawling). In the verse starting with śṛṅgyagni daṁṣṭryahi jala-dvija-kaṇṭhakebhyaḥ (Bhāgavata 10.8.25) it is described how Sri Balarām and Krishna were crawling in the courtyard of Sri Nanda and how they quickly went up to a bull when they saw one.
Seeing the world-enchanting beauty of Sri Balrām and Krishna the bulls most blissfully lowered their heads, slowly swung their heads and became immersed in Sri Krishna’s sweetness. Sri Krishna then stood there, holding the horns of the bulls with both his hands. And sometimes pragṛhīta pucchaiḥ vatsair itas tata ubhāvanukṛṣyamāṇau (Bhāgavata 10.8.24) When the two brothers Balarām and Krishna saw the tails of the cows and calves, they forcibly held on to them. The calves were startled when they felt their tails being held and they got up. Balarāma and Krishna did not let go of their tails, though, but began to pull them hard. This made the calves flee, pulling the boys along with them all over Nanda’s courtyard. The elderly gopīs then came running, took the boys’ hands off the calves’ tails and quickly placed Them on their laps, wiping Their bodies and kissing Them. Then again they went up to the calves with spread out hands. Seeing the boys’ love for the calves, Sri Nanda Maharaj engaged Them in herding them.
We have mentioned how the cows relished the mellows of Krishna’s flutesong, and in the Bhāgavata there is also a wonderful description of how the calves loved the sweetness of Krishna’s flute: śāvāḥ snuta stana payaḥ kavalāḥ sma tasthur govindam ātmani dṛśāśru-kalāḥ spṛśantyaḥ (Bhāgavata 10.21.13) When the cows saw their calves, milk began to trickle from their udders and just when the calves wanted to start drinking that milk, Sri Krishna played his flute. When the calves heard the flute, the milk remained in their mouths. They could not swallow it, nor could they let it out. All their senses were overwhelmed and they became completely motionless and quiet. Seeing them it seemed as if they had gotten the touch of this delicious Śyāma-luster. Otherwise why would they be standing there so silently and inert, and why would tears trickle from their eyes?
Das Goswami describes the enchanting beauty of the bull Padmagandha as follows: “All glories to Krishna’s pet bull Padmagandha, whose horns are very beautiful because they are studded with gold, whose hooves are extremely charming because they are endowed with a sweet bluish sapphire luster, and around whose neck a brilliant red necklace swings!” The word jaya here means ‘may the bull Padmagandha be supreme’, or it can mean ‘I offer my obeisances unto him.’ Das Goswami offers his obeisances unto that bull.
Here it is described how much Sri Krishna loves the calves. With the greatest love, Sri Gopāl carefully places bunches of fresh soft grass in their mouths and lets them eat it, while he softly scratches their bodies. Receiving the touch of the embodiment of transcendental bliss, the calves began to jump around in the greatest ecstasy. Raghunath Das Goswami yearns to see their jumping.
The confidential meaning of this is that, as a girl-messenger for Sri Radha, he/she goes into the forest to search for Sri Krishna. Seeing the calves jumping around like that, she can understand clearly where Govinda is. After relaying Srimati’s message to Govinda she hears from him where the trysting-kuñja will be and brings that message to Srimati. In this way she expertly accomplishes the meeting of the Sri Yugala. At that time the frolicking of the calves will be experienced as a harbinger that establishes the meeting of the Yugala.
maṇi khacita svarṇe yāra śṛṅga-dvaya; suśobhita hoiyāche mahojjvala-maya
nīla kānta maṇite yāra khura catuṣṭaya; manohara kānti chaṭāya ramaṇīya hoy
aruṇima ujjvala hāra yāra kaṇṭhe dole; padmagandha vṛṣera jaya boli bāhu tuli
“Raising my arms, I proclaim the victory of the bull named Padmagandha, whose jewel-studded horns have become greatly effulgent and beautiful by being colored gold, whose four hooves shine like sapphires in an enchanting and lovely way and around whose neck a brilliant red necklace dangles.”
govinda yādera mukhe mṛdu nava tṛṇa; prīte alpa alpa kori korena arpaṇa
sayatne yādera pātra kaṇḍuyana kore; go vatsagaṇera bhāgya ke bolite pāre
sei sab go-vatsera ullamphana gati; dekhite āmāra sādha hoy niti niti
“I yearn to see the calves jumping and frolicking around. Govinda lovingly puts small bunches of soft fresh grass in their mouths and carefully carresses them. Who can describe the fortune of these calves?”
© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994
Source: Tarun Govinda Das, Flowing Nectar Stream blog.
(Lightly altered by the editor for Vrindavan Today)
The commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj, is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī).
It was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) by Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.
The devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.
The post Vraja Vilasa: Krishna’s Pet Bull, Padmagandha appeared first on Vrindavan Today.