Summary Sung Govinda
Jayadeva
Sung Govinda
Erotic-allegoric poem in honor of Krishna – Govinda (“Shepherd”), the earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu.
In the blossoming spring time in the Vrndavana forest on the bank of the Yamuna, Krishna’s beloved Radha languishes in separation from her beloved. The friend tells that Krishna leads cheerful round dances with charming cowherd boys, “hugs one, kisses another, smiles at the third, pursues timid, enchants the enchanting.” Radha complains of the betrayal of Krsna and her destiny: she bitterly looks at Ashoka’s blossoming shoots, listens to the melodious buzz of bees in the foliage of mango trees, even a light breeze from the river delivers her only torment. She asks her friend to help her meet Krishna, to extinguish the heat of passion that consumes her.
In the meantime, Krishna leaves the beauties of the cowherd boys and, remembering Radha, suffers from repentance. He mentally draws the features
Night falls, and without meeting Krsna, Radha yearns even more. She imagines that the lying and ruthless Krishna still surrenders to pleasures with the cowherds, and she begs the wind from the Mountains to take her life away, the god of love Kama – to swallow her breath, the waters of the Yamuna River – to take her passion-burned body. The next morning, however, Radha suddenly
Wearing the best jewelry, ringing bracelets on the hands and feet, with anxiety and bliss in the heart of Radha enters the arbor from the lianas, where she waits for her full of joy and eagerly hungry for the sweet embraces of Krishna. He invites Radha to go through all the steps of love with him, and she responds with pleasure to his more and more daring affection. Happy, he drinks the nectar of her muffled lips, which are washed with the brilliance of pearly teeth, presses her high, hardened breast to her mighty chest, dissolves the belt on her heavy thighs. And when the passion of lovers is quenched, Radha can not refrain from enthusiastic praise for Krishna – the center of all earthly pleasures, the guardian of gods and people, whose grandeur and glory extend to all ends of the universe.