Yugala Carana Priti
AI-drafted translation — pending review
Love at the feet of the Divine Couple — therein lies supreme bliss. May there be attachment full of love for the Supreme Kinsman. Take the names of Krishna and Radha as the means to reach the abode of rasa, falling at Their feet in supreme bliss.
Remembrance in the mind is my life — the sweet, sweet abode. The essence of that remembrance is the memory of the Divine Couple's pastimes. This alone is both the goal and the means; besides this there is nothing else. This truth is the essence of all truths.
His beautiful complexion is like a raincloud, shining sweetly, sweetly. His elegant attire is the very culmination of artistry. He wears yellow garments, ornaments of excellent jewels, and a peacock feather crowns his hair.
Anointed with musk, sandalwood, and kunkuma paste, his enchanting form stands in the threefold-bending pose. A garland of fresh flowers beautifully adorns his divine body, around which intoxicated bees wander, greedy for its honey.
His slight, sweet smile — the nectarean pastime of his artful charm — has captivated the whole company of Vraja's women. Upon his lotus feet are jeweled anklets, and his nails shine like jewels, resembling the young crescent moon.
Hearing the swan-like sound of his anklets, the graceful wives of respectable families cannot remain at home. Longing grows in their hearts, as though a chaste wife longs to meet her husband — the family's social duty is forgotten, cast far away.
On Krishna's moon-like face shines the simple flute, whose sound maddens the whole universe. Entering through the path of the ears, it penetrates the heart, drawing away the very life breath and more.
Govinda's form is eternally real, and his servants are eternal too. The land of Vrindavana is full of divine splendor — the very essence of beauty in the three worlds; there is no other place like it, remembering which prema arises.
The moon casts cool rays; wish-fulfilling trees abound in good qualities; trees and vines offer their shade in every season. Govinda, ever blissful, sports nearby with a multitude of women — a most beautiful, sweet pastime.
Govinda, full of bliss, sports most beautifully with the multitude of women nearby. The love of both overflows, trembling with intensity; each is deeply attached to the other. Each is enthralled by the other's beauty; each steals the other's heart.
The shelter of the feet of the women of Vraja is the very essence of everything — take this, O mind, single-pointedly. Other talk is mere confusion; do not heed the clamor. Keep your heart filled with love.
Lord Krishna will surely accept us someday — know this, O mind, to be a true promise. Blessed are the pastimes of Vrindavana, blessed the divine feet of Radha-Krishna, blessed the sound of the sakhis' anklet-bells.
This body, made up of sin and virtue's reactions — all of it is impermanent. Wealth and kin are all a false, useless pursuit. When you die, where will you go? You feel no anxiety over this — yet still, day after day, you go on doing wicked deeds.
A king's kingdom and throne are like a dancer's performance — even as you watch, in a moment it comes to nothing. The one who creates such maya is the Supreme Lord Himself — O mind, always hold Him in reverential fear.
Do not commit sin, O mind; the sinful person is fallen — I shall renounce him, cast him far away. And virtue, which people say is the abode of happiness — do not even utter its name; renounce both mundane piety and liberation.
I shall dive endlessly into the nectar-ocean of prema-bhakti; everything else is but a salty ocean by comparison. Doing so you will obtain unceasing happiness, and all suffering will depart — I have told you this means, the supreme truth.
May I never come into contact with anything else — in this I shall be vigilant. Chanting the names of Radha-Krishna, this alone is the supreme meditation; accept nothing else as your authority.
Do not become attached to the karmi, the jnani, or the false devotee. Perform pure devotional worship, O mind. Immerse your heart in the way of the people of Vraja — this alone is the supreme treasure of truth.
I shall always pray for the matter of pure loving devotion, regarding the holy name and mantra as one and the same. Making the mind steadfast, worship the divine feet with loving delight — thus the knot of sin will be cut asunder.
Engaging in the service of Radha-Krishna, fixing the mind exclusively upon it, go on speaking of their lotus feet. Hearing the names and qualities of both, again and again, from the mouths of devotees, I obtain the supreme bliss of happiness.
Rai's body, golden and fair — my eyes long for that vision; I shall weep with longing. Her hair falls in streams like rain-clouds, her limbs utterly enchanting, her beauty illumines the whole universe.
The sakhis, surrounding on all four sides, render service with eager longing — that service holds supreme happiness. May this mind and body of mine ever brim with this rasa — thus Narottama forever revels in these pastimes.
About Yugala Carana Priti
A twenty-two verse Bengali pada by Narottama Dasa Thakura on loving devotion at the feet of Radha-Krishna, moving from a lingering description of Their beauty and Vrindavana's splendor into direct renunciation -- the poet tells his own mind to give up not only sin but even mundane piety and liberation, and to take exclusive shelter of the mood of Vraja's gopis. It closes with Narottama's customary bhanita, and a middle passage (verses 9-10) intentionally repeats and re-threads a line, a structural device common in Bengali kirtan padas rather than a scribal error.
Frequently asked
Who wrote Yugala Carana Priti?
Yugala Carana Priti was composed by Narottama Dasa Thakura.
What is the meaning of Yugala Carana Priti?
Love at the feet of the Divine Couple — therein lies supreme bliss. May there be attachment full of love for the Supreme Kinsman. Take the names of Krishna and Radha as the means to reach the abode of rasa, falling at Their feet in supreme bliss.
How many verses does Yugala Carana Priti have?
Yugala Carana Priti has 22 verses.
Can I download Yugala Carana Priti as a PPT or PDF?
Yes. A ready-to-display slide deck for Yugala Carana Priti — verse and translation on each slide — is available to download in both PowerPoint (.pptx) and PDF formats from this page, for use in kirtan or temple programs.