Muddu gare Yasoda (ముద్దు గారె యశోద)
Like a pearl (1), dripping with love
He (Krishna) wanders
On the front porch of Yasoda
With flawless wonders
This son of Devaki
Here, amidst the cowherds
He is readily accessible as a ruby (2) on the palm
Towards the stubborn antagonist Kamsa
He acts like a sharp diamond (3)
He shines like an emerald (4)
Radiating colors throughout the three worlds
He is the little Krishna by our side
(He is the little Krishna in our hearts)
For the amorous Rukmini
He is the One with the coral (5) lips
(While subduing Indra’s
pride)
He lifted the Govardhana mount
Standing firm as (banded)
agate (6)
As Lord Vishnu
He is eternally decorated with the cat’s eye (7)
Between the conch-shell and the discus
The last refuge for all of us
The lotus-eyed One
On the heads of Kalinga
snake
He stands as a bright topaz (8)
He rules the Seven Hills as a sapphire (9)
Outside the Milky
Ocean
He appears as the celestial precious stone
He roams around as a (innocent) boy
The Lord with the lotus in His navel
[In Sanskrit there are nine precious gems. Here in this
lyric the legendary composer Annamacharya had used all the nine gems and their
qualities for describing Lord Vishnu and the Krishna-avatara. This English translation is expressly meant for
the dancers (Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam) and the upcoming aspiring Carnatic
singers. Though a novice singer starts out with mere technical (tune, tempo,
etc.) skills, eventually she must master the meaning of each word and the
original intent of the poet/composer; without such in-depth knowledge, the
singer would not know where to pause, which phrase to emphasize, and how to
distinguish the ka, ca, ta, tha, pa from their aspirated consonants kha, cha, …
Ultimately all great music (or poetry) recital must spring forth from the true
heart. Otherwise the artist enters a state of stasis - soon, despite a plethora of awards and
hefty emoluments, his renderings will fall flat, fall short of the perfection.]
Copyright 2015 by the author
