चराचरस्य जगत: कर्ता त्वमसि माधव ।

त्वदन्यो नास्ति मे कर्ता, कर्म जायेत मे कथम् ।।३०१।।

O Mādhava, you are the creator of this world, of everything that moves and does not move.  No one else created me.  How could I have Karma?

यन्नूनं मम कर्मास्ति तत्सर्वं कारितं त्वया ।

तवैव सकलं कर्म, फलं चास्तु हरे तव ।।३०२।।

Whatever Karma is mine, it is all that you made me do.  Let all that Karma be yours, and so its fruits also be yours.

तवैव करभूतोऽहं कारितोऽहं त्वदीप्सितम् ।

कुतो मे कर्मबन्ध: स्यादिति मे हृदि संशय: ।।३०३।।

I am just your hand, and was made to do what you desired.  How could I have a bondage of Karma?  This is the doubt in my heart.

स्वै: करै: सकलं कर्म करोषि त्वं जनार्दन ।

कुतस्तान् कर्मबन्धेन मुधा बध्नासि माधव ।।३०४।।

O Lord, you do all your work with your own hands.  O Mādhava, then why do you bind them with Karma for no reason?

बन्धेन स्वकरं बद्ध्वा मोक्षयिष्यसि तं यदि ।

कीदृशी तव लीलेयं मनसो वा विनोदनम् ।।३०५।।

Binding your own hand, if you then free it, what sort of a game is this?  Or is this some entertainment of your mind?

न मे बन्धो न मे मोक्षो न चेन्मे कर्म किञ्चन ।

मा वृथा कुरु यत्नं त्वं मम मुक्तस्य मोचने ।।३०६।।

If I have no Karma whatsoever, then I neither have bondage nor a release.  Don’t waste your efforts in freeing someone who is already free.

सुखं स्वपिहि गोविन्द त्वं शेषशयने हरे ।

अस्माकं चिन्तया मा ते निद्राभङ्गोऽस्तु माधव ।।३०७।।

O Lord, sleep peacefully on your bed of the cosmic snake.  O Mādhava, let your sleep not be disturbed by worries about us.

आकाश इव कृष्ण त्वं सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठसि ।

तव प्रेम्णा परिष्वक्ता जीवामो नन्दनन्दन ।।३०८।।

O Kēṣṇa, like the sky you envelope everything in the world.  O Delight of Nanda, we live embraced by your love.

किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिता: ।

अज्ञा वयं स्ववचनैस्त्वयैव प्रतिबोधिता: ।।३०९।।

Even the wise are confused about what to do and not to do.  We, the ignorant ones, were indeed enlightened by you with your own words [in the Bhagavad-Gita].

मा वृथा तव यत्नो भूदस्माकं प्रतिबोधने ।

पार्थोऽप्यसौ जगन्नाथ व्यस्मरद्वचनं तव ।।३१०।।

Let your effort to enlighten us not be fruitless.  O Lord, even the great Arjuna later forgot your words.

Madhav Deshpande

Professor Emeritus

Sanskrit and Linguistics

University of Michigan