Continuing my Sanskrit verses on Krishna:

कृष्ण ते कृष्णतां याचे सर्वं मे स्वं ददाम्यहम्

सर्वमादाय देह्येकं किं त्वं हास्यसि माधव ।।३४२।।

O Kr̥ṣṇa, I beg for your dark hue, and I am willing to give everything I have.  Take everything, but give me just this one thing.  O Mādhava, what will you lose?


कञ्चिदंशं कृष्णताया देहि मे त्वं जनार्दन

कृष्णताया: कणं दत्वा नाकृष्णस्त्वं भविष्यसि।।३४३।।

O Lord, just give me a speck of your dark hue.  By giving me just a speck of it, your are not going to lose it all.


कृष्णमद: कृष्णमिदं कृष्णात्कृष्णमुदच्यते ।

कृष्णस्य कृष्णमादाय कृष्ण एवावशिष्यते ।।३४४।।

That is Kr̥ṣṇa and this is Kr̥ṣṇa.  Kr̥ṣṇa arises from Kr̥ṣṇa.  Having taken Kr̥ṣṇa from Kr̥ṣṇa, Kr̥ṣṇa alone remains behind.


अंशोऽहं यदि ते कृष्ण कृष्णता मम चेद्भवेत्

न्यूनता कृष्णतायां ते स्यात् कथं ब्रूहि माधव ।।३४५।।

If I am a speck of yours, O Kr̥ṣṇa, and if I have a dark hue, why would that diminish your dark hue?


अंशोऽहं यदि ते कृष्ण कृष्णता मे निरंकुशा

अादेया वा देया कृष्णता मे स्वरूपत: ।।३४६।।

If I am a speck of yours, then my dark hue is uncontested.  It is neither to be given or taken.  O Kr̥ṣṇa, it is my very own nature.


कृष्ण ते कृष्णतायां मे निमग्नं सकलं जगत्

कुत्र त्वं कुत्र वाहं स्यां कथं जानामि माधव ।।३४७।।

O Kr̥ṣṇa, my whole world is immersed in your dark hue.  O Mādhava, how do I know where you are and where I am.


कृष्णतायां निमग्नोऽहं यदान्विष्ये जनार्दन

त्वमसीति मन्यमानो गृह्णामि स्वकरं हरे ।।३४८।।

Immersed in the dark hue, when I search, O Lord, thinking it is you I grab my own hand.


अङ्गणे कृष्णतायास्तेऽनिशं क्रीडा प्रवर्तताम्

गृह्णासि मामहं वा त्वां नास्ति क्रीडारसे क्षति: ।।३४९।।

Let this play in the playground of your dark hue go on for ever.  Whether you catch me or I catch you, there is no reduction in the joy of the game.


गृहीतोऽहं त्वया कृष्ण मया त्वं वेह खेलने

को भेदस्तत्र यावत्ते करो गृह्णाति मे करम् ।।३५०।।

O Kr̥ṣṇa, during this play, whether I catch you or you catch me, what difference does it make, as long your hand catches my hand.


अन्यता मे कृष्णतायां निरस्ता तव माधव

मदन्यस्त्वं त्वदन्योऽहमित्यहं दर्शनेऽक्षम: ।।३५१।।

O Mādhava, my otherness is dissolved in your dark hue.  I am unable to see if you are other than me or if I am other than you.


कृष्णार्णवे निमग्नानां कथं स्यादन्यदर्शनम्

कृष्णवारितरङ्गा मामभितोऽन्यन्न किंचन ।।३५२।।

For those immersed in the ocean of your dark hue, how could there be anything else to see?  There are only the waves of your dark water around me, and nothing else.


कृष्णार्णवतरङ्गाणां कृष्णता भवेत्कुत:

त्वमर्णवस्तरङ्गोऽहमुभौ कृष्णौ संशय: ।।३५३।।

Why would the waves of the ocean of your dark hue not have that dark hue?  You are the ocean, and I am a wave, but undoubtedly both have the same dark hue.


Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor Emeritus
Sanskrit and Linguistics
University of Michigan
[Residence: Campbell, California]