ततस्तु भगवांस्तुष्टः प्रादुरास ममाग्रतः । व्रियतां वर इत्युक्ते मयाप्युद्घाट्य लोचने
Then the blessed Lord, pleased, appeared before me. When he said, 'Choose a boon,' I opened my eyes.
दृष्टो देवःप्रिया सार्द्धं संस्थितो गरुडोपरि । प्रणिपत्यावोचमहं वरदं कमलापतिम्
I saw the god, together with his beloved, seated upon Garuda. Bowing down, I addressed the boon-giving Lord of Lakshmi.
यद्रूपं ते कृपासिंधो परमानंददायकम् । सर्वानंदाश्रयं नित्यं मूर्तिमत्सर्वतोऽधिकम्
O ocean of mercy, whose form brings supreme joy, the eternal abode of all bliss, whose manifestation surpasses all.
निर्गुणं निष्क्रियं शांतं यद्ब्रह्मेति विदुर्बुधाः । तदहं द्रष्टुमिच्छामि चक्षुर्भ्यां परमेश्वर
That which is without qualities, without action, peaceful, which the wise know as Brahman—O Supreme Lord, I wish to see that with my eyes.
ततो मामाह भगवान्प्रपन्नं कमलापतिः । तदद्य द्रक्ष्यसे रूपं यत्ते मनसि कांक्षितम्
Then the Lord, the husband of Lakshmi, spoke to me, who had sought refuge: 'Today you will see the form you desire in your mind.'
यमुना पश्चिमे तीरे गच्छ वृंदावनं मम । इत्युक्त्वांतर्दधे देवः प्रियासार्द्धं जगत्पतिः
'Go to Vrindavan on the western bank of the Yamuna.' Saying this, the Lord of the world vanished together with his beloved.
अहमप्यागतस्तर्हि यमुनायास्तटं शुभम् । तत्र कृष्णमपश्यं च सर्वदेवेश्वरेश्वरम्
Then I too arrived at the auspicious bank of the Yamuna, and there I saw Krishna, the Lord of all gods and lords.
गोपवेषधरं कांतं किशोरवयसान्वितम् । प्रियास्कंधे सुविन्यस्त वामहस्तं मनोहरम्
He was wearing the attire of a cowherd, charming, endowed with youthful age, his beautiful left hand resting on his beloved's shoulder.
हसंतं हासयतं तां मध्ये गोपीकदंबके । स्निग्धमेघसमाभासं कल्याणगुणमंदिरम्
Smiling and making her smile, among a group of gopis, resembling a tender raincloud, a mansion of auspicious virtues.
प्रहस्य च ततः कृष्णो मामाहामृतभाषणः । अहं ते दर्शनं यातो ज्ञात्वा रुद्र तवेप्सितम्
Then Krishna, smiling, addressed me with nectar-like words: 'I have come for your vision, knowing your desire, O Rudra.'
यदद्य मे त्वया दृष्टमिदं रूपमलौकिकम् । घनीभूतामलप्रेम सच्चिदानंदविग्रहम्
That form of Mine which you have seen today, so unworldly, is the embodiment of condensed, pure love, existence, consciousness, and bliss.
नीरूपं निर्गुणं व्यापि क्रियाहीनं परात्परम् । वदंत्युपनिषत्संघा इदमेव ममानघम्
The assemblies of the Upaniṣads declare this very form of Mine—formless, without qualities, all-pervading, actionless, supreme beyond the supreme—as stainless.
प्रकृत्युत्थगुणाभावादनंतत्वात्तथेश्वरम् । असिद्धत्वान्मद्गुणानां निर्गुणं मां वदंति हि
Because My qualities do not arise from nature, because I am infinite, and because My qualities are not established, they call Me without qualities, indeed.
अदृश्यत्वान्ममैतस्य रूपस्य चर्मचक्षुषा । अरूपं मां वदंत्येते वेदाः सर्वे महेश्वर
Because this form of Mine cannot be seen with the physical eye, all the Vedas, O great Lord, call Me formless.
व्यापकत्वाच्चिदंशेन ब्रह्मेति च विदुर्बुधाः । अकर्तृत्वात्प्रपंचस्य निष्क्रियं मां वदंति हि
Because I pervade all by a portion of consciousness, the wise know Me as Brahman; because I am not the doer of the world, they call Me inactive.
मायागुणैर्यतोमेंऽशा कुर्वंति सर्जनादिकम् । न करोमि स्वयं किंचित्सृष्ट्यादिकमहं शिव
Whatever portions of Mine perform creation and other acts through the qualities of Māyā, I Myself do not do anything at all, O Śiva, in creation and so on.
अहमासां महादेव गोपीनां प्रेमविह्वलः । क्रियांतरं न जानामि नात्मानमपि नारद
O great god, among these gopīs, overwhelmed by love, I know no other activity, nor even Myself, O Nārada.
विहराम्यनया नित्यमस्याः प्रेमवशीकृतः । इमां तु मत्प्रियां विद्धि राधिकां परदेवताम्
I always sport with this one, being subdued by her love; know this Rādhikā, My beloved, as the supreme goddess.
अस्याश्च परितः पश्य सख्यः शतसहस्रशः । नित्याः सर्वा इमा रुद्र यथाहं नित्यविग्रहः
And see all around her, hundreds of thousands of friends; all these are eternal, O Rudra, just as I am of eternal form.
गोपा गावो गोपिकाश्च सदा वृंदावनं मम । सर्वमेतन्नित्यमेव चिदानंदरसात्मकम्
The cowherds, the cows, and the gopīs, and Vṛndāvana itself, all this is always Mine, consisting of the essence of consciousness and bliss.
इदमानंदकंदाख्यं विद्धि वृंदावनं मम । यस्मिन्प्रवेशमात्रेण न पुनः संसृतिं विशेत्
Know this Vṛndāvana of Mine as the place called the Giver of Bliss, where, upon merely entering, one does not enter saṃsāra again.
मद्वनं प्राप्य यो मूढः पुनरन्यत्र गच्छति । स आत्महा भवेदेव सत्यं सत्यं मयोदितम्
He who, having attained My forest, foolishly goes elsewhere again, truly becomes a self-slayer; this I declare to be the truth, the truth.
वृंदावनं परित्यज्य नैव गच्छाम्यहं क्वचित् । निवसाम्यनया सार्द्धमहमत्रैव सर्वदा
Never do I go anywhere, abandoning Vṛndāvana; I always dwell here together with her.
इत्येवं सर्वमाख्यातं यत्ते रुद्र हृदि स्थितम् । कथयस्व ममेदानीं किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि
Thus, O Rudra, all that was in your heart has been told; now tell Me what else you wish to hear.
ततस्तमब्रवं देवमहं च मुनिसत्तम । ईदृशस्त्वं कथं लभ्यस्तमुपायं वदस्व मे
Then I said to that god, O best of sages: How can one attain you in this way? Please tell me the means.
ततो मामाह भगवान्साधु रुद्र तवोदितम् । अतिगुह्यतमं ह्येतद्गोपनीयं प्रयत्नतः
Then the Blessed Lord said to me: Well spoken, Rudra, is your question; this is most secret indeed and must be carefully concealed.
सकृदावां प्रपन्नो यस्त्यक्तोपाय उपासते । गोपीभावेन देवेश स मामेति न चेतरः
He who, having once surrendered, worships Me, abandoning all other means, in the mood of a gopī, O Lord of gods, he comes to Me, not another.
सकृदावां प्रपन्नो वा मत्प्रियामेकिकामुत । सेवतेनन्यभावेन स मामेति न संशयः
Or, having once surrendered, one who serves My beloved alone, with no other feeling, he comes to Me—of this there is no doubt.
यो मामेव प्रपन्नश्च मत्प्रियां न महेश्वर । न कदापि स चाप्नोति मामेवं ते मयोदितम्
He who surrenders to me alone, and not to my beloved nor to the great Lord, never attains me; thus I have spoken to you.
सकृदेव प्रपन्नोयस्तवास्मीति वदेदपि । साधनेन विनाप्येव मामाप्नोति न संशयः
Even if someone declares just once, 'I am yours,' without any practice or means, he attains me—there is no doubt.