The Eleventh Song: On the Bank of the Yamunā River
by Jonathan Laiman
Abhisarika Nayika: The heroine who goes to meet her lover at an appointed place. Attributed to Mola Ram (Garhwal), 1760–1833. MFA Boston. https://collections.mfa.org/download/149081. (Last Accessed 21 May, 2026).
Introduction
Dhīrasamīre Yamunātīre is the refrain of the eleventh song in the fifth sarga of the Gītagovinda, titled Sākāṅkṣa-puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ, “The Lotus-eyed One Longing for Love.” The song presents one of the most famous abhisārikā scenes in Sanskrit love song: the heroine setting out secretly at night to meet her lover. Here, Rādhā’s messenger-friend (sakhi) urges her to hurry toward Kṛṣṇa, who waits in a grove on the banks of the Yamunā river, where the breeze is gentle. The song is a part of an emotional journey that includes longing, anticipation, erotic union, separation, and reconciliation, all expressed through Sanskrit lyrics meant to be performed through song, dance, and visual imagination.
Responding to Rādhā’s intense state of separation in the previous sarga, the song presents the messenger-friend who urges Rādhā toward Kṛṣṇa as a solution, inviting her to passionate love-making. Nearly every verse uses commands that encourage action, such as “follow him” (anusara), “go” (cala), “abandon the anklet” (tyaja mañjīram), “wear the dark garment” (śīlaya nīla-nicolam), and “satisfy Kṛṣṇa’s desire” (pūraya madhuripu-kāmam). The repeated refrain, “The forest-garlanded one dwells in the grove on the banks of the Yamunā where the breeze is gentle,” creates both musical continuity and emotional atmosphere. The natural setting participates in the erotic atmosphere: wind, darkness, leaves, dust, and the riverbank all contribute to the mood of anticipation and secrecy.
This performative quality continues in later dance and musical traditions. I chose the guru of Odissi, Kelucharan Mohapatra, for the dance performance, and Raghunath Panigrahi from a classical Odissi musician family and P. Unnikrishnan, a popular Carnatic vocalist, for the musical performances. In Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s dance interpretation, the abhisārikā heroine is rendered through delicate bodily hesitation, furtive glances, and controlled acceleration toward the tryst. Likewise, the vocal renderings by Raghunath Panigrahi and P. Unnikrishnan demonstrate how the song operates differently across musical traditions: one meditative and intimate, the other highly melodic and expansive.
Dance Performance:
Kelucharan Mohapatra. Youtube. Accessed May 20, 2026. https://youtu.be/SPJkSz92-SY?si=pF-Y0al_OC4mlUIh.
Music Performances:
Raghunath Panigrahi. YouTube. Accessed May 20, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brE31zqpGUE.
P. Unnikrishnan. Youtube. Accessed May 20, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryys7dc4IOw&t=72s.
Lyrics, Transliteration, and Translation
रतिसुखसारे गतमभिसारे मदनमनोहरवेशम् न कुरु नितम्बिनि गमनविलम्बनमनुसर तं हृदयेशम् धीरसमीरे यमुनातीरे वसति वने वनमाली ।। १ ।। | rati-sukha-sāre gatam abhisāre madana-manohara-veṣam na kuru nitambini gamana-vilambanam anusara taṃ hṛdayeśam dhīra-samīre yamunā-tīre vasati vane vana-mālī (1) | Wearing attire charming to Love, he has gone to the tryst, into the essence of the erotic pleasure. O wide-hipped woman! Do not delay in going! Follow him, the lord of your heart! Kṛṣṇa, with his forest garland, dwells in the grove on the banks of the Yamunā river where the breeze is gentle. (1) |
नामसमेतां कृतसंकेतं वादयते मृदुवेणुम् बहु मनुते ननु ते तनुसंगतपवनचलितमपि रेणुम् ।। २ ।। | nāma-sametaṃ kṛta-saṅketaṃ vādayate mṛdu-veṇum bahu manute nanu te tanu-saṅgata-pavana-calitam api reṇum (2) | He plays the soft reed flute that calls out your name. He treasures even the dust stirred by the wind that has touched your body. (2) |
पतति पतत्रे विचलति पत्रे शड्कितभवदुपयानम् रचयति शयनं सचकितनयनं पश्यति तव पन्थानम् ।। ३ ।। | patati patatre vicalati patre śaṅkita-bhavad-upayānam
racayati śayanaṃ sacakita-nayanaṃ paśyati tava pathānam (3) | When a wing falls or a leaf shakes, your arrival is anticipated. With trembling eyes, he prepares the bed and watches your path. (3) |
मुखरमधीरं त्यज मज्जीरं रिपुमिव केलिसुलोलम् चल सखि कुञ्जं सतिमिरपुञ्जं शीलय नीलनिचोलम् ।। ४ ।। | mukharam adhīraṃ tyaja mañjīraṃ ripum iva keli-sulolam cala sakhi kuñjaṃ satimira-puñjaṃ śīlaya nīla-nicolam (4) | Your anklet is jingling and restless, eager to play. Abandon it like an enemy! O friend! Go to the bower thick with darkness! Put on the dark garment! (4) |
उरसि मुरारेरुपहितहारे घन इव तरलबलाके तडिदिव पीते रतिविपरीते राजसि सुकृतविपाके ।। ५ ।। | urasi murārer upahita-hāre ghana iva tarala-balāke
taḍid iva pīte rati-viparīte rājasi sukṛta-vipāke (5)
| Upon the chest of the enemy of Mura, the necklace flashes like a crane against a dark cloud. O golden lady! You shine like lightning as you sport on top during love play—the reward of your good deeds. (5) |
विगलितवसनं परिहृतरसनं घटय जघनमपिधानम् किसलयशयने पड्कजनयने निधिमिव हर्षनिदानम् ।। ६ ।। | vigalita-vasanaṃ parihṛta-raśanaṃ ghaṭaya jaghanam apidhānam kisalaya-śayane paṅkaja-nayane nidhim iva harṣa-nidhānam (6) | Your cloth thrown off and your belt unbuckled, place your uncovered hips upon the bed of fresh leaves, O lotus-eyed woman, like a treasure, the cause of pleasure! (6) |
हरिरभिमानी रजनिरिदानीमियमपि याति विरामम् कुरु मम वचनं सत्वररचनं पूरय मधुरिपुकामम् ।। ७ ।। | harir abhimānī rajanir idānīm iyam api yāti virāmam kuru mama vacanaṃ satvara-racanaṃ pūraya madhu-ripu-kāmam (7) | Hari is proud, and now this night also comes to an end. Carry out my word swiftly! Satisfy the desire of the enemy of Madhu! (7) |
श्रीजयदेवे कृतहरिसेवे भणसि परमरमणीयम् प्रमुदितहृदयं हरिमतिसदयं नमत सुकृतकमनीयम् ।। ८ ।। | śrī-jayadeve kṛta-hari-seve bhaṇati parama-ramaṇīyam pramudita-hṛdayaṃ harim atisadayaṃ namata sukṛta-kamanīyam (8) | Śrī Jayadeva, who has served Hari, sings the most beautiful song. Bow to Hari, whose heart is delighted, deeply compassionate, and lovely through his merits! (8) |
Analysis
There are two versions of the refrain for this song. Barbara Stoler Miller’s edition preserves the shorter refrain, containing only dhīra-samīre yamunā-tīre vasati vane vana-mālī. Lee Siegel’s edition includes a longer refrain with the additional sentence (pāda): gopī-pīna-payodhara-mardana-cañcala-kara-yuga-śālī, “his hands are ever-moving in squeezing the cowherdesses’ swollen breasts.” The additional pāda introduces long compounds and heavy syllables. Aesthetically, this extended refrain intensifies the erotic dimension of śṛṅgāra, whereas the shorter refrain remains more atmospheric and spacious.
This variation is also reflected in performance traditions. The performances by P. Unnikrishnan and Kelucharan Mohapatra follow the longer version attested in Siegel’s edition with the addition of gopī-pīna, whereas Raghunath Panigrahi follows the shorter refrain found in Miller’s edition without the additional sentence. Kumbha explicitly notes this variant in his commentary with the remark: iti padārthapāṭhaḥ kutracid asti, “this reading occurs in some places”, indicating that the longer refrain circulated in at least some manuscript traditions.
A variant reading also appears in the second pāda of verse 2. Miller’s edition reads bahu manute nanu te tanu-saṅgata-pavana-calitam api reṇum, whereas Siegel’s edition reads bahu manute tanu te tanu-saṅgata-pavana-calitam api reṇum. The performances of Kelucharan Mohapatra and Raghunath Panigrahi follow Miller’s reading, while P. Unnikrishnan follows Siegel’s. This variation does not substantially alter the overall meaning of the verse. It was likely caused by the visual similarity between the Devanāgarī letters ta and na. Kumbha’s commentary also recognizes this variant reading, although the version cited there reads tanu.
Beyond these textual variations, Jayadeva’s artistry is also evident in the song’s sound patterns. The recurring -īre endings create a flowing cadence that acoustically mimics the gentle breeze (dhīra-samīra) and the flowing Yamunā river. This is a form of alliteration (anuprāsa), in which the sound itself contributes to the emotional atmosphere rather than merely ornamenting meaning.
In verse 2, the word reṇu may mean either “dust” or “pollen.” The commentary does not elaborate on this ambiguity, leaving the interpretation open to the audience. Given the setting on the bank of the Yamunā river, the meaning “dust” or “sand” appears contextually natural. The song does not explicitly specify a flowering season, making the interpretation “pollen” somewhat less likely. Yet, “pollen” may still be aesthetically suggestive within the erotic atmosphere of the song, since it evokes fragrance, softness, and intimate bodily contact carried by the wind. The word reṇu also echoes veṇu (“flute”), linking Kṛṣṇa’s music with the dust. Kṛṣṇa’s flute calls out Rādhā’s name, while even the dust touched by the wind from her body becomes precious to him.
Throughout the poem, Jayadeva consistently employs phonetic correspondences at the ends of pādas, creating a strong musical and lyrical quality. Verse 1 pairs veṣam and hṛdayeśam; verse 2, veṇum and reṇum; verse 4, sulolam and nicolam; verse 5, balāke and vipāke; verse 6, apidhānam and nidhānam; verse 7, virāmam and kāmam; and even the concluding signature verse pairs ramaṇīyam and kamanīyam. These recurring sound patterns function as end rhyme (antyanuprāsa) to enhance the poem’s musicality and suitability for performance.
In verse 4, the jingling anklet is described as mukharam adhīram mañjīram, “the noisy, restless anklet.” This is a trope of personification. Jayadeva intensifies the auditory effect through repeated -ram and -jam sounds throughout the verse: mukharam, adhīram, mañjīram in the first pāda, and kuñjam and puñjam in the second. These recurring sounds evoke the anklet's metallic resonance and rhythmic jingling. At the same time, Jayadeva transforms sound into narrative tension: the anklet becomes “like an enemy” (ripum iva) because its noise threatens secrecy during the nocturnal tryst. The commentary elaborates on the nature of the anklet:
kiṃ bhūtaṃ mañjīram adhīram ajñam. ata eva mukharaṃ vācālam abhisārocitaṃ na jānāti. athavā sādhv etan mañjīrasya mukhara-tvaṃ yato nimitta-naimittikaṃ.
What kind of anklet is this? Unsteady signifies ignorance. For this very reason, it is talkative, meaning noisy; it does not know what is suitable (proper) for a meeting with a lover (secret tryst). Or rather, this talkativeness of an anklet is good (fitting), because there is a cause and effect.
The anklet occupies an interesting double role within the erotic setting. During love-making, the sound of jingling anklets is aesthetically desirable and often associated with sensual movement and erotic play. However, before the tryst itself, the same sound becomes dangerous because it threatens secrecy. Thus, the anklet is metaphorically described as “like an enemy” (ripum iva), since its noise may expose the heroine’s secret nocturnal journey.
Among the poetical figures (arthālaṅkāras), Jayadeva relies heavily on simile (upamā) and visual contrast. The most famous example appears in verse 5:
urasi murārer upahita-hāre ghana iva tarala-balāke. taḍid iva pīte…
The verse constructs a layered set of similes: the necklace (hāra) placed upon Kṛṣṇa’s chest is compared to a white crane (balāka), while Kṛṣṇa himself (murāra) is compared to a dark cloud (ghana). Rādhā, described as the yellow one (pītā), is then compared to lightning (taḍit). The contrast thus operates simultaneously between dark cloud and lightning, and between the dark-blue Kṛṣṇa and the yellow Rādhā. Although tarala may mean either “trembling” or “sparkling,” the sense “sparkling” is especially appropriate within this imagery of luminous contrast.
The verse also exemplifies Jayadeva’s indirect eroticism. The phrase rati-viparīte alludes to the “reversed” posture without elaborate description. The commentary glosses this as:
rati-viparīte puruṣāyita-rati-samaye.
The reversed [position] in love-making means “the time in love of acting like a man”.
Here, viparīta (“reversed,” “inverted”) reflects the assumption of the conventional male-superior sexual position as normative. Any deviation from that arrangement becomes “reversed,” referring specifically to the woman-on-top position. The erotic posture is absorbed into the poem’s imagery of luminous contrast.
In verse 6, the erotic imagery intensifies further: “Bring the hip, whose covering is absent, whose belt has been abandoned, whose garment has fallen off!” The commentary explains:
kiṃ bhūtaṃ jaghanam? vigalita-vasanam. svayam eva tataḥ parihṛta-rasanaṃ tyakta-mekhalam. ata eva vasana-pidhāna-rahitam.
What kind of hip is it? One whose garment has fallen off. Then, spontaneously, its belt has been abandoned, or ‘the girdle is left off.’ For this very reason, it is without the covering of a garment.
The commentary emphasizes a gradual process of erotic unveiling. First, the garment slips away, then the girdle is loosened, and finally the body remains uncovered. The sequence creates a gradual erotic unveiling while preserving the poem’s highly stylized diction.
Looking at modern performances of the song, the dance performance by Kelucharan Mohapatra and the traditional Odissi-style vocal performance by Raghunath Panigrahi both stop at verse 4, while P. Unnikrishnan performs only verses 1–2 before moving directly to verse 8. This suggests that verses 1–4 are likely considered sufficient to encapsulate the central mood and theme of Song 11: the nocturnal journey of the abhisārikā heroine toward her secret tryst with Kṛṣṇa. By contrast, verses 5–7 become increasingly explicit in their erotic imagery and descriptions of love-making. For this reason, performers may have considered these later verses less suitable for public performance. Instead, such verses may have been reserved for more private or temple-centered performances dedicated to Kṛṣṇa, while also being preserved within the written text for audiences to encounter through reading rather than staged public performance.
The dominant rasa is unquestionably śṛṅgāra, but the song also cultivates longing (utkaṇṭhā), anticipation, secrecy, erotic excitement, tenderness, and emotional urgency. There are also fleeting touches of the rasa of fear(bhayānaka-rasa), demonstrated in verse 7 as “the night is coming to an end,” urging Rādhā toward Kṛṣṇa before the opportunity for union disappears.
In short, the song presents love not through marriage, duty, or social order, but through passionate and secret desire. The repeated emphasis on nocturnal movement, bodily union, and erotic fulfillment centers desire (kāma), yet the emotional intensity of longing (viraha) also transforms sensual desire into something deeper. This tension becomes especially visible in verse 7, where the messenger urges Rādhā to fulfill Kṛṣṇa’s desire (pūraya madhu-ripu-kāmam), and in verse 5 through rati-viparīte, the “reversed” erotic posture in which Rādhā assumes the dominant role during love-making. Hence, Kṛṣṇa is imagined as emotionally vulnerable and willingly submissive to Rādhā’s erotic power.
Wordlist
v. 1
रतिः ratiḥ f. - 1 Pleasure, delight, satisfaction, joy. -2 Fondness for, devotion or attachment to, pleasure in (with loc.). -3 Love, affection. -4 Sexual pleasure. -5 Sexual union, coition, copulation.
सार sāra - 1 Essence, essential part, quintessence. -2 Substance, pith. -3 Marrow. -4 Real truth, main point.
अभिसारः abhisāraḥ 1 Going to meet (as a lover), appointment, assignation. -2 The place where lovers meet by appointment, rendezvous.
नितम्बिन् nitambin a. 1 Having beautiful hips, having well-sloped buttocks. -2 Having beautiful sides (as a mountain). -नी 1 A woman with large and handsome hips. -2 A woman in general.
विलम्बनम् vilambanam 1 Hanging down, depending. -2 Delay, procrastination.
मालिन् mālin a. 1 Wearing a garland. -2 (At the end of comp.) Crowned or wreathed with, encircled by.
v. 2
समेत sameta p. p. 1 Come or met together, assembled. -2 United, combined. -3 Come near, approached. -4 Accompanied by. -5 Endowed or furnished with, having, possessed of.
संकेतः saṅketaḥ 1 An intimation, allusion. -2 A sign, gesture, hint. -3 An indicatory sign, mark, token. -4 Agreement, convention.
वद् vad -Caus. (वादयति, ते) 1 To cause to speak or say. -2 To cause to sound, play on a musical instrument. -3 To speak, recite.
वेणुः veṇuḥ 1 A bamboo. -2 A reed, cane. -3 A flute, pipe. -4 A banner.
मन् man 8 Ā. (मन्यते, मनुते, मेने, अमंस्त, मंस्यते, मन्तुम्, मत) 1 To think, believe, suppose, imagine, fancy, conceive. -2 To consider, regard, deem, look upon, take (one) for, take to be. -3 To honour, respect, value, esteem, think highly of, prize. -4 To know, understand, perceive, observe, have regard to.
रेणुः reṇuḥ m., f. 1 Dust, an atom of dust, sand. -2 The pollen of flowers.
v. 3
पत् pat I. 1 P. (पतति, पतित) 1 To fall, fall down, come down, descend, drop down, alight. -2 To fly, move through the air, soar.
पतत्रम् patatram 1 A wing, pinion. -2 A feather. -3 A vehicle.
विचल् vical 1 P. 1 To shake, tremble, move. -2 To go, proceed, set out. -3 To be agitated or disturbed, be rough; (as the sea). -4 To deviate, swerve. -5 To fall off or down.
शङ्कित śaṅkita p. p. 1 Doubted, suspected, feared. -2 Suspicious, suspecting, distrustful. -3 Uncertain, doubtful. -4 Fearful, apprehensive, alarmed.
उपयानम् upayānam 1 Approaching, coming near. -2 Acquisition, obtaining.
रच् rac 10 U. (रच्यति-ते, रचित) 1 To arrange, prepare, make ready, contrive, plan. -2 To make, form, effect, create, produce. -3 To write, compose, put together (as a work). -4 To place in or upon, fix on. -5 To adorn, decorate.
सचकित sacakita a. Startled, timid.
v. 4
मुखर mukhara a. 1 Talkative, garrulous, loquacious. -2 Noisy, making a continuous sound, tinkling, jingling (as an anklet).
मञ्जीरः mañjīram, मञ्जीरम् mañjīram An anklet or ornament for the foot.
केलिः keliḥ m. f. 1 Play, sport. -2 Amorous sport, pastime.
लोल lola a. 1 Shaking, rolling, tremulous, moving to and fro, quivering, dangling, trembling; flowing, waving (as locks of hair). -2 Agitated, disturbed, restless, uneasy. -3 Fickle, inconstant, changing, unsteady.
कुञ्जः kuñjam, कुञ्जम् kuñjam 1 A place overgrown with plants or creepers, a bower, an arbour. -2 The lower jaw. -3 A cave.
पुञ्जः puñjaḥ A heap, multitude, quantity, mass, collection.
शील् śīl 10 U. (शीलयति-ते) 1 To honour, worship. -2 To practise repeatedly, exercise, study, think of, ponder over. -3 To put on, wear. -4 To go to, visit, frequent.
v. 5
मुरः muraḥ N. of a demon slain by Kṛiṣṇa.
हारः hāraḥ 1 Taking away, removal, seizing. -2 Conveying. -3 Abstraction, deprivation. -4 A carrier, porter. -5 A garland or necklace of pearls; a necklace in general.
उपहित upahita p. p. 1 Placed in or upon, deposited. -2 Preceded by. -3 Joined, mixed, connected with.
तरल tarala a. 1 Trembling, waving, shaking, tremulous. -2 Fickle, unsteady, transient. -3 Splendid, sparkling, glittering.
बलाकः balākam, बलाका balākā A crane.
तडित् taḍit f. Lightning.
पीत pīta a. 1 Drunk, quaffed. -2 Steeped, soaked in, filled or saturated with. -3 Absorbed, drunk up, evaporated. -4 Watered, sprinkled with water. -5 Yellow.
विपरीत viparīta a. 1 Reversed, inverted. -2 Contrary, opposite, reverse, inverse. -तः A particular mode of sexual enjoyment.
v. 6
रशना raśanā, रसना rasanā 1 A rope, cord. -2 A rein, bridle. -3 A zone, girdle, woman's girdle. -4 The tongue.
घट् ghaṭ -Caus. (घटयति) 1 To unite, join, bring together. -2 To bring or place near to, bring in contact with, put on. -3 To accomplish, bring about, effect.
जघनम् jaghanam 1 The hip and the loins, the buttocks. -2 The pudenda. -3 Rear-guard, the reserve of an army.
अपिधानम् apidhānam, अपिधानम् apidhānam 1 Covering, concealing, concealment. -2 A cover, lid, covering (fig. also); a cloth for covering.
पिधानम् pidhānam 1 Covering, concealing. -2 A sheath. -3 A wrapper, cloak. -4 A lid or top.
पङ्कः paṅkam, पङ्कम् paṅkam 1 Mud, clay, mire. -2 Hence a thick mass, large quantity. -Comp. -जम् a lotus.
निधिः nidhiḥ 1 Abode, receptacle, reservoir. -2 A store-house, treasury. -3 A treasure, store, hoard.
निदानम् nidānam 1 A band, rope, halter. -2 A rope for tying up a calf. -3 A primary cause, the first or essential cause. -4 A cause in general.
v. 7
अभिमानिन् abhimānin a. Possessed of self-respect. -2 Having a high opinion of oneself, proud, arrogant, conceited.
रजनिः rajanim, रजनी rajanī f. 1 Night. -2 Turmeric. -3 Red lac.
सत्वर satvara a. Quick, speedy, expeditious.
रचनम् racanam, रचना racanā 1 Arrangement, preparation, disposition. -2 Formation, creation, production. -3 performance, completion, accomplishment, effecting.
सेवा sevā 1 Service, servitude, dependence; attendance. -2 Worship, homage, honouring.
v. 8
भण् bhaṇ 1 P. (भणति, भणित) 1 To say, speak. -2 To describe. -3 To name, call. -4 To sound.
Discussion Question
Do you think this poem is mainly about romance, devotion, or both? Why?
Sources/Further Reading
Coleman, Tracy. 2018. “Rādhā : Lover and Beloved of Kṛṣṇa.” In: The Goddess, ed. Mandakranta Bose. 116–46. The Oxford History of Hinduism. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
Knutson, Jesse Ross. 2014. Into the Twilight of Sanskrit Court Poetry. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Pauwels, Heidi. 2020. “The Vernacular Pulse of Sanskrit: Metre and More in Songs of the Gītagovinda and Bhāgavata Purāṇa.” The Journal of Hindu Studies: 294–319.