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The Twenty-Third Song: A Bed of Flowers and Sweet-talk
by Anjali Yadav
‘Krishna and Radha with Their Confidantes: Page from a Dispersed Gita Govinda’, circa 1655-60, style of Manohar (active ca. 1582–1624). The Metropolitan Museum of Art: link, last accessed June 4, 2026.
Introduction
Gītagovinda became a highly influential religious text over time and reached as far as north and western India by the sixteenth century. Its popularity could be attributed to its literary experimentation that challenged the classical Sanskritic forms. The editor and translator of the work, Barbara Stoler Miller, explains that some of Gītagovinda’s lyricism and dramatic movements may be based on classical forms, but the complex structures used by Jayadeva to carve out religious, erotic, and aesthetic meaning have been borrowed from Kalidāsa’s classical epics like Kumāra-sambhava and Megha-dūta. The concept of rasa is at the heart of Gītagovinda with the śr̥ṅgāra rasa (erotic mood) acting as its heartbeat. However, the religious eroticism prevalent in defining the passion between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa ought not be read as a carnal desire but a source of eternal bliss for the devotees.
The twenty-third song with the refrain, Kṣaṇam adhunā nārāyaṇam is sung in Rāga Vibhāsa (vibhāsa-rāgeṇa gīyate). Vibhāsa, also known as Bibhās, is a rāga used for a quiet romantic mood and is sung especially during the early hours of morning. After a night filled with separation, longing, perfidy, jealousy, anger, and more longing—by the twenty-third song in the Twelfth Canto of Gītagovinda, the lovers, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have reconciled and are now in each other’s embrace—at the break of the dawn. At the opening of the twenty-third song, Rādhā’s lower lip is curled into a smile, and her passions are flooded—although a bit hesitant under the weight of shame. Rādhā’s eyes are downcast, examining the bed of fresh flowers and shoots, on which both of them are seated. Kṛṣṇa, who earlier took delight in the company of other gopīs, keeping Rādhā waiting in misery, begins his sweet-talk!
Extra nugget: This Rāgamāla (Garland of Melodies) painting from eighteenth-century Rajasthan, beautifully visualizes the Vibhāsa rāga. This rāga is commonly depicted with a nāyaka (hero) aiming an arrow at a bird or a rooster, to prevent it from breaking the sleep of his lover. In this painting, the hero is the blue-bodied Kṛṣṇa, holding a floral bow, and the ever-enchanting Rādhā seated in his lap. Note: This painting does not represent the Gītagovinda verses analyzed here. |
Lyrics, Transliteration, Translation
किसलयशयनतले कुरु कामिनि चरणनलिनविनिवेशम् । तव पदपल्लववैरिपराभवमिदमनुभवतु सुवेशम् ।। क्षणमधुना नारायणमनुगतमनुसर राधिके ।। १ ।। | kisalaya-śayana-tale kuru kāmini caraṇa-nalina -viniveśam tava pada-pallava-vairi -parābhavam idam anubhavatu suveśam kṣaṇam adhunā nārāyaṇam anugatam anusara rādhike (1) | O beautiful woman! Impress your lotus foot on the bed made of tender shoots, This beautifully-adorned bed suffers defeat by an enemy, that is—your bud-like foot. (1) O Radhika, in this very moment, follow Narayana, who has come to follow you. |
करकमलेन करोमि चरणमहमागमितासि विदूरम् । क्षणमुपकुरु शयनोपरि मामिव नूपुरमनुगतिशूरम् ।। २ ।। | kara-kamalena karomi caraṇam aham āgamitāsi vidūram
| With my lotus hands, I honor your feet, as you have come from afar, For a moment, on top of the bed, attend to the anklets that have just like me, followed you bravely. (2) |
वदनसुधानिधिगलितममृतमिव रचय वचनमनुकूलम् । विरहमिवापनयामि पयोधररोधकमुरसि दुकूलम् ।। ३ ।। | vadana-sudhā-nidhi-galitam amṛtam iva racaya vacanam anukūlam viraham ivāpanayāmi payodhara-rodhakam urasi dukūlam (3) | Speak sweet words, like ambrosia oozing from a storehouse that is your moon face. I remove the soft silken drape—barrier to your breasts, as if removing viraha. (3) |
प्रियपरिरम्भणरभसवलितमिव पुलकितमतिदुरवापम् । मदुरसि कुचकलशं विनिवेशय शोषय मनसिजतापम् ।। ४ ।। | priya-parirambhaṇa-rabhasa-valitam iva pulakitam atiduravāpam mad-urasi kuca-kalaśaṃ viniveśaya śoṣaya manasija-tāpam (4) | Rejoice, as if enveloped in the beloved’s passionate embraces—hard to obtain, rest on my chest the vessels of your breast–brimming with the juice of bliss, and take away love’s torment. (4) |
अधरसुधारसमुपनय भाविनि जीवय मृतमिव दासम् । त्वयि विनिहितमनसं विरहानलदग्धवपुषमविलासम् ।। ५ ।। | adhara-sudhā-rasam upanaya bhāvini jīvaya mṛtam iva dāsam
| O cruel lady! Bring the nectar juice from your lower lip—revive me, your slave, as good as dead. My mind is fixated on you in viraha; my body consumed by fire, devoid of any pleasure. (5) |
(Translations are my own unless specified. For the Devanāgarī, slightly modified for conformity with the B.S. Miller’s edition, but gratefully acknowledging this blog; last accessed May 29, 2026)
Analysis
What is more precious than the beautifully adorned gift by a lover? The beloved herself. We get to taste Kṛṣṇa’s sweet words through Jayadeva’s masterful composition in the twenty-third song of Gītagovinda. The first verse opens with Kṛṣṇa’s invitation to Rādhā to place her foot on his well-adorned bed. Be careful, this is not an ordinary bed and nor are her feet. Jayadeva gives an extraordinary description of the bed – “kisalaya-śayana”, which means a bed made of tender shoots. The foot invited to impress (viniveśam) on this bed is not ordinary – it is after all Rādhā’s – and is compared to a lotus. The lotus is an important image in Sanskrit poetry, as it represents beauty and purity. It has been used to depict different body parts like feet, hands, face, and eyes. This song also enjoys the recurring imagery of lotus to describe different body parts of the divine pair. Kṛṣṇa continues his coaxing in the first verse and declares that the striking bed has suffered defeat by an enemy—that is none other than Rādhā’s bud-like foot. The bed represents physical proximity to Kṛṣṇa. Stating that Rādhā’s foot has defeated the bed not only implies that it is now far less attractive but also Rādhā has now won Kṛṣṇa’s intimacy.
Verse 1 opens with alliteration (anuprāsa), one of the sound-associated figures of speech (śabdālaṅkāra): “kisalaya-śayana-tale kuru kāmini” followed by “pada pallava…parābhavam” in the second line. Similarly, in Verse 2, the alliterating sound is enjoyed in the “kara-kamalena karomi”. The repetition of the syllables ‘ka’ and ‘pa’ lends the poem a memorable melody and a remarkable rhythm reminding readers of its performative tradition, that continues to live even today. In this same verse, Jayadeva uses assonance (svarasāmya) of the vowel ‘u/ū’ in “nūpuram anugati-śūram”. This compound means that Rādhā’s anklets have followed her bravely. If one has been following the story, Rādhā had sneaked out at night to meet Kṛṣṇa. As Rādhā stepped out, her state of mind was filled with nervousness and fear; but above all, an excitement to meet her lover. Jayadeva denotes the movement of anklets filled with a range of emotions by adding the short and long ‘u’ vowel to create tension as well as excitement; not just within the character of Rādhā but also within the listeners. All the verses in this song, finish with the end rhyme (antyanuprāsa) of ‘-am’ that gives a rhythmic structure to the song and enriches its performativity. One of my favorite vocal renditions (last accessed June 9, 2026) of the twenty-third song is sung by Rajasree Arvind, in the Carnatic style of Indian Classical Music. The rāga is Nādanāmakriyā and the tāla is Ādi. The alliteration and the end-rhyme in this song make the composition more melodic and pleasing to the ears.
In addition to the śabdālaṅkāra, that embellishes the listening experience, Jayadeva also uses arthālaṅkāra, i.e. the meaning-associated figures of speech to enhance the reading experience of the connoisseurs. The two prominent figures of speech that Jayadeva uses in this song are: metaphor (rūpaka) and simile (upamā). Lotus is the recurring object of comparison (upamāna). Consider this example from verse 1: “caraṇa-nalina-viniveśam” which translates to, “impress your lotus foot”. In this verse, Kṛṣṇa tells Rādhā to rest her lotus foot on the bed. He compares her feet to a lotus. In verse 2, Kṛṣṇa honors Rādhā’s feet that have travelled from afar, with his lotus hands saying: “kara-kamalena karomi caraṇam aham āgamitāsi”. Other than lotus, Rādhā’s feet are also compared to a bud in verse 1, “pada-pallava-vairi-parābhavam idam anubhavatu”; and her breasts are compared to round vessels in verse 4, “kuca-kalaśaṃ”. In metaphor (rūpaka), the subject of comparison (upameya) and the object of comparison (upamāna) are equated without using any comparative markers like ‘like/as’. On the other hand, in simile (upamā), the comparative marker, ‘like’ (iva) is expressed. In verse 3, Kṛṣṇa appreciates Rādhā’s face and compares it to the moon, which is a reservoir of ambrosia: “vadana-sudhā-nidhi-galitam amṛtam iva”. Moon represents beauty and purity; and is often used in Sanskrit poetry to evoke śṛṅgāra rasa.
Jayadeva also utilizes hyperbole (atiśayokti), another meaning-associated figure of speech in verse 5. Hyperbole uses deliberate exaggeration for emphasis, effect, or emotional impact. In this verse, Kṛṣṇa, who is as good as dead pleads to Rādhā that she must kiss to revive him: “… bhāvini jīvaya mṛtam iva dāsam”.
Ever wondered how these figures of speech are depicted in a visual form?
Kapila Vatsyayan, Mewari Gita-Govinda, National Museum, 1987: 205.
This painting is a part of a Gītagovinda series painted in Mewar, Rajasthan around 1714 CE. Kapila Vatsyayan, a leading scholar of Indian dance and arts, in her book, Mewari Gītagovinda, discusses three sets (each containing 100, 72, and 35 paintings respectively) of Mewari paintings based on Gītagovinda verses. This painting is a part of the second set and depicts verse 5 from the twenty-third song. One can follow the text (in Mewari) on the top, enclosed within a double border, starting after the numeral with the quote from the Sanskrit “adhara-sudhā…”. Vatsyayan discusses this painting in depth in her book, but what caught my attention was the visual depiction of the figures of speech, hyperbole. How would an early-modern painter depict the nearly dead (metaphorically speaking) Kṛṣṇa who is begging for Rādhā’s kiss for his vivification? Do you see those four men, in the bottom right, on top of a hillock?
This painting otherwise captures the love play and embraces of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, with only characters that supplement the scene like a friend (sakhī) and Love-god (Kāmadeva) – so one might wonder, who are these unrelated four men? Vatsyayan suggests that these four men represent the hyperbole (atiśayokti), “jīvaya mṛtam iva dāsam”, wherein Kṛṣṇa is depicted as a slave, nearly dying and rescued only by Rādhā’s kiss!
Lastly, Jayadeva’s mastery must be appreciated in his dhruvapada or the refrain, “kṣaṇam adhunā nārāyaṇam anugatam anusara rādhike”, which means, “O Radhika, in this very moment, follow Nārāyaṇ, who has come to follow you.” The refrain denotes movement between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa —as if circling each other like two binary stars. However, Jayadeva does not simply tell the reader that the divine pair is following each other, rather rhythmically showcases that by repeating the word ‘anu’ which means to follow after. As the refrain is sung after each verse, the constant repetition of “anugatam anusara”, in a single line signify movement for both Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and present an internal rhyme that enhances the rhythmic quality of the entire song.
Wordlist
v.1
किसलः kisalam, किसलम् kisalam, किसलयः kisalayam, किसलयम् kisalayam: A sprout, a young and tender shoot or foliage
शयनम् śayanam 1 Sleeping, sleep, lying down. -2 A bed, couch
तलः talam, तलम् talam [तल्-अच्] 1 A surface; -2 The palm of the hand; R.6.18. -3 The sole of the foot
कृ kṛ -II. 8 U. To place or put on (with loc.);
कामिन् kāmin a. (-नी f.) 1 A loving, affectionate, or fond woman; -2 A lovely or beautiful woman
चरणः caraṇam, चरणम् caraṇam 1 A foot
नलिनः nalinaḥ -नम् 1 A lotus-flower, water-lily. -2 Water. -3 The Indigo plant.
विनिवेशः viniveśaḥ 1 Entrance, settling down in a place; -2 An impression
पदम् padam [पद्-अच्] 1 A foot (said to be m. also in this sense)
पल्लवः pallavam, पल्लवम् pallavam 1 A sprout, sprig, twig, -2 A bud, blossom.
वैरिन् vairin a. Hostile, inimical. -m. 1 An enemy; -2 A hero, brave person.
पराभवः parābhavaḥ 1 (a) Defeat, discomfiture, overthrow; (b) Mortification, humiliation; -2 Contempt, disregard, disrespect. -3 Destruction.
अनुभू anubhū 1 P. 1 To enjoy; taste, experience, feel, have experience or knowledge of, notice, perceive (by the senses &c.); to suffer, bear, undergo (as misery &c). -2 To learn, hear, understand.
वेशः veśaḥ 1 Entrance. -2 Ingress, access. -3 A house, dwelling; -4 A house or residence of prostitutes; 5 Dress, apparel (also written वेष in this sense).
क्षणः kṣaṇam, क्षणम् kṣaṇam An instant, moment, measure of time equal to ⅘ of a second.
अधुना adhunā ind. Now, at this time.
अनुगत anugata p. p. 1 (Used passively) (a) Followed (lit. & fig.), attended
अनुसृ anusṛ 1 P. 1 To follow (in all senses); go after, attend, pursue; to practise, observe; betake oneself to. -2 To go over or through.
राधिका rādhikā Name for Rādhā
v.2
कर kara a. -रः 1 A hand
कमल kamala a -लम् [कम्-कलच्] 1 A lotus
आगमः āgamaḥ 1 Coming, arrival, approach, appearance
विदूर vidūra a. Remote, distant. (The forms विदूरम्, विदूरेण, विदूरतस् or विदूरात् are often used adverbially in the sense of 'from a distance', 'from afar', 'at a distance', 'far off')
उपकृ upakṛ 8 U. 1 To place or bring near, furnish or provide with, do or render. -2 To assist, serve, befriend, oblige, favour, benefit, help (oft. with gen. of person; sometimes with loc. Also). -3 To foster, take care of. -4 To render homage, serve, wait or attend upon (with acc.)
उपरि upari ind. (a) Above, over, upon, on, towards; (opp. अधः) (with gen.)
नूपुरः nūpuram, नूपुरम् nūpuram An anklet, ornament for the feet
अनुगतिः anugatiḥ f. 1 Following, imitating
शूर śūra a. [शूर्-अच्] Brave, heroic, valiant, mighty; -6 N. of a Yādava, the grandfather of Kṛiṣṇa; (hence the descendants of Śūra i. e. Yādavas also; Medinī
v.3
वदनम् vadanam 1 The face; -2 The mouth; -3 Aspect, look, appearance.
सुधा sudhā -निधिः 1 the moon.
निधिः nidhiḥ [नि-धा-आधारे कि] 1 Abode, receptacle, reservoir
गलित galita p. p. [गल्-क्त] 1 Dropped or fallen down. -2 Melted. -3 Oozed, flowing. -4 Lost, vanished, deprived. -5 Untied, got loose. -6 Emptied, leaked away.
अमृत amṛta a. -तम् 1 (a) Immortality, imperishable state; -2 The collective body of immortals. -3 (a) The world of immortality, Paradise, Heaven; the power of eternity, immortal light, eternity. -4 Nectar of immortality, ambrosia, beverage of the gods (opp. विष) supposed to be churned out of the ocean
रच् rac 10 U. 1 To arrange, prepare, make ready, contrive, plan; -2 To make, form, effect, create, produce
वचनम् vacanam [वच्-ल्युट्] 1 The act of speaking, uttering. saying. -2 Speech, an utterance, words (spoken), sentence
अनुकूल anukūla a. 1 Favourable, agreeable -2 Friendly, kind, well or kindly disposed. -3 Conformable to; pleasing, agreeable or favourable to, conducting to, capable of; oft. in comp.
विरहः virahaḥ 1 Parting with, separation. -2 Especially, the separation of lovers
अपनी apanī 1 P. To put off or away, take or pull off (dress, ornaments, fetters &c.).
पयस् payas n. (पयस् is changed to पयो before soft consonants). -Comp. -धरः 1 a cloud. -2 a woman's breast. -3 an udder;
रोधक rodhaka a. Stopping, checking &c.; impediment.
उरस् uras a. Best, excellent. n. (उरः) The breast, bosom
दुकूलम् dukūlam Woven silk, silk-garment, a very fine garment in general
v.4
परिरम्भणम् Embracing, an embrace
रभस rabhasa a. [रभ्-अचस् Uṇ 3.116] 1 Violent, impetuous, fierce, wild. -2 Strong, intense, vehement, powerful, ardent, eager
वलित valita p. p. 1 Moving. -2 Moved, turned round, bent round. -3 Surrounded, enclosed
पुलकित pulakita a. Having the hairs of the body erect, thrilled with joy; hence, rejoiced, enraptured
अवाप् avāp 5 U. 1 To get, obtain, secure, gain. -2 To reach, go to, enter. -3 To suffer, incur, receive, meet with;. -Caus. To cause to obtain anything. NB: dur-avāpa: difficult to obtain
मद mad: stem of the pronoun of which aham is nom.
कुचः kucaḥ [कुच्-क] The female breast, a teat, nipple
कलशः kalaśam, कलसः kalasam, कलशम् kalaśam, कलसम् kalasam 1 A pitcher, water-pot, a jar, dish
विनिवेशः viniveśaḥ 1 Entrance, settling down in a place; -2 An impression; NB: here a denominative verb
शोषः śoṣaḥ [शुष्-घञ्] Drying up, dryness; -2 Emaciation, withering up. NB: Here a denominative verb
मनसिज manasija a. Mind-born, mental. -जः 1 The god of love
तापः tāpaḥ [तप्-घञ्] 1 Heat, glow; -2 Torment, pain, affliction, misery, agony; -3 Sorrow, distress.
v.5
अधर adhara a. 1 Lower (opp. उत्तर), -रः The nether (or sometimes the upper) lip; in general.
उपनयः upanayaḥ 1 Bringing near, fetching. -2 Gaining, attaining, procuring.
NB: here it is the verbal form, from upa nī: upanayati/ upanīte
भाविन् bhāvin -नी 1 A handsome woman. -2 A noble or virtuous lady; -3 A wanton woman.
मृत mṛta p. p. 1 Dead, deceased; -2 As good as dead, useless, inefficacious
दासः dāsaḥ 1 Slave, servant in general
विनिहित vinihita p. p. [वि+नि+धा] 1 Put down, laid down. -2 Appointed. -3 Separated. -Comp. -दृष्टि a. one who has the eyes fixed upon, eagerly looking at. -मनस्
Ānala n. (fr. anala), belonging to Agni.
दग्ध dagdha p. p. [दह्-क्त] 1 Burnt, consumed by fire. -2 (Fig.) Consumed by grief, tormented, distressed
वपुष vapuṣa a. Ved. 1 Handsome. -2 Wonderful. -षम् Beauty (of form).
विलासः vilāsaḥ 1 Sport, play, pastime. -2 Amorous pastime, diversion, pleasure.
Discussion Questions
- Do you see similarities between the ‘revival-from-a-kiss’ trope in verse 5 and Walt Disney’s Snow White story? What is different?
- You saw hyperbole being portrayed in a painting. How would you have depicted the metaphor of lotus-like feet and hands used for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in a painting?
Sources/ Further Reading
Gerow, Edwin. 1971. A Glossary of Indian Figures of Speech. The Hague: Mouton.
Miller, Barbara Stoler. 1977. Love Song of the Dark Lord: Jayadeva’s Gītagovinda. New York: Columbia University Press.
Saṅgīt Mahābhāratī. 2011. “Vibhās Rāga (Mārwā Thāṭ, Hin).” In The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Siegel, Lee. 1978. Sacred and Profane Dimensions of Love in Indian Traditions, as Exemplified in the Gītagovinda of Jayadeva. Oxford University Press.
Vatsyayan, Kapila. 1987. Mewari Gita-Govinda. New Delhi: National Museum.