Page #1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ PALI, DHANYA AND CARUKESI (Three of the earliest mentioned Ktsna's sweethearts) H. C. Bhayani In the later Krsna-bhakti tradition, we increasingly come across the names of gopis like Visakha, Lalita, Candravali and several more, some of whom were also Ktsna's favourites besides Radha. In the late puranic literature represented by the considerably later sections of the works like the Padma purani, and the Gargasamhita, the name-list has been considerably extended the problem is to locate and date the beginning of the tradition of naming Radha's companions who occasionally and intermittently shared Ktsna's loving attention, and as such started figuring in the erotic and religious poetry. Abandoning for the moment Visakha and Candravali, who also seem to be among the names to appear early in literature, I present here the information I could gather about three gopis, each of whom figures in poetry as Radha's rival. The sources are not later (some may be even earlier) than the 9th-10th century A. D. The names of the three gopis were Pali, Dhanya and Carukesi. Different poets have described Kssna as enjoying in the company of one of them, in temporary disregard of Radha. Pali, Palika/Palita, Palitaka The earlist milkmaid known from the poetic tradition as Radha's rival for Krsna's love is variously called Pali, Palika/Palita (Pk. Paliya) or Palitaka. From the references or citations made by four writers we gather that several poetic works in Apabhramsa, Prakrit and Sanskrit, assignable roughly to the period between the eighth and tenth century A. D., contained episodes involving Krsna, Radha and Pali. The sources of this information are discussed below : 1. Govinda's Apabhraisa poem on Krsna.carita (Not later than the latter half of the 9th century A. D.). Several verses from this lost work are cited by Svayambhu (latter half of the 9th cent.) in his Svayambhucchandas (SC.). The citation given under SC. IV 11 as an illustration of the Bahurupa variety of the Apabhramsa metre called Matra is as follows: dei pAlI thaNahaM pabbhAreM toDeppiNu NaliNidalu, hari-vioa-satAveM tattI / phalu aNNehiM pAvi(ya)u, karau daiu jaM kiMpi ruccai / /
Page #2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ Pali, Dhanya and Caruke si 81 Pali, burning with pain due to separation from Hari, plucks a lotus leaf and places it on the slope of her breasts. The poor fool (?) got her due ! Let the fate (now) do whatever it choses to.' Like Velankar, I also earlier interpreted Pali. as gopalika i. e. a gopi in general. But in the light of the occurrences noted below, I now take it to be a personal name. We must note that another verse from the same poem (SC. IV 10.2) describes Radha as Hari's most favourite Gopi and several other verses of Govinda (SC. IV 9.1., 9.3, 9.4) depict the mood of a love-lorn girl.1 2. Bhejjala's Radha-vipralambha (prior to the 11th cent. A. D.). Rasakanka was one of the types of uparupakas described, discussed or referred to by several Sanskrit dramaturgists and other writers. Bhoja and Abhinavagupta knew of an actual instance of Rasakanka,namely the Radha-vipralambha, composed by Bhejjala. They refer to a few incidents and characters in that dramatic work and also give a few citations from it. Besides Krsna as the hero, Candrayana as the Vidusaka and Radha as the heroine, the play had one more female character named Palitaka, who was one of Ktsna's paramours and Radha's rival. Ktsna is depicted as once favouring Palitaka on a moon-lit night, which makes the pining Radha go out in search of Kssna.3 Abhinavagupta, too, mentions Palitaka. Jayavallabha's anthology of Prakrit subhasitas has sixteen verses in its section on Kssna (vv. 590-605), which are partinent to our purpose, because there are several references to 'Kssna's other sweethearts besides Radha, The very first verse in that section is as follows: "A TTE:" "Efent fa mp" "mat af !" "f TET!" iya bAliyAi bhaNie vilakkhahasiraM hari namaha. (Vajjallaga 590). Patwardhan thus translates it : "Oh Radha, is it all right, with you? 'O Kamsa, are you happy? Where is Kamsa ?' *Where is Radha (either) ? When the young damsel had said thus, Hari (Krsna) smiled with embarrassment. Pay your homage to him!' The text reads afate (Sk. allfil) in the second line of the verse, and Ratnesvara's Sanskrit commentary explains the word as kayAcana and kAcana gopabAlikA. I think, however, the afoute was not the original, genuine reading. Through scribal error or misunderstanding the original pAliyAi was changed to bAliyAi. In that case this becomes a dialogue between Kssna and his particular paramour named Palika, and not between Kssna and some unspecified Gopi. This view finds support from the Sanskrit version or translation of the above Gatha sited in Bhoja's Sarasvatikanthabharana (SK.), discussed hereunder. 11
Page #3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ H. C. Bhayani 4. While treating the figure of sound called Vakovakya, Bhoja has cited in SK. the following verse as an illustration of Naimittiki Vaiyatyokti, which is one of the several sub-varieties of the Vakovakya : TE TE ? feat fa ai ? : 4T ? T AT TIET? 1 iti pArI-prativacanavilakSa-hAsau harirjayati / / (Under TractUST HOT, 2, 132) All the editions of SK. read qret in the second line. But qrit milking pot' cannot fit here. Obviously it is a corruption of qm. Accordingly the artesang in the above-cited Vaijalagga verse is to be emended as fug. In this context it is also significant that the verse rAdhAmohana mandirAdupagatazcandrAvalIfara etc. which is found in some of the Northern mss. of Bilvamangala's Krsnakarnamsta and which is just an elaboration of the Vajjalagga verse, has Candravali (instead of Pali), and not a certain (nameless) gopi as one of the interlocutors. 5. An anonymous verse cited by Bhoja in the Srngaraprakasa (first half of the 11th cent. A. D.) As an illustration of the type of Nayaka who is Dhiralalita, Sadharana, Satha and Uttama, Bhoja has cited in the Srngaraprakasa the following verse : nirmagnena mayA'mbhasi smasmarAt pAlI samAliGgitA kenAlIkamidaM tavAdhakathitaM rAdhe madhA tAmya si / ityutsvapna-paramparAsu zayanai zrutvA giraM zAGgiNaH savyAjaM zithilIkRtaH kamalayA kaNThagrahaH pAtu vaH // (SP., p. 600) "Who give you today the false report that while diving in water, I fired by passion, gave an embrace to Pali ? Radha, you are unnecessarily distressed" :Hearing in the bed these words uttered by Sarngin in sleep, Kamala meaningfully loosened her clasp on his neck. May that protect you'. In this instance too the rivalry between Radha and Pali is clearly explicit. Dhanya, Dhanika 1. In three of the four verses in the Kanha-vajja (Ktsna-paryaya) of the Vajjalagga which relate to Ktsna's sweetheart called Visakha, 4 the word visahiya, a diminutive form of visaha (Sk. Visakha) is used with double intenfre. One of these verses is as follows: kisio-si kosa kesava ? kina kao dhanna-saMgaho mUDha ? / katto maNa-parioso visAhiyaM bhujamANassa ? // (Vajjalagga, 600)
Page #4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ Pali, Dhanya and Carukesi 83 'Oh Kesava, why have you become emaciated ? O fool, why did you not store food-grains? How can one get mental satisfaction, feeding himself (just) on whatever he obtains ? (or, on what is highly poisonous ?)'. Alternatively, 'O fool, why did you not stick to Dhanya ? Is it ever possible for one enjoying himself in the company of Visakha to get real satisfaction ?' Pk. dhanna (Sk. dhanya) is understood by Patwardhan as beautiful women'. But like Visakha, Dhanya here is the personal name of a particular gopi who once enjoyed Krsna's favour. This interpretation finds support from two verses cited in the Sragaraprakasa. 2. The following verse is cited twice in the srngaraprakasa. Once it is cited as an illustration of Samakhyabhidhaniki Vyapeksa wherein the signification of a designation is brought out by means of a sentence. At another place it is cited as an illustration of a designation that is construed meaningfully to convey the relationship of love : saccaM dhaNNA dhaNNA, jA taiyA kesaveNa giri-dharaNe / guru-bhAra-vAvaDeNa vi, ujjua-acchaM ciraM diTThA // Sungaraprakasa, pp. 269, 888 'Dhanya is indeed dhanya (blessed), who was looked at directly and lingeringly by Kesava, even when he was weighed down with a heavy load due to holding the mountain (i. e. Govardhana) aloft'. 3. The following verse is cited by Bhoja as an illustration of the type of Nayaka who is Dhiralalita, Sadharana and Madhyama. dUre gokulanAtha gokulamitassaMcAra-zUnyA dizastyaktvA mAM dhanikAdayo pi hi gatA bhArAtikhedAlasAH / vistIrNA vanarAjikeyamaparA jAtA puro nirgamAta / khinnA'smi pratipAlayetyabhihito gopyA hariH pAtu vaH // (SP., p. 611) "Oh Lord of Gokula, Gokula is far away from here. Dhanika and other (companions), feeling exhausted and languid under their load have gone away already, leaving me alone. This vast woodland has become strange to me (as it were), before I can get out of it (?) and I am (extremely) tired. Please protect me. May Hari, addressed thus by the Gopi, protect you'. Here Dhanika is the name of one of the gopis. It is quite close to Dhanna (Sk. Dhanya) of the Vajjalagga verse. Cirukesi As an illustration of the Dhiroddhatasadharana-dhosta type of hero, Bhoja has cited in SP. the following verse.
Page #5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ 84 H. C. Bhayani "zaure kasmAd vidhattai dazanapadamidaM cArukezyAhitaM te " cArutvaM kIdRgasya zrita- pazu-vapuSA kezinA nirmitasya ?" / "naivaM ghRSTa bravImi vrajayuvatimahaM" "bADhameSa vrajAmI--" tyevaM gopyA'vatAd vaH kSa (kaM ? ) paTa-dharaNa-prINitaH kaiTabhAriH // (SP. p. 602) O Sauri, why do you display this tooth-mark impressed on you (i.e. on your lip) by Carukesi (Carukeli-ahitam)' ? 'How can it be beautiful (caru), produced as it is by Kesin (kei), who had assumed the bodily form of a beast ?" 'You brazenly unfaithful! I don't mean that. I am talking of the milkmaid (vraja.yuvatim)'. 'Very well, here I am wooing (vrajami) a young girl". May the enemy of Kaitabha, thus resorting to chicanery, and delighted by the milkmaid (?) protect you". The Gopi of this dialogue is possibly Radha, who creates a scene with Krsna, who has just returned after spending a night with Carukesi. Krsna tries to save. himself by resorting to Slesa on the words Carukesyahitam and vrajayuvatim used by Radha. We can campare with this the Krsnakarnamrtaa verse (radha-mohanmandirad etc.) referred to above. A closely similar repestee between Krsna and one of his sweethearts is instanced by the verse vasah samprati kesava kvabhavato etc, cited on p. 607 cf SP.). References Bhoja Sarasvatikanthabharana, ed. K. Mishra, 1976. Srigaraprakasa, ed. G. R. Josyer, 1955. Bilvamangala: Kranakarnampta, ed. F. Wilson, 1975. Jayavallabha Vajjalagga, ed. M. V. PatTardhan, 1969. Bhoja's Spigaraprkasa, 1963. V. Raghavan Svayambhu Svayambhucchanda), ed. by H. D. Velankar, 1962. Footnotes 1. I have slightly emended Velankar's text orthographically, and my translation differs from his in several points. 2. See V. Raghavan, Bhojas Srngaraprakaka, (1963), pp. 567, 887-891, where the references and citations are noted and their implications are fully brought out. G. R. Josyer's edition of the Srigaraprakaia silently omits the Prakrit passage given by Raghavan.
Page #6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ 85 3. Pali, Dhanya and Caruketi An anonymous verse given in Jayavallabha's Vajjalagga (possibly about the 10th cent. A. D.). Raghavan, ibid., p.890 : Farrafa 7751819Ear f4994fHTEIT TIET, 17 qfaat 3. TAPI (= Srgaraprakasa, text, p. 491, 11. 4-5). These are the earliest known verses referring to Visakha, who is known in the Kssna-carita tradition as one of the gopis, which are mentioned as Kssna's favourites and Radhas friends and rivals. The Patala-khanda of the Padma-purana (ch. 70, vv. 4-7) gives the following list (which includes Dhanya) of the light main beloveds of Klsna : Radhika, Lalita, Syamala, Dhanya, Haripriya Visakha, Podma and Candravati