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The Childhood Exploits of Kysna
125
Puşpadanta too refers to Krsna's piercing Kāliya's nose with natthiya-bhuyangu, 89 20 3).
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Among the numerous Prakrit and Apabbra mía poets cited by Svayambhū (about most of whom we cine to know only from him), there were thrie poets whose works bad partiy or wholly Krsnacarita as their theme. The citations from the poet Govinda (c. 800 A D.) indicate that he must have writen a long poem in A pabbramsa about Krsna's early life. Out of the six versey cited from Govinda ope pertains to the Kāliya dan ana episode, a :d two to the amorous sports of Krsna and the Gopis. Svyambhūcchandas 8 (=SC; IV 10(1) refers to Kamsa's crder to Nanda to bring for him loluse, from the fatal pool of the Yaaudā that was the abode of the Serpent Kāliya. IV :0(2) refers to Krşna's deep love for RāJhāabove all the other Gopis. IV 11(!) describes a love-lorn Gopi.
As Govinda's verse given at SC. IV 10(2) is also cited anonymously by Hemacandra in the Apabhramsa section of his Siddhahema grammar (VIII 4 422/5), we may make a surmise that another Apabhraíśa citation also ia th: sane work (VIII 4 420/2), describing how Krşņa was made to dance by Radhā in her courtyard, derives from the same poem of Govinda.
Both the Prakrit citations in SC., which are relevant to our present purpose, are fron the poet Suddhasvabhāva (Pk. Suddha sahāva). One of these is highly interesting for the light it can throw on the trend of Krsnabhakti thit 13 typified by the poen; of Lilāśuka Bilvamangala and Jayadeva. SC. Í 75(1) describes in the Simhavikrānta variety of the Dandaka metre Krsna and Gopis playing the game of Blindman's Buff. In the autumn nigh', in th: ga ne played with th: Gopis, Rainā covered with her beautiful, delicate had the eyes of Krs, who std with the hollow of his jyised bands filled with dust, and led him to the place of rendezvous : as she removed her haids fron his eyes, Krsna sa v before him the extremely beautiful girl, who kise bira, enrice hip and passionately engaged him in love-sports,
This at once reminds us of the opening verse of the Gitagovinda. Toe theme of Kșsna's clandestine luv: sports with Rādha was, it seems, 8. Edited by H.D. Velaokar, 1962. 9. Puşpadanta perhaps kaew Govinda's poem. Mahāpurāna, 86 1 8-11
seem to echo SC. IV 10(1).
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