Prema Atlas

“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”

Study note: Mādhavendra Purī’s prayer of unbearable longing for the Lord of Mathurā.

“ ‘That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of mālatī flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. That is my desire.’”

Study note: A poetic expression of the desire to return to the former place of intimate association, used within the Ratha-yātrā narration.

“ ‘My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.’

Study note: The seventh prayer: the intense experience of separation.

“ ‘Let Kṛṣṇa tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but still He alone, and no one else, is the worshipable Lord of My heart.’

Study note: The eighth prayer: fidelity to Kṛṣṇa despite presence or absence.