Event Run-down

The song is about how the devotee yearns on to see Krishna in his full glory, bedecked with garlands made from four different flowers – Chethi (a red color flower known as jungle flame), Mandaram (white hibiscus), Tulasi (Holy basil) and Pichakam (Jasmine).

Further she would want the Lord to come in front of her with peacock feathers in his hair, wrapped in yellow silks and playing his musical instrument of choice, a flute.

The song then describes the beautiful body of the lord and goes on to describe on how all Gopikas yearned for him right after when Vakacharthu (a form of ritual in which the lord is fully covered with Vaka (a medicinal plant) powder and then bathed) is finished, and the lord is adorned with sweet smelling flower.

The song ends with the devotee requesting the Lord to accept her offering of flattened rice soaked in her tears as she is poor and destitute.

The song starts with descriptions of differnet qualities of Krishna.

Achyutam means Eternal. Krishna’s qualities are described as eternal, blissful and infinite. He is formless in a way but can also be one with many forms.

The song then goes on to describe the many forms of Krishna which include

Achyuta – Firm, Immovable, Imperishable

Krishna – Dark one

Dhamodharam – One who can only be bound by a devotee’s bhakti

Keshava – One who has resplendent hair (a reference to the glory of the sun, his rays)

Narayana – Savior of humankind who rests in yoga nidra in the celestial ocean of milk

Govinda – The one who protects cows (one who protects the Veda, likened to cows)

Madhava – One who is fit to be known (through Madhu-vidya, bhakti)

Sridharam – One who is graced abundantly with Sri (abundance, wealth, prosperity)

Gopika Vallabha – The one who is courted by all the Gopikas

Janaki Vallabha – The who is courted by Janaki (Sita)

Janaki Nayaka – The husband of Janaki (Sita)

Ramachandra – Sri Ramachandra (Rama)

Each of these names represents a particular context in his life.

King Kamsa was the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna. According to a prophecy, the eighth child born to Devaki and Vasudeva will kill Kamsa.

Kamsa knew about this prophecy and he decided to kill Krishna on his birth. He puts Devaki, his sister and her husband Vasudeva in prison.

The time arrives for Krishna’s birth and he is born at midnight. They hear a divine voice from above. The voice advises Vasudeva to shift little Krishna to Vasudeva’s friend Nand and his wife, Yashoda’s house in Mathura.

Yashoda gave birth to a girl child the same day. Vasudeva listens to the divine voice and takes the little boy in a basket and to his wonder, he sees the prison doors opening and the river Yamuna splitting its waters to pave a way for him to walk through. Baby Krishna is thus saved. Vasudeva brings the girl child back to the prison.

Kamsa comes to kill the eighth baby of Devaki. He throws the baby down with his hands. To his surprise, the baby disappears and Kamsa hears a divine female voice that says Lord Krishna is born already.

Varnam is part of the repertoire in Mohiniyattam where the performer uses storytelling techniques through her movements and expressions combined with Carnatic classical music patterns. This dance piece is named ‘Gopagokule’ and follows the Raga-Nalinakanthi and Tala-Aadi . The composition is written in Malayalam language. The expressive dance pieces in Mohiniyattam used to be presented in a solo format.

Yashoda, Krishna’s foster mother calls out to Krishna to go to her. Krishna is out in the village playing with goatherds of the village and has lost track of time enjoying the games.

She requests the blue god, who is adorned with anklets in his leg and blue gem studded bangles in the hand. She describes in detail the elaborate belt with bells that Krishna wears, the rings in his fingers and the garland in his neck.

She reminisces about the yellow silk that he had worn the day and about his flute that he always carries with him.

She recounts aloud the famous episode from Krishna’s childhood when she accuses him of eating dirt from the field and he to prove his innocence opens his mouth to show her otherwise reveals how the entire universe is contained within his lotus like mouth.

This Carnatic composition is an upbeat, fast-paced piece. There’s something very playful and energetic about this thillana and is a great example of the rhythmic complexity of Carnatic music.

“Kalinga narthana” literally means “Kalinga dance” in Sanskrit, and it refers to a popular mythological story in which the god Krishna, as a young boy, danced on the serpent Kaliya (aka Kalinga) to stop him from poisoning the Yamuna river. 

The song starts with describing Krishna’s dance using rhythmic syllables. It then depicts Krishna as the one whose eyes are shaped like lotus petals and at whose valor the world is delighted.

The main charanam (portion) of the song then goes on vividly to describe Krishna as the beautiful blue-colored lord, who embellished by his enchantment, is dancing on the tumultuously moving serpent. His footsteps are softer than lotus petals, on the turbulent waves and how, adorned by drops of water, he dances and dances.

In the waves of the Yamuna river, Krishna’s graceful limbs are described as soaked in moonlight. He has red paste (red tilak) applied on his forehead, his curly locks of hair waving in the wind, how his face remains majestic and still shows compassion while his feet are rapidly hurting the hoods of the serpent.

The song then goes on the describe how Krishna vanquished the offspring of Diti (the asuras, or demons), and he is venerated by Brahma, the creator. It also then describes Krishna’s unique blue color and how by his wonderful, indescribable dance, marked by the flash of lightning, Krishna generates awe and amazement.

After being released from the coils of the serpent, Krishna’s feet are swiftly dancing on the serpent’s head. His face is shining with the moon’s beauty, his bangles and anklets are chiming and he is adorned with golden jewelry.

The song ends with Krishna slaying the serpent and the onlookers chanting, “Victory to you, son of Nanda! You are the adorable child who holds the people of the land in rapture, the valiant one delighting in dancing on the Kalinga serpent, the one whose very form is the mood of compassion (karuna rasa).”

This beautiful song celebrates the unconditional love of Radha for Lord Krishna.

Radha and her friends are in the garden where Radha is getting ready to meet her beloved Krishna.

While adorning herself with flowers from the garden, Radha describes Krishna in detail to her friends.

She introduces Krishna as the son of Nanda and how he is so pure and sacred. She also tells them on how he is a destroyer of sufferings and how his voice is as beautiful as beads of pearls.

But she also feels sad that he is always surrounded by female admirers of Vrindavan.

This romantic song captures a dialogue between Krishna and Radha where Radha approaches the lord of Vrindavan and persuades him to join her to go and see the river Yamuna.

She describes to Krishna how the beautiful brimming river flows and recounts the myth of how the river is the daughter of the Sun god and the shadow of his (the Sun god’s) first wife Chaya.

She also tells him about how the river is considered to be fickle and changes course at random.

The ever mischevious Krishna tries to hold the Radha’s hands, making her aghast at this familiarity. She disapproves this and asks him on how they can hold hands in public and walk around this garden? She is worried that people will misunderstand her and her reputation will be in tatters.

So, she requests Krishna to let go of her hand by diverting Krishna’s attention to that of a cuckoo that is singing the eternal song of love.

When Krishna is at the magnificent gardens of Vrindavan, maidens flock to converse and flirt with him.

Krishna flamboyantly smiles, teases and flirts back with the maidens. Radha is jealous of sharing her Krishna with other maidens and engages in a tiff with Krishna on the topic.

She raves on about how fire burns in her body and soul when Krishna frolics with others and how she feels jealous. 

Krishna counters this with reassuring Radha that she is always in his heart and how flowers bloom in his heart for her love. How other maidens are stars far away while Radha is the magnificent moon, on how Radha is the queen of Krishna’s heart while other girls will come and go.

He also reveals to Radha on how he calls out for her all day long on the banks of the river Yamuna.

Radha asks Krishna why he does not tell her that he loves her from his heart. Radha also tells him about how the other maidens in the garden go gaga over Krishna when they look into his eyes and how she can not be jealous when she sees this.

The song welcomes Krishna and addresses him as the one who lived in the city called Mathura, the one with a tender face and the slayer of the demon Madhu.

The song further goes and describes other attributes of Krishna including describing him as one with passion, one who is like a flower, who applies sandal paste and applies musk on himself. 

The main charanam of the song lists different events from Krishna’s life including him slaying the demon Madhu, his fight with wrestlers Mushtika and Chanoora and the elephant Kavalayapita.

 Other incidents in Krishna’s life like Krishna defeating the serpent Kaalinga and how he saved his village Gokula from the wrath of Indra by sheltering the people under the mountain Govardhana which he lifted up with his hands.

The song then also recounts his time with sages, the times he helped the devas (the good heavenly beings) by defeating Asuras (demons) and how he is worshipped in the minds of maidens of Vrindavan.