Chapter summary
पद्मावतीप्रथमसमागमः Padmāvatī Prathama Samāgamaḥ
Śrī Sadguru said:
In the noble lineage of Śrī Tondaman, there reigned a king named Akasaraja, a devout worshipper of Govinda and steadfast in his own *dharma*. He governed the world alongside his queen, Dharaṇī (v.1). This lord of the earth once performed a sacrifice, ploughing the sacred land with a blessed plough. There, nestled within a lotus in the furrow, the Mother of all worlds manifested (v.2). The king cherished her, and she became renowned throughout the world as Padmāvatī. In beauty, character, and virtue, Padmāvatī shone with a splendor equal to that of Lakṣmī herself (v.3).
It was her custom, accompanied by her friends, to visit the vicinity of Agastya Tīrtha, sport in the forest of Śeṣācala, and after seeing the hermitage of sage Agastya, return home in the evening (v.4). One such day, the maiden came to the pleasure garden with her companions and engaged in joyful play. At that very moment, Jagannivāsa, the primeval God, arrived there on horseback, intent on sport (v.5).
The maiden and her friends beheld Him: dark-complexioned, youthful, with eyes long as lotus petals, adorned with various golden ornaments, clad in a yellow garment, and bearing a bow and arrow (v.6). Instantly, the gentle Malaya breeze began to waft, and the season of spring blossomed forth. There, Kāma, the god of love, achieved victory upon seeing in that forest the very Cupid of Cupids, *Manmatha* to *Manmatha* (v.7). Flowers bloomed at once on the creepers, and streams of nectar flowed forth immediately. Bees drank, hovering all around, while cuckoos cooed melodiously in the trees (v.8). Peacocks danced right there, and deer gazed upon the God with their beloveds. The trees themselves spontaneously offered their fruits into the hand of Śrī Venkatesa (v.9). Witnessing this sudden wonder, the maidens stood captivated by love. Then, the eloquent Lord approached Padmāvatī and addressed her with pleasing words (v.10).
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
"Has any doe passed this way? I am following her, desiring to catch her. I dwell on this Śeṣācala mountain, delighting in the hunt. Tell me, O lotus-eyed one" (v.11).
**Padmāvatī said:**
"Deer live here, O King. They are forest-dwellers and roam freely in these woods. You should leave this forest; it is the playground of princesses" (v.12).
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
"Are you a Gandharva maiden, a celestial nymph, a Naga princess, or a king's daughter? Who are you, wandering with your dear friends in this forest region? Tell me, O maiden" (v.13).
**Padmāvatī said:**
"I am not a Gandharva maiden, a celestial nymph, a Naga princess, or a sage's daughter. I have arisen from a lotus on the earth; I am the daughter of Akasaraja, O King" (v.14).
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
"You are not born from a womb, and for that very reason, you bear this divine beauty in your body, which is enchanting my mind. Why do you wander here by yourself?" (v.15).
**Padmāvatī said:**
"I have come with my friends to sport in the forest during the spring season. This forest belongs to the group of maidens. Go away from here at once, O King" (v.16).
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
"I, a young man, have also come to sport in the forest during springtime. You are maidens; play joyfully with me. Cast off your shyness quickly!" (v.17).
**Padmāvatī said:**
"Abandoning my *dharma*, lineage, character, relatives, elders, and revered parents, how can I accept you who have come of your own accord? *Dharma* is the sole cause of happiness for people" (v.18).
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
"Abandoning all regulations, *dharma*, lineage, honor, parents, and relatives, one should take refuge in Me alone, the Lord. *Dharma's* sole purpose is the fruit of pleasing Me" (v.19).
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
Saying this, He came near, desiring to embrace Padmāvatī. Her friends, with a volley of stones, drove away the infinite Lord (v.20). The king's daughter, pained by separation from Murāri, suddenly fainted. Her friends consoled her and quickly took her to the maiden's quarters (v.21).
Day and night she wept and grew thin, being consumed by the forest fire of separation. She found no sleep, drank no water, and leaving her bed, would roll on the ground (v.22). "What is his name? Where is his abode? How shall I go to that beloved again? Who is this beloved of mine? Where has he gone, O friend?"—thus she would constantly lament piteously (v.23). Understanding this state of Padmāvatī and seeing the situation, her friends respectfully reported to the king about the fever of love-sickness afflicting the princess (v.24). The king summoned a physician and showed him his daughter, who was afflicted by the illness. The doctor, having examined the humors of phlegm, bile, and wind, did not perceive the fever residing in the goddess's heart (v.25). Unable to comprehend his daughter's state of mind, the lord of the earth became filled with anxiety. Day by day, Padmāvatī waned, like the crescent moon in the dark fortnight (v.26).
Thus the fortieth chapter, named "The First Meeting with Padmāvatī," in the First Part of the *Divya Deśa Vaibhavam* [a Sanskrit work describing the glories of the 108 sacred Vishnu temples], composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
