Chapter summary
पद्मावतीविरहः Padmāvatī Virahaḥ
Śrī Sadguru said: Driven away by the group of elder female companions, Krishna swiftly returned to His abode. Yet, though His physical form departed, His lotus-like eyes had already stolen Padmāvatī's heart with His world-bewitching, gentle smile. Such was the profound excitement born from this playful act of heart-thievery that the infinite Lord, Mukunda, forgot even His own mind, having left it entirely with her. Back home, He found no sleep, nor could He partake of food; He merely rolled on the ground, sighing again and again, agitated by anxiety, shedding teardrops. (v.1-3)
It was then that Vakulamālikā, known in the Kṛṣṇa incarnation as Mother Yaśodā, approached Lord Veṅkaṭeśa that night, her heart brimming with parental affection, and questioned Him. (v.4)
**Vakulamalika said:**
“My child, why is your mind so utterly seized by anxiety? Why do you heave such long sighs? You have neither eaten food nor drunk milk. O Mukunda, I do not understand why sleep eludes you.” (v.5)
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
The Lord replied, “O Mother, I saw the daughter of King Ākāśa, accompanied by her friends, in the pleasure garden. From that very moment, I have been thus afflicted. She has conquered me with a mere frown of her brow.” (v.6)
**Vakulamalika said:**
Vakulamālikā assured Him, “My son, I myself will certainly go to the king and choose her for you. Do not grieve like this. Drink your milk and go to sleep, casting aside your anxiety.” (v.7)
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
But Śrī Bhagavān expressed His doubt: “I am but a cowherd, your son, while Padmāvatī is a princess. O Mother, how could King Ākāśa ever desire such a relationship between us in his heart?” (v.8)
**Vakulamalika said:**
Vakulamālikā then proposed, “Tomorrow morning, my son, I will go as a tribal woman [Pulindī, a woman from a forest tribe] and observe Padmāvatī. Having understood her feelings, and those of the king and queen, I will return and tell you everything.” (v.9)
**Śrī Bhagavān said:**
The Lord continued, “Indeed, at the mere sight of me, Padmāvatī was enchanted with the sentiment of love. But her friends restrained her, and the young girl suddenly fainted. Seeing her fallen on the ground, I mercifully approached her. Yet, O Mother, these women then drove me away by throwing stones. Though I alone am capable of bringing all those maidens here with me at once, nevertheless, O Mother, I left them and have come to your presence.” (v.10-12)
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
Then, in the morning, the nurse, Vakulamālikā, out of compassion, went to the king’s palace disguised as a tribal woman. The queen had her brought in with respect and inquired about Padmā’s condition. (v.13)
**The Queen said:**
The Queen, distraught, spoke: “This girl of mine neither eats food nor sleeps; she is agitated, she faints, she cries, she trembles. Good woman, tell me quickly the reason for this. Is this a disease, or the work of a ghost? Is it madness from bile, or a fever? How can there be a swift release from this suffering? And what medicine should be given today?” (v.14-15)
**The Pulindī (Vakulamalika) said:**
The Pulindī replied, “This is not a disease, nor the work of a ghost. It is not a burning fever, nor an agitation of bile. Your daughter, afflicted by the arrows of Kāma [the god of love], is crying. Ask her yourself.” (v.16)
**The Queen said:**
The Queen then turned to her daughter: “Padmāvatī, you are my daughter. Do not be afraid in vain. Tell me what is in your heart. I will surely remedy it at once. This is certainly a sickness of the mind, my child.” (v.17)
**Padmavati said:**
Padmāvatī then revealed, “O Mother, on that day in springtime, when I had gone to the pleasure garden in the evening, a certain prince, mounted on a horse, by chance came into my sight. He was dark, youthful, with a form that could charm even Manmatha [the god of love], wearing yellow garments, with eyes as large as lotus petals. At the very sight of him, I fainted and was brought here by force by my friends. From that time, O Mother, this mind of mine does not come under my control, alas! In dream and in waking, that very prince appears before my eyes.” (v.18-20)
**The Queen said:**
The Queen exclaimed, “Oh! You are of a noble family, you are my daughter, and you have become infatuated by seeing some random person! This is not at all proper for our lineage, child. Calm your mind, slowly, slowly. A girl who knows not desire, a helpless one, a child, chaste, modest, and naturally timid—that someone, coming by chance, has thus enchanted her, alas, alas! Her character has become an object of ridicule, and thus I am filled with sorrow. How will I go and tell my husband the story of this daughter of our lineage?” (v.21-23)
**The Pulindī said:**
The Pulindī gently interjected, “O Queen, do not grieve so! It was not some rogue prince who was seen by this virtuous daughter of yours, who is always under your control. On Vṛṣācala [Tirumala] is our family deity. It is that very deity who came into her sight. Therefore, filled with a flood of the sentiment of devotion, she cries and trembles for a long time. I shall go to that very Lord Veṅkaṭeśa, the ocean of mercy, and I will pray to Him today to protect this girl, O Queen. Do not grieve.” (v.24-26)
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
Thus consoling Padmāvatī and her mother, the queen, the Pulindī then returned to the Lord of Śeṣācala and joyfully reported all this to Him. (v.27)
Thus ends the forty-first chapter, named "The Separation of Padmavati," in the First Part of the Divya Desa Vaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
