Now, in days of yore, a sannyasi called Divakara,
Foremost among the devotees of Vishnu's feet,
Free from the filth (of sin), a Yogi, very pure in spirit,
Set up within himself the Krishna form of Vishnu
And passed his days worshipping him with bhakti every day,
Constantly renouncing attachment to other objects.
To him, twice-born, who worshipped in his heart
The eternal Lord of all the world,
By his great, good fortune the Lord manifested himself visibly,
In the lovely likeness of a little lad.
While the Yogi walked, or when he went to bed,
Or took his bath, or repeated the names of God,
Or devoutly bowed his head in worship, or sat in contemplation,
Or thought of the likeness, or took his food,
The lad sported charmingly,
Always outside him and inside as well,
Singing songs sweetly and dancing
Before him, to his intense joy.
Thus the great Swamiyar of the Bilvamangala clan
Lived in blessedness and joy,
Looking with delight at the picturesque form divine
Of the heaven-born lad who never parted from him.
One day the Yogi Divakara sat down to sing hymns from the Devaram,
All alone; and, while he was doing puja ,
The changeless God of gods, Absolute Bliss, the friend of devotees,
The lotus-eyed little son of Vasudeva,
Gathered up the flowers with his hands and scattered them on the floor,
Worshipped the great Brahman in mockery,
Stole and hid the idols
Which the holy man was worshipping,
Seized and threw away his vessels one by one,
Mounted his back and played the mahout .
At these, the Lord's mischievous deeds,
There arose in the heart of the blessed Swamiyar
Great joy, and, along with it,
In spite of himself, a little resentment;
And the Brahman, though his heart was free from evil intent,
Forbade the Lord with a movement of his hand.
What man indeed is there, even among sages,
Who has not been involved in the darkness of anger?
Notwithstanding the Yogi's bhakti , at this his act,
Vishnu in the lad's form feigned anger and said,
— If you want to see me any more,
Cast away all unbelief from your mind and to Ananta's forest
Come. There in an instant I shall reveal myself to you. —
With these words Vishnu disappeared.
When, like a jewel-lamp blown out before one's eyes
By a mighty wind, —
When, like resplendent lightning, instantly disappeared
That lovely lad of the lotus eyes,
The sannyasi was sorry: who can tell his grief? —
What can indeed be said of the Lord's sportive deeds?
Like a picture in colours on canvas
Stood the sannyasi in dejected mood. . . .
— O, my Vishnu, enough of these sports, enough!
Manifest thyself before me, O Lord.
Although I have wronged thee a little,
Forgive me and deign to save me. —
Thus the great Yogi (after coming to Ananta's forest) to the wish-granting Lord
Prayed. And as he stood in all eagerness,
There was heard close by the mingled, jingling sound
Of bracelets, little bells and anklets.
Instantly the Yogi's curiosity was aroused
And he stood bewildered.
Then to his joy there appeared before him
The little lad, absorbed in play.
The Yogi, seeing the little fellow,
Was overjoyed in his heart,
As a peacock at the sight of a dark cloud,
And drew near in all eagerness
To take him up tenderly and embrace him.
But on the instant Lakshmi's blessed lord
Fled swiftly from the place.
Foremost among the devotees of Vishnu's feet,
Free from the filth (of sin), a Yogi, very pure in spirit,
Set up within himself the Krishna form of Vishnu
And passed his days worshipping him with bhakti every day,
Constantly renouncing attachment to other objects.
To him, twice-born, who worshipped in his heart
The eternal Lord of all the world,
By his great, good fortune the Lord manifested himself visibly,
In the lovely likeness of a little lad.
While the Yogi walked, or when he went to bed,
Or took his bath, or repeated the names of God,
Or devoutly bowed his head in worship, or sat in contemplation,
Or thought of the likeness, or took his food,
The lad sported charmingly,
Always outside him and inside as well,
Singing songs sweetly and dancing
Before him, to his intense joy.
Thus the great Swamiyar of the Bilvamangala clan
Lived in blessedness and joy,
Looking with delight at the picturesque form divine
Of the heaven-born lad who never parted from him.
One day the Yogi Divakara sat down to sing hymns from the Devaram,
All alone; and, while he was doing puja ,
The changeless God of gods, Absolute Bliss, the friend of devotees,
The lotus-eyed little son of Vasudeva,
Gathered up the flowers with his hands and scattered them on the floor,
Worshipped the great Brahman in mockery,
Stole and hid the idols
Which the holy man was worshipping,
Seized and threw away his vessels one by one,
Mounted his back and played the mahout .
At these, the Lord's mischievous deeds,
There arose in the heart of the blessed Swamiyar
Great joy, and, along with it,
In spite of himself, a little resentment;
And the Brahman, though his heart was free from evil intent,
Forbade the Lord with a movement of his hand.
What man indeed is there, even among sages,
Who has not been involved in the darkness of anger?
Notwithstanding the Yogi's bhakti , at this his act,
Vishnu in the lad's form feigned anger and said,
— If you want to see me any more,
Cast away all unbelief from your mind and to Ananta's forest
Come. There in an instant I shall reveal myself to you. —
With these words Vishnu disappeared.
When, like a jewel-lamp blown out before one's eyes
By a mighty wind, —
When, like resplendent lightning, instantly disappeared
That lovely lad of the lotus eyes,
The sannyasi was sorry: who can tell his grief? —
What can indeed be said of the Lord's sportive deeds?
Like a picture in colours on canvas
Stood the sannyasi in dejected mood. . . .
— O, my Vishnu, enough of these sports, enough!
Manifest thyself before me, O Lord.
Although I have wronged thee a little,
Forgive me and deign to save me. —
Thus the great Yogi (after coming to Ananta's forest) to the wish-granting Lord
Prayed. And as he stood in all eagerness,
There was heard close by the mingled, jingling sound
Of bracelets, little bells and anklets.
Instantly the Yogi's curiosity was aroused
And he stood bewildered.
Then to his joy there appeared before him
The little lad, absorbed in play.
The Yogi, seeing the little fellow,
Was overjoyed in his heart,
As a peacock at the sight of a dark cloud,
And drew near in all eagerness
To take him up tenderly and embrace him.
But on the instant Lakshmi's blessed lord
Fled swiftly from the place.