I first saw this song, being performed in Odissi by Arushi Mudgal in 2013. I was smitten by the beauty and simplicity of the lyrics & of Maha Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra's choregraphy
Radha, recounts to her friend, of how Krishna had visited her, in the disguise of a lady to apply alta to her feet. Radha is mesmerized by her beauty and questions that she has not seen a beutiful girl like her in the village. Krishna, wittingly, inscribes his name on the sole of her feet. Radha, rebukes her for doing so. All of a sudden, it is revealed that it is Krishna in disguise. Radha overtaken by shame, pleads to let go of her feet.
Resemblance to Geeta Govinda
In the Ashtapadi - Priya Charusheelae, Krishna - asks Radha to place her feet on his head, an an antidote to the poison of love that has overtaken him.
smara garaLa khanDanam
mama Sirasi manDanam
dehi pada pallava mudaram
jvalati mayi daruno madana kadanAnalo
haratu tadupahita vikaram priye
Lyrics with transliteration and Translation: Contributed by Shri Prateek Pattnaik
'Kāli Mu ki Lāje Budili' by 18th-century poet Banamāli Dāsa
ପ୍ରାଣସଙ୍ଗିନୀରେ କାଲି ମୁଁ କି ଲାଜେ ବୁଡ଼ିଲି
ତୋତେ ନ ବିଚାରି ପଦେ ପଦେ ହୁଡ଼ିଲି
ମୁଁ ଯା ଅବିଚାରେ ପଡ଼ିଲି । ଘୋଷା ।
ଶ୍ୟାମ ହୋଇ ନାରୀ ବେଶ
ମୋ ପୁରେ ହେଲେ ପ୍ରବେଶ
ବୋଇଲେ ଗୋ ଆସ ଆସ
ଦେଇଯିବି ଲାକ୍ଷାରସ । ୧ ।
ଶୁଣି ତା ମୃଦୁ ବଚନ
ନ ରହିଲା ମୋ ଚେତନ
ପିନ୍ଧିଲି ଅତି ନିଉନ
ଝୀନବାସ ପୁରାତନ । ୨ ।
ଯାଇ ମୁଁ ଭାଷିଲି ରହ
ନ ଢଙ୍କାଇ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଦେହ
କାହିଁକି ଶଙ୍କା ନିବହ
ହୁଅନ୍ତା ସଜନୀ କହ । ୩ ।
ସେ ତ ନାନା କଳାକ୍ଷମ
ଲାକ୍ଷା ଦେଇ ଅନୁପମ
ପଦତଳେ ତାଙ୍କ ନାମ
ଲେଖିଲେ ଗୋ ଶ୍ୟାମ ଶ୍ୟାମ । ୪ ।
ତରକି ତାହାଙ୍କୁ ମିତ
ଚଞ୍ଚଳ କରନ୍ତେ ଚିତ୍ତ
ଧରି ପାଦ ନନ୍ଦସୁତ
ନ ଛାଡ଼ିଲେ କଦାଚିତ । ୫ ।
ହେବାରୁ କୂଟ ପ୍ରକଟ
କାହିଁ ଗଲେ ପୀତପଟ
'ବନମାଳୀ' ସେ ଲମ୍ପଟ
ପାଦପଦ୍ମେ ମଧୁଲିଟ । ୬ ।
Transliterated version :
(This has been romanised as per the pronunciation of Odia)
prāṇa-saṅginire kāli mũ ki lāje buḍili
tote na bichāri pade pade huḍili
mũ jā abichāre paḍili /ghosā/
syāma hoi nāri-besa
mo pure hele prabesa
boile go āsa āsa
deijibi lākhyā-rasa /1/
suṇi tā mrudu-bachana
na rahilā mo chetana
pindhili ati niuna
jhinabāsa purātana /2/
jāi mũ bhāsili raha
na ḍhaṅkāi tāṅku deha
kāhĩki saṅkā nibaha
huantā sajani kaha /3/
se ta nānā-kaḷā-khyama
lākhyā dei anupama
pada-taḷe tānka nāma
lekhile go syāma-syāma /4/
taraki tāhāṅku mita
chañchaḷa karante chitta
dhari pāda nanda-suta
na chhāḍile kadāchita /5/
hebāru kuṭa prakaṭa
kāhĩ gale pitapaṭa
'banamāḷi' se lampaṭa
pāda-padme madhuliṭa /6/
Translation:
Translation : (Radha speaking to her friend)
Friend, how I died of shame the other day!
without you, I erred in each step
unable to comprehend. /refrain/
Shyāma, in the guise of a lady
entered my palace
He said "Come, come,
I'll paint you with alatā*". /1/
Listening to his sweet voice
I could not resist the invitation
And so I wore a small piece
of cloth (so her feet can be painted) / 2/
I went and said "Stop (beautician!)"
And went to him.
What was there to create doubt,
tell me? /3/
He is adept in many arts;
And so he painted my feet deftly
and under the sole
he wrote "Shyāma, Shyāma." /4/
(I saw it) Then I rebuked him
and my heart beat fast
(guilty of having written Krishna's name below her feet)
Then, he held my feet
and refused to let go. /5/
When his deceit was caught
I found no sign of him around.
Banamāli (=poet) wishes to be
a bee at the feet of that trickster. /6/
*alatā is a red pigment that women apply on their feet and hands, in various designs during festivities.
This episode is one of the various guises of Krishna in Odia folklore where he devises multiple ways to placate an annoyed Radha.
