કીર્તન મુક્તાવલી
Translation
(1) He Govind he Gopāl ab to jīvan hāre
This kirtan by Surdas is the story from the Bhagwat about the struggle between an elephant and the crocodile. It is written from the perspective of the elephant, who is losing to the crocodile and cries out to Krishna to save him.
He Govind, he Gopāl, (He Govind rākho sharaṇ)
O! Lord. Take me in your refuge.
Ab to jīvan hāre...
I have now lost life.
Nīr pīvan hetu gayo, sindhu ke kināre,
I went to a lake to drink water.
Sindhu bīch basat grāh, charan grahī pachhāre... 1
A crocodile, which lived in the lake, grabbed my leg.
Chār prahar juddh bhayo, laī gayo majhdhāre,
The struggle lasted for 4 prahars. He took me deep into the water.
Nāk kān ḍūban lāge, (tab) Krishṇa ko pukāre... 2
My neck and ears began submerging in water. I cried out to Krishna.
Dwārikā me shabda gayo, shor bhayo bhāre,
The loud cry of this battle was heard in Dwarika.
Shankh chakra gadā padma, Garuḍ laī sidhāre... 3
[Krishna] departed Dwarika on the Garud with a conch shell, disc, mace, and lotus (and arrived at the lake to save the elephant).
Sūr kahe Shyām suno, sharaṇ hai tihāre,
Surdas says to Krishna, “I have your refuge…
Abkī ber pār karo, Nand ke dulāre... 4
…please save me this time, O [Krishna] son of Nand.”
