mitrera mitra saha-vÄsÄ«, cakravÄke luá¹e Äsi',
kṛṣṇera rÄjye aiche vyavahÄra
aparicita Å›atrura mitra, rÄkhe utpala, — e baá¸a citra,
ei baá¸a 'virodha-alaá¹…kÄra'
mitrera - of the sun-god; mitra - the friend; saha-vÄsÄ« - living together with the cakravÄka birds; cakravÄke - the cakravÄka birds; luá¹e - plunder; Äsi' - coming; kṛṣṇera rÄjye - in the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa; aiche - such; vyavahÄra - behavior; aparicita - unacquainted; Å›atrura mitra - the friend of the enemy; rÄkhe - protects; utpala - the red lotus flower; e - this; baá¸a citra - very wonderful; ei - this; baá¸a - great; virodha-alaá¹…kÄra - metaphor of contradiction.
“The blue lotuses are friends of the sun-god, and though they all live together, the blue lotuses plunder the cakravÄkas. The red lotuses, however, blossom at night and are therefore strangers or enemies to the cakravÄkas. Yet in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes the red lotuses, which are the hands of the gopÄ«s, protect their cakravÄka breasts. This is a metaphor of contradiction.â€
Because the blue lotus flower blossoms with the rising of the sun, the sun is the friend of the blue lotus. The cakravÄka birds also appear when the sun rises, and therefore the cakravÄkas and blue lotuses meet. Although the blue lotus is a friend of the sun, in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes it nevertheless plunders their mutual friend the cakravÄka. Normally, cakravÄkas move about whereas lotuses stand still, but herein Kṛṣṇa’s hands, which are compared to blue lotuses, attack the breasts of the gopÄ«s, which are compared to cakravÄkas. This is called a reverse analogy. At night the red lotus blossoms, whereas in sunlight it closes. Therefore the red lotus is an enemy of the sun and is unknown to the sun’s friend the cakravÄka. The gopÄ«s’ breasts, however, are compared to cakravÄkas and their hands to red lotuses protecting them. This is a wonderful instance of reverse analogy.
