priya-rÄva-padÄni bhÄá¹£ase
má¹›ta-sañjÄ«vikayÄnayÄ girÄ
karavÄṇi kim adya te priyaá¹
vada me valgita-kaṇá¹ha kokila
priya - dear; rÄva - of him whose sounds; padÄni - the vibrations; bhÄá¹£ase - you are uttering; má¹›ta - the dead; sañjÄ«vikayÄ - which brings back to life; anayÄ - in this; girÄ - voice; karavÄṇi - I should do; kim - what; adya - today; te - for you; priyam - pleasing; vada - please tell; me - me; valgita - sweetened (by these sounds); kaṇá¹ha - O you whose throat; kokila - O cuckoo.
O sweet-throated cuckoo, in a voice that could revive the dead you are vibrating the same sounds we once heard from our beloved, the most pleasing of speakers. Please tell me what I can do today to please you.
As ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« explains, though the song of a cuckoo is very pleasant, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives perceive it as painful because it reminds them of their beloved Kṛṣṇa and exacerbates their pain of separation.
