1The song may be summarised as follows: Kṛṣṇa (here, perhaps, any bridegroom) arrives with his party and all the guests sit to dine together. At the same time the singing of gālīs begins and the singers cast aspersions on Kṛṣṇa's relatives. His sister Subhadrā had eloped with Arjuna by his permission. His father's sister, Kuntī, had seven lovers or husbands: her first child, Karṇa, was born from Sūrya, the sun-god, while she was an unmarried girl, then she was married to Pāṇḍu, from whom she had no son but her three sons were born through intercourse with three gods. This makes five the number of her lovers. As Pāṇḍu's other wife, Mādrī, had two sons from intercourse with two gods, they may indirectly be referred to as Kuntī's men also. Thus the number reaches seven. Upon hearing these remarks Kṛṣṇa, or the bridegroom, becomes annoyed and goes back to his mother but she pursuades him to return to his susrāl, where he finally accepts the gālīs in good humour, forgetting his pride of being a ‘duke of the three worlds’.
These songs are sung when the meals are served. They are particularly called gārī or gālī, as well as khicṛī, the meal-time being expecially an occasion for relaxation and cementing of kinship (vide p. 17 f.). This song is a good mixture of the deprecatory and respectful themes.
Cp. Archer and Prasād ('43: 143, 153). Lines XI-XIV: Archer and Prasād ('43: 139, 148, 157); Satyendra ('49: 219); S. Anila ('57: 93). Lines XIX-XXI, XXIII-XXV as part of another non-deprecatory song in which the bridegroom praises his sūsral (family by marriage): our own recorded variant and K. Upādhyāya ('54: 252); (H.S.B.I. Bundelī: 342). Lines XXVII-XXX: our own recorded variant and cp. Archer and Prasād ('43: 158).

2Each even numbered line begins with the stobha, rāmjū, in the recording.

3Hą̄ sītārām se banī is a stobha, not translated repeatedly.

4In another recorded version [Leiden 8A, 1962] there are additional lines, being given here for reference to p. 33.:
iii. nāva navariā gopiyā caṛhe āye ho kṛṣṇa garul caṛhi āye
iv. utari pare jamunā ke nikaṭa para bārina pą̄va pakhāre
v. caraṇa dhöi caranāmṛta line ho dhani dhani bhāgya hamāre. etc.
iii. The gopīs came sitting in the boats and such; Kṛṣṇa came mounted on Garuḍa (Viṣṇu's mythical bird).
iv. They (all) alighted near (the river) Yamunā and washed the feet with water.
v. (The hosts) washed (the guests' feet) and took the caraṇāmṛta (a sip from the water used for washing the feet).

1Another variant has sarayū which is, in fact, the river flowing by the city of Ayodhyā, not Mathurā.

2Ramānā, literally, to affix with a great interest.

3Tilakas, in this case, marks not only on the forehead, but various religious marks on other parts of the body also. This indicates that the guests assembled are very religious and pious.

1Even now, lotus and banana leaves are used for plates.

2This indicates that there are so many guests that there is not sufficient space.

3Mevā is the common noun for dried fruits and nuts.

4Kṛṣṇa kanhāi, the twin name is a colloquial form.

5This must be ‘from Mathurā to Gokula’, as he is leaving the dinner party which is in Mathurā.

6Sāre sasuriyā: perhaps, the sālās (wife's brothers) and sasur (father-in-law).

7Gālī.

1See for note 1 page 91.

2Paṭukā: a length of cloth worn on the shoulder.