So, the natkhat (mischievous one) is Shyāmsundar Krishna (dark, beautiful Krishna), and His lat (locks of hair) is His hair—His Divine, black, curly, luscious hair, dark black hair coming right up to the shoulders. His gungā rāl (extremely curly locks) means very curly. And the locks of those dark, black, curly, Divine hairs are very mischievous.
So this is the Divine, mischievous locks of Shree Krishna’s, of Shyāmsundar’s hair, which is extremely curly, being talked about here.
So what does it do?
“Sigare Braj ki Braj vānitani ke, gal māhaṃ phāṃsī ḍāl re.”
- Prem Ras Madira: Shree Krishna Madhuri 21
These Divine locks are like a noose, a phāṃsī (hanging noose). The noose you know (is) a killer. A ‘killer’ for whom? For the Braj gopīs, the maidens of Braj. It is like a noose around the neck of the gopīs.
When they see these Divine curly locks of Shree Krishna’s hair, the dark, black Divine hair, it is ‘killing’ them. It’s like the noose around their neck. Go deep into thinking (about) what is being talked about here. What else is being talked about?
“Natkhat ki laṭ ghuṃgharāl re
Ūpar te maṭakāvati nigurī, mor chandrikā bhāl re,
Kanhā, mor chandrī kā bhāl re,
Ghuṃgharāl re, ghuṃgharāl re.
Natkhat ki laṭ ghuṃgharāl re”- Prem Ras Madira: Shree Krishna Madhuri 21
And on top of everything else, the locks themselves of mischievous Shree Krishna are so enticing, and it is like ‘killing’ the gopīs. The moment they set their eyes on these most beautiful Divine hair, the curly hair and the locks of Shree Krishna’s hair, they are already like on their deathbed. Those locks are like the noose around their neck. It is already creating so much longing, so much desperateness, that on top of this virah (separation) they are going through, this agony they are going through from this peacock-feather crest which is placed on top of the head of Shree Krishna (which) is so close to those curly, beautiful locks and hair, it is threatening (them), as if it is trying to tease these gopīs, saying,
“Look, I am here, getting all the closeness, all the love, and drinking all the nectar! And you? You’re craving for it!”
So it increases the agony in the heart of these gopīs.
