Why Are You Going Back to Gokul?

I’ve been listening to this song a lot lately: Mathura Nagarpati, from the film Raincoat. It’s sung by Shubha Mudgal, a classically-trained singer whose voice I sometimes find coarse; but it suits this song. The song is addressed to Krishna (referred to here as Mathura Nagarpati, the Lord of Mathura): You have already left Gokula to take up your crown as the Lord of Mathura; Radha has wiped her tears - why do you want to go back to Gokul now, and reawaken the old pain... (in fact, it's written in Bhojpuri, which I don't understand very well, but it doesn't matter. Here are the lyrics.)

It’s a lovely sad, haunting song. If you don’t know it, go listen to it: Mathura Nagarpati. (This is a free download site for which you must register. Alternately, you can listen to a streaming download at Raaga.com, but you must endure a commercial first.)

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