The Krsna Library
Volume 80
An Anthology of
VaiŠava Literarure
Transalted by Kuakratha d€sa
Dedication
r…-ri-vaiŠava-€str€Ši
kt€ni para-vaiŠavaiƒ
gurave prabhup€daya
gauraveŠ€rpay€my aham
To my spiritual master,
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada,
these transaltions of literature
are respectfully dedicated.
Part One: Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda, and Lord Advaita
Dvit…ya ®r… Caitany€˜aka, Second Poem of Eight Prayers Glorifying Lord Caitanya, by Sr…la R™pa Gosv€mi
Text 1
By performing the sacrificeof congregational chanting of the holy name , scholars in the age of Kali worship Lord KŠa, who is now non-blackish becaus of the great upsurge of feelings of ®r…mat… R€dh€raŠ…. He is the only worshipable Deity for the paramahamsas, who have attained the highest stage of the forth order (sanny€sa). May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya. Show us His greatest causeless mercy.
Text 2
Loudyly shouting “jaya” as He manifested His saŠk…rtana pastimes that delighted even the fallen and sinful, and His hips bound by a silk garment that eclipsed the splendor of the rising sun, He pacified His mother’s grief. May that Supreme Personlaity of Godhead, Lord Caitanya , show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 3
Lord KŠa desired to taste tthe limitless nectarean mellow of love of one His multitude of loving damsels (®r… R€dh€), and so He has assumed the form of Lord Caitanya. He has tasted that love while hiding His own dark complexion with Her effulgent yellow color. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 4
By the demons He is never worshiped with love. For the surrendered devotees He defeats the power od material destiny in the three worlds. He is handsome, blissful and charming. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 5
He is the shelter of the people of Bengal. His glory is manifest in Navadv…pa. By birth He ornaments the br€hmaŠ community, which is worshiped in all the worlds. By accepting it, He purifies the paramahaˆsa-€rama in this world. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 6
To reveal the truth of pure transcendental love in this world He first jubilantly drank with His mouth the nectar of the holy name, and then discharged it frm His eyes on the pretext of shedding tears. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 7
His form is splendid as new gold. His waist id decorated with a waterpot. He is as graceful as a regal young elephant. By appreciating His own kŠa-pras€dam garlands, He teaches His dear associates. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 8
His smiling glance at once drives away all the bereavements of the world, and His very words enliven the auspicious creepers of devotion by expanding theirleaves. Taking shelter of His lotus feet invokes transcendental love at once. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.
Text 9
At every step may the glorious Supreme Personality of Godhead bring transcendental happiness and grant auspicious pure love for His own lotus feet to that person who very happily reads these eight verse, which contain the son of Sac….
®r… Gaur€Šga-stava-kalpa-vka, The Desire Tree of Prayers to Lord Gaur€Šga, by ®r…la Raghun€tha d€sa Gosv€m…
Text 1
When everyone sees His graceful motions they revile the graceful mad elephant and whenthey see His face they spit at the moon. He is splendid as a gold mountain anad the waves of His words are nectar. The appearance of ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu, awakening in my heart maddens me.
Text 2
Decorating Himself with the jewels of paleness, becoming stunned, stuttering, trembling, shedding tears, and bodily hairs erect with joy, and laughing and perspiring as He danced for the pleasure of Lord Jagann€tha, may ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu rise in my heart and make me mad with love.
Text 3
Staggering about in ecstasy, sprinkling everyone with water from the reddish syringes of His eyes, joyfully biting His charming lips with His teeth, and trembling as He dances, may ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu rise in my heart and make me mad with love.
Text 4
Sometimes ®r… Caitanya would go to the house of K€… Mira. There He would be greatly aggrieved, feeling separation from KŠa. The joint sof His transcendental body would slacken and His arms and legs would become elongated. Rolling on the ground, the Lord would cry out in distress in a faltering voice and weep very sorrowfully. The appearance of ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu, awakwning in myy heart, maddens me.
Text 5
How wonderful it is! ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu left His residence without opening the three strongly bolted doors. Then He crossed over three high walls, and later, because of strong feelings of separation from KŠa, He fell down amidst the cows of the TailaŠga district and retracted all the limbs of His body like a tortoise. ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu, who appeared in that way, rises in my heart and maddens me.
Text 6
Because of separation from His many friends in Vnd€vana, who were like His own life, ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu spoke like a madman. His intelligence was transformed. Day and night He rubbed His moonlike face against the walls, and blood flowed from the injuries. May that ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu rise in my heart and make me mad with love.
Text 7
“My dear friend the doorkeeper, where is KŠa, the Lord of my heart? Kindly show Him to me quickly.” With these words Lord ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu addressed the doorkeeper like a madman. The doorkeeper grasped His hand and replied very hastily, “Come, see Your beloved!” May that Lord ®ri Caitanya Mah€prabhu rise within my heart and thus make mad also.
Text 8
Near Jagann€tha Pur… was a great sand dune known as Ca˜aaka-parvata. Seeing that hill, ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu said, “Oh, I shall go to the land of Vraja to see Govardhana Hill.” Then He began running madly to it, and all the VaiŠavas ran after Him. This scene awakens in my heart and maddens me.
Text 9
Under a charming pavilion at the swing festival with Svar™pa D€modara and the other devotees He sweetly sang the holy names of Lord KŠa. May ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu rise in my heart and make me mad with love.
Text 10
As Lord N€r€yaŠa is kind to Garua, He is kind to Govinda d€sa. As Lord KŠa is devoted to His guru, He is devoted to Ivara Pur…. As Lord Giridh€r… loves Subala, He loves Svar™pa D€mdodara. May that ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu rise in my heart and make me mad with love.
Text 11
Although I am a fallen soul, the lowest of men, ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu delivered me from the blazing fire of great material opulence by His mercy. He handed me over in great pleasure to Svar™pa D€modara, His personal associate. The Lord also gave me the garland of small conchshells that He wore on His chest and a stone from Govardhana Hill, although they were very dear to Him. That same Lord ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu awaken within my heart and makes me mad after Him.
Text 12
One who, with the water of careful rading mixed with the medicine of strong faith, waters this celestial tree, its charming branches the verses of this poem, and the splendor of its flowers pure love for Lord Gaur€‰ga, will reap that tree’s heavy fruit: the sight of ®r… Caitanya Mah€prabhu.
®r…-Nity€nand€˜aka, Eight Prayers Glorifying Lord Nity€nanda, by ®r…la Vnd€vana d€sa µh€kura
Text 1
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who is pure and splendid as the autumn moon, who walks as gracefully as majestic ele[phant, who is maddened with pure love of KŠa, who is the Absolute Truth, who smiles, whose eyes are always rolling, who holds a staff in His hand, and who breaks the power of the age of Kali.
Text 2
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who is the abode of the mellows of devotional service, to whom no one can be compared, who is His devotees’ life-treasure, who is both the Lord of J€hnav€-dev… and Vasudh€-dev…, who both think of Him more dear than life, who is always maddened with pure love of KŠa, and whom the uninteeligent non-devotees cannot understand is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
Text 3
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who is very dear to the son of ®ac…-dev…, who is worshiped by the entire universe, and who by chanting the holy name of Lord Hari mercifully rescues the souls drowning in the age of Kali and crushes the pride of the ocean of repeated birth and death.
Text 4
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who said to Lord Caitanya, “O Brother, the people will become infected by the sins of Kali-yuga. How will they atone for them? Please give them a way easily to approach You.”
Text 5
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who went to each house and raised His arms, saying, “O brother, if you will, please constantly chant the Holy Name of Lord Hari. If you do this, you will become free from the ocean of repeated birth and death. Please give this of your liberation to me.”
Text 6
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who is an Agastya Muni forcibly swallowing the ocean of repeated birth and death, who is a rising full moon expanding the ocean of the saintly devotees’ welfare, and who is a blazing sun extinguishing the darkness that is the community of demons.
Text 7
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who travelled on every path, dancing, singing the names of Lord Hari, and mercifully glancing at the people.
Text 8
I worship Lord Nity€nanda, the limitless root of the tree of devotional service, who wandered here and there, delighting the townspeople with His sweetness, and whose heart became filled with bliss when he held His brother’s (Lord Caitanya) gentle lotus hand and They gazed into each other’s face.
Text 9
May Lord Nity€nanda place His two lotus feet in the heart of one who reads this unprecedented Nity€nand€˜aka, which is abode of the mellows of devotional service, the great treasure of the great devotees that know what is really sweet, the abode of sweetness, and the saviour the memory of which delivers the fallen souls.
®r… Advait€˜aka, Eight prayers glorifying Lord Advaita, by ®r…la S€rvabhauma Bha˜˜€c€rya
Text 1
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, who with tulas… leaves, flowers, water from the Ganges’ shore, and loud calls of love, worshiped Lord Gaura and begged Him to appear.
Text 2
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya. Attracted by His loud calls, the golden Lord of Goloka Vnd€vana, who is an ocean of ecstatic love, appeared in ®r… Navadv…pa.
Text 3
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, who by making the moon of Lord Caitanya rise, flooded the world with a love even Brahm€ and the great demigods cannot attain.
Text 4
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, whose mercy is beyond understanding, and by whose request alone all-powerful Lord Caitanya disappeared from this world.
Text 5
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, who is not different from the form of Lord Mah€-ViŠu, and whose parts and parcels are the Brahm€, ViŠu, and ®iva engaged in the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the worlds.
Text 6
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, who is worshiped by all, who is attaiined only by devotional service, and who, as is heard in a certain Vedic literature, becuase He is Lord ®iva’s shelter, has a name and glory like Lord ®iva’s.
Text 7
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, who is flooded with love for Lord Caitanya, and whose beloved S…t€-dev… and son Acyut€nanda are also filled with love.
Text 8
Let me surrender to ®r…la Advaita Ac€rya, whose heart is Lord Gaura’s eternal home, who is named Advaita because He is not (a) different (dvaita) from Lord Nity€nanda, and who is named Ac€rya because He teaches devotional service.
Text 9
A person whose intelligence is pure and every morning happily reads these eight verses glorifying Lord Advaita, the husband of S…t€, attains devotion for His lotus feet and becomes dear to Him.
Part Two
®r… KŠadev€˜aka, Eight Prayers glorifying Lord KŠadeva, by ®r…la J…va Gosv€m…
Text 1
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, seeing that for a long time I had burned in the limitless ocean of the flames of repeated birth and death, rescued me and accepted me as His devotee.
Text 2
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, his heart full of mercy, led me, the lowest of all, to His lotus feet and again and again showed me the way on the pasth of His service.
Text 3
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, a generous ocean of mercy, always protects fallen, lowly, sinful, impure me who does not really like to serve Him.
Text 4
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, as a moon, places the nectar if His pastimes in the ocean of the hearts of His devotees in Vnd€vana and also in the heart of unhappy me.
Text 5
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, to me who am full of material desires burning in the fires of many troubles, gives the moon of His toenails and the cint€maŠi jewel of remembering Him, and who with pure devotional service cleans the mirror of my heart.
Text 6
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, made me like a child at His lotus feet, who by giving me the nectar of His mercy made me like a person who would never die, and who with an affectionate glance made me yearn after Him.
Text 7
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva. I am tormented. He is a moon of mercy. I am cold-hearted. He is the purifier of the sinful. I am foolish without peer. He is the home of knowledge.
Text 8
Here I serve glorious, merciful Lord KŠadeva who, with the splendor of His many virtues charms the liberated souls, who is caught by the net of their love, and who protects even a fallen person like me.
Text 9
Here I serve Lord KŠadeva, who always loves me, and who with very generous mercy again and again gives me the worshipable treasure of His lotus feet, the best thing in both worlds.
Prayer to Lord KŠa, from the N€rada-pañcar€tra
Text 1
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… KŠa, who is dark as a new monsoon cloud, who wears fine yellow garments, who is blissful, handsome, and pure, who is above the world of matter, …
Text 2
… who the Lord of R€dh€, who to R€dh€ is more dear than life, who is the son of a gop…, whose lotus feet are served by R€dh€, on whose chest R€dh€ stays, …
Text 3
… whom R€dh€ serves, whom R€dh€ worships, who has stolen R€dh€’s heart, who maintains R€dh€, who maintains the world, who maintains everyone, …
Text 4
… who stays in R€dh€’s lotus heart, who is eternal, who is handsome, who is R€dh€’s companion, who always obeys R€dh€.
Text 5
One should always meditate on Him, the eternal, pure Supreme Personlaity of Godhead on whom the yog…s, siddhas, and masters of mystic power meditate.
Text 6
The saintly devotees serve Him eternally. Brahm€, ®iva and ®esa, serve Him, the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 7
They serve Him, the eternal Supreme Personlaity of Godhead, who is untouched by matter, whose actions are not material, and who is the Supreme Self, Supreme Controller, and the Supreme Truth.
Text 8
The yog…s surrender to Him, the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of creation, the seed of everything, and higher than the highest.
Text 9
The yog…s surrender to Him, the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the seed of the incarnations of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the person to be known by studying the Vedas, the seed of the Vedas, and the original author of the Vedas.
Prayer to Lord Gop€la, From the N€rada-pañcar€tra
Text 1
I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord KŠa who has the form of a cowherd boy, who is a gop…’s son, who is dark as a new monsoon cloud, whose eyes are blue lotuses,…
Text 2
… whose curling hair holds a peacock feather, who is decorated with a garland of forest kadamba flowers, …
Text 3
… on whosae cheeks swing gold earings, whose chest shines with a great pearl necklace, …
Text 4
… whose form is more splendid than millions of gold crowns and bracelets, whose garments move in the gentle breeze, …
Text 5
… who sweetl plays the flute on His lips, who again and again charms the splendid gop…s’ hearts, …
Text 6
… who is a bee drinking the honey of the gop…’s lotus faces, who with smiling sidelong glances agitates their hearts, …
Text 7
… who is surrounded by yoiung and affectionate gop…s decorated with wonderful garments and ornaments,…
Text 8
… who happily plays in the Yamun€’s dark-as-mascara waters, who sometimes fights with the gopas, who calls the cows, …
Text 9
… who in Vnd€vana sometimes sits under a kadamba tree where cool breezes blow from the Yamun€’s waters, …
Text 10
… who sits on a great jewel throne under a desire tree, …
Text 11
… who, eager to enjoy the r€sa dance, stands on beautiful Govardhana hill where all directions are fragrant with spring flowers, …
Text 12
… who, in His left hand the umbrella of Govardhana Hill, broke the rainclouds sent by Indra, …
Text 13
… on whom the cows and calves, happily mooing after hearing the flute, and thier heads raised, gaze, …
Text 14
… who is glorious with may cowherd boys happy to play with Him, holding sticks a nd ropes in their hands, and singing the name “KŠa”, …
Text 15
… who is greater than the greatest, and whom N€rada and the great sages gone to the farther shore of the Vedas and Ved€‰gas glorify with words of love.
Text 16
Pleased with a person who thus meditates on Him and offers prayers with devotion, the Supreme Personlaity of Godhead grants the benediction he desires.
Part Three: ®r… ®r… R€dh€-Kna
Appeal to ®r…mat… R€dh€raŠ…, From the Urdhv€mn€ya-tantra
Text 1
O goddess worshiped by the kings of sages, O goddess who removes the sufferings of the three worlds, O goddess whose face is a blossoming lotus flower, O goddess who enjoys pastimes in the forest, O daughter of Vabh€nu, O companion of Vraja’s prince, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 2
O goddess staying in a vine cottage by an aoka tree, O goddess whose delicate feet are splendid as red flower-buds, O goddess whose hand grants fearlessness, O abode of transcendental opulences, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 3
O goddess who, playfully shooting glance-arrows from the curved bows of Your auspicious, amorous eyebrows, has completely subdued Nanda’s son, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 4
O goddess whose form is splendid as campaka flowers, gold, lightning, O goddess whose face eclipses millions of autumn moons, O goddess whose eyes are wonderful, restless young cakora birds, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 5
O young girl intoxicated with passion, O goddess decorated with cheerful jealous anger, O goddess who passionately loves Your beloved, O goddess learned in playful arts, O goddess expert at enjoying amorous pastimes in the kingdom of perlessly opulent forest groves, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 6
O goddess decorated a pearl necklace of bold amorous hints, O goddess fair as gold, O goddess whose breasts are great waterpots, O ocean of happiness filled with scented powders of gentle smiles, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 7
O goddess whose arms are lotus stalks dancing on the waves, O goddess whose dark eyes are dancing vines, O playful, beautiful, chraming goddess, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 8
O goddess who wears a golden necklace on the three-lined conchshell of Your neck, O goddess splendid with three jasmine garlands and three jewels necklaces, O goddess whose moving locks of dark hair are decorated with bunches of flowers, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 9
O goddess who wears a sash of flowers on Your curved hips, O goddess charming with a sash of tinkling jewel bells, O goddess whose beautiful thighs punish the regal elephant’s trunk, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 10
O goddess whose anklets’ tinkling is more beautiful than the sounds of many mantras and the cooing of many regal swans, O goddess whose graceful motions mock the moving golden vines, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 11
O goddess worshiped by Brhm€ to whom countless millionsof VaiŠavas bow down, O goddess whho give blessings to P€rvat…, ®ac…, and Sarasvat…. O goddess whose toenails are annointed with limitless opulences and mystic perfections, when will You mercifully glance on me?
Text 12
O queen of Vedic sacrifices, O queen of pious activities, O queen of the material world, O queen of the demigods, O queen of Vedic scholarship, O queen of knowledge, O queen of the goddess of fortune, O queen of patience, O queen of the forest of happiness, O queen of Vraja, O ®r… R€dhik€, obeisances to You!
®r… Yugal€˜aka, Eight Prayers Glorifying the Divine Couple, by ®r…la M€dhavendra Pur… Gosv€m…
Text 1
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who stand in a jewel pavilion, whose forms are eternal, full of knowlledge and bliss, and who enjoy pastimes in Vnd€vana.
Text 2
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who are peaceful, who are fair and dark, who wear fair and dark garments, who are eternal and who eternally enjoy the r€sa dance.
Text 3
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who are charming, who eternally love each other, who are expert at the r€sa dance, and who are expert at singing and playing the flute.
Text 4
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, stay in the gardens by the Yamun€, who stay in the new kadamba temple, and who are the king and queen of the desire-tree forest.
Text 5
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who are decorated with splendid mand€ra garlands, who are bathe in the Yamun€, and who enjoy pastimes on Govardhana Hill.
Text 6
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who smile sweetly, whose noses are decorated with a great pearl, and whose feet are decorated with tinkling anklets.
Text 7
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who create, maintain and destroy countless millions of universes, and who charm all living entities.
Text 8
I offer my respectful obeisances to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, who love each other, who l ove Their friends, and who are two oceans of the nectar of love.
Part Four: Service to the Lord
®r… Mukunda-m€l€, A Necklace for Lord Mukunda, by King Kulaekhara
Text 1
O Mukunda my Lord! Please do it unto me so that I can become a constant recitor of addressing You by the name of very dear to Lakm…, the endower of benediction, causelessly merciful, very dear to the devotees, expert in plundering the status quo of repeated birth and death, the real Lord who lies down on the bed of the serpent, and the resort of cosmos etc.
Text 2
All glories to this Supreme this Supreme Personality if Godhead, known as the son of ®r…mat… Devak…-dev…. All glories to Lord KŠa, who has appeared Himself as the limelight in the dynasty of VŠi. All glories to the Personality of Godhead whose bodily hue resembles the blackish color of a new cloud and is very soft also. All glories to Lord ®r… KŠa, known as Mukunda, who is the remover of all obstacles on the earth.
Text 3
Oh my Lord Mukunda! I do bow down my head unto the lotus feet of Your Lordship and respectfully ask from You the fulfillment of desire so far that in every repetition of my birth let it be so byy Your Lordship’s mercy that without being forgetful I may always remember You.
Text 4
O my Lord Hari! I don’t pray unto You and to Your lotus pair of feet in order to be saved from the duality of existence, neither with a purpose of getting rid from the grim hell of boiling tribulations. Nor do I do so with a purpose of enjoying soft-bodied beautiful women who reside in the garden of heaven. Bu I do so with the purppose of developing You only in the core of my heart, even birth after birth.
Text 5
O my Lord! I have no special attachment for religiosity, neither in the matter of accumulating wealth and fame, nor I have any inclination for enjoying sense-gratification. Let there be what it may come upon me as they are inevitable in accordance with the result of my past deds. But this much is my most desirable prayer unto You, that let there be unflinching devotional service attitiudfe unto the pair of Your lotus feet, even after repetitions of births after births.
Text 6
Oh my Lord the killer of the Narak€sura! Let there be my residence, either in the plane of the human being, or in that of the hell as a matter of course. I pray that I may remember, even at the point of my death, the pairs of Your lotus feet, which have defied the lotus growth in the season of arat.
Text 7
I eternally meditate on Lord Hari, whose lotus face is happy with a gentle smile, who is Nanda-gopa’s son, who is worshiped by N€rada and the sages, and who is greater than the greatest.
Text 8
Diving into the fathomless, refreshing lake of Lord Hari, its lotuses His hands and feet, its fish His glistening eyes, and its waves His arms, and drinking the water of His splendor, I , who am tormented by the desert of repeated birth and death, will give up my troubles.
Text 9
Mind, please don’t stop delighting in Lord KŠa, whose eyes are lotus flowers, who killed Mura, and who holds the conch and club. I don’t think anything is delightful as the nectar of remembering Lord Hari’s feet.
Text 10
Slow mind, don’t fearfully meditate on Yama’s tortures. Your enemies, sinful reactions, won’t defeat you. Is not Lord ®r…dhara the supreme master? Give up laziness and meditate on Lord N€r€yaŠa, who is easy to attain by devotional service. Can the Lord not remove the distressing sins of His servants?
Text 11
For people fallen in the ocaen od repeatd birth and death, drowning in the poison waters of sense pleasure, tossed by the winds of duality, and tormented to maintain and protect wife, sons, and daughters, the boat of Lord ViŠu is the only safety.
Text 12
Heart, don’t be discouraged, thinking, “How will I cross the limitless and impassible ocean of repeated birth and death?” Service to the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead, who rescues His devotees even from hell, will easily bring me across.
Text 13
O generous giver of benedcitions, O Lord who resides in three realms, to us drowning in the great ocean of repeated birth and death, which is filled with waters of material thirsts, garlanded with waves of illusion fanned by winds of lust, and swirling in a whirlpool of wife, please give l ove for Your lotus feet.
Text 14
Glory to the pollen of Lord KŠa’s lotus feet, compared to which the sprinkling of nectar is like a speck of dust, a great fire like a small spark, a hurricane like a motinless calm, the sky like a very tiny openeing, and all the demigods, headed by ®iva and Brahm€, like unimportant insects!
Text 15
People! Listen! Please drink the splendid, limitless, nectar medicine Y€jñnavalkya and the great yog…s prescribe to cure the disease of birth and death, a medicine drinking which brings the greatest liberation: Lord KŠa’s name.
Text 16
O mortals drowning in the ocean of birth and death and tossed by waves of terrible calamities, listen! I will briefly say what is best for you. Renounce all speculative philosophies and in your hearts again and again chant the glorious mantra “Oˆ namo n€r€yaŠ€ya.”
Text 17
Alas we are very foolish and pitiful, for even though the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord N€r€yaŠa, the greatest of persons, the exclusive monarch of the three worlds, and our worshipable master, who grants to His servants transcendental position equal to His own, stands in our hearts, we seek out an ordinary, poor, useless and lowly human being that happens to be the master of a few villages a nd become very eager to serve him.
Text 18
O lotus-eyed Lord, for our entire life may we always relish the nectar of meidtating on Your two lotus feet. May we always offer oebisances to You with respectfully folded hands, bowed head, the hairs of our bodies standing up in ecstasy, our voices choked with emotion, and our eyes filled with tears.
Text 19
A body that falls to the ground to bow before Lord KŠa is the best of bodies. Eyes that see the form of Lord Hari become glorious and free from the darkness. Intelligence that meditates on Lord M€dhava becomes white and pure as a conchshell or the spotless moon. A tongue that glorifies Lord N€r€yaŠa rains nectar at every step.
Text 20
Tongue, glorify Kes€va! Heart, worship Mur€ri! Hands decorate ®r…dhara! Ears hear about Acyuta! Eyes see KŠa! Feet, go toHari’s temple! Nose, smell the tulas… placed at Mukunda’s feet! Head, bow before Adholaja!
Text 21
Glory to Lord N€r€yaŠa, without remembrance of whose lotus feet Vedic studies become crying in the wilderness, daily Vedic vows, rituals, fasting, charity and other pious works all become a sacrifcie offered on ashes, and bathing at the holy places becomes an elephants bath!
Text 22
K€madeva, leave my mind, which is now the home of Mukunda’s lotus feet! You are already wounded by the archer of ®iva’s eyes. You do not remember the power of Mur€ri’s cakra?
Text 23
Place your thoughts on Lord M€adhava, who is the son of Devak…, the master of the demigods, the holder of the cakra and the €r‰ga bow, the creator who playfully made the universes come from His belly, the master of the universes, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and the pleasure of the cows, land, and senses. What is the use of other thoughts?
Text 24
O Lord, may I never for a moment see the impious souls that have no devotion for Your lotus feet. May I never abandon hearing Your glorious pastimes, the proper object of hearing, and listening instead to the activities of others. O M€dhava, O Lord of the universe , may I never accept the arguments of they who deny You. May I never, in any of my future births, abandon serving You.
Text 25
O Lord of the worlds, O enemy of the Madhu and Kai˜abha demons, please be merciful and grant my request: Please think of me as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Your servant. May this thought of Yours be the result of my life.
Text 26
I fold my hands and beg: O tongue, please chant N€r€yaŠa’s names, which overflow with nectar, bring great pleasure, and speak the highest truth.
Text 27
I bow down before N€r€yaŠa’s lotus feet. I eternally worship N€r€yaŠa. I chant N€r€yaŠa’s pure name. I remember the eternal truth of N€r€yaŠa.
Text 28 and 29
“®r…n€tha (husband of the goddess of fortune)! O N€r€ryaŠa(resting place of all living entities)! O V€sudeva(son of King V€sudeva)! O ®r… KŠa(all-attractive)! O Bhaktapriya (friend of the devotees)! O Cakrap€Ši(who holds the Sudarana cakra)! O ®r… Padman€bha (whose navel is like a lotus flower)! O Acyuta (infallible)! O ®r… R€ma (supreme enjoyer)! O Padm€ka (lotus-eyed)! O Hari (who removes everything inauspicious)! O Mur€ri(enemy of Mura)! O Ananta (unlimited)! O VaikuŠ˜ha (son of VaikuŠ˜ha-dev…)! O Mukunda (giver of liberation)! O KŠa (all-attractive)! O Govinda (delight of the cows, land and senses)! O D€modara (whose waist was bound with a rope)! O M€dhava (Husband of the goddess of fortune)!”
One who, although able to speak, does not call out these holy names of the Lord, is the most sinful of persons.
Text 30
May Lord KŠa, the crest-jewel of the gopas, the crest-jewel of the demi-gods, the jewel ornament on the firm breaasts of the jewel beloved RukmiŠ…, the jewel of the handsomeness, the cloud jewel that enchants the eyes of the cataka bird gopis, the jewel amulet that protects the three worlds, the sapphire antidote that rescues the devotees from the snake-bite of repeated birth and death, grant auspiciousness to you all.
Text 31
Tongue, always chant the kŠa-mantra. It is a mantra to crush enemies, a mantra worshiped by the words of the Upaniads, a mantra to break the cycle of repeated birth and death, a mantra to exorcize ignorance, a mantra to gain all opulences, a mantra to counteract the snake-bite of sin, a mantra to make this birth a success.
Text 32
Mind, drink this kŠa-medicine, a medicine to cure material illusion, a medicine to cure the sages speculation, a medicine to poison the kings of the demons, a medicine to revive the three worlds,a medicine to bless the devotees, a medicine to cure the fearful condition of repeated birth and death, a medicine to attain the greatest welfare.
Text 33
My Lord KŠa, I pray that the swan of my mind amy immediately sink down to the stems of your lotus feet of Your Lordship and be locked in their network; otherwise at the time of my final breath, when my throat is choked with cough, how will it be possible to think of You?
Tex 34
Mind, think of Him. Tingue, glorify Him. Head, bow before Him. Hands, fold before Him. Body, bow before Him. Self, in order to become perfect, take shelter of Him, the supremely pure and oputent lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead, who resides in N€g€cala.
Text 35
A person who hears the glories of Lord Jan€rdana’s virtues, woreds and stories, and remains unmoved, his eyes not garlanded with tearsand the hair of his body not standing up in ecstasy, is the lowest of men. What a shameful ife he leads?
Text 36
O Lord of lords, to blind, wretched me, whose senses are strong theives tha stole my great wealth of discrimination and threw me in a blind well of illusions, please extend Your hand.
Text 37
Wounded hundreds of time by age, and its youthful glory gone, this body must collapse. Bewildered fool, you ask, “What is the remedy?” I answer: “Drink this kŠa-elixer!”
Text 38
How amazing that in this world of men some reject nbectar and prefer to swallow poison! Some fools rejecting Lord N€r€yaŠa’s holy names, prefer silently to read.
Text 39
Let my friends and relatives abandon me! Let teachers and superiors criticise me! Supremely blissful Lord Govinda is still my very life.
Text 40
O people, I speak the truth. Whoever lifts his arms and chants “O Mukunda, O Narasiˆha, O Jan€rdana,” every day, or at the time of death, or on a battlefield, thinks all material desires useless as a pebble or a piece of wood.
Text 41
Austere, intelligent, pure-hearted men should regularly and with love hear the mantra “Oˆ namo n€r€yaŠaya” to counteract the horrible poison of material life. Raising my arms I loudly declare this.
Text 42
Even for a moment my mind does not leave KŠa’s lotus feet. My dea friends and relatives may rebuke me. My teachers and superiors may accept or reject me. The people ma speak harshly about me. My family’s reputation may be spoiled. Still, I only wish to be intoxicated with the honey of pure love.
Text 43
May KŠa, th eguru of the three worlds, protect us. O people always bow before KŠa. By KŠa all enemies were killed. Obeisances to KŠa From KŠa the universe has come. I am KŠa’s servant. Within KŠa the entire universe stands. O KŠa please save me!
Text 44
O Gop€la, O ocean of mercy, O husband of Lakm…, O killer of Kaˆsa, O merciful saviour of Gajendra, O €dhava, O younger brother of Balar€ma, O master of the three worlds, O lotus-eyed one, O master of the gop…s, please protect me. I do not know anyone but You as the Supreme.
Text 45
Lakm… is Your wife. Brahm€ is Your son. The Vedas glorify You. The demigods are Your servants. Liberation is Your mercy. The entire material universe is Your illusory potency. Devak… is Your mother. Arjuna is Your friend. I do not know anyone but You as the Supreme.
Text 46
The wise demigods know that the head is meant to bow down before the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the hands are meant to worship Him, the mind is meant to remember His virtues, and the voice is meant to glorify His virtues.
Text 47
Who, even if a sinner, did not attain his desire by chanting Lord N€r€yaŠa’s glorious name? Alas because we did not chant His name in our previous births, we now suffer the distresses in that began with living in a mother’s womb.
Text 48
They who meditate on eternal, limitless Lord ViŠu, who always stays in the lotus of the heart and who grants fearlessness to they who take shelter of Him, attain the Supreme perfection of devotional life.
Text 49
O Lord, be kind. O ViŠu, You are supremely kind. Please be kind to me, who have no protector. O limitless one, O Hari, You are the Supreme Person. Please rescue this poor p erson drowning in the ocean of birth and death.
Text 50
To the Supreme Personlaity of Godhead, who is the husband of the goddess of fortune and the enemy of the Madhu demon, and whose handsome form is splashed by waves in the milk ocean as He reclines on the coils of a serpent, I offer my respectful obeisances.
Text 51
The words “KŠa KŠa” are certainly able, certainly able, certainly able to destroy all the people’s sins. If blissful service to Mukunda is present, then liberation and royal opulence fall in one’s hand.
Text 52
By King Kulaekhara, who is a bumblebee at the lotus-eyed Lord’s lotus feet, and whose two dear friends are very learned in the scriptures, two hero’s among the poets, and two lotus flowers among the br€hmaŠas, this poem was written.
Text 53
Of they who read this garland of prayers to Lord Mukunda (Mukunda-m€l€), who will not become completely delighted? Who will not become free from all sin and go to Lord ViŠu’s supreme abode?
®r… Bhakti-s™tra, Codes of Devotional service, by ®r…la N€rada Muni
Text 1
Now, therefore, I shall try to explain the process of devotional service.
Text 2
The highest stage of devotional service is pure love of Godhead.
Text 3
Such stage of devotional life is eternal.
Text 4
Upon achieving that transcendental devotional service, a man becomes perfect, immortal and peaceful.
Text 5
A person engaged in pure devotional service does not desire anything for material sense gratification, does not lament for any loss, does not hate anything, does not enjoy anything for his personal account, nor does he become very enthusiastic in a material activity.
Text 6
One who understands perfectly the process of devotional service becomes intoxicated in its discharge; he becomes charmed by it ad thus enjoys his whole self, being engaged in the service of the Supreme Self.
Text 7
There is no question of lust in pure devotional service, because such service is free from all sense gratification.
Text 8
Confinement within the boundary of devotional service means to give up all kinds of social and religious activities.
Text 9
Confinement within the boundary of devotional service also means to repose one’s love in the Lord alone and to avoid the non devotees, who oppose the service of the Lord.
Text 10
In devotional service one renounces everything and takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without relying on anyone else for protection.
Text 11
One should be reluctant to engage in activities to engage in activities that are not favorable for discharging devotional service, and one should accept only activities favorable for devotional service.
Text 12
When one is fixed with certainty and determination in the knowledge that devotional service is the only means for gaining the perfection of life, he must follow the scriptural injunctions in that direction.
Text 13
Otherwise there is every possibility of falling down.
Text 14
One should act socially and politically, and in the matter of eating, just enough to keep the body fit till the end of life.
Text 15
The symptoms of devotional service are described below, in accordance with various authoritative opinions.
Text 16
Vy€sa defines devotional service as attachment to the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 17
Garga Muni defines devotional service as attachment to hearing narrations about the Supreme Persoanlity of Godhead.
Text 18
®aŠilya defines devotional service as overwhelimg love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 19
N€rada defines devotional service as offering all activities to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and being very concerned to never forget Him.
Tetxt 20
All these definitions are correct.
Text 21
These aspects of devotional service may be seen in the gop…s of Vraja.
Text 22
Even though the gop…s were filled with devotion for Lord KŠa, they remained unaware of His glorious position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For them this was not a defect.
Text 23
Unaware of Lord KŠa’s exalted position, the gop…s loved Him like paramour.
Text 24
For this there is no fault on the gop…s part. They were complteoy surrendered to the Lord. Their only happiness was in seeing that He is happy.
Text 25
Devotional service is better than fruitive work (karma), speculative knowledge(jñana), and the mystic yoga.
Text 26
Devotional service is itself the benediction attained by the devotee. For this reason it is better than karma, jñana, or yoga.
Text 27
Devotional service is better becuase it makes the devotees humble; whereas karma, jñana, and yoga brings pride to the karm…s, jñanis and yog…s. The Supreme Personality of Godhead like humility and hates pride. For this reason devotional service is better than karma, jñana, or yoga.
Text 28
Some philosophers think that devotional service is attained only by cultivating speculative knowledge.
Text 29
Other philosophers think that by cultivating speculative knowledge devotional service is attained, and by cultivating devotional service one makes progress in speculative knowledge.
Text 30
The sons of Lord Brahm€ (N€rada and the four Kum€ras) teach that devotional service is the only means of attaining devotional service. By practising devotional service one attains devotional service.
Text 31
That devotional service is attained only by practising devotional service may be understood from various examples, such as the example of the kings palace and the example of the meal.
Text 32
Knowledge of the location of the king’s palace does not bring the kings pleasure on the knower, nor does knowledge of the nature of food satisfy hunger. Only something beyond passive knowledge will bring the kings pleasure or the satisfaction of hunger.
Text 33
From this example it may be understood that passive knowledge is not sufficient to bring liberation. They who desire liberation must accept the path of devotional service.
Text 34
The saintly teachers (€c€ryas) have described the means by which one attains devotional service.
Text 35
Devotional service is attained by renouncing the objects of sense gratification and renouncing association with worldly minded nondevotees.
Text 36
Devotional service is attained by undeterred, constant worship and service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 37
Even in this material world devotional service is attained by hearing and glorifying the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 38
Devotional service is attined by the mercy of the pure devotee or by a drop of the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are the two most important ways to attain devotional service.
Text 39
Association with pure devotees is very rare and difficult to attain. That association is a very powerful method of attaining devotional service.
Text 40
By the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead association with a pure devotee is attained.
Text 41
The pure devotee is always in harmony with the wishes of the Supreme Personlaity of Godhead. They are never in disagreement. For this reason association with a pure devotee is a very powerful metod of attaining devotional service.
Text 42
For this reason one should associate with pure devotees. For this reason one should associate with pure devotees.
Text 43
Association with nondevotees should be completely abandoned.
Text 44
One should renounce association with nondevotees, because their association is the cause of lust, bewilderment, destruction of memory, destruction of intelligence, and destruction of all other virtues and advantages.
Text 45
Although these evils may be only small waves in the beginning, by continued association with nondevotees they become great oceans.
Text 46
Who crossesbeyond the illusory potency (m€ya)? Who crosses beyond the illsuory potency? One who abandons association with nondevotees, serves the devotees of the Lord, and remains free from material possessiveness crosses beyond the influence of m€y€.
Text 47
One who does not live with nondevotees, who uproots the bondage of materialism, who becomes free from the influence of the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion, ignorance), and who gives up the though of his own material benefit, crosses beyond the influence of m€y€.
Text 48
One who renounces the fruits of his work, gives up all material activities, and becomes free from material duality crosses beyond the influence of m€y€.
Text 49
One who rejects the material piety taught in the four Vedas, and instead develops unbroken love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead alone, crosses beyond the influence of m€y€.
Text 50
He crosses beyond the influence of m€y€. He makes the people in general also cross the influence of m€y€.
Text 51
Pure love of God cannot be described.
Text 52
It is like a feast tasted by a silent person who will not describe his experience to others.
Text 53
Pure love of God becomes manifest in some rare souls.
Text 54
Pure love of God is free from material qualitites and material desires. AT each moment it grows greater and greater. It is never broken. It is spiritual and free from material contact. It is directly experienced by the great devotees.
Text 55
When one attains pure love of God, he sees the Lord everywhere. He always hears about the Lord, speaks about Him, and thinks about Him
Text 56
The beginning stage of bhakti (devotional service), may be classified in three divisions. The three divisions may be according to the three modes of material nature (ignorance, passion, and goodness) or they may be according to the divisions €rta (the distressed), arth€rth… (those in need of money), and jijñ€su(the curious).
Text 57
In these two sets of three divisions, each stage is better than the preceeding one.
Text 58
Bhakti (devotional service) is easier than other spiritual paths.
Text 59
Devotional service is easier than other paths, because it does not require help of any activities outside of devotional service. Devotional service is easier because simply by engaging in the activities of devotional service, devotion becomes automatically manifest.
Text 60
Devotional service is easier than other paths, because it brings peacefulness. Devotional service is easier than other paths, because it brings transcendental bliss.
Text 61
The devotee should always consider that he is a soul completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thinking in this way, he should not be concerned about destruction of the temporary things in this world.
Text 62
As long as the perfectional stage of devotional service is not attained, ordinary work in this world should not be given up, and in this way there will be progress on the path of devotional service.
Text 63
In devotional service one should not hear about women, money, atheistic philosophy, or blasphemy of the devotees.
Text 64
Pride, hypocrisy, and other faults should be given up.
Text 65
All activities should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is even possible to engage lust, anger, pride, and other inauspicious qualities in the Lord’s service.
Text 66
One should become free fromthe influence of material nature and become the eternal servant or the eternal lover of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way one should develop pure love of God. In this way one should develop pure love of God.
Text 67
Those devotees who are completely surrendered to the Lord are the best.
Text 68
As they discuss the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, their voices become choked, they shed tears, and the hais of their bodies stand up in ecstasy. These devotees purify their own families as well as the entire world.
Text 69
Where they go becomes a place of pilgrimage. They transform work into devotional service. Their words become the scripture.
Text 70
Such devotees are completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 71
Such devotees make the pit€s rejoice and the demigods dance. The prescence of such devotees bring protection to the earth.
Text 72
For such pure devotees no consideration should be given to the circumstances of their birth, their academic attainment, physical beauty, financial status, occupation, or material situation.
Text 73
Because these devotees have completely surrendered to the Lord, the material distinctions of caste or material qualification no longer apply to them.
Text 74
Devotees should not engage in mental speculation,
Text 75
Devotees should not engage in mental speculation because it is a labyrinth of many theories and because the theories produced by speculation are in constant flux, one moment true and the next moment false.
Text 76
Bhakti-astras (devotional service) should be worshiped. The activities prescribed by them should be performed.
Text 77
The time of death, when one must give up material happiness, distress, desires, property, and a host of other things, is gradually approaching. Fully aware of this one should not waste a moment, but always engage in devotional service.
Text 78
One should endeavour to develop truthfulness, nonviolence, cleanliness, mercy, faith in God, and other good qualities.
Text 79
Always, in all respect, and with single-pointed concentration, one should worship and serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 80
When He is glorified, the Supreme Personality of Godhead at once appears and permits the devotees to see His transcendental form directly.
Text 81
Devotional service (bhakti) to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best of all spiritual paths. Devotional service is the best of all spiritual paths.
Text 82
Although devotional service is one, it mat be divided into the following eleven categories: (1) attachment to chanting the glories of the Lord’s transcendental qualities, (2) attachment to the transcendetal form of the Lord, (3) attachment to the worship of the Lord, (4) attachment to always remembering the Lord, (5) attachment to rendering service to the Lord, (6) attachment to serving the Lord as a friend, (7) attachment to serving the Lord as a conjugal lover, (8) attachment to serving the Lord as a parent, (9) attachment to surrendering everything to the Lord, (10) attachment to taking shelter of the Lord, (11) attachment to loving the Lord in the mood of separation.
Text 83
The Kum€ras, Vy€sa, ®ukadeva Gosv€m…, ®€ndilya Muni, Garga Muni, ViŠu Sv€m…, KauŠinya Muni, Ananta ®es€, Uddhava, AruŠi, Mah€r€ja Bali, Hanum€n, Vibh…aŠa, and other teachers on the path of devotional service (bhaktya-€c€ryas), who are all completely surrendered to the Lord and unafraid of what ordinary nondevotees may say to criticise them, all describe the path of devotional service in this way.
Text 84
One who has great faith in these auspicious instructions spoken by N€rada Muni, attains the dearmost Supreme Personality of Godhead. He attains the dearmost Supreme Personality of Godhead.
®r… Manah-ik€, Instructions to the Mind, by ®r…la Raghunatha d€sa Gosv€m…
Text 1
O Mind, grasp your feet and beg you with sweet words: Please throw away your pride and develop intense, extraordinary love for my spiritual master, Vrajabh™mi, the people of Vraja, the VaiŠavas, the br€hmanas, the G€yatr… mantra, the holy name, and the transcendental shelter that is the youthful couple of Vraja.
Text 2
Mind, don’t fo the pious and impious deeds described in the Vedas. Intently serve ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa in Vraja. Always remember that Lord Caitanya is the son of Mah€r€ja Nanda and my guru is most dear to Lord Mukunda.
Text 3
Mind, listen to me! If you desire to reside in Vraja birth after birth, and if you desire to directly serve the youthful divine couple, then with great love always remember and bow down before ®r…la Svar™pa D€modara Gosv€m…, ®r…la R™pa Gosv€m…, his elder brother ®r…la San€tana Gosv€m…, and all their associates and followers.
Text 4
Give up the prostitutes of friendship with nondevotees, prostitutes who will steal the treasure of your heart. Don’t listen to the words of the tigress of impersonal liberation, which devour everyone. Give up attraction for Lord N€r€yaŠa,which leads to the world of VaikuŠ˜ha. O mind, in Vraja worship ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa, two philanthropists who give away the jewel of pure love.
Text 5
The highwayman lust and his friends have bound me at the meck with painful ropes of wicked deeds. O mind, please scream, “O KŠa! O killer of Baka! I will be killed by the highwaymen!” Do that and He will save me.
Text 6
Mind why do you burn both you and me by bathing in the trickling murine of t he ass of deviousness and hypocrisy? You should delight both you and me by eternally bathing in the glistening nectar ocean of pure love for ®r… ®r… G€ndharv€-Giridhara (®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa)
Text 7
Why should pure love touch me as long as the impudent untouchable women of the desire for fame dances in my heart? O mind, always serve the leader of they who are dear to the Lord. He will at once kick the untouchable out and allow pure love to enter in.
Text 8
So He will mercifully break the wickedness of rascal me, so He will give me the splendid nectar of transcendental love, and so He will engage me in ±r… R€dh€’s servic, please, O mind, with words choked with emotion, worship Lord Giridh€r… here in Vraja.
Text 9
Mind, meditate on the moon o f the Vraja forest as the Lord of my queen, the queen of Vraja as His mistress, Lalit€ as Their peerless friend, Vi€kh€ as the guru who teaches Them many things and R€dh€-kunda and Govardhana Hill as two place the mere sight of which gives charming transcendental love.
Text 10
Mind, worship Lord Hari’s beloved R€dh€, who with the splendour of Her beauty makes Rati, Gauri, and L…l€ burn with envy, who with the power of Her good fortune defeats ®ac…, Lakm… and Satyabh€m€, and who with Her ability to control KŠa completely eclipses Candr€val… and other pious young girls in Vraja.
Text 11
Mind, in order to attain direct service of the lovers ®r… ®r… R€dh€-Giridh€r…, who are surrounded by Their friends, everyday you must drink with ®r… R™pa Gosv€m… the five nectars of worshiping Them, meditating on Them, hearing about Them, and bowing down before Them, and everyday you must worship Govardhana Hill.
Text 12
A person who stays with the devotees, follows ®r…la R™pa Gosv€m…, and with a sweet voice sings aloud these eleven excellent instructions to the mind, which grant all spiritual benedictions, will attain the matchless jewel of direct service to ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa in the forest of Gokula.
®r… Svaniyama-daaka, Ten Vows, by ®r…la Raghunatha d€sa Gosv€m…
I vow I shall love my spiritual master, the G€yatr… mantra, the Holy Name of Lord KŠa, Lord Caitanya Mah€prabhus lotus feet, ®r…la Svar™pa D€modara Gosv€m…, ®r…la R™pa Gosv€m…, his associates, his elder brother (®r…la San€tana Gosv€m…), Govardhan Hill, R€dh€-kunda, Mathur€ City, Vnd€vana Forest, the land of Vraja, the devotees of Lord KŠa, and the resident of Vraja.
Text 2
I vow that I shall live inthe land of Vraja birth after birth, chatting casually with the villagers. I shall not live even for a moment in another place, even if the Lord resides there in His Deity form, and even if the great devotees fill it with sweet nectar of transcendental love.
Text 3
Even though I suffer in long separation from the divne couple, I shall not, even for a moment, leave the land of Vraja, where ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa eternally enjoy unparalleled transcendental pastime, and I shall not even if He Himself invites me, go to see the opulent king of the Yadus in Dv€rak€!
Text 4
If with mu own ears I Heard, “R€dh€ has gone to Dv€rak€,where Lord Hari passionately embraces Her to His chest,” with an excited heart I would leave Vrajapura and fly there faster than Garua.
Text 5
Beginningless or with a beginning, cruel or very gentle, merciful at every moment or merciless, greater than the king of Mah€-VaikuŠ˜ha or an ordinary human being, the son of Vraja’s king is my Lord birth after birth.
Text 6
Not for a moment shall I near a hypocrite who worships only Lord Govinda and does not worship exalted ®r…mat… R€dh€r€n…, who is glorified by the Vedas and the great sages headed by N€rada, and who is most dear to Lord KŠa. This is my vow.
Text 7
I shall wash the lotus feet of anyone in this world who, bowed down with love, worships Lord KŠa and the nectar person who bears the nameR€dh€. I drink that water and everyday I carry that water on my head.
Text 8
Abandoned by dear friends, unintelligent, blind, and drowning in an ocean of pain, I bite a blade of straw with my teeth and beg, “®r…mat… R€dh€r€n…, please lead me to Your lotus feet!”
Text 9
My food little of Vraja’s milk, my home a l eaf-hut, and my actions honest austerity and scripture study, I shall ive at R€dh€-kunda by the best mountains and I shall die at that dear lake in the company of ®r…la J…va Gosv€m… and the other devotees.
Text 10
In a secluded place in Vnd€vana forest, following my dear friend ®r…la R™pa Gosv€m…, in many ways I shall earnestly worship ®r… KŠa, who is more splendid than many cupids, and ®r…mat… R€dh€r€n…, whose glorious beauty defeats many goddesses of fortune.
Text 11
A faithful devotee who reads these ren vows of a certain author and who fixes his mind on the transcendental forms of the dear divine couple, at the proper time happily attains the realm of Vraja and directly worships ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa.
Sva-niyama-dv€daaka, Twelve vows by ®r…la Bhaktivinida µh€kura
Text 1
May I always love my guru, Lord Gaur€‰ga, the path of devotional service described by Him, the place where ®ac…’s son enjoyed pastimes, Lord hari’s dear name, Lord Hari’s holy places, ®r…la R™pa Gosv€m…’s followers, and the scripture spoken by ®r…la ®ukadeva Gosv€m….
Text 2
May sweet KŠa, who is sweet Vnd€vana eternally delights His sweet supreme potency, R€dh€, and who in Bengal as Gaura taught the truth of His own devotional service, always be my Lord.
Text 3
Let there not be renunciation if it is not born from devotional service. In the heart let there be no variety if it has no variety. I don’t wish for a˜€Šga-yoga if it does not bring the happiness of devotion to Lord Hari. Let me always serve ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa.
Text 4
My home will always be a small hut suitable for the worship of Vraja, under a tree in the holy place of ®ac…’s son. I will not stay in any other place, even if the demigods worship it, and even if it is a palace filled with royal opulence.
Text 5
I am not attached to any varna. I don’t claim any €rama as mine. I don’t like pious or impious deeds. This material body is used for the best of pious deeds. I only wish for those pious deeds that help pure devotional service.
Text 6
Humble, honest, helpful-to-all, respectful, merciful service to Lord Hari’s feet is my austerity. My virtuous conduct is what the great souls have done in the nectar of Lord Caitanya’s eternal pastimes.
Text 7
I don’t like either the kingdom of VaikuŠ˜ha or the realm of material senses. I don’t like impersonal liberation for even a moment. Lord Hari’s pure pastimes away from the bliss of Vnd€vana, or for that matter anything not related to ®r… R€dh€, does not please me.
Text 8
My wife, daughters, sons, mother and realtives have no devotion for Lord Hari and His devotee. If I accept them as my realtives, or if I accept food from non-devotees, or if I associate with materialists, how will I attain the perfection of devotional service?
Text 9
I flee from they who are blinded by false logic, attached to material happiness, averse to KŠa, or attached to impersonal liberation. Not for a moment will I foolishly worship Lord Govinda without R€dh€. This I vow.
Text 10
Nourished only by pras€dam-milk, my home a leaf-hut, studying the scriptures, avoiding materialists, living in the Lord’s holy places, staying at the feet of they who are devoted to the divine couple’s feet, and my heart happy by worshiping the divine couple, when the time comes I will give up this body.
Text 11
With a determined heart every day I happily carry on my head and drink the nectar-water from the feet of someone in Vraja forest who, following the order of ®ac…’s son, worships the worshipable ®r… R€dh€, who enjoys pastimes with Lord KŠa.
Text 12
Although I am by nature Lord Hari’s eternal servant, by the touch of mah€-m€y€ I have fallen in this ocean of sufferings. By daily observing these vows I will rise from that ocean. My only help is the VaiŠava’s mercy, which breaks all illusions.
Text 13
A faithful person who worships ®r… ®r… R€dh€-KŠa in Vraja, fixes his heart on the form of the dear divine couple, and reads these devotional vows written by a certain person, will enter a mañjar…’s home and serve the divine couple in many ways.
Part Five: Lord KŠa’s
®r… N€m€˜aka, Eight praryers Glorifying the Holy Name, by ®r…la R™pa Gosv€m…
Text 1
O Hari-n€ma! The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet are constantly being worshiped by the glowing radiance emanating from the string of gems known as the Upaniads, the crown jewel of all the Vedas. You are eternally adored by liberated souls, such as N€rada and ®ukadeva. O Hari-n€ma! I take complete shelter of You.
Text 2
O Hari-n€ma, O name sung by the sages, O transcendental syllables that bring bliss to the people, even if You are spoken only once,and even if You are spoken disrespectfully, You at once remove the many harsh sufferings of everyone.
Text 3
O sun of the Holy Name, even the dim light of Your early dawn gives the sight of pure devotion to they who are blind to the truth. What learned person in this world is able to describe Your transcendental glory?
Text 4
The Vedas declare that although meditation on impersonal Brahman cannot bring freedom from past karma, O Holy Name, Your prescence at once makes all karma disappear.
Text 5
O Holy Name, I pray that my love for You in Your many forms, such as Aghadamana (Crusher of the Agh€sura), Yaod€nandana (Son of Yaod€), Nandas™nu (Son of Nanda), Kamalanyana (Lotus-eyed), Gop…candra (Moon of the gop…s), Vnd€vanendra (King of Vnd€vana) PraŠatakaruŠa (Merciful to the surrendered souls), and KŠa, may greatly increase.
Text 6
O Holy Name, You are manifest in two forms: 1. the Supreme Person described by the Holy Name and 2. the sound vibration of the Holy Name. We know that the second form is more merciful than the first. Even a person who commits many offences to the first form, may become always plunged into an ocean of bliss by serving the second by his voice.
Text 7
O name that destroys the many sufferings they who take shelter of You, O name that is the form of the delightful and intense spiritual bliss, O name that is a festival of happiness for Gokula, O perfect and complete Holy Name of Lord KŠa, I bow down and offer my respects to You. I bow down and offer my respects to You.
Text 8
O life of N€rada’s v…n€, O flood of the waves of sweet nectar, O Holy Name of Lord KŠa, please sweetly appear on my tongue.
One Hundred and Eight Names of Lord KŠa, from the N€rada-pañncar€tra
Text 1
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-attractive (kŠa) and all-pervading (v€sudeva). He is the husband of the goddess of fortune (kamal€n€tha), eternal (san€tana), the son of I bow down and offer my respects to You.asudeva (vasudev€tmaja), and pure (puŠya). He enjoys pastimes, His form like that of a human being (l…l€-manua-vigraha).
Text 2
He bears the ®r…vatsa mark and the kaustubha jewel (r…vatsa-kaustubha-dhara). He is Yaod€’s dear son (yaod€-vatsala). He takes away all that is inauspicious (hari). In His four arms He holds a cakra, sword, mace, conchshells, lotus, and weapons (caturbhuj€tta-cakr€si-gad€-a‰kh€mbuj€yudha)
Text 3
He is Devak…’s son (devak…-nandana), Lakm…’s husband (r…a) and Nanda’s dear son (nanda-gopa-priy€tmaja). He made the Yamun€ stop flowing (yamun€-vega-saˆh€r…). He is Balar€ma’s dear younger brother (balabhadra-priy€nuja).
Text 4
He took P™tan€’s life away (p™tan€-j…vita-h€ra). He broke the ®akat€sura demon (aka˜€sura-bhañjana). He delights Nanda and the people of Vraja (nanda-vraja-jan€nand…). His form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss (sac-cid-€nanda-vigraha).
Text 5
He is a young butter thief (navan…ta-nava-h€r…). He is merciful to Mucukunda (mucukunda-pras€daka). He is the husband of 16,000 queens (oaa-str…-shasrea). His charming form bends in three places(tr…-bha‰gi-madhur€kti).
Text 6
He is the moon born of the nectar ocean of ®ukadeva Gosv€m…’s words (uka-v€g-amt€bdh…ndu). He is the pleasure of the cows, land, and the senses (govinda). He is the master of the cowherd people of Vraja (govid€ˆ pati). He protects the calves (vatsa-p€lana-sañx€r…). He killed Dhenuk€sura (dhenuk€sura-bhañjana).
Text 7
He made TŠ€varta into a blade of straw (tŠ…-kta-tŠ€varta). He broke the two arjuna trees (yamal€rjuna-bhañjana). He broke the tall palm trees (utt€la-t€la-bhett€). His form is dark as a tam€la tree (tam€la-y€mal€kti).
Text 8
He is the Lord of the gopas and the gop…s (gopa-gop…vara). He is the greatest yog… (yog…). He is splendid as millions of sns (s™rya-ko˜i-sama-prabha). He is the master of the earth (il€-pati). He is supremely splendid(paraˆ-jyoti). He is the king of the Yadus (y€davendra). He is the best of the Yadus (yad™dvaha).
Text 9
He wears a forest-flower garland (vana-m€l…). He wears yellow garments (pita-v€sa). He stole the P€rij€ta tree (p€rij€t€pah€raka). He lifted Govardhana Hill (govardhan€caloddhart€). He protects the cows (gop€la). He protects everyone (sarva-p€laka).
Text 10
He is unborn (aja). He is not touched by matter (nirañjana). He is Kamadeva’s father (k€ma-janaka). His eyes are lotuses (kañja-locana). He killed the Madhu demon (madhuh€). He is the Lord of Mathur€ (mathur€-n€tha). He is the Lord of Dv€rak€ (dv€rak€-nayaka). He is all ppowerful (bal…).
Text 11
He wanders in Vnd€vana (vnd€van€nta-sañcar…). He is decorated with a tulas…-garland (tulas…-d€ma-bh™aŠa). He took the syamantaka jewel (syamantaka-maŠer hart€). He appeared as Nara-N€r€yaŠa ¬is (nara-n€r€yaŠ€tmaka).
Text 12
He straightened Kubj€’s body (kubj€-jv-a‰ga-karaŠa). He is the master of all potencies (m€y€). He is the supreme person (parama-purua). He expertly wrestled with Mu˜ika and CaŠ™ra (mu˜ik€sura-c€Š™ra-malla-yuddha-vi€rada).
Text 13
He is enemy of repeated birth and death (saˆs€ra-vair…). He is the enemy of Kaˆsa (kaˆs€ri). He is the enemy of Mura (mur€ri). He is the killer of Naraka (narak€ntaka). He has no beginning (an€di). He is the greatest brahmac€ri (brahmac€ri). He rescued Draupad… from many calamities (kŠ€-vyasana-karaka)
Text 14
He beheaded ®iup€la (iup€la-ira-chett€). He put an end to Duryodhana’s dynasty (duryodhana-kul€nta-kt). He gave bendictions to Vidura and Akr™ra (vidur€kr™ra-varada). He revealed the universal form (vivar™pa-pradaraka).
Text 15
He speaks the truth (satya-v€k). His desires are always fulfilled (satya-sa‰kalpa). He loves Satyabh€m€ (satyabh€m€-rata). He is always victorious (jay…). He is Subhadr€’s elder brother (subhadr€-p™rvaja). He is all-pervading (viŠu). He gave liberation to Bh…ma (bh…ma-mukti-prad€yaka).
Text 16
He is the master of the universes (jagad-guru and jagan-n€tha). He expertly plays the flute (veŠu-v€dya-vi€rada). He killed Ari˜€sura (vabh€sura-vidhvaˆi). He put an end to B€n€sura’s many hands (b€Š€sura-kar€nta-kt).
Text 17
He made Yudhi˜hira king (yudhi˜hira-prati˜h€t€). H wears peacock feather crown (barhi-barh€vataˆsaka). He is Arjuna’s chariot-driver (p€rtha-s€rathi). He is unmanifest (avyakta). He is the great ocean from which the nectar of Bhagavad-g…t€ was churned (g…t€mta-mahodadhi).
Text 18
His lotus feet become red from the rubies on K€liya’s hoods (k€liya-ph€Ši-m€Šikya-rañjita-r…-pad€mbuja). His waist was tied with a rope (d€modara). He eats what is offered in sacrifice (yajña-bhot€). He killed the kings of the demons (d€navendra-vin€ana).
Text 19
He is the resting place of all living entities (n€r€yaŠa). He is the greatest (para-brahma). He is carried by Garua (pannag€ana-v€hana). As they played in the water, He stole the gop…’s garments (jala-kr…€-sam€sakta-gop…-vastr€pah€raka).
Text 20
He is praised in poetic verse (puŠya-loka). He creates the holy places of pilgrimage (t…rtha-k€ra). He is to be known by studying the Vedas (veda-vedya). He is an ocean of mercy (day€-nidhi). He is the soul of all holy places (sarva-t…rth€tmaka). His form is all-pervading (sarva-graha-r™p…). He is greater than the greatest.
Text 21
These 108 Holy Names of Lord KŠadeva, which are the nectar of all songs, were formerly heard by Lord KŠa and by a KŠa-devotee.
Text 22
Long ago I heard this blissful nectar of Lord KŠa’s names, which is very pleasing to Lord KŠa.
Text 23
Whoever in this birth chants these holy names becomes free of sufferings and calamities, lives for a long time, becomes wealthy and learned, and gets the results of austerities and pilgrimages.
Text 24
They who recite or hear these names attain millions of virtues. The sonless attains sons. The shelterless find shelter.
Text 25
These names make the poor rich and the defeated victorious. They give prosperity of many children and many cows.
Text 26
These names cure fevers and other diseases, give peacefulness and liberation, fulfill all desires, and in one stroke they destroy the sins of millions of births.
Text 27
At the time of death these names bring remembrance of KŠa and the end of fearful sufferings of repeated birth and death. Obeisances to Lord KŠa, the king of the Yadus, the all-knowing Lord, the greatest yog…, the husband of RukmiŠ…, the knower of Vedanta!
Text 28
O ®iva, a person who chant this mantra day and night becomes kind to all and dear to all.
Text 29
He becomes surrounded by sons and grandsons. He becomes possessor of all opulences and prfections. After limitless enjoyment he attains the close association of Lord KŠa.
Part Six: Lord KŠa’s Home
Description of Vnd€vana from the Gautam…ya Tantra
Text 1
One should meditate on Vnd€vana, to which the Vedas bow down, which is filled with the flowers of all seasons and the singing of many birds, …
Text 2
… where all directions are filled with the humming of wandering bees, where cooling breezes blow from the Yamun€’s waves, …
Text 3
… which is decorated with many trees covered by various flowering vines, which is splendid as if the sun and moon had risen together, …
Text 4
… where the sky is filled with the pollen of the lotuses and water-lillies, whch is filled with the monkeys, deer, and other animals, …
Text 5
… which has 32 forests, which is more blissful than VaikuŠ˜ha, on which Indra and the other demigods meditate, …
Text 6
… in the middle of which there is a jewel place splendid as thousands of suns, which has a grove of desire tree showering jewels,…
Text 7
… where is a splendid mountain of rubies, where is a jewel all-splendid and wonderful with many jewels, …
Text 8
… which is beautiful with many splendid, wonderful fruit trees, which has an altar if rubies and a gate of many jewels, …
Text 9
… which is splendid with mirrors and pearls, glorious as millions of suns, and free of the six waves of material sufferings, which are:
Text 10
… the sufferings of the life-air: 1. Hunger, and 2. thirst, the sufferings of the mind: 3. lamentation and 4. illusion, and the sufferings of the body 5. old-age and 6. death.
Text 11
One should meditate on that place with a four door entrance and eight panels. One should meditate there on the beautiful desire tree showering jewels,…
Text 12
… served by all seasons, showering nectar, with glistening emerald leaves and red coral flowers, …
Text 13
… wonderful, scented with pearls, splendid with ruby fruits, and expertly giving shade from the burning glare of repeated birth and death.
Text 14
Under that tree the mantra-chanter should meditate on a beautiful eight petal jewel lotus throne splendid as the sun.
Text 15
To cross over the ocean of repeated birth and death, as well as to attain success in piety, sense gratification and economic development, one should meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all universes and the Absolute Truth, …
Text 16
… who wears yellow garments, who is KŠa, whose eyes are like lotus flowers, whose eyes and lips are red, whose palms and soles are red, who is handsome, …
Text 17
… whose chest is splendid with the Kaustubha jewel, who is decorated with many jewels, who is decorated with a great necklace of shining jewels and pearls, …
Text 18
… whose belt and rings are studded with many jewels, whose forehad is decorated with gorocana and ku‰kuma tilaka, …
Text 19
… who is glorious with a splendid crown of many jewels, who is decorated with armlets, necklaces, earrings, and golden bracelets, …
Text 20
… whose handsome face is decorated with curly locks of hair, who wears two yellow garments, whose sweet flute is place to His bimba fruit lips, …
Text 21
… who wears a peacock feather crown, who is decorated with forest flowers, who is glorious with a beautiful kadamba garland, …
Text 22
… whose glorious waist is more handsome than those of millions of K€madevas, who taking the flute in His hands and placing it to His mouth palys music, …
Text 23
… who plays glorious music, who stays in Vnd€vana, who is Lord Hari, who is like a demigod descended from Svargaloka, who is decorated with a hundred beautiful girls, …
Text 24
… who is surrounded by cows, calves, bulls, oxen and thousands of gop…s with large lotus-petal eyes, …
Text 25-28
… whom the demigods worship with flowers, who is the sole master of the three worlds, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, hearing whose flute-music Tumburu, N€rada, H€h€, H™h™, and the two Kinnaris become filled with wonder, drop their v…n€s and other instruments and, standing inthe sky, sing His glories, accompanied by the Siddhas, Gandharvas, Yakas, Vidy€dharas, monkeys, and human beings, all gazing with wonder, …
Text 29
… who is endowed with all auspicious qualities, who is splendidly handsoome, who enchants all the gop…s, who is the eternal master of all living entities, …
Text 30 and 31
… and who is glorified by siddha N€rada, by intelligent Viv€mitra, by Par€ara, Vy€sa, Bhgu, A‰gira, Daka, the four Kum€ras headed by Sanaka, siddha Kapila, Vastu, eloquent Bhaspati, H€r…ta, Y€jñavalkya, ®ukra, Kratu, M€rkaŠeya, Vai˜a and his followers the great sages, the demigods and even the demons.
Text 33
One should meditate on the all powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by the perfected mystics of Brahmaloka, by the mystics of the other planets, and by others who are the b est of the demigods.
Text 34
When the mantra-chanter meditates in this way on the eternal Lord KŠa, the terrible ocean of birth and death becomes like a puddle in a calves hoofprint.
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