SARANAGATI

by Bhaktivinode Thakur( written in 1880-1897)

Click here if you want to read Saranagati together with the accompanying slokas (verses)

Introductory song

Out of compassion for the fallen souls, Sri Krisna Caitanya came to this world with His personal associates and divine abode to teache saranagati, surrender to the almighty Godhead, and to freely distribute ecstatic love of God, which is ordinarily very

difficult to obtain.

This saranagati is the very life of the true devotee

The ways of saranagati are humility, dedication of the self, acceptance of the Lord as one’s only maintainer, faith that Krishna will surely protect, execution of only those acts favorable to pure devotion, and renunciation of conduct adverse to pure devotion.

The youthful son of Nanda Maharaja, Sri Krishna, hears the prayers of anyone who takes refuge in Him by this six-fold practice.

Bhaktivinoda places a straw between his teeth, prostrates himself before the two Goswamis,Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana, and clasps their lotus feet with his hands. “I am certainly the lowest of men.” he tells them weeping, “but please make me the best of men by teaching me the ways of saranagati”

(1) Dainya, humility, 7 songs

I forsook You, O Lord, and came to this world of pain and sorrow. Now I submit my tale of woe at Your lotus feet.

While still in the unbearable fetters of my mother’s womb, I saw You before me You revealed Yourself but briefly and then abandoned this poor servant of Yours.

At that moment I swore to worship You after taking birth; but birth came, and with it the network of wordly illusion which robbed me of all good sense.

As a fonded son in the lap of relatives, I passed my time smiling and laughing. My parents’ affection helped me to forget the pangs of birth, and I thought the world was very nice.

Day by day I grew and soon began playing with other boys. Shortly my powers of understanding emerged. I read and studied my lessons incessantly.

Travelling from place to place, proud of my education, I grew wealthy and maintained my family with undivided attention. O Lord Hari, I forgot You!

Now in old age, Bhaktivinoda is sad. He weeps. I failed to worship You, O Lord, and instead passed my life in vain. What will be my fate now?

Confidently, I spent my time in the pleasures of mundane learning and never worshiped Your Lotus feet, O Lord. Now You are my only shelter.

Reading on and on, my hopes grew, for I considered material knowledge to be life’s true path.

How fruitless was that hope, and how feeble that knowledge proved to be. I know now that all such knowledge is ignorance.Knowledge of this world is knowledge born of Your illusory energy (maya). It impedes devotional service and makes an ass of the eternal soul by encouraging his infatuation with this temporary world.

Here is one such ass who for so long has carried on his back the burden of material existence. Now in my old age, for want of the power to enjoy, nothing pleases me.

Life has become agony now, my knowledge has proven itself worthless, and ignorance has penetrated my heart with the intolerable, burning pain of a pointed shaft.

O Lord, I seek no other treasure in this world than Your lotus feet. Bhaktivinoda abandons everything to make them the sum and substance of his life.

When I was young, I greatly desired to earn money. At that time bearing in mind the codes of religion, I took a wife. Together we set up a household, wasted much time, had many sons and daughters… my heart grew heavy.

The burden increased day by day, I felt my life at a standstill. Old age came, grabbed me, and made my mind fickle and disturbed.

Diseases trouble me now, and constant anxiety has made me feverish. My heart burns from lack of satisfaction, and I see no way out. All is darkness and I am very much afraid.

The current of this worldly river is strong and relentless. A frightening, gloomy death approaches. How I wish I could give up my worldly attachements. I would worship You, O Lord, but it is a useless hope.

Now please hear me, O Lord, for I am utterly helpless. Bhaktivinoda says, “Without Your mercy, everything is lost. Please give me the shelter of Your lotus feet.”

I am an impious sinner and have caused others great anxiety and trouble.

I have never hesitated to perform sinful act for my own enjoiment. Devoid of all compassion, concerned only with my own selfish interests, I am remorseful seeing others happy. I am a perpetual liar, and the misery of others is a source of great pleasure for me.

The material desires within the core of my heart are unlimited. I am wrathful, devoted to false pride and arrogance, intoxicated by vanity, and bewildred by worldly affairs. Envy and egotism are the ornaments I wear.

Ruined by laziness and sleep, I resist all pious deeds; yet I am very active and enthusiastic to perform wicked acts. For worldly fame and reputation I engage in the practice of deceitfulness. Thus I am destroyed by my own greed and am always lustful.

A vile, wicked man such as this, rejected by godly people, is a constant offender. I am such a person, devoid of all good works, forever inclined toward evil, worn out and wasted by various miseries.

Now in old age, deprived of all means of succes, humbled and poor, Bhaktivinoda submits his tale of grief at the feet of the Supreme Lord.

Hear, O Lord, my story of sadness. I drank the deadly poison of worldliness, pretending it was nectar, and now the sun is setting on the horizon of my life.

I spent my childhood in play, my youth in academic pursuit, and in me there was no sense of right or wrong. In young manhood I set up a household and settled down to the spell of material enjoyment. Children and friends quickly multiplied.Soon old age arrived, and all happiness departed.

Subjected to disease, troubled and weak, all my senses are feeble now, my body racked and exhausted, and my spirits downcast in the absence of youthful pleasures.

Devoid of even a particle of devotion, lacking any enlightenment — what help is there for me now? Only You, O Lord, friend of the fallen. I am certainly fallen, the lowest of men. Please, therefore lift me to Your lotus feet.

Where You to judge me now, You would find no good qualities. Have mercy and judge me not. Cause me to drink the honey of Your lotus feet and thereby deliver this Bhaktivinoda.

At Your feet, soft as new-grown leaves, I offer this humble prayer. Those feet shelter the fallen souls who burn from the heat of material existence. But I gave up their shelter, and now my mind scorched by the fire of worldliness, has dried up like a desert.

I find no strength to go on, and thus I spend my days lamenting My only desire now is for Your lotus feet, O Lord of the meek and humble.

Has there ever been a soul as forlorn as me? Please be merciful and award me the association of Your devotees, for by tasting the pleasure of hearing your pastimes I shall give up all evils.

One hope animates my soul: to spend day and night in Your divine abode singing Your holy name. Your tiny servant Bhaktivinoda begs a place in the delightfully cooling shade of Your feet.

A wicked mind brought me into this world, O Lord, but one of Your pure and elevated devotees has come to bring me out.

He saw me so fallen and wretched, took pity, and came to me saying, “O humbled soul, please listem to this good tiding, for it will gladden your heart.

Sri Krishna Caitanya has appeared in the land of Navadvipa to deliver you. He has safely conducted many miserable souls such as you across the sea of worldly existence.

“To fulfill the promise of the Vedas, the son of a brahmana bearing the name Mahaprabhu of golden complexion, has descended with His brother the avadhuta Nityananda. Together They have overwelmed all of Nadia with divine ecstasy.

“Sri Caitanya, who is Krishna Himself, the son of Nanda, has saved the world by freely distributing His own holy name. Go also and receive your deliverance.”

O Lord, hearing those words, Bhaktivinoda has come weeping to the soles of Your lotus feet and tells the story of his life.

(Atma-nivedana, dedicationof the self, 8 songs)

I have earned neither piety nor knowledge. Overwhelmed by sensual pleasures, I have cheated myself and now see only darkness in all directions.

You, O Lord, are the fountainhead of all mercy. I surrender myself at Your lotus feet. Kindly show me Your compassion.

It is Your promise that one who takes refuge in You will know no dangers or fear. For a sinner like me there is no other shelter. I beg You now for infinite grace.

O when will I know freedom from desire and thus become Yours? You are eternally to be served, I am Your eternal servant, and that is the sum of Bhaktivinoda’s devotional mood.

How much more shall I tell You of my shameful story? There is no sin which I have not committed thousands and thousands of times.

My life in this world has been one of affliction and torment as a result of those sins. Whom will I blame but myself? At the time I did not consider the consequences; now, in the aftermath, I seek to be saved.

After judging my sins, You should punish me, for I deserve to suffer the pangs of rebirth in this world. I only pray that, as I wander through repeated births and deaths, my mind may ever dwell at Your lotus feet in the company of Vaisnavas.

I offer You this judicious prayer. My heart’s false pride has gone far away. O You who are so kind to the meek, Your pure mercy has become Bhaktivinoda’s only hope.

Mind, body, and family, whatever may be mine, I have surrendered at Your lotus feet, O youthful son of Nanda! In good fortune or in bad, in life or at death, all my difficulties have disappeared by choosing those feet of Yours as my only shelter. Slay me or protect me as You wish, for You are the master of Your  eternal servant.If it is Your will that I be born again, then may it be in the home of Your devotee. May I be born again even as a worm, so long as I may remain Your devotee. I have no desire to be born as a Brahma averse to You. I yearn for the company of that devotee who is completely devoid of all desire for worldly enjoyment or liberation. Father, mother, lover, son, Lord, preceptor, and husband; You are everything to me.

Thakura Bhaktivinoda says, "O Kana, please hear me! O Lord of Radha, You are my life and soul!"Whatever I am, whatever I possess, I offer at Your lotus feet.

O merciful Lord. I no longer belong to myself. Now I am exclusively Yours.

The soul inhabiting this mortal body has given up the false ego attached to the word “I”, and now the eternal, spiritual sense of being Yours has entered his heart.

All my possessions – body, brothers, friends, and followers, wife, sons, personal belongings, house and home- all of these I give You, for I have become Your servant.

Now I dwell in Your house. You are the Lord of my house, and I Your most obedient servant..

Your happiness is my only endeavor now.

Whatever piety or sins were done by me, by mind or deed, are no longer mine, for I am redeemed My desire has become one with Yours.

From this day Bhaktivinoda has no other identity.

Nothing remains “mine”. Father, friend, brother — You are even these to me.

Those whom I called friends, wife, sons, and daughters are all Your servants and maidservants.

Whatever care I take for them is only as it relates to You. If I continue to maintain my wealth, family members, home, and wife, it is because they are Yours.

I am a mere servant. For Your service I will earn money and bear the expense of Your houselhold.

I know neither good nor bad. I merely serve. I am but a watchman who guards the properties in Your household.

The exercising of my senses — hearing, seenig, smelling, tasting, touching — is done according to Your desire.

I no longer do anything for my own pleasure. Bhakativinoda says, “Your happiness is the essence of everything”.

In truth, all things belong to You. NO jiva is owner of anything. The tiny soul wanders in this world mistakenly thinking, “I am this transitory body, and everything related to this body is mine.” Thus he suffers sorrow and fear.

The conditined soul is falsely proud and considers everything attached to the words “I” and “mine” to be his treasures alone.

Due to that same vanity, I fell into this world. Floundering in the ocean of mundane existence like a drowning man, I suffer the pangs of rising and sinking in that ocean.

I take shelter at Your lotus feet, which award fearlessness, and dedicate myself to You on this day.

The vanity of “I” and “mine” has left me now. May it never again find a place within my heart.

O Lord, please give me this strength, that I may be able to keep the false conceptions of “I” and “Mine” far away.

May the mood of self-surrender to the Supreme Lord remain firmly fixed in my heart and not prove to be like the momentary cleanliness of an elephant after a bath.

Bhaktivinoda begs at the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda for the grace which delivers one from all false pride.

I submit at Your lotus feet, O Lord, that I am fallen and wretched, a fact known to the three worlds.

There is no sinner more sinful than me. In the entire material creation there is no offender whose offenses equal mine.

By attempting to clear myself of all these sins and offenses I am put to shame and beg Your forgiveness. All this is understood by You.

Of whom will I take shelter except for You? O son of the King of Vraja, You are the Lord of all lords.

This world is Yours, and You pervade all things in it. You forgive the offenses committed against You.

You alone are the shelter of those who have gone astray. Apart from You, what else exists, O merciful Lord?

Those like me who have offended You will know no peace until achieving Your shelter.

Bhaktivinoda takes shelter in You and surrenders himself at Your lotus feet on this very day.

I have become supremely joyful by surrendering myself at Your holy feet. Unhappiness has gone away, and there are no more anxieties. I see joy in all directions.

Your two lotus feet are reservoirs of immortal nectar where one may live free from sorrow and fear. I have found peace there now and have given up the fear of worldly existence.

I shall render service in Your household and not endeavor to enjoy the fruits of that service, but rather I shall strive for whatever pleases You, fully devoted to Your lotus feet.

Troubles encountered in Your service shall be the cause of great happiness, for in Your devotional service joy and sorrow are equally great riches. Both destroy the misery of ignorance.

I have completely forgotten all past history by feeling great joy in my mind. I am most certainly Yours, and You are indeed mine. What need is there of any other treasure?

Bhaktivinoda, diving into the ocean of bliss, devotes all his efforts for Your service and dwells in Your house according to Your wishes.)

Goptritve-varana, acceptance of the Lord as Maintainer, 4 songs

How has one such as I come to Your shelter? Surely it is by Your mercy alone, for You are everseeking the purification and deliverance of the fallen souls. You are my only hope, for You are full of compassion and mercy.

There is no one who needs Your mercy more than I. You will surely drive away all fear.

No one else has the power to deliver me. O merciful Lord, by Your declaration, kindly deliver this vile and lowly sinner.

I have given up everything and come to Your lotus feet. I am Your eternal servant, and You are my protector and maintainer, O Lord of the universe!

Everything is Yours. I am merely a servant, certain that You will deliver me. I have chosen Your lotus feet as my only shelter. I no longer belong to myself.

Weeping, Bhaktivinoda takes shelter at Your feet. Forgive his offenses, afford him a taste for the holy name, and kindly maintain him.

Within my heart I have always been anxious for the maintenance of my wife and children, my own body and relatives.

How will I earn money? How will I obtain fame? How will I arrange the marriages of my sons and daughter?

Now, through self-surrender, I have been purged of all anxiety. O Lord, surely You will provide for the maintenace of Your household.

Surely You will preserve me, knowing me to be Your own servant. O Lord, in Your devotional service I feel great happiness.

All events take place by Your will, O Lord. The deluded soul of this world declares, “I am the doer,” but this is pure folly. If You do not act first, then what is a tiny soul actually able to do?

By Your will he can only desire to act, and unless You fulfill his desire, hcannot do anything. I will serve You free from all anxiety, and at home, if any good or evil should occur, it will not be my responsibility.

Bhaktivinoda thus gives up his independence and engages in the exclusive service of Your lotus feet with no other interest in life.

Now that I have surrendered all I possess, I fall prostrate before Your house. You are the Supreme Lord. Kindly consider me Your household dog.

Chain me nearby and maintain me as You will. I shall remain at the doorstep and allow no enemies to enter Your house. I will keep them at the bounds of the moat surrounding Your home.

Whatever remnants Your devotees leave behind after honoring Your prasada will be my daily sustenance. I will feast on those remnants with great ecstasy.

While sitting up, while lying down, I will constantly meditate on Your lotus feet. Whenever You call, I will immediately run to You and dance in rapture.

I will never think of my own maintenance but rather remain transported by a multitude of ecstasies. Bhaktivinoda accepts You as his only

support

O youthful son of the King of Vraja, You are Lord of all. Creation and destruction take place in the universe according to Your will.

According to Your will Lord Brahma creates, and in accordance with Your will Lord Visnu maintains.

Lord Siva destroys in similar obedience to You, and by Your wish maya constructs the prison house of this world.

By Your will the living beings take birth and die, and by Your will they meet with prosperity and ruin, happiness and sorrow.

The tiny soul bound up by maya vainly struggles in the fetters of worldly desire. Without Your sanction he is unable to do anything.

You are my protector and maintainerl Without Your lotus feet there is no hope for me.

No longer confident of my own strength and endeavor, I depend solely on Your will.

Bhaktivinoda is most poor, and his pride has been leveled. Now he lives or dies, as You wish.

(Avasya Raksibe Krsna — Viswasa Palana, faith in Krsna as protector, 4 songs)

I know now Your divine feet are a refuge free from all sorrow and fear, eternally full of sweet nectar.

At the soles of those lotus feet I surrender myself and all I possess.

O Lord, there is no other protection but You in this world of birth and death.

At last I know myself to be Your eternal servant, whose maintenance You have assured.

Life before, without You, held nothing but sorrow. Now I live free from all misery

Laksmi, desiring such a place at Your lotus feet, excuted austerities. Only after secureing a place by Your lotus feet did Lord Siva attain his sivatva, or quality of auspiciousness.

Upon obtaining those feet Lord Brahma became successful in life, and the great sage Narada Muni held those two feet to his heart.

Your lotus feet drive away all fear. Having held them to my head, I dance in great ecstasy, singing their glories.

Your lotus feet will deliver Bhaktivinoda from the perils of worldly journey.

Who can protect that person whom You wish to slay? The three worlds are obedient to Your will. The gods, headed by Brahma, are Your countless servants and stand ready to execute Your command,

By Your will the planets exercise their auspicious or inauspicious influences. Illness, grief, death, and fear occur by Your will. Your command is all-powerful.In fear of You the wind blows, and the sun, moon, and all others perform their allotted duties. 

You are the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Spirit, supreme above all. Your residence is in the heart of Your loving devotee. You are eternally pure. All Your desires are fulfilled.

Your name is Bhakta-vatsala, for You are very affectionate to the Vaisnavas. You are the eternal Lord of Your loving devotees. Who can slay that person whom You wish to protect? You are the law of all laws.

O Lord, Your eternal servant Bhaktivinoda has bowed down at Your lotus feet. O master, he cherishes the faith that You will surely protect him from all dangers.

Surrendering to You lifted from me the burden of false pride. No longer will I try to secure my own well-being.

O Lord, I am confident of Your protection, for, like one of Your cows or calves, I am Your treasured property.

O Madhava, I see You leading Your herds to pasture on the banks of the Yamuna. You call to them by gently playing Your flute.

By slaying giant demons such as Agha and Baka You will always provide full protection, O Gokula Kana!

Fearless and confident of Your protection, I will drink the water of the Yamuna.

The Kaliya serpent’s venom poisoned the Yamuna’s waters, yet that poison will not act. You will purify the Yamuna and by such heroic deeds enhance our faith.

You who are called Govinda and Gopala will surely protect me by swallowing the forest fire.

When Indra, king of the gods, sends torrents of rain, You will counteract his malice and protect us by lifting the mighty Govardhana Hill!

When the four-headed Brahma steals Your cowherd boyfriends and calves, then, too, You will surely protect me, O Gokula Hari!

Bhakativinoda is now the property of Gokula, Your holy abode, O Kesava, kindly protect him with care.

Gone is the variety of male egoism, O Kana. Now I am Your faithful maidservant.

O Lord of Radha, in the groves of Vraja I will perform devotional service as a follower of one of the sakhis.

I will string together a necklace of forest flowers, and tulasi buds shall be the jewels of that necklace.

With utmost care I will place the garland in the hands of that confidential devotee, and she will take it with affection.

Then she will place the garland around both Your necks, while I watch in wonder from afar.

The confidant will then say to me, “Listen, O beautiful one, you should remain in this grove as my attendant.

“Daily you shall string together beautiful flower garlands that will enchant Radha and Krsna.

“The responsibility for your maintenance shall be mine. My cottage in the grove is yours.

When I serve Radha and Madhava, you will attend behind me. After preparing tambula and bringing camphor, you will give them to me, knowing me to be yours.”

Bhaktivinoda, having heard all these instructions, bows down at the lotus feet of that confidential sakhi.

(Bhakti-anukula-matra Karyera Svikara, acceptance of activities favorable to pure devotion, 4 songs)

I will surely execute with utmost care those activities favorable to Your pure devotional service.

I will feel fondness for those things in this world which are conductive to pure devotion, and with my senses I will engage them in Your service.

I will carefully listen to all discussions concerning You, and the satisfaction of my eyes will be to behold Your divine abode.

I will nourish my body with the sacred remnants of Your food and smell the sweet scent of tulasi leaves adorning those offerings.

With my hands I will always execute Your service, and I will forever dwell at that place where You abide.

I will employ my desires in Your devotional service and show anger to those who are envious of You.

In this way may all of my propensities and emotions obtain dignity and glory by being favorable to You.

I will consider as favorable to Your devotional service anything I do which is favorable to Your devotee.

Bhaktivinoda knows neither religion nor irreligion. He simply prays that all his activities be conductive for pure devotion to You.

1-2) On the banks of the celestial Ganges River I will dwell in a cottage at Surabhi-kunj in Godruma-dhama. This land of Godruma is very conductive for performing devotional worship of the Supreme Lord and is nondifferent from the sacred place called Nandagram, located in the holy district of Mathura.

3-4) I will put on the garb that is dear to the devotees of Lord Gaurasundara and wear the twelve Vaisnava tilaka markings on my body and beautiful beads of tulasi wood around my neck. Then, by planting flowering trees like Campaka, Bakula, Kadamba, and Tamala, I will make an extensive grove by my cottage. I will put madhavi and malati creepers on the trees and in this way make a shady bower.

I will sow a variety of flowering forests and different kinds of jasmine like yuthi, jati and malli. All these will be present there, arrayed in a charming fashion.

I will install the empress tulasi on an elevated throne on the terrace, then procure all necessary paraphernalia for having kirtana, such as mrdanga drums, karatalas (hand cymbals), and gongs, and place them there.

Dust from the lotus feet of pure devotees is conductive to devotional service, whilee service to the Vaisnavas is itself the supreme perfection and the root o the tender creeper of divine love.

I observe with great care the holy days like Ekadasi and Janmastami, for they are the mother of devotion. As my dwelling place I choose with the greatest of reverence and love the transcendental abode of Sri Krsna.

All those places where my Lord Gaurasundara traveled for pastimes I will visit in the company of loving devotees.

My mind always begs for the opportunity to hear the music of the mrdanga. Upon hearing the kind of kirtana ordained by Lord Gaurasundara, my heart dances in ecstasy.

Beholding the Deity forms of the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, I feel the greatest joy. By honoring the Lord’s prasada, I conquer over all worldly illusions.

Goloka Vrndavana appears in my home whenever I see the worship and servicee of Lord Hari taking place there. When I see the Ganges, that river of nectar emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord, my happiness knows no bounds.

The sight of the holy tulasi tree soothes my soul, for I know she gives pleasure to Lord Krsna. By honoring sak, a great favorite of Lord Caitanya’s, I consider life worthwhile.

Whatever Bhaktivinoda obrains that is conducive for the service of Sri Krsna he accepts every day with greatest joy.

1-6) The cottage in the grove on the banks of Radha-kunda, the great Govardhana Hill, the banks of the Yamuna, Kusuma-sarovara, Manasa-ganga, the daughter of Kalinda (the Yamuna) with her many waves, the Vamsi-vat, Gokula, Dhira-samira, the trees and creepers and reeds of Vrdavana, the different varieties of colorful birds, the deer, the cooling breeze from the Malaya Mountains, the peacocks, the bumblebees, the pastimes with the flute, the flute itself, the buffalo horn bugle, the footprints of cows in the dust of Vraja, the rows of blackish rainclouds, springtime, the moon, the conchsell, and the karatalas – all these I know to be very conductive for the pastimes of Radha and Krsna. I recognize in them a transcendental stimulus for making the Lord’s charming pastimes more intense.

I refuse to go anywhere if there stimuli to devotional service are not there, for to abandon them is to abandon life itself.

Bhaktivinoda says, “Please hear me, O Kana! Your entourage and paraphernalia stimulate remembrance of You and are the very sourcee of my life.”

Bhakti-pratikula-bhava Varjanangikara, renunciation of conduct averse to pure devotion, 4 songs

This material creation of Yours, O Kesava, is most strange. I have roamed throughout the forest of this universe in consequence of my selfish acts, and I have beheld many strange and curious sights.

Forgetfulness of Your lotus feet has brought on anguish and grief. As I burn in this fire of misery, my would-be saviors — Kapila, Gautama, Kanada, Jaimini, and Buddha — come running to my aid.
Each expounds his particular view, dangling various pleasures and liberation as bait in their philosophical traps. They are all cheaters, averse to Your devotional service and thus fatally dangerous.

They are magnates of karma, jnana, and yoga who specialize in opinions and proofs for cheating the materially inclined. Bhaktivinoda, considering refuge at the feet of the Vaisnavas as essential, pays his respects to these cheating philosophers from afar.

I vow to abandon without compromise all actions contrary to Your devotional service.

I will keep company with no one opposed to devotional service, nor even look at the face of a person inimical toward Lord Gauranga.

I shall never reside at a place unfavorable for devotional practices, and may I never take pleasure in nondevotional works.

I will read no book opposed to pure devotion, nor listen to any explanation which disagrees with pure devotional principles.

I will never regard as sacred any place where Lord Gauranga is rejected. Any knowledge hindering pure devotional service I consider worthless.
 

Any season which poses obstacles to the execution of devotional service shall find no favor with me, and I will consider all relatives or family members averse to pure devotion as strangers.

I will abandon all desires that hinder devotion and never accept food offered to me by nondevotee atheists.

I vow to promptly shun whatever I know to contradict pure devotion. This I strongly promise.

Bhaktivinoda, falling at the feet of the Lord, begs for the strength to give up all obstacles to pure devotion.

Both the monist philosophers and those bewildered by worldly affairs live in vain, for both are devoid of devotion to You.

I pray at Your lotus feet, O Lord, that I may be spared the company of them both.

Yet of the two the worldly man is better. I ask never to have the company of mayavadi.

When the worldly man enters into the company of saintly persons within his heart he becomes inspiried by pure devotion through the mercy of those devotees.

But woe to him who has known the offensive presence of impersonalist philosophy. Such sophistry makes the heart hard as a thunderbold.

The mayavada philosopher declares that the true form of bhakti, its object (Sri Krishna), and its possessor (the devotee) are all transitory and thus illusory.

Fie on his pretense of service to Krishna, of hearing and chanting His glories! His so-called prayers strike the body of Krishna with blows more cruel that a thunderbolt.

There is no philosophy as antagonistic to devotional service as mayavada philosophy. Therefore I do not desire the association of the mayavadi.

Bhaktivinoda drives away the philosophy of illusionism and sits safely in the society of Vaisnavas under the shelter of the holy name.

I am a resident of Svananda-sukhada-kunja and a maidservant of the lotus feet of Radhika and Madhava.

At the union of the Divine Couple I rejoice, and in Their separation I die in anguish.

I never look at the place where Candravali and her friends stay. Whenever I see such a place it reminds me of Candravali’s gopi friend, Saibya.

I feel pain in my heart when I catch sight of Candravali’s girl-friends, for they are opposed to Radha.

Candravali wants to take away Radha’s Lord Hari, thus covering the grove of Radhika with the darkness of gloom.

I never look at the faces of those who are opposed to Sri Radha and Govindas joyous union.

Nor do I find any pleasure in conversing with those who are opposed to Radha.

Bhaktivinoda has enthusiastically entrusted his soul to the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani.

Bhajana-lalasa, hankering for divine service, 13 songs

O Lord Hari, having fallen helplessly into the illusion of this world, I see no other means of deliverance but You. You are the only recourse for the helpless. I accept the shelter of Your lotus feet as essential.

I have no knowledge, no background of pious activities, nor any history of strict devotional practice. But You are full of compassion and kindness. Therefore, although I am certainly destitute, I solicit Your causeless mercy.

The powerful urges of speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly, and genital have banded together to cast me adrift on the sea of this material world, thus causing me great anxiety and trouble.

After great endeavor to subdue these material demands, I have completely given up all hope. O Lord of the destitute, I call upon Your holy name, for now You are my only shelter.

O Lord Hari, I have become absorbed in accumulating wealth and endeavoring for material possessions. I am addicted to speaking of topics apart from You and am always eager to accept practices apart from my own duties.  I am in the habit of meeting with worldly men and am absorbed in speculative thinking.

Therefore, devotion to You has remained distant from me. In this heart of mine dwells only envy and malice towards others false pride, hippocrisy, deceitfulness, and the desire for fame and honor.I have not been able to give up any of these attachments.

Thus my own faults have been my down fall. My birth as a human being has been wasted. O Lord Hari, what am I to do now?

I am indeed fallen; but Your holy name is the savior of the fallen. Clinging to that holy name, I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet.Enthusiasm in devotional service, faith in the process of devotional service, the treasure of patience in endeavoring to attain love of God, performing activities conducive to pure devotion, abandoning the company of worldly people, performing approved devotional practices — I have never possessed these six devotional qualities. How, then, shall I give up the association of maya and worship Your lotus feet, O Lord?

Absorbed in abominable activities, I never kept company with sadhus. Now I adopt the garb of the sadhus and instruct others. This is maya’s big joke.

O Lord Hari, in such a helpless condition surely I will obtain Your causeless mercy.

O when, under the shelter of my spiritual master, will I call out to You with humble prayers?

O Lord Hari, to offer a gift and receive one in return, to give and receive spiritual food, to reveal one’s confidential thoughts and make confidential inquiries  these are the six characteristics of loving association, and in them is found the very soul of devotion.

I have failed to understand the Absolute Truth, and by practicing these six activities with nondevotees, either knowingly or unknowingly, I have lost all devotion. Thus I have become a materialist. For me, You, O Lord, remain afar.

The day I cherish these activities of intimate association with the devotees of Sri Krsna, that day the great goddess of devotion will ascend the throne of my heart.

When will I give up the company of those who are addicted to women and those who are not devoted to You? When will I get the constant association of Your devotees, O Lord?

O Lord, I will mentally honor and consider as my brother one who avoids bad company and sings Your holy name, be he formally initiated or not.

I offer obeisances to that person who is initiated and worships Your lotus feet, and I will serve, O Lord, anyone who is fixed in unalloyed devotion to You.

I consider myself greatly fortunate to even see that devotee who looks upon all living beings equally. By obtaining his association I know that I become successful in life.

When will my mind become simple and inoffensive toward the Vaisnavas, and when will I cross over the ocean of worldly existence to reach Your abode of Vraja?

Mud and foam are seen in the waters of the Ganges, for that is the inherent nature of river water. Yet Ganges water never loses its transcendental nature.

One may likewise find defects in the body of a Vaisnava, yet his body is always spiritual, never material. That person who criticizes the body of a Vaisnava falls into deadly irreligion.

For such an offense, the fallen soul continuously suffers the tortures of Yamaraja, lord of death. O youthful son of Nanda, I pray that I not be destroyed by committing such an offense.

The Vaisnava is Yours, and he is Your glory. May he be merciful to me. Then my life’s journey will lead to You, and I will obtain shelter in the shade of Your lotus feet.

O venerable Vaisnava. O ocean of mercy, be merciful unto your servant. Give me the shade of your lotus feet and purify me. I hold on to your lotus feet.

Teach me to control my six passions; rectify my six faults, bestow upon me the six qualities, and offer unto me the six kinds of holy association.*

I do not find the strength to carry on alone the sankirtana of the holy name of Hari. Please bless me by giving me just one drop of faith with which to obtain the great treasure of the holy name of Krsna.

Krsna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, "Krsna! Krsna!"

O Lord Hari, because I forgot You my tongue has become afflicted with the disease of ignorance. I cannot relish the nectar of Your holy name, for I have become addicted to the taste of worldly pleasures.

O Lord Hari, if I sing Your holy name aloud every day with great respect, then as sugar candy taken medicinally destroys the very disease which makes it taste bitter (jaundice), so Your holy name will cure my spiritual disease and allow me to gradually taste His sweetness.

O merciful Lord, how great is my misfortune that I feel no appreciation for Your holy name! In such a lamentable state, how will I be freed from committing the ten offenses to the holy name? If I sing Your holy name every day, by Your mercy the ten offenses will gradually disappear. A taste for Your holy name will grow within me, and then I will taste the intoxicating spirit of the name.

O Lord Hari, Sri Rupa Gosvami, in the form of the spiritual master, gave these instructions to my ears: “Try to understand my words, O you who begs for the gift of the holy name, for by these instructions you will develop attraction for chanting the holy name.

“Follow the scriptural rules and regulations and engage your tongue and mind in carefully chanting and remembering the holy names, divine forms, qualities, and wonderful pastimes of Lord Krishna.

“Dwell in the holy land of Vraja, cultivate spontaneous loving devotion (raganuga-bhakti), and spend your every moment chanting and remembering the glories of Sri Hari. Just accept these as the essence of all instructions”.

O Rupa Gosvami, when out of your causeless mercy, will you enable this poor wretched soul to reside in Vrndavana? You are a ragatmika devotee, an eternally liberated, intimate associate of Radha and Krsna. This humble servant of yours desires to become a follower at your lotus feet.

Gurudeva! Because you are so merciful, you gave me a place in Godruma amid the woodlands of Gauda, with this order to fulfill: “Dwell here in this Vrndavana and sing the holy name of Hari.”

But when, O master, out of your great mercy, will you bestow upon this servant of yours the spiritual competence to fulfill that order? When will my mind become tranquil and fixed? When will I endure all hardships and serve Lord Hari without distractions?

Due to attachment to worldly pleasures in childhood and youth, I have developed bad habits. Because of these sinful acts my body has become an impediment to the service of the Supreme Lord.

Now, in old age, afflicted by the five-fold illnesses, how will I serve the Lord? O master, please tell me. I have fallen at your feet weeping, overwhelmed by anxiety.

Gurudeva, give to this servant just one drop of mercy. I am lower than a blade of grass. Give me all help. Give me strength. Let me be as you are, without desires or aspirations.

I offer you all respects, for thus I may have the energy to know you correctly. Then, by chanting the holy name in great ecstasy, all my offenses will cease.

When will such mercy fall to this one who is weak and devoid of intelligence? Allow me to be with you.

If you examine me, you will find no qualities. Your mercy is all that I am made of. If you are not merciful unto me, I can only weep, and I will not be able to maintain my life.

Gurudeva! When, with a steady mind in a secluded place, will I sing the name of Sri Krsna? When will the pandemonioum of worldly existence no longer echo in my ears and the diseases of the body remain far away? When will that day be mine?

When I chant “Hare Krsna”, tears of love will flow from my eyes and ecstatic rapture will arise within my body, causing my hair to stand on end and my body to become overwhelmed with divine love.

Faltering words choked with emotion will issue from my mouth. My body will tremble, constantly perspire, turn pale and discolored, and become stunned. All of this will be like a devastation of ecstatic love and cause me to fall unconscious.

When will such a genuine ecstatic condition be mine? I will constantly sing the holy name and remain absorbed in profound devotion while maitaining the material body. In this way I will abtain your mercy.

Gurudeva! Lord Gauranga’s transcendental pastimes are eternal realities. I await the day when, with this firm faith manifested by your mercy, I will wander through the groves of Godruma, chanting “Hari! Hari!” and hoping to behold those pastimes.

The Panca-tattva — Nitai, Gauranga, Advaita, sSrivasa and Gadadhara — will flood the entire universe with the intoxiacting nectar of the holy name of Sri Krsna by performing a maha-sankirtana.

In my ears I will hear the sounds of dancing and the playing of the mrdangas. By constantly beholding the sweetness and beauty of that pastime of Lord Gauranga’s, I will swim in the flood tide of divine love.

Materialists will throw dirt at my body and proclaim me thoroughly mad. For being again bereft of seeing the jewel of that pastime, I shall weep and cry out, “O my Lord Gauranga!”

Siddhi-lalasa, hankering for spiritual perfection, 3 songs

When will I wander weeping under the shade of various trees and creepers on th banks of Ganges in the land of Navadvipa, crying, “O Radha! O Krsna!” and forgetting all physical comforts?

I will even take my meals by begging at the homes of the candalas and will drink the water of the Sarasvati. In ecstasy I will roll on the ground along the banks of the river, raising an uproar of “Krsna! Krsna!”

Bowing down to the inhabitants of the holy land of Navadvipa, I will beg a bit of their mercy. I will wear the dress of a mendicant and smear the dust of the Vaisnavas’s feet on my body.

I will see no difference between the inhabitants of Vraja Bhumi and those of Navadvipa, and I will be transformed into a resident of Vraja. The true nature of the Lord’s abode will manifest itself to my eyes, and I will become a maidservant of Srimati Radharani.

When, in a flash, will I forget my false bodily indentity and be able to behold the exquisite beauty of the realm of Vraja, full of eternal spiritual bliss?

I shall take my birth in the town of King Vrsabhanu and be married in Yavatagram. My sole disposition and character shall be that of a cowherd girl, and I shall know no other.

When, by the power of Radha’s mercy, will I obtain my own eternal spiritual body, name, form and dress and when, by Her mercy, will I obtain initiation into divine love of Krsna?

As I go to draw water from the Yamuna, I shall cherish knowing the love that unites Radha with Krsna. I shall sing Sri Radha’s glories like a madwoman, enchanted by divine love.

For serving the lotus feet of Sri Radha, the daughter of Vrsabhanu, I will become a maidservant of one of the gopis in Vraja. I will always strive to bring about the happiness of Sri Radha.

Within my heart I will know that Radha’s pleasure is Krsna’s source of Joy. Therefore I will never desire to abandon Her lotus feet for His solitary company.

The sakhis are my best friends and teachers concerning the love uniting Radha with Krsna. As one of their attendants, I will serve Radha’s lotus feet, which are like wish-fulfilling desire trees.

I myself am always partial to Radhika and therefore never look at those who have abandoned Radha’s entourage, whoever they may be and whatever their ways.

Vijnapti, spiritual request, 1 song

When, oh when will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing, taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will your mercy shine, when, oh when will that day be mine

Lower than a blade of grass,more tolerant than a tree. When will my mind attain this quality? Respectful to all, not expecting their honor, then shall I taste the name's nectar sublime. When, oh when will that day be mine?

Great wealth or followers, feminine beauty, I won't care for them or the comforts of my body. Birth after birth give me, Oh Lord Caitanya, causeless devotion to Your feet divine, when, oh when will that day be mine?

When will I utter Krsna,Krsna, Krsna, with words choked up and shivering body? When will I be trembling all over, lose bodily color, tears pouring from my eyes, When, oh when will that day be mine?

When in Navadvipa along the Ganges bank, shouting 'Gaura-Nityananda' as a surrendered soul, dancing, chanting, running everywhere, when will I become half mad of mind? When, oh when will that day be mine?

When will Lord Nityananda show mercy upon me, when will I reject the world of Maya:' Bestow unto me the shade of Your lotus feet, let the right to preach the name be mine. When, oh when will that day be mine?

I will beg, borrow, or steal the nectar of the name. By the name's effect I will feel paralyzed. Oh! Enjoyer of the nectar of the name, When will I touch your lotus feet till the end of time? When, oh when will that day be mine?

When kindness to all beings will be appearing, with free heart forget myself comforting, Bhaktivinoda in all humility prays, "Now I will set out to preach Your order sublime." When, oh when will that day be mine?

Sri Nama-Mahatmya, the glories of the holy name, 1 song

How much power does the name of Krsna possess? My heart constantly burns in the fire of worldly desires, like a desert scorched by the sun. The holy name, entering within my heart thorugh the holes of my ears, showers unparalleled nectar upon my soul.

The holy name speaks from within my heart, moves on the tip of my tongue, and constantly dances on it in the form of transcendental sound.

My throat becomes choked up, my body violently trembles, and my feet move uncontrollably.

Rivers of tears flow from my eyes. Perspiration pours from my body. My body thrills with rapture, causing my hair to stand on end and my skin to turn pale and discolored. My mind grows faint, and I begin to experience devastation. My entire body is shattered in a flood of ecstasies.

While causing such an ecstatic disturbance, the holy name showers liquid nectar on my heart and drowns me in the ocean of divine love of Godhead. He does not allow me to understand anything, For He has made me truly mad and has stolen away my heart and all my wealth.

Such is the behaviour of Him who is now my only shelter. I am not capable of describing all this. The holy name of Krsna is independent and thus acts at His own sweet will. In Whatever way He becomes happy, that is also my way of happiness.
The holy name is thebud of the flower of divine love, the abode of devotion’s wonderful mellows. Such is the power that He manifests, that although He displays His power only slightly, He reveals His own divine form and qualities, steals my heart and takes it to Krsna.

Being fully manifest, the holy name of takes me to Vraja and reveals to me His own love dalliance. He gives to me my own divine, eternal body, keeps me near Krsna and completely destroys this mortal frame of mine.

The name of Krsna is touchstone, a mine of all devotional mellows, eternally liberated, and the embodiment of pure rasa. When all impedimets to the pure chanting of the holy name are taken away and destroyed, then my happiness will know its true awakening

Thus ends the Saranagati of Thakura Bhaktivinoda

Gitavali (Selected Songs)

Sri Namastaka, prayers glorifying the holy name, 8 songs

Through the mouth of Srila Rupa Gosvami, Krsna, in the form of Lord Caitanya, the son of Mother Saci, preached the glories of His own holy name.

There is no difference between that holy name of Lord Hari and Lord Hari Himself. The Vedic scriptures sing of the true value and glory of the holy name.

All the Upanisads are like a necklace of beautifully effulgent jewels shining before the lotus feet of the holy name. They are perpetually perform mangala arati for the holy name with arati lamps of ten ghee wicks.

Within the fourteen worlds , those demigods, men and demons whose fortune is very great, perpetually drink the nectar of the sweet mellows of the holy name, casting aside all kinds of fruitive activities and speculative froms of knowledge.

The eternally liberated souls, however, always worship the holy name in beautifully composed hymns and songs and sit in Goloka Vrndavana constantly singing the name. Therefore they do not know any separation from the holy name.

The two syllables ha and ri are a mine of all devotionall mellows. All the ecstasies of devotion have taken shelter in them. Falling at the lotus feet of the holy name, Thakura Bhaktivinoda says, O Harinam, I pray for residence at Your lotus feet.”All glories, all glories to the holy name, the abode of immortal transcendental bliss. The Supreme Absolute Truth, who possesses an eternal form, has descended in the form of the holy name. He shows mercy to His devotees and shows boundless compassion and kindness to all fallen souls.

All glories to the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is called by different names such as Hari, Krsna and Rama. He is the auspicious resting place of all living entities within the universe, and He delights the minds of all souls. Great sages, honoring His holy name, constantly sing that holy name, filling their mouths with the sound.

O eternal holy name of Krishna, You possess all powers and bestow auspiciousness upon the living beings. Without You there is no other friend to deliver us from the ocean of material existence. You have come for the deliverence of all fallen souls.

For all souls within this world there is much misery and sorrow. O Harinam, if someone calls upon You just one time, feeling himself very meek and lowly, possessing nothing and seeing no other remedy for his relief, You then easily destroy all his sorrows.

If one simply obtains a slight reflection or glimmer of You, then all sorts of terrible miseries disappear. Thakura Bhaktivinoda says, “All glories, all glories to the holy name of Lord Hari! O Harinam, I perpetually fall at Your lotus feet.”

The sun of the holy name has appeared in the universe to destroy all forms of ignorance. Casting aside all worldly things, the saintly become devoted to Him alone.

The sun of the holy name is the remover of the darkness of ignorance. O Harinam, who actually knows Your greatness? What sort of learned man is capable of singing all Your glories?

O holy name, from the very moment You first appear on the horizon of the heart, the darkness of this material world is almost totally devoured.

Quickly destroying all remaining darkness, You bestow divine wisdom upon our spiritually blinded eyes.

That divine wisdom gives rise within the heart to pure devotion and an understanding of the transcendental characteristics of Lord Hari.This wonderful pastime of Yours is eternal and Thakura Bhaktivinode has understood its essence.

The learned man, endeavoring in the practice of jnana-yoga, eventually sees the Supreme Brahman. That realization of Brahman, in full knowledge, removes all the potential sinful reactions lying in his heart.

By dint of Brahman realization all such potential sinful reactions are destroyed; but unless one undergoes the suffering of current sinful reactions, they will not be destroyed. Therefore, despite being a Brahman realized soul, even such a learned man must undergo the current reactions to his sins and thus be implicated in the cycle of birth and death.
But, O holy name, if You are vibrated on the tongue of Your unalloyed devotee, then all of his sinful reactions of both past and present lives are comnpletely destroyed. This truth is sung by the Vedas again and again.

O sun of the holy name, when You arise on the horizon of the living being’s heart, it becomes completely purified, the bondage to materialistic activities and speculatiove knowledge disappears and the soul’s worldly existence comes to an end without any difficulty.

Thakura Bhaktivinoda, raising his arms says, “Take up the banners of the holy name and walk along sounding the drum of the holy name. In this way you will surely obtain the direct audience of Krsna, the holder of the flute.”

O Harinam, You possess unlimited forms, such as the beloved son of Mother Yasoda, the increaser of the bliss of Gokula, the son of Nanda, and the reservoir of all transcendental mellows.

You are the slayer of the demons Putana and Trnavarta, the breaker of the cart, the protector of the cows, the player of the flute, the destroyer of the demons Agha and Baka, the holder of Govardhan Hill, and You are a cowherd boy.

You destroyed the Kesi demon, bewildered Lord Brahma, and broke the pride of Indra, king of Heaven. You are the destroyer of Aristasura, the enchanter of all the young girls of Gokula, and You sport along the sandy banks of the river Yamuna.

You delight Srimati Radhika and give life to the rasa dance. You sport in the groves near Radha Kunda, performing a variety of pastimes. You are the reservoir of pleasure, attractive to every living being. You remove all inauspiciousness and are the husband of the goddess of fortune. You are the source of all incarnations such as Lord Nrsimha, the half-man half-lion incarnation and Matsya, the fish avatara.
O Harinam, You are pleasing to the cows, land and senses. You are the dwarf brahmana incarnation Vamana and the slayer of the demon Madhu. You are the moon of the Yadu dynasty and always wear beautiful garlands of fresh forest flowers. You are the destroyer of the Kaliya serpent, the delighter of Gokula and You rejoice in the worship of Srimati Radharani.

Thakura Bhaktivinoda, understanding Your glories, clasps the lotus feet of Rupa Goswami and Swarup Damodar Goswami and prays, “O Harinam, according to Your sweet will You are manifest in all these forms and in many others also. Please let them increase my love and attachment for You.”

O Lord, You possess two transcendental forms, properly called vacya and vacaka. The vacya is Your beautiful form full of transcendental knowledge and bliss.

The vacaka froms are Your holy names, such as Sri Krsna, etc. This transcendental sound form is the resting place of the bliss of all souls.

Your unlimited manifestations are found in these two forms. Taking pity and being very kind, they confer upon the fallen souls entrance to Your divine pastimes.

But I have understood Your vacaka form to be more merciful than Your vacya form, O Lord. Thus do I find Your holy name most wonderful.

It is the declaration of the Vedas that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent, yet still the holy name is more merciful than the Lord Himself.

If one is an offender to Lord Krsna but respects His holy name and calls out with all his heart and soul, “Rama!” “Krsna” “Hari” then all his offenses depart, and that person then swims without difficulty in the ocean of divine bliss and transcendental mellows.

A person may commit offenses to the vacya or the transcendental feature and personality of the Lord; but if he is under the shelter of the pure holy name, he crosses over all those offenses.

At the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Goswami, Thakura Bhaktivinoda begs for constant attachment and love for the vacaka or divine holy name of the Supreme Lord.

O holy name, Your glories are boundless! I therefore bow down at Your lotus feet again and again

O festival of Gokula! O ocean of bliss! I fall down at Your lotus feet, for I am feeling very distressed and troubled at heart.

You are Lord Krishna, Your divine form is perfect and You are the origin of all transcendental mellows. Falling down at Your lotus feet, I sing of Your divine qualities.

You destroy the multitude of afflictions of that person who takes exclusive shelter at Your holy feet.

O holy name, you destroy all his offenses, even those he might have committed to You directly.

Cleansing him of all impurities, You, who are the supreme shelter, sit upon a throne within his heart.

You are delightful and beautiful, the personification of complete cognizance and deep ecstasy. The Vedas sing of You, saying, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the personification of all transcendental mellows.”

At the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Goswami, Thakura Bhaktivinoda constantly begs that at every moment there be the transcendental vibration of the holy name.

When the great soul Narada Muni plays his vina, the holy name , Radhika-raman, descends and immediately appears amidst the kirtan of the Lord’s devotees.

Like a monsoon cloud, the holy name showers nectar in their ears. All the devotees, due to great ecstasy, repeatedly dance to their hearts content.

All the people of the universe become maddened upon entering this intoxicating shower of nectar. Some people cry, some dance and others become fully intoxicated within their minds.

Lord Siva, embracing Narada Muni, repeatedly makes loud screams of ecstatic joy, and Lord Brahma, dancing very ecstatically, says, “All of you kindly chant, Haribol! Haribol!”

In great happiness the thousand-faced Ananta Sesa chants “Hari! Hari!” By the influence of the transcendental vibration of the holy name, the whole universe becomes ecstatically maddened and everyone tastes the mellows of the holy name.

Thakura Bhaktivinoda, the humble servant of the Lord, says, “The holy name of Krishna has fulfilled all my desires by vibrating on everyone’s tongue.” Bhaktivinoda therefore prays at the feet of Sri Rupa Goswami that the chanting of harinam may comtinue like this always.

Sri Godruma-candra-bhajanopadesa, instructions for the worship of Lord Caitanya, the Moon of Godruma

If you want you heart to be always absorbed in drinking the ambrosial mellows of the lotus feet of Lord Hari, then give up household  life, which is full of quarrels and strife, and just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Material riches, youth, long duration of life, and royal happiness — none of these are eternal. At any moment they may be destroyed. Give up all useless topics of mundane conversation and just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

O Friend, ultimately the pleasure to be had in the company of beautiful young women turns to fearfulness and distracts one from the real goal of life. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers with your mind intoxicated by the nectarine mellows of the holy name.

The taste of mundane poetry does not afford the sweet taste of actual poetry. The sweet mellows of true poetry are found in descriptions of Lord Caitanya, the savior of all souls in the Kali yuga. Enough with the study of any other topics! Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Krishna, the transcendental paramour, stands on the banks of the Yamuna with Radha, the daughter of Vrsabhanu, on His left side. He is absorbed in the pastime of playing soft, melodious songs on His flute. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, Lord Caitanya, who is non-different from the son of Nanda.
He is Lord Hari, shining like molten gold and surrounded by His loving devotees in the midst of hari-kirtana, He is the only ocean of mercy for the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers — Lord Caitanya, who along with His beloved wife Visnu-priya is glorified by all demigods and saintly persons. His home, Navadvipa, is surrounded by the river Ganga, the daughter of the Himalayas. He is the Lord of Navadvipa and the stealer of the hearts of all sannyasi’s.

Lord Gauranga is like a powerful hammer which smashes the sin and oppression of the mad-dog of the Kali-yuga. and He is absorbed in distributing the holy name of Krishna, which is the greatest medicine to release one from the material existence. His transcendental form is beautiful , and His heart is full of compassion for the suffering, fallen souls of this world. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Compassion which is free from the duality of “Friend” and “enemy” is always manifest of his lotus face. He is the son of Maharaja Nanda  Krishna, who has appeared in a golden form in the land of Navadvipa. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

In this world and in the Upanishads He is celebrated as the all-pervading Supreme Lord. He appeared as the son of a brahmana and is Lord Hari Himself, with a shining complexion of molten gold. In His own abode He sports with His cowherd boy friends. Just worship this Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.
He is the most wonderful of all avataras because He is the source of all other expansions of God. He is the Supreme Truth, enjoying His pastimes here in this world. He is the embodiment of the most confidential flows that exist in the ocean of rasa.

Without strong devotional worship and service, mere mundane scholarship, high family lineage , wealth and so on are not effective for invoking the causeless mercy of the Lord. O friend, just worship ord Gaura, the beautiful moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, by the path of unmotivated devotion.

In His appearance as Hari, the Lord liberated Gajendra, the king of elephants, from the grasp of the crocodile in the lake, and in His appearance as Sri Caitanya, He delivered King Gajapati Prataparudra from the jaws of the kali-yuga crocodile who was lying in the lake of politics. Lord Sri Caitanya is unborn, possesses inconceivable power ,and is likened to an auspicious desire tree. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.
 

Lord Krsna, who was pleased with the penances and austerities of Indra and the Surabhi cow, appeared in this world as Lord Caitanya, possessing a golden complexion. He is eternal happiness and the captivator of the intelligence of all learned sages. Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Give up all worldly desires, monistic meditation and relative conceptions of inauspiciousness and auspiciousness. In a favorable mood, with loving devotion, just engage yourself in just worshipping Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Remaining devoted to the service of the Vaishnava’s, being addicted to drinking the sweet nectar of the name of Hari, and with a mentality endowed with modesty, humility, and compassion, just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

Always worship Lord Gaura, the beautiful moon of Godruma’s forest bowers, and call out to the Lord,” O Yadava, ! O Madhava O Krishna, O Hari, O Rama O Janardana, O Keshava, O beloved Lord of Radha!”

Just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers and call out to the Lord “O Lord of the Vrindavana forest, which lies along the banks of the Yamuna! O Lord of Govardhana Hill! O sun of the forest of Gokula! O giver of life to the rasa dance.! O Gaurahari!

Go to Navadvipa, the land of Lord Caitanya, Read and recite with great joy the wonderful pastimes of Lord Gaurahari. Roll about in ecstasy on the banks of the Ganges, which are marked with the footprints of Lord Caitanya, and just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.
Remember the wonderful pastimes of Gaura and Gadadhara.

Become a servant of Gaura and Gadadhara. Listen to the beautiful narration’s concerning Gaura and Gadadhara and just worship Lord Gaura, the moon of Godruma’s forest bowers.

RARE HUMAN BIRTH WASTED

The human form of life is the rarest opportunity for attaining spiritual perfection. But now I am lamenting, because I've somehow or other been born with such an opportunity, and I wasted it by never worshiping Lord Krsna. Oh, to whom shall I tell the tale of this misery?

Having married and entered into the entanglements of materialistic family life, I passed my time in vain. I never got any tangible gain or permanent benefit, only trouble and botheration.

What kind of world is this anyway? It seems to be just like a magic lantern show that I saw at a carnival, wherein so many shadows and optical illusions dance magically before my eyes. I feel great attachment and identification with such a world, and thus day after day passes by fruitlessly, without any purpose whatsoever.

When this body drops dead on the ground then what will remain mine? At that moment, all of my sons and dearest loved ones will not be able to give me any happiness.
I work hard just like an ass every day, and now I am wondering for whom am I working so hard? I am still surrounded by so many illusions.

I waste every day in useless, insignificant work, and I waste every night controlled by sleep. And in every 24 hours I never for one second consider that cruel death is sitting very close by my side.

I live a very carefree life-style, sometimes eating a lot, or eating a little if I feel like it, sometimes I see nice things around the town, or sometimes I do not go out at all, sometimes I wear opulent clothing, or if I'm in the mood, I'll wear something simple. I live so carefree that I never consider that one day I will have to give up this body.

My poor heart is plagued by constant anxieties about the maintenance and daily turmoils created by my body, my house, my wife, my family members and my social obligations. All these anxieties are pinching me and destroying all my intelligence.

Alas, alas! What a remorseful situation has arisen! I am absorbed in all this trouble, but I never consider that all these things are temporary and subject to perish very soon. After I'm dead and gone, where will all of my material opulences remain?
When my body will be thrown int the pit at the cremation grounds, it will simply lie there motionlessly. Then many crows, vultures, ants, and worms will come and playfully sport there.

All the stray dogs and jackals will then become very much delighted, and in great ecstasy they will make a festival ground out of my body and will have a huge celebration and feast.

Just see, this is the ultimate destination of this material body. And the most amazing thing is that all of my material opulences, house, family and friends have exactly the same destination.

Therefore I ask of anyone who has any sharp intelligence: please give up all of these temporary illusions presented by maya, and kindly search after the means to get pure devotion to Lord Krsna, for this is the only really tangible eternal truth.

SONG FOUR — WORSHIP NOW, NOT LATER

A wise, experienced man will never say: 'At the end of my life I will woship God, but now I will enjoy happiness in family life'– for he knows that this body is tottering and unstable, about to drop at any second.

Death certainly must come, either today or in about hundred years, so don't live so carefree, brothers! Immediately begin worshiping the lotus feet of Krsna, for ther is no fixed certainty of this life.

One thinks: 'After spending my worldly life I shall go to Vrndavana, but to purify myself of the three debts I am endeavoring very hard now'.

This type of idea is not the ultimate goal of life. By the influence of such a nonsensical desire, your life will depart in the end without your ever having worshiped the lotus feet of -dina-bandhu-, sthe dearmost Friend of the fallen.

If you want the topmost auspiciousness, then just sing always the name of Krsna whether you live at home or in the forest. All these other arguments described here are simply aimless excuses.