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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 4, 2022 15:23:23 GMT -6
35 and 36 have been posted already
Song 37 O brother, worship my Gauranga's feet! Not doing so I am o'erwhelmed with grief; Sunk in the poisoned well of household life, Scorched by the venom are my life airs five. 1 Tormented by the sore afflictions three, Both day and night my heart in fever burns; My body always rendered unconscious. Subdued by the senses, my enemies, I disregarded Gaura's holy feet, And have become to such treasure averse. 2 But Gaura is of such kindness and grace, Forsaking all apprehension and fear, With body and mind, take refuge in him. Those there were extremely wicked and vile, That from Gaura had received salvation, Hence 'Saviour of the Fallen' he is called. 3 Bind Gaura, of twice-born dancers the king, And hold him there in the core of the heart; What then can the chastiser Yama do? Says Narottama das in earnest tones, There is none other like to Lord Gaura, Who grants loves' wealth without being adored. 4 Song 38, Whoever Gauranga's delicate feet Considers as his most precious treasure, Knows the quintessence of raptures of love. Into whoever's ears Gauranga's deeds, Delectable and sweet, have entered in, His heart is purified and washed of stain. 1 Whoever upon Gauranga's name calls, Undergoes the awakening of love; Him I commend with, bravo and well done! Who is absorbed in Gauranga's virtues, To him eternal exploits are revealed; For devotion he is the worthy one. 2 Whoever Gauranga's associates Considers eternal perfected souls, He attains to the son of Vraja's king. Who sees the circle of Sri Gauda's realm, Consisting of chintamani thought gems, Verily in the land of Vraja dwells. 3 Whoso in Gauranga's ocean of love Submerges in the billows of the flood, Is Radha and Madhava's intimate. He may at home or in the woods remain, But whoso calls aloud Gauranga's name, Narottama begs his society. 4 Song 39 O my Master Sri Krishna Chaitanya! Bestow your grace compassionate on me; Aside from you who is there merciful, In all the wide wayed and extensive world? 1 To purify and cleanse the base and mean, Is the great cause of your divine descent, But one equal to me you will not find, Fallen into the depths of worldliness. 2 Alas, alas, Nityananda, my Lord! Always endued with love and happiness, Deign to cast upon me your gracious glance, For I am extremely distressed and sad. 3 O Sita's Lord, show your favour to me, O noble, worthy Advaita Gosai; Upon the strength of your favour attained, Are gained the feet of Chaitanya-Nitai. 4 Alas, alas, Svarupa, Sanatan! Alas, alas, Rupa and Raghunath! Alas, O Bhattas twain, O Sri Jiva! Ah me alas, my master Lokanath! 5 O preceptor divine show grace to me, My most merciful master Srinivas! For Ramachandra's fond society, Begs and beseeches Narottama das. 6 Song 40 The one who brought the treasure of pure love, Endued with abundance of compassion, The great preceptor Acharya Thakur, Wither hath such a master gone as he? 1 And where indeed are now my Svarupa? My Rupa, and where is my Sanatan? And wither hath gone Raghunatha das, The merciful saviour of the fallen? 2 Alas, wither have my two Bhattas gone? And where is Kaviraj, the poet prince? Wither did they all right suddenly go, With the Lord Gora, sov'reign of the dance? 3 Or I shall dash my head against a rock, Or enter into raging flames of fire; Alas, where should I go that I may find, My Gauranga, the store of qualities? 4 Those great ones, his divine associates, With whom he revelled in his divine deeds, Unable to gain their society, Narottama das weeps in misery. 5
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 4, 2022 16:11:25 GMT -6
Song 41
My Lord Gaura, not having worshipped you With devotion, I only invite death; The rare gems and treasure of love divine, I have neglected and have thereby lost. 1
I strove intent for that which is not wealth, And my true wealth abandoned and forsook; And by the fault of deeds that I have done, I wallow in grief of my own making. 2
The company of good and holy ones I forsook to enjoy sense-objects vain; By reason of which I like one condemned, Am bound up by the fetters of my deeds. 3
The sensible objects like poison dread, Unceasingly with relish I consumed; In humours of Lord Gaura's glory song, I have not been attentively absorbed. 4
Wherefore should I my wretched life sustain? What happiness could I hope to achieve? Why is that this Narottama das, Hath not yet gone to deaths' dreary abode? 5
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 6, 2022 4:54:00 GMT -6
Song 42 Alas, Hari, how fond am I of deeds! By sense-objects disfigured is my mind, I have no love for holy company; How will I find the path to salvation? 1 Svarupa, Sanatana and Rupa, The Bhattas twain and Raghunatha das, And Lokanath, are like oceans of truth. By hearing accounts of their conclusions, From my mind grief and pain I shall eschew; My heart will be relieved, all will be well. 2 But when Lord Gaura and Nityananda, Lord Advaita and their devoted train, In populous Nadiya made advent, At that time I had not been brought to birth. With this my body what should I do now, But fardels bear of constant delusion. 3 When Haridas and others roamed around, In the grand and festive celebration, I could not see such exploits of great joy. What more need I say of my misery, My birth was futile and my life is vain? O fie on wretched Narottama das! 4 Song 43 The dear feet of the Vaishnava Thakur, Constitute the great treasure of the earth. Hear, brother, with singular attention, Whoever hath taken refuge in him, To worship Krishna, Krishna will not leave; All others live and die for no reason. 1 Holy foot-wash of the Vaishnavas feet Hath potency to grant pure devotion; There nothing is more powerful than that! The holy dust from the Vaishnavas feet Is the supreme adornment for the head; The worthy adornment when death arrives. 2 The water of holy shrines purifies, As old Puranas tell us and declare, In all their discourses on devotion. But the foot-wash of the Vaishnavas feet Cannot be equalled by any of these, Whereby cherished desires are achieved. 3 In holy company of Vaishnavas, At every moment ecstasy obtains, Where they discuss Krishna's profundities. But the wretched Narottama das weeps, My restless heart hath not been bound to them, And my condition is one of ruin. 4
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 6, 2022 5:53:32 GMT -6
Song 44 To the eminent Vaishnava Thakurs I make my earnest humble submission, Though I be of wicked conduct and base. In the tormenting sea of existence, Destiny hath submerged me in the depths, Seize on me by the hair and lift me up! 1 Stern Destiny is strict in his decrees, He hearkens not to virtue nor wisdom, But always with the ropes of action binds. I do not see an iota of grace, I see only misery and distress; Afflicted thus and masterless, I weep. 2 Lust, anger, greed, delusion and vain pride, Malice and overweening arrogance, All these are drawn to each in their own place; And thus in such condition is my mind, Roaming backward and forward like the blind, And knowing not the right path from the wrong. 3 I had not adopted the pious way, But immersed in vain falsehood is my mind; And I did not aspire to your feet. Thus says the wretched Narottama das, Seeing and hearing, I am fraught with fear, Deliver me and bring me to your side. 4
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 7, 2022 11:32:22 GMT -6
Song 45
This time bestow your compassion on me, O most merciful Vaishnava Gosai; For there is none other aside from you, To sanctify the fallen and the base. 1
Whoever gains your close proximity, His sins are to a distance cast away; Where can such a divine master be found, Disposed to favour with such compassion? 2
'Tis only by the contact with her stream That Ganga effects purification; But your mere sight cleanses and purifies; Such are your fair graces and qualities. 3
A transgression committed 'gainst Hari, Is absolved by chanting of Hari's name; But transgression committed against you, Is not to be absolved by any means. 4
Since always in your heart securely rests, The Lord Govinda, bound by cords of love, And Govinda indeed himself hath said,* 'Vaishnavas are my very life and soul.' 5
In every birth I entertain the hope, To gain the holy dust from off their feet; And Narottama beseeches your grace, Accept me and consider me your own. 6
*'And Govinda indeed himself hath said.' saadhavo hrdayam mayham saadhunaam hrdayam tvaham/ madanyat te na jaananti naaham tebhyoh manaagapi//
The holy ones are in my heart forsooth, In hearts of holy ones I bide in truth; They know of nothing but me, and again, Nor do I think of anything but them.
(SB.9.4.68. Lord Narayana to Durvasa rishi.)
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 7, 2022 14:13:04 GMT -6
Song 46
How will divine servitude be attained, By one of evil conduct such as I? For Sri Guru and for the Vaishnavas, I have not been affected by their love. 1
In endless unremitting delusion My mind is inexorably absorbed; Not e'en the slightest iota of love Toward Vaishnavas hath been born in me. 2
In the oblivion of sense-objects, And blinded by illusion day and night, Maya, in aspect of a sorceress, Returns again and binds my neck with rope. 3
In this attempts to overcome were vain, And I am quite unequal to the task; Without gracious favour of holy ones, There is no other means to overcome. 4
The Master does not or will not see faults, But the humble and fallen souls uplifts. This time, says lowly Narottama das, Deign kindly to deliver and save me! 5
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 7, 2022 14:48:51 GMT -6
Song 47
Radha and Krishna I worship and serve, In this lifetime or in the death to come; And the places where they enact their sport, I shall survey eagerly day and night. 1
In those places where they enact their sport The adolescent couple I will see There in the company of sakhi friends; I shall be overwhelmed with love and bliss. 2
The holy feet of Rupa manjari, Sans intermission I will faithful serve; Indeed, her lotus flower feet to me Are my own mantra and potent simple*. 3
O my goddess, Sri Rati manjari, Your gracious mercy upon me bestow, Afford your constant compassion to me, And grant the refuge of your lotus-feet. 4
O my goddess, Sri Rasa manjari, O hearken to me and note my appeal, Afford your constant compassion to me, Grant contemplation on your lotus-feet. 5
In Vrindavan, new and fresh everyday, The eviternal divine couple play; This is the constant and the earnest prayer, That Narottama das always maintains. 6
*Simple; medicinal herb or medicine made from one, 'mahausadhi' in the original.
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 7, 2022 15:50:54 GMT -6
Song 48
Radha-Krishna are my very life air; The adolescent divine young couple. In this lifetime of in the death to come, I have no other goal nor destiny. 1
On the soft bank of dark Kalindi's stream, In the play forest of Kadamba trees, Upon a gem studded platform, will I Induce the couple there to take their seat? 2
I shall anoint their limbs, one dark, one fair, With freshly ground and fragrant sandal paste; Then I will ply a white chamara whisk, And gaze upon their moon-bright faces twain. 3
Then, having strung garlands of jessamine, I shall place them around the couples' necks; And I shall offer to their tender lips Succulent tambul with fresh camphor mixed. 4
With fair Lalita and Vishakha dear, And all the sakhi friends in company, I shall upon their fair commands proceed To serve those lotus flower feet divine. 5
Of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the great Lord, The humble servant of his servant prays; And beseeches for divine servitude; Such are the hopes of Narottama das. 6
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 8, 2022 13:41:51 GMT -6
Song 49
Hearts' Goddess! This time show favour to me; Placing some humble straw between my teeth, Palms joined together and held o'er my head, This one makes his submission unto you. 1
Along with the beloved companions, I shall service render in playful joy; And adorn your fair limbs in fine attire. Always keep me in such service employed, In attendance upon your lotus-feet, In the midst of beloved companions. 2
With odorous and fragrant sandal paste, With gem embellished shining ornaments; I shall, joyful, deck you in raiment red. In order these services to perform, I shall attend with the maidservants there, And always in their company remain. 3
I shall collect fresh fragrant water sweet, And fill the gem studded pots to the brim, And pare betel nuts with fresh camphor mixed. All these I shall arrange upon a tray, With wreaths of clove blossom and malati, As well as various comestibles. 4
When, on the gestures of the sakhi friends, Will I proceed and bring the items forth, And give them to Lalita standing there? Narottamdas, the humble servant says, This is my longing and ardent desire; To stand ready behind the sakhi friends. 5
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 9, 2022 2:20:33 GMT -6
Song 50
With the soft petals of red lotus flowers, I shall the ornamental couch bestrew, Then have Kishora-Kishori sit there. Whose countenances shine with loosened curls, Like exquisitely charming lotus blooms; Dark gem Syama and golden Gauri shine! 1
Hearts' Goddess, will you look kindly on me? When will I receive your commission fair, And bring to you a full basket of flowers, And hearken to your conversation sweet? 2
With fragrant musk I will tilak apply, And with red sindura powder adorn; And smear your limbs with fragrant sandal paste. I shall weave garlands of sweet jessamine, And place them around your beautiful necks; And also shew the greedy bees away. 3
And when will Lalita the beautiful, Place in my hands an ornamented fan, With which fan I shall drive a pleasant breeze. The drops of perspiration on your limbs, As I gently fan them will melt away, Beholding which I shall be filled with joy! 4
Narottama das with longing aspires, Of the couples' beautiful lotus-feet, To relish nectar of service divine. But, ah me, when will such a day be mine, When I shall see not any other sight, But the delightsome couple with my eyes? 5
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 9, 2022 6:25:43 GMT -6
Song 51 O Master, this time have mercy on me! That I may see the pair of your dear feet, Thus fulfil the fruition of mine eyes; Such is the aspiration of my mind. 1 Grant me the dear servitude of your feet, Neglect me not, nor be indifferent; Ye both are an ocean of compassion. I nothing know aside from both of you. This is the great fortune that I desire, Although I be a great sinner and base. 2 Receiving from Lalita fair commands, I shall proceed to serve your lovely feet, With the dear sakhi friends; this I desire. Crest gems are ye of generous donors, And knowing me extremely base and poor, Grant a place by your feet in charity. 3 When I the feet of Radha-Krishna gain, My mind will be relieved of all distress, And impediments will be left behind. Thus says the lowly Narottama das, Such is my most desired perfection; Then fruitful will be my body and life. 4 Song 52 Today at night a rain of rapture fell, And swept away in a flood tide of love, All the inhabiters of Vrindavan. 1 Syama, like a condensed and laden cloud, Showers of love nectar a great torrent, And with him, playful Radha radiates, As flashing lightning in vast abundance. 2 The path of love is wet and slithery, And one must wind a meandering way, With the deer musk and fragrant sandal paste, And kumkum dust turns muddy all the path. 3 The directions, this way or that, obscured, In the vast ocean of ecstatic love; And Narottam in the current is swept, Although he knows not how to float or swim. 4
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 10, 2022 3:53:01 GMT -6
Before going any further with Prarthana it would be worth sharing an observation. In the edition I'm following song 6 and song 53 are exactly the same except the first couplet. In 6 we have,
O Hari, kindly keep me at your feet.
In 53,
O Govinda, Gopinath, have mercy, Keep me securely at your holy feet.
Thereafter, the verses are exactly the same. Well, as for that, song 54 is next, but I will re-number it to 53 and omit what I have as 53, but supply the variant opening line or lines as the case may be.
Song 53
O Master mine, O Madana-Gopal! O my Lord Sri Govinda, Gopinatah!
You are the Master of the masterless; Show favour unto me, fallen and base. Into the frightful sea of existence, I have fallen into a dungeon dread; Bind me with ropes of grace and rescue me. 1
Though I be vile, the lowest of mankind, You are a Master kind and merciful, Or so I heard from lips of Vaishnavas. Therefore this lofty hope I entertain, That I be placed to stay in Vrindavan, And joy to see the Vamsivata tree! 2
Have mercy and graciously undertake To seize my hair and to Yamuna bring, And grant the sheltering shade of your feet. For many a day this hath been my hope, And may I not thus disappointed be; Bestow your kind compassion without guile. 3
Possessed of a body transitory, With which I constantly identify, And subject to fear of the Chastiser; Narottama das in his verses sings, With anguished heart both day and night he weeps, That in the end Vraja he will not gain. 4
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 10, 2022 15:03:36 GMT -6
Song 54
O Hari, I will sing your holy name, And Cupids' enchanter I will behold, Called Madana mohan; thus I will go, And proceed on the path to Vrajas' town. 1
Toward the cowherd chiefs' dwelling I go, And as sounding anklets on gopis' feet, Resound with tinkling sweeter and more sweet, I shall proceed joyful upon the way. Then I enter the playground forest there, Where he meets and disports with cowherd friends, And smear myself with dust from off their feet. 2
The sight of Radha-Krishna's sweet beauty, I shall see abundantly with my eyes; And stand sentinel at the bower gate. All ye, the residents of Vraja town, Grant the fulfilment of my minds' desire. When will I hear the sound of Krishna's flute? 3
When terminates the life of this body, May it be consigned to Yamuna's stream, And crying hail to Radha-Govinda, May it upon the current float away. Says Narottama das in sore distress, Unfulfilled remain all my eager hopes; And will I in Vraja attain abode? 4
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 11, 2022 3:22:34 GMT -6
Now coming to the penultimate song, or hymn of Thakur Mahashoy's Prarthana.
Song 55
Hari, Hari, ah me alas, Hari, When will I such a blessed state attian, In Sri Rasa manjari's company, As well as Sri Mani manjari dear, I shall become Sri Rupa's follower? 1
In the cooling and balmy Vrindavan, A raised and gem studded platform there is; Whereon a lion throne with jewels shines. Rai and Kanu, the beautiful couple, Bearing a lustre of gold and sapphire, I will direct and have them seated there. 2
On fair commands of the dear sakhi friends, A white chamara whisk fan I will ply, And offer tambul to their moon-faces. I shall always be fraught with bliss sublime, In pure and blissful discourses on love, And of their affection relish the joy. 3
With mallika, malati and yuthi, And other flowers, I will garlands weave; And then I will place them around their necks. What time the couple wearied of love sport Recline, I shall sit myself by their feet; Thus the feet of the couple I will serve. 4
Radha-Krishna are Masters of my heart, Or in this life or in the death to come, I do not think of anything but them. To Sri Krishna Chaitanya, life and soul Of Svarupa, Rupa and Sanatan, This is the submission of Narottam.
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Post by madanmohandas on Oct 11, 2022 4:25:55 GMT -6
Concluding Narottama das Thakur Mahashoy's Prarthana.
Song 56
Hello there, O my amorous hero! Flute player with the flute to your lips, list To the submission at your feet I make! The gem like toenails on your holy feet, Were like a garland of radiant moons, Which I would like to place around my neck. 1
In Sridama, Sudama's company, When you, playful, into the forest wend, I shall stand by the doorway as you go. Thinking how I would accompany you, But apprehensive of the elders there, Can only follow with my eyes and stare. 2
Whenever I behold a fresh rain cloud, I fall into deep reverie on you, And distracted, my hair becomes unbound. What time I go to the kitchen to cook, Singing of my beloveds' qualities, I freely weep on pretext of the smoke. 3
You are neither a gem nor ornament, With which I may adorn and deck myself, Nor a flower to bind up in my hair. If I had not been a woman by fate, Then with such a paragon of virtue, I would go wandering from place to place. 4
If I were aguru or sandal paste, I would remain upon your person smeared, And with your perspiration I will fall, And land upon your lovely crimson feet. Alas, how lofty are my fond desires, That like a pygmy I would seize the moon. Will Destiny fulfil my ardent hopes? 5
Thus prays the lowly Narottama das, Listen and hear, O most merciful one, Do not withhold your favours unto me. The day when this my body I depart, On that day let me only think of you, On that day grant the refuge of your feet. 6
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