Navadvipa extracts from Bhavana Sara Sangraha

[madanmohandas]

Nishanta Lila from Madanmohan das babaji's Bengali poetry rendering of Siddha Baba's Gutika.

raatri-sese srivaasera puspera udyaane/
paksigana-kalarava suni seikhane//
gatanidra pulakita haiya vrajabhaave/
krsna-parsve raadhaasthiti e anubhaave//
nayana-jalete kailaa sarvaanga snapana/
sei sudha svarnakaati gaura bhaja mana//

In Srivasa's garden grove at nights' close,
The birdsong wakes the Lord from his repose;
Thrilled on awakening in Vraja's mood,
Krishna by Radha's side his thought imbued;
Tears from his eyes over his body pour;
O mind, that pure golden Gaura adore!


Navadvipa Pratah Lila sutra

praate sachibhagavati svaputrera dehe/
sankeertana ksata cihna dekhi khede kahe//
haaya haaya eki putra tomaara sarire/
emata viksata haila kemana prakaare?//
eta kahi vyagra citte sparsi punah punah/
laalite laalite putre kare prabodhane//
sei gauracandra aami kariye bhajana/
sankirtane preme jiho bhume gadi yaa'n//

At dawn Sachi beheld, disquieted,
Marks on his body from dancing, and said,
''Alas, alas, ah me! what have you done,
How have you bruised your body my dear son?"
Saying so, with anxiety distressed,
To waken him, softly, softly caressed.
I worship Gaura-moon with faith profound,
Who during Sankeertan rolls on the ground.

Purvahna Lila

sakhaa sange srikrsnera vanete gamana/
taahaate vyaakula saba vrajavaasigana//
se leelaa smarana kari gauraanga sundara/
tad-anukarana-leelaa kare manohara//
bhakta-vrnda madhye naanaa bhaave vibhusita/
asru-kampa-stambha sarva ange romaancita//
emana sri-gaurachandra bhaktagana sange/
sevana kariba aami aananda tarange//

When Krishna and friends to the forest went,
The Vrajabasis, at parting, lament;
Fair Gauranga, recalling those same deeds,
To re-enact them, charmingly proceeds;
In the midst of his loving devotees,
He weeps, trembles, bristles with ecstasies.
Moon-like Gaurachandra I serve like this,
With devotees, swept off in waves of bliss.
......
The divine associate of the Great Master, Vasudeva Ghosa sings,

Ah me, what moods of loving ecstasy
Rise in the mind of the Fair-limbed today!
He calls in his resonant voice divine,
'Dhavali, Shyamali!', and other kine.
With bugle horns and flutes, both short and long,
They raise auspicious the victory song.
Gauranga turns about and cries, 'Hoy, hoy!'
With all his dear companions full of joy.
Ramai and Sundarananda are here,
With the Master and Nityananda dear;
And Gauridas and Abhiram Thakur,
Absorbed in the ecstasy of love pure.
Exuberantly Vasudev Ghose says,
See how that Moon the cow herding sport plays!

[madanmohandas]

Navadvipa Madhyahna Lila.

sakhi-saha sri raadhikaa-krsnera ye leelaa/
smarana kariyaa madhyaahnera naanaa khelaa//
vyaktakari kahi kare se anukarana/
bhaktagana madhye naanaa bhaava vibhusana//
mahaabhaava-rasamaya-murti adabhuta/
hena sachi suta prabhu bhajaha tvarita//

Radhika, Krishna and the sakhis play,
Which he remembers playful at midday;
He re-enacts and recites deeds divine,
Mid devotees his love-ornaments shine;
Quickly adore Sachi's son, O my mind,
As Mahabhav and Rasamoy combined.

[madanmohandas]

From Dhyanachandra's Paddhati.

Recall moon-like Gaura who doth abide
On the fair Suradhuni's southern side;
The realm divine of chintamani framed,
And as sacred Sri Navadvipa named. 9

Rising from Suradhuni's charming shore,
Like giant turtles' back and covered o'er
With garden groves, delightful to the sight,
And gem studded palaces, golden bright;
In every palace, dwelling, shrine and fane,
Is dancing and singing of Krishna's name;
Which with the sacred wood of Vrindavan,
Is one and admits of no distinction.
Sri Navadveep I worship and revere,
Unparalleled in all the triple sphere. 10

The charming banks are lined with blooming trees,
Sprinkled with moisture carried on the breeze,
And ripples shake the lotus blooms of scent,
Which swarms of greedy honey bees frequent.
Gem stairways lead down to the waters' side,
With sacred shrines and temples close beside,
With dust from Gaura's lotus-feet endued,
Hallowed Ganga enjoys beatitude. 11

[madanmohandas]

More from Dhyanachandra's Paddhati

The fertile banks are charming to behold,
And glister with the radiance of gold;
And Navadveep is flooded all around
With blissful love for Madhu's foe profound.
Fruit laden trees in varieties shine,
And blossoms bloom fragrant on every vine;
Where great sages devotedly adore,
And feathered choristers frequent the shore.
The various birdsong pleasant to hear,
Quite captivates the heart and listening ear. 12

The trunks of trees are formed of emerald,
With twining canopies and sprouts of gold;
Tender leaves radiate the charming hue
Of rubies red and shining sapphire blue;
With coral buds and diamond flowers bright,
And mellowed fruits of lapis lazulite.
Such trees in avenues beautiful shine,
Ineffable, eternal and divine. 13

[madanmohandas]

Concluding the Navadvipa Dhyanam

Here worthy, gentle twice born ones abide,
In fair dwellings with courtyards on each side;
The ordered gardens and playgrounds divine,
With fair platforms and raised terraces shine.
Great festivity is here manifest,
With loving faith and pure devotion blest;
Installed in every home with regal glow,
A divine image stands of Agha's foe. 14

evambhute sreenavadveepamadhye manasi nivaasam krtva..........
In this manner, dwelling mentally in Sri Navadvipa..........

[madanmohandas]

Navadvipa Aparahna Lila, the argument.

Most of this passage, it may be observed, deals with the Vraja Lila. It is somewhat longer than the preceding accounts. The Bengali poetic rendering which is done here into English heroic rhyming couplets, is drawn from a single Sanskrit couplet,

paraavrttim gosthe vrajanrpati sunorvipinato
mahaanandaambhodheh sapadi janayitreesvahrdaye/
smaran sreegauraangonatativalate nihsvasiti ca
ksanam muyhan sarvaan vikasita yastam bhaja manah//
(Bhavana Sara Sangraha)

Along with the cows and his merry friends,
From the woods, Krishna, joyful, homeward wends;
A dancers' dress, a crown of peacock plumes,
Wreaths on his neck; on ears Ashoka blooms.
His moon-face distained with cow-dust doth shine,
Like lotus blue sprinkled with pollen fine;
To play the flute pressed to his lips proceeds,
While all his friends play bugles, horns and reeds.
The cows, with tails upraised, enter the stalls,
And resonate like clouds their lowing calls.
Radha sees Krishna from her balcony,
And is adorned with signs of ecstasy.
Now Gaurahari with the same endued,
Recalls those exploits in the Vraja-mood,
He trembles, weeps, perspires, thrills and yells,
How much the ocean of ecstasy swells!
That Lord who sports mid dear ones, I implore
O mind, his lotus flower feet adore!

Navadvipa Sayahna Lila sutra

Gaura recalls in a loving flood tide,
Sri Krishna's charming deeds at eventide;
Mid devotees those sports he emulates,
In Sankeertan's frenzy participates;
Like Kadamba blooms his hairs stand on end,
Like Suradhuni's stream the tears descend;
In ecstasy lets out a yell and roar;
O mind, that Gaurachandra's feet adore!

[madanmohandas]

Navadvipa Pradosa Lila sutra.

As Radha hears where Hari doth await,
She hastes her way toward the bower gate;
On likewise Gaurachandra, in that mood,
Hand resting on his hip, the path pursued.
He wept, trembled, thrilled, and joyfully danced,
And to the assignation place advanced. 7

Navadipa Nakta or Ratri Lila sutra

At Srivasa's dwelling in the moonlight,
With bhaktas sings his own names in delight;
With tears, quaking and bristling of the hair;
After dancing takes fruit and dainty fare;
He rests him on strewn flowers in the grove;
I serve this son of Sachi with fond love. 8

[madanmohandas]

In conclusion to the above the author of the Gutika observes,

Thereupon the aspirant devotee,
Will chant, while counting, the name of Hari;
And little by little, as he proceeds,
Shall practice recollection of his deeds.
Both Gaura and Govinda's exploits too,
According to sequence, he shall pursue;
And then by such contemplation refined,
Divine service shall practice in the mind.