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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 15, 2021 14:34:06 GMT -6
Sri Chaitanya Chandramrta, 62-64
That God himself, compassionate, serene, Who bears of molten gold the lustrous sheen, Has now assumed a form glistering bright, Of the supreme rapture and love's delight; He is in Navadveep made manifest, Where every home with festive love is blest; In Navadveep my mind would joyous dwell, Which doth in sweetness Vaikuntha excel. 62
Whatever the scriptures decree or state, Let logicians continue their debate, But as for that, I quaff the nectar sweet, Distilled from Sri Gauranga's lotus-feet. 63
If all yoga perfections wonderful, Though rarely had, were in my hands to fall; If even the gods came to me and sued To attend me with servile attitude; Even if I a four-armed form attain, What then of any other worthy gain? My mind would still in adoration serve, And from Lord Gaura-chandra never swerve. 64
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 16, 2021 2:59:24 GMT -6
Chaitanya Chandramrtam 65-69, continuing with section VII. Confirmation of the object of worship.
I would rather for my dwelling desire A cage engulfed by raging flames of fire, Than entertain society with those, Who Sri Chaitanya's lotus-feet oppose; Nor is my mind enamoured to abide In Vaikuntha, forever to reside; If there is not the delectation sweet, Of pollen dust from Gaura's lotus-feet. 65
I may in this world gain the high estate Of fame, and be styled greatest of the great; I may receive the people's compliments, For all my wonderful accomplishments; Nay, worshipping the Lord without remiss, I may attain a four-armed form like his; But as for that, an* the love is not there For Sri Gaura, for them I have no care. 66
Oh Lord, may I your names always recite, Unwearied and with ever new delight; Oh Chaitanya! O fraught with compassion! Oh benefactor, munificent one! Oh the dweller within all creatures hearts! The one who various love-joy imparts! Oh wondrous light! Oh Gauranga the fair! Oh ocean of divine attributes rare! Embodiment of love! I sing your fame, Oh Lord, most fond of chanting your own name! 67
The author is somewhat more explicit in the desire expressed in this verse. Ch.Ch. 68
Oh scion of the Sura dynasty, When, in the person of Gaurahari, Beloved to the life of devotees, Will you bestow your loving ecstasies? When will you your uncommon grace impart, And suddenly reveal within my heart, The wonderful shimmering light that glows From Sri Radha's delicate gem-like toes? 68
Adorned with Damanaka garlands bright, Seated in a garden, taking delight In repetition of the holy name Of Rama, over and over again; Whose fair limbs radiate lustre divine Of gold; the resort of mercy sublime; On that Almighty Lord, compassionate, Hight Chaitanya, I always meditate. 69
*an - if. archaic/literary.
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 16, 2021 12:51:18 GMT -6
Continuing, Ch.Ch.70-71
Who always revels in divine delight, And relishes of Lord Hari the sight, Within the sacred Nilachala's shrine, Whose bee-eyes drink his lotus-face divine; Who is in surging waves and billows tossed, And in the ocean of love-rapture lost; Whose beauty Cupid's attraction inflames, In playful damosels and fawn-eyed dames; May I in recollection take delight, In Gauranga, the fair-limbed anchorite. 70
The tears which from his deep emotion rise, Trickle like nectar from his lotus-eyes, And decorate his fair body divine, With flowing streams like strands of pearls that shine; By various sublime emotions filled, His limbs with horripilation are thrilled; May that supernal Lord Gaurahari, Clad in dawn-red raiment, my refuge be. 71
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 17, 2021 11:26:53 GMT -6
Ch.Ch. 72-74
More beautiful than Cupid in his prime, More cleansing than the holy stream divine; More cooling than the balmy moon by far, And sweeter than sweet Madhavi nectar; Whose great abundant generosity Surpasses that of the desire tree; More than a mother fond, affectionate; May I on Gaurahari meditate; When will he deign most kindly to impart His grace, and place his feet within my heart? 72
The vast abundance of love's sweet essence, He himself doth generously dispense, And thereby all the universe doth bless With joy divine, delight and happiness; Around his loins a saffron garment wears, Which red as Manjistha flowers appears; And his person shines with the lustrous sheen, Of a million lightning flashes bright gleam; May that one ineffable deity, Make me his beloved and affect me. 73
A million million Cupids are dismayed, When his beauty radiant is displayed; The lustrous charm of his bright face defies A million moons that in the autumn rise; The virtue and generous qualities Of a million million desire trees, Diminish into insignificance, Compared with his wondrous munificence; After a million million lives, will he The highest fortune confer upon me, And by the operation of his grace, May Lord Gaura his feet in my heart place. 74
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 18, 2021 3:29:05 GMT -6
Continuing Chaitanya Chandramrtam 75-77
Of the Chaitanya moon the pleasing rays A balmy munificent light displays; The ignorance within the heart that dwells, And the dark universal gloom dispels; The potent influence that moonlight sheds, The ocean of love agitates and spreads; And of the afflictions of three-fold grief, That lambent moonlight soothes and gives relief; May that Chaitanya moon his beams convey, And shine within our hearts without delay. 75
Sometimes his form becomes emaciate, Sometimes, again, his body doth dilate; Now smiles, now weeps; becoming cold by turns, And sometimes in a hot fever he burns; Sometimes he runs away at a swift pace, Sometimes, motionless, stands he in a place; Sometimes, becoming garrulous, he speaks, And sometimes taciturnity he keeps. May that illustrious Gaurahari Reveal his manifestation to me. 76
Sans consideration of the worthy, Or unworthy, and neither does he see Anyone as a stranger in his view, Nor thinks he of the time or season due; But unconditionally and straightway, He gives the rare accomplishment away; To revel in love's cultivation sweet, By hearing, seeing, bowing at his feet, And pleasing meditation to maintain; That mighty Gaura is my only aim. 77
Some of what I can decipher from Manindranatha Guha's annotation on 76
'Now the author prays for the manifestation or intuitive realisation of the various physical signs of inward perturbation, such as tears, trembling, horripilation and others. May the illustrious Krishna manifest his form of Gaura in my heart. How is that Gaura form characterised? This verse responds to the inquiry by enumerating the the signs displayed on the person of Gaura, commencing with, 'Sometimes his form.....etc.' Sometimes Gaurahari is emaciated, immersed in the sentiment of a love lorn damsel. Again, when he perceives the wonderful audience of Sri Krishna his body blooms and becomes robust. Krishna's continued vision causes him to smile with joy, his subsequent disappearance makes him weep; (the vicissitudes of severance and union) are expressed by a cool sensation or a hot fever. He 'runs away at a swift pace', when he sees or seems to see Krishna at a distance.
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 19, 2021 14:41:34 GMT -6
Chaitanya Chandramrtam 78-79, which concludes section VII. In text 78 according to the two editions I have there is an alternate reading at the end of the last line. I have gone with 'tam gauramevaasraye' rather than, 'tam gaurameva stumah' because the latter would require the verse to be placed in the first section, glorification, but I'm sure both readings are right, in so far as all it does is change the verse from a supplication to a glorification. As I have seen occasionally, one can alternate 'namaami' for 'smaraami' etc. It bit like in the olden days when a new emperor was invested with imperial dignity, the heads on the statues of the old empereror were removable to be replaced with the head of the new one to save having to make a whole new statue. hehehe
E'en those who many sinful deeds perform, The wicked, and of mean extraction born; The odious, the evil and the vile; The one ill motivated, full of guile; And those who dwell where sinful acts abound; Those ruined and by bad company bound; All these by Gaura's grace have been set free; May that fair-limbed Gaura my refuge be. 78
Forsaking now Kalindi's playful shore, In lovely Vrindavan he plays no more; But to the briny main hath made his way, In a fragrant flower garden to stay; His shiny yellow garments he hath shed, And wears around his loins a cloth dawn red; He hath his own dark complection concealed; And a wonderful golden form revealed; May that Gaura his grace to me extend; And be my ultimate and final end. 79
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 20, 2021 2:48:06 GMT -6
VIII. General Exhortation.
Alas, ye fools! seek out the mystery Of the ecstatic love for Lord Hari; Which ancient sages who long search maintain, Have still not been able entry to gain; But if you think therefore the way is barred, That to gain such lofty heights is too hard, This opinion I urge you to forsake; But go to Gaura's feet and refuge take. 80
Whose palms like lotus buds above his head Are held; by ecstasy disquieted, The tears flow from his eyes in piteous chase, And drench his cheeks and trickle down his face; Whose garment shines with lotus pollen glow, To Gaura, who robs gold of lustre, bow. 81
Oh brother, even though you may recite The names of Gokul's Lord with vast delight; You may hallowed meditation perform, And taste of the sweet beauty of his form; That splendid love still cannot be conceived, If you have not the gracious glance received, Or if that glance hath not fallen on you, From Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. 82
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 20, 2021 23:19:04 GMT -6
Continuing Chaitanya Chandramrtam, section VIII, general admonition. 83-86
Forsake, Oh brother, other means to try, Nor on your own feeble efforts rely, For those who the ambrosia imbibe Of Hari's love, will laugh at you and jibe; But hearken to this secret verity, The essence of the scripture's mystery, That Gaura is himself the Supreme Lord, The almighty, illustrious, adored. 83
But I know not the means this to attain, The loving faith in Vraja's Lord to gain; Which renders abstract knowledge quite unsweet; Nor did I e'er a good preceptor meet; Ah me alas, alas, where should I go For refuge and guidance, I do not know. Oh fool, abandon all your doubts and fears, Has Gaurahari ne'er entered your ears? 84
Forsake fond attachment to deeds that seem No more than but a vain and empty dream; And never lend at any time your ear The knowledge of the abstract self to hear; Be not deluded by the attachments Of the body and its accoutrements; But seek Gaura's amazing grace divine, Of human ends the sweetest and sublime. 85
Enough of scripture's study and debate, Go not the holy shrines to ambulate; Fear attachment for women, as it were, As one should of a wild tiger beware; The pleasures scron of heaven with disdain, And think as worthless straw all worldly gain; But seek Gauranga of the lotus eyes, Who wears a holy anchoret's disguise, Who relishes his own love's ecstasy, And dances on the shore by the great sea. 86
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 21, 2021 13:33:08 GMT -6
Cont. Chaitanya Chandramrtam 87-88
In the harsh practise of yoga's pursuit, And other disciplines that bear no fruit, What is the use or benefit? Therefore, Plunder the wondrous wealth and treasure store, Of loving ecstasy with faith replete, For Krishna's beautiful lotus-like feet; Which such festivity of divine love, Is sought by mighty gods who dwell above; Shiva and Brahma with the godly train, This festival of love can hardly gain; For Gaura, hard to grasp, compassionate, Your deep love and affection cultivate. 87
As much as there is contemplation sweet, With piety, on Gaura's lotus-feet, To that degree is sudden grace received, And Radha's lotus-foot-nectar perceived. 88
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 22, 2021 3:09:18 GMT -6
Chaitanya Chandramrtam. Continuing the general admonition. 89-91
The boundless sea of love with joy replete, The source of which is Sri Chaitanya's feet, With hidden secret mystery is fraught, And by Brahma, Isha, in worship sought; Therefore devout contemplation perform, And meditate upon his splendid form, In ecstasy of love to him resign, And sing the glory of his grace divine. 89
A straw between my teeth I humbly clasp, With entreaty, fall at your feet and grasp; And, good people, hearken to what I say, All other objectives cast far away, And cultivate love everlasting sweet For the fair-limbed moon-like Gauranga's feet. 90
Salvation is not difficult to gain, Devotion too is not hard to attain, But even in Vaikuntha, I declare, To gain the moon-like Gaura's grace is rare! 91
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 23, 2021 2:10:57 GMT -6
Chaitanya Chandramrtam, concluding section VIII, general admonition. 92-99
Hearken ye people of this age and time, Worship Chaitanya's lotus-feet divine, Cultivate faith and pure devotion sweet, With rapture of joy's ecstasy replete; It fills the world with vast astonishment, Happiness, grace, good fortune and content. 92
If you desire in your heart to cross o'er, And reach of transmigration's sea the shore; If your mind seeks to relish the delight, To sing his hallowed glory and recite; And if your faculty of consciousness Wold revel in the sea of happiness, Then you to moon-like Chaitanya should go, And at his feet, in self-surrender, bow. 93
Where is such knowledge and dispassion shown, And where such faith and pure devotion known, That can compare with the attainment sweet, Of love for Sri Chaitanya's lotus-feet? 94
Since consciousness himself, Chaitanya hight, Did in this dark unconscious world alight, Within this universe he hath appeared, Who is by immortals always revered; If he is not adored and glorified, Stern death awaits and stalks on every side. 95
Compared to him who doth fond hope maintain, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's grace to gain, The great lord Indra doth a servant seem, What then of mighty kings, like insects mean? 96
Why should Krishna-Chaitanya's lover wait, To beg morsels at some proud monarch's gate? Like the fool who heaps of thought gems forsakes, And, contented, some silver trinkets takes. 97
Some yogins in the mountain caves remain, Who like to meditate, Brahman to gain; Some, on arduous practices intent, Attain some mystical accomplishment; And in this world there many are who prate, In pride of affluence intoxicate, Who knowledge and virtue and youth maintain, The hypocrites, the boastful and the vain; But sans receipt of Gaura's wondrous grace, How can one dance in love with frantic pace? 98
Why should I care for kashi's anchorites, Or go to Gaya for ancestral rites, And wherefore should I salvation esteem, No more than but a vain and empty dream; Why should I not the three-fold ends pursue, And fear of hellish perdition eschew; On me what burden of great care attends, In form of wife, children, family, friends; If Gaura, God of gods, shows his mercy, Why should there be for these anxiety? 99
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 24, 2021 6:28:32 GMT -6
Chaitanya Chandramrtam. IX. Sri Chaitanya's Super excellence. 100-102
All hail to him, like a young lion bold! Whose lustre shines like plantain sprouts of gold; Who drowns the world in love's sea, deep and broad, Hail to moon-like Gaura-chandra, the Lord! 100
A million Love-gods at his beauty swoon, A million times more splendid than the moon; E'en a million matrons cannot compare, With his solicitude and tender care; Most bounteous, and generous to please, More than a million wish-fulfilling trees; And he his profound mystery doth keep, More secret than a million oceans deep; He is with more delectation replete, Than a million goblets of nectar sweet; Long live Gaura, the God of worthy praise, Who millions of love's sentiments displays. 101
Enamoured of his feet, his devotees Are swept away in waves of ecstasies; The which when Shiva and Brahma survey, They are astonished with pleasant dismay; Some the great frenzy of love doth possess, Whereat they dance delightsome in madness; May long the world by Lord Gaura be blest, Who hath such wondrous glory manifest. 102
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 26, 2021 5:46:24 GMT -6
Sri Chaitanya Chandramrtam 103-105
Who yells in exhilaration aloud, Like millions of mad lions roaring proud; Who shines with a million sun's golden blaze, And like a million moons sheds balmy rays; Like millions of tuskers intoxicate, He moves with a regal and stately gait; Millions of sinners have been justified, By whose name they are cleansed and purified; Who is by millions of Brahmas adored, Who is of millions of great gods the Lord; Who midst millions of monists of renown, Shines a the brightest jewel in the crown; May that glorious son of Sri Sachi, Shine resplendent and victorious be! 103
Hail to the fair lamplight of Navadveep! Which drives away the gloomy darkness deep; Which doth the hard and distant path display, Where knotty thorns and brambles bar the way; The treacherous false path is plainly seen, Whereby is reached of love the sacred stream; May that lamp in the cave-heart radiate, And the gloom of ignorance dissipate. 104
That fair lamp shines with the oil of pure love, And doth the darkness inside, out, remove; The moths of false logic and stern debate, That lamp from far off doth incinerate; Like millions of full moons it shines replete With a splendid love, more than sweetness sweet; That lamp irradiates a gilded light, Which puts all sorrow and distress to flight; May that fair wonderful bright lamp divine, Of Navadveep, always with lustre shine! 105
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 27, 2021 16:09:34 GMT -6
Cont. 106-107
His yelling and ecstatic cries resound, And fill the ten directions all around, Which seem to make the sky grow clear with light, Like jessamine and fragrant lilies white; And all about splendid lustre reveals, With resonating laughter in loud peels; His limbs tremble in loving ecstasies, Like asvattha leaves shaken by the breeze, He staggers in madness of love's delight, May that Gaurahari always shine bright. 106
That flawless moon sweetly dances with joy, It doth the three-fold afflictions destroy; That moon sheds balmy beams down from above, And showers the ambrosia of love; The votaries like moon-birds taste delight, In that splendid and refulgent pure light; That Gaurahari pleaseth like the moon, Arisen from Sachi's milk-ocean womb. 107
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 28, 2021 5:40:18 GMT -6
Concluding the section, Sri Chaitanya's Super Excellence, in Chaitanya Chandramrtam 108-109
Whose cheeks are pale where a whiteness appears, By streaming from his lotus-eyes the tears; Again he lets out long and ardent sighs, From moment to moment he sobs and cries; Who piteously calls out plaintively, With deep pathos, 'alas, alas, ah me!' Who doth in profound contemplation dwell, In the love of a love lorn damosel; May that ineffable Gaurahari, Prevail forever in his own glory! 108
Sometimes a bright gold lustre he displays, And sometimes as a small cowherder plays; Sometimes wondrous forms and deeds he reveals, According to the sentiment he feels; Sometimes in moon-like Gaura, shining bright, Radha and Madhuripu's forms unite. 109
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