"When shall I become a resident of Vrindavana?"
– From Srila Narottama Das Thakur Mahasaya's Prarthana –
-o)O(o-
śuniẏāchi sādhu-mukhe bale sarva-jana /
śrī rūpa-kṛpāẏa mile yugala caraṇa //
“I’ve heard from the saints’ mouths, and so say all,
With Śrī Rūpa’s grace, the feet of Yugala are attained.”
hā hā prabhu sanātana gaura-parivāra /
sabe mili vāñcha pūrṇa karaha āmāra //
“Hā hā! Master Sanātana, the companions of Gaura!
All of you, make my desires fulfilled!”
śrī rūpera kṛpā yena āmā prati haẏa /
se pada āsraẏa yāra sei mahāśaẏa //
”Should Śrī Rūpa’s grace fall upon me...
Whose is the shelter of those feet, he is great indeed!”
prabhu lokanātha kabe saṅge laẏe yābe /
śrī rūpera pāda-padme more samarpibe //
“When will master Lokanātha go, keeping me with him,
And offer me at Śrī Rūpa’s lotus feet?”
heno ki haibe mora narma-sakhī-gaṇe /
anugata narottame karibe śāsane //
“Then, shall it happen to me that the dear sakhīs
Will scold Narottama, who has become their follower?”
-o)O(o-
Showing posts with label prarthana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prarthana. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Padavali: When shall I become a resident of Vrindavana (Narottama)
"When shall I become a resident of Vrindavana?"
– From Srila Narottama Das Thakur Mahasaya's Prarthana –
-o)O(o-
hari hari kabe habe vṛndāvana-vāsī /
nirakhiba naẏane yugala rūpa-rāśi //
“Hari, Hari! When will I become a resident of Vṛndāvana?
With my eyes, I shall see the charming forms of Śrī Yugala…”
tyājiba śaẏana sukha vicitra pālaṅka /
kabe vrajera dhūlāẏa dhūsara habe aṅga //
“Forsaking the joy of sleeping on a fancy bed,
When will my limbs be anointed with the dust of Vraja?”
ṣaḏa-rasa-bhojana dūre parihari /
kabe vraje māgiẏā khāiba mādhukarī //
“Casting afar the enjoyment of six food-flavors,
When shall I beg for mādhukarī in Vraja?”
parikramā kariẏā vrajera vane vane /
viśrāṁa kariba giẏā yamunā puline //
“Circumambulating Vraja from one forest to the next,
I’ll take rest, going to Yamunā’s bank.”
tāpa dūre kariba śītala vaṁśī-vaṭe /
kabe kuñje basiba giẏā vaiṣṇava nikaṭe //
“I’ll rid myself of burning heat at the cooling Vaṁśī-vaṭa;
When will I sit in the kuñja near the Vaiṣṇavas?”
narottama dāsa kahe kari parihāra /
kabe vā emana daśā haibe āmāra //
Narottama Dās says, “Forsaking all,
When will such a state be mine?”
– From Srila Narottama Das Thakur Mahasaya's Prarthana –
-o)O(o-
hari hari kabe habe vṛndāvana-vāsī /
nirakhiba naẏane yugala rūpa-rāśi //
“Hari, Hari! When will I become a resident of Vṛndāvana?
With my eyes, I shall see the charming forms of Śrī Yugala…”
tyājiba śaẏana sukha vicitra pālaṅka /
kabe vrajera dhūlāẏa dhūsara habe aṅga //
“Forsaking the joy of sleeping on a fancy bed,
When will my limbs be anointed with the dust of Vraja?”
ṣaḏa-rasa-bhojana dūre parihari /
kabe vraje māgiẏā khāiba mādhukarī //
“Casting afar the enjoyment of six food-flavors,
When shall I beg for mādhukarī in Vraja?”
parikramā kariẏā vrajera vane vane /
viśrāṁa kariba giẏā yamunā puline //
“Circumambulating Vraja from one forest to the next,
I’ll take rest, going to Yamunā’s bank.”
tāpa dūre kariba śītala vaṁśī-vaṭe /
kabe kuñje basiba giẏā vaiṣṇava nikaṭe //
“I’ll rid myself of burning heat at the cooling Vaṁśī-vaṭa;
When will I sit in the kuñja near the Vaiṣṇavas?”
narottama dāsa kahe kari parihāra /
kabe vā emana daśā haibe āmāra //
Narottama Dās says, “Forsaking all,
When will such a state be mine?”
Saturday, January 31, 2009
UP 1: Introduction - The Author, Foundational works of direct inspiration
To establish the motive for studying the text, we need to understand the glory of the author. Thakur Mahashaya praises Srila Rupa Goswamipad with the following words:
It was with a force no other than Sri Chaitanya's direct inspiration that his works were composed. Krishnadas Kaviraja writes in the introductory shloka of Rupa-siksha (CC 2.19.1):
In brief he taught Rupa from without, from within he filled him with astonishing power for compiling bhakti-shastras, unveiling the sadhana (method) and the sadhya (object) for the benefit of one and all.
The works of Sri Rupa, and with him, the other Goswamis of Vrindavan, are the foundation of our sampradaya. They are the foremost of our siksha-gurus. Wholeheartedly embracing and applying their teachings is a wonderful seva indeed, delivering a matchless gift of devotional feeling.
- I know that some of the pastimes were lost. But can anybody list all the pastimes he unearthed? And of course how?
What does it mean, how were the pastimes lost? Knowledge of them was lost.
There are essentially two ways in which the pastimes were "unearthed". The first is, of course, through direct descriptions of the said pastimes. The second is through giving instructions through which the people of this world could come to a point where they can personally witness the nitya-lila within their hearts -- even in this lifetime!
Aside express narrations of lila, his works are filled with buds of pastimes. All the examples of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and Ujjvala-nilamani, for example, that demonstrate a particular aspect of bhava are snippets of an unfolding pastime, and the worship and contemplation of such verses will unveil the full beauty of the pastimes.
How were they discovered once again? Through direct perception of the divine reality.
- The Muslim rulers devastated most of the temples in Vraja, right? So the six Goswamis unearthed the pastime-places and built temples there. Inner-guidance via Mahaprabhu.
I believe the devastation of temples primarily took place in the post-Goswami period. With the influence of time, the precious pastime-places had fallen into forgetfulness. The discovery of pastime-places, lupta-tIrtha-uddhArana played an important role in re-establishing the glory and the knowledge of the Vraja-pastimes. As Mahaprabhu called to be done, lupta-tIrtha saba tAhAG kariha pracAraNa - "Make known all the lost sacred places."
How does a Nitya Siddha like Sri Rupa Manjari know how to save the baddha-jivas in a step by step path?
There are two prominent reasons for this.
1. When coming to this world, his knowledge is covered by yoga-maya, allowing him to experience the course of a "regular" sadhaka's life. Therefore, we find the early acharyas writing such heartfelt prayers of longing as found in Thakur Mahashaya's Prarthana.
2. A person in the highest awareness can understand the principles at work on the lower stages through observation even without personal experience.
- This sounds a little to me as if such prarthanas were written under the influence of (yoga)maya. Isn't it possible that our Acharyas also wrote longingly with the intention of setting an example or representing a model of what a Gaudiya aspirant's mood should be?
For a prayer to contain the full potency, one must directly feel what he writes. A mere emulation will not do. Therefore, Bhagavan has arranged in such a way that his nitya-siddha parshadas have also tasted the bhajan-madhuri present at the different stages of bhakti-sadhana. That being said, of course they set an example, a model of what the ideal mood ought to be.
zrI-caitanya-mano'bhISTaM sthApitaM yena bhU-tale |
so'yaM rUpaH kadA mahyaM dadAti sva-padAntikam ||
so'yaM rUpaH kadA mahyaM dadAti sva-padAntikam ||
"He, who established Sri Chaitanya's heart's desire in this world,
That Rupa -- when will he give me the shelter of his feet?"
That Rupa -- when will he give me the shelter of his feet?"
It was with a force no other than Sri Chaitanya's direct inspiration that his works were composed. Krishnadas Kaviraja writes in the introductory shloka of Rupa-siksha (CC 2.19.1):
vRndAvanIyAM rasa-keli-vArtAM
kAlena luptAM nija-zaktim utkaH |
saJcArya rUpe vyatanot punaH sa
prabhur vidhau prAg iva loka-sRSTim ||
kAlena luptAM nija-zaktim utkaH |
saJcArya rUpe vyatanot punaH sa
prabhur vidhau prAg iva loka-sRSTim ||
"The topics of the rasa-laden pastimes of Vrindavan
were lost in the course of time; eagerly, with his own potency
the Lord empowered Rupa to unearth them once again,
just as he once empowered Brahma at the dawn of creation."
were lost in the course of time; eagerly, with his own potency
the Lord empowered Rupa to unearth them once again,
just as he once empowered Brahma at the dawn of creation."
In brief he taught Rupa from without, from within he filled him with astonishing power for compiling bhakti-shastras, unveiling the sadhana (method) and the sadhya (object) for the benefit of one and all.
The works of Sri Rupa, and with him, the other Goswamis of Vrindavan, are the foundation of our sampradaya. They are the foremost of our siksha-gurus. Wholeheartedly embracing and applying their teachings is a wonderful seva indeed, delivering a matchless gift of devotional feeling.
- I know that some of the pastimes were lost. But can anybody list all the pastimes he unearthed? And of course how?
What does it mean, how were the pastimes lost? Knowledge of them was lost.
There are essentially two ways in which the pastimes were "unearthed". The first is, of course, through direct descriptions of the said pastimes. The second is through giving instructions through which the people of this world could come to a point where they can personally witness the nitya-lila within their hearts -- even in this lifetime!
Aside express narrations of lila, his works are filled with buds of pastimes. All the examples of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and Ujjvala-nilamani, for example, that demonstrate a particular aspect of bhava are snippets of an unfolding pastime, and the worship and contemplation of such verses will unveil the full beauty of the pastimes.
How were they discovered once again? Through direct perception of the divine reality.
- The Muslim rulers devastated most of the temples in Vraja, right? So the six Goswamis unearthed the pastime-places and built temples there. Inner-guidance via Mahaprabhu.
I believe the devastation of temples primarily took place in the post-Goswami period. With the influence of time, the precious pastime-places had fallen into forgetfulness. The discovery of pastime-places, lupta-tIrtha-uddhArana played an important role in re-establishing the glory and the knowledge of the Vraja-pastimes. As Mahaprabhu called to be done, lupta-tIrtha saba tAhAG kariha pracAraNa - "Make known all the lost sacred places."
How does a Nitya Siddha like Sri Rupa Manjari know how to save the baddha-jivas in a step by step path?
There are two prominent reasons for this.
1. When coming to this world, his knowledge is covered by yoga-maya, allowing him to experience the course of a "regular" sadhaka's life. Therefore, we find the early acharyas writing such heartfelt prayers of longing as found in Thakur Mahashaya's Prarthana.
2. A person in the highest awareness can understand the principles at work on the lower stages through observation even without personal experience.
- This sounds a little to me as if such prarthanas were written under the influence of (yoga)maya. Isn't it possible that our Acharyas also wrote longingly with the intention of setting an example or representing a model of what a Gaudiya aspirant's mood should be?
For a prayer to contain the full potency, one must directly feel what he writes. A mere emulation will not do. Therefore, Bhagavan has arranged in such a way that his nitya-siddha parshadas have also tasted the bhajan-madhuri present at the different stages of bhakti-sadhana. That being said, of course they set an example, a model of what the ideal mood ought to be.
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