Śrī Guru Paramparā

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākura

śrī kṛṣṇa brahma devarṣi bādarāyaṇa saṁjñakān / śrī madhva śrī padmanābha śrīman nṛhari mādhavān
akṣobhya jayatīrtha śrī jñāna-sindhu dayānidhi / śrī vidyānidhi rājendra jayadharma kramādvayam
puruṣottama brahmaṇya vyāsa-tīrthaṁś ca saṁstumaḥ / tato lakṣmī-patiṁ śrīman mādhavendra ca bhaktitaḥ
tac-chiṣyan śrīśvarādvaita nityānandān-jagat-gurun / devam-iśvara-śiṣyam-śrī caitanyaṁ ca bhajāmahe
śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema-dānena yena nistāritaṁ jagat / kali-kaluṣa santaptam karuṇā-sindhunā svayam
mahāprabhu-svarūpa-śrī dāmodaraḥ-priyaṅkaraḥ / rūpa-sanātanau-dvau ca gosvāmī-pravarau-prabhuḥ
śrī jīvo-raghunāthaś ca rūpa-priyo mahā-matiḥ / tat priyaḥ kavirāja-śrī kṛṣṇa-dāsa-prabhur-mataḥ
tasya priyottamaḥ śrīlaḥ sevāparo narottamah / tad anugata-bhaktah śrī viśvanāthaḥ sad-uttamaḥ
tad āsaktaś ca gauḍīyā vedāntācārya-bhuṣanam / vidyābhūṣana-pāda śrī baladeva-sad-āśrayaḥ
vaiṣṇava-sārvabhauma śrī jagannātha-prabhus-tataḥ / śrī māyāpura-dhāmnas tu nirdeṣṭā-sajjana-priyah
śuddha-bhakti-pracārasya mūli-bhūta-ihottamaḥ / śrī bhaktivinodo devas tat priyatvena-viśrutaḥ
tad abhinna-suhṛd-varyo mahā-bhāgavatottamaḥ / śrī gaura-kiśorah sākṣād vairāgyam vigrahāśritam
māyāvādi-ku-siddhānta dhvānta-rāśi-nirāsakaḥ / viśuddha-bhakti-siddantaiḥ svānta-padma-vikāśakaḥ
devo’sau paramo-haṁso mattaḥ śrī gaura-kīrtane / pracārācāra-kāryeṣu nirantaraṁ-mahotsukhaḥ
hari-priya-janair-gamya oṁ viṣṇupāda-pūrvakaḥ / śrīpādo bhaktisiddhānta sarasvatī-mahodayaḥ
tat priyo bhaktivedānta svāmī prabhupādaḥ / nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi paścātya-deśa-tārakaḥ
tad antaraṅga varyāya śrī svāmī narasiṅghakaḥ / ku-siddhānta tamo-hanta guru-varga-priyottamaḥ
sarve te gaura-vaṁśyaś ca paramahaṁsa vigrahaḥ / vayaṁ ca praṇatā dāsās tad ucchiṣṭa grahāgrahāḥ

Translation

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s disciple was Brahmā, whose disciple was the sage of the demigods, Nārada. His disciple was Bādārāyaṇa (Vyāsa) whose disciple was Madhva. His disciple was Padmanābha, whose disciple was Nṛhari. His disciple was Mādhva whose disciple was Akṣobhya, whose disciple was Jaya Tīrtha. His disciple was Jñānasindhu, whose disciple was Dayānidhi. His disciple was Vidyānidhi whose disciple was Rājendra, whose disciple was Jayadharma. His disciple was Puruṣottama and his disciple was Brahmaṇya whose disciple was Vyāsa Tīrtha. His disciple was Lakṣmīpati and his disciple was Mādhavendra whose disciples were Īśvara Purī, Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda, the guru of the whole world. The disciple of Īśvara Purī was Śrī Caitanya whom we worship. He delivered the entire world by granting the gift of śrī kṛṣṇa-prema. Being an ocean of mercy, He has delivered thoe who are afflicted by the sufferings of Kali-yuga. Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara was most dear to Mahāprabhu as were both Rūpa-Sanātana who were the foremost of the Gosvāmīs. Śrī Jīva and Raghunātha were considered to be most dear to Śrī Rūpa, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Kavirāja was very dear to Raghunātha Dāsa. Śrīla Narottama Dāsa, who was always engaged in the Lord’s service. was dear to him. The great Viśvanātha Cakravartī took shelter of him. Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, who was the Gauḍīya Vedāntācārya, was very attached to him and took shelter of his feet. The grandsire of the Vaiṣṇavas who resided in Śrī Māyāpura-dhāma, Śri Jagannātha Prabhu, was respected and loved by all the devotees. Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who preached pure bhakti was very dear to him and well-known. The great mahā-bhāgavata and the personification of renunciation, Śrī Gaura Kiṣora Dāsa Bābājī, was very close to his heart. His disciple was the great Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrīpāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, who was dear to the Vaiṣṇavas. He eliminated the false philosophy of māyāvāda and established pure devotional principles. This paramahaṁsa propagated gaura-kīrtana and preached and followed proper Vaiṣṇava conduct. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda was most dear to him, having preached in the western countries and delivered the inhabitants from impersonalism and voidism. The best of his dear disciples was Swami Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha (Jagat Guru Swami). He removed the darkness of impious philosophies and by doing so, became most dear to our guru-varga. All these paramahaṁsas represent the line of Śrī Gaura. We are their servants, and offering obeisance to them, we desire to constantly take their remnants.