In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life BookIn Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life

Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala Stotram

1.
jayare sva pāriṣada, śrīla svāmī prabhupāda
abhaya amṛta parā gati
tomāra caraṇa padma, dhūli mora śreya-sadma
tāhe mama nitya paraṇati

All glories to His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda. He is always accompanied by his associate servitors, his internal nature is just like the sweetest nectar and externally he appears like fearlessness personified. I continually offer my full prostrate obeisances unto the dust of his lotus feet which are the all-auspicious shelter and goal of my life.

2.
sat-jana vandita, mama cira vāñchita
prabhupāda-padme sukha-sevā
tava sevā parasāde, pūrila se hṛdi sādhe
tava guṇa-śobhā mana-lobhā 

The blissful service of the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda is glorified by the topmost saints and devotees. To obtain the unalloyed service of his lotus feet is the only cherishable goal of my life. That eternal desire is always being fulfilled by the nectar of His Divine Grace and therefore the beauty of his unlimited transcendental qualities continually charms my heart. Now my dear devotees, please hear with great care and attention the narration of Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala Stotram, the transcendental qualities and pastimes of His Divine Grace, the topmost servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī .

3.
śrī nandotsava-dine, nija sakhī-gaṇa-sane
premānanda-nimagna śrī rādhe
sukha icchā parakāśa, ḍāki nija priya dāsa
kahilena – “pūra ei sādhe”

On the day when the grand festival of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja, celebrating the birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa was being held, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī accompanied by Her sakhīs, who were all deeply absorbed in the bliss of kṛṣṇa-prema, called for one of Her dearmost servants. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the Absolute Queen of Vṛndāvana, spoke thus revealing Her happy thoughts, “You must fulfill one desire of mine.”

4.
āji śubha divasete, mama kṛpāśiṣā sāthe
avatīrṇe hao dharaṇīte
śrī kamalā-dhani tathā, tava gaura-sevā-kathā
pracārila bhaviṣya-vāṇīte

On this auspicious day you must incarnate on the earth along with my blessings and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every town and village of the world. My very dear Śrī Kamalā (another name of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda ˇhākura) has already announced your coming and she has also predicted your devotional service unto Lord Gaurāṅga.

5.
iṣṭa-devī-pade-nama, tabe he śrī kṛṣṇa-prema
e dharāra kroḍa dhanya-kare
avatīrṇa haile nāma, śuddha-bhakata-vaiṣṇava
śrī gaura-mohana-parivāre

That unalloyed servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (later to be known as A.C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda), who’s heart was filled with the most inconceivable love of Godhead, paying obeisances and offering countless prayers at the lotus feet of the Supremely Worshipful Goddess of Fortune then appeared on the earth in the renowned Vaiṣṇava family, headed by Śrī Gaura-mohana.

6 & 7.
nija putra-tāre tini, parama kalyāṇa maṇi
prārthanā karilā sneha bhare
he vaiṣṇava sādhu gaṇa, kara kṛpā anukṣana
mora prāṇa ei putra-pare

mama putra e abhaya, yena rādhā-dāsa haya
nitya-kāla seve rādhā-dhana
parama gaurava-bhaṅge, kīrtana karuka raṅge
taṅra guṇa bhariyā bhuvana

Invoking the blessings of the Vaiṣṇava sādhus upon his son, Gaura-mohana prayed to all of them with great sincerity, “O sādhus, O Vaiṣṇavas, please bestow your blessings upon this dear son of mine, who is my life and soul, so that he can become the servant of Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī eternally serving Her, the Supreme wealth of life. Please bless him so that he can preach and sing Her qualities and glories in a most grand way, inundating the whole world.”

8.
pare eka śubha-kāle, tvadīya karuṇā bale
milila śrī gurudeva-sāthe
śrī viṣṇu-kiraṇa dyuti, sudivya karuṇā-mūrti-
rūpa tumi herilā tāṅhāte

Afterwards, at an auspicious moment arranged by the grace of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Śrīla Prabhupāda met his spiritual master (Śrīla Bhakti­siddhānta Sarasvatī ˇhākura). He saw the divine grace of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in his Gurudeva and understood him to be an effulgent ray of Viṣṇu—His Divine Grace personified.

9.
bhaya-hīna pracāraka, bhakti sadācāra dakṣa
prabhu-vara se dayita dāsa
nija dṛdha citta-mate, nāma dilā sva-śiṣyete
īśa abhaya caraṇa dāsa

That great divine master Śrī Vārṣabhānavī-devī Dayita Dāsa (another name of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī ˇhākura, meaning the servant of the lover of Śrī Rādhā) who is expert at practicing pure devotional principles and who is a fearless preacher of the divine message of Godhead now conferred upon Śrīla Prabhupāda the name Abhaya Caraṇāravinda according to his own firm self-confident character. The meaning of that name is that he is the servitor of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead which are the abode of all fearlessness and hopes for the pure devotees.

10.
rādhā-kuṇḍa taṭāṅgane, ati antaraṅga sthāne
ela taṅra sāndra premāveśa
gāḍha anurāga-mane, sarva-ātma nivedane
māthe tule nija gurvādeśa

In the most intimate place of the mādhurya pastimes, Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śrīla Prabhupāda experienced the full ecstasy of kṛṣṇa-prema. Whole-heartedly surrendering unto Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī ˇhākura with intense love Śrīla Prabhupāda received upon his head the most holy order of his Gurudeva, “If you ever get money print and distribute books.”

11.
rūpa-sārasvatī-śrota, guru icchā-ājñāmata
premabhare kīrtana karite
pradarśilā e jagata, sakala saubhāgya yata
āse gara guru-niṣṭhā hate

By singing and preaching with great loving devotion that sublime message of his Gurudeva, which is pure devotional knowledge of the Rūpa-Sarasvatī (rūpānuga) stream, Śrīla Prabhupāda has shown to the world that all good fortune manifests from adherent devotional service unto the lotus feet of Śrī Guru.

12 & 13.
śrī śrī rādhā-dāmodara, śrī jīvera mandira
prabhu-datta nija kuṭīrete
āra rūpa-samādhite, vraja-rāga āveśete
bhajana karilā rasa-prīte 

śuddha-bhakta-ratna-maṇi, rūpe nitya-kāla tini
sethāya rahena virājita
yethā rādhā-pāda-sevā, dhari rasa-mūrti-śobha
nirantara hana prasphūrtita

In the temple of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, namely Śrī Śrī Rādhā Dāmodara Mandira and Śrī Rūpa samādhi, in his rooms given by his divine masters, Śrīla Prabhupāda performed his bhajana in the loving devotional mood of the vrajagopīs. Śrīla Prabhupāda lives eternally in his place of bhajana as the precious gem among the pure devotees where the loving devotional service of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī constantly blooms personifying the beauty of divine ecstatic mellows.

14, 15 & 16.
parama suhṛda haye, gaura-prema-vāṇī laye
pāścatya deśete āila yabe
bhāi bali śrī kṛṣnere, sambodhiyā samādare
prārthanā karilā ei tabe 

bhāi tava puṇya habe, rādhārāṇī khusī habe
dhruva ati bali tomā tāi
labhive se bhāgya āra, yadi tumi khuśī kara
bhāgya-devī-rūpa śrī rādhāi

śrī siddhānta sarasvatī, rūpa dhari se śrīmatī
more ājñā dilā pracārite
se icchā pūrṇa kara, āmāra vacana dharo
tabe pāri tāṅhāre sevite

Leaving behind the sacred land of Vṛndāvana and taking a great risk in his old age, Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the western world as our ever well-wisher carrying with him the message of gauraprema, love for Lord Gaurāṅga,. Upon his arrival he earnestly prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa addressing Him as ‘bhāi’ (O brother) in an intense loving way.

“O dear brother, my dear intimate friend! I tell You this in a most definite way. You can achieve some invaluable merits by pleasing Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. You (Lord Kṛṣṇa) can really attain even more good fortune if You can now please Her, the Supreme Goddess of all good fortunes. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Herself in the form of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī ˇhākura ordered me to preach Her message. Therefore, please take my word and advice and fulfill Her desire; then only can I attain success and serve my guru fully.”

17 & 18.
atula saubhāgya-khani, tāṅra ei divya-vāṇī
śrī nāma śrī śacī-putrāśraye
śrī svarūpa sanātana, rūpa-prabhu guru-gaṇa
sabe mahā kṛpānvita haye

āmā-bhakta sabākāre, dena praveśādhikāre
śrī rādhā-sevikā-gaṇ-āṅgane
vṛndāvana-govardhane, kabhu rādhā-kuṇḍa-pāne
parama abhiṣṭa siddhi dāne

The mine of incomparable good fortune is the message of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, “If someone takes shelter of kṛṣṇanāma, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of Mother Śacī, along with their dear associates, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, They being greatly pleased with such a person bestow upon him entrance into the embrace of the dear associate servitors of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī at Govardhana, Vṛndāvana, and sometimes at Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa—blessing them with the supreme fulfillment of the ultimate goal of kṛṣṇa-prema.”

19.
śrī rādhikā priyaṅkarī, śrī kārttīka-māsa bari
girirāja hṛdayete smari
tiṅho aprakaṭa haila, nitya-līlā praveśila
rāje yetā rādhā-saṅge hari

Completing his missionary activities in the western world, Śrīla Prabhupāda returned to Vṛndāvana. Accepting the month of Kārttika, which is non-different from Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, bearing Girirāja Govardhana in mind and embracing the lotus feet of his most worshipful Lord in the core of his heart, Śrīla Prabhupāda made his disappearance from this world and entered the nitya-līlā, the eternal loving pastimes of Goloka where Lord Govinda is always effulgently present with His dearmost Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

20.
ei panthā pradarśane, śikṣā dilā amargaṇe
kon vastu-siddhi lakṣya haiya
kari vāsa govardhane, dainya ātma-nivedane
labha śrī rādhikā-gaṇāsraya

By showing us his disappearance from this world in the month of Kārttika, and by revealing his desire to go to Govardhana Hill, Śrīla Prabhupāda has thus shown us the path which leads to the fulfillment of the ultimate aim and object of life, that is to obtain supreme shelter in the camp of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s associate-servants with humble self surrender, residing always at Śrī Govardhana. 

21.
kabe tāna aprākṛta, bhāva-guṇa-vibhūṣita
jīvana-caritra-madhurimā
satya kari e vāstave, āmāri sampada habe
e jīvane dāni sukha sīmā

When will that day be mine, in some distant lifetime, when the beauty of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s transcendental life, possessed by the qualities of pure love for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa actually become my only wealth giving me a taste of the highest happiness? O when will that day be mine? 

22 & 23.
sakala hṛdaya diye, sutīvra ākāṅkhā laiye
se āśe rahi mui hīna
kabe sei bhāgya habe, e jīvana dhanya habe
kabe mor āsibe se dina

prāṇabari pratiṣṭhāne, tāṅri kṛpā-śaktyādhāne
labhi eka-niṣṭha tanu-mana
e dīna sevaka tāṅra, guṇa-gātha-sambhāra
kari yābe satata kīrtana

Let us always pray to remain the humble and obedient servants of Śrīla Prabhupāda. With a burning heart, filled with an intense longing for his association, this poor and lowly insignificant beggar humbly prays for that fortunate day when the life of his servant will be empowered by His Divine Grace with firm determination so that I may with one pointedness, not caring for anything else, constantly sing with my body and mind the sweetest glories of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s unlimited transcendental qualities and pastimes.

By Published On: December 3, 2023
In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life BookIn Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life
Avatar of Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda
Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda appeared in Kolkata in 1896, and after a successful education and engagment in business, he met his guru, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in 1922. He formally took initiation from Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in 1933 and later accepted sannyāsa in 1959. Upon the order of his guru, he began writing philosophical essays and books in English and eventually travelled to the United States where he began the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness (ISKCON) in 1966. After establishing over 100 temples, initiating over 5000 disciples and writing sixty books on Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava teachings, he passed away in Vṛndāvana in 1977.