This Bengali poem, 'Śrī Śrīla Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī Prabhura
Tirobhāva Upalakṣe Sūcika' was composed by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja and first published in The Gauḍīya, Vol.1, Issue 7th, June 1950. It was translated in English by Swami B.V. Giri and Sanātana Dāsa.
(1)
gaura-śakti gadādhara, gaura-preme gara-gara
‘prāṇa-nātha’ – virahe kātara
bhāse buka aṅkhinīre, sadā hā hutāśa kare
śūnyāyita dekhe carācara
Gadādhara, the potency of Gaura, is immersed in love for Gaurāṅga. He feels great separation from the Lord of his life. Due to this, his heart is flooded with tears from his eyes and he continuously laments, seeing the entire world as vacant.
(2)
‘pratijñā-bhaṅge’ sevā-tyāga, ei dui doṣa bhāk
haiyechilā yāṅāra premabhare
tāṅhaāra viccheda vyathā, sahite śakati kothā
smarite-i parāṇa vidare
He broke his promise and renounced his service – these two faults happened on the strength of his intense love for the Lord. Where is the strength to bear such agony of separation? Just by remembering it the heart feels pain.
(3)
gaurāṅgera-nija-śakti, rādhā-bhāva mūrtimatī
paṇḍita śrī gadādhara prabhu
amāniśāra andhakāre, dubāiyā sabākāre
nitya-līlā praveśilā vibhu
Paṇḍita Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu is Śrī Gaurāṅga’s own potency and the very personification of rādhā-bhāva. His effulgence has now entered into the eternal pastimes, and everyone is immersed in the darkness of a moonless night.
(4)
nidrāhāre yatna nāi, sadā kahe kāṅhā yāi
kāṅhā pāi gaurāṅga-sundare
ekhano nilāja prāṇī, kena rahe nāhi jāni
kebā sukha cāhe bhuñjivāre
Neglecting sleep and food, he constantly laments, “Where can I find Gaurāṅga-sundara? Still this shameless living being is still surviving – why I don’t know. What happiness does he wish to taste?”
(5)
kṣaṇe kṣaṇe murchā yāya, hailā pāgalera prāya
bakṣe śire kare karāghāta
ki doṣe āmāre nātha, saṅga haite dilā vāda
kena more nāhi nilā sātha
At every instant he is swooning and has become almost mad, beating his own chest and head crying, “O my Lord, due to what fault did You remove me from Your association? Why did You not take me with You?”
(6)
kibā bale, kibā kare, kibā cāhe cāhe phire
ke varṇe se divyānmāda tāṅra
gadādhara anugata, haiyāche yāṅra cita
tiṅha bujhe kichu marma tā’ra
Whatever he does, whatever he says, wherever he moves about and looks around – who can describe his divine madness? Only one whose heart is surrendered to Śrī Gadādhara can understand a fragment of its essence.
(7)
bhāgavata-ślokākṣara, cakṣu-jala nirantara
bhāsāite premonmata haiyā
śuni’ gadāira pāṭa, gaurāṅgera prema-nāṭa
sukhe pūrṇa gopīnātha hiyā
Tears from his eyes constantly cover the verses of the Bhāgavata, due to his state of divine madness arising out of prema. Hearing Gadādhara’s recitation about the loving pastimes of Gaurāṅga, Śrī Toṭa-Gopīnātha is completely filled with happiness.
(8)
premonmata śrīnivāsa, āsi’ gadādhara pāśa
nirakhilā yabe puṅkhi-khāni
kāṅdiyā ākula hailā, punaḥ punaḥ aliṅgilā
mahā-prema-ratnākara jāni
Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, mad with divine love, came to the side of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita; when he saw the sacred texts, he wept incessantly and again and again embraced him, knowing him to be a great ocean of divine love.
(9)
hena prema-nidhi gadāi, yāṅhāra tulanā nāi
sākṣāt yei rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī
tiṅha more kaile kṛpā, jāni’ guru-gaura-sevā
nāma-prema-dhane ha’ba dhanī
Gadāi is such an incomparable ocean of prema. He is Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī Herself. If you are merciful unto me, then I will realize the service of Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga. I will be enriched by the wealth of the love of Holy Name.
(10)
bahya veśa bhūṣā heri’ vaiṣṇava cinite nāri
śikhailā ādarśa ācari
puṇḍarīka-sthāne bhikṣā, kari nilā mantra-dīkṣā
yāhā śuni aparādhā tari
One cannot recognise a Vaiṣṇava by his external appearance and dress – as an ācārya, he taught us this by his own example and begged to receive mantra-dīkṣā from Śrīla Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. By hearing this pastime, one can be rid of offences.
(11)
gadāira gaura-prema, yena jāmbu-nada hema
ki bujhiba muñi arvācīna
viṣaye-āsakta cita, kāma-krodhe sadaāhata
kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-vāñcā hīna
The gaura-prema of Gadāi is like that of the Jāmbu River that flows through Jambudvīpa. What can I understand with my immature intellect? My mind is attached to material possessions; it is always being deceived by lust and anger and it is devoid of any desire to please Kṛṣṇa’s senses.
(12)
gopīnātha padmāsane, basi ratna-siṅghāsane
yāṅra sevā layena satata
hena gadādhara sevā, nā karile niśi dibā
bala kise haibeka hita
Toṭa-Gopīnātha, sitting in padmāsana on a jewelled throne, is always accepting the service of Śrī Gadādhara. If one does not serve Gadādhara day and night, what else will give any benefit?
(13)
gadādhara-prāṇa-nātha, hana mora gopīnātha
gadāi-kṛpāya tāṅre pāi
tiṇha kṛpā kaile more, gopīnātha cāre phire
tiṅha vinu āra gati nāi
The Lord of Gadādhara’s life is my Gopīnātha. By the mercy of Gadāi, one can attain Him. O Gadādhara, if you show mercy to me, Gopīnātha will look towards me. Without you, there is no hope.
(14)
gadāi-gaurāṅga jaya rādhā-gopinātha
kṛpā kari e adhame kara ātma-sāta
All glories to Gaura-Gadādhara and Rādhā-Gopīnātha. Please be merciful to me and accept this fallen soul as Your own.
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‘Śrī Śrī Gaura Gopāla Praśasti’ (In Praise of Śrī Śrī Gaura Gopāla) is a Bengali composition by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī, in praise of the pastimes and teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Purī Gosvāmī also explains the non-difference between Gaura and Kṛṣṇa and the importance of nāma-bhajana. This was first published on March 29th 1964 in Śrī Caitanya Vāṇī magazine, Volume 2 Issue 4, and translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri.
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In this article 'The Blame Game' Gaura Gopāla Dāsa explains how suffering can lead to a search for external culprits, but the path of bhakti-yoga emphasizes personal responsibility and humility. We must understand the responsibility we have for our own suffering and how blaming others can distance us from Divinity.
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On the occasion of the upcoming Gaura Pūrṇimā festival, we present this Sanskrit song, ‘Śrī-Gaura-hari Kusuma Stavāṣṭākam’ (‘Eight flower-like Prayers to Śrī Gaura-hari’) which was composed by Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja and originally published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśana magazine, Volume 8, Issue 9 in 1963.
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