Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra

apūrva adbhūta tattva sarva-śaktimān
ānanda-svarūpa yaṅhāra ananta ākhyāna

That wonderful and mysterious Reality who is all powerful is bliss personified and known by unlimited Names.

anubhavānanda-mātra hṛdaye prakāśa
veda saba bale yaṅre akṣara ākāśa

When one experiences divine bliss, He immediately manifests within the heart. All the Vedas declare Him to be the immutable Supersoul.

sṛṣṭhi-sthiti-pralayera svarūpa kāraṇa
brahma paramātmā yāṅ’ra śakti āvaraṇa

He is the intrinsic cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation through Brahman, Paramātmā and His covered potency (māyā).

yāṅ’ra māyā-śakti-vaśe jaḍa sṛṣṭhi haya
yāṅ’ra jīva-śakti haya jīvera nilaya

By the spell of His māyā–śakti, the material world is created, and His jīvā–śakti is the abode of the jīvas.

cicchakti vilāsa yāṅ’ra vaikuṇṭhe sṛjana
sei ta’ advaya-tattva vrajendra-nandana

Through the pastimes of His cit-śakti, Vaikuṇṭha manifests. Indeed, He is the advaya-tattva (the non-dual Absolute Truth) Vrajendra-nandana.

jīvera ātmāya ācche dahara-sundara
vraja-dhāma bali tā’ra haya nāmāntara

That Beautiful Youth is present as the Supersoul of the jīva. Another Name for Him is Vraja-dhāma. *

* Translators Note: In other words, Vraja-dhāma is non-different from Kṛṣṇa Himself and manifests within the heart. This is explained in Śrī Kṛṣna Saṁhitā where Bhaktivinoda says that the appearance of the truth of Vaikuṇṭha in the pure consciousness of the living entities of this world is called Vraja.

tathā jīva vraja-rāja nanda nāma dhari
vātsalya-ānande sadā sevena śrī-hari

There, the jīva takes shelter of the king of Vraja who is called Nanda. In the bliss of vātsalya-rasa, he constantly serves Śrī Hari.

cāri-vidha rasa jīva tathā bhoga kare
madhura rasete śeṣe seve prāṇeśvare

There, the fourfold rasas may be experienced by the jīva, and ultimately, one may serve the Lord of his life in madhura–rasa.

madhura rasete kṛṣṇe mādhurya-pradhāna
aiśvarya sattvetta tā’ra nāhika vidhāna

In madhura–rasa for Kṛṣna, sweetness (mādhurya) is most prominent. Although opulence (aiśvarya) is present, it is not taken into consideration.

vraja-vāsī nāhi māne kṛṣṇera aiśvarya
aikāntikī preme dekhe mādhuryera dhūrya

The residents of Vraja never think about Kṛṣna’s opulence. Due to their exclusive prema, they consider mādhurya as superior.

kṛṣṇa-rūpa āhā yā’ra paśila nayane
tṛṣṇā tā’ra nāhi thāke āra anya jane

One whose eyes have seen the most wonderful form of Kṛṣṇa, has no thirst for anyone else.

su-snigdha śyāmala-rūpa nava-ghana kānti
jīvera āpita mane varaṣiche śānti

His ever-fresh form is most pleasing to behold and His dark body resembles the complexion of a newly formed rain-cloud which showers tranquility upon the lamenting mind of the jīva.

ākarśaṇī vaṁśī-nāda paśiyā śravaṇe
mātāya jīvera mana āsava siñcane

Upon hearing the all-attractive sound of His flute, the intoxicated jīva’s mind is flooded with nectar.

ye śunila sei nāda haila pāgala
chāḍila saṁsāra-cintā haiyā vikala

One who hears that tune becomes mad. He abandons all family concerns and becomes dysfunctional.

tri-kāle tri-bhaṅgī śyāma apūrva darśana
jīva lāgi gopa-veśa jīvera jīvana

In the past, present and future, the threefold bending form of Śyāma is wonderful to behold. For the benefit of the jīvas, He has accepted the dress of a cowherd boy who is the very life of the living entities.

śikhi-puccha nityānanda-śire śobha kare
emana darśana kā’ra mana nāhi hare

A peacock feather beautifully adorns His eternally blissful head. Whose mind is not captured by such a sight?

priyatama kṛṣṇa-rūpa madhura bhāṇḍāra
yāra eka kaṇe maṇḍa kariche saṁsāra

This dearmost form of Kṛṣṇa is the storehouse of sweetness, of which one small fragment has mesmerised the world.

madhu haite madhu sei tāhā haite miṣṭha
tāhā haite ati madhu tāhāro variṣṭha

He is like the essence of honey, and He is even sweeter than that. And even sweeter than Him is His exalted One (Śrī Rādhā).

kadamba-kānane kṛṣṇa kare vaṁśī-rava
unmata haiyā uthe vidhi-vadhu sava

In a kadamba forest, Kṛṣṇa played the flute, and all the chaste wives who followed the rules of society became mad.

veda-vidhi gṛha-dharme patirūpe vari
āchila niścinta jīva gopī veśa dhari

They followed the rules of the Vedas while performing their household duties properly. These jīvas had no other thoughts, and had taken the form of gopīs.

kṛṣṇa-vāṁśī kāne pāśi’ karila pāgala
gṛha ha’te citta tabe haila cañcala

Then the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute entered their ears and made them mad. Within their homes, their hearts became restless.

āra ki sāmānya pati citta rākhi pāre
kṛṣṇa-vaṁśī vṛndāvane ākarṣila yā’re

So is an ordinary husband able to control the mind of those who have been attracted to Vṛndāvana by Kṛṣṇa’s flute?

eirūpa jīva la’ye śyāma-naṭavara
sanātana vraja-līlā kare nirantara

In this way, the jīvas accept Śyāma Naṭavara (Śyāma, the best of dancers) and they are engaged in the eternal vraja-līlā.

prema-rasa-viśārada mātāiyā nare
premera ucchatā sadā vitaraṇa kare

That Expert in prema–rasa intoxicates the living beings. In this way, He continuously distributes the highest type of divine love.

ātmārāma śrī-kṛṣṇera vinoda-rañjana
jīvera maṅgala-hetu jāna sādhu-jana

O sādhus! Please understand that the blissful delight of Kṛṣṇa, who is self-satisfied, is for bestowing auspiciousness upon the jīvas.

brahma-paramātmā-kṛṣṇa tattve eka haya
tabu kṛṣṇa jīva-pati jānaha niścaya

Brahman and Paramātmā are identical with kṛṣṇa-tattva. Still, you should understand that Kṛṣṇa is indeed the Master of the jīvas.

līlā-rūpī brahma haya kṛṣṇera prākṛti
kṛṣṇa-līlā vinā jīve nā chāḍe saṁsṛti

Kṛṣṇa is naturally līlā-rūpī brahma (The Supreme manifesting divine pastimes). Without a connection to kṛṣṇa-līlā, the jīva can never abandon material existence.

ataeva kṛṣṇa haya jīvera jīvana
kṛṣṇa vinā jīva nāhi bhaje anya jana

Therefore, Kṛṣṇa is the life of the jīva. Without Kṛṣna, there is no jīva, thus they should not worship anyone else.

kṛṣṇa jīva, jīve kṛṣna dekha nitya-kāla
āra yata cintā sava jivera jañjāla

At all times one should see that the jīvas are part of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is also within the jīva. All other thoughts are completely useless for the living entities.

jīva se kṛṣṇera sakhā, aparādha-krame
bahir-mukha ha’ye jaḍe kata rūpe bhrame

The jīva is Kṛṣṇa’s friend, but due to offences, he becomes averse to Him and wanders through the material world in many forms.

kṛṣṇa tabu jīve chāḍi’ rahite nā pāre
yathā jīva yāya, tathā āpane vistāre

Still, Kṛṣṇa cannot remain aloof and leave the jīva. Wherever the jīva goes, He expands Himself and goes there.

jīvera vicāra-bhūmi mathurā nagarī
nāstikatā kaṁsa tathā ācche daṇḍa dhari

The vicāra-bhūmi of the jīva is the city of Mathurā, and atheism in the form of Kaṁsa is there, carrying the staff of chastisement. *

*Translator’s Note: Vicāra-bhūmi means the land where justice is enacted based upon one’s qualification.

devaka-nandinī mana bhaginī tāhāra
śuddha-sattva vasudeve pariṇaya yā’ra

Kaṁsa’s sister is the daughter of Devaka who represents the mind. She marries Vasudeva, who represents the pure mode of goodness.

sei dui ha’te kṛṣṇa haibe prakāśa
eirūpa vākye kaṁsa kariyā viśvāsa

From these two Kṛṣṇa will manifest – Kaṁsa believes in this statement.

ubhaye rākhila vandi nija kārāgāre
adhīnatā-śṛṅkhalete vidita saṁsāre

Thus, He keeps them both incarcerated in his prison. Subjugation and bondage dictate material life.

ajanmā haitā kṛṣṇa devakī-jaṭhare
jīvera kalyāṇa lāgi’ divya deha dhare

Although He is unborn, Kṛṣṇa appears in the womb of Devakī. For the benefit of the jīvas, He accepts such a divine form.

prasūta haile kṛṣṇa pitā mahāśaya
ātma-bhūmi vraja-dhāme rākhila tanaya

When Kṛṣṇa is born, His venerable father keeps his son in His own land of Vraja-dhāma.

dine dine vāḍe kṛṣṇa ānanda-nilaye
tāṅ’re mārivāre kaṁsa prere sainyacare

Day by day, Kṛṣṇa grows up in His blissful home, and to kill Him, Kaṁsa sends armies and spies.

māyā-rūpī pūtanā, vintaṇḍa tṛṇāvarta
dhūrtatā-svarūpa baka prabhṛti anartha

Pūtanā comes in disguise, Tṛṇāvarta who represents useless rhetoric, Baka who is the personification of cunningness and others which represent anarthas.

kṛṣṇa-tattva-sannidhāne pāpa nāhi raya
nāstikatā-sainya sava śighra haya kṣaya

When one comes closer to kṛṣṇa–tattva, vice does not remain. Very soon, all the soldiers of atheism are destroyed.

viśvāsa mandira sei nandera nilaya
kata-dina līlā tathā kare dayāmaya

The home of Nanda is the temple of faith. The most merciful Lord performs His līlā there for some time.

viśvāsera pakṛāvasthā udaya yakhana
kaiśora vayase punaḥ mathurā gamana

As the ripened stage of faith arises, Kṛṣṇa reaches the age of adolescence and again goes to Mathurā.

kaṁsa nāśa śuddha-sattva manera bandhana
avalīlā-krame kṛṣṇa karena chedana

The destruction of Kaṁsa is when the bondage of the mind in pure goodness is effortlessly cut asunder by Kṛṣṇa.

karma-kāṇḍa jarāsandha nāstika-śvaśura
bahu-sainya la’ye ghere vicarera pura

Jarāsandha, who represents karma-kāṇḍa, is the atheist’s father-in-law. With a large army he surrounds the city of faith.

yathā kṛṣṇa tathā nāhi vipakṣera bala
sapta-daśa bāra jarā hayata virala

Wherever Kṛṣṇa is present, the opposition party has no strength. Seventeen times Jarāsandha failed in his attempts.

karma-kāṇḍa jaḍa-bhāva baddha-jīva sane
thākibe baddhatā nāśa paryanta bhuvane

The material influence of the bondage of karma-kāṇḍa exists within the conditional jīvas and will remain till the world comes to an end.

duṣṭa-kāla kāla-nāmā yavanera chile
yadu-kula laya kṛṣna samudrera kūle

The Yavana known as Kāla represents inauspicious periods. Kṛṣṇa then takes the Yadu Dynasty to the shore of the ocean.

veda-vidhimaya purī dvārakā vistāri
rākhena āśrita-jane tathāya murāri

Expanding the city of Dvārakā, which represents all the injuctions of the Vedas, Murāri protects those under His shelter there.

eirūpa nitya-līlā manuṣyera mane
karena hṛdaya-nātha sadāi bhuvane

In this way He performs His nitya–līlā in the minds of human beings, just as the Lord of the heart continuously does in this world.

ananta brahmāṇḍe yata ācche jīva-gana
sakale-i ei līlā dekhe anukṣaṇa

The jīvas, who are present within infinite universes, are all able to continuously see this līlā.

nāmāntare rūpāntare e līlā varṇana
sarva-deśe, sarva-kāle kare sarva-jana

This līlā is described in different names and it takes on different forms. This is done by everyone at all places and at all times.

ataeva anya kāṇḍha chāḍi anya āśā
bhaja kṛṣna, viṣayera ghūcibe pipāsa

Therefore, leaving aside other activities and desires, please worship Kṛṣṇa, and your thirst for material things will be extinguished.

ye vrajera bhāsa mātra ekhana darśana
sei nitya-dhāma tava haibe bhavana

What you see here is simply a glimmer of Vraja, but your home can become that eternal dhāma.

‘kṛṣṇa kṛṣna,’ bala bhāi caitanya-kṛpāya
dīna kedarnātha ei kṛṣna-gīta gāya

O brothers! By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya, chant, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! The insignificant Kedaranātha sings this song about Kṛṣna.

– Purī, 15^th July, 1871