Samāvedana (A Respectful Petition)

Samāvedana (A Respectful Petition)

Vigata-Vatsarera-SamālocanāVigata Vatsarera Samālocanā (A Review of the Previous Year)
Śrī Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākurera Pāṭa – KulīnagrāmaŚrī Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākura’s Place in Kulīnagrāma (Śrī Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākurera Pāṭa – Kulīnagrāma)

Overview

Samāvedana (A Respectful Petition) was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī Vol.3, issue 1 in 1886. In this brief editorial for the third year of Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura prays to Mahāprabhu, glorifying Him and predicting that His message will soon travel to distant lands. He also mentions the service that the ‘beggar-girl’ Sajjana Toṣaṇī is doing to propagate the message of Śrī Caitanya.

(translated by Swami B.V. Giri)

O Śacīnandana! There is no limit to Your mercy. In Your other avatāras, the activity of maintaining the world is quite obvious, but in the avatāra of Śrī Gaurāṅga one can see the culmination of Your compassion towards the jīvas. You are the deliverer of the fallen! You are the only saviour and friend of the jīvas of the age of Kali. If You had not descended, then that pure gem in the form of prema would have remained unattainable for the jīvas! You descended and distributed that nectar of prema which is rare even for Brahmā and Śiva to everyone – the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, caṇḍāla, yavana, mleccha, women and men. Unfortunate jīvas such as those that do not notice Your nectar-laden hand which bestows fearlessness are no longer seen in this world. Historically, we understand with wonder that the global Vaiṣṇava dharma You propagated purified all of India in a very short period of time, and You will prepare the hearts and minds of people from distant countries and distant islands as thrones for You to sit on. Oh, one day we will see an instance of such an unparalleled result.

Lord! By Your grace, this beggar-girl (Sajjana Toṣaṇī) has now entered her third year. Please infuse in her heart the strength of Your pure prema, so that this beggar-girl may be fearless and roam the entire world singing your Name. That beggar-girl is wandering around, taking your Name to each door and showing all the jīvas of that house Your pure path. Instill prema in their hearts, and in this way, they may know You. Let them utter Your Name daily without deceit. To You, both the gṛhastha and the sannyāsī are equal. You have taught household activities for the benefit of the gṛhasthas. You have taught sannyāsadharma for the benefit of the sannyāsīs. This beggar-girl mostly wanders through the gṛhastha villages. They constantly remember Your exceptional advice. That advice is:

gṛhe vasi sadā-kāla kṛṣṇa-nāma nibā
kabhu nā bāṅdhibe tomāra viṣaya-taraṅga

(“Remain at home all the time and take the Name of Kṛṣna. In this way, the waves of materialism will not obstruct you at any time.”)

May the good deeds that this beggar-girl has done in the last year while undergoing many hardships be dedicated to Your holy feet. This beggar-girl is Your exclusive maidservant – she does not require any spiritual or material reward. Her only happiness is to be able to serve You. Offering daṇḍavats at Your holy feet, Your aśulka-dāsī* now engages in her third year of work. Gaurāṅga, Nityānanda, Advaita, bhakta-vṛnda and Navadvīpa-dhāma ki jāya!

*Translators Note: Aśulka-dāsī – a maidservant who is purchased for free.

(‘Samāvedana’  – A Respectful Petition – was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī Vol.3, issue 1 in 1886., and translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri)
Vigata-Vatsarera-SamālocanāVigata Vatsarera Samālocanā (A Review of the Previous Year)
Śrī Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākurera Pāṭa – KulīnagrāmaŚrī Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākura’s Place in Kulīnagrāma (Śrī Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākurera Pāṭa – Kulīnagrāma)

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