Śrī Navadvīpa Bhāva Taraṅga – Part 5

dekhiyā śrī-rāmacandra-rūpa manohara
achetane paḍiba se kānana-bhitara
preme gara gara deha nā sphuribe vāṇī
dui āṅkhi bhari’ piba sei rūpa-khāni [113]

Seeing the enchanting form of Ramacandra, I will fall unconscious in the forest. My body overwhelmed with divine love, I will become speechless. Filling my eyes, I will drink from the reservoir of His form.

kṛpā kari’ rāmānuja āsi’ dhīre dhīre
vana phala rākhi’ pada dibe mama śire
balibena, “vatsa tumi khāo ei phala
vana-vāse phala-phule ātithya kevala” [114]

Mercifully, Laksman will come to me slowly, set down His fruits, place His feet on my head, and say, “My child, eat these fruits. In Our forest cottage We have only fruits and flowers to offer Our guests.”

balite balite līlā habe adarśana
kāṅdite kāṅdite phala kariba bhakṣaṇa
āra ki dekhiba āmi durvā-dala rūpa
hṛdaye bhāviba sei achintya-svarūpa [115]

As He speaks, this Pastime will disappear. Crying, I will eat the fruits. Will I see that grass-green form of Ramacandra again? I will meditate on His inconceivable form within my heart.

āhā! se bhāṇḍīravana chintāmaṇi-dhāma
chhāḍite hṛdaya kāṅde nā haya virāma
rāma-kṛṣṇa kare līlā gochāraṇa-chhale
yathāya kīrtane māte gorā nija dale [116]

Aha! My heart cries incessantly to leave the spiritual abode of Bhandiravana, where Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa perform pastimes on the pretext of herding cows, and Gora revels in kīrtana with His associates.

dhīre dhīre yāba tathā śrī-vaikuṇṭha-pura
niḥśreyasa vana yathā aiśvarya prachura
sarva-deva-prapūjita paravyomanātha
nitya virājena yathā śakti-traya-sātha [117]

Slowly I will go to Śrī Vaikuṇṭhapura, where the extremely opulent Nihsreyas forest is located and the Lord of the spiritual sky, who is worshipped by all the gods, resides eternally with His three energies.

yadio mādhuryamaya śrī-kṛṣṇa āmāra
tabuo īśvara teṅha sarvaiśvarya-dhara
aiśvarya nā chhāḍe kṛṣṇa vrajendra-nandana
aiśvarya nā dekhe tabu kṛṣṇa-bhakta-jana [118]

Although my Śrī Kṛṣṇa is full of sweetness, He is the Supreme Lord and possessor of all opulence. As the prince of Vraja, Kṛṣṇa does not abandon His opulence. Still, His devotees do not see it.

kṛpa kari’ sarveśvara aiśya lukāiyā
tuṣite nārada-chitta gaurāṅga ha-iyā
dekhiyā se rūpa āmi ānanda-sāgare
ḍubu ḍubu nāchiba kāṅdiba uchchaiḥ-svare [119]

Mercifully, the Supreme Lord hid His opulence and became Gaurāṅga to please the heart of Narad. Seeing that form, I will dive into an ocean of joy, dance, and cry aloud.

ha-iyā virajā pāra brahmāṇī-nagara
chhāḍiyā uṭhiba arka-ṭīlāra upara
tathā basi’ ekānte bhajiba gaurahari
nāma-sudhā-rase māti nāma gāna kari’ [120]

Crossing the Viraja and leaving Brahmani Nagar, I will climb to the top of Arka Tila. Sitting there, I will earnestly worship Gaurahari, chant the Name, and become mad with the Name’s nectar.

arkadeva kṛpā kari’ dibe daraśana
rakta-varṇa dīrgha-bāhu aruṇa vasana
sarvāṅga tulasī-mālā charchita chandane
mukhe sadā gaurahari aśru du’nayane [121]

With long arms, saffron garments, a red complexion, sandalwood paste smeared all over his body, tulasi-mala in his hand, the Name of Gaurahari resonating in his mouth, and tears in his eyes, Arkadeva will mercifully appear before me.

balibena, “vatsa tumi gaura-bhakta-dāsa
tomāra nikaṭe āmi ha-inu prakāśa
adhikṛta-dāsa morā gaurāṅga-caraṇe
gaura-dāsa anudāse bhālabāsi mane
[122]

He will say, “My boy, you are a servant of the devotees of Gaura. Thus I have appeared before you. We are slaves of the feet of Gaurāṅga, and at heart we love the servants of the servants of Gaura.

mama āśīrvāde tava habe kṛṣṇa-bhakti
dhāma-vāse nāma-gāne habe tava śakti
sudhā-mākhā kṛṣṇa-nāma gāite gāite
sarvadā āsio hethā āmāre tuṣite”
[123]

“With my blessing, you will attain devotion to Kṛṣṇa and the strength to reside in the dhāma and chant the Name. To please me, always come here chanting Kṛṣṇa’s nectarean Name.”

sūryadeva-pade kari’ daṇḍa-paraṇāma
agrasara haye pāba mahatpura dhāma
mahatpura kāmyavana kṛṣṇa-līlā-sthala
yathā gaura-gaṇa kare kṛṣṇa-kolāhala
[124]

I will bow at the feet of Sūryadeva, proceed on, and reach the abode of Mahatpura, which is Kāmyavana in the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Here, the followers of Gaura loudly chant about Kṛṣṇa.

yudhiṣṭhira ādi pañca bhāi yei vane
kata dina vāsa kaila draupadīra sane
vyāsadeva āni’ gaura-purāṇa śunila
ekānte śrī-gaurahari bhajana karila
[125]

The five brothers led by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira resided in this forest with Draupadī for some time. They brought Vyāsadeva here, heard the Gaura Purāṇa, and earnestly worshipped Śrī Gaurahari.

adyāpio kāmyavane dekhe bhakta-jana
yudhiṣṭhira-sabhā yathā baise ṛṣi-gaṇa
bhauma śuka devala chyavana garga-muni
vrksa-tale vasi’ kaṅde gaura-katha suni’
[126]

Still today in Kāmyavana, devotees see the sages sitting in Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s assembly. Bhauma, Śuka, Devala, Chyavana, and Garga Muni sit at the base of a tree and cry, listening to the glories of Gaura.

āmi kabe se sabhāya kariba gamana
dūre daṇḍavat kari’ āsiba takhana
pāṣaṇḍa-uddhāra-līlā gaura-itihāsa
vyāsa-mukhe śuni’ preme chāḍiba niḥśvāsa
[127]

When will I go to that assembly, bow from a distance, and then join them? Hearing accounts from the mouth of Vyāsadeva of Gaura’s pastimes of delivering the fallen souls, I will sigh with divine love.

kata-kṣaṇa pare punaḥ sabhā nā dekhiyā
kāṅdiba “gaurāṅga” bali’ bhūme luṭāiyā
dviprahara dine kṣudhā ha-ile udaya
bhojanārthe vana-phala kariba sañcaya
[128]

After some time, no longer seeing the assembly, I will cry out “Gaurāṅga” and roll on the ground. When I feel hungry at midday, I will collect fruits from the forest to eat.

e mata samaye kṛṣṇā pāṇḍava-gṛhiṇī
śāka anna laye kabe āsibe amani
balibena, “vatsa laha ātithya āmāra
gaurāṅga-prasāda anna-muṣṭi dui chāra”
[129]

When will Draupadī, the wife of the Pāṇḍavas, then quickly bring some rice and śāka and say, “My child, take my offering of a few handfuls of Gaurāṅga’s prasāda”?

sāṣṭāṅge praṇami’ tāṅre āmi akiñcana
kara pāti’ śāka anna kariba grahaṇa
gaurāṅga-prasāda anna śāka camatkāra
sevā kari’ dhanya habe rasanā āmāra
[130]

I, as a surrendered soul, will prostrate myself before her, extend my hands, and accept the rice and śāka. Honouring Gaurāṅga’s wonderful rice and śāka prasāda, my tongue will be blessed.

mahā-prasādera kṛpā yei jīve haya
śuddha-kṛṣṇa-bhakti tāra milibe niścaya
sei kṛpā nitya yena haya ta āmāra
anāyāse chāḍi’ yāba ananta māyāra
[131]

A soul who receives the grace of mahā-prasada will certainly attain pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa. May I eternally receive such grace so that I may easily leave behind the unending illusion.

draupadī-pradatta mahā-prasāda pāiyā
upanīta haba kabe rudradvīpe giyā
kailāsa yāṅhāra prabhā mātra tribhuvane
sei rudradvīpa śobhe navadvīpa-vane
[132]

When will I receive mahā-prasāda given by Draupadī and then arrive in Rudradvīpa? Rudradvīpa, whose lustre can be compared in the three worlds only to Mount Kailāsa, shines in the forests of Navadvīpa.

yathā nīla lohitādi rudra ekādaśa
nṛtya kare gaura-preme ha-iyā vivaśa
yathāya durvāsā-muni kariyā āśrama
gaurāṅga-caraṇa bhaje chāḍi’ yoga-bhrama
[133]

Here, the eleven Rudras, who are of blue, red, and other complexions, dance, overwhelmed with divine love for Gaura. Here, Durvāsa Muni took shelter, gave up his mistaken yoga practice, and worshipped the feet of Gaurāṅga.

aṣṭāvakra-dattātreya-ādi yogi-gaṇa
chāḍiyā advaita-buddhi saha pañcānana
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-pada-dhyāne haya rata
sāyujya muktike chāḍe ha-iyā virata
[134]

Here, Aṣṭāvakra, Dattātreya, and other yogis, along with Lord Śiva, abandoned monistic thought and meditated on the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. They rejected the liberation of immersion into the Absolute, having become disinterested in it.

kabhu āmi bhramite bhramite rudravana
meḍhra-sthala-sannikaṭe kariba gamana
basiba tathāya gaura-pada-dhyāna kari’
adūre dekhiba devī paramā sundarī
[135]

Sometimes I will roam throughout the forest of Rudravana and visit Meḍhra Sthala. I will sit there meditating on the feet of Gaura and see an extremely beautiful goddess nearby.

vana-devī mane kari’ kariba praṇāma
jijñāsiba, “bala mātā kibā tava nāma”
aśru-mukhī devī tabe balibe vacana
“śuna vāchhā mora duḥkha akathya-kathana
[136]

Considering her a forest goddess, I will bow to her and ask, “O Mother, please tell me your name.” Then, with tears in her eyes, the goddess will say, “Listen child, my sorrow is impossible to describe.

pañca-vidha jñāna kanyā morā pañca-jana
pañca-vidha mukti nāma karechha śravaṇa
sālokya sāmīpya sārṣṭi sārūpya nirvāṇa
nirvāṇa-sāyujya more nāma kaila dāna
[137]

“I am one of the daughters of the five types of knowledge. You have heard the names of the five types of liberation: sālokya, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi, sārūpya, and nirvāṇa. My father gave me the names Nirvāṇa and Sāyujya.

cāri bhagnī gelā cali’ vaikuṇṭha-nagara
āmi ta’ rahinu ekā paḍiyā phāṅpara
śivera kṛpāya dattātreya-ādi-jana
kichhu-dina āmā-prati karila yatana
[138]

“My four sisters  — Sālokya, Sārūpya, Sāmīpya, and Sārṣṭi  — went to Vaikuṇṭha. Only I have stayed behind, alone and bewildered. By Śiva’s mercy, Dattātreya and other sages cared for me for some time.

ebe sei ṛṣi-gaṇa chāḍiyā āmāya
rudradvīpe vaise ei sarva-loke gāya
vṛthā āmi anveṣaṇa kari sei sabe
dekhā nāhi pāi āra pāba kothā kabe
[139]

“Now everyone says that those sages have rejected me and taken up residence in Rudradvīpa. In vain, I search for them, but I have not found them. When and where will I find them again?

śrī-gaurāṅga-prabhu sarva-jane nistārila
kevala āmāra prati nirdaya ha-ila
āmi yei sthāne ebe chāḍiba jīvana
nidayā baliyā sthāna jānu sarva-jana”
[140]

“Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu delivered everyone. He was only merciless towards me. Everyone will know the place where I will now give up my life as ‘Nidayā’ (‘Merciless’).”