Śrī Nāmāṣṭaka – Song Four

[Lalita-Daśakuśī] (1)
jñānī jñāna-yoge, koriyā jatane,
brahmera sākṣāt kore


brahma-sākṣātkār, aprarābdha karma,
sampūrna jñānete hare

1) The learned man, endeavoring in the practice of jñāna-yoga, eventually achieves direct perception of the Supreme Brahman. That realization of Brahman awards one with fully complete transcendental knowledge, which removes all of one’s aprārabdha, or unfructified karmic reactions accrued in previous births.

(2)
tabu to’ prārabdha, nāhi hoy kṣoy,


phala-bhoga binā kabhu


brahma-bhūta jīva,phala-bhoga lāgi’,


janama-maraṇa labhu


2) However, by dint of Brahman realization one’s prārabdha, or karmic reactions that are presently fructifying, are not diminished unless one actually undergoes the suffering of those reactions. Therefore, despite being a Brahman-realized soul, one must still experience the present reactions of his karma and thus be implicated in the cycle of birth and death.

(3)
kintu ohe nāma, tava sphūrti ha’le,


ekāntī janera āro


prārabdhāprārabdha, kichu nāhi thāke,


vede gāya bāro bāro


3) But, O holy name, if You are manifest on the tongue of Your unalloyed devotee, then all of his sinful reactions of both past and present lives are completely destroyed. This truth is sung by the Vedas again and again.


(4)
tomāra udaye, jīvera hṛdoya,


sampūrna śodhita hoy


karma-jñāna-bandha, saba dūre jāya,


anāyāse bhava-kṣoy


4) O holy name, when You arise within the living being’s heart, it becomes completely purified. The shackles of materialistic activities and intellectual knowledge are cast far away, and the soul’s worldly existence comes to an end without any difficulty.


(5)
bhakativinoda, bāhu tule’ koy,


nāmera niśāna dharo


nāma-ḍaṅkā-dhvani, koriyā jāibe,


bheṭibe muralīdharo


5) Bhaktivinoda raises his arms and says, “Take up the banner of the holy name and walk along sounding the drum of the holy name. In this way you will surely obtain the direct audience of Lord Muralīdhara, the holder of the flute.”