Upadeśa – Song Seventeen

Text 1

mana tore boli e bāratā
apakka bayase hāya bañcita bañcaka pā’ya
bikāile nija-swatantratā

O my heart, I tell you this: As a child you were cheated by scoundrels. To them you sold your independence.

Text 2

sampradāye doṣa-buddhi jāni’ tumi ātma-śuddhi
koribāre hoile sābadhāna
na nile tilaka-mālā tyajile dīkhāra jwālā
nije koile nabīna-bidhāna

Thinking the disciplic succession is impure, you now struggle to purify yourself. No longer do you wear neck-beads and tilaka. You have turned from the flame of spiritual initiation. Now you make your own rules.

Text 3

pūrba-mate tāli diyā nija-mata pracāriyā
nije abatāra buddhi dhori’
bratācāra nā mānile pūrba-patha jale dile
mahājane bhrama-dṛṣṭi kori’

Giving a slap to your previous philosophy, you preach your own idea. Thinking yourself an incarnation, you don’t follow any rules. Thinking the great souls were mistaken, you throw your previous path into the waters.

Text 4

phoṇṭā dīkhā mālā dhori’ dhūrta kore’ su-cāturī
tāi tāhe tomāra birāga
mahājana-pathe doṣa dekhiyā tomāra roṣa
patha prati chāro anurāga

Thinking only clever scoundrels accept spiritual initiation and wear tilaka and neck-beads, you have given them up. Thinking it wrong, you angrily turn from the path of the great souls.

Text 5

ekhona dekhoho bhāi swarṇa chāri’ loile chāi
iha-kāla para-kāla jāya
kapaṭa bolila sabe bhakati bā pele kabe
dehānte bā hi ho’be upāya

Look, O my brothers. Rejecting gold, you have accepted a pile of ashes. The present and future are both at stake here. You say they are all cheaters. When will you engage in devotional service? At the time of death what will you do?