Chapter One
Yāmuna Bhāvāvalī (The Ecstasies of Yāmunācārya)

Song Three
The Importance of the Scriptures

(1&2)
hari he
para-tattwa bicakṣaṇa byāsa ādi muni-gaṇa
śāstra bicāriyā bāra bāra
prabhu taba nitya-rūpa guṇa-śīla anurūpa
tomāra caritra sudhā-sāra

śuddha-sattwa-moyī līlā mukhya-śāstre prokāśila
jībera kuśala su-bidhāna
rajas-tamo-guṇa-andha asura-prakṛti-manda-
jane tāhā bujhita nā jāne

Oh my Lord! All the great sages headed by Śrīla Vyāsadeva are most experienced and wise regarding the transcendental truth. This is because they discuss and deliberate on the revealed scriptures again and again. Thereby they help to manifest these sacred literatures which reveal Your eternal personal form abounding in all virtuous qualities, Your divine character which is the very essence of ambrosial nectar as well as Your eternal pastimes of pure transcendental goodness. These principle scriptures thus prescribe the path of auspicious well-being for all souls. However, those unfortunate souls who are blinded by the material modes of passion and ignorance, who harbor the nature of demons, and who are foolish and dull-minded cannot possibly understand Your divine form or pastimes which are described throughout all these scriptures.

(3)
nāhi māne nitya-rūpa bhajiyā maṇḍūka-kūpa
rahe tāhe udāsīna prāya
e bhaktibinoda gāya ki durdaiba haya hāya
hari-dāsa nāhi hari pāya

Those who live in this universe but are not interested in Your eternal form remain completely oblivious just like ignorant frogs who live in a small, shallow well. Now Bhaktivinoda sings, alas! What an unfortunate, sorry situation has arisen here! For it seems that the eternal servants of Hari have not become fixed up in the service of their eternal Lord Hari.