(2/2) Gaudiya Vaishnav Sangha Address (2)

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's disappearance
Gaudiya Vaishnav Sangha online programme, 3 January 2021, part 2
Translated from Bengali

One time, Param Guru Maharaj (Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj) asked my gurudev Om Vishnupad Srila B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, ‘You always sing this kirtan:

সুজনার্ব্বুদরাধিতপাদযুগং
যুগধর্ম্মধুরন্ধর-পাত্রবরম্ ।
বরদাভয়দায়ক-পূজ্যপদং
প্রণমামি সদা প্রভুপাদপদম্ ॥

sujanarvuda-radhita-pada-yugam
yuga-dharma-dhurandhara-patra-varam
varadabhaya-dayaka-pujya-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

‘I am offering obeisance to Prabhupad (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur), whose holy lotus feet are worshipped by millions of pious souls, who is the establisher of the religion of the age (Krishna-sankirtan), who is the presiding divine successor (at the Visva-Vaishnava-Raja Sabha, the Universal Assembly of Vaishnavs), and who fulfils the desires of the dispellers of all fears – I offer obeisance at his holy lotus feet. I eternally offer obeisance to the radiance emanating from the toenails of my master.’

(‘Sri Sri Prabhupada-padma Stavakah’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

‘Which line in this poem do you like the most?’ Gurudev replied that he liked this verse the most:

krpaya hari-kirtana-murti-dharam
dharani-bhara-haraka-gaura-janam
janakadhika-vatsala-snigdha-padam
pranamami sada prabhupada-padam

‘Bestowing mercy upon jiva souls, he is manifest as a worshippable deity of Hari-kirtan personified. He is an associate of Sri Gaura who removes the burden of offences from Mother Earth. I offer obeisance to this very gentle fountainhead of greater parental affection towards jiva souls than even that of a father. I eternally offer obeisance to the radiance emanating from the toenails of my master.’

(‘Sri Sri Prabhupada-padma Stavakah’, 8, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

Srila Prabhupad is the worshippable deity-personification of Hari-kirtan. ‘Bestowing mercy upon jiva souls, he is manifest as a worshippable deity of Hari-kirtan personified. He is an associate of Sri Gaura who removes the burden of offences from Mother Earth. I offer obeisance to this very gentle fountainhead of greater parental affection towards jiva souls than even that of a father. I eternally offer obeisance to the radiance emanating from the toenails of my master.’ This is the meaning of the verse. There is also another verse that many of you will recognise it:

ভয়ভঞ্জন-জয়শংসন-করুণায়তনয়নম্ ।
কনকোৎপল-জনকোজ্জ্বল-রসসাগর-চয়নম্ ॥
মুখরীকৃত-ধরণীতল-হরিকীর্ত্তন-রসনম্ ।
ক্ষিতিপাবন-ভবতারণ-পিহিতারুণ-বসনম্ ॥
শুভদোদয়-দিবসে বৃষরবিজানিজ-দয়িতম্ ।
প্রণমামি চ চরণান্তিক-পরিচারক-সহিতম্ ॥

bhaya-bhanjana-jaya-samsana-karunayata-nayanam
kanakotpala-janakojjvala-rasa-sagara-chayanam
mukhari-krta-dharani-tala-hari-kirtana-rasanam
ksiti-pavana-bhava-tarana-pihitaruna-vasanam
subhadodaya-divase vrsaravija-nija-dayitam
pranamami cha charanantika-paricharaka-sahitam

‘He (his holy form) has arisen from the birthplace of golden lotuses, an (exalted, supramundane) ocean of the nectar of divine consorthood; His large, merciful eyes dispel (the suffering souls’) fear and proclaim (the surrendered souls’) victory; His tongue (constantly) vibrates the whole Earth planet with Sri Krishna-sankirtan; and his beauty, resplendent in the (saffron) robes of the newly risen sun, purifies the whole universe and dispels all suffering of material existence – on his holy appearance day, I again and again bow down to this beloved associate of Sri Vrisabhanu-nandini as well as all servitors of his lotus feet.’

(‘Sri Dayita-Dasa Pranati Panchakam’, Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

The Bengali translation of this poem is very beautiful:

‘[1] He (his holy form) has arisen from the birthplace of golden lotuses, an (exalted, supramundane) ocean of the nectar of divine consorthood; His large, merciful eyes dispel (the suffering souls’) fear and proclaim (the surrendered souls’) victory; His tongue (constantly) vibrates the whole Earth planet with Sri Krishna-sankirtan; and his beauty, resplendent in the (saffron) robes of the newly risen sun, purifies the whole universe and dispels all suffering of material existence – on his holy appearance day, I again and again bow down to this beloved associate of Sri Vrisabhanu-nandini as well as all servitors of his lotus feet.’

The next verse: ‘[2] Surrendered devotees who practise spiritual life are eternally protected and nurtured at his holy lotus feet; He is worshipped by all simple-hearted, fortunate pious souls; he promises to accept and rectify (even) those who obstruct the Lord’s service; and, being a fountainhead of mercy towards all moving and non-moving living entities, he crushes all inauspiciousness in the universe – on his holy appearance day, I again and again bow down to this beloved associate of Sri Vrisabhanu-nandini as well as all servitors of his lotus feet.

‘[3] Filled with supramundane pastimes, his holy worshippable form is a (beautiful) embodiment of aspirations cherished by (even) artists and accomplishments of the inquisitive (in other words, he grants both artists and pleasure-seekers their wishes); his intelligence surpassing (even) that of gods, he is the chief personality embodying the opulence of Vaishnav sannyasis (renunciates bearing a triple staff of a mendicant); and he is extolled by saints for his exclusive submission to Sri Rupa-Raghunath and Sri Sanatan and for his superb judgement (endowed with the highest theistic conception) resembling that of Sri Jivapad – on his holy appearance day, I again and again bow down to this beloved associate of Sri Vrisabhanu-nandini as well as all servitors of his lotus feet.

‘[4] Staying on the bank of Sri Radha Kunda at Svananda Sukhada Kunja, he lives serving his beloved; adored by Lalita and other Vraja-gopis, he is extremely dear to Kamala Manjari (Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur), who is renowned throughout Vrindavan; and he constructs residence for the Supreme Lord with the tow ropes of the divine glories of Guna Manjari (Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj) – on his holy appearance day, I again and again bow down to this beloved associate of Sri Vrisabhanu-nandini as well as all servitors of his lotus feet.

‘[5] Embodying pure joy (bimala-ananda) and pleasing, delighting Bimala Devi, he manifested his birth pastime at Purusottama Ksetra in the holy land of Odisha; he displays his pastimes of rescuing the fallen and distributing mercy (by granting divine love) on the newly discovered sandy banks of the nine islands of Nabadwip; and, travelling throughout Gaura Dham (Sri Mayapur, Nabadwip), which is nondifferent from Vraja Dham and Purusottam Dham, he always preaches about the divine hankering of Vraja, the transcendental abode of Vaikuntha and the Holy Names of Lord Krishna – on his holy appearance day, I again and again bow down to this beloved associate of Sri Vrisabhanu-nandini as well as all servitors of his lotus feet.’

Param Guru Maharaj’s writing is very beautiful.

I am a beggar, and I would like to ask you all for some alms today. This is the alms I am begging you for: may I be able to make myself pure by serving all the devotees and servants of this Srila Prabhupad, and may I keep myself engaged in the service to you all. Having said this, I will not take more of your time. I would like to finish here.

বাঞ্ছাকল্পতরুভ্যশ্চ কৃপাসন্ধুভ্য এব চ ।
পতিতানাং পাবনেভ্যো বৈষ্ণবেভ্যো নমো নমঃ ॥

vanchha-kalpatarubhyas cha krpa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

‘Again and again I offer my obeisance unto the Supreme Lord’s devotees, who are saviours of the fallen, oceans of mercy and wish-fulfilling trees.’

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Length: 8 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Gaudiya Vaishnav Sangha Address (1)
2) Gaudiya Vaishnav Sangha Address (2)