SRI SRI PREMA-VIVARTA: CHAPTER EIGHT

Give up Deceit

gora bhaja, gora bhaja, gora bhaja bhai
gora vina e jagate guru ara nai [1]

bhaja–Serve gora–Gora! bhaja–Serve gora–Gora! bhaja–Serve gora–Gora! bhai–Brother, nai–there is no guru–Guru e jagate–in this world vina ara–other than gora–Gora. [1]

Serve Gora! Serve Gora! Serve Gora! Brother, there is no Guru in this world other than Gora.

yadi bhajibe gora sarala kara nija mana
kutinati chhadi' bhaja gorara charana [2]

yadi–If bhajibe–you want to serve gora–Gora, kara–make nija–your mana–heart sarala–sincere. chhadi'–Give up kutinati–deceit [and] bhaja–serve gorara–Gora's charana–feet. [2]

If you want to serve Gora, make your heart sincere. Give up deceit and serve Gora's feet.

manera katha gora jane phanki kemane dibe
sarala hale gorara siksa bujhiya la-ibe [3]

gora–Gora jane–knows [your] manera katha–thoughts. kemane–How phanki dibe–will you cheat [Him]? sarala hale–When you are sincere, bujhiya la-ibe–you will understand gorara–Gora's siksa–teachings. [3]

Gora knows your thoughts, so how will you cheat Him? When you are sincere, you will understand Gora's teachings.

anera mana rakhite giya apanake dibe phanki
manera katha jane gora kemane hrdaya dhaki [4]

giya–Going rakhite–to satisfy mana–the minds anera–of others, phanki dibe–you will cheat apanake–yourself. gora–Gora jane–knows [your] manera katha–thoughts, [so] kemane–how dhaki–will you hide [your] hrdaya–heart [from Him]? [4]

If you go to satisfy the minds of others, you will only cheat yourself. Gora knows your thoughts, so how will you hide your heart from Him?

gora bale, "amara mata karaha charita
amara ajna palana kara chaha yadi hita" [5]

gora–Gora bale–says, "charita karaha–"Behave amara mata–like Me [and] palana kara–follow amara–My ajna–instructions yadi–if chaha–you want hita"–good fortune." [5]

Gora says, "Behave like Me and follow My instructions if you want good fortune."

"gorara ami, gorara ami" mukhe balile nahi chale
gorara achara, gorara vichara la-ile phala phale [6]

mukhe balile–You may say aloud, "ami–I [am] gorara–Gora's. ami–I [am] gorara"–Gora's", [but this] nahi chale–does not do. la-ile–When you follow gorara–Gora's achara–practices [and] gorara–Gora's vichara–conception, [then] phala–the result phale–manifests. [6]

Just saying, "I am Gora's! I am Gora's!" does not do. Only when you follow Gora's practices and Gora's conception will you get the proper result.

loka dekhana gora bhaja tilaka matra dhari'
gopanete atyachara gora dhare churi [7]

loka-dekhana–You show the world [you] bhaja–serve gora–Gora matra–simply dhari'–by wearing tilaka–tilak [but] gopanete–secretly you atyachara–misbehave. gora–Gora dhare–will catch [you, you] churi–thief! [7]

You show the world you serve Gora simply by wearing tilak but secretly you misbehave. Gora will catch you, you thief!

adhah-patana habe bhai kaile kutinati
nama-aparadhe tomara bhajana habe mati [8]

bhai–Brother, kutinati kaile–if you act deceitfully adhah-patana habe–you will fall down. nama-aparadhe–Because of offences to the Name tomara–your bhajana–service mati habe–will be ruined. [8]

Brother, if you act deceitfully, you will fall down. Because of offences to the Name, your service will be ruined.

nama lana ye kare papa haya aparadha
era mata bhakti ara achhe kiba badha? [9]

ye–Those who lana–chant nama–the Name [and] papa kare–sin aparadha haya–commit offence. kiba ara–What greater badha–obstacle achhe–is there era mata–than such bhakti–'devotion'? [9]

Those who chant the Name and sin commit offence. What greater obstacle is there than such 'devotion'?

nama karite kasta nai nama sahaja dhana
ostha-spanda-matre haya namera kirtana
tahao na haya yadi haya namera smarana [10]

nai–There is no kasta–difficulty karite–in chanting nama–the Name. nama–The Name [is everyone's] sahaja–natural dhana–wealth. ostha-spanda-matre–Simply by moving your lips, namera kirtana haya–you chant the Name. yadi–If haya na–you cannot do tahao–even that, [then] namera smarana haya–you can remember the Name. [10]

The Name is everyone's natural wealth, and chanting the Name is not difficult: simply by moving your lips you can chant the Name. If you cannot do even that, then you can remember the Name.

tunda-bandhe chita-bhramse sravana tabu haya
sarva-papa ksaye jivera mukhya phalodaya [11]

tunda-bandhe–The mute [and] chita-bhramse–the deranged tabu–still sravana haya–hear [the Name, and this alone] ksaye–destroys sarva-papa–all sins [and] jivera mukhya phalodaya–gives rise to the true fortune of the soul. [11]

Even the mute and the deranged can still hear the Name, and this alone destroys all sins and gives rise to the true fortune of the soul.

bahu-janma archchanete ei phala dhare
krsna-nama nirantara tunde nrtya kare [12]

bahu-janma–Many lifetimes archanete–of Deity worship dhare–bear ei phala dhare–this result: krsna-nama–the Name of Krishna nirantara–constantly nrtya kare–dances tunde–in [your] mouth. [12]

Many lifetimes of Deity worship bear this result: the Name of Krishna constantly dances in your mouth.

karma-jnana-yogadira sei sakti nahe
vidhi-bhanga-dose phala-hina sastre kahe [13]

sastre–The scriptures kahe–say [that] karma-jnana-yogadira nahe–worldly action, knowledge, yoga, and so on, do not have sei–such sakti–power, [and that] vidhi-bhanga-dose–by the fault of breaking [their] rules, [they become] phala-hina–fruitless. [13]

The scriptures say that worldly action, knowledge, yoga, and so on, do not have such power, and that when the rules for practising them are broken, they bear no fruit at all.

se saba chhada bhai nama kara sara
ati alpa-dine tabe jinibe samsara [14]

bhai–Brother, chhada–leave behind se saba–all of them [and] nama sara kara–accept the Name as all-in-all. tabe–Then jinibe–you will conquer samsara–the world ati alpa-dine–very soon. [14]

Brother, leave them all behind and accept the Name as all-in-all. Then you will conquer samsara very soon.

dhanya kavi karnapura sva-grama-nivasi
namera mahima kichhu rakhila prakasi' [15]

dhanya–The glorious kavi karnapura–Kavi Karnapur [is] sva-grama-nivasi–a resident of my village. prakasi' rakhila–He revealed and recorded kichhu–some namera–of the Name's mahima–glories. [15]

The glorious Kavi Karnapur is a resident of my village. He revealed and recorded some of the Name's glories.

gaura yare krpa kare, visve sei dhanya
sapta-varse vayase haila mahakavi manya [16]

sei yare–Those whom gaura–Gaura krpa kare–blesses [become] dhanya–glorious visve–throughout the world, [and] manya haila–Kavi Karnapur was honoured mahakavi–as a great poet sapta-varse vayase–at the age of seven. [16]

Those whom Gaura blesses become glorious throughout the world, and Kavi Karnapur was honoured as a great poet when he was only seven years old.

dhanya sivananda kavi-karnapura-pita
more balye sikhaila bhagavata-gita [17]

dhanya–The glorious sivananda–Sivananda Sen, kavi-karnapura-pita–Kavi Karnapur's father, sikhaila–taught more–me bhagavata-gita–Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita balye–in my youth. [17]

The glorious Sivananda Sen, Kavi Karnapur's father, taught me Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita in my youth.

nadiya la-iya more rakhe prabhu-pade
sivananda trata mora sampade vipade [18]

la-iya–Sivananda brought more–me nadiya–to Nadia [and] rakhe–kept [me] prabhu-pade–at the feet of the Lord. sivananda–Sivananda [is] mora–my trata–saviour, sampade vipade–in good fortune and in bad. [18]

Sivananda brought me to Nadia and kept me at the feet of the Lord. He is my saviour, in good fortune and in bad.

tara ghare bhoga randhi' paka-siksa haila
bhala paka kari' sri-gauranga-seva kaila [19]

paka siksa haila–I learned to cook [and] bhoga randhi'–prepared offerings tara ghare–in his home, [and] paka kari'–by cooking bhala–well, sri-gauranga-seva kaila–I served Sri Gauranga. [19]

I learned to cook and prepare offerings in his home, and by cooking well, I served Sri Gauranga.

jagai bale, "sadhu-sange dina yaya yara
sei matra namasraya kare nirantara" [20]

jagai–Jagai bale–says, "matra–"Only sei yara–those whose dina–days yaya–pass sadhu-sange–in the association of sadhus namasraya kare–take shelter of the Name nirantara"–constantly." [20]

Jagai says, "Only those whose days pass in the association of sadhus take shelter of the Name constantly."

Translator's Note
Introduction
In Praise of Sri Sri Prema-vivarta
Sri Sri Prema-vivarta:
1 Invocation of Auspiciousness
2 The Composition of this Book
3 First Obeisances
4 Gaura's Greatness
5 Transformations of Ecstasy in Service
6 The Journey of the Soul
7 The Name is for Everyone
8 Give up Deceit
9 Proper Renunciation
10 Caste and Class
11 The Light of Nabadwip
12 Glories of the Vaisnavas
13 Eagerness to see Sri Gaura
14 Contradictory Transformations
15 Morning Pastimes in Nabadwip
16 What is Love?
17 Different Practices for Different Devotees
18 Sri Ekadasi
19 A Collection of Hidden Truths about the Name
20 The Glories of the Name
+ The Ten Offences to the Holy Name
+ Glossary