Special Poetry: Nite yasmin nisante | Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali

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SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI : SPECIAL POETRY

Sri Sri Dayita Dasa Dasakam

(By Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj)

nite yasmin nisante nayana-jala-bharaih snata-gatrarvudanam
uchchair-utkrosatam sri-vrsakapi-sutayadhiraya sviya-gosthim
prthvi gadhandhakarair-hrta-nayana-manivavrta yena hina
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [1]

At the end of the night, Sri Vrsabhanu Nandini suddenly took him to Her entourage, drawing him away from the company of thousands of grief-stricken, lamenting souls, their bodies drenched in tears. When he was thus stolen away, this world was plunged into deep darkness as if the jewel of their eyes was plundered (Saraswati Thakur’s hidden name is Nayana-mani, ‘the jewel of one’s eyes’). O my wretched eyes (bereft of the vision of my Divine Master)! (Alternative interpretation: O rescuer of the fallen! O Master Nayana, who, in his mercy, is miserly not letting me get his company!) Wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there!

yasya sripadapadmat pravahati jagati prema-piyusa-dhara
yasya sripadapadmachyuta-madhu satatam bhrtya-bhrngan vibhartti
yasya sripadapadmam vraja-rasika-jano modate samprasasya
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [2]

From his lotus feet, a nectarine river of divine love flows throughout the world; his servitors, like bees, are maintaining their lives by always drinking the honey falling from his lotus feet; the pure devotees in the shelter of the amorous devotional mellows of Vraja always rejoice singing the glories of his lotus feet: O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

vatsalyam yach cha pitro jagati bahumatam kaitavam kevalam tat
dampatyam dasyutaiva svajana-gana-krta bandhuta vanchaneti
vaikuntha-sneha-murteh pada-nakha-kiranair yasya sandarsito ‘smi
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [3]

Parental affection, which is so highly esteemed in the world, is a colossal hoax (because it obstructs devotion to the Lord); the socially recognised so-called pure conjugal love (a demoniac effort that plunders both the husband’s and the wife’s eagerness to acquire the wealth of pure transcendental love) is nothing but dacoity; and common friendship is only deception – I have been shown and taught all this in the rays of the light emanating from the toenails on the holy feet of that great personality, the embodiment of supra-mundane affection. O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

ya vani kantha-lagna vilasati satatam krsna-chaitanya-chandre
karna-krodaj-jananam kim u nayana-gatam saiva murtim prakasya
niladri-sasya netrarpana-bhavana-gata netra-tarabhidheya
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [4]

Did he manifest from the ear a visible worshippable form of the divine message sung by Sri Krishna Chaitanya-chandra, which always plays in everyone’s ears, and make his advent in the palace favoured by the glance of Sri Nilachala-chandra (at the time of Ratha-yatra) to show the inner meaning of his name ‘Nayana-mani’ (the jewel of the eye)? O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

gaurendor asta-saile kim u kanaka-ghano hema-hrj-jambu-nadya
avirbhutah pravarsair nikhila-jana-padam plavayan dava-dagdham
gauravirbhava-bhumau rajasi cha sahasa samjugopa svayam svam
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [5]

Did this golden cloud arise, drawing the pure-gold waters of the Jambu River, which is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam, atop the hill where the golden moon Sri Gaura had set, showering torrents of rain on the entire land scorched by the forest fire (of threefold miseries), and then all of a sudden hide himself in the dust of the land from where the golden moon Sri Gauranga had arisen?! O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

gauro gaurasya sisyo gurur api jagatam gayatam gaura-gatha
gaude gaudiya-gosthy-asrita-gana-garima dravide gaura-garbi
gandharva gaura-vadhyo giri-dhara-parama-preyasam yo garistho
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [6]

He is of the same bodily hue as Sri Gaura, and although he, the singer of Sri Gaura’s tidings, is the (natural) guru of the whole universe, he assumed the position of a disciple by accepting the great soul Sri Gaura Kisor as his guru. In the whole of Gauda Mandal, he is a repository of the spiritual glory of those who liberally grant entrance into the family of pure Gaudiya Vaishnavs. He takes pride in preaching Sri Gaura’s teachings (service to Sri Radha-Govinda in Vraja) to the Dravida Vaishnavs (worshippers of Laksmi-Narayan). The devotees of Sri Gandharva can also see the wealth of his spiritual glory – he holds the supreme position in the intimate circle of Sri Giridhari, and he is the dearmost of Lord Mukunda. O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul is now, please quickly take this servitor there.

yo radha-krsna-namamrta-jala-nidhina-plavayad-visvam etad
amlechchhasesa-lokam dvija-nrpa-vanijam sudra-sudrapakrstam
muktaih siddhair agamyah patita-jana-sakho gaura-karunya-saktir
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [7]

He plunged the whole universe of countless living beings – brahmans, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, less than sudras and even mlechhas – into the oceanic nectar of Sri Radha-Krishna’s Holy Names. Although unapproachable for liberated (mukta) souls and the souls who have attained spiritual perfection (siddha), he is known as a friend of the fallen and the very power of Sri Gauranga’s mercy. O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

apy asa varttate tat purata-bara-vapur lokitum loka-sandam
dirgham nilabja-netram tila-kusuma-nasam ninditarddhendu-bhalam
saumyam subhramsu-dantam sata-dala-vadanam dirgha-bahum varenyam
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [8]

Is there any hope to ever again see that beautiful worshippable golden deity form that brings auspiciousness to the world? Is there any hope to ever have the darshan of that tall figure once again, his blue lotus eyes, his nose excelling the charm of a sesame flower, his forehead shaming the beauty of a half-moon, his graceful lotus face, his gleaming pearl-white teeth, his long arms extending to his knees? O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul has gone, please swiftly take this servitor there.

gaurabde sunya-vananvita-nigamamite krsna-pakse chaturthyam
pause mase maghayam-amara-gana-guror-vasare vai nisante
daso yo radhikaya atisaya-dayito nitya-lila-pravisto
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ‘yam [9]

In 450 Gaurabda, in the month of Poush, on the fourth day of the dark fortnight of the moon in the star of Magha, at the closing of Thursday night (5.30 a.m., Friday, 1 January 1937), this dearly beloved attendant of Srimati Vrisabhanu-nandini entered his eternal pastimes. O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

ha-ha-karair-jananam guru-charana-jusam puritabhur-nabhas cha
yato ’sau kutra visvam prabhupada-virahad-dhanta sunyayitam me
padabje nitya-bhrtyah ksanam api viraham notsahe sodhum atra
yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro ’yam [10]

The entire earth and sky became filled with the wailing of common people and the disciples who live by serving their Sri Gurupadpadma. Where has that great soul gone? Alas! In separation from Prabhupad, the whole universe feels void now. This servitor of his lotus feet can no longer tolerate even a moment of separation from him. O Dina-nayana, wherever that great soul may be, please quickly take this servitor there.

SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI (English)
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