VIRAHA ASTAKA

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VIRAHA ASTAKA

Eight Prayers in Separation From My Spiritual Master by His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaDecember 1958 recently translated and published

from the Bengali into English by Dasaratha-suta dasa.First OctetThe Flood of

Krsna Prema1)O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of

the fallen conditioned souls.On this anniversary of your separation I am

utterly despondent.

2) "The ocean of mercy was previously held back by a dam, but Lord Nityananda

personally cut a channel in itand thereby released the outpouring flood of pure

ecstatic love of God. " ( from Locana's dasa's song Nitai Guna mani)3) Those

devotees to whom the responsiblity was given to continue spreading this flood

of love somehow became overpowered by Maya and were thus reduced to simply

performing ritualistic Hindu ceremonies for the benefit of the materialists.4)

Lord Nityananda's inundation of prema was thus completely stopped by those

known as jati-gosai (caste gosvamis) But then you personally came, O Master to

open wide the floodgates once again.5) Again you engulfed everyone in the

deluge of pure divine love- even such a low, wretched, fallen and sinful soul

as myself.6) On the strength of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's command you sent all

of your servants as spiritual masters, going from door to door, just to deliver

the fallen souls.7) The devotees were enthusiastically preaching everywhere-

from the oceans to the Himalaya mountains,But now that you have gone from our

midst everything today has become very dark.8)O Srila Prabhupada! You

personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls.On this

day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

 

 

Second OctetThe Merciful Flood Has Been Stopped1) Just as Advaita Prabhu had

prayed fervently and thus induced Sri Gauranga to descend, so did your father,

Bhaktivinoda Thakura, pray for you to incarnate.2) Due to Bhaktivinoda's

eagerness, O Master, you came and proclaimed to everyone that India is the most

holy landof the Lord's divine pastimes.3) "One who has taken birth in this land

of Bharata-bhumi (India) should first make his own life successful and then

work for the benefit of all other people" (C.C Adi 9.41)4) This is the most

significant message of Lord Caitanya that you boldly preached everywhere.But

now in your absence, O Master, everything has fallen into darkness.5) The

overflowing ocean of your compassion has once again been dammed up.This makes

me feel as if a spear of great misery has indeed pierced my heart.6) Without

Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message being spread there is only confusion and upheaval

in the movement.Seeing this situation, all the Vaisnavas are also feeling

overwhelmed with the pangs of your separation.7) The spirit souls have once

again been captured by Maya and plunged into absolute darkness.Desperately

searching for relief, they are simply perishing in a fathomless ocean of

anxiety.8)O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the

fallen conditioned souls.On this day of your separation I am utterly

despondent.Third Octet

Practical Chanting and Preaching

You instructed everyone you met to chant the holy name of Lord Krsna.You showed

the example of continually reciting the maha-mantra into their ears.

 

You empowered everyone with the qualification to further distribute that holy name

But now, by the influence of Maya, there is only darkness on all sides.3) The

souls who are truly attached to worshiping the Lord always sing and dance in

joyful sankirtana.Following in the footsteps of their spiritual master, they

deliver the whole world.4) But those who have no such qualification perform

nirjana bhajana or so-called confidential worship in a solitary place. Thus

acting whimsically, all of them actually remain absorbed in personal sense

gratification.5)[As stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam 10,33,30]:"An ordinary soul

should never imitate the activities of the Supreme Lord, even in his

mind."According to these instructions in devotional service, the unqualified

imitators are ruined.6) You preached "utility is the principle"- that is, one

should act without attachment and use anything that is deemed appropriate in

the devotional service of the Lord.7) In such detached devotional service to

Lord Krsna there would be a temple established in every house But now just the

opposite situation is apparent everywhere.8)O Srila Prabhupada! You personally

suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls.On this day of your

separation I am utterly despondent.Fourth OctetThe Essential Purport Neglected1)

Everything regarding material prosperity as well as mystic perfection is fully

present in your transcendental message:"Because the residents of Vraja have

life, therefore they engage in preaching work." (Dusta Mana verse)2) The

"resolute intelligence" ("vyavasayatmika buddhi") explained by Srila Visvanatha

Cakravarti[in his commentary to Bhagavad Gita 2.41] is now spoiled since your

disciples have become ensnaredin the bewildering noose of Maya.

 

3) Those disciples who were irresolute in performing devotional service

according to your instructionshave now divided your mission in many factions.It

appears that the tigress of ambition for material names and fame has appeared

and personally provoked this upheaval.4) The essential purport of your message

obviously did not enter their ears. O where will I get the strength to perform

this hari-nama-sankirtana? 5) To chant the holy name of the Lord is the

explicit command of my worshipful spiritual master. I could never honestly

neglect that order 6) Your greatest acclaim is that you propagated the topmost

religious culture Anyone who accepts the holy name from you becomes spiritually

qualified. 7) If all those who attained this qualification were to go out and

make disciples then the miserable conditioned souls would all be delivered from

this world of birth and death. 8)O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to

see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your

separation I am utterly despondent. Fifth Octet

The Disciple's Empowerment is Lost 1) The greatest mantra of all, consisting of

thirty-two letters, is: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama

Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare People who are possessed by gross foolishness

refuse to chant it. 2) Your so-called disciple, the jackal named Ananta

Vasudeva, disobeyed your final instructions to keep the mission united, and

thereby created a scandalous fiasco. The result of this philosophical deviation

is evident to this day as imitative sahajiyas are being worshiped as gurus in

your temples.

 

 

 

3) Is there a single temple to be found where your instructions are still being

followed? As it is said: "punar musiko bhava"- Everyone has "again become a

mouse." 4) The lion's food has been stolen away by the deceptive tricks of the

jackal Now caught in Maya's mighty clutches everyone is reduced to wailing and

weeping. 5) O Master! If your are merciful to us one again, then even though we

are trapped here on the shores of the ocean of death, we will finally behold a

change for the better. 6) Then once again we can blissfully remember the holy

name of Krsna, and once again we will have firm faith in your "Vaikuntha

messages." 7) Once again you will make us dance in the pure holy name of Krsna.

thus you will personally dispel all this confusion caused by Maya. 8)O Srila

Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen

conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

Sixth Octet The Preaching Mission is Scattered 1) "Continue dancing, singing

and performing sankirtana in the association of devotees." ( C.C. Adi 7.92)

These words spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are especially nectarine. 2) If

we have complete faith in these instructions given by you, our spiritual

master, then in the performance of sankirtana actual love for Krsna will be

aroused in us. 3) Without love of God, our tiny intelligence only becomes

entangled in the network of Maya's delusions Because no one actually attained

prema, now there has been great upheaval in your mission. 4) The whole world

has become filled with impersonalists, and the Vaisnavas have given up the work

of preaching that was entrusted unto them and have simply gone off to perform

solitary worship.

5)The Vaisnava's were famous as "patita pavana" ( deliverers of the fallen) but

now this title has fallen into disgrace. Countless numbers of your disciples

have been forced to leave your movement. 6) At such an inauspicious time, O

Master, what can be done to repair the damage that is done? The beautiful

garden that you had so carefully planted is now parched and withered away. 7) O

Master, please awaken some good intelligence in this insignificant disciple of

yours so that my firm faith in your transcendental message may increase more

and more. 8) O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of

the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly

despondent. Seventh Octet

Distributing the Pure Devotional Process 1) The most magnanimous incarnation of

the Lord is Sri Krsna Caitanya. Distributing the process of attaining love of

God by chanting the holy names of Krsna, He thus blessed the entire universe.

2)O Master, you are the personification of the transcendental message of Lord

Caitanya. You are the distributor of that message to every town and village.

3)You sent your devotees to preach in the faraway lands of the Western

countries, and you personally traveled all over India, even to the South. 4)

You preached the pure philosophy of Lord Gauranga in such a way that

intelligent persons could understand. And you showed such great concern, O

Master, in convincing all you adversaries!

5) Lord Gauranga used many tricks just to engage the conditioned souls in

devotional service, and you have also understood how to use all those tricks

perfectly well.

 

 

 

 

6) You understood time, place and circumstance, and utilized everything as a

strategy for preaching. Although observing your activities with their very

eyes. those who are blind like owls and other creatures of the night could not

see your true purpose.

7)What will the Auls and the Sahajiyas and the other nonsense groups ever

understand? And what will the sheep-like common people or dry logicians ever

understand? 8) O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering

of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly

despondent. Eighth Octet If Only You would Come Again 1)Lord Caitanya's method

of devotional service is not performed in solitude. You preached this again and

again to your own devotees. 2)Just as the Lord delivered Jagai and Madhai out of

His own causeless mercy, you explained to everyone that this same method of

preaching work has to go on. 3) The world has now filled up with many Jagais

and Madhais to deliver. Everyone is anxiously looking down the road waiting for

Caitanya-Nitai to come to their rescue. 4) If, at such a time as this, you were

to personally return to this world and once more preach about all these things

the way you always used to do. 5) If there were enthusiastic preaching

activities again taking place in every direction, then all the people as before

would be stirred up in blissful excitement. 6) Your profound shouting would

cause the demons and atheists to flee, and your narrations of Lord Caitanya's

message would fill the hearts of the innocent souls. 7) Again the whole world

would be excitedly bustling with good tidings; but as it is, in your absence

now there is nothing of value anywhere.

 

 

8) O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen

conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent. 9) O

Master! My heart is broken in your absence. This disciple named Abhay has hereby

revealed only a small token of his wretched agony of separation.