In truth, all things belong to Sri Krishna. No jiva soul is owner of anything.

[krsna 3]

"Saranagati"

of

Sriman Bhaktivinode Thakur

False Pride

In truth, all things belong to Sri Krishna .

No jiva ( individual Soul ) is owner of anything. The tiny soul wanders in this world mistakenly thinking, “I am this body, and everything related to this body is mine.” Thus he suffers sorrow and fear.

The conditined soul is falsely proud and considers everything attached to the words “I” and “mine” to be his treasures alone.

Due to that same vanity, I fell into this world. Floundering in the ocean of mundane existence like a drowning man, I suffer the pangs of rising and sinking in that ocean.

I take shelter at Your lotus feet, which award fearlessness, and dedicate myself to You on this day.

The vanity of “I” and “mine” has left me now. May it never again find a place within my heart.

O Lord, please give me this strength, that I may be able to keep the false conceptions of “I” and “Mine” far away.

May the mood of self-surrender to the Supreme Lord remain firmly fixed in my heart and not prove to be like the momentary cleanliness of an elephant after a bath.

Bhaktivinoda begs at the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda for the grace which delivers one from all false pride. <CENTER>

Self Surrender</CENTER>

I have become supremely joyful by surrendering myself at Your holy feet. Unhappiness has gone away, and there are no more anxieties. I see joy in all directions.

Your two lotus feet are reservoirs of immortal nectar where one may live free from sorrow and fear. I have found peace there now and have given up the fear of worldly existence.

I shall render service in Your household and not endeavor to enjoy the fruits of that service, but rather I shall strive for whatever pleases You, fully devoted to Your lotus feet.

Troubles encountered in Your service shall be the cause of great happiness, for in Your devotional service joy and sorrow are equally great riches. Both destroy the misery of ignorance.

I have completely forgotten all past history by feeling great joy in my mind. I am most certainly Yours, and You are indeed mine. What need is there of any other treasure?

Bhaktivinoda, diving into the ocean of bliss, devotes all his efforts for Your service and dwells in Your house according to Your wishes. <CENTER>

Obstacles to Pure Devotion</CENTER>

I vow to abandon without compromise all actions contrary to Your devotional service.

I will keep company with no one opposed to devotional service, nor even look at the face of a person inimical toward Lord Gauranga.

I shall never reside at a place unfavorable for devotional practices, and may I never take pleasure in nondevotional works.

I will read no book opposed to pure devotion, nor listen to any explanation which disagrees with pure devotional principles.

I will never regard as sacred any place where Lord Gauranga is rejected. Any knowledge hindering pure devotional service I consider worthless.

Any season which poses obstacles to the execution of devotional service shall find no favor with me, and I will consider all relatives or family members averse to pure devotion as strangers.

I will abandon all desires that hinder devotion and never accept food offered to me by nondevotee atheists.

I vow to promptly shun whatever I know to contradict pure devotion. This I strongly promise.

Bhaktivinoda, falling at the feet of the Lord, begs for the strength to give up all obstacles to pure devotion. <CENTER>

Call upon the Holy Name</CENTER>

O Lord Hari, having fallen helplessly into the illusion of this world, I see no other means of deliverance but You. You are the only recourse for the helpless. I accept the shelter of Your lotus feet as essential.

I have no knowledge, no background of pious activities, nor any history of strict devotional practice. But You are full of compassion and kindness. Therefore, although I am certainly destitute, I solicit Your causeless mercy.

The powerful urges of speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly, and genital have banded together to cast me adrift on the sea of this material world, thus causing me great anxiety and trouble.

After great endeavor to subdue these material demands, I have completely given up all hope. O Lord of the destitute, I call upon Your holy name, for now You are my only shelter. <CENTER>

Staying the Course</CENTER>

O Lord Hari, to offer a gift and receive one in return, to give and receive spiritual food, to reveal one’s confidential thoughts and make confidential inquiries — these are the six characteristics of loving association, and in them is found the very soul of devotion.

I have failed to understand the Absolute Truth, and by practicing these six activities with nondevotees, either knowingly or unknowingly, I have lost all devotion. Thus I have become a materialist. For me, You, O Lord, remain afar.

The day I cherish these activities of intimate association with the devotees of Sri Krsna, that day the great goddess of devotion will ascend to the throne of my heart.

When will I give up the company of those who are addicted to women and those who are not devoted to You? When will I get the constant association of Your devotees, O Lord? <CENTER>

Simple and Inoffensive</CENTER>

O Lord, I will mentally honor and consider as my brother one who avoids bad company and sings Your holy name, be he formally initiated or not.

I offer obeisances to that person who is initiated and worships Your lotus feet, and I will serve, O Lord, anyone who is fixed in unalloyed devotion to You.

I consider myself greatly fortunate to even see that devotee who looks upon all living beings equally. By obtaining his association I know that I will become successful in life.

When will my mind become simple and inoffensive toward the Vaisnavas, and when will I cross over the ocean of worldly existence to reach Your holy abode of Vraja? <CENTER>

Your Holy Name will Grow With-in Me</CENTER>

O Lord Hari, because I forgot You my tongue has become afflicted with the disease of ignorance. I cannot relish the nectar of Your holy name, for I have become addicted to the taste of worldly pleasures.

O Lord Hari, if I sing Your holy name aloud every day with great respect, then as sugar candy taken medicinally destroys the very disease which makes it taste bitter (jaundice), so Your holy name will cure my spiritual disease and allow me to gradually taste His sweetness.

O merciful Lord, how great is my misfortune that I feel no appreciation for Your holy name! In such a lamentable state, how will I be freed from committing the ten offenses to the holy name?

If I sing Your holy name every day, by Your mercy the ten offenses will gradually disappear. A taste for Your holy name will grow within me, and then I will taste the intoxicating spirit of the name. <CENTER>

Allow me to Be with You</CENTER>

Gurudeva, give to this servant just one drop of mercy. I am lower than a blade of grass. Give me all help. Give me strength. Let me be as you are, without desires or aspirations.

I offer you all respects, for thus I may have the energy to know you correctly. Then, by chanting the holy name in great ecstasy, all my offenses will cease.

When will such mercy fall to this one who is weak and devoid of intelligence? Allow me to be with you.

If you examine me, you will find no qualities. Your mercy is all that I am made of. If you are not merciful unto me, I can only weep, and I will not be able to maintain my life. <CENTER>

A Genuine Ecstatic Condition</CENTER>

Gurudeva! When, with a steady mind in a secluded place, will I sing the name of Sri Krsna? When will the pandemonioum of worldly existence no longer echo in my ears and the diseases of the body remain far away? When will that day be mine?

When I chant “Hare Krsna”, tears of love will flow from my eyes and ecstatic rapture will arise within my body, causing my hair to stand on end and my body to become overwhelmed with divine love.

Faltering words choked with emotion will issue from my mouth. My body will tremble, constantly perspire, turn pale and discolored, and become stunned. All of this will be like a devastation of ecstatic love and cause me to fall unconscious.

When will such a genuine ecstatic condition be mine? I will constantly sing the holy name and remain absorbed in profound devotion while maitaining the material body. In this way I will abtain your mercy.

Gurudeva! Lord Gauranga’s transcendental pastimes are eternal realities. I await the day when, with this firm faith manifested by your mercy, I will wander through the groves of Godruma, chanting “Hari! Hari!” and hoping to behold those pastimes.

The Panca-tattva — Nitai, Gauranga, Advaita, sSrivasa and Gadadhara — will flood the entire universe with the intoxiacting nectar of the holy name of Sri Krsna by performing a maha-sankirtana.

In my ears I will hear the sounds of dancing and the playing of the mrdangas. By constantly beholding the sweetness and beauty of that pastime of Lord Gauranga’s, I will swim in the flood tide of divine love.

Materialists will throw dirt at my body and proclaim me thoroughly mad. For being again bereft of seeing the jewel of that pastime, I shall weep and cry out, “O my Lord Gauranga!”

When will I wander weeping under the shade of various trees and creepers on th banks of Ganges in the land of Navadvipa, crying, “O Radha! O Krsna!” and forgetting all physical comforts?

I will even take my meals by begging at the homes of the candalas and will drink the water of the Sarasvati. In ecstasy I will roll on the ground along the banks of the river, raising an uproar of “Krsna! Krsna!”

Bowing down to the inhabitants of the holy land of Navadvipa, I will beg a bit of their mercy. I will wear the dress of a mendicant and smear the dust of the Vaisnavas’s feet on my body.

I will see no difference between the inhabitants of Vraja Bhumi and those of Navadvipa, and I will be transformed into a resident of Vraja. The true nature of the Lord’s abode will manifest itself to my eyes, and I will become a maidservant of Srimati Radharani.

When, in a flash, will I forget my false bodily indentity and be able to behold the exquisite beauty of the realm of Vraja, full of eternal spiritual bliss?

I shall take my birth in the town of King Vrsabhanu and be married in Yavatagram. My sole disposition and character shall be that of a cowherd girl, and I shall know no other.

When, by the power of Radha’s mercy, will I obtain my own eternal spiritual body, name, form and dress and when, by Her mercy, will I obtain initiation into divine love of Krsna?

As I go to draw water from the Yamuna, I shall cherish knowing the love that unites Radha with Krsna. I shall sing Sri Radha’s glories like a madwoman, enchanted by divine love. <CENTER>

Your Order so Sublime</CENTER>

When, oh when will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing, taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will your mercy shine, when, oh when will that day be mine

Lower than a blade of grass,more tolerant than a tree. When will my mind attain this quality? Respectful to all, not expecting their honor, then shall I taste the name's nectar sublime. When, oh when will that day be mine?

Great wealth or followers, feminine beauty, I won't care for them or the comforts of my body. Birth after birth give me, Oh Lord Caitanya, causeless devotion to Your feet divine, when, oh when will that day be mine?

When will I utter Krsna,Krsna, Krsna, with words choked up and shivering body? When will I be trembling all over, loose bodily color, tears pouring from my eyes, When, oh when will that day be mine?

When in Navadvipa along the Ganges bank, shouting 'Gaura-Nityananda' as a surrendered soul, dancing, chanting, running everywhere, will I become half mad of mind? When, oh when will that day be mine?

When will Lord Nityananda show mercy upon me, when will I reject the world of Maya:' Bestow unto me the shade of Your lotus feet, let the right to preach the name be mine. When, oh when will that day be mine?

I will beg, borrow, or steal the nectar of the name. By the name's effect I will feel paralyzed. Oh! Enjoyer of the nectar of the name, When will I touch your lotus feet till the end of time? When, oh when will that day be mine?

When will kindness to all beings be appearing with in me and with a free heart forget myself ? Bhaktivinoda in all humility prays, "Now I will set out to preach Your order so sublime." <CENTER>

True Awakening</CENTER>

How much power does the name of Krsna possess? My heart constantly burns in the fire of worldly desires, like a desert scorched by the sun. The holy name, entering within my heart thorugh the holes of my ears, showers unparalleled nectar upon my soul.

The holy name speaks from within my heart, moves on the tip of my tongue, and constantly dances on it in the form of transcendental sound.

My throat becomes choked up, my body violently trembles, and my feet move uncontrollably.

Rivers of tears flow from my eyes. Perspiration pours from my body. My body thrills with rapture, causing my hair to stand on end and my skin to turn pale and discolored. My mind grows faint, and I begin to experience devastation. My entire body is shattered in a flood of ecstasies.

While causing such an ecstatic disturbance, the holy name showers liquid nectar on my heart and drowns me in the ocean of divine love of Godhead. He does not allow me to understand anything, For He has made me truly mad and has stolen away my heart and all my wealth.

Such is the behaviour of Him who is now my only shelter. I am not capable of describing all this. The holy name of Krsna is independent and thus acts at His own sweet will. In Whatever way He becomes happy, that is also my way of happiness.

The holy name is the bud of the flower of divine love, the abode of devotion’s wonderful mellows. Such is the power that He manifests, that although He displays His power only slightly, He reveals His own divine form and qualities, steals my heart and takes it to Krsna.

Being fully manifest, the holy name of takes me to Vraja and reveals to me His own love dalliance. He gives to me my own divine, eternal body, keeps me near Krsna and completely destroys this mortal frame of mine. The name of Krsna is touchstone, a mine of all devotional mellows, eternally liberated, and the embodiment of pure rasa. When all impedimets to the pure chanting of the holy name are taken away and destroyed, then my happiness will know its true awakening.