By Srila Bhakti Vivek Bharati Goswami Maharaj -Disciple of Jagadguru Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada (From Bhaktivivek Kusumanjali— Compilations of his poems, Bhakti viveka Kusuma (Flowers in form of Bhakti Viveka) offered at lotus feet of guru and Gauranga )
Translated for the first time in English from Bhaktivivek Kusumanjali —published originally in Bengali By Gaudiya Saraswat Mission and Asana
tomāra karuṇā, ki diva tulanā,
apāra karuṇāmaya।
āmi nā cāhite, more ākarṣite,
tumi ‘kṛṣṇa’ rasamaya।
Oh Krishna, how can one fathom your boundless mercy? It transcends all comparison. Though in my fallen state I did not seek your grace, content to drown in the burning, miserable ocean of material desires, you, O Rasamaya Krishna, attracted and delivered me through your enchanting names, divine form, sublime qualities, and the sweet pastimes with your devotees.
tava dāsa āmi, tumi nitya svāmī,
tava sevā mora kāma।
sei sevā tyaji, jada bhoge maji,
bhulechi tomāya rāma!
I am your eternal servant, and you are my eternal master. Serving you is my eternal duty. Alas, O Rama, I have forsaken your service, indulged in sense gratification, and forgotten your lotus feet.
tomāra prakṛti, su-caturā ati,
tomāra sevane rata।
pāiyā āmāre, tāpatraye jāre,
diteche yātanā kata।
Your material energy, Maya, is very clever, as she constantly engages in your service. She ensnares me, inflicting threefold miseries and tormenting me in diverse ways.
nityasukha yāhe,udāsīna tāhe,
dekhiyā āmāra gati।
bahurūpa dhari, more bhoktā kari
hari laya mora mati।
Maya, perceiving my complete indifference to my eternal welfare, where true happiness dwells, veils me with various bodies and false ego. She falsely manifests the belief that I am the doer, this body, and the enjoyer, thereby takes away my intelligence.
bhoktā-abhimāne, tāhe bhogya-jñāne,
bhogasukhe matta hai।
bhoga-abhilāṣa,kare bhoga-dāsa,
ripubhogya hañā rai।
Thus, falsely considering myself the enjoyer and the material energy the object of enjoyment, I became utterly absorbed in sense gratification. Desiring it, one becomes its servant, controlled by its allure. While I think I am enjoying the material energy, in reality, I am being enjoyed and chastised by Maya (My enemies kama , krodha , lobha , moha , mada , matsarya etc. enjoy and chastise me).
ripura tādanā, aśeṣa yātanā,
balite nā pāri āmi।
yāra duṣṭādeśe, bāndhi āśāpāśe,
rekheche divasa yāmi।
I am unable to express the extent of the chastisement and pain inflicted by these enemies. They have bound me with ropes of desires under the strict jurisdiction of Maya, keeping me imprisoned in the material world since time immemorial.
āmāra durgati,agatira gati,
harite tumi he hari।
arcārūpa dhari,viśve avatari,
esecha karuṇā kari।
O Hari, O sole shelter of the shelterless! Seeing my destitute condition, you have alleviated my misery by manifesting your causeless mercy in this world as the deity form, Archa Rupa. This is your merciful incarnation.
(The form of the Lord as worshiped in the temples is called arca-vigraha or arcāvatāra, the worshipable form, the Deity incarnation)
śailī dārumayī, lauhī maṇimayī,
lepyā lekhyā manomayī।
āra ta saikatī, aṣṭadhā murati,
ekai svarūpe dayī।
Lord mercifully manifests Himself in the form of Archa vigraha of eight varieties – stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels. This Archa form, installed in the temples by self-realized acharyas, is non-different from the original form of the Lord.
nāmarūpe hari,punaḥ dayā kari,
patitapāvana tumi।
nāśi’ jada kāma,laha nijadhāma,
tava pade nami āmi।
O Lord, you are the deliverer of the fallen souls, bestowing your causeless mercy once again by manifesting yourself in the form of Harinama (the Hare Krishna Mahamantra) thereby Taking shelter of Harinama destroys material lust and leads one back to Godhead. I worship the lotus feet of Naam Prabhu, which are non-different from you.
nāmacintāmaṇi, sarvarasakhani
nityaśuddha rasamaya।
pūrṇa muktadhana, vrajendranandana,
nāma-nāmī bheda naya।
The holy name of Kṛṣṇa who is Vrajendranandana is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual and worshipped by Perfectly liberated beings ; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.
‘nāma’-‘arccā’-rūpe, āra ta, ‘svarūpe’,
nā haya vibheda kabhu।
ekai svarūpa,viśve duirūpa,
rāje cidānanda vibhu।
Harinama and Archa-Avatara are the very forms of Krishna himself, as there is no difference between them. They are both manifestations of Krishna, appearing in this world in two distinct forms, embodying the epitome of supreme ecstatic divinity.
duirūpa dhari,sarvapāpa hari,
jīvera svarūpa-jñāna।
karicha pradāna,karuṇā-nidhāna,
emana ke āche āna ॥
By manifesting in these two forms, Krishna eradicates all sins and bestows the divine gift of Swarupa-Gyana, the profound realization of one’s eternal spiritual identity. You, O Krishna, are the embodiment of boundless compassion and mercy. Who in this world can compare to your magnificence?
‘guru’-rūpe āra, kṛpā-pārāvāra,
‘nāma’ ‘arccā’ bujhāite।
āpana-vijñāna, deo bhagavāna,
tumi ei avanīte।
The Guru, being the epitome of mercy, makes us realize the true essence of Harinama and Archa Vigraha. Sri Bhagavan imparts his divine knowledge through the medium of the Guru, who teaches us how to serve Sri Nama and Archa Vigraha. In this way, the Guru is the Kripa Murti, the embodiment of Bhagavan’s grace, who descends into this material world to guide us in the service of Sri Harinama and Archa Vigraha.
tava dayā gāi, hena śakti nāi,
tomāra sevaka āmi।
kṛpā-avatāre, deo bhakti more,
āmāra pālaka tumi ॥
Oh Krishna, I am your servant, and I lack the strength and qualification to glorify your transcendental mercy. O Kripa Avatara, you are my only maintainer. Please bestow upon me Shuddha Bhakti, pure devotion.
Translation: Raya Ramananda dasa