To begin his composition Gītā-mālā (‘A Garland of Songs’), Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur composed a series of three verse songs which illuminate the meaning of twenty-seven verses selected from Śrī Yāmuna Āchārya’s Śrī Stotra-ratna, also known as the Ālavandāra-stotra and Ālamandāru-stotra. Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur offered two titles for this initial section of Gītā-mālā: (1) Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī (A series of the sentiments of Śrī Yāmuna Āchārya) and (2) Śānta-dāsya-bhakti-sādhana-lālasā (Longing to engage in bhakti with śānta- and dāsya-rati).
This text is being published as a series with each song presented in the following format:
- The original text of each verse in each song in Bengali script and roman transliteration,
- A verse-ordered word by word gloss of each verse,
- A prose-ordered word by word gloss of each verse,
- A prose translation of each verse.
- Explanatory notes where applicable.
Preceding each song, the verse from Śrī Stotra-ratna upon which it is based will be presented in Devanagari and roman transliteration and then in the same format as the Bengali verses.
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Śrī Stotra-ratna: 23
न निन्दितं कर्म्म तदस्ति लोके
सहस्रशो यन्न मया व्यधायि ।
सोऽहं विपाकावसरे मुकुन्द
क्रन्दामि सम्प्रत्यगतिस्तवाग्रे ॥२३॥
na ninditaṁ karma tad asti loke
sahasraśo yan na mayā vyadhāyi
so ’haṁ vipākāvasare mukunda
krandāmi sampraty agatis tavāgre
na–not; ninditam–condemnable; karma–act; tad–that; asti–there is; loke–in world; sahasraśaḥ–thousands yat–which; na–not; mayā–by me; vyadhāyi–has been performed; saḥ–he; aham–I; vipāka–consequence; avasare–at time; mukunda–O giver of liberation; krandāmi–I cry; samprati–now; agatiḥ–without recourse; tava–Your; agre–before.
asti na–There is no tad–such ninditam–condemnable karma–act loke–in this world yat–which vyadhāyi na–has not been performed mayā–by me sahasraśaḥ–thousands of times. saḥ–Such [as] aham–I am, agatiḥ–with any recourse samprati–now avasare–at the time vipāka–of the consequences, mukunda–O giver of liberation, krandāmi–I [simply] cry agre–before tava–You.
There is no condemnable act in this world that I have not committed thousands of times. Such as I am, without any recourse now at the time of the consequences, O Mukunda, I simply cry before You.
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Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī: 9
হরি হে !
হেন দুষ্ট কর্ম্ম নাই যাহা আমি করি নাই
সহস্র সহস্র বার হরি ।
সেই সব কর্ম্মফল পেয়ে অবসর বল
আমায় পিশিছে যন্ত্রোপরি ॥১॥
hari he!
hena duṣṭa karma nāi yāhā āmi kari nāi
sahasra sahasra bāra hari
sei saba-karma-phala peye avasara bala
āmāya piśichhe yantropari [1]
hari–Hari; he!–O!; hena–such; duṣṭa–wicked; karma–act; nāi–There is no; yāhā–which; āmi–I; kari–have done; nāi–not; sahasra–thousand; sahasra–thousand; bāra–time; hari–Hari!; sei–those; saba–all; karma–act; phala–consequence; peye–gaining; avasara–opportunity; bala–strength; āmāya–me; piśichhe–are crushing; yantra–machine; upari–atop. [1]
he–O hari!–Hari! nāi–There is no hena–such duṣṭa–wicked karma–act yāhā–which āmi–I kari nāi–have not committed sahasra–thousands [and] sahasra–thousands bāra–of times. hari–O Hari! phala–The consequences [of] saba–all sei–these karma–acts, peye–getting [their] avasara–time [and] bala–strength, piśichhe–are crushing āmāya–me upari–atop yantra–the machine. [1]
O Hari! There is no wicked act that I have not committed thousands and thousands of times. O Hari! The consequences of all these acts, now getting their time and strength, are crushing me atop the machine.
yantra: “The machine.” Here yantra refers to saṁsāra in the form of the karma-chakra, the wheel of action which revolves by the Lord’s energy:
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 18.61)
“O Arjuna, the Lord resides in the heart region of all beings and with His energy (1) He causes all beings to revolve as though mounted on a machine (like wooden puppets on strings), and (2) He causes all beings mounted on machines (mounted on the machines fabricated by māyā made up of the body, senses, and so forth) to revolve (engage in their respective actions and undergo the appropriate results).”
গতি নাহি দেখি’ আর কা̐দি হরি অনিবার
তোমার অগ্রেতে এবে আমি ।
যা তোমার হয় মনে দণ্ড দেও অকিঞ্চনে
তুমি মোর দণ্ডধর স্বামী ॥২॥
gati nāhi dekhi’ āra kā̐di hari anivāra
tomāra agrete ebe āmi
yā tomāra haya mane daṇḍa deo akiñchane
tumi mora daṇḍadhara svāmī [2]
gati–recourse; nāhi–not; dekhi’–seeing; āra–other; kā̐di–cry; hari–O Hari; anivāra–incessantly; tomāra–Your; agrete–before; ebe–now; āmi–I; yā–what; tomāra–Your; haya–happens; mane–in mind; daṇḍa–punishment; deo–please give; akiñchane–to destitute; tumi–You; mora–my; daṇḍadhara–punisher; svāmī–master. [2]
dekhi’–Seeing nāhi–no āra–other gati–recourse, hari–O Hari, āmi–I kā̐di–cry anivāra–incessantly ebe–now agrete–before tomāra–You. deo–Please give akiñchane–this destitute one daṇḍa–the punishment yā–which tomāra mane haya–you think[fit]. tumi–You [are] mora–my daṇḍadhara–punisher [and] svāmī–master. [2]
Seeing no other recourse, O Hari, I cry incessantly now before You. However you think fit, please punish this destitute one. You are my punisher and master.
ক্লেশভোগ ভাগ্যে যত ভোগ মোর হউ তত
কিন্তু এক মম নিবেদন ।
যে যে দশা ভোগি আমি আমাকে না ছাড় স্বামী !
ভক্তিবিনোদের প্রাণধন ॥৩॥
kleśa-bhoga bhāgye yata bhoga mora ha-u tata
kintu eka mama nivedana
ye ye daśā bhogi āmi āmāke nā chhāḍa svāmī!
bhakti-vinodera prāṇa-dhana [3]
kleśa–adversity; bhoga–undergoing; bhāgye–according to fortune; yata–as much; bhoga–undergoing; mora–my; ha-u–let be; tata–that much; kintu–but; eka–one; mama–my; nivedana–appeal; ye–which; ye–which; daśā–condition; bhogi–undergo; āmi–I; āmāke–me; nā–not; chhāḍa–abandon; svāmī!–O Master!; bhakti-vinodera–of Bhakti Vinod; prāṇa–life; dhana–wealth. [3]
yata–As much kleśa–adversity [as I am meant] bhoga–to undergo bhāgye–according to [my] fortune, ha-u mora–let me bhoga–undergo tata–that much. kintu–But mama–my eka–one nivedana–appeal [is this:] ye ye–“Whatever daśā–condition āmi–I bhogi–undergo, chhāḍa nā–please do not abandon āmāke–me, svāmī–O Master! [You are] bhakti-vinodera–Bhakti Vinod’s prāṇa–life [and] dhana–wealth.” [3]
Let me undergo all the adversity I meant to undergo according to my fortune. I have but one appeal: “Whatever condition I undergo, please do not abandon me, O Master! You are Bhakti Vinod’s life and wealth.”
