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: 21
नमो नमो वाङ्मनसातिभूमये
नमो नमो वाङ्मनसैकभूमये ।
नमो नमोऽनन्तमहाविभूतये
नमो नमोऽनन्तदयैकसिन्धवे ॥२१॥
namo namo vāṅ-manasātibhūmaye
namo namo vāṅ-manasaika-bhūmaye
namo namo ’nanta-mahāvibhūtaye
namo namo ’nanta-dayaika-sindhave
namaḥ–obeisance; namaḥ–obeisance; vāch–speech; manasa–mind; atibhūmaye–unto one beyond the scope; namaḥ–obeisance; namaḥ–obeisance; vāch–speech; manasa–mind; eka–one; bhūmaye–unto object; namaḥ–obeisance; namaḥ–obeisance; ananta–infinite; mahāvibhūtaye–unto magnificent splendour; namaḥ–obeisance; namaḥ–obeisance; ananta–infinite; dayā–mercy; eka–one; sindhave–unto ocean.
namaḥ–Obeisance [and] namaḥ–obeisance [unto You, who are] atibhūmaye–beyond the scope vāch–of speech [and] manasa–the mind. namaḥ–Obeisance [and] namaḥ–obeisance [unto You, who are the] eka–only bhūmaye–object vāch–of speech [and] manasa–the mind. namaḥ–Obeisance [and] namaḥ–obeisance [unto You, of] ananta–infinite mahāvibhūtaye–magnificent splendour. namaḥ–Obeisance [and] namaḥ–obeisance [unto You, the] eka–only sindhave–ocean ananta–of infinite dayā–mercy.
Obeisance and obeisance unto You, who are beyond the scope of speech and the mind. Obeisance and obeisance unto You, who are the only object of speech and the mind. Obeisance and obeisance unto You of infinite magnificent splendour. Obeisance and obeisance unto You, the only ocean of infinite mercy.
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Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī: 7
হরি হে !
মায়া-বদ্ধ যত ক্ষণ থাকে ত জীবের মন
জড় মাঝে করে বিচরণ ।
পরব্যোম জ্ঞানময় তাহে তব স্থিতি হয়
মন নাহি পায় দরশন ॥১॥
hari he!
māyā-baddha yata kṣaṇa thāke ta jīvera mana
jaḍa mājhe kare vicharaṇa
paravyoma jñānamaya tāhe tava sthiti haya
mana nāhi pāya daraśana [1]
hari–Hari; he!–O; māyā–illusion; baddha–conditioned; yata–as; kṣaṇa–moment; thāke–remains; ta–indeed; jīvera–of the soul; mana–mind; jaḍa–matter; mājhe–amidst; kare–does; vicharaṇa–meandering; paravyoma–higher sky; jñānamaya–made of consciousness; tāhe–there; tava–Your; sthiti–residence; haya–is; mana–mind; nāhi–not; pāya–receive; daraśana–sight. [1]
he–O hari!–Hari! yata–As many kṣaṇa–moments [as] jīvera–the soul’s mana–mind thāke–remains ta–indeed baddha–conditioned māyā–by illusion, vicharaṇa kare–it will meander mājhe–amidst jaḍa–matter. paravyoma–The higher sky [is] jñānamaya–made of consciousness, [and] tava–Your sthiti–residence haya–is tāhe–there. [Thus,] mana–the mind daraśana pāya nāhi–cannot see [You]. [1]
O Hari! As long as the jīva’s mind remains conditioned by Māyā, it will only meander amidst matter. Paravyoma is made of consciousness, and You reside there. Thus, the mind cannot see You.
paravyoma: “The higher sky.”
prakṛtira pāra ‘paravyoma’-nāme dhāma
kṛṣṇa-vigraha yaichhe vibhūty-ādi-guṇavān
sarvaga, ananta brahma-vaikuṇṭhādi dhāma
kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-avatārera tāhāñi viśrāma
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Ādi-līlā, 5.14–15)
“Beyond prakṛti is the realm known as Paravyoma. Like Kṛṣṇa’s figure, it possesses splendour and all other qualities. The all-pervading, infinite abodes of Brahma, Vaikuṇṭha, and so on, as well as Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s Avatāras, reside there.”
ভক্তিকৃপা-খড়্দাঘাতে জড়বন্ধ ছেদ তাতে
যায় মন প্রকৃতির পার ।
তোমার সুন্দর রূপ হেরে’ তব অপরূপ
জড়বস্তু করয়ে ধিক্কার ॥২॥
bhakti-kṛpā-khaḍgāghāte jaḍa-bandha chheda tāte
yāya mana prakṛtira pāra
tomāra sundara rūpa here’ tava aparūpa
jaḍa-vastu karaye dhikkāra [2]
bhakti–devotion; kṛpā–mercy; khaḍga–sword; āghāte–by strike; jaḍa–matter; bandha–bondage; chheda–cut away; tāte–then; yāya–go; mana–mind; prakṛtira–of material nature; pāra–far side; tomāra–Your; sundara–beautiful; rūpa–form; here’–seeing; tava–Your; aparūpa–wonder; jaḍa–material; vastu–object; karaye–does; dhikkāra– denouncement. [2]
āghāte–By the strike khaḍga–of the sword bhakti–of devotion [and] kṛpā–mercy, [the jīva’s] bandha–bondage jaḍa–in matter [is] chheda–cut away. tāte–Then, mana–the mind pāra yāya–transcends prakṛtira–material energy. here’–Upon seeing tomāra–Your sundara–beautiful rūpa–form [and] tava–Your aparūpa–wonders, [the jīva] dhikkāra karaye–denounces jaḍa–material vastu–objects. [2]
By the strike of the sword of bhakti and mercy, the jīva’s bondage in matter is cut away. Then, the mind transcends prakṛti. Upon seeing Your beautiful form and Your wonders, the jīva denounces matter.
অনন্ত বিভূতি যা̐র যিনি দয়া-পারাবার
সেই প্রভু জীবের ঈশ্বর ।
এ ভক্তিবিনোদ দীন সদা শুদ্ধভক্তিহীন
শুদ্ধভক্তি মাগে নিরন্তর ॥৩॥
ananta vibhūti yā̐ra yini dayā-pārāvāra
sei prabhu jīvera īśvara
e bhakti-vinoda dīna sadā śuddha-bhakti-hīna
śuddha-bhakti māge nirantara [3]
ananta–infinite; vibhūti–splendour; yā̐ra–whose; yini–who; dayā–mercy; pārāvāra–ocean; sei–this; prabhu–Master; jīvera–of the soul; īśvara–Lord; e–this; bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; dīna–poor; sadā–ever; śuddha–pure; bhakti–devotion; hīna–devoid; śuddha–pure; bhakti–devotion; māge–prays; nirantara–always. [3]
sei–The prabhu–Master yā̐ra–whose ananta–infinite vibhūti–splendours [exist and] yini–who [is] pārāvāra–an ocean dayā–of mercy [is] īśvara–the Lord jīvera–of the souls. e–This dīna–poor bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod, [who is] sadā–ever hīna–devoid śuddha–of pure bhakti–devotion, māge–prays nirantara–always [for] śuddha–pure bhakti–devotion. [3]
The Master who possesses infinite splendours and who is an ocean of mercy is the Lord of the jīvas. The poor Bhakti Vinod, who is ever devoid of pure bhakti, prays always for pure bhakti.
