MĀDHAVA! BAHUTA MINATI KARI’ TOYA

The following translation and commentary is formatted in this order:

1. The original text of each verse of Śrī Vidyāpati’s composition in Vrajabhuli in Bengali script,
2. Translations of non-Bengali words into Bengali in Bengali script,
3. The original text  of each verse in roman transliteration,
4. Translations of non-Bengali words into Bengali in Roman script,
5. A word by word gloss of each verse,
6. A prose translation of each verse,
7. Commentary on particular phrases in each verse.

Verse 1

মাধব ! বহুত মিনতি করি’ তোয় ।
দেই তুলসী তিল দেহ সমর্পিলুঁ
দয়া জনু ছোড়বি মোয় ॥১॥

তোয়–তোমাকে;দেই–দিয়া; সমর্পিলুঁ–সমর্পন করিলাম; জনু–না; ছোড়বি–ছাড়িবি; মোয়–আমাকে ।

mādhava! bahuta minati kari’ toya
dei tulasī tila deha samarpilu̐
dayā janu chhāḍabi moya [1]

toya: tomāke; dei: diyā; samarpilu̐: samarpana karilāma; janu: nā; chhoḍabi: chhāḍibi; moya: āmāke.

mādhava!–O Lord, kari’–making bahuta–numerous minati–earnest prayers, dei–while giving tila–sesame [and] tulasī–tulasī, samarpilu̐–I have offered [my] deha–body toya–to You. chhāḍabi janu–Please do not withdraw [Your] dayā–mercy moya–from me. [1]

O Mādhava, making numerous earnest prayers, with sesame and tulasī I have offered my body to You. Please do not withdraw Your mercy from me.

bahuta minati kari’: “Making numerous earnest prayers.” This is to say, “I have realised the faults in my ways and now, free from the pride of thinking myself self-sufficient, I humbly approach You for shelter.”

dei tulasī tila: “With sesame and tulasī.” This is to say, “Holding sesame and tulasī in hand, articles known to be pleasing to You, I humbly and sincerely offer myself to You for Your service and satisfaction.”

dayā janu chhāḍabi moya: “Please do not withdraw Your mercy from me.” This is to say, “Indeed You have already been merciful to me, but I have not properly reciprocated with Your grace. Still, please continue to be merciful to me.” [1]

Verse 2

গণইতে দোষ গুণলেশ ন পাওবি
যব তুহুঁ করবি বিচার ।
তুহুঁ জগন্নাথ জগতে কহাওসি
জগ বাহির নহোঁ মুঞি ছার ॥২॥

গণইতে: গণনা করিতে; পাওবি: পাইবে; যব: যখন; তুহুঁ: তুমি; কহাওসি: কহাও, বলাও; নহোঁ: নই; মুঞি: আমি ।

gaṇa-ite doṣa guṇa-leśa na pāobi
yaba tuhu̐ karabi vichāra
tuhu̐ jagannātha jagate kahāosi
jaga-bāhira naho̐ muñi chhāra [2]

gaṇa-ite: gaṇanā karite; pāobi: pāibe; yaba: yakhana; tuhu̐: tumi; kahāosi: kahāo, balāo; naho̐: na-i; muñi: āmi.

yaba–When tuhu̐–You vichāra karabi–judge [me,] gaṇa-ite–as You count [my] doṣa–faults pāobi na–You will not find [even] leśa–a trace [of any] guṇa–qualities. tuhu̐–You kahāosi–are said jagate–throughout the universe [to be] jagannātha–the Lord of the universe. muñi–I [am] chhāra–contemptible, [but] naho̐–I am not bāhira–outside jaga–of this universe. [2]

When You judge me, as You count my faults You will not find even a trace of any qualities. You are said throughout the universe to be the Lord of the universe. I am contemptible, but I am not outside of this universe.

gaṇa-ite … pāobi: “As You count my faults You will not find even a trace of any qualities.” This is to say, “I have committed countless sin and offences, and I have no qualification for Your grace or deliverance. Still, I beg this of You.”.

jagannātha: “The Lord of the universe.” Nātha means ‘Lord’ here in the sense of a guardian and responsible maintainer.

jaga-bāhira naho̐: “I am not outside of this universe.” This is to say, “As sinful as I may be, I am dependent on Your guardianship, and our natural relationship is that of the maintainer and the maintained.” [2]

Verse 3

কিয়ে মানুষ পশু পাখী লিয়ে জনমিয়ে
অথবা কীট পতঙ্গে ।
করম বিপাকে গতাগতি পুনঃ পুনঃ
মতি রহু তুয়া পরসঙ্গে ॥৩॥

কিয়ে: কিংবা; গতাগতি: যাতায়াত; তুয়া: তোমার ।

kiye mānuṣa paśu pākhī kiye janamiye
athavā kīṭa pataṅge
karama vipāke gatāgati punaḥ punaḥ
mati rahu tuyā parasaṅge [3]

kiye: kiṁvā; gatāgati: yātāyāta; tuyā: tomāra.

gatāgati–As I come and go punaḥ–again [and] punaḥ–again, janamiye–taking birth [as] mānuṣa–a human kiye–or paśu–an animal, kiye–or [as] pākhī–a bird, athavā–or [even as] kīṭa–a worm [or] pataṅge–insect vipāke–as a result [of my] karama–previous actions, [let my] mati–mind rahu–remain fixed parasaṅge–in attachment tuyā–to You. [3]

As I come and go again and again, taking birth as a human or an animal, or a bird, or even as a worm or insect as a result of my karma, let my mind remain fixed in attachment to You.

kiye mānuṣa …pataṅge: “Taking birth as a human or … an insect.” This is to say, “Let me undergo the reactions due to me for my previous actions, but let me not be deprived of Your grace in the form of being ever conscious of You.” Similar prayers:

tad astu me nātha sa bhūri-bhāgo
bhave ’tra vānyatra tu vā tiraśchām
yenāham eko ’pi bhavaj-janānāṁ
bhūtvā niṣeve tava pāda-pallavam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.30)

“O Lord! In this birth or in another, even as an animal, let me attain the great fortune of becoming one of Your devotees and serving Your blossom-like feet.”

tava dāsya-sukhaika saṅgināṁ
bhavaneṣv astv api kīṭa-janma me
itarāv asatheṣu mā sma bhūd
api me janma chaturmukhātmanā
(Śrī Stotra-ratna: 55)

“O Lord! Let me take birth, even as a worm, in the home of those whose sole happiness is Your service. O Lord, never let me take birth, even as Brahmā, among those who are averse to You.” [3]

Verse 4

ভণয়ে বিদ্যাপতি অতিশয় কাতর
তরইতে ইহ ভবসিন্ধু ।
তুয়া পদপল্লব করি অবলম্বন
তিল এক দেহ দীনবন্ধু ॥৪॥

ভণয়ে: কহে, বলে; তরইতে: উত্তীর্ণ হইতে ।

bhaṇaye vidyāpati atiśaya kātara
tara-ite iha bhava-sindhu
tuyā pada-pallava kari avalambana
tila eka deha dīna-bandhu [4]

bhaṇaye: kahe, bale; tara-ite: uttīrṇa ha-ite.

vidyāpati–Vidyāpati bhaṇaye–says, [“I am atiśaya–greatly kātara–distressed, [and] tara-ite–to be delivered [from] iha–this sindhu–ocean bhava–of material existence avalambana kari–I grasp tuyā–Your pallava–blossom-like pada–feet. bandhu–O friend dīna–of the fallen, deha–please give me eka–one tila–sesame seed [of shelter].” [4]

Vidyāpati says, “I am greatly distressed, and to be delivered from this ocean of material existence, I grasp Your blossom-like feet. O friend of the fallen, please give me one sesame seed of shelter.”

tila eka deha: “Please give me one sesame seed of shelter.” Here sesame seed means a particle, even the tiniest fraction. This is to say, “I pray with all sincerity for Your shelter in even the most minute form as I feel that to be the highest end I am fit to aspire for and to be an attainment of infinite fulfilling prospect.” [4]

Note

Dr Dolgobinda Shastri recalls in in The Divine Servitor singing this song together with Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj during their youth:

“Gradually our intimacy was transformed to a level of friendship, and when we both were alone we would chant bhajans. Mostly there were three songs—vadasi yadi kiñchid api, Mādhava! bahuta minati kari Toya, and Tātala saikate—that, from his sweet tone, would drench us both in tears. The element of divine love of the highest stage was his natural instinct.”