O MERCIFUL LORD!

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 will be 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.

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.

***

Śrī Stotra-ratna: 6

यन्मूर्ध्नि मे श्रुतिशिरःसु च भाति यस्मि-
न्नस्मन्मनोरथपथस्सकलस्समेति ।
स्तोष्यामि नः कुलधनं कुलदैवतं तत्
पादारविन्दमरविन्दविलोचनस्य ॥६॥

yan mūrdhni me śruti-śiraḥsu cha bhāti yasmin
asman manoratha-pathas sakalas sameti
stoṣyāmi naḥ kula-dhanaṁ kula-daivataṁ tat
pādāravindam aravinda-vilochanasya [6]

yat–which; mūrdhni–head; me;–my; śruti–scripture; śiraḥsu–atop heads; cha–and; bhāti–shine; yasmin–in which; asman–our; manoratha–desire; pathaḥ–path; sakalaḥ–all; sameti–converge; stoṣyāmi–I shall praise; naḥ–our; kula–family; dhanam–wealth; kula–family; daivatam–Deity; tat–those; pāda–feet; aravindam–lotus; aravinda–lotus; vilochanasya–of eye. [6]

stoṣyāmi–I shall [now] praise naḥ–our kula–family’s dhanam–wealth [and our] kula–family’s daivatam–Deity, tat–those aravindam–lotus pāda–feet [of] aravinda–the lotus vilochanasya–eyed [Lord], yat–which bhāti–shine [atop] me–my mūrdhni–head cha–and śiraḥsu–the heads śruti–of the scriptures [and] yasmin–in which pathaḥ–the paths [of] sakalaḥ–all asman–our manoratha–desires sameti–converge. [6]

“I shall now praise our family’s wealth and worshippable Deity, the lotus-eyed Lord’s lotus feet, which shine atop my head and the heads of the śrutis and in which the paths of all our desires meet.”

***

Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī: 1

ওহে প্রভু দয়াময় তোমার চরণদ্বয়
শ্রুতি-শিরোপরি শোভা পায় ।
গুরুজন-শিরে পুনঃ শোভা পায় শত গুণ
দেখি’ আমার পরাণ জুড়ায় ॥১॥

ohe prabhu dayāmaya tomāra charaṇa-dvaya
śruti-śiropari śobhā pāya
guru-jana-śire punaḥ śobhā pāya śata guṇa
dekhi’ āmāra parāṇa juḍāya [1]

ohe–O; prabhu–Lord; dayāmaya–merciful; tomāra–Your; charaṇa–feet; dvaya–two; śruti–of the scriptures; śira–the heads; upari–atop; śobhā pāya–shine; guru–Guru; jana–person; śire–atop the heads; punaḥ–more; śobhā pāya–shine; śata–a hundred; guṇa–times; dekhi’–seeing; āmāra–my; parāṇa–heart; juḍāya–satisfies.

ohe–O dayāmaya–merciful prabhu–Lord! tomāra–Your dvaya–two charaṇa–feet śobhā pāya–shine upari–atop śira–the heads śruti–of the scriptures [and] śobhā pāya–shine śata–a hundred guṇa–times punaḥ–more śire–atop the heads guru-jana–of [my] Gurus. dekhi’–Seeing [this] juḍāya–satisfies āmāra–my parāṇa–heart.

O merciful Lord! Your feet shine atop the heads of the śrutis and shine a hundred times more atop the heads of my Gurus. Seeing this satisfies my heart.

জীবনমনোরথ-পথ তঁহি সব অনুগত
জীব-বাঞ্ছাকল্পতরু যথা ।
জীবের সে কুলধন অতি পূজ্য সনাতন
জীবের চরম গতি তথা ॥২॥

jīva-manoratha-patha ta̐hi saba anugata
jīva-vāñchhā-kalpa-taru yathā
jīvera se kula-dhana ati pūjya sanātana
jīvera charama gati tathā [2]

jīva–soul; manoratha–desire; patha–path; ta̐hi–therein; saba–all; anugata–follower; jīva–soul; vāñchhā–desire; kalpa–able; taru–tree; yathā–as; jīvera–of soul; se–they; kula–family; dhana–wealth; ati–high; pūjya–object of worship; sanātana–eternal; jīvera–of soul; charama–ultimate; gati–shelter; tathā–there. [2]

saba–All patha–the paths jīva–of the soul’s manoratha–desires [are] anugata–followers; ta̐hi–of them; yathā–as [they are the] jīva–jīva’s vāñchhā–wish- kalpa–fulfilling taru–tree. se–They [are] jīvera–the jīva’s kula–familial dhana–wealth [and] ati–highest sanātana–eternal pūjya–object of worship. jīvera–The jīva’s charama–ultimate gati–shelter [is] tathā–there. [2]

The paths of the jīva’s desires all follow Your feet as they are the jīva’s wish-fulfilling tree. They are the jīva’s familial wealth and highest eternal object of worship. They are the jīva’s ultimate shelter.

কমলাক্ষ-পদদ্বয় পরম আনন্দময়
নিষ্কপটে সেবিয়া সতত ।
এ ভক্তিবিনোদ চায় সতত তুষিতে তায়
ভক্তজনের হয়ে অনুগত ॥৩॥

kamalākṣa-pada-dvaya parama ānandamaya
niṣkapaṭe seviyā satata
e bhakti-vinoda chāya satata tuṣite tāya
bhakta-janera haye anugata [3]

kamala–lotus; akṣa–eye; pada–feet; dvaya–two; parama–supreme; ānandamaya–blissful; niṣkapaṭe–sincerely; seviyā–serving; satata–constantly; e–this; bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; chāya–desires; satata–constantly; tuṣite–to satisfy; tāya–them; bhakta–devotee; janera–of person; haye–being; anugata–follower. [3]

e–This bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod chāya–desires [to] satata–constantly tuṣite–satisfy dvaya–the two parama–supremely ānandamaya–blissful pada–feet [of the] kamala–lotus akṣa–eyed [Lord by] satata–constantly  seviyā–serving tāya–them niṣkapaṭe–without deceit haye–as anugata–a follower bhakta-janera–of [His] devotees. [3]

This Bhakti Vinod desires to constantly satisfy these supremely blissful feet of the lotus-eyed Lord by constantly serving them without deceit as a follower of His devotees.