KIRTAN ILLUMINATIONS

THE GREATEST MISFORTUNE

Song 3 from the Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī in Gītā-mālā

By Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur

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.

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: 15

त्वां शीलरूपचरितैः परमप्रकृष्टः
सत्त्वेन सात्त्विकतया प्रबलैश्च शास्त्रैः ।
प्रख्यातदैवपरमार्थविदां मतैश्च
नैवासुरप्रकृतयः प्रभवन्ति बोद्धुम् ॥१५॥

tvāṁ śīla-rūpa-charitaiḥ parama-prakṛṣṭaiḥ
sattvena sāttvikatayā prabalaiś cha śāstraiḥ
prakhyāta-daiva-paramārtha-vidāṁ mataiś cha
naivāsura-prakṛtayaḥ prabhavanti boddhum

tvām–Your; śīla–character; rūpa–form; charitaiḥ–by Pastimes; parama–highly; prakṛṣṭaiḥ–by exalted; sattvena–by nature; sāttvikatayā–by pure; prabalaiḥ–by compelling; cha–and; śāstraiḥ–by scriptures; prakhyāta–renowned; daiva–divinity; parama–supreme; artha–subject; vidām–of knowers; mataiḥ–by teachings; cha–and; na–not; eva–certainly; asura–ill; prakṛtayaḥ–natures; prabhavanti–are able; boddhum–to understand.

[O Lord, even with] tvām–Your parama-prakṛṣṭaiḥ–paramount śīla–character, rūpa–form, charitaiḥ–Pastimes, [and] sattvena–nature, [the] sāttvikatayā–pure cha–and prabalaiḥ–compelling śāstraiḥ–scriptures, cha–and mataiḥ–the teachings [of the] prakhyāta–renowned vidām–knowers [of] daiva–divinity [and] parama artha–spiritual truth, [the] asura–ill- prakṛtayaḥ–natured prabhavanti–can eva–certainly na–not boddhum–understand [You].

“O Lord, even with Your paramount character, form, Pastimes, and nature, the pure and compelling scriptures, and the teachings of the renowned knowers of divinity and spiritual truth, the ill-natured cannot understand You.”

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Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī: 3

হরি হে !
পরতত্ত্ব বিচক্ষণ ব্যাস আদি মুনিগণ
শাস্ত্র বিচারিয়া বার বার
প্রভু তব নিত্য রূপ গুণ শীল অনুরূপ
তোমার চরিত্র সুধাসার ॥১॥

শুদ্ধ সত্ত্বময়ী লীলা মুখ্যশাস্ত্রে প্রকাশিলা
জীবের কুশল সুবিধানে
রজস্তমো-গুণ-অন্ধ অসুর-প্রকৃতি মন্দ-
জনে তাহা বুঝিতে না জানে ॥২॥

hari he!
para-tattva vichakṣaṇa vyāsa ādi muni-gaṇa
śāstra vichāriyā bāra bāra
prabhu tava nitya-rūpa guṇa-śīla anurūpa
tomāra charitra sudhā-sāra [1]

śuddha-sattvamayī līlā mukhya-śāstre prakāśilā
jīvera kuśala suvidhāne
rajas-tamo-guṇa-andha asura-prakṛti manda-
jane tāhā bujhite nā jāne [2]

hari–Hari; he!–O; para–Absolute; tattva–Truth; vichakṣaṇa–adept; vyāsa–Vyāsa; ādi–others; muni–sage; gaṇa–group; śāstra–scripture; vichāriyā–studying; bāra–time; bāra–time; prabhu–O Lord; tava–Your; nitya–eternal; rūpa–form; guṇa–quality; śīla–character; anurūpa–corresponding; tomāra–Your; charitra–Pastimes; sudhā–nectar; sāra–supreme; śuddha–pure; sattvamayī–full of goodness; līlā–play; mukhya–principal; śāstre–in scripture; prakāśilā–described; jīvera–of the soul; kuśala–welfare; suvidhāne–in fine arrangement; rajaḥ–passion; tamaḥ–ignorance; guṇa–mode; andha–blind; asura–the ill; prakṛti–nature; manda–apathetic; jane–person; tāhā–that; bujhite–to understand; jāne nā–does not know. [1–2]

he–O hari!–Hari! vyāsa–Vyāsa [and] ādi–other muni-gaṇa–sages vichakṣaṇa– adept in para–the Absolute tattva–Truth, vichāriyā–studying śāstra–the scriptures bāra–again [and] bāra–again, prakāśilā–have described [in the] mukhya–principal śāstre–scriptures, prabhu–O Lord, tava–Your nitya–eternal rūpa–form, anurūpa–corresponding guṇa–qualities [and] śīla–character, [and the] sāra–supreme sudhā–nectar [of] tomāra–Your charitra–Pastimes— [Your] līlā–play [made of] śuddha–pure sattvamayī–goodness— suvidhāne–in a fine arrangement [for the] kuśala–welfare jīvera–of the soul. andha–Blinded guṇa–by the modes rajaḥ–of passion [and] tamaḥ–ignorance, [however,] manda–apathetic jane–persons [of] asura–ill- prakṛti–nature jāne nā–do not know [how] bujhite–to understand tāhā–this. [1–2]

O Hari! Vyāsa and the other sages adept in the Absolute Truth, studying the scriptures again and again, have described in the principal scriptures, O Lord, Your eternal form, corresponding qualities and character, and the supreme nectar of Your Pastimes—Your Play of pure goodness—in a fine arrangement for the welfare of the jīvas. Blinded by the modes of passion and ignorance, however, apathetic persons of ill-nature do not know how to understand this.

নাহি মানে নিত্য-রূপ ভজিয়া মণ্ডূক-কূপ
রহে তাহে উদাসীন-প্রায়
এ ভক্তিবিনোদ গায় কি দুর্দ্দৈব হায় হায়
হরিদাস হরি নাহি পায় ॥৩॥

nāhi māne nitya-rūpa bhajiyā maṇḍūka-kūpa
rahe tāhe udāsīna-prāya
e bhakti-vinoda gāya ki durdaiva hāya hāya
hari-dāsa hari nāhi pāya [3]

nāhi–do not; māne–accept; nitya–eternal; rūpa–form; bhajiyā–adoring; maṇḍūka–frog; kūpa–well; rahe–they remain; tāhe–to it; udāsīna–indifferent; prāya–nearly; e–this; bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; gāya–sings; ki–what; durdaiva–misfortune; hāya–alas; hāya–alas; hari–Hari; dāsa–servant; hari–Hari; nāhi–do not; pāya–find. [3]

māne nāhi–They do not accept [Your] nitya–eternal rūpa–form. bhajiyā–Adoring maṇḍūka–the frog’s kūpa–well, rahe–they remain prāya–nearly udāsīna–indifferent tāhe–to it. e–This bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod gāya–sings, ki–“What durdaiva–misfortune! hāya–Alas! hāya–Alas! hari–Hari’s dāsa–servants pāya nāhi–have not found hari–Hari!” [3]

They do not accept Your eternal form. Adoring the frog’s well, they remain nearly indifferent to it. Thus, this Bhakti Vinod sings, “What misfortune! Alas! Alas! Hari’s servant have not found Hari!”

maṇḍūka-kūpa: “The frog’s well.” Some versions of the text have matāndha-kūpa, in which case the meaning becomes, “The blinding well of doctrine” or “The well of blind belief”.