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: 18
वशी वदान्यो गुणवानृजुः शुचि-
र्मृदुर्दयालुर्मधुरः स्थिरः समः ।
कृती कृतज्ञस्त्वमसि स्वभावतः
समस्तकल्याणगुणामृतोदधिः ॥१८॥
vaśī vadānyo guṇavān ṛjuḥ śuchir
mṛdur dayālur madhuraḥ sthiraḥ samaḥ
kṛtī kṛtajñas tvam asi svabhāvataḥ
samasta-kalyāṇa-guṇāmṛtodadhiḥ
vaśī–controlled; vadānyaḥ–magnanimous; guṇavān–virtuous; ṛjuḥ–sincere; śuchiḥ–pure; mṛduḥ–gentle; dayāluḥ–merciful; madhuraḥ–sweet; sthiraḥ–steady; samaḥ–equipoised; kṛtī–expert; kṛtajñaḥ–grateful; tvam–You; asi–are; svabhāvataḥ–by nature; samasta–all; kalyāṇa–auspicious; guṇa–quality; amṛta–nectar; udadhiḥ–ocean.
vaśī–Controlled, vadānyaḥ–magnanimous, guṇavān–virtuous, ṛjuḥ–sincere, śuchiḥ–pure, mṛduḥ–gentle, dayāluḥ–merciful, madhuraḥ–sweet, sthiraḥ–steady, samaḥ–equipoised, kṛtī–expert, [and] kṛtajñaḥ–grateful, tvam–You asi–are svabhāvataḥ–by nature udadhiḥ–an ocean amṛta–of the nectar [of] samasta–all kalyāṇa–auspicious guṇa–qualities.
“Controlled, magnanimous, virtuous, sincere, pure, gentle, merciful, sweet, steady, equipoised, expert, and grateful, You are by nature an ocean of the nectar of all auspicious qualities.”
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Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī: 5
হরি হে !
তুমি সর্ব্বগুণযুত শক্তি তব বশীভূত
বদান্য সরল শুচি ধীর ।
দযালু মধুর সম কৃতী স্থির সর্ব্বোত্তম
কৃতজ্ঞ-লক্ষণে পুনঃ বীর ॥১॥
hari he!
tumi sarva-guṇa-yuta śakti tava vaśībhūta
vadānya sarala śuchi dhīra
dayālu madhura sama kṛtī sthira sarvottama
kṛtajña-lakṣaṇe punaḥ vīra [1]
hari–Hari; he!–O!; tumi–You; sarva–all; guṇa–quality; yuta–replete; śakti–energy; tava–Your; vaśī–control; bhūta–present; vadānya–magnanimous; sarala–sincere; śuchi–pure; dhīra–wise; dayālu–merciful; madhura–sweet; sama–equipoised; kṛtī–expert; sthira–steady; sarva–all; uttama–best; kṛtajña–grateful; lakṣaṇe–by characteristic; punaḥ–again; vīra–exalted. [1]
he–O hari!–Hari! tumi–You [are] yuta–replete [with] sarva–all guṇa–qualities, [and all] śakti–energy [is] bhūta–existent [under] tava–Your vaśī–control. [You are] punaḥ–further vīra–exalted lakṣaṇe–by the characteristics [of being] vadānya–magnanimous, sarala–sincere, śuchi–pure, dhīra–wise, dayālu–merciful, madhura–sweet, sama–equipoised, kṛtī–expert, sthira–steady, uttama–best sarva–of all, [and] kṛtajña–grateful. [1]
O Hari! You are replete with all qualities, and all śaktis are controlled by You. You are further exalted by the characteristics of being magnanimous, sincere, pure, wise, merciful, sweet, equipoised, expert, steady, best of all, and grateful.
সমস্ত কল্যাণ-গুণ- গণামৃত-সম্ভাবন
সমুদ্র-স্বরূপ ভগবান্ ।
বিন্দু বিন্দু গুণ তব সর্ব্বজীব-সুবৈভব
তুমি পূর্ণ সর্ব্বশক্তিমান্ ॥২॥
samasta kalyāṇa-guṇa- gaṇāmṛta-sambhāvana
samudra-svarūpa bhagavān
bindu bindu guṇa tava sarva-jīva-suvaibhava
tumi pūrṇa sarva-śaktimān [2]
samasta–all; kalyāṇa–auspicious; guṇa–quality; gaṇa–group; amṛta–nectar; sambhāvana–fully producing; samudra–ocean; svarūpa–nature; bhagavān–Lord; bindu–drop; bindu–drop; guṇa–quality; tava–Your; sarva–all jīva–soul; suvaibhava–greatest wealth; tumi–You; pūrṇa–complete; sarva–all; śaktimān–possessor of energy. [2]
[Your] svarūpa–nature [is that of] samudra–the ocean [which is] sambhāvana–fully productive [of] amṛta–the nectar [of] samasta–all kalyāṇa–auspicious guṇa-gaṇa–qualities, bhagavān–O Lord! bindu bindu–Drops [of] tava–Your guṇa–qualities [are] suvaibhava–the greatest wealth [of] sarva–all jīva–souls. tumi–You [are the] pūrṇa–complete [possessor of] sarva–all śaktimān–energy. [2]
You are the ocean which produces in full the nectar of all auspicious qualities, O Bhagavān! Drops of Your qualities are the greatest wealth of all the jīvas. You are the complete possessor of all śaktis.
sarva-jīva-suvaibhava: “The greatest wealth of all the jīvas.” Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī writes:
jīveṣu ete vasanto ’pi bindu-bindutayā kvachit
paripūrṇatayā bhānti tatraiva puruṣottame
(Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: Dakṣiṇa-vibhāga, 1.30)
“These (qualities) may be present drop by drop (to a very minute extent) in some jīvas (those favoured by Bhagavān), but they shine in full in the Supreme Person.”
এ ভক্তিবিনোদ ছার কৃতাঞ্জলি বার বার
করে চিত্তকথা বিজ্ঞাপন ।
তব দাসগণ-সঙ্গে তব লীলাকথা-রঙ্গে
যায় যেন আমার জীবন ॥৩॥
e bhakti-vinoda chhāra kṛtāñjali bāra bāra
kare chitta-kathā vijñāpana
tava dāsa-gaṇa-saṅge tava līlā-kathā-raṅge
yāya yena āmāra jīvana [3]
e–this; bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; chhāra–unworthy; kṛta–made; añjali–joined cupped palms; bāra–time; bāra–time; kare–does; chitta–heart; kathā–word; vijñāpana–expression; tava–Your; dāsa–servant; gaṇa–group; saṅge–in association; tava–Your; līlā–Pastimes; kathā–discussion; raṅge–in joy; yāya–passes; yena–may; āmāra–my; jīvana–life. [3]
e–This chhāra–unworthy bhakti-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod, [having] kṛta–formed añjali–joined cupped palms, bāra–again [and] bāra–again vijñāpana kare–expresses kathā–the words chitta–of [his] heart: yena–“May āmāra–my jīvana–life yāya–pass saṅge–in the association [of] tava–Your dāsa-gaṇa–servants [immersed] raṅge–in the joy [of] kathā–discussion [of] tava–Your līlā–Pastimes. [3]
This unworthy Bhakti Vinod, offering an añjali, again and again expresses the feeling of his heart: “May I spend my life in the association of Your servants immersed in the joy of discussion of Your līlā.”
