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: 20
त्वदाश्रितानां जगदुद्भवस्थिति-
प्रणाश-संसारविमोचनादयः ।
भवन्ति लीलाविधयश्च वैदिका-
स्त्वदीय-गम्भीरमनोऽनुसारिणः ॥२०॥
tvad-āśritānāṁ jagad-udbhava-sthiti-
praṇāśa-saṁsāra-vimochanādayaḥ
bhavanti līlā-vidhayaś cha vaidikās
tvadīya-gambhīra-mano-’nusāriṇaḥ
tvad–You; āśritānām–for the welfare of dependents; jagat–universe; udbhava–creation; sthiti–maintenance; praṇāśa–dissolution; saṁsāra–transmigration; vimochana–liberation; ādayaḥ–others; bhavanti–are; līlā–Pastimes; vidhayaḥ–performances; cha–and; vaidikāḥ–described in the Vedas; tvadīya–Your; gambhīra–deep; manaḥ–mind; anusāriṇaḥ–following.
udbhava–The creation, sthiti–maintenance, [and] praṇāśa–dissolution jagat–of the universe, (granting) vimochana–liberation saṁsāra–from transmigration, cha–and ādayaḥ–the other vidhayaḥ–performances līlā–of [Your] Pastimes vaidikāḥ–described in the Vedas bhavanti–occur anusāriṇaḥ–according to tvadīya–Your gambhīra–deep manaḥ–mind [for the welfare of] tvad–Your āśritānām–dependents.
The creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe, (granting) liberation from saṁsāra, and all the other līlās described in the Vedas which You perform according to Your deep mind are all for the welfare of Your dependents.
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Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī: 6
হরি হে !
তোমার গম্ভীর মন নাহি বুঝে অন্য জন
সেই মন অনুসারি’ সব ।
জগৎ-উদ্ভব-স্থিতি- প্রলয় সংসারগতি
মুক্তি-আদি শক্তির বৈভব ॥১॥
hari he!
tomāra gambhīra mana nāhi bujhe anya jana
sei mana anusāri’ saba
jagat-udbhava-sthiti- pralaya saṁsāra-gati
mukti-ādi śaktira vaibhava [1]
hari–Hari; he!–O; tomāra–Your; gambhīra–deep; mana–mind; nāhi–not; bujhe–understand; anya–other; jana–person; sei–that; mana–mind; anusāri’–according; saba–everything; jagat–the universe; udbhava–creation; sthiti–maintenance; pralaya–dissolution; saṁsāra–transmigration; gati–condition; mukti–liberation; ādi–other; śaktira–of energy; vaibhava–wonder. [1]
he–O hari!–Hari! anya–Other jana–persons bujhe nāhi–do not understand tomāra–Your gambhīra–deep mana–mind, [but] saba–everything [happens] anusāri’–according [to] sei–this mana–mind [of Yours:] udbhava–the creation, sthiti–maintenance, [and] pralaya–dissolution jagat–of the universe, (granting) mukti–liberation gati–from the condition saṁsāra–of transmigration, [and the] ādi–other vaibhava–wonders śaktira–of [Your] energies. [1]
O Hari! No one but You understands Your deep mind, yet everything happens according to it: the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe, (granting) liberation from the condition of saṁsāra, and all the other wonders produced by Your śaktis.
এ সব বৈদিক লীলা ইচ্ছামাত্র প্রকাশিলা
জীবের বাসনা অনুসারে ।
তোমাতে বিমুখ হয়ে মজিল অবিদ্যা লয়ে
সেই জীব কর্ম্ম-পারাবারে ॥২॥
e saba vaidika līlā ichchhā-mātra prakāśilā
jīvera vāsanā anusāre
tomāte vimukha haye majila avidyā laye
sei jīva karma-pārāvāre [2]
e–these; saba–all; vaidika–described in the Vedas; līlā–Pastimes; ichchhā–desire; mātra–just; prakāśilā–manifested; jīvera–of soul; vāsanā–desire; anusāre–in accord; tomāte–to You; vimukha–averse; haye–being; majila–immersed; avidyā–ignorance; laye–taking; sei–those; jīva–souls; karma–selfish action; pārāvāre–in ocean. [2]
prakāśilā–You have manifested saba–all e–these līlā–Pastimes vaidika–described in the Vedas mātra–just [by Your] ichchhā–will [and] anusāre–in accord vāsanā–with the desires jīvera–of the souls. [But] haye–being vimukha–averse tomāte–to You [and] laye–taking to avidyā–ignorance, sei–the jīva–jīvas majila–immersed [themselves] pārāvāre–in the ocean karma–of selfish action. [2]
You have manifested all these līlās described in the Vedas just by Your will and in accord with the vāsanās of the jīvas. But being averse to You and taking to ignorance, the jīvas have immersed themselves in the ocean of karma.
vāsanā: “Desires.” Vāsanā according to context can mean desire, liking, inclination, imagination, or expectation and can also refer to the impressions embedded in the subtle body (mind, intelligence, and ego) of the jīva by previous actions (both good and bad) which shape the jīva’s present awareness, disposition, desires, circumstances, and destiny.
পুনঃ যদি ভক্তি করি’ ভজে ভক্তসঙ্গ ধরি’
তবে পায় তোমার চরণ ।
অন্তরঙ্গ-লীলারসে ভাসে মায়া না পরশে
ভক্তিবিনোদের ফিরে মন ॥৩॥
punaḥ yadi bhakti kari’ bhaje bhakta-saṅga dhari’
tabe pāya tomāra charaṇa
antaraṅga-līlā-rase bhāse māyā nā paraśe
bhakti-vinodera phire mana [3]
punaḥ–again; yadi–if; bhakti–devotion; kari’–doing; bhaje–serve; bhakta–devotee; saṅga–association; dhari’–taking; tabe–then; pāya–reach; tomāra–Your; charaṇa–feet; antaraṅga–confidential; līlā–Pastimes; rase–in nectar; bhāse–float; māyā–illusion; nā–not; paraśe–in touch; bhakti-vinodera–of Bhakti Vinod; phire–turns; mana–mind. [3]
yadi–If [they] punaḥ–again bhaje–serve [You,] kari’–engaging in bhakti–devotion, [and] dhari’–keep to saṅga–the association [of Your] bhakta–devotees, tabe–then pāya–they will reach tomāra–Your charaṇa–feet; bhāse–they will float rase–in the nectar [of Your] antaraṅga–confidential līlā–Pastimes, [and] māyā–illusion paraśe nā–will not touch [them]. mana–The mind bhakti-vinodera–of Bhakti Vinod phire–has [now] turned [back to You]. [3]
If they again engage in service to You with bhakti and associate with Your devotees, then they will reach Your feet; they will in float in the rasa of Your confidential līlās, and Māyā will not touch them. The mind of Bhakti Vinod has now turned back to You.
