Text 10

निमज्जतो’नन्त भवार्णवान्तश् चिराय मे कूलम् इवासि लब्धः
त्वयापि लब्धं भगवन्न् इदानीम् अनुत्तमं पात्रम् इदं दयायाः

nimajjato’nanta bhavārṇavāntaś cirāya me kūlam ivāsi labdhaḥ
tvayāpi labdhaṃ bhagavann idānīm anuttamaṃ pātram idaṃ dayāyāḥ

O Ananta, since time immemorial I have been drowning in this unlimited ocean of material existence. The hope of one day attaining Your lotus feet is the shore of this ocean. Immersed in this material existence, I am tearfully praying to You, with a distressed voice, to please appear as guru and deliver me.

निज-कर्म-दोष-फले, पडि’ भवार्णव जले,
हाबु डुबु खाइ कत काल साङ्तारि
साङ्तारि याइ, सिन्धु अन्त नाहि पाइ,
भव-सिन्धु अनन्त विशाल

nija-karma-doṣa-phale, paḍi’ bhavārṇava jale,
hābu ḍubu khāi kata kāla sāṅtāri
sāṅtāri yāi, sindhu anta nāhi pāi,
bhava-sindhu ananta viśāla

निमग्न हैब यबे, डाकिनु कातर रवे,
केह मोरे करह उद्धार
सेइ काले आइले तुमि, तव पद-कूल-भूमि,
आशा-बीज हैल आमार

nimagna haiba yabe, ḍākinu kātara rave,
keha more karaha uddhāra
sei kāle āile tumi, tava pada-kūla-bhūmi,
āśā-bīja haila āmāra

तुमि हरि दयामय, पाइले मोरे सुनिश्चय,
सर्वोत्तम भाजन दयार

tumi hari dayāmaya, pāile more suniścaya,
sarvottama bhājana dayāra

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

“O Lord, as a result of my previous activities, I am submerged in the ocean of material existence, where many kinds of reactions are rising as huge waves, tormenting me with happiness and distress. This path of karma has no beginning and no end. I do not know how to swim in this vast ocean, and the crocodiles of lust, anger and so forth are eating my body. O Lord, please rescue me! You are my only hope. I now relinquish dependence on my own strength, and instead am taking shelter of Your lotus feet. I have heard from the great self-realized souls (mahājanas ) that You give mercy according to the extent of a person’s fallen condition. As You protected the elephant Gajendra with Your disc, please save me from this crocodile-like ocean of material existence. Prabhu, I have also heard that You are the pinnacle of compassion. Please understand that I am fallen and wretched. Even if someone searches the entire universe, he will not find any better object for this compassion than I. Knowing this, kindly bestow Your mercy upon me.”