Song 6

(Śrīrāga-Diśā)

Refrain: Glory, glory to Lord Gaurāṅga! Glory, glory to Lord Gaurāṅga! Alas! Why do I not taste the nectar bliss of love for Lord Gaurāṅga?

208. Day by day, moment by moment, Lord Gaura’s body grew. He became like Mount Sumeru.

209. His sweet words were like flooding streams of nectar. Hearing them, Mother Śacī felt her heart become filled with wonderful bliss.

210. Sometimes she would tell Him something, and Lord Gaura would reply: "I can’t hear your words."

211. Then She would playfully shout the words. Still, forest-flower-garlanded Lord Gaura only said: "I can’t hear."

212. Mother Śacī was completely overcome with a mother’s love. Wild with anger, she picked up a stick as if to chase Him.

213. "Proud boy! You cannot hear me?", she called out. "When I am old You will not give me even a grain of rice."

214. In this way she spoke. Śacī’s son still insisted: "I cannot hear My mother’s words."

215. Then Śacī became very angry. One glance was enough. Lord Gaura fled. Stick in hand, Śacī chased Him.

216. Lord Gaura ran to an unclean place where rejected clay pots were thrown.

217. Seeing this, Mother Śacī put her hand to her head. "Ha! Ha!", she angrily said.

218. Now she was even more angry at Lord Viśvambhara. To the top of the heap of rejected pots He climbed.

219. Hearing her angry words, He did the exact opposite. Realizing this, Śacī happily and affectionately said:

220. "Come. Come, dear son. Give up these horrible acts. It is not right. You should follow a brāhmaṇa’s dharma.

221. "You are a brāhmaṇa’s boy. You were born in a very good family. What will the people say when they hear about Your horrible acts?

222. "Come. Come, dear son. Bathe in the Gaṅgā’s waters. Your mother’s life is cracking. Come and give me a hug.

223. "If You don’t, I will die. I will jump in the Gaṅgā and drown. Then You’ll only stay at home, walk from room to room, and cry and cry.

224. "Your body is like the purest gold. Why do You rub ashes on Your beautiful body?

225. "My dear boy, please leave this horrible unclean place. The ashes on Your body are like the spots on the moon."

226. Hearing these words, Lord Viśvambhara became angry. Again and again He said: "You don’t understand.

227. "When you speak the words ‘clean and ‘unclean you are not speaking very intelligently. What is clean? What is unclean? Try to understand My questions."

228. After speaking these words, Lord Gaura picked up a piece of brick in His hand. With the brick He struck His mother’s head.

229. With that blow Mother Śacī pretended to fall unconscious. Calling out, "Mother! Mother!", Lord Gaura wept again and again.

230. Hearing the Lord’s weeping, the village ladies ran there.

231. They sprinkled Gaṅgā water on Śacī’s face. She became conscious again. As soon as she became conscious, she called out, "Viśvambhara!"

232. Holding her son in her arms, Śacī again fell unconscious.

233. Looking at His mother, Viśvambhara wept. Then a smiling glorious woman spoke to Him.

234. Touching His chin, she said to Viśvambhara: "Bring two coconuts for Your mother.

235. "Then You will bring her back to life. Hear my words. If You do not, she will die."

236. Hearing this, Lord Viśvambhara became happy. In a moment He returned with two coconuts.

237. In a moment He affectionately gave the two coconuts to His mother.

238. Seeing this, the ladies were astonished. "From where did the boy get two coconuts in a single moment?

239. Then one very glorious and graceful lady gently gently asked Lord Viśvambhara:

240. "Child, from were did You get the coconuts? From You actions I can know a little of Your true nature."

241. Hearing these words, Lord Viśvambhara cried out and hugged His mother’s neck.

242. Returning to consciousness, Śacī hugged her son. Millions and millions of times she kissed His lotus face.

243. With the edge of her garment she wiped His face and limbs. Then she bathed His body in the Gaṅgā’s waters.

244. Bathing Him, she performed an abhiṣeka with the Gaṅgā’s waters. Her heart filled with wonder, she gazed at her son’s face.

245. He was deep like the ocean. He glistened like ten million suns. His ten fingernails and ten toenails were more glorious than ten million moons lighting up the night.

246. His graceful form defeated ten million Kāmadevas. His playful curved eyebrows were bows held by the archer Kāmadeva.

247. Gazing at her son, who is the master of all the worlds, the Supreme Lord now manifest on the earth, Mother Śacī felt fear in her heart.

248. She remembered the secret of how when she was pregnant she saw many demigods arrive in their airplanes.

249. Then she remembered her son’s other activities.

250-253. She decided: "The effulgent, eternal, untouched by matter Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, whose form is not material, who is everything, who posseses all powers, who is self-satisfied, who is the peerless object of the yogī kings meditations, and who is worshiped by everyone has now become my son. Brahmā, Śiva, and all the demigods do not know how fortunate I have become." Thinking and thinking in this way, she hugged Lord Gaura Rāya.

254. Hugging Him, Śacī-devī forgot all thoughts of Lord Gaura-Hari’s supreme power and opulence. Again she became convinced that He was only her small son.

255. Filled with wonder, Śacī returned home. "What demigod has entered my son?"

256. In this way she worried. To protect Him, she placed her hand on His body. She chanted: "O Lord Janārdana, Lord Hṛṣīkeśa, Lord Govinda."

257. "May the Sudarśana-cakra protect Your head. May Lord Nārāyaṇa protect Your eyes, nose, and mouth.

258. "May Lord Gadādhara protect Your chest. May Lord Giridhārī protect Your arms.

259. "May Lord Dāmodara protect Your belly. May Lord Nṛsiṃha protect Your navel.

260. "May Lord Trivikrama protect Your two knees. May Lord Dharādhara protect Your two feet."

261. Then Mother Śacī blew air on every part of Lord Gaura’s body. She was completely convinced that Lord Gaura was her son.

262. In this way a blissful day passed. Then an auspicious sunset came.

263. Śacī gave the servants and maidservants their sunset duties. Then, taking Lord Gaura-Harī with her, she went to the courtyard.

264. After the sun set a full moon rose in the sky.

265. Then Lord Gaura, who knows everything, acted as if He were a foolish child. "Mother! Mother!", He called out.

266. Śacī said: "Don’t cry at sunset. Hear my words. Whatever You want I will give You."

267. Then Lord Gaura said: "Bring the moon down here and give it to Me." Laughing and laughing, Śacī said: "Ha! You don’t understand.

268. "Alas! Alas, that such a son is in my house. Who has the power to grasp the moon in the sky?"

269. Then the Lord said: "You said You would give whatever I wanted. Why did you say that?

270. "My heart wants the moon." Speaking these words, Lord Gaura loudly cried.

271. Grasping His mother’s sash, He wept and spoke many different demands. He stomped His feet. He rubbed His eyes.

272. Clinging to mother’s neck, Lord Gaura Rāya wept. He wanted to play with the moon in the sky.

273. One moment he made His demand. The next moment He rolled on the ground. Then He pulled His mother’s hair. His body was covered with dust. With His hand He struck His own head.

274. Seeing all this, Mother Śacī said: "Son, You don’t understand. I am very surprised to see what You have done.

275. "Who has the power to grasp the moon up in the sky? How many moons now shine on Your own body?

276. "Look. As he watches You, the moon has become ashamed. That is why it is dark now. The moon is ashamed to appear before You.

277. "Aware that You are present, the moon of Navadvīpa is not manifest. Ashamed, he hides behind the clouds.

278. "He is afraid that You are now in Navadvīpa. Please hear my words. Don’t cry, dear child. You are my very life."

279. Speaking these words, Śacī hugged and kissed her son. She gazed at His face. Filled with ecstatic spiritual love, she forgot herself.

280. In this way Śacī was overcome with bliss. Alas! Alas! I did not see Lord Gaura’s childhood pastimes.

281. Her heart overcome with bliss, Śacī spoke broken words. In this way Locana dāsa joyfully sings Lord Gaura’s glories.