Song 25

(Dhanaśī rāga-Diśā)

Refrain: Circling and circling, the bees that are the Lord’s devotees fly and land on the sweet lotus flowers of our Lord Gaura’s feet. Please hear these songs of Lord Gaura, songs full of wonderful stories, songs filled with the Lord’s holy names so auspicious to hear.

61. In this way Lord Gaura passed many days in happy pastimes with His friends and kinsmen.

62. One day He suddenly thought: "To bring auspiciousness to the people I should visit East Bengal.

63. "Everyone says that country is the place rejected by the Pāṇḍavas. Even though the Gaṅgā certainly flows there, there the people do not call her by the name Gaṅgā.

64. "By My touch the Padmāvatī River there will become glorious and fortunate. Except for Me, no one knows her glories."

65. In His heart thinking in this way, Lord Gaura said to His mother: "I will go to gather wealth."

66. Accompanied by His associates, Lord Gaura went to East Bengal. In this way He made Mother Śacī’s heart restless and anxious.

67. Her heart troubled, Śacī said to her son: "One request I ask of You.

68. "To gather wealth You will go to a far country. I will not see You. How will I live?

69. "A fish cannot live without water. How can I live without You?

70. "Dear one, if I cannot see Your moonlike face I will surely die."

71. Hearing His mother’s words, the Lord gently reassured her:

72. "Don’t be afraid We will be separated. I will come back."

73. Smiling, He said to Lakṣmīpriyā: "Devotedly serve mother."

74. The Lord did not hear any more from His mother. Gently, gently smiling, He proceeded on His journey.

75. Accompanied by His associates, Lord Mahāprabhu began His journey. With a happy heart He traveled.

76. Wherever the Lord went, the people that saw Him became overwhelmed.

77. Never had their eyes seen anyone like Him. One person said: "I will gaze at Him day and night."

78. Seeing His face, the village ladies said: "Now our lives have borne their fruit. Now our eyes have borne their fruit.

79. "What fortunate mother carried Him in her womb? Never have I seen any form handsome like His.

80. "What fortunate girl, by worshiping Śiva and Pārvatī, had the good fortune to have Him as her husband?

81. "The splendor of His limbs conquers new gold. The stature of His body defeats Mount Sumeru.

82. "Never has a form like His been manifest on this earth. He is so gracefully decorated with a brāhmaṇa’s thread."

83. Gazing at Lord Gaura’s handsome smiling face, the ladies were overcome with love. He invaded their hearts. There He stayed.

84. One fortunate lady learned in the rasas could understand the truth of Lord Gaura. She said:

85. "His long graceful eyes conquer the lotus flowers. Wonderful are His graceful charming glances.

86. "When I gaze at Him I see He is like Rādhā’s beloved Kṛṣṇa, but I see now His limbs have Rādhā’s color."

87. When He bathed in the Padmāvatī, the touch of His feet made it like the Gaṅgā.

88. Very gracefully decorated with many fish, turtles, and crocodiles, the Padmāvatī very forcefully flowed between her banks.

89. On the banks stood all the brāhmaṇas and saintly devotees. At the ghāṭas divine men and women bathed.

90. When Lord Viśvambhara bathed in her waters the Padmāvatī became sancified. When the people then bathed in her waters, all their sins were washed away.

91. If they did not blaspheme Vaiṣnāvas, the people who bathed in the Padmāvatī all attained pure loving devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

92. Gazing at Lord Gauracandra, the people on the Padmāvatī’s banks made their eyes glorious and fortunate.

93. Wherever Lord Gaura-Harī wandered on the Padmāvatī’s banks, the people, touching the ground where the Lord had placed His feet, all became pure devotees of the Lord.

94. By the touch of the Lord’s cool feet, the earth goddess became cooled and refreshed. The hairs of her body stood erect with joy. All inauspiciousness fled far away.

95. In this way the Lord carefully delovered the land of East Bengal. The stigma brought by the Pāṇḍavas not visiting it was thrown far away.

96. Lord Gaura personally gave the chanting of Lord Hari’s holy names to the caṇḍālas, saints, sinners, lowly people, and everyone else. He begged them all to take it.

97. He did not consider whether they were pure or impure, whether their actions were good, or whether they were thoughtful and learned. Everyone He carried to the farther shore of the ocean of birth and death.

98. Everyone he invited on His boat of nāmasa ṅkīrtana (chanting of the holy names). He took them all to the farther shore of the ocean of birth and death. He begged them to come.

99. Anyone who tried to run away and escape, He grabbed and held in His arms. Placing them on His boat, He carried them to the farther shore of the ocean of birth and death.

100. In what yuga was such mercy given? I never heard of such mercy. What avatāra begged the people to give Him their sins?

101. Lord Gaura made them all equally pure. He made them all qualified to attain pure ecstatic love for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

102. He gave them all transcendental knowledge. In a month or half a month He made them all learned paṇḍitas.

103. Lord Gaura is the master of all the worlds. He is an ocean of kindness. By His mercy all the people became pure at heart.

104. As Lord Gaura was thus surrounded by saintly devotees, Lakṣmīpriyā and Śacī-devī remained in Navadvīpa.

105. Lakṣmīpriyā was chaste and devoted. Her husband was her whole life. She happily served Śacī-devī.

106. She cleaned the house. She dressed and decorated the family Deity. To the Deity she offered incense, lamps, food, scents, garlands, and sandal paste.

107. Lakṣmīpriyā kept everything in the Deity room very clean. Pleased by the virtues of her daughter-inlaw, Śacī forget herself with joy.

108. Lakṣmīpriyā was affectionate to Śacī-devī and pleased by her association. The hairs of her body stood erect with joy.