Song 2

(Śrī rāga-Diśā)

35. In this way the Lord was overcome with ecstatic love. There was a brāhmaṇa named Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī.

36. At his house the Lord was overcome with ecstatic love. There flooding rivers of tears always flowed from the Lord’s eyes.

37. Mucous always flowed from the Lord’s nostrils. The brāhmaṇa Śuklāmbara always cleaned the mucous from the Lord.

38. Day and night the Lord rolled on the ground and wept. Overcome, He would ask what the time was.

39. During the day He would ask: "How far has the night progressed?" Everyone would say: "It is day. It is not night."

40. In this way the Lord was overcome with love. Overcome with ecstasy, again and again He wept.

41. When three hours of the night had passed, He would ask what time of day it was. He was given thwe answer: "It is not daytime."

42. He was so overcome with love He did not know whether it was day or night. If He heard the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa come from any mouth, He would fall to the ground.

43. If he heard someone sing songs of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s names or glories, He would roll on the ground and weep.

44. One moment He would fall to the ground like a stick. The next moment He would loudly sing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s names.

45. The next moment He would speak with a voice choked with emotion. His body trembled. The hairs standing erect on His limbs defeated the glories of the kadamba flower’s filaments.

46. He was always in ecstasy. Some moments He was calm and peaceful. In those moments, on His friends entreaties, He owuld bathe and give charity.

47. Then He would worship His Deity and offer food. Then He would honor the mahā-prasādam.

48. As the days passed He enjoyed pastimes of ecstasy in this way. Every evening He sang and danced with great joy.

49. In this way the days and nights happily passed. The Lord tasted the nectar of ecstatic love. He also taught the world.

50. Everyone please hear these words: To taste the nectar of love for Himself was the Lord’s primary purpose in coming to this world.

51. To deliver the conditioned souls was His secondary purpsoe. This I know. That is why I say He is the crest jewel of all avatāras.

52. All the avatāras remain in Lord Gaura’s body. All the avatāras are His companions. They are all His servants.

53. When Lord Gauracandra was manifest in Navadvīpa, the blinding darkness in the hearts of the world’s peoples fled far away.

54. The effulgence of His mercy extinguished the flames of suffering burning in the hearts of Kaliyuga’s peoples.

55. The devotee associates of the Lord became like cakora birds overwhelmed by drinking the nectar moonlight of ecstatic love.

56. Gadādhara Paṇḍita became an associate of the Lord. Naraharī Thākura stayed with the Lord.

57. Śrīnivāsa, Murāri, Mukunda, Vakreśvara, and Śrīdhara Paṇḍita all had homes in Navadvīpa.

58. Śrīmān, Sañjaya, Dhanañjaya Paṇḍita, Śuklāmbara, Nīlāmbara, and many other great souls were also there.

59-60. Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita, Maheśa Paṇḍita, Haridāsa, saintly Nandana Acārya, Rudra Paṇḍita, Dāmodara Paṇḍita, and amny others were all followers of Lord Gauṛāṅga.

61. I cannot write all their names. I cannot name them all, for then this book would become an ocean without any shores.

62. From many different places the devotees came and gathered at Lord Gaura’s feet.

63. To the people of this world giving the great treasure of ecstatic love, these devotees became wild with ecstatic love.

64. The Lord was equally king to all the conditioned souls. With the devotees Lord Gaura enjoyed pastimes of ecstatic love.

65-66. One day, accompanied by Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and his brothers, the Lord walked on the path. Thne He suddenly heard the sound of a flute. He did not know who made the music.

67. Hearing this flute music, the Lord was overcome with the love Śrī Rādha. feels. He wept and wept. He roared and roared.

68. Overcome, He fell like a stick to the ground. He wept. He manifested many symptoms of ecstatic love.

69. The Lord was now completely wild. His loud laughter was a great blessing to His followers.

70. One moment He spoke to His students things beyond the touch of this world. The next moment He became like a wild man. The next moment He became silent.

71. Accompanied by Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Rāma, Nārāyaṇa, and Mukunda, the Lord went to Śrīvāsa’s house.

72. Within the house, the devotees filled with the four sides. In the midst was Lord Gaura-Hari. He was wild with loṭe for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

73. One moment He stood up. The next moment He fell to the ground. Then He rolled on the ground. Calling out, "Hari! Hari!", He loudly wept.

74. Day and night He was filled with the ecstasy of spiritual love. The hairs of His body stood erect. He spoke only of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He spoke nothing else.

75. In His own home one time He was overcome with ecstatic love. He loudly wept. Five or seven flooding rivers of tears streamed from His eyes.

76. "What will I do? Where will I go? What is the way? How will I become able to give My heart to Śrī Kṛṣṇa?"

77. Speaking these words, He wept in despair. Hearing His anguished words, everyone else wept also.

78. At that moment a divine voice respectfully said: "Please hear, O Viśvambhara. You Yourself are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

79. "To reveal the ecstasy of spiritual love You descended to the earth. To others You will mercifully teach the ecstasy of spiritual love.

80. "To establish the true religion on the earth You will begin the movement of chanting the holy names. Don’t lament. Begin Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana (the chanting of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy names).

81. "By Your mercy everyone in Kalī-yuga will be delivered. To everyone You will give the ecstasy of love for Yourself. In this way everyone’s sorrows will perish.

82. "Don’t doubt. Please hear these words: Throw Your sorrows far away, and perform saṅkīrtana (chanting) of Your own holy names."

83. Hearing these words from a demigod’s mouth, the Lord became joyful at heart. He did not speak a word.

84. Please hear the wonderful story of what happened on another day. The songs of Lord Viśvambhara’s glories are filled with nectar.

85. One day the Lord went to Murārī Gupta’s house. The Lord was marked with the symptoms of ecstasy. The hairs of His body stood erect.

86. Entering the Deity room, the Lord was overcome with ecstasy. He began to speak.

87. Flooding rivers of tears flowed from the oceans of His eyes. His tears were like the celestial Gaṅgā flowing from Mount Sumeru.

88. Everyone said: "Look! Look at that wonderful form. A form like a great mountain, the form of a boar, now stands before us.

89. "Look! Look at the very powerful form of Lord Varāha! With His great tusks He yearns to kill us!

90. "With His two tsusks the boar will kill us!" Saying these words, everyone ran into the Deity room.

91. In this way the Lord again manifested the ecstasy of Lord Varāha. On His hands and feet He paced the ground.

92. His form was enormous. His eyes were red. His steps were powerful. His roaring was ferocious.

93. He came upon a brass pot. Picking it up in His tusks, He lifted His head. For a moment held the pot aloft.

94. Discarding the pot, He opened His mouth. He asked Murāri: "This is My form.

95. "I am the Supreme Lord. In this form I rescued the Vedas. I tell you I am the master. I am the Supreme Person.

96. "What is this form of Mine? Do you know it? Say something about it." Murārī said: "Lord, how can I know You?"

97. Falling like a stick to the ground, Murārī offered obeisances. "Lord, even the demigod Brahmā does not understand Your nature and Your pastimes."

98. Then Murārī quoted a verse from Bhagavad-gītā. I will repeat it here. Everyone please hear these words.

99. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.15) it is said: svayam evātmanātmānaṃ vettha tvaṃ puruṣottama bhūta-bhāvana bhūteśa deva-deva jagat-pate

"Indeed You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe."*

100. This verse means: "O Supreme Personality of Godhead, You alone know Yourself. No one else knows You."

101. Thne Lord Gaura-Harī again said: "Do the Vedas have the power to know Me?"

102. In a voice choked with emotion, Murārī replied: "Even thousand-headed Lord Ananta Śeṣa has no power to know the truth about You.

103. "How can the Vedas know thwe truth of Your pastimes? O Lord, no one knows Your glories."

104. Hearing these words, Lord Gaura again said: "The Vedas mocked Me. Listen to these words (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.19):

105. apāṇi-pādo javano grahītā paśyaty acakṣuḥ sa śṛṇoty akarṇaḥ sa vettī vedyaṃ na ca tasyāstī vettā tam āhur āgryam puruṣaṃ mahantam

"‘Learned transcendentalists explain that God is the greatest, the original person. He has no material hands, but He can take anything. He has no material legs, but He can travel faster than anyone. He has no material eyes, but He sees everything. He has no material ears, but He hears everything. He knows everything, but no one knows Him. "*

106. "The Vedas say I have no hands and legs. Others do not mock Me like these Vedas."

107. After speaking these words, the Lord laughed. His face was cheerful and kind. "The Vedas do not know Me.", He said.

108. The physician Murārī bowed down and said: "Lord, please be kind. Please give me the gift of ecstatic spiritual love."

109. The Lord again said: "Listen, Murāri. You already love Me. Ecstatic spiritual love is already yours.

110. "You should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord with a humanlike form, the Lord whose three-fold-bending form is dark like sapphires, the Lord who holds a flute in His hands.

111. "The root of His potencies bears the name Vṛṣabhānusutā (Śrī Rādhā, Vṛṣabhānu’s daughter). Her glorīous complexion breaks the pride of new gorocanā.

112. "Of how many beautiful gopīs is Lord Kṛṣṇa the beloved? Dedicate your body to Nanda’s son Kṛṣṇa. Then you will attain Him.

113. "In a land of cintāmaṇī jewels, in a jewel palace, on a jewel altar surrounded by kalpavṛkṣa trees, handsome Kṛṣṇa sits on a throne.

114. "He is surrounded by kāmadhenu cows. His powers are beyond conception. His every desire is at once fulfilled. Give your love to Him.

115. "The effulgence of His limbs is the impersonal Brahman. Know that Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness is the greatest of all truths."

116. In the presence of all the devotees Lord Gaura spoke these words. Hearing these words, everyone felt their hearts become filled with bliss.

117. Hearing these words, Murārī said before the Lord’s feet: "Lord, please allow me to see Lord Rāmacandra with my own eyes."

118. The moment he spoke these words, Murārī saw Lord Rāmacandra, whose form is dark like dūrvā grass, and who is the life of Sītā-devī.

119. Lord Rāma was accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, Śatrughna, and a host of others. Gazing at the Lord, Murārī became filled with bliss.

120. His external consciousness fled far away. He fell and rolled on the ground. With a gesture of His lotus hand, Lord Rāma gave a blessing of peace to him.

121. Lord Rāma gave this blessing: "You will be filled with ecstatic spiritual love. You are Hanumān. I am Your Rāmacandra."

122. After speaking these words, the Lord departed for the temple. On another day Lord Gaura went to Śrīvāsa’s house.

123. Sitting amongst His associates, He described the truth of ecstatic spiritual for Himself.

124. With a joyful heart He called out: "Hari! Hari!" To His personal associates He said: "Listen. Listen to these wonderful words.

125. "With one heart listen to the words I speak, words that say how one may attain Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa."

126. Then the Lord recited a verse of Nāradīya Purāṇa. No one else there understood the heart of that verse.

127. That verse was (Nāradīya Purāṇa 38.126): harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."*

128. "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the same as His name. In the Kalī-yuga the Lord is manifest in the form of His holy name. This the fools do not know.

129. "Please know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is identical with His holy name. That truth is shown in this verse by the word ‘kevalam’. In this verse Vyāsa three times refutes the idea that the Lord is different from His name.

130. "To emphasize this truth to the miseld sinners, three times he repeats it.

131. "By Lord Hari’s holy name alone one attains liberation. Here please know that the word

‘kevalam means ‘liberation’.

132. "The holy name here refers even to nāmābhāsa (the dim light of the holy name). Even by nāmābhāsa one attains liberation. This all the scriptures teach.

133. "By nāmābhāsa one attains liberation. These truthful words the scriptures speak. When the holy name itself rises, then one attains ecstatic spiritual love. This the Purāṇas affirm.

134. "To teach the demigod-worshipers that there is no other way, this truth is three times stated in this verse.

135. "Chanting the holy name of Lord Harī is the same as meditating on Lord Kṛṣṇa surrounded by His cows, gopas, and gopī associates. Please know that the holy name contains all the truths of the Vedas."

136. Rapt in the ecstasy of Lord Varāha, Lord Gaura spoke these words. Then, filled with ecstatic spiritual love, He danced in nāma-saṅkīrtana (chanting of the holy names).

137. Ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa quickly takes birth in anyone who hears of Lord Gaura’s glorious pastimes in Nadīyā.

138. Holding a straw between my teeth, I, Locana dāsa, declare: Lord Gaura’s feet are my only treasure. I have no other.