Song 11

Refrain: O! O! Lord Gauracandra is my very life!

1. In His home Lord Gaura sat on a splendid seat. On the four sides He was surrounded by His devotees.

2. Glancing at Śrīvāsa, Lord Gaura said: " o you know the meaning of your name?

3. "You are the abode of devotional service. Therefore you have the name Śrīvāsa."

4. Glancing at Gopīnatha, Lord Gaura said: "You are very devoted to Me. Wherever I go, you follow."

5. Glancing at Murāri, Lord Gaura said: "Recite your stanzas. I will hear them."

6. Hearing these words, intelligent Murārī recited the stanzas he had written. As Lord Gaura listened, Murārī recited:

7. rājat-kirīṭa-maṇi-dīdhiti-dīpitāśam udyad-bṛhaspati-kavi-pratime vahantam dve kuṇḍale’ṅka-rahitendu-samāna-vaktraṃ rāmaṃ jagat-traya-guruṃ satataṃ bhajāmi

"Again and again ī worship Lord Rāmacandra, the master of the three worlds. His effulgent jewel crown fills the directions with light. His two earrings are the forms of Bṛhaspatī and Śukra. His face is like a spotless moon.

8. udyad-vibhākara-marīci-vibodhitābjanetra ṃ su-bimba-daśana-cchada-cāru-nāsam śubhrāṃśu-raśmi-parinirjita-cāru-hāsaṃ rāmaṃ jagat-traya-guruṃ satataṃ bhajāmi

"Again and again ī worship Lord Rāmacandra, the master of the three worlds. His eyes are two lotus flowers blossoming wide in the glistening sunlight. His lips are bimba fruits. His nose is graceful. His charming smile defeats the glistening moon."

9. After hearing these verses of the Raghuvīrāṣṭaka, Lord Gaura wrote a word on Murāri’s forehead.

10. Writing the word "Rāmadāsa" on Murāri’s forehead, Lord Gaura said: "By My mercy you are Rāmadāsa (Lord Rāma’s servant).

11. "Without Lord Rāma you cannot live for even a single sesame seed’s worth of time. I am your Lord Rāma. Please know that for certain."

12. Speaking these words, Lord Gaura manifested His form as Lord Rāmacandra. He was accompanied by Sītā-devī, and by all His companions and associates.

13. Murārī recited many prayers before the Lord’s feet. He said: "Glory, glory to Lord Rāmacandra, who has now become Śacī’s son!"

14. Again and again Murārī recited prayers. Then he rolled on the ground. Then he again spoke many different kinds of prayers.

15. Then Lord Gaura mercifully said to Murāri: "Please do not know anything but devotion to Me.

16. "If that is your desire, I will be Lord Rāmacandra to you. I will be Lord Rāmacandra, and you will taste the nectar of service to Me.

17. "Still, in this saṅkīrtana movement you must chant the glories of Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa. In this way please render devotional service to Me. Please hear these words with all your heart."

18. After speaking these words, Lord Gaura recited a stanza. He said: "O brāhmaṇa Śrīvāsa, please listen as I recite this stanza (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.20):

19. na sādhayatī māṃ yogo na saṅkhyaṃ dharmam uddhava na svādhyāyas tapas tyāgo yathā bhaktir mamorjitā

"My dear Uddhava, neither through aṣṭāṅga-yoga (the mystic yoga system to control the senses) nor through impersonal monism or an analytical study of the Absolute Truth, nor through study of the Vedas, nor through practice of austerities, nor through charity, nor through acceptance of sannyāsa can one satisfy Me as much as one can by developing unalloyed devotional service unto Me."*

20. After reciting this verse, Lord Gaura said: "Everyone please hear. Please follow My instruction.

21. "Following Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s advice, please serve Me with devotion. Then you will become very happy.

22. "O Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita, please hear My words. Please serve your elder brother. That is the same as service to Me.

23. "All of you please understand this. All of you please serve Śrīvāsa. Then you will attain the splendor of My feet."

24. To everyone Lord Gaura, who dearly loves His devotees, spoke these words. Tears came from His red with mercy eyes.

25. Then intelligent Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita offered Lord Gaura some milk. The Lord happily drank it.

26. Then he offered the Lord fragrances, sandal, garlands, fragrant betelnuts, incense, and a lamp.

27. With a happy heart Lord Gaura accepted the offerings and then gave the remnants of them as gifts to His devotees.

28. In this way the night happily passed. At sunrise the Lord returned to His own home.

29. The devotees also returned to their homes. They bathed, worshiped their Deities, and again went to see Lord Gaura’s lotus feet.

30. Smiling, ord Gaura said to them: "Listen, a great wonder has come. Śrīpāda Nityānanda Avadhūta has come here.

31. "Who has the power to describe His glories? We are very fortunate. We must have performed many past pious deeds that today We will see His feet.

32. "Rāma, Nārāyaṇa, Mukunda, and Murāri, quickly find the answer to this question: Where is Nityānanda?"

33. When the Lord gave this command, they at once went searching in the southern part of the city.

34. They searched, but they could not find Him. Then they returned to Lord Gaura’s lotus feet.

35. Folding their hands, they said to the Lord: "We searched, but we could not find Him."

36. Lord Gaura said: "Everyone please hear. Everyone should search their own homes."

37. On the Lord’s command they all rushed to their homes.

38. At dusk they again met before Lord Gaura.

39. Seeing him walking on the path, the Lord called out: "Murāri!" Murārī replied: "Lord, I did not find the Avadhūta." Then Lord Gaura gently smiled.

40. Then the Lord confidently said: "The great saint is at Nandana Acārya’s house. Let s go there.

41. Hearing these words, the devotees became joyful. Chanting "Jaya! Jaya!", they walked with the Lord.

42. Walking on the pathways, they made a great tumult of "Hari! Hari!" The hairs on Lord Gaura’s body stood upright. His voice was choked with emotion.

43. Tears streamed from Lord Gaura’s eyes in five or seven flooding rivers. Overcome with ecstatic love, His golden youthful form had no power to walk.

44. One moment He strode like a powerful lion. The next moment, wild with ecstasy, He stumbled and fell, motionless, to the ground.

45. His deep voice was like a thundering raincloud. Wild with bliss, He roared.

46. Overcome with bliss, Lord Gaura walked in this way. Then He suddenly saw Avadhūta Lord Nityānanda Rāya.

47. Lord Nityānanda had a glorious ruddy fair complexion. He was very handsome. Glistening ornaments graced His limbs.

48. A glorious yellow garment graced His hips. On His head was a loosely tied turban the color of a yellow campaka flower.

49. As He walked, the anklets on His feet jingled. Hearing that sound, beautiful doe-eyed girls felt their hearts tremble.

50. His smiling like glistening lightning robbed the beautiful girls of their shyness.

51. His deep voice was like the rumbling of rainclouds. Hearing the lion’s roar of His voice, the wild elephant of Kalī-yuga was at once defeated.

52. His graceful walking was like the graceful walking of an intoxicated elephant. Flooding streams of ecstatic spiritual love flowed without stop on His cheerful face.

53. He was flooded with ecstatic love. The hairs of His body stood erect. He trembled, perspired, and manifested a host of ecstatic symptoms. He was filled with the desire to taste the nectar rasas of ecstatic love.

54. In His hand He held a golden staff to crush Kalī-yuga’s pride. His graceful palms were like red lotus flowers.

55. He wore bracelets, armlets, necklaces, and a host of jingling ornaments. On His cheeks were earrings. He was glorious like the sun.

56. He stumbled and fell. Then He fell again. Then He stood up. Someone said: "Hold Him up." Then He asked the assembled devotees: "Where is Gopāla Kṛṣṇa?"

57. He was like a divine child, a being not of this world. One moment He wept. The next moment He laughed. The next moment He addressed Revatī: "Give Me some honey."

58. One moment He jumped and jumped with His two feet. The next moment He spoke words no one could understand.

59. The fragrance of His limbs filled the young girls with bliss.

60. Falling to the ground, Lord Gaura offered obeisances to Him.With sweet words Lord Gaura spoke auspicious prayers.

61. Then Lord Nityānanda fell before Lord Gaura’s feet. They both tried to touch each other’s feet.

62. They embraced. They wept and wept. How many times did They embrace? They talked and laughed. They gazed at each other’s graceful faces.

63. "I wandered the whole earth. Where were You? I could not find You.

64. "Finally I heard that Nanda’s son was hiding in Navadvīpa in Gauḍa-deśa.

65. "I came to catch the thief. Now I have Him in My grasp. Where will He flee to now?"

66. Saying these words, Lord Nityānanda laughed, wept, and danced. Lord Gaurāṅga joyfully danced at Nityānanda’s side.

67. "Lord Nityānanda will crush Kalī-yuga’s pride. He will deliver the fallen, lame, blind, foolish, and everyone else.

68. "Lord Nityānanda’s power will purify the three worlds. The fools, sinners, and offenders do not know His power.

69. "Everyone will fall into Lord Nityānanda’s trap." Lord Gauracandra spoke these words.

70. Then Lord Gaura happily performed saṅkīrtana of chanting Lord Hari’s holy names. He danced and Lord Nityānanda danced with Him.

71. When the dancing ended, They sat down together. Filled with bliss, everyone fixed their eyes on Them.

72. Then Lord Gaura took the dust from Lord Nityānanda’s feel and placed it on the devotees heads.

73. When the dust of Lord Nityānanda’s feet was placed on thee devotees heads, their hearts became filled with ecstatic spiritual love. Tears streamed from their eyes.

74. In this way the Lord enjoyed blissful pastimes moment after moment. Finally Lord Gaura, Śacī’s son, returned to His own home.

75. Walking on the paths, He described Lord Nityānanda’s glories. He said: "No one in the three worlds can compare with Lord Nityānanda.

76. "Everyone hear. Please hear My words. Nityānanda’s love and devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary.

77. "First is born knowledge. After that devotional service is born within one. After that, detachment from sesne pleasures takes its birth.

78. "In this way, day by day, gradually, gradually one falls in love with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Then one becomes advanced in spiritual life."

79. On another day Lord Mahāprabhu invited Lord Nityānanda, the best of sannyāsīs, to His home.

80. Again and again Lord Gaura offered alms to Lord Nityānanda. He anointed His limbs with sandal paste, offered Him a splendid garland, and rightly worshiped Him.

81. Gazing at Lord Nityānanda, Śacī felt her eyes become filled with with cooling pleasure. Again and again gazing at His face, she became wild with ecstatic love.

82. Lord Gaura said to her: "Know that Nityānanda is your true son. Please take care of Him better than you take care of Me."

83. Loving Him like a son, Śacī gazed at Lord Nityānanda’s face. "You are my son.", Śacī-devī said.

84. "Please always be kind to my Viśvambhara. From today on You are both my sons."

85. As she spoke and spoke in this way, tears flowed from her eyes. Loving Him like a a son, Śacī embraced Lord Nityānanda.

86. Loving her like a mother, Lord Nityānanda fell like a stick before Śacī’s feet. He sweetly said:

87. "You say you are My mother, and that is the truth. I am your son. Please now that for certain.

88. "A mother never takes seriously her son’s mischief. I am your son. Please know that is true in every way."

89. Śacī was filled with a mother’s love for Lord Nityānanda. Tears flowed from her eyes. Her voice was choked with emotion.

90. In this way Śacī tasted the nectar of a mother’s love for her two sons. As she gazed at her two sons, her heart became filled with cooling pleasure.

91. On another day Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita invited Lord Nityānanda for a meal. Avadhūta Lord Nityānanda came to his home.

92. Lord Nityānanda enjoyed the meal. Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita pleased Him in many ways. In that way the day passed.

93. At that moment smiling Lord Gaura Mahāprabhu entered Śrīvāsa’s courtyard.

94. Entering the temple-room and sitting down on the Diety’s throne, Lord Gaura said: "Look with your eyes at Me."

95. Hearing these words, Lord Nityānanda, the best of sannyāsīs, respectfully gazed at Lord Gaura’s body.

96. What was Lord Gaura’s intention? Lord Nityānanda did not exactly know.

97. Glancing at His associates, Lord Viśvambhara Mahāprabhu said:

98. "Everyone leave the temple room. On My command everyone leave the temple room."

99. What did Lord Gaura say to Lord Nityānanda when They were alone? Who knows the heart of that secret?

100. Lord Gaura said: "Look at Me. You struggled so greatly to find Me."

101. Then Lord Gaura manifested a six-armed form, then a four-armed form, and finally a two-armed form.

102. Gazing at these very wonderful forms, Lord Nityānanda Avadhūta remembered the pastimes They both had enjoyed before.

103. As Lord Nityānanda watched, my Lord Gaura manifested, īn a single form, three avatāras.

104. Lord Nityānanda saw Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Gaurāṅga combined in a single glorious divine form. Then He saw the eternally young teenage couple Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa.

105. Lord Nityānanda joyfully danced. His bliss had no end. He was flooded with an ocean of ecstatic spiritual love, an ocean that had no horizon.

106. Everyone please hear this wonderful story. Locana dāsa sings this song glorifying Lord Gaura.