Song 21

(Vibhāsa rāga-Diśā)

Refrain: Glory, glory to the moon of Lord Gaurāṅga, a moon that in Kali-yuga has risen in the land of Nadīyā. Please hear this story of Lord Gaura’s pastimes. The three worlds are filled with the glories of Lord Gaura. Please hear this story of Lord Gaurāṅgacandra’s pastimes.

1. Now I will tell another story. Please hear this very wonderful story of the Lord’s very wonderful, eternally-new pastimes in Nadīyā.

2. With a happy heart Lord Gaura sat in His own home. Surrounding Him on four sides were His associates.

3. Suddenly a sound came from the sky. "Give Me honey.", declared a voice like a thundering raincloud.

4. At that moment Lord Gaura manifested the form of Lord Balarāma. His form was like a white mountain-peak. His garments were blue.

5. His feet were graceful. His eyes were like lotus flowers. Gazing at His wonderful form, everyone was delighted at heart.

6. The Supreme Lord who gives to everyone the gift of ecstatic spiritual love, then Himself enjoyed many pastimes of ecstatic love. Filled with ecstatic love, the glorious Lord danced.

7. Accompanied by His pwrsonal associates, Lord Gaura sang the holy names of Lord Hari. In this way He went to the home of Advaita and Murāri.

8. Stuttering, "Give, give Me honey-wine", Lord Gaura loudly, loudly laughed.

9. He had become like the king of small boys. Holding out His hands, He said: "Give Me honeywine. Give."

10. In His hands the devotees placed a cup filled with water. Thinking it honey-wine, Lord Gaura raised the cup, drank it, and then hiccuped.

11. Intoxicated with ecstatic love, Lord Gaura trembled and danced. Again He drank and hiccuped.

12. One moment He fell down. The next moment He stood up. Then next moment He wept and laughed. The next moment He placed the sweet liquid to His lips. The next moment He loudly, loudly laughed.

13. Seeing this, all the devotees offered prayers. Calling out "Haladhara!", someone grasped Lord Gaura’s feet.

14. Then, enjoying the pastimes of Lord Balarāma, Lord Gaura Mahāprabhu spoke peerless words sweet like nectar.

15. "I am not Śrī Kṛṣṇa", He cheerfully announced. Therefore you may bring Me more of this wonderful nectar honey-wine."

16. A certain brāhmaṇa was standing there. Saying, "You are a fool", with a finger the Lord pushed him.

17. Pushed by the Lord’s finger, the brāhmaṇa fell far away. Pushed by the Lord, the brāhmaṇa felt ashamed.

18. From morning to evening Lord Gaura enjoyed pastimes as Lord Balarāma.

19. Decorating hīs head with the lotus flower of Narahari’s feet, Locana dāsa sings this song glorifying Lord Gaura’s glories.

20. Now please hear the wonderful pastimes of another day. Rapt in the ecstasy of Lord Balarāma, Lord Gaura danced.

21. Lord Gaura was suddenly rapt in ecstasy. As He remembered Lord Balarāma, His eyes became reddened.

22. He rolled on the ground. His hair became dishevelled. Saliva flowed from His mouth. Everyone became distraught.

23. Seeing Gadādhara, Lord Gaura regained external consciousness. He spoke some garbled words. Gadādhara could guess what He meant.

24. Lord Gaura said: "I know you are My friend. You are dear as life to Me. O jewel of the brāhmaṇas, please hear. I am conquered by the love you bear from Me.

25. "I am your master, and you are My very life. That is why it is said that Gaurāṅga is Gadādhara’s property (gadā-ir Gaurāṅga). Please listen carefully.

26. "What I feel is not beyond your understanding. Your body is My internal potency.

27. "Night and day you stay with Me. You do not leave for even a single sesame seed’s worth of time. Except for you, who understands Me?

28. "Please bring all the Vaiṣṇavas who are My dear friends. I want to see them."

29. Accepting the Lord’s command, Gadādhara brought Advaita Acārya and all the devotees.

30. When the devotees came, Lord Gaura gazed at them. He was overcome with emotion. Tears filled His eyes.

31. Advaita Acārya sweetly asked: "Dear one, why have You called for Us?"

32. Hearing these words, Lord Gaura tried to speak, but He could not. His voice was choked with emotion.

33. Overcome, Lord Gaura spoke half half words. He somehow said: "I saw Balarāma like a white mountain-peak. He embraced Me.

34. "He was adorned with golden ornaments. He was splendid like the sun. He glistened with the splendor of many ornaments."

35. Speaking and speaking in this way, in a vision Lord Gaura gazed at Lord Balarāma, whose form was like a white mountain-peak.

36. Then Mahāprabhu Lord Viśvambhara Rāya entered the ecstasy of being Lord Balarāma. Again and again He sang and danced.

37. The Vaiṣṇavas were overcome with bliss. Everyone trembled with love for Lord Balarāma.

38. On every side everyone was overcome with bliss. Two days passed. Still Lord Gaura’s ecstasy did not break.

39. On the next day Lord Gaura was still dancing. On four sides He was surrounded by saintly devotees.

40. His footsteps made the earth tremble. His halfclosed eyes were red like the rising sun. He spoke in half half words.

41. Like an intoxicated elephant He walked slowly. Finally He was so overcome with ecstatic love He no longer had any power to walk.

42. In this way Lord Gaura was overcome with ecstasy. His companions were also overcome. Overcome with the ecstasy of being Lord Balarāma, Lord Gaura danced.

43. He sang and danced until sunset. Then the scent of vāruṇī wine suddenly filled the air.

44. The splendid divine fragrance of vāruṇī wine scented the four directions. Filled with wonder, the devotees gazed at each other.

45. The ten directions were scented with the fragrance of vāruṇī wine. With that fragrance the devotees became intoxicated with the intoxication of ecstatic love.

46. At that time the great brāhmaṇa Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita saw a vision. Please hear what he saw.

47. Many splendid, divine, splendidly-dressed, jewellike persons suddenly approached.

48. One had lotus eyes and a lotus on hīs ear. Another had earrings and blue garments.

49. Another wore a turban and yellow garments. I have no power to describe their graceful forms, garments, and ornaments.

50. A brāhmaṇa named Vanamālī was there. I will speak of him. Please listen.

51. He saw a form made of gold, a form decorated with jewels, and glorious like the peak of Mount Sumeru.

52. Gazing at this form, he felt his heart become filled with bliss. The hairs of his body stood erect. Filled with wonder, he looked at everyone there.

53. Rapt in the ecstasy of Lord Balarāma, Lord Gaura, the master of the three worlds, danced with His devotees.

54. With joyful hearts the demigods watched from the sky. Then, satisfied at heart, the demigods returned to their own abodes.

55. In this way the day and night passed. Then, smiling and smiling, Lord Gaura went to bathe in the Gaṅgā.

56. Gathering together, the Vaiṣṇavas also bathed in the Gaṅgā.

57. Laughing and joking, in the water Lord Gaura enjoyed wonderful nectar pastimes with His associates.

58. When His bathing ended, the Lord quickly rose from the water. Offering obeisances to the Lord, the devotees returned to their own homes.

59. Then Lord Gaura also happily returned to His own home. At dawn everyone again came before the Lord.

60. Please hear what Lord Gaura said. Speaking half words in a voice choked with emotion, He said:

61. "Lord Varāha embraced Me. Then Lord Balarāma entered My heart.

62. "The black añjana on My eyes is the flute-player Kṛṣṇa." Lord Gaura spoke nectar words. Everyone please listen.

63. Seeing Śrīvāsa, Lord Mahāprabhu said: "Give Me My flute." Then He held out His graceful hand.

64. Then the very intelligent and saintly devotee Śrīvāsa said to the Lord:

65. "Listen. Listen, O Lord Mahāprabhu. Rukmiṇī, the daughter of Bhīṣmaka, now holds Your flute in Your own house.

66. "Tonight when You close Your door You will regain Your flute. This I tell to You."

67. Moment after moment Lord Gaura enjoyed blissful pastimes in this way. His pastimes in Nadīyā are very wonderful.

68. Anyone who understands the nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa will understand the heart of these descriptions. The descriptions of Lord Gaura’s pastimes in Nadīyā are the greatest treasure.

69. To everyone who does not know of Lord Gaura I humbly say: Please do not turn away from Lord Gaura. Give all your heart to hearing of Lord Gaura’s glories.

70. O my brother, please give your heart to hearing of Lord Gaura. What else is there to do in this world? By hearing of Lord Gaura in this way you will soon hold Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of the three worlds, in your hand.

71. They who do not worship the Lord will not, not, not attain deliverance. Locana dāsa says this again and again.

72. On another day Lord Gaura, sitting on a divine seat, said to the devotees:

73. "All the scriptures declare the glories of My saṅkīrtana-yajña (chanting the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa).

74. "Saṅkīrtana is the best of all spiritual activities. Please know that especially in the Kalī-yuga it is the best activity.

75-76. "This truth is revealed in the fifth Veda (the Mahābhārata), where it is said that with his five mouths Lord Śiva sings Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories without stop, Nārada, playing his vīṇā and dancing, also sings them, and the great sages headed by Śukadeva and Sanaka-kumāra also sing them.

77. "The Vedas describe Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. Filled with ecstatic love, Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa dance with the gopīs.

78. "Eternally Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa saty in the spiritual world of Vṛndāvana. Filled with great ecstatic spiritual love, Lord Śiva chants Their glories.

79. "Although he always sings of Them, Lord Śiva can never come to the end of Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa’s glories. These truths the Vedas reveal in Kalī-yuga.

80. "Anyone who chants Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories attains spiritual enlightenment. Appearing in the form of that glorification, the Vedas bestow their mercy on that person.

81. "The living entities ears are sacrifical openings. The tongue is a sacrifical ladle. The sound of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories is charming sacrifical ghee.

82. "When the ladle of the tongue pours that ghee into the openings of the ears, the ghee enters the heart. In the heart the ghee adds fuel to the fire of ecstatic love. It makes that fire burn with great flames. The flames of that fire make the body tremble. They make the body’s hairs stand erect.

83. "Freed from sin in this way, the living entities dance. Sālokya and the other kinds of liberation follow behind them.

84. "However, the living entities will not cast even a sidelong glance at liberation. Instead, tasting the sweet nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories, they joyfully dance.

85. "The Vaiṣṇava ācāryas all perform this yajña. Please know that saṅkīrtana-yajña is the best of all yajñas.

86. "In this way the great treasure of ecstatic spiritual love takes birth in the heart. Lord Nityānanda is the master of that treasure.

87. "Gadādhara Paṇḍita is the goddess that controls that ecstatic spiritual love. O jewellike devotees, please understand these truths.

88. "Advaita Acārya Gosāī brought Me here. Therefore it is He who firmly establish the saṅkīrtana-yajña.

89. "Śrīvāsa, Narahari, and the other devotees also helped establish the saṅkīrtana-yajña.

90. "In Kalī-yuga please take this saṅkīrtana-yajña from house to house. In this way please deliver all the fallen people."

91. Hearing these words, the devotees wept and wept. Falling down before the Lord’s feet, again and again the devotees offered respectful obeisances.

92. Each one of them Lord Gaura, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, picked up and embraced. Filled with bliss by hearing of these pastimes, Locana dāsa sings this song.