Song 37

(Karuṇaśrī rāga)

Refrain: O! O! O! O!

1. Candraśekhara Acārya entered Navadvīpa. Flooding rivers of tears flowed from his eyes without stop.

2. Seeing him, the people of Navadvīpa felt their hearts burst into flames. Their hearts trembled.

3. The Vaiṣṇavas gathered around him. They had no power to check their tears. Their faces were withered with grief.

4. They had no power to speak. No word came to their mouths. Hearing of Candraśekhara’s arrival, Śacī-devī, her hair dishevelled, ran there.

5. Like a wild woman she called out, "Acārya!" Not seeing Lord Gaurāṅga, she let out a cry of grief.

6. "Where is my Nimāi? Where did you take Him? Did He shave His head? To what country did He go?

7. "What cruel-hearted sannyāsī worthless like a pile of ashes gave the sannyāsa mantra to Viśvambhara. That sannyāsī has no mercy.

8. "His hair was so graceful and beautiful to see. Who is the merciless-hearted barber worthless like a pile of ashes that shaved His hair?

9. "Who is the sinner that touched a razor to His hair? How can such a cruel, merciless person contīnue to live?

10. "From whose house did my Nimāī beg alms? Did my son truly shave His head?

11. "O son, never again will I see Your face. For me this whole world is now filled with blinding darkness.

12. "Never again will I cook rice and offer it to You. Never again will I place my hand on Your graceful limbs.

13. Never again will I kiss Your graceful face. Who will understand when You are hungry?"

14. In this way Śacī-devī lamented. Then Viṣṇupriyā came there.

15. Viṣṇupriyā’s weeping made the ground crack. It made the birds, beasts, trees, vines, and stones weep with her.

16. She said: "Alas! Alas! What will become of me? Without Lord Gaura the whole world is covered with blinding darkness.

17. "Never again will I see His smiles or His charming handsome form. Never again will I hear His wise and eloquent words like streams of nectar.

18. "You made me a girl without a master or a shelter. Where did You go? I will always remember Your glories. This I say to You:

19. "How can I be foretunate if I cannot see You? Im will only weep and weep. The people will only mock me.

20. "They will say: ‘Renouncing the embraces of that unfoertunate girl, He went away. Now her household life is broken. She is unfortunate. Why does she not simply die?”

21. "With amorous eyes I worshiped Your face. If I cannot see You, how will I keep my heart alive?

22. "Many beautiful girls died out of separation from You. I am very unfortunate, for still I keep my body alive.

23. "I will die. I will die. O handsome Lord Gaurāṅga, where can I go? My nature is weak. I am a very unfortunate girl.

24. "To what country should I go? Where should I go to find You? If I do not find You I will die.

25. "Renouncing helpless me, to what country did You go? Alas! Where will I find You?

26. "No longer will I keep my sinful body alive." Rolling on the ground, Goddess Viṣṇupriyā called out, "Alas! Alas!"

27. Pushed by the grief of separation, she sighed without stop. Her lips became withered and dry. Her body trembled.

28. Her garments and hair became disarrayed. She fell in the dust. In a moment her body became emaciated. She fell to the ground. There she stayed.

29. Meditating on Lord Gaura’s reddish feet, she fell unconscious. Regaining consciousness, she was tortured by grief.

30. "Master! Master!", she called out in a voice filled with pain. Hearing Viṣṇupriyā weep, everyone there wept also.

31. Many came to comfort her. But when they saw Viṣṇupriyā, their hearts burst into flames.

32. Everyone said: "Look. Listen, O Viṣṇupriyā. How can we give comfort to you? Please make your heart peaceful.

33. "Your master’s actions are not outside your knowledge. Meditate on them and bring some comfort to your heart."

34. In this way the devotees comforted her. They talked about Lord Gauracandra.

35. They said: "By accepting sannyasa He brought us great suffering. Without any mercy He left us and went away.

36. "How could He leave us? Cruel Lord Gaura left us all and went away.

37. "His name is more kind than He is Himself. By chanting His name we will attain Him. That is our first desire.

38. "He said to all of us: ‘Anyone who chants My name will attain Me. "

39. Thus Śacī, Viṣṇupriyā, and everyone else sat down and chanted Lord Gaura’s holy names.

40. Children, youths, and elders all sat down and chanted Lord Gaurāṅga’s holy names.

41. In this way the ferocious lion of Lord Gaurāṅga became bound by the ropes of His own holy names. In this way Lord Mahāprabhu was trapped. His journey was broken.

42. Leaning on Lord Nityānanda’s boyd, Lord Gaura wept. Tears flowed from His eyes.

43. He said: "O Nityānanda, please go to Navadvīpa. I will show Myself to everyone at Śāntipura."

44. Hearing this, Lord Nityānanda became joyful at heart. Lord Gaura said: "I will show Myswelf to everyone. It is the truth."

45. Then Lord Gauracandra continued His journey. With a sorrowful heart Locana dāsa speaks these words.

46. Lord Nityānanda continued walking with Lord Gaura. Then Lord Gaura smiled and bid Him farewell.

47. Lord Gaura said: "Please hear My words. Go to Navadvīpa. My friends are in the towns of Nadīyā.

48. "In the name of Lord Nārāyaṇa tell everyone I will go to Advaita Acārya’s house.

49. "Bring My mother there. She will see Me at Advaita Acārya’s house."

50. After speaking these words, Lord Mahaprabhu quickly walked, and Lord Nityānanda returned to the towns of Nadīyā.

51. The people of Nadīyā’s towns were half alive and half dead. Their bodies were bent. No one had a healthy ruddy complexion.

52. No food was in their stomachs. Their bodies trembled. Without Lord Gauracandra they were blind.

53. Lord Nityānanda had unexpectedly come to Nadīyā’s towns. The word spread. Everyone ran to Him.

54. Trembling, the people had no power to walk on the paths. Their eyes filled with tears, they could not even see the paths.

55. Falling at Lord Nityānanda’s feet, all the Vaiṣṇavas wept. They had no power to speak. Every mouth was silent.

56. Eager Śacī wildly ran. In her grief it seemed to her the sky and land had joined and become one.

57. In a voice filled with grief Śacī called out: "O Avadhūta, where is my Nimāi, my golden son?"

58. Speaking these words, Śacī wept and beat her chest with her hand. She trembled. She could not even see the pathway.

59. Seeing Śacī, Lord Nityānanda respectfully stood. Śacī said: "How far away is my son?"

60. Lord Nityānanda said: "Please do not be unhappy at heart. He sent Me to you all with a message.

61. "The Lord will stay at Advaita Acārya’s house. Please do not be unhappy. Go to see Him. It is not far.

62. "Everyone should go and see the Lord." In this way everyone at once went on that journey.

63. Children, elders, youths, the dumb, the wise, the fools, the ascetics, everyone went.

64. Ahead of everyone Śacī went. All the Vaiṣṇavas joyfully went.

65. Finally they came to Advaita Acārya’s house. They did not see Lord Gaura. Everyone felt broken.

66. Lord Nityānanda asked Advaita Acārya: "Lord Gaura said He would come to Your āśrama.

67. "He sent Me to tell everyone. What was in His heart? That I do not know."

68. When He had spoken these words the two of Them embraced. Hearing that Lord Gaurāṅga had accepted sannyāsa, Lord Advaita became distraught at heart.

69. He said: "I am very unfortunate. I did not have His association. When will I again see the moon of His face?"

70. Wild with grief, Śacī asked about her son. Everyuone said to her: "Soon the Lord will come."

71. Every heart was filled with longing. At that moment Lord Mahāprabhu arrived.

72. His body was ten million times more effulgent. It was anointed with splendid long tilaka marks of sandal.

73. Lord Gaura wore saffron garments. He was effulgent like the rising sun.

74. Lord Gaura carried a dānḍa. He walked like a lion. Seeing Him, everyone fell before His feet.

75. Gazing at the effulgence of His body, everyone felt their hearts become filled with cooling bliss. Everyone forgot their millions and millions of sorrows.

76. Every heart was filled with ecstatic love. No one felt any grief or sorrow. With unblinking eyes Śacī gazed at Lord Viśvambhara’s face.

77. No sorrow was in her heart. Gazing and gazing at the Lord’s face, she felt showered with nectar.

78. Lord Advaita Acārya Gosāī felt His heart was filled with bliss. He offered a splendid āsana for Lord Gaura Rāya to sit.

79. He washed the Lord’s feet and then He dried them with a cloth. Everyone drank the water that had washed the Lord’s feet.

80. Hearing the words "Jaya! Jaya!" and "Hari! Haribol!", every Vaiṣṇava felt his heart tossed by waves of bliss.

81. Gazing at the Lord’s effulgence, Haridāsa, Murāri, Mukunda Datta, and Śrīvāsa became filled with bliss.

82. Falling down like sticks, they offered respectful obeisances. As they gazed at the Lord’s face, tears flowed from their eyes.

83. Their voices were choked with bliss. The hairs of their bodies stood erect. The bodies that were once almost dead were now filled with life.

84. In this way the devotees gazed at Lord Gaura Rāya. Lord Gaura’s heart was filled with mercy. With eyes filled with mercy Lord Gaura glanced at everyone.

85. Someone Lord Gaura touched. With someone He joked and talked. Someone else He embraced.

86. In this way Lord Gaura filled the desires of each devotee. Every heart there was filled with ecstatic spiritual love.

87. Everyone was delighted. All grief fled far away. Everyone joyfully spoke auspicious words. Everyone chanted "Hari!"

88. Lord Advaita Acārya Gosāī was a very wise devotee. At His āśrama Lord Gaura accepted alms.

89. Everyone there was exalted like Lord Advaita. At His home they all joyfully accepted their meal.

90. That Lord Gaura had accepted sannyāsa did not enter anyone’s mind. Filled with bliss, everyone passed the day and night in singing the Lord’s holy names in saṅkīrtana.

91. In that saṅkīrtana Lord Gaura sang His own holy names. He danced and He inspired others to dance also.

92. Delighted by tasting the nectar of ecstatic love, all the devotees danced. Accompanied by His sons, Lord Advaita Acārya also danced.

93. Every heart was filled with a shoreless ocean of ecstatic spiritual love. Beginning with tears, trembling, and standing erect of the body’s hairs, the ecstatic symptoms of sāttvika-bhāva were manifested on every body.

94. Every heart was filled with the glistening splendor of bliss. Hearing of all this, Locana dāsa has also become filled with bliss.