Srila Gurudeva (The Supreme Treasure)

by Swami Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja | 2010 | 179,005 words

This page relates ‘Mangalacarana’ of the book dealing with life and teachings of Srila Gurudeva, otherwise known as Shri Shrimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Gurudeva is a learned and scholar whose teachings primarily concern the spiritual beauties of Bhakti—devotional service and the qualities and pastimes of Shri Krishna.

Maṅgalācaraṇa

वन्देऽहं श्री-गुरोः श्री-युत-पद-कमलं श्री-गुरून् वैष्णवांश् च
श्री-रूपं साग्रजातं सह-गण-रघुनाथान्वितं तं स-जीवम्
साद्वैतं सावधूतं परिजन-सहितं कृष्ण-चैतन्य-देवं
श्री-राधा-कृष्ण-पादान् सह-गण-ललिता-श्री-विशाखान्वितांश् च

vande'haṃ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṃ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṃś ca
śrī-rūpaṃ sāgrajātaṃ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṃ taṃ sa-jīvam
sādvaitaṃ sāvadhūtaṃ parijana-sahitaṃ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṃ
śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṃś ca

I offer praṇāmas to the lotus feet of śrī gurudeva (both dīkṣā and bhajana-śikṣā-gurus); to our entire disciplic succession (guru-varga) and all other Vaiṣṇavas; to Śrī rūpa Gosvāmī, and his elder brother Śrī Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, accompanied by Śrī raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates; to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates headed by Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu; and to the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, who are accompanied by Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā and all the other sakhīs.

ओं अज्ञान-तिमिरान्धस्य ज्ञानाञ्जन-शलाकया
चक्षुर् उन्मीलितं येन तस्मै श्री-गुरवे नमः

oṃ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṃ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

O Śrīla Gurudeva, you are so merciful. With the torchlight of divine knowledge, you have opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance. Praying from the core of my heart, I humbly offer my deep praṇāma at your lotus feet.

वन्दे श्री पाद्पद्माह् श्री वामन-नारयण-त्रिविक्रमाह्
येषां कृपा प्रसादैह् व्रज भक्ति हृदि प्रकटिष्यति

vande śrī pādpadmāh śrī vāmana-nārayaṇa-trivikramāh
yeṣāṃ kṛpā prasādaih vraja bhakti hṛdi prakaṭiṣyati

I worship the lotus feet of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārayaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja. By their causeless mercy, bhakti will manifest in the hearts of those who follow them.

श्री थाकुरानी प्रिय दयिताय कृपाब्धये
तत्त्व-त्रय प्रदानाय वामनाय नमो नमह्

śrī thākurānī priya dayitāya kṛpābdhaye
tattva-traya pradānāya vāmanāya namo namah

I offer my obeisances to the lotus feet of nitya-līlā praviṣṭha oṃ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who always used to address Śrīmatī rādhārāṇī as Ṭhakurānī; who is very near and dear to Her; who is an ocean of mercy; and who gives the conditioned souls transcendental knowledge of the three tattvas, namely, sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

श्री-नित्यानन्द-अभिन्नाय गौर-कामैक-चरिने
रूपानुगा-प्रवराय ‘श्री-राग’ इति स्वरूपिनि

śrī-nityānanda-abhinnāya gaura-kāmaika-carine
rūpānugā-pravarāya ‘śrī-rāga’ iti svarūpini

He is the non-different manifestation of akhanda-gurutattva (the principle of śrī guru as one undivided whole), Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu. He fulfilled the inner desire of Śrī Gaurasundara by preaching rāga-mārga-bhakti to the whole world. I offer praṇāma to the most worshipable lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva, who is the best among the rūpānugas and who, in his eternal transcendental form (siddha-svarūpa), is Śrīmatī rādhā Ṭhākurānī’s rāga-mañjari.

नम ओं विष्णु-पादाय राधिकाय प्रियात्मने
श्री-श्रीमद्-भक्तिवेदान्त-नारायण इति नामिने

nama oṃ viṣṇu-pādāya rādhikāya priyātmane
śrī-śrīmad-bhaktivedānta-nārāyaṇa iti nāmine

I offer praṇāma to oṃ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who is very dear to Śrīmatī rādhikā.

श्री-कृष्ण-लिला कथाने सुदक्षम् औदार्य-माधुर्य गुणैस् च युक्तम्
वरम् वरेण्यम् पुरुषम् महान्तम् नारायणम् त्वम् शिरसा नमामि

śrī-kṛṣṇa-lilā kathāne sudakṣam audārya-mādhurya guṇais ca yuktam
varam vareṇyam puruṣam mahāntam nārāyaṇam tvam śirasā namāmi

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja is expert in describing kṛṣṇa-lilā. He is endowed with the qualities of magnanimity and sweetness, and he is the best of the great souls. He is able to freely distribute Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness to others because he is always relishing that sweetness himself. I bow down and place my head at his lotus feet.

युगाचार्य प्रभुम् वन्दे नारायण करुणलयम्
राधा-दास्ये लोभम् दत्त्वा तारयति भुवन त्रयम्

yugācārya prabhum vande nārāyaṇa karuṇalayam
rādhā-dāsye lobham dattvā tārayati bhuvana trayam

I worship Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārayaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja who was awarded the title of yugācārya and who is the abode of mercy. He shows the path of rāgānugā-bhakti and thus delivers the three worlds.[1]

नम ओं विष्णु-पादाय कृष्ण-प्रेष्ठाय भूतले
श्रीमते भक्तिवेदान्त स्वामिन् इति नामिने
नमस् ते सारस्वते देवे गौर-वाणी-प्रचारिणे
निर्विशेष-शून्यवादि-पाश्चात्य-देश-तारिणे

nama oṃ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhūtale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

I offer my respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of nitya-līlāpraviṣṭa oṃ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī who is very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O dear servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Gaurasundara and delivering the Western countries which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

वाञ्छा-कल्प-तरुब्यश् च कृपा-सिन्धुभ्य एव च
पतितानां पावनेभ्यो वैष्णवेभ्यो नमो नमः

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṃ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

I offer praṇāmas unto all the Vaiṣṇavas, who are just like wishfulfilling desire trees, who are an ocean of mercy and who deliver the fallen, conditioned souls.

श्री-कृष्ण-चैतन्य प्रच्भु नित्यानन्द
श्री-अद्वैत गदाधर श्रीवासादि-गौर-भक्त-वृन्द

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya pracbhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

I offer my respectful obeisances to the most munificent Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya who is known as Gaura because of His golden complexion. I offer my respectful obeisances to His immediate expansion, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu; to His incarnation, Śrī Advaita Ācārya; to His internal potency, Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita; to His great pure devotee, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita; and to all the devotees who follow Him.

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śrīla Gurudeva was awarded the title of yugācārya by Śrīman Dipak Bhaṭṭa, the guru and mahānta (spiritual leader) of Śrī Varṣana Temple (Śrīmatī rādhārāṇī’s father’s royal palace) in Vraja, India. The most benevolent Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered pure bhakti to the three worlds and Śrīla Gurudeva continues to deliver that same pure bhakti in a similar way.

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