Prema Bhakti Chandrika

[Paramananda das]

Official Name: Song 5
Author: Narottama Dasa Thakura
Book Name: Prema Bhakti Candrika
Language: Bengali

অ

LYRICS:
(1)
rāgera bhajana patha, kohi ebe abhimata,
loka veda sāra ei vāṇī
sakhīra anugā hoiyā, vraje siddha deha pāiyā,
ei bhāve juḍābe parāṇi

(2)
rādhikāra sakhī yoto , tāhā vā kohibo koto,
mukhya sakhī koribo gaṇana
lalitā viśākhā tathā, citrā campakalatā
rańgadevī sudevī kathana

(3)
tuńgavidyā indurekhā, ei aṣṭa sakhī lekhā,
ebe kohi narma sakhīgaṇa
rādhikāra sahacarī, priya preṣṭha nāma dhari,
prema sevā kore anukṣaṇa

(4)
sama snehā viṣama snehā, nā koriho dui lehā
kohi mātra adhika snehā-gaṇa
nirantara thāke sańge, kṛṣṇa kathā līlā rańge
narma sakhī ei sab jana

(5)
śrī rūpa mañjarī sāra, śrī rati mañjarī āra,
lavańga mañjarī mañjulālī.
śrī rasa mañjarī sańge, kasturikā ādi rańge,
prema sevā kore kutūhole

(6)
e sabhāra anugā hoiyā, prema sevā nibo cāiyā,
ińgite bujhibo sab kāja.
rūpe guṇe ḍagamagi, sadā hobo anurāgī,
vasati koribo sakhīra mājha

(7)
vṛndāvane dui jana, catur-dike sakhīgaṇa
samaya bujhibo rasa sukhe
sakhīra ińgite hobe, cāmara ḍhulābo kobe,
tāmbūla yogābo cāńda mukhe

(8)
yugala caraṇa sevi, nirantara ei bhāvi,
anurāgī thākibo sadāya.
sādhana bhāvibo yāhā, siddha-dehe pābo tāhā
rāga pathera ei se upāya

(9)
sādhane ye dhana cāi, siddha dehe tāhā pāi,
pakkāpakka mātra se vicāra
apakke sādhana rīti, pākile se prema-bhakti,
bhakati lakṣaṇa tattva sāra

(10)
narottama dāse koy, ei yeno mora hoy,
vrajapure anurāge vāsa.
sakhīgaṇa gaṇanāte, āmāre likhibe tāte,
taba hi pūrabo abhilāṣa

(11)
sakhīnāḿ sańginī rūpām ātmānāḿ vāsanāmayīm
ājñā sevāparāḿ tat tad rūpālańkāra bhūṣitām

(12)
kṛṣṇaḿ smaran janaḿ cāsya preṣṭhaḿ nija samīhitam
tat tat kathā rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaḿ vraje sadā

TRANSLATION
1) I shall now describe the path of spontaneous love for Krsna, which is glorified by the exalted devotees and the Vedic literatures. By traversing this path of spontaneous love one becomes a follower of the gopis and attains the perfect spiritual body of a liberated soul.

2-3) I shall now describe the most important of Srimati Radharani's gopi-friends. Lalita, Visakha, Sucitra, Campakalata, Rangadevi, Sudevi, Tungavidya, and Indulekha, are the eight most important gopi friends of Srimati Radharani. Her other gopi-friends are divided into groups: the narma-sakhis, priya-sakhis, and prestha-sakhis. All these gopis constantly render loving service to Srimati Radharani.

4) Equal affection for Radha and Krsna or more affection for Krsna than for Sri Radha - do not become attached to that. I will just speak about preference for Sri Radha! They are always in Her company, blissfully telling Her about Krsna. They are all called narma sakhis.

5) Sri Rupa-manjari, Sri Rati-manjari, Lavanga-manjari, Manjunali, Sri Rasa-manjari, Sri Kasturi Manjari, and many more are eagerly and lovingly serving Srimati Radharani, [supplying her musk and various other articles].

6) I am the follower of all these gopis. I shall serve them with great love. I will completely understand their orders, even when couched in casual hints or gestures. I shall become immersed in wonder at their transcendental virtues and beauty, and I shall dearly love them. I shall always remain in their company.

7) Immersed in the happiness of serving the Divine Couple surrounded by Their gopi-friends in Vrndavana, I will understand the gopis' hints, and, taking up the camara wish I will fan the Divine Couple, and after that I will place betel nuts in Their moonlike mouths.

8) Someday I will constantly serve the lotus feet of the Divine Couple with great love. At present I will follow the rules of sadhana-bhakti until I attain a perfected spiritual body and am able to love the Divine Couple spontaneously.

9) That treasure of pure love of God for which I hanker while I follow the regulative practices of sadhana-bhakti, I will attain when I have the spiritual body of a liberated soul. Actually sadhana-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the same devotional service. Sadhana-bhakti is the stage where love for Krsna has not fully ripened yet, and prema-bhakti is the same devotion where love for Krsna has reached the mature, ripened stage. That is the description of devotional service.

10) Narottama dasa says: I hope that I may attain the stage of spontaneous love for the Divine Couple in the town of Vraja. I hope that I will be counted among the gopi-friends of the Divine Couple. O Divine Couple, in this way I will be able to serve You and satisfy all Your desires.

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11) The stage of prema-bhakti is described in the following statements of Vaisnava literature: "One should meditate on oneself as being the maidservant of the gopis, and in this way one will attain their mercy."

12) "The devotee should always think of Krsna within himself, and one should choose a very dear devotee who is a servitor of Krsna in Vrndavana. One should constantly engage in topics about that servitor and his loving relationship to Krsna, and one should live in Vrndavana. However, if one is physically unable to go to Vrndavana, he should mentally live there."

Note it is not that every devotee will become one of the 3 classes of Gopis , most are not even chanting 64 rounds daily and are million of miles from such realizations ,that is the sad state of ISKCON ,most devotees do not even know what the 3 kinds of Gopis are as they are all neophytes ,many sannyasis are just trying to become GOD to their disciples without being able to give them pure bhakti, there is not a single Guru in ISKCON that teach their disciple to follow Lord Caitanya and chant 64 rounds daily it means they are all fallen neophytes ,every single one of them ,they may be nice kanistha and madhyama Bhaktas, but there has never been an Uttama Adhikari in our Gaudiya line that did not chant 1 2 or 3 lahks daily , this " "detachment from the holy name " is maya