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Dispelling Misconception

Continuing our present­a­tion of the upcom­ing release Sharanagati, in this song Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur demonstrates how the surrendered souls pray for only one strength: the strength to surrender resolutely.

Sharangati

Song Thirteen

vastutaḥ sakali tava, jīva keha naya
‘ahaṁ’-‘mama’-bhrame bhrami’ bhoge śoka-bhaya [1]

vastutaḥ–actually; sakali–everything; tava–Yours; jīva–the individual soul; keha–someone; naya–is not; ‘aham’–‘I’; ‘mama’–‘mine’; bhrame–mistaken by; bhrami’–wandering; bhoge–experiences; śoka–lamentation; bhaya–fear. [1]

(1) In reality, everything is Yours; nothing belongs to the jiva. However, wandering (throughout material existence), bewildered by misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, the jiva laments and fears.


ahaṁ’-‘mama’ abhimāna ei mātra dhana
baddha-jīva nija bali’ jāne mane mana
[2]

aham’–‘I’; ‘mama’–‘mine’; abhimāna–misconceptions; ei–these; mātra–only; dhana–wealth; baddha–bound; jīva–individual souls; nija–own; bali’–considering; jāne–knows; mane–in their mind; mana–mind. [2]

(2) Deep within, the conditioned jiva considers their misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ to be their only wealth.


sei abhimāne āmi saṁsāre paḍiyā
hābuḍubu khāi bhava-sindhu sā
̐tāriyā [3]

sei–this; abhimāne–by the conception; āmi–I; saṁsāre–in the material world; paḍiyā–falling; hābuḍubu–bobbing up and down; khāi–I experience; bhava–of mundanity, repeated birth and death; sindhu–the ocean; ̐tariyā–swimming. [3]

(3) Having fallen into this world due to such misconception, I flounder as I try to swim within this ocean of material existence.


tomāra abhaya pade laiyā śaraṇa
āji āmi karilāma ātma-nivedana
[4]

tomāra–Your; abhaya–fearless; pade–at the feet; laiyā–taking; śaraṇa–shelter; āji–today; āmi–I; karilāma–did; ātma–self; nivedana–submission. [4]

(4) Taking shelter at Your feet, which are the abode of fearlessness, I have submitted myself unto You today.


ahaṁ’-‘mama’ abhimāna chhāḍila āmāya
āra yena mama hṛde sthāna nāhi pāya
[5]
ei mātra bala prabhu! dibe he āmāre
ahaṁtā-mamatā dūre pāri rākhibāre
[6]

aham’–‘I’; ‘mama’–‘mine’; abhimāna–conceptions; chhāḍila–abandoned; āmāya–to me; āra–again; yena–so that; mama–my; hṛde–in the heart; sthāna–place; nāhi–not; pāya–obtain; ei–this; mātra–only; bala (śakti)–strength (ability); prabhu!–O Lord!; dibe–will give; he–oh; āmāre–to me; ahaṁtā–false egotism, ‘I’; mamatā–possessiveness, ‘mine’; dūre–far away; pāri–I am able; rākhibāre–to keep. [5–6]

(5–6)Those misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ have now left me. O Lord! So that they will never obtain a place within my heart again, please give me just this one ability: that I may be able to keep all false egotism and possessiveness far away.

Sri Laghu-chandrika-bhashya

(1–5)astutaḥ sakali tava … sthāna nāhi pāya: “Everything is Yours … (may) the misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ never obtain a place within my heart again.” The principle underlying this prayer to surrender oneself to the Lord is expressed in the Padma-purana and cited in Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam:

ahaṅkṛtir ma-kāraḥ syān na-kāras tan niṣedhakaḥ
tasmāt tu namasā kṣetri-svātantryaṁ pratiṣidhyate
bhagavat-paratantro ’sau tadāyatātma-jīvanaḥ
tasmāt sva-sāmarthya-vidhiṁ tyajet sarvam aśeṣataḥ

In the word ‘namah (‘obeisance’), the syllable ‘ma’ indicates the self-asserting ego (ahaṅkār, lit. ‘I am the doer’), and the syllable ‘na indicates its prevention. Thus, the act of offering obeisance (na-mah) nullifies the offerer’s independence. The jiva is by nature subordinate to the Supreme Lord; their innate function is servitude to Him. Therefore, all actions performed with the conception, ‘I am the doer’, should be utterly abandoned.”


ātma-nivedana-bhāva hṛde dṛḍha raya
hasti-snāna sama yena kṣaṇika nā haya
[7]

ātma–self; nivedana–submission; bhāva–mood; hṛde–in the heart; dṛḍha–firm; raya–stays; hasti–elephant; snāna–bath; sama–same; yena–like; kṣaṇika (sāmayika mātra)–momentarily (only temporarily); nā–not; haya–be. [7]

(7) May the mood of self-submission remain steadfast within my heart. May it not remain only momentarily, like the cleanliness of an elephant.


bhakati-vinoda prabhu nityānanda pāya
māge parasāda, yāhe abhimāna yāya
[8]

bhakati-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; prabhu–Lord; nityānanda–Nityānanda; pāya–feet; māge–begs; parasāda–mercy; yāhe–by which; abhimāna–misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’; yāya–go. [8]

(8) At the feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Bhakti Vinod prays for the mercy by which the misconceptions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are dispelled forever.

(8) nityānanda pāya: “At the feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.” By the mercy of sri guru, who is non-different from Sri Nityananda Prabhu, all misconception (self-establishing ego) is destroyed and servitude unto the Vaishnavs is realised.

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