Today, on the appearance day of our beloved Gurudev Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, we cannot find better words to glorify his divine teachings and Pastimes in this world than the words he used to glorify the message Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan was founded to broadcast. As Ganges water is used for worship even of the Ganges, we offer this translation of his poem to his lotus hand and pray His Divine Grace may be pleased.
Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan Praśasti
Praise for Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan
ye-dina udile tumi sūrya-sama ā̐dhāra bhediyā,
bhakti-jñāna-virāgera pūrṇatama kara prakāśiyā,
se-dina bhariyāchhila duḥkha-bharā e bhuvana-khāni—
parānanda-kolāhale, sāma-gāne, he gauḍīya-vānī! [1]
he–O; gauḍīya-vānī!–message of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan! ye-dina se-dina–The day; tumi–you; udile–appeared,; bhediyā–pierced; ā̐dhāra–through the darkness; sūrya-sama–like the sun,; [and] prakāśiyā pūrṇatama kara–fully manifested; bhakti-jñāna-virāgera–devotion, knowledge, and detachment,; bhariyāchhila–you filled; e–this; duḥkha-bharā–sorrow-ridden; bhuvana-khāni–world; sāma-gāne–with a thunderous song; [and] parānanda-kolāhale–an ecstatic uproar. [1]
O message of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan! The day you appeared, pierced through the darkness like the sun, and fully manifested devotion, knowledge, and detachment, you filled this sorrow-ridden world with a thunderous song and an ecstatic uproar.
hethā janma-mṛtyu-jarā- śoka-bhare jarjarita loka
svarga-marta-narakete nirantara kare karma-bhoga
mahāghora andhakāre; heriyā tādera duḥkha-glāni
prakāśile ātma-rūpe duḥkha-harā he vaikuṇṭha-vāṇī! [2]
he–O; duḥkha-harā–remover of sorrow,; vaikuṇṭha-vāṇī!–message of the infinite world! heriyā–Seeing; loka–the souls; hethā–here; mahāghora andhakāre–in terrible darkness,; nirantara–constantly; karma-bhoga kare–enduring [their] karma; svarga-marta-narakete–throughout heaven, earth, and hell,; [and] jarjarita–weary; janma-mṛtyu-jarā-śoka-bhare–from the burdens of birth, death, old age, and lamentation,; prakāśile–you manifested; ātma-rūpe–yourself; tādera duḥkha-glāni–to dispel their sorrow. [2]
O remover of sorrow, message of the infinite world! Seeing the souls here in the terrible darkness, constantly enduring their karma throughout heaven, earth, and hell, and weary from the burdens of birth, death, old age, and lamentation, you manifested yourself to dispel their sorrow.
nehāri’ nayane tava paripūrṇa kaiśora vayasa
sajjana ānande nāche labhi’ nitya maṅgala paraśa,
tomāra vimala kare nava-janma labhe kata prāṇī
e dharāra mājhe tumi amarāra mṛta-sañjīvanī [3]
nehāri’–Seeing; nayane–with [their] eyes; tava–your; paripūrṇa–full; kaiśora–adolescent; vayasa–age,; sajjana–the sādhus; nāche–dance; ānande–in ecstasy,; labhi’–experiencing; [your] nitya–eternal,; maṅgala–auspicious; paraśa–touch. tomāra vimala kare–By your divine hand,; kata–countless; prāṇī–souls; labhe–attain; nava-janma–a new birth. mājhe–Within; e–this; dharāra–world,; tumi–you; [are] amarāra–heaven’s; mṛta-sañjīvanī–life giving nectar for the dead. [3]
Seeing with their eyes your full adolescent age*, the sādhus dance in ecstasy, experiencing your eternal, auspicious touch. By your divine hand, countless souls attain new life. Within this world, you are heaven’s life-giving nectar for the dead.
tava daiva-tejorāśi jvālāmayī vāse daitya-kula
tomāra prakāśe loke labhitechhe bhūloke gokula
sādhu-gaṇa stuti kare smari’ tava mahāvadānyatā
e mara-jagate tumi golokera amṛta-vāratā [4]
daitya-kula–The demons; vāse–marvel; [at] tava–your; jvālāmayī–blazing; daiva-tejorāśi–divine glory. tomāra prakāśe–By your appearance,; loke–souls; labhitechhe–are reaching; gokula–Gokula; bhūloke–on earth. sādhu-gaṇa–The sādhus; stuti kare–praise; [you,] smari’–remembering; tava–your; mahāvadānyatā–tremendous magnanimity. tumi–You; [are] amṛta-vāratā–the nectarean message; golokera–of Goloka; e mara-jagate–in this mortal world. [4]
The demons marvel at your blazing divine glory. By your appearance, souls are reaching Gokula on earth. The sādhus praise you, remembering your tremendous magnanimity. You are the nectarean message of Goloka in this mortal world.
prema-bhakti-snigdha habe kabe tava karuṇā-dhārāya
kaṭhora kuliśa-sama bāliśera ūṣara hṛdaya—
sei āśā-bhare ājo bahitechhi e jīvana-bhāra
praṇati sahasra-dale e praśasti laha durbhāgāra [5]
kabe–When; [will] tava–your; prema-bhakti-snigdha–divine love, devotion, and affection; habe–flow; karuṇā-dhārāya–on the river of [your] mercy; [into] bāliśera–this ignorant souls’; ūṣara–barren; hṛdaya–heart,; [which is] kaṭhora–as hard; kuliśa-sama–as a thunderbolt? sei āśā-bhare–Cherishing this hope,; ājo–still today,; bahitechhi–I am bearing; e jīvana-bhāra–the burden of this life. praṇati–I bow; [to you] sahasra-dale–thousands of times. laha–Please accept; e–this; durbhāgāra–unfortunate soul’s; praśasti–praise. [5]
When will your divine love, devotion, and affection flow on the river of your mercy into this ignorant soul’s barren heart, which is as hard as a thunderbolt? Cherishing this hope, still today, I am bearing the burden of this life. I bow to you thousands of times. Please accept this unfortunate soul’s praise.
*This poem was published in honour of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan’s fourteenth year. Śrīla Gurudev published a poem with similar content to commemorate the start of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan’s fourth year.
Patrikā Praśasti
ye-dina udile tumi sūrya-sama ā̐dhāra bhediyā,
bhakti-jñāna-virāgera pūrṇatama kara prakāśiyā,
se-dina bhariyāchhila duḥkha-bharā e bhuvana-khāni—
parānanda-kolāhale, sāma-gāne, he gauḍīya-vānī! [1]
he–O; gauḍīya-vānī!–message of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan! ye-dina se-dina–The day; tumi–you; udile–appeared,; bhediyā–pierced; ā̐dhāra–through the darkness; sūrya-sama–like the sun,; [and] prakāśiyā pūrṇatama kara–fully manifested; bhakti-jñāna-virāgera–devotion, knowledge, and detachment,; bhariyāchhila–you filled; e–this; duḥkha-bharā–sorrow-ridden; bhuvana-khāni–world; sāma-gāne–with a thunderous song; [and] parānanda-kolāhale–an ecstatic uproar. [1]
O message of Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan! The day you appeared, pierced through the darkness like the sun, and fully manifested devotion, knowledge, and detachment, you filled this sorrow-ridden world with a thunderous song and an ecstatic uproar.
āji tava prakāśera pūrṇa ha’la tṛtīya varaṣa
sajjana ānande nāche labhi’ tava maṅgala paraśa
tomāra vimala kare labhe prāṇa śata śata prāṇī
e‑dharāra mājhe tumi amarāra mṛta-sañjīvanī [2]
āji–Today,; tṛtīya varaṣa–the third year; tava prakāśera–of your publication; pūrṇa ha’la–is complete. sajjana–The sādhus; nāche–dance; ānande–in ecstasy,; labhi’–experiencing; tava–your; maṅgala–auspicious; paraśa–touch. tomāra vimala kare–By your divine hand,; śata śata–thousands; prāṇī–of souls; labhe–attain; prāṇa–life. mājhe–Within; e–this; dharāra–world,; tumi–you; [are] amarāra–heaven’s; mṛta-sañjīvanī–life giving nectar for the dead. [2]
Today, the third year of your publication is complete. The sādhus dance in ecstasy, experiencing your auspicious touch. By your divine hand, thousands of souls come to life. Within this world, you are heaven’s life-giving nectar for the dead.
hethā janma-mṛtyu-jarā śoka-bhare jarjarita loka
svarga-marta-narakete nirantara kare karma-bhoga
mahāghora andhakāre; heriyā tādera duḥkha-glāni
prakāśile ātma-rūpe duḥkha-harā he vaikuṇṭha-vāṇī! [3]
he–O; duḥkha-harā–remover of sorrow,; vaikuṇṭha-vāṇī!–message of the infinite world! heriyā–Seeing; loka–the souls; hethā–here; mahāghora andhakāre–in terrible darkness,; nirantara–constantly; karma-bhoga kare–enduring [their] karma; svarga-marta-narakete–throughout heaven, earth, and hell,; [and] jarjarita–weary; janma-mṛtyu-jarā-śoka-bhare–from the burdens of birth, death, old age, and lamentation,; prakāśile–you manifested; ātma-rūpe–yourself; tādera duḥkha-glāni–to dispel their sorrow. [3]
O remover of sorrow, message of the infinite world! Seeing the souls here in the terrible darkness, constantly enduring their karma throughout heaven, earth, and hell, and weary from the burdens of birth, death, old age, and lamentation, You manifested yourself to dispel their sorrow.
tava daiva-tejorāśi jvālāmayī vāse daitya-kula
tomāra prakāśe loke labhitechhe bhūloke gokula
sādhu-gaṇa stuti kare smari’ tava mahāvadānyatā
e mara-jagate tumi golokera amṛta-vāratā [4]
daitya-kula–The demons; vāse–marvel; [at] tava–your; jvālāmayī–blazing; daiva-tejorāśi–divine glory. tomāra prakāśe–By your appearance,; loke–souls; labhitechhe–are reaching; gokula–Gokula; bhūloke–on earth. sādhu-gaṇa–The sādhus; stuti kare–praise; [you,] smari’–remembering; tava–your; mahāvadānyatā–tremendous magnanimity. tumi–You; [are] amṛta-vāratā–the nectarean message; golokera–of Goloka; e mara-jagate–in this mortal world. [4]
The demons marvel at your blazing divine glory. By your appearance, souls are reaching Gokula on earth. The sādhus praise you, remembering your tremendous magnanimity. You are the nectarean message of Goloka in this mortal world.
tomāra karuṇā-dhāre turya-varṣa* karibāre snāna
praṇati sahasra-dale āśā-bhare karichhe āhvāna
“turya-varṣa-padārpaṇe uṭhuk maṅgala-turya-dhvani
tomāra maṅgala-ghaṭa uchhaliyā bhāsāk medinī” [5]
snāna karibāre–To bathe; turya-varṣa–in the divine shower (fourth year); tomāra karuṇā-dhāre–of the stream of your mercy,; praṇati–I bow; [to you] sahasra-dale–thousands of times,; [and] āśā-bhare–filled with hope,; āhvāna karichhe–I pray,; “turya-varṣa-padārpaṇe–“As we enter your divine shower (set forth into your fourth year),; [may your] maṅgala-turya-dhvani–auspicious, divine voice; uṭhuk–resound! [May] tomāra maṅgala-ghaṭa–the clay pot of your auspiciousness; uchhaliyā–overflow; [and] bhāsāk–inundate; medinī”–the earth!” [5]
To bathe in the divine shower (the fourth year) of the stream of your mercy, I bow to you thousands of times, and, filled with hope, I pray, “As we enter your divine shower (set forth into your fourth year), may your auspicious, divine voice resound! May the clay pot of your auspiciousness overflow and inundate the earth!”
*In this verse, there is a play on the words turya, which means both “fourth” and “divine” and varṣa, which means both “year” and “shower”.