Text: S'rî Caitanya Mahâprabhu
Melody:  Anand Aadhar Prabhu
Singers: Anand Aadhar & Sakhya Devi
Duration: 6 min. 25

(the eight verses)

(1)

(Dm - G F)
ceto-darpana-mârjanam bhava
The hearts' reflection purifying,

(C^I Dm )
-mahâ-dâvâgni-nirvâpanam     R
of matter extinguishing the fire,

(F^I C G^I)
s'reyah-kairava-candrikâ-vitaranam
the Blessing of white moonshine,

(Dm C G^I)
vidyâ-vadhû-jîvanam     R
radiates the being married to the soul.

(G F)
ânandâmbudhi-vardhanam prati
A sea of happiness expands,

(C^I Dm)
-padam pûrnâmritâsvâdanam     R
with each step nectar giving the taste,

(F^I C G^I)
sarvâtma-snapanam param vijayate
for all bathing the self in transcendence,

(Dm C G^I)
s'rî-krishna-sankîrtanam     R
may there be Krishna's singing together,

(2)

(C G^I Am Dm G ^II Am^II)
nâmnâm akâri bahudhâ nija-sarva-s'aktis     R
Holy names manifested there many, all types of personal prowess,

(Dm G^II Dm C)
tatrârpitâ niyamitah smarane na kâlah     R
given therein and limited, remembrance out of time!

(C G^I Am Dm G^IIAm^II)
etâdris'î tava kripâ bhagavan mamâpi     R
So enormous Your grace, o Lord although my

(Dm G^II Dm C )
durdaivam îdris'am ihâ-jani nânurâgah     R
misery lies in the fact, not to be attached to that.

 
(3)

(Am^I Em^I)
trinâd api sunîcena     R
As grass treaded, still lower,

(G^I F^I)
taror api sahishnunâ     R
as a tree as tolerant,

(F ^I Dm)
amâninâ mânadena     R
no false pride and the mind subdued,

(C G C)
kîrtanîyah sadâ harih     R
thus always I chant Your holy name!

 
(4)

(Am Dm^I Am)
na dhanam na janam na sundarîm     R
No riches, no followers, nor beauty,

(Dm^I Am G^I Am)
kavitâm vâ jagad-îs'a kâmaye     R
the fruit, nor almighty I long for.

(Am Dm^I Am)
mama janmani janmanîs'vare     R
Birth after birth My Supreme Lord,

(Dm^I Am G^IAm [C])
bhavatâd bhaktir ahaitukî tvayi     R
the service without desire to You.

 
(5)

(Am G^I)
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram     R
O My Lord, son of Nanda, your Servant,

(Em^I G ^I Am)
patitam mâm vishame bhavâmbudhau     R
fell alas in the sea of ignorance.

(Am G^I)
kripayâ tava pâda-pankaja     R
The causeless mercy of Your lotusfeet,

(Em^I G^IAm)
sthita-dhûlî-sadris'am vicintaya     R
place me there like some dirt as You please.

(6)

(Am^III G F Em)
nayanam galad-as'ru-dhârayâ     R
Eyes full tears, down in streams,

(Dm Am^II G^II C)
vadanam gadgada-ruddhayâ girâ     R
my words choked up in my mouth.

(Am^III G F Em)
pulakair nicitam vapuh kadâ     R
The hairs on my body stand on end,

(Dm Am^II G^II C)
tava nâma-grahane bhavishyati     R
when the singing of Your names takes place.

 
(7)

(Em Dm F^I Em^I )
yugâyitam nimeshena     R
An aeon takes me each moment,

(F^I Dm^I Em^I G 7)
cakshushâ prâvrshâyitam     R
my eyes crying like the rain.

(Em Dm F^I Em^I)
s'ûnyâyitam jagat sarvam     R
Complete empty seems the world,

(F^I Dm Em G 7 [C])
govinda-virahena me     R
Govinda separated from You!

 
(8)

(G^III Am G^I C G^I Am)
âs'lishya vâ pâda-ratâm pinashtu mâm     R
Embraced with joy down for Him, taking me over,

(G^I Am^I Dm Em F C )
adars'anân marma-hatâm karotu vâ     R
not to be seen, a broken heart, I let Him be.

(G^III Am G^I C G^I Am)
yathâ tathâ vâ vidadhâtu lampato     R
The way He wants, He may proceed, me denied,

 

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Krsna, a task which His followers have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are, in fact, the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called Siksâstaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts. These supremely valuable prayers are translated herein.

1

Glory to the sri-krsna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

2

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

3

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

4

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

5

O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

6

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

7

O Govinda! Feeling Your separations I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

8

I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

Text & Melody: S'rîla Bhaktivinoda Thhâkura
Arr.:  Anand Aadhar Prabhu
Singers: Anand Aadhar & Sakhya Devi
Duration: 7 min. 39

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For further study of Vaishnana Bhajans:  Srîmad Bhâgavatam