Special Poetry: Sri Sri Chaitanya Astakam | Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali

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SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI : SPECIAL POETRY

Sri Sri Chaitanya Astakam

(By Sri Srimad Rupa Goswami Prabhu)

sadopasyah sriman dhrta-manuja-kayaih pranayitam
vahadbhir girvanair girisa-paramesthi-prabhrtibhih
sva-bhaktebhyah suddham nija-bhajana-mudram upadisan
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [1]

Disguising themselves as humans and appearing in this world as His devotees, Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and other gods always worship Him with love; He instructed Svarup Damodar and His other dear devotees on how He Himself worships the Lord (and thus how He Himself should be worshipped) – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

suresanam durgam gatir atisayenopanisadam
muninam sarvasvam pranata-patalinam madhurima
viniryasah premno nikhila-pasu-palambhuja-drsam
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [2]

It is extremely difficult even for such gods as Indra to approach Him; if studied very deeply, it can be seen that the highest revealed scriptures point at Him, giving hints at His supremacy; great thinkers find that He is the sole aspiration and fulfilment of all hankerings; He is the very embodiment of sweetness for all the devotees surrendered to Him; and He is the personification of the very substance of divine love found in gopis – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

svarupam bibhrano jagad-atulam advaita-dayitah
prapanna-srivaso janita-paramananda-garima
harir dinoddhari gajapati-krpotseka-taralah
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [3]

He showed that His dear devotee Svarup Damodar possessed unparalleled wealth of divine love that had been unseen and unheard of in this world; He is very dear to Sri Advaita Acharya; He is the embodiment of shelter for Srivas Pandit; He feels pride that His guru’s godbrother, a sannyasi called Paramananda, appreciated Him and was His great supporter; He is the friend and deliverer of the poor and bereft; and His heart was melted by the kindness of the Odian King Maharaj Prataparudra, who was taken in as His own – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?
(Alternative interpretation) He reveals to this world His unparalleled, hereto unseen, beautiful, sweet form; He shows Himself to be partial and devoted to Sri Advaita Acharya as it is by Advaita Acharya’s call that He comes down to this world; He also shows Himself to be surrendered at the holy feet of Srivas (Lord Narayan); His deeply ecstatic divine sentiment was such that peculiar pride of beauty was seen within His incomparably charming figure; because He is the friend of the fallen, this poor, bereft soul has got some position at His holy feet; and He is that same Supreme Lord whose heart was melted by the prayers of the elephant (gajaraj) devotee and who came to rescue him – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

rasoddama kamarvuda-madhura-dhamojjvala-tanur
yatinam uttamsas tarani-kara-vidyoti-vasanah
hiranyanam laksmi-bharam abhibhavann angika-rucha
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [4]

When He is surcharged with divine love and takes the Name of the Lord, it appears that millions of most beautiful cupids at the highest stage of their excitement have combined into one effulgent being; He appears in the garb of a sannyasi, His attire imbibing the grace of His lustrous body; and His graceful figure is such that its complexion defeats the lustre and beauty of the purest gold – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

hare krsnety-uchchaih sphurita-rasano nama-ganana-
krta-granthi-sreni subhaga-kati-sutrojjvala-karah
visalakso dirghargala-yugala-khelanchita-bhujah
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [5]

When He is chanting, ‘Hare Krishna!’ at the top of His voice and counting the Holy Names on a knotted rope tied around His waist, His hand is seen as if playing with the knots; He has large lotus eyes and His long arms, strong as door bolts, play beautifully as He chants – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

payorases tire sphurad-upavanali-kalanaya
muhur vrndaranya-smarana-janita-prema-vivasah
kvachit krsnavrtti-prachala-rasano bhakti-rasikah
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [6]

When He saw the many forests on the shore of the ocean, this scenery reminded Him of Vrindavan forests. Excited to find Himself in Vrindavan, His tongue restlessly chanted the Names of the Lord, and His whole figure emanated divine lustre and new, exceptional beauty – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

ratha-rudhasyarad adhipadavi nilachala-pater
adabhra-premormi-sphurita-natanollasa-vivasah
sa-harsam gayadbhih parivrta-tanur vaisnava-janaih
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [7]

Coming before the chariot of Lord Jagannath, He kept gazing at the Lord; as He danced madly in kirtan, beads of divine sentiments appeared on His body in form of perspiration; as He chanted and danced jubilantly, surrounded by His devotees, many signs of devotion became visible in His body – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

bhuvam sinchann-asru-srutibhir abhitah sandra-pulakaih
paritango nipa-stavaka-nava-kinjalka-jayibhih
ghana-sveda-stoma-stimita-tanur utkirtana-sukhi
sa chaitanyah kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam [8]

Immersing Himself into sankirtan and becoming overwhelmed with divine feelings, He shed tears so profusely that all the land around Him would become wet from His tears; His whole body covered with goosebumps and hairs standing on end, He resembled a kadamba flower; and His whole body was bathed as He perspired profusely – will I ever again get to behold that beautiful figure of Sri Chaitanyadev?

adhite gauranga-smarana-padavi-mangala-taram
krti yo visrambha-sphurad-amala-dhir astakam idam
paranande sadyas tad-amala-padambhoja-yugale
parisphara tasya sphuratu nitaram prema-lahari [9]

If any intelligent person studies and reads, with a pure heart and with faith, this auspicious poem in remembrance of Lord Sri Chaitanyadev, may a great wave of divine love arise and sweep them away to the extremely joyful, purest holy lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

SRI GAUDIYA GITANJALI (English)
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