14, Vastutah sakali tava - Self-Submission | Saranagati

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Atma-Nivedanatmika: Self-Submission

(Song 14)

vastutah sakali tava, jiva keha naya
'aham'-'mama'-bhrame bhrami' bhoge soka-bhaya [1]

vastutah–actually; sakali–everything; tava–Yours; jiva–the individual soul; keha–someone; naya–is not; 'aham'–'I'; 'mama'–'mine'; bhrame–mistaken by; bhrami'–wandering; bhoge–experiences; soka–lamentation; bhaya–fear. [1]

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

'aham'-'mama' abhimana ei matra dhana
baddha-jiva nija bali' jane mane mana [2]

'aham'–'I'; 'mama'–'mine'; abhimana–misconceptions; ei–these; matra–only; dhana–wealth; baddha–bound; jiva–individual souls; nija–own; bali'–considering; jane–knows; mane–in their mind; mana–mind. [2]

(2) Deep within, the conditioned soul considers his misconceptions of 'I' and 'mine' to be his only wealth.

sei abhimane ami samsare padiya
habudubu khai bhava-sindhu santariya [3]

sei–this; abhimane–by the conception; ami–I; samsare–in the material world; padiya–falling; habudubu–bobbing up and down; khai–I experience; bhava–of mundanity, repeated birth and death; sindhu–the ocean; santariya–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.

tomara abhaya pade laiya sarana
aji ami karilama atma-nivedana [4]

tomara–Your; abhaya–fearless; pade–at the feet; laiya–taking; sarana–shelter; aji–today; ami–I; karilama–did; atma–self; nivedana–submission. [4]

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

'aham'-'mama' abhimana chhadila amaya
ara yena mama hrde sthana nahi paya [5]
ei matra bala prabhu! dibe he amare
ahamta-mamata dure pari rakhibare [6]

'aham'–'I'; 'mama'–'mine'; abhimana–conceptions; chhadila–abandoned; amaya–to me; ara–again; yena–so that; mama–my; hrde–in the heart; sthana–place; nahi–not; paya–obtain; ei–this; matra–only; bala (sakti)–strength (ability); prabhu!–O Lord!; dibe–will give; he–oh; amare–to me; ahamta–false egotism, 'I'; mamata–possessiveness, 'mine'; dure–far away; pari–I am able; rakhibare–to keep. [5-6]

(5-6) Those misconceptions of 'I' and 'mine' have now left me. O Lord! So that they will never attain 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.

(1-5) vastutah sakali tava ... sthana nahi paya: "Everything is Yours ... (may) the misconceptions of 'I' and 'mine' never attain 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-jivanamrtam:

ahankrtir ma-karah syan na-karas tan nisedhakah
tasmat tu namasa ksetri-svatantryam pratisidhyate
bhagavat-paratantro 'sau tadayatatma-jivanah
tasmat sva-samarthya-vidhim tyajet sarvam asesatah

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

atma-nivedana-bhava hrde drdha raya
hasti-snana sama yena ksanika na haya [7]

atma–self; nivedana–submission; bhava–mood; hrde–in the heart; drdha–firm; raya–stays; hasti–elephant; snana–bath; sama–same; yena–like; ksanika (samayika matra)–momentarily (only temporarily); na–not; haya–be. [7]

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

bhakati-vinoda prabhu nityananda-paya
mage parasada, yahe abhimana yaya [8]

bhakati-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; prabhu–Lord; nityananda–Nityananda; paya–feet; mage–begs; parasada–mercy; yahe–by which; abhimana–misconceptions of 'I' and 'mine'; yaya–go. [8]

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

(8) Nityananda paya: "At Sri Nityananda Prabhu's feet." By the mercy of Sri Guru, who is non-different from Sri Nityananda Prabhu, all misconception (self-establishing ego) is destroyed and servitude to the Vaisnavas is realised.

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CONTENTS:

· Translator's Note
· In Praise of Saranagati (1)
· In Praise of Saranagati (2)
· Editor's Note
· Sri Laghu-chandrika-bhasya: Mangalacharana
· Sri Laghu-chandrika-bhasya: Preface

Saranagati:

Mangalacharana