— { Sri Sri Prapanna-Jivanamritam } —

CHAPTER 5

Sri Bhakta-vachanamritam—Words of Nectar from the Devotees

Raksisyatiti Visvasah—
Confidence in the Lord's Protection

raksisyati hi mam krsno, bhaktanam bandhavas cha sah
ksemam vidhasyatiti yad, visvaso 'traiva grhyate [1]

'Certainly Lord Krishna will protect me, because He is the friend of the devotees. He will definitely bless us with all auspiciousness and success.' Within this chapter, such faith is sustained.

sarva-lokesu sri-krsna-padabjaika-raksakatvam—
martyo mrtyu-vyala-bhitah palayan
lokan sarvan nirbhayam nadhyagachchhat
tvatpadabjam prapya yadrchchhayadya
susthah sete mrtyur asmad apaiti [2]

Srimati Devaki

The lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna: the only protection for all planes of life—
"O Supreme Lord, despite fleeing throughout every planet of the universe out of fear of the black snake of death, the mortal being cannot find a place devoid of fear. But when he is blessed with the fortune of coming to the shelter of Your lotus feet, he becomes reposed with a peaceful heart, and death itself flees from his company."

mayadhisasyaiva bhagavatah ksema-vidhatrtvam—
visvasya yah sthiti-layodbhava-hetur adyo
yogesvarair api duratyaya-yoga-mayah
ksemam vidhasyati sa no bhagavams tryadhisas
tatrasmadiya-vimrsena kiyan iharthah [3]

Lord Brahma

Only the absolute magician, the Supreme Lord, is capable of bestowing all good fortune—
"The Supreme Lord of the three worlds, who is the cause of the universal creation, sustenance, and annihilation, and whose magical potency is insurmountable for even the greatest yogis, will surely bless us with all good fortune. Could we ever doubt this?"

apady api sri-krsna-kathaika-raksana-visvasah—
tam mopayatam pratiyantu vipra
ganga cha devi dhrta-chittam ise
dvijopasrstah kuhakas taksako va
dasatv alam gayata visnu-gathah [4]

Maharaja Pariksit

Faith, even in the face of impending doom, that tidings of Lord Krishna (Sri Hari-katha) is the only protection—
"O pure brahmanas, may you kindly know me as a surrendered soul, and let Mother Ganges accept me as one whose heart is offered to Lord Krishna. Let the winged serpent Taksaka or whatever magical creation has been incited by the son of the brahmana bite me immediately if it so desires; may you all simply go on singing the glories of the Lord."

hari-dasa harina raksita eva—
ma bhair mandamano vichintya bahudha yamis chiram yatana
naivami prabhavanti papa-ripavah svami nanu sridharah
alasyam vyapaniya bhakti-sulabham dhyayasva narayanam
lokasya vyasanapanodanakaro dasasya kim na ksamah [5]

Sri Kulasekhara

The servants of Lord Hari are always protected by Lord Hari—
"O wicked mind, fear not the thought of the multifarious, perpetual tortures that are your due. Your enemies—your sins—have no claim over you because the only actual lord and master is the Supreme Lord, Sridhara. Give up your apathy, and absorb your thoughts in Lord Narayana, who is happily attainable by devotion. Is not He who destroys the calamities of all planets capable of annihilating the defects of His personal servitors?"

samsara-duhkha-klistanam sri-visnoh paramam padam evaikasrayah—
bhava-jaladhi-gatanam dvandva-vatahatanam
suta-duhitr-kalatra-trana-bharardditanam
visama-visaya-toye majjatam aplavanam
bhavati saranam eko visnu-poto naranam [6]

Sri Kulasekhara

The holy feet of Lord Vishnu are the only shelter for persons tormented by the miseries of material existence—
"For those persons who, bereft of a vessel, have fallen into the ocean of mundane existence; who are being lashed by the hurricane of duality based on mundane attraction and aversion; who are crushed by the burden of protecting wife and family, etc.; who are drowning in the ghastly whirlpool of sensual pleasures—the only shelter is the lifeboat of the holy lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu."

sri-krsna-bhajanam eva martyanam amrta-pradam—
idam sariram sata-sandhi-jarjaram
pataty avasyam parinama-pesalam
kim ausadham prchchhasi mudha durmate
niramayam krsna-rasayanam piba [7]

Sri Kulasekhara

Only pure devotion for Lord Krishna awards immortality to the mortal—

(Bengali verse by Sri Bhakti Vinoda Thakura)

aty-adhamesv api bhagavan-namno 'bhista-datrtvam—
satyam bravimi manujah svayam urddhva-bahur
yo yo mukunda narasimha janardaneti
jivo japaty anudinam marane rane va
pasana-kastha-sadrsaya dadaty abhistam [8]

Sri Kulasekhara

The holy name of the Lord bestows the most cherished objective upon even the most fallen—
"O human civilization, with arms upraised I proclaim this truth! The holy name awards all desired success upon even stone- or wooden-hearted persons who, in the struggle for existence, constantly chant the Lord's names such as Mukunda, Narasimha, and Janardana."

sva-satrave 'pi sad-gati-dayako harih—
aho baki yam stana-kala-kutam
jighamsayapayayad apy asadhvi
lebhe gatim dhatry-uchitam tato 'nyam
kam va dayalum saranam vrajema [9]

Srimad Uddhava

Sri Hari awards a divine destination to even His enemy—
"How astonishing! When Putana, the wicked sister of Bakasura, tried to kill child Krishna by offering Him deadly poison on her breast, she reached a position befitting the Lord's nursemaid. Could I ever have as merciful a shelter as that Lord Krishna?"

ayogyanam apy asa-sthalam—
durantasyanader apariharaniyasya mahato
vihinacharo 'ham nr-pasur asubhasyaspadam api
daya-sindho bandho niravadhika-vatsalya-jaladhes
tava smaram smaram guna-ganam itichchhami gatabhih [10]

Sri Yamunacharya

The reservoir of hope for even the unqualified—
"O sea of compassion, I am no better than a wicked animal on two feet, the most incorrigible parasite—a beginningless and endless reservoir of the greatest inauspiciousness. Nonetheless, I abide in fearlessness, repeatedly remembering the divine qualities of You—the endless ocean of affection and the supreme friend."

asakrd-aparadhinam api mochakah—
raghuvara yad abhus tvam tadrso vayasasya
pranata iti dayalur yasya chaidyasya krsna
pratibhavam aparaddhur mugdha sayujyado 'bhur
vada kim apadam agas tasya te 'sti ksamayah [11]

Sri Yamunacharya

The deliverer of even repeated offenders—
"O Lord of the Raghu dynasty, just for bowing his head to You, You were merciful upon that crow (who was so offensive that he clawed at the breast of Sita-devi).
O charming Krishna, You awarded the salvation of merging into Your effulgence (sayujya-mukti) to Sisupala, who was an offender birth after birth. Now please tell me, is there any offense that cannot be pardoned by You?"

saranagata-helanam tasminn asambhavam—
abhuta-purvam mama bhavi kimva
sarvam sahe me sahajam hi duhkham
kintu tvad agre saranagatanam
parabhavo natha na te 'nurupah [12]

Sri Yamunacharya

It is impossible for Him to neglect His surrendered devotee—
"O Lord, after all, what unprecedented trials may befall me now? I can tolerate anything and everything; no doubt, unhappiness is my natural companion. Nonetheless, it will not become You to allow the neglect of Your surrendered soul who now stands before You."

bahir anyatha pradarsayato 'pi svarupatah palakatvam—
nirasakasyapi na tavad utsahe
mahesa hatum tava pada-pankajam
rusa nirasto 'pi sisuh stanandhayo
na jatu matus charanau jihasati [13]

Sri Yamunacharya

He is our natural guardian, even if externally He shows otherwise—
"O Almighty Lord, even if You make me hopeless, I can never leave Your lotus feet in any condition. If the mother becomes angry and separates her child from her breast, does the child thereby leave the feet (shelter) of his mother?"

tad itarasrayabhavat tasyaivaika-raksakatvam—
bhumau skhalita-padanam, bhumir evavalambanam
tvayi jataparadhanam, tvam eva saranam prabho [14]

Skanda Purana

He is proven to be the only shelter since there is actually no shelter but Him—
"For those who have stumbled and fallen upon the ground, that very ground is the only support by which they can arise once again. Likewise, for those who have offended You, O Lord, You alone are their only refuge."

nirasrayanam evaikasrayah—
vivrta-vividha-badhe bhranti vegad agadhe
balavati bhavapure majjato me vidure
asarana-gana-bandho ha krpa-kaumudindo
sakrd-akrtavilambam dehi hastavalambam [15]

Sri Rupa Goswami

The only shelter for the shelterless—
"I am drowning in some remote region of a fathomless, treacherous ocean—the vast sea of frustration, swept by the tide of hallucination. O friend of the shelterless, O benediction moon, please just once now lend me Your helping hand."

vilambasahanasya bhaktasya tad raksana-visrabdhatvam—
ya draupadi paritrane, ya gajendrasya moksane
mayy artte karuna-murte, sa tvara kva gate hare [16]

Jagannatha

The devotee who needs immediate protection has full faith that the Lord will come to his aid—
"O compassion incarnate, now I am in danger. O Lord Hari, where is that urgency You showed in delivering Draupadi and liberating Gajendra?"

raksisyatiti-visvasasya prakasa-madhuryam—
tamasi ravir ivodyan majjatam aplavanam
plava iva trsitanam svadu-varsiva meghah
nidhir iva nidhananam tivra-duhkhamayanam
bhisag iva kusalam no datum ayati saurih [17]

Srimati Draupadi

The revealed sweetness of confidence in the Lord's protection—
"Like the sun ascending through the darkness,
     like a boat for the helplessly drowning,
like a raincloud of sweet waters for the parched;
     like a treasure for the impoverished,
like a physician for the deadly afflicted—
     the Lord Sri Krishna is now coming to bless us
          with all good fortune."

tad raksakatve tat karunyam eva karanam—
prachinanam bhajanam atulam duskaram srnvato me
nairasyena jvalati hrdayam bhakti lesalasasya
visva-drichim aghahara tavakarnya karunya vichim
asa-binduksitam idam upaity antare hanta saityam [18]

Sri Rupa Goswami

The cause of the Lord's protectiveness is His mercy alone—
"O destroyer of sin, my heart is averse to a trace of devotion, and it burns in the fire of hopelessness when I hear about the incomparable, formidable devotional services rendered by the great predecessor devotees. But now that I have heard about the wave of Your mercy which floods the universe, the core of my heart, sprinkled by a drop of hope, is soothed with cooling relief once again."

bhagavatah sri-chaitanya-rupasya param audaryam—
ha hanta chitta-bhuvi me paramosarayam
sad-bhakti-kalpa-latikankurita katham syat
hrdy ekam eva paramasvasaniyam asti
chaitanya-nama kalayan na kadapi sochyah [19]

Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati

The supreme magnanimity of the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyadeva—
"Alas, alas! How will the charming wishfulfilling creeper of pure devotion ever sprout from the desperately barren planes of my consciousness?
Despite my predicament, just one great hope awakens in my heart: by chanting the name of Sri Chaitanyadeva, nothing can remain to be lamented for by anyone at any time."

sri-gaurahareh sarvopaya-vihinesv api raksakatvam—
jnanadi-vartma-viruchim vraja-natha-bhakti-
ritim na vedmi na cha sad-guravo milanti
ha hanta hanta mama kah saranam vimudha
gauro-haris tava na karna-patham gato 'sti [20]

Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati

Sri Gaurahari is the savior of even those bereft of any method of approach—
"I know not the way of love in Sri Vrndavana,
     which breeds disloyalty to wisdom and the world;
nor do I come to meet with saintly teachers—
     to whom shall I surrender, where shall I go?
O foolish fellow! You cannot have heard about
     the Golden Lord, Sri Gaura Mahaprabhu."

iti sri-prapanna-jivanamrte
sri-bhakta-vachanamrtantargata-
raksisyatiti visvaso nama panchamo 'dhyayah

thus ends the fifth chapter

Confidence in the Lord's Protection
Words of Nectar from the Devotees in
Life-Nectar of the Surrendered Souls
Positive and Progressive Immortality

CONTENTS:

• Preface
• Publisher's Note
• Foreword
• (1) Prelude to Approaching Nectar
• (2) Nectar of Scriptural Word
• (3) Acceptance of the Favorable
• (4) Rejection of the Unfavorable
• (5) Confidence in the Lord's Protection
• (6) Embracing the Lord's Guardianship
• (7) Full Self-Surrender
• (8) Surrender in Humility
• (9) Words of Nectar from the Supreme Lord
• (10) Divine Remnants of Nectar
• Selected Gems