— { Sri Sri Prapanna-Jivanamritam } —

CHAPTER 7

Sri Bhakta-vachanamritam—Words of Nectar from the Devotees

Atma-niksepah—
Full Self-surrender

harau dehadi-suddhatma-, paryantasya samarpanam
eva nihsesa-rupena, hy atma-niksepa uchyate [1]
atmartha-chesta-sunyatvam, krsnarthaika-prayasakam
api tan nyasta-sadhyatva-, sadhanatvan cha tat phalam [2]
evam niksipya chatmanam, svanatha-charanambujat
nakarstum sakunyach chapi, sada tanmayatam bhajet [3]

To summarily offer everything—from body and its paraphernalia up to pure soul—unto the lotus feet of Sri Hari, is known as atma-niksepah, or Full Self-surrender. All selfish pursuits are abandoned and every endeavor is for Krishna alone, and that too, up to the point of completely depending on Krishna for one's personal means and ends. Having thus cast oneself unto the holy lotus feet of one's Lord, one can never be swayed from that position, and he engages in pure devotional service with all his heart forever.

atma-niksepas-chatma-nivedana-rupam—
krsnayarpita-dehasya, nirmamasyanahankrteh
manasas tat svarupatvam, smrtam atma-nivedanam [4]

kesancit: revered votary

Self-dedication as self-sacrifice—
"Of one who, out of love for Krishna, has 'died to live' exclusively for the Lord's service, who is devoid of attachment for any other objective, and who is free from egotism—his Godly mentality (or absence of pursuit for personal pleasure, in quest of the Lord's pleasure) is known as atma-nivedana, full self-sacrifice."

tatra chesvarati-samarthya-visvasatvam—
isvarasya tu samarthyan, nalabhyam tasya vidyate
tasmin nyasta-bharah sete, tat karmaiva samacharet [5]

Sri Vyasadeva

Faith in the infinite capacity of the Lord is to be found within such dedication—
"Due to His unlimited capacity, nothing whatsoever is unattainable for the Supreme Lord. Thus, to be devoid of self-endeavor, by completely depending upon Him, is to factually execute the purpose of the Lord."

tad yantram evatmanam anubhavati—
yat krtam yat karisyami, tat sarvam na maya krtam
tvaya krtam tu phala-bhuk, tvam eva madhusudana [6]

Sri Kulasekhara

The dedicated soul perceives that he is merely an instrument in the hands of the Supreme Lord—
"O Madhusudana, whatever I have done and whatever I will do, nothing is my endeavor. It is all done by You, and You alone are the enjoyer of the fruit."

hrdi tan niyuktatvanubhavan na mithyacharah—
kenapi devena hrdi sthitena
yatha niyukto 'smi tatha karomi [7]

Gautamiya Tantra

Hypocrisy cannot show its face in the light of such a heart's revelation—
"As I am engaged by a Deity within my heart, so do I act."

govindam vina tatra sarvatmana nanya-bhavah—
govindam paramanandam, mukundam madhusudanam
tyaktvanyam vai na janami, na bhajami smarami na [8]

Sri Vyasadeva

Within such surrender there is no other conception but Govinda in every thought, word, and deed—
"I know, worship, and remember no one but the Lord Paramananda, Mukunda, Madhusudana, Govinda."

sarvatraivabhista-deva-darsanam—
ito nrsimah parato nrsimho
yato yato yami tato nrsimhah
bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho
nrsimham adim saranam prapadye [9]

kesancit: revered votary

Indeed, one's worshipful Deity is seen everywhere—
"Nrisimha is here, Nrisimha is there—Nrisimha is wherever I go. Nrisimha is outside, Nrisimha is within my heart. I am surrendered unto that primeval Lord Nrisimha."

anyabhisandhi-varjjita sthayi-ratir eva syat—
nathe dhatari bhogi-bhoga-sayane narayane madhave
deve devakinandane suravare chakrayudhe sarngini
lilasesa-jagat-prapancha-jathare visvesvare sridhare
govinde kuru chitta-vrttim achalam anyais tu kim vartanaih [10]

Sri Kulasekhara

Rejection of all spurious motives facilitates continuous attachment for the Lord—
"He is your Lord, known by His various pastimes as Vidhata, Anantasayana, Narayana, Madhava, Devata, Devakinandana, Surasrestha, Chakrapani, Saringi, Visvodara, Visvesvara, Sri Krishna, and Govinda. What more could be desired than to offer your unswerving thoughts unto Him?"

paramatmani svatmarpanam eva sarvatha veda-tatparyam—
dharmartha-kama iti yo 'bhihitas tri-varga
iksa trayi naya-damau vividha cha varta
manye tad etad akhilam nigamasya satyam
svatmarpanam sva-suhrdah paramasya pumsah [11]

Sri Prahlada

Full selfsurrender is the whole purport of the Vedas—
"The pursuits of religiosity, prosperity, and sensual enjoyment have been delineated as the three ends of human existence. They include the sciences of self-knowledge, elevation, and logic, the principles of government, and various methods of livelihood such as farming. All these pursuits are advocated by those sections of the Vedas dealing with trimodal matters, and therefore I consider them to be transient. On the other hand, I know self-dedication unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the dear well-wisher of the soul, to be the only factual reality propounded by the Vedas."

atma-niksepa-paddhatih—
aparadha-sahasra-bhajanam, patitam bhima-bhavarnavodare
agatim saranagatam hare, krpaya kevalam atmasat kuru [12]

Sri Yamunacharya

The pathway to self-dedication—
"The perpetrator of thousands of offenses, fallen into the terrible ocean of material existence, I have no shelter but You. O Lord Hari, please graciously accept this surrendered soul as one of Your own."

atra kechid deharpanam evatmarpanam iti manyante—
chintam kuryan na raksayai, vikritasya yatha pasoh
tatharpayan harau deham, viramed asya raksanat [13]

kesancit: revered votary

Some consider bodily dedication to be self-dedication—
"As one is indifferent to the upkeep of a sold animal, there will similarly be no cause to be concerned for the upkeep of one's body when it has been offered unto the lotus feet of Sri Hari."

gunatita suddha-ksetrajnasyaiva samarpitatvopalabdhih—
vapuradisu yo 'pi ko 'pi va
gunato 'sani yatha-tatha-vidhah
tad aham tava pada-padmayor
aham adyaiva maya samarpitah [14]

Sri Yamunacharya

The transcendental, pure soul's realization of his capacity to offer himself unto the Lord—
"However I may be materially designated, however my character may be known—now, O Lord, this whole sense of ego is offered by me unto Your holy lotus feet."

atmarpanasya drstantah—
tan me bhavan khalu vrtah patir anga jayam
atmarpitas cha bhavato 'tra vibho vidhehi
ma virabhagam abhimarsatu chaidya arad
gomayuvan-mrga-pater balim ambujaksa [15]

Sri Rukmini Devi

An example of offering oneself—
"O lotus-eyed Lord, I have selected You as my husband, and I offer myself unto You. Therefore, please come and take me as Your wife, before Sisupala, like the jackal plundering the lion's prey, suddenly touches me, who am to be enjoyed by You alone."

tatra suddhahankarasya parichaya-samrddher-abhivyaktih—
naham vipro na cha nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro
naham varni na cha grha-patir no vana-stho yatir va
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah [16]

the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra

The vivid revelation of the treasure within the identity of pure ego in selfdedication—
"I am not a priest, a king, a merchant, or a laborer (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra); nor am I a student, a householder, a retired householder, or a mendicant (brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi). I identify myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, the Lord of the Gopis, who is the personification of the fully expanded (eternally self-revealing) nectarean ocean that brims with the totality of divine ecstasy."

aupadhika-dharma-sambandha-chchhedas cha—
sandhya-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bho snana tubhyam namo
bho devah pitaras cha tarpana-vidhau naham ksamah ksamyatam
yatra kvapi nisadya yadava-kulottamsasya kamsa-dvisah
smaram smaram agham harami tad alam manye kim anyena me [17]

Sri Madhavendra Puri

All connection with formal religion is severed—
"O morning, noon, and evening prayers, may all good be unto you; O daily ablutions, my respects unto you; O demigods, O forefathers, may you forgive me—I cannot follow the injunctions to offer you libations. Wherever I may be, I shall eradicate my sins, constantly contemplating that jewel of the Yadu dynasty, the slayer of Kamsa, and I think this is sufficient for me. What more could I ever want than this?"

alaukika-bhavodaye laukika-vichara-tuchchhatvam—
mugdham mam nigadantu niti-nipuna bhrantam muhur vaidika
mandam bandhava-sanchaya jada-dhiyam muktadarah sodarah
unmattam dhanino viveka-chaturah kamam maha-dambhikam
moktum na ksamate manag api mano govinda-pada-sprham [18]

Madhava

Awakening of divine affection for Krishna proves worldly opinion mere trivia—
"The expert moralists may say that I am deluded, the Vedic religionists may insist that I am misled, and my associates may condemn me as uncultured. My own brothers may disrespect me and call me an idiot, the wealthy may say I am mad, and the sharp-witted philosophers may severely criticize me as being a great egotist. Nevertheless, my heart cannot budge in the slightest degree from its aspiration to serve the lotus feet of Sri Govinda."

hari-rasa-pana-mattanam jana-mata-vichare navakasah—
parivadatu jano yatha tathayam
nanu mukharo na vayam vicharayamah
hari-rasa-madira-madatimatta
bhuvi viluthama natama nirvisamah [19]

Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya

The people's opinion is of no consequence to the devotees absorbed in the ecstasy of service to Lord Hari—
"The gossipers may slander us, but we shall not heed them. Completely intoxicated by drinking the wine of the ecstasy of Sri Hari's service, we shall dance, roll on the ground, and faint."

bahu-manitadvaitananda-simhasanat vraja-rasa-ghana-murttes-charane lunthana-rupam-atma-niksepanam—
advaita-vithi-pathikair upasyah
svananda-simhasana-labdha-diksah
hathena kenapi vayam sathena
dasi-krta gopa-vadhu-vitena [20]

Sri Bilvamangala Thakura

Abdicating the much-vaunted throne of monistic bliss, to cast oneself unto the service of Sri Krishna, the embodiment of the divine ecstasy of Vrindavan, by rolling in the dust of His lotus feet—
"Although I am worshippable by the wanderers on the path of monism, and although I have received initiation into ascending the great throne of self-satisfaction, I have been forcibly converted into a maidservant by some deceitful paramour of the Gopis."

anugraha-nigrahabhedena sevyanuraga eva atmaniksepah—
virachaya mayi dandam dinabandho dayam va
gatir iha na bhavatah kachid anya mamasti
nipatatu sata-kotir nirbharam va navambhas
tad api kila payodah stuyate chatakena [21]

Sri Rupa Goswami

Genuine self-dedication is deep attachment for one's Master, considering reward and punishment equally—
"O friend of the needy, whether You chastise me or reward me, in the whole wide world I have no other shelter but You. Whether the thunderbolt strikes or torrents of fresh waters shower down, the Chataka bird (who drinks only the falling rainwater) perpetually goes on singing the glories of the raincloud."

vraja-rasa-lampatasya svairacharesv atmani-ksepasyaiva paramotkarsah—
aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam
adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah [22]

the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra

The acme of self-dedication is surrender to the whim of Sri Krishna, the paramour of Vrindavan—
"Krishna may warmly embrace this maidservant of His lotus feet, claiming me as His own, or He may break my heart by not appearing before me. He is wayward, and He may exploit me as He wishes, but He will always be the only Lord of my life."

mahaudarya-lila-maya sri-chaitanya-charanatma-niksepasya paramatvam—
patrapatra-vicharanam na kurute na svam param viksate
deyadeya-vimarsako na hi na va kala-pratiksah prabhuh
sadyo yah sravaneksana-pranamana-dhyanadina durllabham
datte bhakti-rasam sa eva bhagavan gaurah param me gatih [23]

Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati

The dignity of casting oneself unto the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Hero in the divine pastimes of supreme magnanimity—
"He makes no distinction between the worthy and the unworthy, and He does not differentiate between Himself and others; He does not consider who should be given to and who should not, and He makes no preparation for an auspicious or inauspicious moment; and He swiftly awards the rarest nectar of pure devotion beginning with hearing about the Lord, beholding Him, making obeisance unto Him, and absorbing one's thoughts in Him—that Supreme Lord Gaurahari is my one and only shelter."

iti sri-prapanna-jivanamrte
sri-bhakta-vachanamrtantargata-
atma-niksepo nama saptamo 'dhyayah

thus ends the seventh chapter

Full Self-Surrender
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