Sri Prarthana by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura
Lalasamayi (Longings)

Song 1

1 gauranga bolite habe pulaka-sarira
hari hari bolite nayane ba'be nira

When will that opportune moment come to us when there will be shivering of the body as soon as we chant Lord Gauranga's name? While chanting Hare Krsna, when will there be tears in the eyes?

2 ara kabe nitai-cander koruna hoibe
somsara-basana more kabe tuccha habe

When will I obtain the mercy of Lord Nityanandacandra? When, by His mercy will the desire for material enjoyment become very insignificant?

3 bisaya chairya kabe suddha habe mana
kabe hama herabo sir-brndabana

When the mind is completely purfied, being freed from material anxieties and desires, then I shall be able to understand Vrndavana and the conjugal love of Radha and Krsna, and then my spiritual life will be successful.

4 rupa-raghunatha-pade hoibe akuti
kabe hama bu jhabo se jugala piriti

When shall I be very much eager to study the books left by the Six Gosvami's, headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami? By their instruction I shall be able to properly understand the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna.

5 rupa-raghunatha-pade rahu mora asa
prarthana koroye sada narottama-dasa

My only aspiration is to attain the lotus feet of the Six Gosvamis headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Narottama dasa constantly prays to attain their lotus feet.

Song 2

Samprarthanatmika (An appeal)

1 radha-krsna nibedana ei jana kore
donhe ati rasamaya sa karuna-hrdaya
abadhana kara natha more

O Radha and Krsna, this person presents an appeal before you. You are both very charming and full of nectar, and Your hearts are full of compassion. My Lords, please listen to my request.

2 he krsna gokulacandra gopijana-vallabha
he krsna-preyasi-siromani
hema-gauri syama-gaya sravane parasa paya
guna suni judaya parani

O dark-complexioned Krsna, O moon of Gokula, O lover of the gopis, O golden-complexioned Radha, O crest jewel of the gopis who are so dear to Krsna, when I hear the glories of Your transcendental virtues my heart becomes pacified.

3 adhama-durgati-jane kevala karuna mane
tribhuvana e jasah-kheyati
suniya sadhura mukhe srvana lai nu sukhe
upekhile nahi mora gati

Hearing from the devotees' mouths that You are very merciful to the fallen and miserable, I joyfully take shelter of You. If You neglect me I have no place to go.

4 jaya radhe jaya krsna jaya jaya radhe krsna
krsna krsna jaya jay radhe
anjali mastake kori narottama bhume padi
kahe donhe purao manah-sadhe

O Radha, all glories to You. O Krsna all glories to You. O Radha and Krsna all glories to You. O Krsna, O Krsna, all glories to You. O Radha, all glories to You. Narottama dasa places His folded hands upon his head and falls to the ground before You. Please fulfill the desires of his heart.

Dainya-bodhika (The Author Describes His fallen Condition)

Song 3

1 hari hari ki mora korama gati manda
braje radha-krsna pada na bhajinu tila-ardha
na bhjhinu ragera sambandha

O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, how wicked I am! I did not worship the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna in Vrajabhumi even for half a moment, and I am completely unable to understand the mellows of transcendental love.

2 swarupa sanatana rupa raghunatha bhatta-yuga
bhugarbha sri-jiva lokanatha
inha sabhara pada-padma na sevinu tila-ardha
ara kise puribeka sadha

Even for half a moment I did not worship the lotus feet of Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, Srila Bhugarbha Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Lokanatha Gosvami. How will it be possible for me to attain my desire?

3 krsnadasa kaviraja rasika bhakata-majha
jenho kaia caitanya-carita
gaura-govinda-lila sunite galaye sila
tahate na haila mora cite

Among the devotees Krsna dasa Kaviraja is extremely expert at relishing the transcendental nectar of the mellows of love of God. When the stones hear his Caitanya-caritamrta and Govinda Lilamrta, they begin to melt in ecstasy. In spite of this, I have no appreciation in my heart.

4 se saba bhakata-sanga je karila tara sanga
tara sange kene nahila basa
ki mora dukhera katha janama gonainu vrtha
dhik dhik narottama dasa

Furthermore, I refuse even to associate with the friends and companions of these great souls. How sad is my tale. I have spent my life uselessly. Fie, fie on Narottama dasa!

Song 4

1 hari hari! biphale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya radha-krsna na bhaijiya
janiya suniya bisa khainu

O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, I have spent my life uselessly. Although I have obtained a human birth, I have refused to worship Radha and Krsna, and in this way I have knowingly drunk poison.

2 golekera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana
rati na janmilo kene tay
somsara-bisanale, diba-nisi hiya jwale
juraite na koinu upay

The treasure of love of God has descended from the spiritual world of Goloka Vrndavana, appearing in this world as the sankirtana movement of the chanting of Lord Hari's holy names. Why was I not attracted to it? Day and night I burned in the poison of material existence, but still I refused to take the antidote.

3 brajendra-nandana jei, saci-suta hoilo sei
balarama hoilo nitai
dina-hina jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo
tara saksi jagai madhai

Lord Krsna, the prince of Vraja, has appeared as Lord Caitanya, the son of Saci-devi and Lord Balarama has appeared as Lord Nityananda. The most fallen and degraded were lifted from their fallen condition by the chanting of the holy Name of Lord Hari. The story of Jagai and Madhai testifies to the truth of this.

4 ha ha prabhu nanada-suta, brsabhanu-suta-juta
koruna karoho ei-baro
narottama-dasa koy na theliho ranga pay
toma bine ke ache amara

O Lord Krsna, O son of Maharaja Nanda, O companion of Srimati Radharani, the daughter of Maharaja Vrsabhanu, please be merciful to me. Now that I have finally attained Your reddish lotus feet, please do not push me away. Except for You, who is my shelter?

Song 5

1 praneswara nibedana ei jana kore
govinda gokulacandra parama ananda-kanda
gopi-kula-priya dekha more

O master of my life, this person places an appeal before You. O Govinda, O moon of Gokula, O source of all transcendental bliss, O beloved of the gopis, please cast Your glance upon me.

2 tuya-pada-padma-seba eidhana more diba
tumi natha karunara nidhi
parama mangala jasa sravane parama rasa
kara kiba karya nahe siddhi

O my Lord, You are an ocean of mercy. Please give me the treasure of service to Your lotus feet. Hearing Your supremely auspicious glories is the greatest nectar for the ears. If You bestow Your mercy, then what difficult task cannot be accomplished?

3 daruna-samsara-gati bisama-bisaya-mati
tuya bismarana-sela buke
jara jara tanu mana acetana anuksana
jiyante marana bhela duhkhe

I wander through this world of suffering, my mind fixed on the objects of the senses, which bring only pain, and my chest pierced by the javelin of forgetfulness of You. My body and mind are withered and shattered, and from moment to moment I become unconscious. Immersed in pain, I am like a living corpse.

4 mo-hena adhama jane kara krpa-niriksane
dasa kari rakha vrndabane
sri-krsna-caitanya-nama prabhu mora guna gaura-dhama
narottama laila sarane

Please give me Your merciful glance. Make me Your servant and allow me to stay in Vrndavana. The golden-complexioned person who bears the name Sri Krsna Caitanya is my master. Narottama dasa takes shelter of Him.

Song 6

1 hari hari krpa kari rakha nija-pade
kama krodha chaya jane lana phire nana sthane
bisaya-bhunjaya nana-mate

O Lord Hari, O Lord Hari, please give me shelter at Your feet. Six men headed by lust and anger take me here and there and force me to enjoy my senses in many ways.

2 haiya mayara dasa kari nana abhilasa
tomara smarana gela dure
artha-labha ei ase kapata-baisnaba-besa
bhramiya bulaye ghare ghare

Filled with material desires, a servant of material illusion, and my memory of You fled far away, disguised as a Vaisnava I wandered from house to house, hoping to get some money.

3 aneka duhkhera pare layechile braja-pure
krpa-dora galaya bandhiya
daiva-maya balat kare khasaiya sei dore
bhaba kupe dileka dhariya

When I suffered many miseries You tied Your rope of mercy around my neck and dragged me to Vraja. The illusory energy then forcibly untied those ropes and again threw me into the well of material existence.

4 punah yadi krpa-kari e janare kesa dhari
taniya tulai braja-dhame
tabe se dekhiya bhala natuba parana gela
kahne dina dasa narottama

If, grasping his hair, You mercifully pull this person from illusion's well and place him in the abode of Vraja, he will see that as his great good fortune. Otherwise his life will end. Poor and fallen Narottama dasa sings this song.

Song 7

1 hari hari bada sela marame rahila
paiya durlabha tanu sri-krsna-bhajan binu
janma mora biphala haila

O Lord Hari, O Lord Hari, a great javelin has pierced me in the core of the heart. Having attained this difficult to get human body, I have neglected the worship of Sri Krsna, and in this way my life has become useless.

2 brajendranandana hari nabadwipe abatari
jagat bhariya prema dila
muni se pamara-mati bisese kathina ati
teni more karuna nahila

Although Lord Hari, the prince of Vraja, descended to Navadvipa and filled the universe with pure love of God, He was not merciful to me because I was very cruel and sinful at heart.

3 swarupa sanatana rupa raghunatha bhatta-yuga
tahate na haila mora mati
dibya cintamani dhama brndabana hena sthana
sei dhame na kainu vasati

My mind refuses to think of Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. I decline to make my residence in Vrndavana-dhama, the abode of transcendental cintamani gems.

4 bisesa bisaye mati nahila baisnabe rati
nirantara kheda uthe mane
narottama dasa kahe jibara ucita nahe
sri-guru-baisnaba-seba bine

My mind is absorbed in sense-gratification, and I do not take pleasure in the association of Vaisnavas. For this reason pain and regret arise in my heart. Narottama dasa says: It is not good to live without serving the spiritual master and Vaisnavas.

Dainya-bodhika prarthana (Prayer Where the Author Describes His Fallen Condition)

Song 8

1 hari hari ki mora karama abhaga
biphale jibana gela hrdaye rahila sela
nahi bhela hari-anuraga

O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, everything I do is inauspicious. I have uselessly wasted my life, and I have no love for You. It is as if my heart were pierced by a sharp javelin.

2 yajna dhana tirtha-snana punya-karma japa dhyana
akarane saba gela mohe
bujhilana mane hena upahasa haya jena
bastrahina alankara dehe

My Vedic sacrifices, charity, bathing in holy places of pilgrimage, pious deeds, mantra-chanting, and meditation, are all useless and illusory. In my heart I know that without devotional service these things are a joke, like placing valuable ornaments on a naked body.

3 sadhu-mukhe kathamrta suniya bimala cita
nahi bhela aparadha-karana
satata asat-sanga sakali haila bhanga
ki kariba aile samana

Although I sometimes hear the nectarean message of Godhead from the mouths of the devotees, because I commit so many offenses, I do not become purified. I continually associate with non-devotees, and in this way all my spiritual advancement is broken apart. What will I do when death comes?

4 sruti smrti sada rabe suniyachi ei sabe
hari-pada abhaya sarana
janama laiya sukhe krsna na balinu mukhe
na karinu se rupa-bhabana

Although again and again I heard the Sruti and Smrti scriptures' declaration that one should take shelter of the Lord Hari's lotus feet in order to become fearless, I did not chant Krsna's name, and I did not meditate on His transcendental form.

5 radha-krsna dunha-paya tanu mana rahu taya
ara dure jauka basana
narottama dase kaya ara mora hani bhaya
tanu mana sampinu apana

I will now concentrate my mind on the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, and all my material desires will flee far away. Narottama dasa says: Now that I have fixed my mind on Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, I am no longer afraid of my future.

Swabhista-lalasa (Longings)

Song 9

1 hari hari hena dina haibe amara
dunha anga parasiba hunhu anga nirakhiba
sebana kariba donhakara

O Lord Hari, O Lord Hari, when will this day be mine? When will I see Your lotus feet? When will I directly serve Your lotus feet? When will I touch Your lotus feet?

2 lalita-bisakha-sange sebana kariba range
mala ganthi' diba nana phule
kanaka-samputa kari karpura tambula puri
yogaiba adhara-jugale

When, in the company of Lalita and Visakha, will I happily serve You? When will I make garlands of many flowers for You? When, filling a golden box with them, will I place camphor and betel-nuts on your lips?

3 radha-krsna brndabana ei mora prana-dhana
ei mora jibana-upaya
jaya patita-pabana deha more ei dhana
toma-bine anya nahi bhaya

Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and Their abode of Vrndavana are the valuable treasure of my life. It is They who sustain me. O deliverer of the fallen, please give this treasure to me, for I have no one to turn to, except for You.

4 sri-guru karuna-sindhu adhama-janera bandhu
lokanatha lokera jibana
ha ha prabhu kara daya deha more pada-chaya
narottama laila sarana

O my spiritual master, O ocean of mercy, O friend of the fallen, O Lokanatha Gosvami, O life of the people, O master, please be merciful to me. Please give me the shade of your lotus feet. Narottama dasa takes shelter of you.

Song 10

1 hari hari kabe mora haibe su-dine
keli-kautuka-range kariba sebane

O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, when will I directly serve You as You enjoy blissful transcendental pastimes? When will that auspicious day be mine?

2 lalita-visakha sange jateka sangira gane
mandali kariba donha meli
rai kanu kare dhari nrtya kare phiri phiri
nirakhi' gona'ba kutuhali

When, in the company of Lalita and Visakha, will I directly meet Sri Sri Radha and Krsna in the circle of their friends? When, seeing Them holding hands and dancing in Their transcendental pastimes, will my voice become choked with ecstatic love?

3 alasa-bisrama-ghare gobardhana giri-bare
rai kanu karibe sayana
narottama dasa kaya ei jena mora haya
anuksana carana sebana

When the dancing pastimes are ended, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna will take rest in a cottage on Govardhana hill, the best of mountains. Narottama dasa says: I pray that I will always serve the lotus feet of the Divine Couple

Song 11

1 gobardhana giri-bare kebala nirjana sthala
rai kanu karibe sayane
lalita-bisakha-sange sebana range
sukhamaya ratula carane

In a solitary place on Govardhana Hill, the best of mountains, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna sit on a couch. When, accompanied by Lalita and Visakha, will I jubilantly serve Their reddish lotus feet?

2 kanaka samputa kari karpura tambula bhari
jogaiba badana-kamale
manimaya kinkini ratana nupura ani'
paraiba carana-jugale

When will I take camphor and betel-nuts from a golden box, and place it in their lotus mouths? When will I place jewel ankle-bells on Their lotus feet?

3 kanaka katora puri sugandhi candana buri
donhakara sri-ange dhaliba
guru-rupa sakhibame tribhanga bhangima thame
camarera batasa kariba

When will I fill a golden goblet for the Divine Couple? When will I anoint Their beautiful limbs with aromatic sandal paste? When, my spiritual master, in his original form as a gopi, at my left, will I fan Their three-fold bending forms with a camara wisk?

4 donhara kamala ankhi pulaka haiya dekhi
dunhu pada parisaba kare
caitanya-darse dasa mane matra abhilasa
narottama dase sada sphure

When, seeing the lotus eyes of the Divine couple, will the hairs of my body stand up in ecstacy? When will I directly touch their lotus feet? Narottama dasa, who is the servant of Lord Caitanya's servants, desires in this way. He has no other desire.

Song 12

1 hari hari ara ki emana dasa
kabe brsabhanu-pure ahiri gopera ghare
tanaya haiya janamiba

When will I take birth as a gopi in the town of Maharaja Vrsabhanu, where many gopas and gopis live? O Lord Hari, Lord Hari will I someday attain this condition of life?

2 jabate amara kabe e prani-grahana habe
basati kariba kabe taya
sakhira parama srestha je tahara haya prestha
sevana kariba tanra paya

When will I live in the city of Vrsabhanu and be accepted by its residents as one of their kin? When will I serve the feet of the gopis' beloved master?

3 tenha krpaban haina ratula carane lana
amare karibe samarpana
saphala haibe dasa puribe manera asa
se dunhara jugala-carana

When Lord Krsna is merciful to me I will be able to attain His reddish lotus feet. When I attain the lotus feet of the Divine couple, then my life will be successful, and all the desires of my mind will be fulfilled.

4 brndabana dui-jana caturddike sakhi-gana
sebana kariba abasese
sakhi-gana caribhite nana jantra laina hate
dekhiba manera abhilase

When will I be able to directly serve the Divine Couple, who are surrounded by Their gopi-friends? When I directly serve the Divine Couple in the association of the gopis, all the desires of my heart will be fulfilled.

5 dunhu canda-mukha dekhi' judabe tapita ankhi
nayane bahibe asru-dhara
brndara nidesa paba donhara nikate jaba
hena dina haiba amara

When will I approach the Divine Couple? When will streams of tears flow from my eyes by seeing Their moonlike faces? When will I receive direct orders from Vrnda-devi? When will that day be mine?

6 sri-rupa-manjari sakhi more anathini dekhi
radhibe ratula duti paya
narottama dasa bhane priya-narma-sakhi-gane
kabe dasi karibe amara

When will Sri Rupa-manjari, seeing me helpless and without any shelter, protect me with her reddish feet? Narottama dasa say: When will I become one of the maidservants of the dear and playful gopis?

Song 13

1 hari hari ara ki emana dasa haba
chadiya purusa-deha kabe ba prakrti haba
dunhu amge candana paraba

When, relinquishing this male material body, and obtaining the spiritual body of a gopi, will I anoint the limbs of the Divine Couple with sandalwood paste? O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, when will this day be mine?

2 taniya bandhiba cuda naba gunja-hare beda
nana phule ganthi diba hara
pita-basana ange paraiba sakhi-sange
badane tambula diba ara

When will I arrange the hair of the Divine Couple? When will I give them gunja-necklaces and garlands strung with various flowers? When will I give Them yellow garments? When, accompanied by the other gopis, will I place betel-nuts in Their lotus mouths?

3 dunhu rupa manohari deriba nayana bhari
nilambare rai sajaiya
naba-ratna-jari ani bandhiba bicitra beni
tate phula malati gabthiya

When will I gaze at the beautiful forms of the Divine Radharani in blue garments, and decorate her braided hair with garlands of jasmine flowers and strings of nine different kinds of jewels on a golden thread.

4 sei rupa-madhuri dekhiba nayana bhari'
ei kari mane abhilasa
jaya rupa sanatana deha more ei dhana
nibedaye narottama dasa

My desire is that some day I shall be able to directly see the sweet beauty of the transcendental forms of the Divine Couple. O Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami, all glories to you both. Please bestow this treasure upon me. Please grant my desire. Narottama dasa appeals to you in this way.

Song 14

1 kusumita brndabane nacate sikhi-gane
pika-kula bhramara jhankare
priya sahacari sange gaiya jaiba range
manohara nikunja-kutire

Vrndavana is filled with blossoming flowers, the dancing of peacocks and the sounds of cuckoos and bumble-bees. When, in the association of the dear gopis, will I melodiously sing in a charming cottage in a grove of Vrndavana?

2 ari hari manoratha phalibe amare
dunhuka manthara gait kautuke heraba ati
anga bhari pulaka antare

When, seeing the slowly and gracefully moving Divine Couple, will my hairs stand on end because of the ecstacy in my heart?

3 caudike dakhira majhe radhikara ingite
ciruni laiya kare kari'
kutila kuntala saba bithariya ancaraba
banaiba bicitra kabari

When, in the company of the gopis, will Srimati Radharani gesture that she wants me to comb her hair, and when will I then take the comb in my hand, and carefully comb her curling locks?

4 mrgamada amlajaja saba ange lepaba
paraiba manohara hara
candana kunkume tilaka banaiba
heraba mukha-sudhakara

When will I anoint Srimati Radharani's limbs with sandalwood paste and musk? When will I give her a beautiful garlands? When will I gaze on her moonlike face as I decorate it with tilaka markings drawn in sandlewood paste and kunkuma?

5 nila patambara yatane paraiba
paye diba ratana-manjire
bhrngarera jale ranga- carana dhoyaiba
muchaba apana cikure

When will I carefully dress Srimati Radharani in blue garments? When will I place jeweled anklets on her feet? When will I take water from a jar and wash her reddish lotus feet? When will I then dry her feet using my own hair as a towel?

6 kusuma-kamala-dale sesa bichaiba
sayana karaba donhakare
dhabala camara ani mrdu mrdu bi jaba
charamita dunhuka sarire

When will I make a couch of lotus petals for the Divine Couple? When will I gently fan Them with a white camara wisk?

7 kanaka samputa kari karpura tambula bhari
jogaiba donhara badane
adhara sudha-rase tambula subase
bhokhava adika yatane

When from a golden box will I take betel-nuts and camphor, and place them in the lotus mouths of the Divine Couple? When will I carefully chew the aromatic remnants of such betel-nuts, which have become mixed with nectar from mouths of the Divine Couple?

8 sri-guru karuna-sindhu lokanatha dina-bandhu
mui dine kare abadhana
radha-krsna, brndabana priya-narma-sakhi-gana
narottama mage ei dana

O Lokanatha Gosvami, O my spiritual master, O friend of the poor and wretched conditioned souls, O ocean of mercy, please hear the appeal of this person who is very miserable and poor-hearted. O Radha and Krsna, O holy land of Vrndavana, O intimate gopi-friends of the Divine Couple, I beg that you all grant this charity to me. Please fulfill these desires.

Punah Svabhista-lalasa (The Author Continues the Description of His Longings)

Song 15

1 hari hari kabe mora haibe sudina
gobardhana giri-bare parama nibhrta ghare
rai kanu karaiba sayana

When, in a secluded cottage on Govardhana Hill, the best of mountains, will I prepare a couch for Sri Sri Radha and Krsna? O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, when will that auspicious day be mine?

2 bhrngarera jale ranga- carana dhoyaiba
muchaba apana cikure
kanaka-samputa kari karpura tambula puri
jogaiba dunhuka adhare

When will I take water from a jar and wash the lotus feet of the Divine Couple? When will I then dry Their feet using my own hair as a towel? When from a golden box will I take betel-nuts and camphor, and place on the lotus lips of the Divine Couple?

3 priya-sakhi-gana-sange sebana kaiba range
carana sebiba nija-kare
kunhuka kamala-dithi kautuka heraba
dunhu anga pulaka antare

When, in the association of the gopis, will I directly serve the lotus feet of the Divine Couple with my own hand? When, by seeing the lotus eyes of the Divine Couple, will the hairs of my body stand erect because of the ecstasy within my heart?

4 mallika malati juthi nana phule mala ganthi
kabe diba donhara galaya
sonara katora kari karpura candana bhari
kabe diba donhakara gaya

When will I string garlands of mallika and malati flowers and place them on the necks of the Divine Couple? When will I fill a golden goblet with camphor and sandalwood paste, and then anoint the transcendental forms of the Divine Couple with this mixture?

5 ara kabe emana habe dunu-mukha-nirakhiba
lila-rasa nijunja-sayane
sir-kundalatara sange keli-kautuka range
narottama karibe srabane

When will I directly see the lotus faces of the Divine Couple? When will Narottama dasa jubilantly hear Kundalata-devi's narration of the nectarean pastimes performed by the Divine Couple in the groves of Vrndavana? When will that day be?

Lalasa (Longings)

Song 16

1 sri-rupa-manjari-pada sei mora sampada
sei mor bhajana-pujana
sei mora prana-dhana sei mora abharana
sei mor jibanera jibana

Sri Rupa-manjari's lotus feet are my only treasure. They are my devotional service and my worship. They are my life's breath,and the ornament I wear. They are the sustainer of my life.

2 sei mora rasa-nidhi sei mora banca-siddhi
sei mora bedera dharama
sei brata, sei tapa sei mora mantra-japa
sei mor dharama-karama

For me those lotus feet are an ocean of nectar. They are the fulfilment of my desires. For me they are the spiritual path outlined in the Vedas, and they are my religious vows. They are my austerities and my chanting of mantras. They are my pious activities.

3 anukula habe bidhi se-pade hoibe siddhi
nirakhibo e dui nayane
se rupa-madhuri-rasi prana-kubalaya sasi
prafulita habe nisi dine

Those feet will make destiny become kind to me and grant me perfection. They will enable me to directly see the Divine Couple with my own eyes. Those feet are a great reservoir of beauty and sweetness. They are like a moon that causes the lotus flower of my life-breath to blossom. Those lotus feet bloom within my heart through the entire day and night.

4 tuwa adarasana-ahi garale jaralo dehi
ciro-dina tapita jibana
ha ha rupa koror doya deho mora-pada-chaya
narottama loilo sarana

The venom of the snake of separation from You has caused this spirit soul to wither and decay. For many days my life-breath has burned in the fire of separation from you. O Rupa-manjari, please be merciful to me. Please give me the shade of your lotus feet. Narottama dasa takes shelter of you

Song 17

1 suniyachi sadhu-mukhe bale sarba-jana
sri-rupa-krpaya mile jugala-carana

I have heard from the mouths of the saintly devotees that everyone says that by the mercy of Srila Rupa Gosvami one may approach the lotus feet of the Divine Couple.

2 ha ha prabhu sanatana gaura-paribara
sabe mili bancha purna karaha amara

O Sanatana Prabhu, O personal associate of Lord Caitanya, please fulfill my desire.

3 sri-rupera krpa jena ama prati haya
se pada asraya jaba sei mahasaya

Please fulfill my desire that saintly Srila Rupa Gosvami may be merciful to me, and that I will be able to take shelter of his lotus feet.

4 prabhu lokanatha kabe sange lana jabe
sri-rupera pada-padme more samarpibe

When will my master, Lokanatha Gosvami, place me at the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvami?

5 hena ki haibe mora - narma-sakhi-gana
anugata narottame karibe sasane

When, by your mercy, will your faithful follower Narottama dasa become eligible to receive direct instruction from the gopi-friends of the Divine Couple?

Song 18

1 ei naba-dasi bali sri-rupa cahibe
hena subha-ksana mora kati-dine habe

When will I be a young gopi-maidservant? When will Sri Rupa-manjari directly order me? When will that auspicious time be?

2 sighra ajna karibena--dasi hetha aya
sebara susajja-karya karaha twaraya

When will Sri Rupa-manjari repeatedly order me about, saying: "O maidservant, come here. Quickly arrange for my fance garmanets and ornaments."

3 anandita hana hiya ajna-bale
pabitra manete karya karibe tat-kale

By hearing these orders I will become delighted. These orders will completely absorb the attention of my purified mind.

4 sebara samagri ratna-khalate kariya
subasita bari swarna-jharite puriya

When, in Sri Rupa-manjari's service, will I fill a jewelled tray with various paraphernalia for worship? When, engaged in her service, will I fill a golden goblet with aromatic water?

5 donhara sammukhe la'ye diba sighra-gati
narottamera dasa kabe haibe e-mati

When will I be able to quickly approach the Divine Couple? When will Narottama dasa attain this condition of life?