Vande Vrndatavi
BhajanBhaktivinoda Thakura
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Mangalacarana — Invoking Auspiciousness
(1) vande vrndatavi-candramradhikaksi-mahotsavam brahmatmananda-dhikkaripurnananda-rasalayam (2) caitanya-caranam vandekrishna-bhakta-janasrayam advaita-mata-dhaureyabharapanodanam param (3) gurum vande mahabhagamkrishnananda-svarupakam yan mude racayisyamikalyana-kalpa-padapam (4) aprakrta-rasanandena yasya kevala ratih tasyedam na samalocyampustakam prema-samputam (5) ayam kalpa-taror-namakalyana-padapah subhah vaikuntha-nilaye bhativane nihsreyasahvake (6) tasya skandha-trayamsuddham vartate vidusam mude upadesas thatha copalabdhistucchvasakah kila (7) asritya padapam vidvankalyanam labhate phalam radha-krishna-vilasesudasyam vrndavane vane (8) sampujya vaisnavan vipransarva-jivamsca nityasah kirtayami vinito 'hamgitam vraja-rasasritam
(1) Those aspirant practitioners who have first had profound meditation on the purport of great statements like tattvamasi, etc., and who have attained unity with the bliss of merging into the Brahmana effulgence, themselves find that such so-called bliss is put to shame before the completely ecstatic spiritual relationship between the taster and tasted mellows. I offer my respectful obeisances unto that most astonishing abode of such totally blissful mellows, the very moon over Vrndavana: Sri Krishna, Who is the delightful festival for Sri Radhika's eyes. (2) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which are the only shelter for all of the greatly fortunate devotees of Lord Krishna. His lotus feet cast out to a distant place the unbearable burden of the doctrine of undifferentiated monism, as it was propounded by Sripada Sankaracarya. (3) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my most worshipable Gurudeva, who is the personified form of blissful Krishna consciousness. Jut to increase his transcendental happiness; I will compose the book known as Kalyan Kalpa-taru. (4) The aggregate of the following 24 elements I called prakrti: the 5 gross elements, the 5 objects of the senses, the 5 working senses, the 5 knowledge-acquiring senses, mind, intelligence, ego, and mahattattva. The truth that is above and beyond all these is called transcendental truth. That truth although being the original reservoir of all blissful spiritual mellows, is not appreciated by all persons, indeed, those who have not developed unalloyed love and attachment to this transcendental truth will not read this book, which is just like a small jewel box for guarding the most confidential gems of ecstatic love. Thus they simply remain attached to meditating on material bodily happiness, becoming completely submerged and drowned in the insignificant ocean of lust. (5) In the abode of Vaikuntha, within the forest of ultimate good, there is one special wish-fulfilling desire tree of supreme auspiciousness, conspicuously present among all the others. (6) This tree is divided into three principle branches known as Upadesa (spiritual advice), Upalabdhi (attainment of realization), and Ucchvasa (overflowing spiritual emotions), which increase the joy of all persons who are actually wise. (7) The shelter of this special desire-tree produces the attainment of fruits in the form of auspiciousness. This means eternal servitude to the performance of Sri-Sri-Radha-Krishna's pastimes in the realm of the transcendental forest named Vrndavana, within the innermost secret abode of Vaikuntha. (8) I now humbly perform the chanting of all the songs which are sheltered under the mood of Vraja, just to worship all of Lord Krishna's jiva souls. This includes all the Vaisnava residents of Vraja-dhama, Ksetra-dhama, and Navadvipa-dhama, as well as all the brahmanas who are beyond fruitive activities and speculative knowledge, as well as all the souls from Lord Brahma down to the untouchable outcastes and dogs.