Sixth Period of Devotional Practice (6th Yāma Sādhana)

Book, Sreela Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Evening Bhajan— Bhāva (Prior stage of prema) - External symptoms of realized state


  • 6th Verse of Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka

    nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
    vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā
    pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā
    tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati

    O Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa! When by uttering your Holy Name, my eyes will be adorned with sacred glamour of the rolling down of tears, while uttering, my voice will be choked (will not be able to utter the complete Holy Name, words will be incoherent— not understandable to ordinary persons), the whole body will be horripilated (saturated with thrilling sensation).

    Srila Bhaktivinode Thākur in his own writing Bengali hymn, has clearly narrated eight principal ecstatic feelings— rolling down of tears from the eyes, choking of the voice (incomplete utterance of the Holy Name), horripilation, sweating, shivering, motionlessness, loosing consciousness with paleness of body.

    prema dhana binā vyārtha daridra jivana
    dāsa kari vetana more deha premadhana

    Without the wealth of ‘Prema’— pure devotional love, life is futile and poor. Kindly accept me as your servant and pay me salary— the wealth of divine love.

    Śikṣāṣṭaka song six

    aparādha-phale mama, citta bhela vajra-sama
    tuwā nāme nā lobhe vikāra
    hatāśa hoiye hari, tava nāma ucca kori’
    boro duḥkhe ḍāki bāra bāra (1)

    dīna doyāmoy karuṇā-nidāna
    bhāva-bindu dei’ rākhoho parāṇa (2)

    kobe taba nāma-uccaraṇe mora
    nayane jharabo dara dara lora (3)

    gada-gada svara kaṇṭhe upajabo
    mukhe bolo ādha ādha bāhirābo (4)

    pulake bharabo śarīra hāmāra
    sveda-kampa-stambha hobe bāra bāra (5)

    vivarṇa-śarīre hārāobuṅ jñāna
    nāma-samāśraye dharobuṅ parāṇa (6)

    milabo hāmāra kiye aiche dina
    roye bhaktivinoda mati-hīna (7)

    Hint of evening pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa

    sāyaṁ rādhāṁ sva-sakhyā nija-ramaṇa-kṛte preṣitāneka-bhojyāṁ
    sakhyānīteśa-śeṣāśana mudita hṛdaṁ tāṁ ca taṁ ca vrajendum
    susnātaṁ ramya-veśaṁ gṛham anu-jananī lālitaṁ prāpta-goṣṭhaṁ
    nirvyūḍho 'srālidohaṁ svagṛham anu punar bhuktavantaṁ smarāmi
    Govindalīlāmṛta 20.1

    Rādhārāni sends the good preparations of food cooked by her in the afternoon for Kṛṣṇa through one confidante (sakhi) to Nandagrām in the evening. Sakhi brings those good preparations of food from Jāvaṭ to Nandagrām and offers to Yaṣodā Devi. Yaṣodā Devi feeds her child Kṛṣṇa with great affection and satisfaction. After Kṛṣṇa’s taking food, the remnant— prasād, has been brought back by sakhi from Nandagrām to Jāvaṭ and is offered to Rādhārāni. Rādhārāni takes the remnant— Kṛṣṇa’s prasad, with great satisfaction. I remember such sweet pastimes of Rādhārāni.

    Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes— Yaṣodā Devi bathes the child nicely and dresses the child with good garments and adores the child on her lap inside the house, shows affection to the child for taking so much trouble for tending the cows in the pasture moving through the forest with soft feet over stone chips and thorns. After pacifying the child, Yaṣodā Devi persuades the child to go to the cowshed to milk the cows, otherwise how it will be possible to maintain the family. On hearing the desire of mother, Kṛṣṇa immediately goes to cowshed with other cowherd boys to milk the cows. Kṛṣṇa gives satisfaction to the cows and also to other gopīs. Cows are extremely happy to see Kṛṣṇa and to get nectar of the sweet touch of Kṛṣṇa. Out of spontaneous love the cows are giving milk automatically. Kṛṣṇa returns to the house and gladly takes the food prepared by Rādhārāni sent through sakhi. I remember such sweet pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in the evening with great adoration.

    Lila kirtan six

    śrī-rādhikā sāyaṁ-kāle, kṛṣṇa lāgi’ pāṭhāile
    sakhī-haste vividha miṣṭānna
    kṛṣṇa-bhukta-śeṣa āni’, sakhī dilo sukha māni’
    pāñā rādhā hoilo prasanna (1)

    snāta ramya-veśa dhori’, yaśodā lālita hari
    sakhā-saha go-dohana kore
    nānā-vidha pakva anna, pāñā hoilo parasanna
    smari āmi parama ādare (2)

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