A Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Śrī Gaurāṅga
(from Prārthanā)

(1)

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu doyā koro more
tomā binā ke doyālu jagat-saṁsāre

(2)

patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra
mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra

(3)

hā hā prabhu nityānanda, premānanda sukhī
kṛpābalokana koro āmi boro duḥkhī

(4)

doyā koro sītā-pati adwaita gosāi
tava kṛpā-bale pāi caitanya-nitāi

(5)

hā hā swarūp, sanātana, rūpa, raghunātha
bhaṭṭa-juga, śrī-jīva hā prabhu lokanātha

(6)

doyā koro śrī-ācārya prabhu śrīnivāsa
rāmacandra-saṅga māge narottama-dāsa

(1) My dear Lord Caitanya, please be merciful to me, because who can be more merciful than Your Lordship within these three worlds?

(2) Your incarnation is just to reclaim the conditioned, fallen souls, but I assure You that You will not find a greater fallen soul than me. Therefore, my claim is first.

(3) My dear Lord Nityānanda, You are always joyful in spiritual bliss. Since You always appear very happy, I have come to You because I am most unhappy. If You kindly put Your glance over me, then I may also become happy.

(4) My dear Advaita Prabhu, husband of Sītā, You are so kind. Please be merciful to me. If You are kind to me, naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda will also be kind to me.

(5) O Svarūpa Dāmodara, personal secretary of Lord Caitanya, O six Gosvāmīs O Śrī Rupa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Srī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī! O Lokanātha Gosvāmī, my beloved spiritual master! Narottama dāsa also prays for your mercy.

(6) O Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, successor to the six Gosvāmīs! Please be merciful to me. Narottama dāsa always desires the company of Rāmacandra Cakravartī.

PURPORT

by His Divine Grace

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

This is a song composed by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. He prays to Lord Caitanya, “My dear Lord, please be merciful to me, because who can be more merciful than Your Lordship within these three worlds?” Actually, this is a fact. Not only Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, but Rūpa Gosvāmī also prayed to Lord Caitanya in this way. At the time of the first meeting of Lord Caitanya and Rūpa Gosvāmī at Prayāga (Allahabad), Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said, “My dear Lord, You are the most munificent of all incarnations, because You are distributing love of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” When Kṛṣṇa was personally present He simply asked us to surrender, but He did not distribute Himself so easily. He made conditions—”First of all you surrender.” But this incarnation, Lord Caitanya, although Kṛṣṇa Himself, makes no such condition. He simply distributes: “Take love of Kṛṣṇa.” Therefore Lord Caitanya is approved as the most munificent incarnation. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, “Please be merciful to me. You are so magnanimous, because You have seen the fallen souls of this age, and You are very much compassionate to them, but You should know also that I am the most fallen. No one is more greatly fallen than me.” Patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra: “Your incarnation is just to reclaim the conditioned, fallen souls, but I assure You that You will not find a greater fallen soul than me. Therefore, my claim is first.”

Then he prays to Lord Nityānanda. He says, hā hā prabhu nityānanda premānanda-sukhī: “My dear Lord Nityānanda, You are always joyful in spiritual bliss. Since You always appear very happy, I have come to You because I am most unhappy. If You kindly put Your glance over me, I may also become happy.” Then he prays to Advaita Prabhu. Doyā koro sītā-pati adwaita gosāi. Advaita Prabhu’s wife’s name was Sītā. Therefore He is sometimes addressed as sītā-pati. Thus Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, “My dear Advaita Prabhu, husband of Sītā, You are so kind. Please be kind to me. If You are kind to me, naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda will also be kind to me.” Actually, Advaita Prabhu invited Lord Caitanya to come down. When Advaita Prabhu saw that the fallen souls were all engaged simply in sense gratificatory processes, not understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He felt very much compassionate toward the fallen souls, and He also felt Himself incapable of claiming them all. He therefore prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa, “Please come Yourself. Without Your personal presence it is not possible to deliver these fallen souls.” Thus by His invitation Lord Caitanya appeared. Naturally, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays to Advaita Prabhu, “If You will be kind to me, naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda also will be kind to me.”

Then he prays to the Gosvāmīs. Hā hā swarūp, sanātana, rūpa, raghunātha. Swarūp refers to Svarūpa Dāmodara, the personal secretary of Lord Caitanya. He was always with Caitanya Mahāprabhu and immediately arranged for whatever Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted. Two personal attendants, Svarūpa Dāmodara and Govinda, were always constantly with Lord Caitanya. Therefore, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura also prays to Svarūpa Dāmodara and then to the six Gosvāmīs, the next disciples of Lord Caitanya—Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha Gosvāmī, Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. These six Gosvāmīs were directly instructed by Lord Caitanya to spread this movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Narottama dāsa Thākura also prays for their mercy.

After the six Gosvāmīs, the next ācārya was Śrīnivāsa Ācārya. Actually, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura was in the disciplic succession after Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and was almost his contemporary, and Narottama dāsa’s personal friend was Rāmacandra Cakravartī. Therefore he prays, “I always desire the company of Rāmacandra.” He desires a devotee’s company. The whole process is that we should always pray for the mercy of the superior ācāryas and keep company with pure devotees. Then it will be easier for us to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and receive the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is the sum and substance of this song sung by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura.