Continuing our presentation of the upcoming release Sharanagati, in this song Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur describes how a surrendered soul embraces the Lord’s guardianship and realises that even their surrender to the Lord is the Lord’s own doing.
Sharanagati
Song Seventeen
ki jāni ki bale, tomāra dhāmete,
ha-inu śaraṇāgata
tumi dayā-maya, patita-pāvana,
patita-tāraṇe rata [1]
ki–what?; jāni–I know; ki–what; bale–by force; tomāra–Your; dhāmete–in the abode; ha-inu–I became; śaraṇāgata–surrendered; tumi–You; dayā–mercy; maya–full of; patita–fallen; pāvana–saviour; patita–fallen; tāraṇe–in delivering; rata–ever engaged. [1]
(1) I do not know by what force I have taken shelter within Your abode. You are the merciful saviour of the fallen, who is ever engaged in delivering them.
Sri Laghu-chandrika-bhashya
(1) ki jāni ki bale: “I do not know by what force …” Krishna explains to Uddhav in Srimad Bhagavatam (11.20.8):
yadṛchchhayā mat-kathādau jāta-śraddhas tu yaḥ pumān
na nirviṇṇo nāti-sakto bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-daḥ
“One who is neither excessively averse nor excessively attached (to mundane existence) and who, by some good fortune, develops faith in narrations about Me—their practice of bhakti-yoga results in perfection.”
bharasā āmāra, ei mātra nātha!
tumi ta’ karuṇā-maya
tava dayā-pātra, nāhi mora sama,
avaśya ghuchābe bhaya [2]
bharasā–hope; āmāra–my; ei–this; mātra–only; nātha!–O Lord!; tumi–You; ta’–certainly; karuṇā–mercy; maya–full of; tava–Your; dayā–mercy; pātra–recipient; nāhi–there is not; mora–my; sama–equal; avaśya–certainly; ghuchābe–will dispel; bhaya–fear. [2]
(2) O Lord! You are merciful. This is my sole hope. There is no candidate for Your mercy like me; certainly You will dispel all my fear.
(2) tava dayā-pātra: “Candidate for Your mercy.” In his Sri Stotra-ratna (47), Sri Jamun Acharya prays:
na mṛṣā paramārtham eva me
śṛṇu vijñāpanam ekam agrataḥ
yadi me na dayiṣyase tadā
dayanīyas tava nātha durlabhaḥ
“O Lord, please listen as I make before You this one petition, which is not false, but utterly sincere: if You do not bestow Your mercy upon me, it will be extremely difficult for You to find a more befitting recipient of Your mercy.”
āmāre tārite, kāhāro śakati,
avanī-bhitare nāhi
dayāla ṭhākura! ghoṣanā tomāra,
adhama pāmare trāhi [3]
āmāre–to me; tārite–to deliver; kāhāro–someone; śakati–power; avanī–Earth; bhitare–upon; nāhi–there is not; dayāla–merciful; ṭhākura–Lord; ghoṣaṇā–declaration; tomāra–Your; adhama–low; pāmare–to the sinners; trāhi (trāṇa kara)–You deliver. [3]
(3) There is no one on Earth who has the power to deliver me. O merciful Lord! It is Your declaration that You deliver the lowest, most sinful persons.
(3) ghoṣanā tomāra: “Your declaration.” This is described in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila, 4.68), wherein Sriman Mahaprabhu says to Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu:
dīnere adhika dayā kare bhagavān
“The Supreme Lord bestows greater mercy upon the destitute.”
sakala chhāḍiyā, āsiyāchhi āmi,
tomāra charaṇe nātha!
āmi nitya-dāsa, tumi pālayitā,
tumi goptā, jagannātha! [4]
sakala–everything; chhāḍiyā–abandoning; asiyāchhi–have come; āmi–I; tomāra–Your; charaṇe–at the feet; nātha!–O Lord!; āmi–I; nitya–eternal; dāsa–servant; tumi–You; pālayitā–maintainer; tumi–You; goptā (pālana-kartā)–protector; jagannātha!–O Lord of the universe! [4]
(4) Abandoning everything, I have come to Your feet, O Lord! I am Your eternal servant and You are my maintainer and protector, O Lord of the universe!
tomāra sakala, āmi mātra dāsa,
āmāre tāribe tumi
tomāra charaṇa, karinu varaṇa,
āmāra nāhi ta’ āmi [5]
tomāra–Yours; sakala–everything; āmi–I; mātra–only; dāsa–a servant; āmāre–to me; tāribe–will deliver; tumi–You; tomāra–Your; charaṇa–feet; karinu–I did; varaṇa (avalambana-rūpe grahaṇa)–embrace (accept as my support); āmāra–mine; nāhi–not; ta’–certainly; āmi–I. [5]
(5) Everything is Yours. I am only a servant. Certainly You will deliver me. I have embraced Your feet and no longer belong to myself.
(5) āmāra nāhi ta’ āmi: “I no longer belong to myself.” The result of this type of wholesale surrender is described by Krishna to Uddhav in Srimad Bhagavatam (11.29.34):
mayātma-bhūyāya cha kalpate vai
“The surrendered soul becomes fit to associate with Me (they awaken to their divine form like My own).”
bhakati-vinoda, kā̐diyā śaraṇa,
la’yechhe tomāra pāya
kṣami’ aparādha, nāme ruchi diyā,
pālana karahe tāya [6]
bhakati-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; kā̐diyā–crying; śaraṇa–shelter; la’yechhe–has taken; tomāra–Your; pāya–feet; kṣami’–forgiving; aparādha–offences; nāme–for Your Name; ruchi (anurāga)–taste (deep loving attachment); diyā–giving; pālana–protection; karahe–please do; tāya–him. [6]
(6) Crying, Bhakti Vinod has taken shelter at Your feet. Forgiving his offences and granting him taste for Your Name, please maintain him.
(6) kṣami’ aparādha … pālana karahe tāya: “Forgiving his offences … please maintain him.” Forgiving their offences and granting them taste for the Name is the Lord’s maintenance of His devotees.