In honour of Sri Advaita Saptami, Srila Advaita Acharya’s appearance day, we are presenting Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s Sri Sri Advaitashtakam.
This poem was first published by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math’s Kirtan Manjusha, and is part of the third edition of the Math’s Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali.
Sri Sri Advaitashtakam
Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya
ganga-tire tat payobhis tulasyah
patraih pushpaih prema-hunkara-ghoshaih
prakatyartham gauram aradhayad yah
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [1]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, who worshipped Sri Gaurahari on the bank of the Ganges with Ganges water, tulasi leaves, flowers, and loud cries of love to induce Him to appear.
yad dhunkaraih prema-sindhor vikarair
akrishtah san gaura-goloka-nathah
avirbhutah sri-navadvipa-madhye
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [2]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya. Being attracted by Advaita’s cries, which were like waves within His ocean of love, the golden Lord of Goloka appeared in Sri Nabadwip Dham.
brahmadinam durlabha-prema-purair
adinam yah plavayam asa lokam
avirbhavya srila-chaitanya-chandram
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [3]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya. He induced Sri Chaitanyachandra to appear and thus flooded the entire world with the flow of divine love that is difficult for even Brahma and the other gods to attain.
sri-chaitanyah sarva-shakti-prapurno
yasyaivajna-matrato ’ntardadhe ’pi
durvijneyam yasya karunya-krityam
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [4]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, whose acts of compassion are enigmatic. Only with His permission did the omnipotent Sri Chaitanya withdraw from the world.
srishti-sthityantam vidhatum pravrittah
yasyamshamshah brahma-vishnvishvarakhyah
yenabhinnam tam mahavishnu-rupam
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [5]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, who is nondifferent from Mahavishnu. His expansions and sub-expansions—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—perform the functions of creation, maintenance, and dissolution.
kasmimshchid yah shruyate chashrayatvat
shambhor ittham sambhavan-nama dhama
sarvaradhyam bhakti-matraika-sadhyam
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [6]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, who is worshipped by all and attained only through devotion. Because He is the origin of Lord Shiva, in some scriptures He is said to be Shiva.
sita-namni preyasi prema-purna
putro yasyapy achyutananda-nama
sri-chaitanya-prema-pura-prapurnah
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [7]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, whose wife, Srimati Sita Thakurani, is filled with divine love, and whose son, Sri Achyutananda, is overflowing with divine love for Sri Chaitanya.
nityanandadvaitato ’dvaita-nama
bhaktyakhyanad yah sad-acharya-nama
shashvach-chetah-sancharad gaura-dhama
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [8]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya. Because He is nondifferent from Nityananda Prabhu, He is known as ‘Advaita’, and because He teaches devotion, He is known as ‘Acharya’. His heart is eternally filled with Sri Gauranga’s presence.
pratah pritah pratyaham sampathed yah
sitanathasyashtakam shuddha-buddhih
so ’yam samyak tasya padaravinde
vindan bhaktim tat-priyatvam prayati [9]
One who fully recites this poem about Sri Sita Devi’s Lord with sincerity and love every morning attains devotion to His lotus feet and becomes dear to Him.