Continuing our presentation of the upcoming release Sharanagati, in this song Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur describes the joy in the hearts of the surrendered souls whose sole desire is the service of their beloved Lord.
Sharanagati
Song Sixteen
ātma-nivedana, tuyā pade kari’,
ha-inu parama sukhī
duḥkha dūre gela, chintā nā rahila,
chaudike ānanda dekhi [1]
ātma–self; nivedana–submission; tuyā–Your; pade–at the feet; kari’–doing; ha-inu–I became; parama–supremely; sukhī–happy; duḥkha–distress; dūre–far away; gela–went; chintā–thought, anxiety; nā–did not; rahila–remained; chaudike–in the four directions; ānanda–ecstasy; dekhi–I see. [1]
(1) By surrendering myself at Your feet, I have become supremely happy. All my distress has gone away, I have no more anxiety, and I see ecstasy in all directions.
Sri Laghu-chandrika-bhashya
(1) chaudike ānanda dekhi: “I see ecstasy in all directions.” This state of surrender is described by Krishna in Srimad Bhagavatam (11.14.13):
mayā santuṣṭa-manasaḥ sarvāḥ sukha-mayā diśaḥ
“All directions are filled with happiness for one whose heart is completely satisfied by Me.”
aśoka-abhaya, amṛta-ādhāra,
tomāra charaṇa-dvaya
tāhāte ekhana, viśrāma labhiyā
chhāḍinu bhavera bhaya [2]
aśoka–of sorrowlessness; abhaya–of fearlessness; amṛta–of immortality; ādhāra–reservoir; tomāra–Your; charaṇa–feet; dvaya–two; tāhāte–in them; ekhana–now; viśrāma–rest; labhiyā–obtaining; chhāḍinu–I abandoned; bhavera–of material existence, cyclic birth and death; bhaya–fear. [2]
(2) Your feet are the abode of sorrowlessness, fearlessness, and immortality. Receiving shelter beneath them, I have abandoned all fear of material existence.
tomāra saṁsāre, kariba sevana,
nahiba phalera bhāgī
tava sukha yāhe, kariba yatana,
ha’ye pade anurāgī [3]
tomāra–Your; saṁsāre–in the household; kariba–I will do; sevana–service; nahiba–I will not become; phalera–of the fruits; bhāgī–shareholder; tava–Your; sukha–happiness; yāhe–by which; kariba–I will do; yatana–careful endeavour; ha’ye–being; pade–to Your feet; anurāgī–deeply, lovingly attached. [3]
(3) I will now render service in Your household and will not become an enjoyer of the results. Lovingly attached to Your feet, I will carefully endeavour for whatever pleases You.
(3) tomāra saṁsāre, kariba sevana, nāhiba phalera bhāgī: “I will render service in Your household and will not become an enjoyer of the results.” In Srimad Bhagavad-gita (2.47), Sri Krishna describes the position of the jīva:
karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadāchana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi
“Your right is to engage in My service, not to enjoy the results. So engage in My service without being motivated by any desire to enjoy the results, and never become inclined to abandon My service.”
tomāra sevāya, duḥkha haya yata,
seo ta’ parama sukha
sevā-sukha-duḥkha, parama sampada,
nāśaye avidyā-duḥkha [4]
tomāra–Your; sevāya–in service; duḥkha–distress; haya–happens; yata–all; se–that; o–also; ta’–certainly; parama–supreme; sukha–happiness; sevā–service; sukha–happiness; duḥkha–and distress; parama–supreme; sampada–fortune; nāśaye–destroy; avidyā–of ignorance; duḥkha–distress. [4]
(4) All the distress I encounter in Your service is also my greatest happiness. Both the distress and the happiness that come from engagement in Your service are my greatest fortune; they destroy the distress of ignorance.
(4) sevā-sukha-duḥkha … nāśaye avidyā-duḥkha: “Both the distress and the happiness that come from engagement in Your service … destroy the distress of ignorance.” In Srimad Bhagavad-gita (7.14), Sri Krishna explains that only those who unconditionally surrender unto Him are liberated from maya:
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te
“My alluring, trimodal maya is insurmountable. Only those who surrender unto Me (her master) can transcend maya.”
[Translator’s note: In Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, 9.240, Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur comments:
yata dekha vaiṣṇavera vyavahāra duḥkha
niśchaya jāniha sei parānanda sukha
“You should know for certain that a devotee’s apparent distress is actually their ecstatic spiritual happiness.”]
pūrva itihāsa, bhulinu sakala,
sevā-sukha peye mane
āmi ta’ tomāra, tumi ta’ āmāra,
ki kāja apara dhane [5]
pūrva–previous; itihāsa–history; bhulinu–I forgot; sakala–all; sevā–service; sukha–happiness; peye–obtaining; mane–in the heart; āmi–I; ta’–certainly; tomāra–Yours; tumi–You; ta’–certainly; āmāra–mine; ki–what; kāja–necessity; apara–any other; dhane–for wealth. [5]
(5) Feeling the happiness of Your service in my heart, I have completely forgotten all past history. I am Yours, and You are mine. What need is there for any other wealth?
(5) pūrva itihāsa: “All past history.” This refers to one’s behaviour prior to the beginning of their life as a devotee. In Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila, 6.236), Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu forbids His followers from continuing to behave like common people after taking up the practice of devotion:
grāmya-kathā nā śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe
“Do not listen to mundane talks or speak of mundane news.”
Moreover, Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila, 13.132) cites the absence of the tendency to discuss worldly subjects as a prominent attribute of a great devotee:
grāmya-vārtā nā śune, nā kahe jihvāya
kṛṣṇa-kathā-pūjādite aṣṭa-prahara yāya
“He never listens to mundane news, and never speaks about it either. He passes every day engaged in discussion, worship, and other services of Krishna.”
In Srimad Bhagavatam (11.29.34), Krishna describes to Uddhav the transformation of a surrendering soul:
martyo yadā tyakta-samasta-karmā
niveditātmā vichikīrṣito me
tadāmṛtatvaṁ pratipadyamāno
mayātma-bhūyāya cha kalpate vai
“When a mortal being completely abandons all mundane endeavours, surrenders themself unto Me, and acts according to My desires, they obtain immortality and become fit to associate with Me.”
bhakati-vinoda, ānande ḍubiyā,
tomāra sevāra tare
saba cheṣṭā kare, tava ichchhā mata,
thākiyā tomāra ghare [6]
bhakati-vinoda–Bhakti Vinod; ānande–in ecstasy; ḍubiyā–plunging; tomāra–Your; sevāra–of service; tare–on account of; saba–all; cheṣṭā–endeavours; kare–does; tava–Your; ichchhā–desire; mata–according to; thākiyā–staying; tomāra–Your; ghare–in the house. [6]
(6) Diving in the ecstasy of Your service, Bhakti Vinod performs all his endeavours in accordance with Your will and resides within Your home.