Vandanā

I offer my obeisance unto Śrī Gurudev, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the salve of divine knowledge.

I bow my head in eternal obeisance to my Gurudev, the best of Āchāryas, Śrīla Bhakti Nirmal Āchārya Mahārāj. He is the ever vigilant, stalwart guardian of the current of pure devotion whose highest form flows from our most worshippable Śrī Rūpānuga Guru-varga in their exclusive dedication to Mahābhāva, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

I offer my obeisance unto he who perfectly fulfils his Gurudev’s most cherished desires; who is fully adorned with the blessings of his Gurudev’s associates; who is expert in all aspects of Vedic knowledge, both conceivable and inconceivable; who is the pre-eminent follower of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s line; who is known as ‘Govinda’— Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj; whose beautiful, effulgent, exalted form is infused with pure devotion; who is the Guru of the entire universe; and who is the giver of the seed of divine love for the Supreme Lord.

I offer my obeisance unto my lord, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, whose speech is most pleasing; whose divine form is adorned with garments the colour of the newly-risen sun; who is an abode of intense, ecstatic devotion; who is the sādhus’ sole choice; who is an ocean of renunciation and knowledge; who is a treasure-house of perfect conclusions; who is resplendent with pure devotion; who is the best of Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s followers; who is the giver of all good; who is the leading general of the tridaṇḍi-sannyāsīs; and who is my sole shelter.

I serve my lord, who is known as Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur. Within the Gauḍīya sampradāya’s lineage of Gurus, he shines like the sun in the morning sky. Through the saṅkīrtan of Śrīman Mahāprabhu he rescues the souls engulfed within the belly of the timiṅgila of illusionism and bestows upon them the ecstasy of swimming in the nectarean ocean of divine love for Kṛṣṇa.

I offer my obeisance unto the divine form of the devoteeavadhūt Śrīla Gaura Kiśor Dās Bābājī Mahārāj, who is a honey-bee at Śrī Gaurasundar’s lotus feet and a servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī imbued with deep loving attachment.

I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur, the embodiment of Śrī Gaurasundar’s potency. He is the king of all knowers of the scriptures of pure devotion and an ocean of the nectar of devotion to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

I offer my obeisance unto my lord, the ocean of divine love, Śrīla Jagannāth Dās Bābājī Mahārāj. He is the senior-most devotee, and worshipped by all who have taken shelter in Śrī Nabadwīp Dhām and Śrī Vraja Dhām.

Again and again I offer my obeisance unto the Supreme Lord’s devotees, who are saviours of the fallen, oceans of mercy, and wish-fulfilling trees.

I offer my obeisance unto the five-fold manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa known as the Pañcha-Tattva: His form as a devotee (Śrī Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya), His expanded form as a devotee (Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu), His Avatār as a devotee (Śrī Advaita Prabhu), His pure devotees (led by Śrīvās Ṭhākur), and His devotional energies (led by Śrī Gadādhar Paṇḍit).

Again and again I offer my obeisance unto You, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya, the supremely merciful, golden form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the giver of Kṛṣṇa-prema.

All glory to the merciful Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Madan Mohan! Though I am lame and wicked, They are my sole shelter, and Their lotus feet are everything to me.

I meditate upon Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Govinda being worshipped by Their dear girlfriends as They sit upon a throne within a beautiful jeweled temple beneath the wish-fulfilling trees of the divine abode of Vṛndāvan.

May Gopīnāth, the beautiful originator of the rāsa-līlā, who stands on the riverbank at Vaṁśī Vaṭ and attracts the gopīs with His flute-song, bestow auspiciousness upon us.

Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Vṛndā Devī, who is known as Tulasī Devī and Satyavatī, who is most dear to Kṛṣṇa, and who bestows devotion to Kṛṣṇa upon us.

Having offered obeisance to one’s initiating Guru, to the Gurus who have taught one the meaning of the Bhāgavat, and to all the authors of Vedic literature, who are the Gurus of the entire world, proclaim “Jay!”

All glory to the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, Śrī Gaurasundar, Śrī Śrī Gāndharvā-Govindasundar, and all of Their associates!