Ohe! Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura

Written by Śrīla Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura and performed by Kindred Spirits.
The only way we can get the mercy of God is by the mercy of a pure devotee.

Ohe! Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura
From Śaraṇāgati, Bhajana Lālasa Song 7

Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura has written this song “ohe! vaiṣṇava ṭhākura”. The official Name for this song is “Bhajana Lālasa Song 7”. This song is taken from the book Śaraṇāgati, (The Attainment of Shelter). Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura prays to the pure devotees to bless him, so that that he can control his senses. He prays that he should continue having faith in the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra. He pleads that let Kṛṣṇa be his. This can be possible only by the causeless mercy of a pure Vaiṣṇava. Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura’s Bengali Songs are based on Sanskrit  verses from the book “Strota-ratna”

In this classic Bengali song Śrīla Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura describes how a surrendered soul values the association of the Vaiṣṇava.

ওহে!
বৈষ্ণব ঠাকুর দয়ার সাগর
এ দাসে করুণা করি’ ।
দিয়া পদছায়া শোধ হে আমায়
তোমার চরণ ধরি ॥১॥

(1)
ohe! vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, doyāra sāgara,
e dāse koruṇā kori’
diyā pada-chāyā, śodho he āmāya,
tomāra caraṇa dhori

ohe!–oh!; vaiṣṇava–devotee; ṭhākura–worshippable, topmost; dayāra–of mercy; sāgara–ocean; e–this; dāse–to this servant; karuṇā–mercy; kari’–doing; diyā–giving; pada–of Your feet; chhāyā–the shade; śodha–purify; he–oh!; āmāya–to me; tomāra–Your; charaṇa–feet; dhari–I clasp/ hold on.

O venerable Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura! O Ocean of Mercy! Please be merciful to this servant. Give me the shade of your feet and purify me. I hold on to your lotus feet. (1)

ছয় বেগ দমি’ ছয় দোষ শোধি’
ছয় গুণ দেহ’ দাসে ।
ছয় সৎসঙ্গ দেহ’ হে আমারে
বসেছি সঙ্গের আশে ॥২॥

(2)
chaya bega domi’, chaya doṣa śodhi’,
chaya guṇa deho’ dāse
chaya sat-saṅga, deho’ he āmāre,
bosechi saṅgera āśe

chaya–the six; vega–urges; dami’–subduing; chaya–the six; doṣa–defects; śodhi’–purifying; chaya–the six; guṇa–qualities; deha’–please give; dāse–to this servant; chaya–the six; sat–with devotees saṅga–forms of association; deha’–please give; he–oh; āmāre–to me; basechhi–I have sat; saṅgera–of association; āśe–with the desire.

Please teach me to control my the six urges, purify me of the six defects, and bestow on this servant the six good qualities. Please grant me the six types of holy association. I have sat before you in hope of attaining that association.* (2)

একাকী আমার নাহি পায় বল
হরিনাম-সংকীর্ত্তনে ।
তুমি কৃপা করি’ শ্রদ্ধাবিন্দু দিয়া
দেহ’ কৃষ্ণ-নাম-ধনে ॥৩॥

(3)
ekākī āmāra, nāhi pāya bala,
hari-nāma-saṅkīrtane
tumi kṛpā kori’, śraddhā-bindu diyā,
deho’ kṛṣṇa-nāma-dhane

ekākī–alone; āmāra–my; nāhi–do not; pāya–obtain; bala–ability, strength; hari–of the Lord; nāma–of the Name; saṅkīrtane–to engage in complete glorification and chanting; tumi–you; kṛpā–mercy; kari’–doing; śraddhā–of faith; bindu–a drop; diyā–giving; deha’–please give; kṛṣṇa–of Kṛṣṇa; nāma–of the Name; dhane–in the wealth/ treasure.

I do not find the strength to carry on alone the saṅkīrtana of the holy name of Hari. Please bless me by giving me just one drop of faith with which to obtain the great treasure of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. (3)

কৃষ্ণ সে তোমার কৃষ্ণ দিতে পার
তোমার শকতি আছে ।
আমি ত’ কাঙ্গাল ‘কৃষ্ণ’ ‘কৃষ্ণ’ বলি’
ধাই তব পাছে পাছে ॥৪॥

(4)
kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dīte pāro,
tomāra śakati āche
āmi to’ kāṅgāla, ‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ boli’,
dhāi tava pāche pāche

kṛṣṇa–the Lord; se–He; tomāra–yours; kṛṣṇa–Kṛṣṇa Himself; dite–to give; pāra–able; tomāra–your; śakati–power; āchhe–is present; āmi–I; ta’–certainly; kāṅgāla–poor; kṛṣṇa–the Name of ‘Kṛṣṇa’; kṛṣṇa–the Name of ‘Kṛṣṇa’; bali’–saying; dhāi–I run; tava–your; pāchhe–after; pāchhe–behind.

Kṛṣṇa is yours. You have the power to give Him to me. I am simply your poor servant running behind you shouting, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” (4)

(This song can be sung in Raga Khamaja in Dadra Tala)

From Śrī Laghu-chandrikā-bhāṣya

*The six urges (passions) are: (1) the urge to speak, (2) the mind’s demand, (3) the actions of anger, (4) the urges of the tongue, the stomach, and (5-6) the urges of the belly and genitals.

The six defects (faults) are: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavoring for material things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.

The six good qualities, favorable to the execution of pure devotional service are: (1) being enthusiastic in practicing devotional service, (2) endeavoring with confidence, firm faith and conviction (3) being patient, (4) engagement in activities favourable to devotion [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.

The six methods of association are: Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasāda and offering prasāda are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.