Favorite Gaudiya prayers, verses, songs, excerpts, that we still cherish Options

[Milla]

Here is a beatiful prayer glorifying Lord Chaitanya's mercy from the CC. I remember it from a class by Ek one Gaura-purnima at the BBT in Korsnas.

heloddhūnita-khedayā viśadayā pronmīlad-āmodayā

śāmyac-chāstra-vivādayā rasa-dayā cittārpitonmādayā

śaśvad-bhakti-vinodayā sa-madayā mādhurya-maryādayā

śrī-caitanya dayā-nidhe tava dayā bhūyād amandodayā

O, ocean of mercy, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!
Let there be an awakening of Your auspicious mercy, which easily drives away all kinds of material lamentation. By Your mercy, everything is made pure and blissful. It awakens transcendental bliss and covers all gross material pleasure. By your auspicious mercy quarrels and disagreements arising among different scriptures are vanquished.

Your auspicious mercy causes the heart to jubilate by pouring forth transcendental mellows. Your mercy always stimulates devotional service, which is full of joy. You are always glorifying the conjugal love of God. May transcendental bliss be awakened in my heart by Your causeless mercy. (CC Madhya 10.119)

[Milla]

From ACBSP's Nectar of Devotion:

Eagerness

Bilvamangala Thakura expresses very nicely this intense eagerness in his book Krishna-karnamrita. He says, "I am eagerly waiting to see that boy of Vrindavana whose bodily beauty is captivating the whole universe, whose eyes are always bounded by black eyebrows and expanded like lotus petals, and who is always glancing over His devotees and therefore moving slightly here and there. His eyes are always moist and His lips are colored like copper, and from those lips there comes a sound which drives one madder than the mad elephants. I want so much to see Him at Vrindavan!"

[Chanahari]

I don't know how much it is Gaudiya, but I think it qualifies. After all, I learned it there.

Radharani ki jaya is my all time favorite.

It makes me explode. If it would have been more frequent, I might have risked joining in a temple just to participate in its chanting. It is so sad that it is disenfrachised now - the only instances I hear it is when I sing it.

[Tapati]

The Govindam prayers.

excerpt:

Venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam

barhavatam samasitambuda-sundarangam

kandarpa-koti-kamaniya vishesha-shobham

govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami


angani yasya sakalendriya-vrittimanti

pashyanti panti kalayanti chiram jaganti

ananda-chinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya

govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

Yamuna's version is engraved upon my mind from many mornings of ecstatic darshan. I also like Pia's version which I downloaded from Apple's music store.

I still love to sing it.

[Brainiac]

Pia is Gaurangi dasi from the UK, right? The daughter of Jayadeva das?

[Tapati]

Just for reference, the same site has other songs commonly sung in the temples:

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/standard_hare_krishna_songs.htm

and there is a whole directory of other prayers and songs:

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/a_little_book...as_gayatris.htm

[Tapati]

Pia is Gaurangi dasi from the UK, right? The daughter of Jayadeva das?

I have no idea. I just love her voice.

[Brainiac]

I am sure that Pia is none other than Gaurangi-dasi. I know her!! She's very sweet. Yes she has a FANTASTIC voice and is very popular over here. Her father is not a bad singer either, so we know where she got it from! Jayadeva (John Richardson) used to be a singer with The Rubettes, a 70s group. I have a 30-min or so mp3 of one of her kirtans which is her signature tune and she sings it soooo greatly, it's so raw. By the way, here you go:

http://www.radiokrishna.com/rkc_archive_ne...2FGaurangi+dasi
http://www.plumebleue.ch/pages/discs_pages...icaleclipse.htm

I just did a bit of Googling, it's definitely her.

[sarasvati_river]

I always liked the Prayer to Lord Nishringha Deva. It sends chills down my spine when it's sung well.

[angrezi]

I always have been most fond of Damodarastakam sung in the do-tal fashion, at dusk in Vrindavan, with a hint of chill in the air, the smell of ghee, and standing in front of Sri Sri Krsna-Balaram ...

[Dhyana]

(Milla)

heloddhūnita-khedayā viśadayā pronmīlad-āmodayā...

A dear memory. Not just the verse; it brought the mood of the Bhagavatam classes at the NE BBT back home to me... They were something special. Devotees knew how to chant. They were trained in paying attention to minute details, phrases, those little words, including Sanskrit.

Hardly a lecture passed without either the speaker or someone in the audience discovering a typo or some other error in the English original... which would then be written down on the spot to be filed later.

A favorite song: Krishna-Premi devi dasi, Jagannathastakam in the versified English translation, sung to the standard tune:

Jagannatha Svami, oh may Your vision always stay before my eyes!

A favorite Bhagavatam verse, 1.9.44. Bhisma, on his deathbed, has just spoken his prayers. His breating has stopped.

sampadyamAnam AjJAya
bhISmaM brahmaNi niSkale
sarve babhUvus te tuSNIM
vayAMsIva dinAtyaye

"Knowing that Bhismadeva had merged into the unlimited eternity of the Supreme Absolute, all present there became silent like birds at the end of the day."

I don't know why this image takes my breath away.

[Milla]

A favorite prayer from Rupa Goswami's Govinda-virudavali. All glories, all glories to Dravida Prabhu who unearthed it from a non-BBT "other book" and chanted it so beautifully.

The prayer is a wonderful piece of poetry, the last three syllables of each word/compound in the middle and in the end of each line are also the beginning three syllables of the next word or compound. E.g. in the first line, visarada means "expert" (Krishna is expert at playing the flute, vamsi-vadya-visarada), the next word sarada means "autumn" (sarada-sarasiruha means autumn lotus flowers).

jaya jaya vamsi-vadya-visarada sarada-sarasiruha-paribhavaka-
bhava-kalita-locana-samcarana carana-siddha-vadhu-dhriti-haraka
haraka-lapa-rucancita-kundala kundala-sad-govardhana-bhushita
bhushita-bhushana-cid-ghana-vigraha vigraha-khandita-khala-vrishabhasura

bhasura-kutila-kacarpita-candraka candrakalapa-rucabhyadhikanana
kanana-kunja-griha-smara-sangara sangara-soddhura-bahu-bhujangama
jangama-nava-tapica-nagopama gopa-manishita-siddhishu dakshina
dakshina-pani-ga-danda-sabhajita bhajita-koti-sasanka-virocana

rocanaya krita-caru-viseshaka sesakamala-bhava-sanaka-sanandana-
nandana-guna ma nandaya sundara vira

All glories, all glories to You, O Lord expert at playing the flute, whose restless, love-filled eyes defeat the autumn lotus flowers. O Lord who steals away the peaceful composure of the wives of the Siddhas and Caranas, and is decorated with splendid jewel necklaces and earrings. You stay on the splendid Govardhana Hill, which glistens with many pleasant lakes. Your transcendental form decorates Your decorations. You found and killed the bull-demon Arishtasura.

You wear a peacock feather in Your splendid, curling hair and Your face is more splendid than a host of moons. You enjoy amorous battle in a cottage in the forest grove and Your arms are two bold snakes eager to enjoy the nectar happiness of embraces. You are like a moving young tamala tree. You sincerely and expertly fulfill all the desires of the cowherd people. You hold a staff in Your right hand. Your splendor eclipses millions of suns and moons. You are decorated with handsome tilaka drawn with the yellow pigment gorochana.

O Lord, who transcendental qualities delight Ananta Shesha, Brahma, Sanaka Kumara and Sanandana Kumara, O handsome hero, please fill me with transcendental happiness.

[jatayu]

[Preyobrazhenya]

Paruma Karuna - the melody is hauntingly beautiful.

[Chanahari]

And the thing which begins with Mama mana mandire. I'm not sure if it is the title...

[Dhyana]

Chanahari, this is incredible. I saw the post about Parama Karuna and thought of a recording of "Mama-mana mandire" (if this is the spelling) I once had... alas! Very long ago. It was a deep male voice singing, a haunting, ornate, meandering melody with many tones per every vowel, or so it seemed... God who could this be???

[Chanahari]

I recently recorded Mama mana mandire at the incredible bhajan sessions I participated last week (which I have the lucky possibility to do, despite my being a blooper ). When I convert it to mp3, I may make it public so others can rejoice hearing it. The singer is definitely not a "deep male voice singing, a haunting, ornate, meandering melody", but maybe it can still be of use...

[Milla]

According to my songbook, it is called just that Mama Mana Mandire and it is by Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

And yes please, do upload your incredible bhajan session!

[Brainiac]

ei mata dine dine, svarUpa-rAmAnanda-sane,
nija-bhAva karena vidita
bAhye viSa-jvAlA haya, bhitare Ananda-maya,
kRSNa-premAra adbhuta carita

In this way day after day, He made His ecstasy known in the company of Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya. Externally it was as if there was suffering due to poison, whereas internally He was in bliss. This is the wonderful quality of Krsna-prema.
(Caitanya CaritAmRta 2.2)

How ironic that this year Gaura Purnima falls on Good Friday. While the celebration of Gaura Purnima enraptures the secret depths of our hearts and catalyses our aesthetic impulses into a joyful celebration of song and dance, we are simultaneously reminded of the burning and heart-wrenching spirit of sacrifice that was exemplified by the Passion of the Christ. In this way I thought this verse would be a good estimation to describe the polarisation of feelings that may occur within many devotees this coming Friday.

[angrezi]

Chanahari, this is incredible. I saw the post about Parama Karuna and thought of a recording of "Mama-mana mandire" (if this is the spelling) I once had... alas! Very long ago. It was a deep male voice singing, a haunting, ornate, meandering melody with many tones per every vowel, or so it seemed... God who could this be???  

Probably a ACBS disciple named Jaya Sacinandana. He made some recordings of the lesser known songs such as that using traditional instruments in the '70s. I used to have a cassette recording of this. He was apparently a very famous bhajaniya in the '70's but 'blooped' from what I have heard.