Vrindavanastakam - Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur

I did a quick search on the web, but did not find any translation of the following anywhere. So here is my version, which I did rather rapidly I admit.

zrI VRndAvanASTakam

Srila Vishwanath Cakravarti Thakur

na yoga-siddhir na mamAstu mokSo
vaikuNTha-loke’pi na pArSadatvam
premApi na syAd iti cettarAM tu
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (1)

I do not seek perfection in yoga, nor liberation, nor do I ask to become an associate of Lord Vishnu in the Vaikuntha planets. Even if I do not have any love for Radha and Krishna, I pray that I may reside nowhere else but in Vrindavan alone.

tArNaM janur yatra vidhir yayAce
sad-bhakta-cUDAmaNir uddhavo’pi
vIkSyaiva mAdhurya-dhUrAM tad asmin
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (2)

I pray that I may reside nowhere else but in Vrindavan, for this is where Lord Brahma prayed to take birth as a blade of grass, as did the greatest of devotees, Uddhava, after seeing the glorious sweetness of divine love that is embodied here.

kiM te kRtaM hanta tapaH kSitIti
gopyo’pi bhUmeH stuvate sma kIrtim
yenaiva kRSGAGghri-padAGkite’smin
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (3)

I pray that I may reside nowhere but in Vrindavan, which the gopis glorified by asking, “O Earth! Did you perform great austerities in a previous life that you are now marked with Krishna’s lotus footprints?”

gopAGganA-lampaTataiva yatra
yasyAM rasaH pUrNatamatvam Apa
yato raso vai sa iti zrutis tan
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (4)

I pray that I may reside nowhere but in Vrindavan, where the Supreme Lord, who is glorified in the Shrutis as identical with the experience of love (raso vai saH), manifested the most perfect form of that love as the wooer of the gopis.

bhAnDIra-govardhana-rAsa-pIThais
tri-sImake yojana-paJcakena
mite vibhutvAd amite’pi cAsmin
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (5)

I pray that I may reside nowhere but in Vrindavan alone, which though seemingly limited to the five yojanas of land lying between the three point of Bhandiravan, Govardhan and the Rasa Sthali, is in fact infinite.

yatrAdhipatyaM vRSabhAnu-putryA
yenodayet prema-sukhaM janAnAm
yasmin mamAzA balavaty ato’smin
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (6)

I pray that I may reside nowhere but in Vrindavan alone, where the daughter of Vrishabhanu is queen, where the joy of love rises in every heart and where all my hopes and dreams become empowered.

yasmin mahA-rAsa-vilAsa-lIlA
na prApa yAM zrIr api sA tapobhiH
tatrollasan-maJju-nikuJja-puJje
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (7)

I pray that I may reside nowhere but in Vrindavan, filled with the ecstatic groves and charming forests wherein Krishna performed His Rasa dance, which Lakshmi Devi was unable to attain even after performing many austerities.

sadA ruru-nyaGku-mukhA vizaGkaM
khelanti kUjanti pikAli-kIrAH
zikhaNDino yatra naTanti tasmin
mamAstu vRndAvana eva vAsaH (8)

I pray that I may reside nowhere but in Vrindavan, where the deer and antelope prance fearlessly, where the cuckoos, parrots, and bees fill the air with joyful sounds, and where the peacocks dance gaily.

vRndAvanasyASTakam etad uccaiH
paThanti ye nizcala-buddhayas te
vRndAvanezAGghri-saroja-sevAM
sAkSAl labhante januSo’nta eva (9)

Those who sing these eight verses dedicated to the land of Vrindavan with fixed intelligence will attain the direct service of the lotus feet of the king and queen of Vrindavan at the end of this life.

I had to do this one too. This prayer is already found in numerous places on line. I have cut back on all the embellishments to give a pretty bare-bones translation.

Vrinda-devy-astakam

by Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur
gAGgeya-cAmpeya-taDid-vinindi-
rociH-pravAha-snapitAtma-vRnde! |
bandhUka-bandhu-dyuti-divya-vAso
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||1||

O Vrinda! You are dressed in clothes that are as red as the bandhuka flower. With your own beautiful bodily luster, which makes a mockery of the combined effulgence of pure gold, champaka flowers and lightning bolts, you inundate all your personal expansions, namely the moving and non-moving residents of the Vrindavan forest. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet.

bimbAdharoditvara-manda-hAsya-
nAsAgra-muktA-dyuti-dIpitAsye |
vicitra-ratnAbharaNA-zriyADhye!
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||2||

O Vrinda! Your countenance is especially radiant, illuminated by the gentle smile rising on your bimba-red lips and the pearl on your nose. You are made even more lovely by various jewelled ornaments. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet.

samasta-vaikuNTha-ziromaNau zrI-
kRSNasya vRndAvana-dhanya-dhAmni |
dattAdhikAre vRSabhAnu-putryA
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||3||

O Vrinda! The daughter of King Vrishabhanu gave you authority over this fortunate abode of Krishna, which is the pinnacle of all the Vaikuntha abodes of the Supreme Lord. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet.

tvad AjJayA pallava-puSpa-bhRGga-
mRgAdibhir mAdhava-keli-kuJjAH |
madhvAdibhir bhAnti vibhUSyamANA
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||4||

O Vrinda! By your orders, the bowers where Krishna engages in his amorous sports are decorated with fresh leaves, sprouts, flowers, bees, and all types of animals and birds, as well as by all six seasons beginning with the spring. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet.

tvadIya-dUtyena nikuJja-yunor
atyutkayoH keli-vilAsa-siddhiH |
tvat-saubhagaM kena nirucyatAM tad
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||5||

O Vrinda! The Divine Couple of the Bower, anxious to be united, are able to perfect Their love sports through Your intervention alone. Can anyone put your great good fortune into words? We can only bow down at your lotus feet.

rAsAbhilASo vasatiz ca vRndA-
vane tvad-IzAGghri-saroja-sevA |
labhyA ca puMsAM kRpayA tavaiva
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||6||

O Vrinda! Through your grace alone can we attain the hope of participating in the rasa dance, residence in Vrindavan, and the service of the lotus feet of your most beloved Lord and Lady. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet.

tvaM kIrtyase sAtvata-tantra-vidbhir
lIlAbhidhAnA kila kRSNa-zaktiH |
tavaiva mUrtis tulasI nR-loke
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||7||

O Vrinda! Those who know the Vaishnava agamas say that you are Krishna’s potency known as Lila. In this world, you also appear to us in the form of the Tulasi plant. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet.

bhaktyA vihInA aparAdha-lakSaiH
kSiptAz ca kAmAdi-taraGga-madhye |
kRpAmayi! tvAM zaraNaM prapannA
vRnde! numas te caraNAravindam ||8||

O Vrinda ! Bereft of devotional service, and cast into the waves of lust, anger and greed by our millions of offenses, we have taken shelter of you, O merciful one! We down at your lotus feet.

vRndASTakaM yaH zRNuyAt paThed vA
vRndAvanAdhIza-padAbja-bhRGgaH |
sa prApya vRndAvana-nitya-vAsaM
tat-prema-sevAM labhate kRtArthaH ||9||

Whoever, like a bee at the lotus feet of the Divine Couple, hears or recites these eight prayers in glorification of Sri Vrinda Devi attains eternal residence in Vrindavan and realizes the perfection of life in their ecstatic loving service.

Jagatji, by any chance have you read the translation of Vrnda-devyastakam by Baba Madhava das? If so, what did you think of it?

Maybe, I don't know. Where can I find it? I tracked down a couple of versions on the Internet, but I don't know who did them. No one gives anyone credit, which is pretty sad.

Tis available here amongst other places. Knowing his version, I was immediately surprised when reading yours as all the verses were plural. Seems my memory hadn't failed me--he wrote his in the first person singular.

Baba Madhava's translation was printed in BTG also, alongside an article on Vrnda Kunda, I believe.

numaH is a plural form. rather an odd one, admittedly. The first person singular would be naumi.

I just made a couple of small corrections. All endeavor is covered with fault. I guess I had seen that Baba Madhava translation when I did mine. It seems a bit awkward in general.

Sanskrit is very concise and it is a tendency of most translators to overelaborate. I know that my translations sometimes seem thin and unsatisfactory to the rasikas, but, hey...

Why odd? It seems to me to be a regular first person plural, present indicative active of the root nu, which belongs to the adgaNa.


I hardly qualify as a rasika, but I do want express my appreciation for your translations and say that they are neither thin nor unsatisfactory to me.

Sincerely,
Elpis

I had a look at Baba Madhava Dasa's translation. In the text printed in the link you supplied, the reading is namas and not numas. I guess that this misreading made the Baba translate the verses in the first person singular. However, namas (which is a noun, not a verb) usually takes the dative, not the accusative; numas seems like a better reading to me.

Sincerely,
Elpis

Sanskrit is a funny beast. The preponderence of verbs belong to the four regular conjugations. The other six conjugations seem to have only a small number of representatives, though these are sometimes familiar, frequently used verbs.

So one who has learned the regular conjugations usually find the irregular ones odd. Those who are buffs, of course, just love those exceptions, as much as they love the second person dual of the passive of the aorist of the intensive of the desiderative!

Please don't ask me to produce one!