Syamananda Sataka (verses 21-25)

These 101 slokas in honor of Syamananda Prabhu were written by Sri Rasikananda.

21

atha trailokya-sobha-nidhih

yat-padabja-paraga-ragi-

hridayas tivranuraga janah

sri-krishna-pratimurti-sesha-nilayah

kshma-mandale sarvatah

asan kirtana-nartanadi-rasikah

sa-prema-seva-paras

tam gopi sa-nitanta-bhakti-

sukhadam karshnim bhaje ‘ntar hridi

He is an ocean of glory that fills the three worlds.

In my heart I worship Krishnananda’s son, Sri Syamananda. He gives the gift of joyful devotion to Lord Krishna, the gopis’ master, to the people of this world. The great devotees on this earth, the devotees intent on serving Lord Krishna with love, the devotees who deeply love Lord Krishna, the devotees who are like temples where Lord Krishna’s forms are worshiped, the devotees who taste the nectar of singing and dancing in the kirtana glorifying Lord Krishna’s holy names, have made their hearts red with the pollen dust of Syamananda Prabhu’s lotus feet.

22

yal-lila-rasa-sagarottha-madhubhid-

varta-navinamritam

tan-madhurya-kala-prasanga-

valitotkanthati-ragakulah

patum mukta-mumukshavo vishayinas

cec chanti-trishnoddhatas

tyakta-sva-sthiti-vaibhava

rasavate tasmai namah karshnaye

I offer my respectful obeisances to Krishnananda’s son, Sri Syamananda. Leaving behind their homes and opulences, the liberated souls, desiring liberation, and even the materialists now yearn to taste the nectar of Lord Krishna’s sweet and graceful pastimes, pastimes that have risen from the nectar ocean of Sri Syamananda’s activities.

23

premollasa-ghanam rasonnati-

ghanam lavanya-lakshmi-ghanam

san-madhurya-ghanam kalavali-

ghanam tejo-ghanam sri-ghanam

dhairya-sthairya-ghanam kripa-bhara-

ghanam sobha-ghanam hri-ghanam

vande daura-maho-ghanam sukha-

ghanam lila-ghanam cid-ghanam

I offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Syamananda. He is filled with blissful love for Lord Krishna. He is a monsoon cloud showering the nectar of the rasas of love for Lord Krishna. He is a great forest of the descriptions of Lord Krishna’s handsomeness and glories. He is filled with descriptions of Lord Krishna’s gopi-beloveds’ sweetness. He is the expert teacher of the sixty-four arts. He is a weapon that rips apart the people’s aversion to Lord Krishna. He is an iron mace that breaks to pieces the pride of so-called scholars averse to Lord Krishna. He is steady, determined, and fearless. He is a monsoon cloud of mercy. He is intent on chanting Lord Krishna’s glories. He is humble, glorious, and joyful. He is rapt in remembering and describing Lord Krishna’s pastimes. He is a preacher of Lord Krishna’s glories.

Note: These are the sixty-four arts mentioned by Sri Rasikananda Prabhu:

1. Gita vidya: singing.
2. Vadya vidya: playing musical instruments.
3. Nritya vidya: dancing.
4. Natya vidya: theatricals.
5. alekhya vidya: painting.
6. visesakacchedya vidya: painting the face and body with color.
7. tandula-kusuma-bali-vikara: preparing offerings from rice and flowers.
8. puspastarana: making a covering of flowers for a bed.
9. dasana-vasananga-raga: applying preparations for cleansing the teeth, cloths and painting the body.
10. mani-bhumika-karma: making the groundwork of jewels.
11. saya-racana: covering the bed.
12. udaka vadya: playing music in water.
13. udaka-ghata: splashing with water.
14. citra-yoga: practically applying an admixture of colors.
15. malya-grathana-vikalpa: designing a preparation of wreaths.
16. sekharapida-yojana: practically setting the coronet on the head.
17. nepathya-yoga: practically dressing in the tiring room.
18. karnapatra-bhanga: decorating the tragus of the ear.
19. sugandha-yukti: practical application of aromatics.
20. bhushana-yojana: applying or setting ornaments.
21. aindra-jala: juggling.
22. kaucumara: a kind of art.
23. hasta-laghava: sleight of hand.
24. citra-sakapupa-bhaksya-vikara-kriya: preparing varieties of delicious food.
25. panaka-rasa-ragasava-yojana: practically preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts with red color.
26. suci-vaya-karma: needleworks and weaving.
27. sutra-krida: playing with thread.
28. vina-damuraka-vadya: playing flute and small drum.
29. prahelika: making and solving riddles.
30. durvacaka-yoga: practicing language difficult to be answered by others.
31. pustaka-vacana: reciting books.
32. natikakhyayika-darsana: enacting short plays and anecdotes.
33. kavya-samasya-purana: solving enigmatic verses.
34. pattika-vetra-bana-vikalpa: designing preparation of shield, cane and arrows.
35. tarku-karma: spinning by spindle.
36. takshana: carpentry.
37. vastu-vidya: engineering.
38. raupya-ratna-pariksa: testing silver and jewels.
39. dhatu-vada: metallurgy.
40. mani-raga jnana: tinging jewels.
41. akara jnana: mineralogy.
42. vriksayur-veda-yoga: practicing medicine or medical treatment, by herbs.
43. mesha-kukkuta-lavaka-yuddha-vidhi: knowing the mode of fighting of lambs, cocks and birds.
44. suka-sarika-prapalana (prala-pana): maintaining or knowing conversation between male and female cockatoos.
45. utsadana: healing or cleaning a person with perfumes.
46. kesa-marjana-kausala: combing hair.
47. aksara-mustika-kathana: talking with fingers.
48. dharana-matrika: the use of amulets.
49. desa-bhasha-jnana: knowing provincial dialects.
50. nirmiti-jnana: knowing prediction by heavenly voice.
51. yantra-matrika: mechanics.
52. mlecchita-kutarka-vikalpa: fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry.
53. samvacya: conversation.
54. manasi kavya-kriya: composing verse mentally.
55. kriya-vikalpa: designing a literary work or a medical remedy.
56. chalitaka-yoga: practicing as a builder of shrines called after him.
57. abhidhana-kosha-cchando-jnana: the use of lexicography and meters.
58. vastra-gopana: concealment of cloths.
59. dyuta-visesa: knowing specific gambling.
60. akarsa-krida: playing with dice or magnet.
61. balaka-kridanaka: using children’s toys.
62. vainayiki vidya: enforcing discipline.
63. vaijayiki vidya: gaining victory.
64. vaitaliki vidya: awakening your master with music at dawn.

24

yad-vaktrambuja-nihsritacyuta-

katha-madhvika-panonmado

muktim pasyati sampavad

itaran vantannavad vargakan

bhutim capy animadikam

kuhukavac chakradikam rankavat

tam sakshad vraja-sundari-priya-

rasasvadanubhavam bhaje

I worship Sri Syamananda. He always tastes the nectar of hearing and talking about Lord Krishna, the beautiful vraja-gopis’ beloved. Anyone who tastes from his lotus lips the madhvika nectar of talking about Lord Krishna becomes wild with bliss[1]. The drinker will see impersonal liberation to be like a blade of straw, the other goals of life to be like vomit, the mystic powers beginning with anima-siddhi[2] to be like a series of clever tricks, and the demigods headed by Indra to be like a host of wretched penniless beggars.

25

syamangam vraja-nagarasya

dayita-bhavollasan-manasam

gopikanta-vicitra-manmatha-

kala-vaidagdhya-lila-pratham

antar-bhava-vilasi-hava-

valitam raganubhavojjvalam

tam seve madhuratmakam vraja-

vadhu-bhavaptaye nityasah

So one day I may love Lord Krishna as the vraja-gopis do, every day I worship Sri Syamananda. He is ecstatic love for Lord Krishna personified. His heart is glorious with meditation on Sri Radha’s flirting pastimes with Lord Krishna. He describes Lord Krishna’s graceful amorous pastimes with the gopis. His heart is filled with thoughts of Lord Krishna’s playfulness. His limbs are glorious with symptoms of ecstatic love. He is graceful and charming.

[1] vayam tu na vitrpyama uttama-sloka-vikrame / yac-chrnvatam rasa-jnanam svadu svadu pade pade. “We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.19)

[2] The eight siddhis are: Anima, reducing one’s body to the size of an atom; Mahima, expanding one’s body to an infinitely large size; Laghima, becoming almost weightless; Prapti, ability to be anywhere at will; Prakamya, realizing whatever one desires; Isitva, supremacy over nature; Vasitva, control of natural forces.

This is a section of the book “Syamananda, the Joy of Radharani (English)”.

To buy the complete book, click above

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