Sri Siksastakam

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is believed to be the most recent incarnation of Krsna.  He appeared 500 years ago in Navadvip, West-Bengal and started His worldwide Sankirtan mission of propagating the chanting of the holy name of the Lord (the process of self-realization for this age - to meditate upon the sound of the maha-mantra:Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare). He left us only eight verses, called Siksastakam, in which His mission and precepts are revealed.  They describe the glories of the Holy Names of the Lord and the mood one must have to chant and to be a devotee. Text 1 ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha--davagni-nirvapanam shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam Glory to the Sri Krishna Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. Text 2 namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragaha O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for  them. Text 3 trinad api sunichena taror api sahishnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly. Text 4 na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye mama janmani janmanishvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki twayi O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth. Text 5 ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam vishame bhavambudhau kripaya tava pada-pankaja- sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vichintaya O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet. Text 6 nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira pulakair nichitam vapuh kada tava nama-grahane bhavishyati O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name? Text 7 yugayitam nimeshena chakshusha pravrishayitam shunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence. Text 8 ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Sankirtana Movement All Glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!