The Lotus Feet of the Guru – A Jewel from the Heart of Narottama

In the infinite waves of pure devotion emanating from the mahājanas of the Gauḍīya Sampradāya, the song “Śrī Guru Caraṇa Padma” by Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura shines like an eternal jewel. These verses are not mere poetic lines – they are a cloudburst of pure prema, born of deep experience, humble gratitude, and complete trust in the mercy of the śrī guru-tattva.

Narottama Ṭhākura, himself an eternal companion in the inner entourage of Śrī Rādhikā, reveals here the essence of guru-niṣṭhā—unshakable faith in the guru—as the foundation of all genuine bhakti. Every verse of this song carries the fragrance of Vraja, the echo of divine love, and the call to complete surrender.

May the sincere sādhaka, through this translation, feel the fragrance of this divine song and take courage to seek refuge solely at the lotus feet of Gurudeva.

(1)
śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando muñi sāvadhāna mate
jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi,
kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā ha’te

(2)
guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koribo aikya,
ār nā koriho mane āśā
śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
je prasāde pūre sarva āśā

(3)
cakṣu-dān dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jñān hṛde prokāśito
prema-bhakti jāhā hoite, avidyā vināśa jāte,
vede gāy jāhāra carito

(4)
śrī-guru karuṇā-sindhu, adhama janāra bandhu,
lokanāth lokera jīvana
hā hā prabhu koro doyā, deho more pada-chāyā,
ebe jaśa ghuṣuk tribhuvana

1
The lotus feet of my Śrī Guru –
they are the true home of devotion.
With all loving respect, I worship them, full of mindfulness.
By His grace, oh brother,
I cross the sea of the world,
and attain divine love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone through Him.

2
The words that flow from His lotus mouth
may unite deeply with my heart.
Never again shall any other desire arise within me.
Intimate love for Śrī Guru’s feet –
that is the highest path to the goal,
for through His mercy all the desires of the heart are fulfilled.

3
He who gave me divine eyes –
my master, my lord, life after life.
He revealed the radiant knowledge in the depths of my heart.
From Him alone springs prema-bhakti,
and the darkness of ignorance disappears.
The Vedas themselves sing of His glorious deeds.

4
Śrī Guru – an ocean of compassion,
friend of the deeply fallen,
You are the source of life for all worlds,
O Lokanaths, You give light to mankind!
Have mercy, O my Lord!
Grant me the shadow of Your feet!
May Your holy glory now resound throughout the three worlds!

A drop of grace – The cry of a helpless soul

In the silent depths of true humility, this song by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura calls out like a longing whisper through the planes of the material world: “Just one drop of Your mercy, O Gurudeva, and my life is saved.” These verses are not theory – they are tears in the form of syllables, born from the heart of a genuine sādhaka who recognizes himself as completely powerless, unworthy, and dependent on the mercy of the guru.

It is a song that teaches us what it means to be trinād api sunīcena—more humble than a blade of grass, more patient than a tree, free from all desire for honor, and ready to honor even the lowest. In this attitude, Bhaktivinoda says, the name Hari can be chanted with bliss—free from aparādha, free from ego, filled only with Śraddhā.

This prayer is a quiet but powerful reminder: no one is “worthy”—and yet the grace of the guru is boundless when we are willing to ask for it with tears.

(1)
gurudev!
kṛpā-bindu diyā, koro’ ei dāse,
tṛṇāpekhā ati hīna
sakala sahane, bala diyā koro’,
nija-māne spṛhā-hīna

(2)
sakale sammāna korite śakati,
deho’ nātha! Jathājatha
tabe to’ gāibo, hari-nāma-sukhe,
aparādha ha ‘be hata

(3)
kabe heno kṛpā, labhiyā e jana,
kṛtārtha hoibe, nātha!
śakti-buddhi-hīna, āmi ati dīna,
koro’ more ātma-sātha

(4)
jogyatā-vicāre, kichu nāhi pāi,
tomāra karuṇā-sāra
karuṇā nā hoile, kāndiyā kāndiyā,
prāṇa nā rākhibo āra

1
O Gurudeva!
Let a drop of Your mercy fall upon me—
this servant, lower than a blade of grass by the wayside.
Give me the strength to endure everything,
and free me from the desire to be considered someone.

2
Give me the ability to treat everyone with respect,
O Lord, in the right way and in the right measure.
Only then can I sing the holy name of Kṛṣṇa
with true joy—
and the transgressions will disappear forever.

3
When, O my Lord,
will You grant such mercy to this human being,
that his life will be blessed forever?
Without strength, without understanding—I am utterly fallen.
Please accept me as Your own!

4
Whatever I examine in myself for worthiness—
I find nothing.
Your mercy alone is my only refuge.
If You have no mercy on me,
I will cry and cry
and will no longer want to keep this life.

The Nine Jewels of Guru Worship – A Hymn from the Heart

In the twilight hour before sunrise—in the Brahma-muhūrta, when the world is still silent—the timeless song of praise written by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura with a tear-filled pen resounds: the Śrī Gurv-aṣṭakam. It is not merely a poem. It is a fiery mantra, a divine stream of bhakti-rasa, born from the innermost experience of a perfect guru-sevaka.

These nine verses reveal, step by step, the life of a true Gurudeva—not as a mere teacher, but as an eternal companion of the divine couple, as a dearly beloved servant in Nikuñja-Sevā, as the bearer of their mercy. They teach us that without the grace of Śrī Guru himself, even a mere breath of God-realization remains unattainable – and that service at His lotus feet is the gateway to the world of Līlā.

Those who recite these verses daily in the three sandhyās (morning, noon, and evening) with deep attention will, as Viśvanātha himself promises, find the direct path to the eternal Sevā Śrī Rādhikās and Mādhavas in Vṛndāvana.

(1)
saḿsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-
trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(2)
mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta-
vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasena
romāñca -kampāśru-tarańga-bhājo
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(3)
śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛńgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
yuktasya bhaktāḿś ca niyuñjato ‘pi
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(4)
catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-
svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-sańghān
kṛtvaiva tṛptiḿ bhajataḥ sadaiva
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(5)
śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-
mādhurya-līlā guṇa-rūpa-nāmnām
prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(6)
nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai
yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā
tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(7)
sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(8)
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi
dhyāyan stuvaḿs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaḿ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(9)
śrīmad-guror aṣṭakam etad uccair
brāhme muhūrte paṭhati prayatnāt
yas tena vṛndāvana-nātha sākṣāt
sevaiva labhyā januṣo’nta eva

1
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
who appears like a dense cloud of compassion,
to save the suffering souls from the forest fire
of this world of birth and death—
an ocean of salutary qualities.

2
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
whose heart vibrates in ecstasy
while singing, dancing, and playing music
in the kīrtana of Śrī Mahāprabhu—
trembling, with hair standing on end and tears
flowing like waves.

3
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
who daily worships the deities with manifold adornments,
cleanses and beautifies the temple,
and instructs and guides other Bhaktas therein.

4
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
who nourishes the community of Hari-Bhaktas
with the delicious Mahāprasāda dedicated to Bhagavān,
feels fulfilled therein
and experiences true contentment.

5
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
who is always eager
to taste the infinite sweetness of the pastimes, forms, qualities, and names
of Śrī Rādhikā and Mādhava
at every moment.

6
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
who is the most intimate confidant
of the divine couple in their love pastimes in Nikuñja,
and is asked for advice by the Sakhīs,
because he possesses supreme skill in such sacred services.

7
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva,
who is praised by all the sacred scriptures
as not different from Śrī Hari Himself
and is also worshipped as such by the genuine sādhakas—
but at the same time as the one
who is dearest to Śrī Hari.

8
I worship the lotus feet of my Śrī Gurudeva—
for by His grace alone
one attains the mercy of Bhagavān,
and without His grace
there is no refuge for us.
Whoever daily, in the three sandhyās,
contemplates and praises His glory,
the path is leveled for him.

9
Whoever recites this Aṣṭakam with devotion
in the sacred Brahma-muhūrta hour
will certainly attain, at the end of his life
direct service
to Śrī Vṛndāvana-nātha.

The cry for Vraja – Narottama’s burning heart

What happens when a soul, through Gaura’s infinite mercy, carries the fire of divine longing within himself? She cries. She trembles. She calls out, “Hari! Hari!” – and seeks refuge at the lotus feet of the eternal companions of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. This song by Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura is not poetry in the worldly sense – it is a cry. It is the echo of the Vraja longing that awakens in a true rāgānugā-bhakta when he calls the names of Gaurāṅga and Nityānanda.

Here Narottama—as your mirror—implores for what really matters: that the desires of the world burn away, that the heart be purified, that Vṛndāvana become visible—not only with the external eyes, but with the inner seer of love. That the lotus feet of Rūpa and Raghunātha, the torchbearers of manjari-bhāva-sevā, are his eternal support.

This is a song that cannot simply be read. It is heard with the heart – and one weeps with Narottama.

(1)
‘gaurāńga’ bolite habe pulaka-śarīra
‘hari hari’ bolite nayane ba’ be nīra

(2)
āra kabe nitāi-cānder koruṇā hoibe
saḿsāra-bāsanā mora kabe tuccha ha’be

(3)
viṣaya chāriyā kabe śuddha ha ‘be mana
kabe hāma herabo śrī-bṛndābana

(4)
rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti
kabe hāma bujhabo se jugala-pīriti

(5)
rūpa-raghunātha-pade rahu mora āśa
prārthanā koroye sadā narottama-dāsa

1
When I utter “Gaurāṅga,”
may my entire body tremble in ecstasy.
When I call out “Hari Hari,”
may tears flow endlessly from my eyes.

2
When will the mercy
of Nityānanda-Candra reach me?
When will the desire for worldly things
finally appear completely worthless to me?

3
When will I give up all sense pleasures
and purify my heart of all impurity?
When, oh when
will I see with my own eyes the reality of the holy place Śrī Vṛndāvana?

4
When will deep longing
awaken in my heart
for the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha?
When will I finally
understand the divine love of that divine couple—
Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa?

5
May my hope rest eternally
at the lotus feet of Rūpa and Raghunātha.
This prayer is offered day after day
by the humble Narottama dāsa.

The cry of the fallen – A prayer to the saviors of souls

What remains for one who realizes that he himself is the most unworthy of all beings? There is only one way out: the cry for mercy. In this deeply humble song, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura throws himself completely at the feet of Gaurāṅga, Nityānanda, and the entire Guru-Varga—not with pride, not with demands, but with tearful trust in their unlimited mercy.

This song is a gentle but urgent cry: “Have mercy—for no one else can save me!” It is the natural prayer of those who walk the path of rāgānugā-bhakti, knowing that they can achieve nothing on their own. It reminds us: Those who seek the shadow of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Nityānanda, and their eternal companions must learn to cry. Not out of fear—but out of love.

Narottama shows us here the true treasure of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya: the living chain of divine mercy that passes from Advaita Ācārya to Rāmacandra Kaviraja—and invites us to anchor ourselves in it.

(1)
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu doyā koro more
tomā binā ke doyālu jagat-saḿsāre

(2)
patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra
mo sama patita prabhu nā pāibe āra

(3)
hā hā prabhu nityānanda, premānanda sukhī
kṛpābalokana koro āmi boro duḥkhī

(4)
doyā koro sītā-pati adwaita gosāi
tava kṛpā-bale pāi caitanya-nitāi

(5)
gaura premamaya tanu paṇḍita gadādhara
srīnivāsa haridāsa doyāra sāgara

(6)
hā hā swarūp, sanātana, rūpa, raghunātha
bhaṭṭa-juga, śrī-jīva hā prabhu lokanātha

(7)
doyā koro śrī-ācārya prabhu śrīnivāsa
rāmacandra-sańga māge narottama-dāsa

1
O Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu,
have mercy on my soul!
Who else but You is merciful
in this entire world of suffering?

2
To save the fallen,
You descended.
But, O Lord,
as deeply fallen as I am—
You will never find another like me.

3
O Prabhu Nityānanda,
You source of love and bliss,
bestow upon me a single glance
full of compassion—
for I am tormented by boundless sorrow.

4
O Sītāpati Advaita Gosāi,
you ocean of mercy—
only through your compassion
will I attain Śrī Caitanya
and Śrī Nityānanda.

5
O Gaurāńga, whose body is made of pure love,
O Paṇḍita Gadādhara,
Śrīnivāsa, Haridāsa—
you are all oceans of divine mercy.

6
O Swarūp, Sanātana, Rūpa, Raghunātha,
Raghunātha Bhatṭa, Gopāla Bhatṭa, Śrī Jīva,
and you, my Lord Lokanātha—
hear the cry of my heart!

7
O Śrī Ācārya Prabhu,
o Śrīnivāsa –
have mercy!
Your company,
together with Rāmacandra,
is implored by the humble Narottama dāsa.

The feet of Rūpa Mañjarī – My Everything

What does it mean to be Rūpānuga? This song gives the answer – not philosophically, but with tears. Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura not only bows down to Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī in these verses – he merges with her. Her feet become everything that exists: Bhajan, Pūjā, Japa, Tapa, Dharma, Karma, Rasa – yes, even life itself.

This attitude is at the heart of Gauḍīya Vaishnava bhakti: one does not want to serve God, one wants to serve the dāsī of the dāsī of His beloved – in the shadow of those who understand Him most deeply. The separation from Rūpa Mañjarī is not endured intellectually here – it burns like poison. And the refuge is clear: “O Rūpa, give me only the shadow of Your feet!”

This is parama-rasa, distilled into four verses – the breath of a soul that wants nothing else but eternal dāsya-sevā under Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī.

(1)
śrī-rūpa-mañjarī-pada, sei mora sampada,
sei mor bhajana-pūjana
sei mora prāṇa-dhana, sei mora ābharaṇa,
sei mor jīvanera jīvana

(2)
sei mora rasa-nidhi, sei mora vāñchā-siddhi,
sei mor vedera dharama
sei brata, sei tapa, sei mora mantra-japa,
sei mor dharama-karama

(3)
anukūla habe vidhi, se-pade hoibe siddhi,
nirakhibo e dui nayane
se rūpa-mādhurī-rāśi, prāṇa-kuvalaya-śaśi,
praphullita habe niśi-dine

(4)
tuwā adarśana-ahi, garale jāralo dehī,
ciro-dina tāpita jīvana
hā hā rūpa koro doyā, deho more pada-chāyā,
narottama loilo śaraṇa

1
The lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī –
they are my only treasure.
They are my Bhajan,
my pūjā,
my breath of life, my adornment,
the source of my being –
the life of my life.

2
She is my ocean of rasa,
the fulfillment of all my desires,
the true meaning of the Vedas.
She is my vow, my renunciation,
my mantra, my japa –
my entire dharma and karma.

3
If fate is kind to me,
I will find perfection in those lotus feet –
and with these two eyes
I will see her:
that wave of Rūpa’s divine sweetness,
the moon on the lotus of my heart,
which makes my being blossom day and night.

4
But her absence
burns like snake venom in my body –
my life has been tormented for ages.
O Rūpa! Have mercy!
Grant me the shadow of Your feet –
Narottama takes refuge in You.

A heart full of sevā – Narottama’s eternal vision

Some songs are not words – they are darśanas. This song by Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura is a living vision from the inner realm of Vraja. It reveals the true goal of all rāgānugā-bhaktas: eternal personal sevā in Nikuñja, in the shadow of the lotus feet of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, at the command of the most beloved Sakhīs.

It is not a scholar who speaks here, but a Manjarī. Her voice is gentle, loving, firmly rooted in consciousness: “Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa jugala-kiśora are my prāṇa.” In these verses, Narottama reveals the subtle services—applying chandan, fanning with cāmara, weaving mālatī-mālās, offering tāmbūla—not as mere images, but as a burning heart’s desire, as an eternal ideal born of deep belonging.

And yet everything ends – as always – in Caitanya-bhakti: “I am the servant of the servants of the servants of Mahāprabhu.” For only through Him does the gate to Nikuñja open.

This song is not a dream. It is realization – spoken from the depths of the soul.

(1)
rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa mora jugala-kiśora
jīvane maraṇe gati āro nāhi mora

(2)
kālindīra kūle keli-kadambera vana
ratana-bedīra upara bosābo du’jana

(3)
śyāma-gaurī-ańge dibo (cūwā) candanera gandha
cāmara ḍhulābo kabe heri mukha-candra

(4)
gāthiyā mālatīr mālā dibo dohāra gale
adhare tuliyā dibo karpūra-tāmbūle

(5)
lalitā viśākhā-ādi jata sakhī-bṛnda
ājñāya koribo sebā caraṇāravinda

(6)
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-prabhur dāser anudāsa
sevā abhilāṣa kore narottama-dāsa

1
Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the youthful divine couple,
are the life of my soul—
in life and in death,
I know no other refuge than them.

2
On the bank of the Yamunā, in the Keli-Kadamba grove,
I will prepare a place for them on a throne made of jewels—
and seat them both there.
3

3
On their dark and golden limbs
I will apply fragrant chandan paste.
Then I will fan them with the cāmara
and reverently gaze upon their moonlike faces.

4
I will weave garlands of mālatī flowers
and place them around their necks.
Sweet tāmbūl, mixed with camphor,
I will tenderly place on their lips.

5
At the command of the Sakhīs—
Lalitā, Viśākhā, and all the divine companions—
I will serve the lotus feet of the divine couple with great care.
6

I am the servant
of the servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
of the servants of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
This most heartfelt desire for eternal sevā
is carried in the heart of Narottama Dāsa.

A Dāsī Sigh – The Prayer to the Prāṇeśvarī

This is no ordinary song. It is the whispered plea of a dāsī soul, born from the deepest depths of self-surrender. In these verses, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura brings his heart to the feet of Śrīmatī Rādhikā – not in an official posture, but kneeling, with a blade of grass between his teeth, asking for nothing but: Sevā.

Here appears the ideal of manjari-bhāva – servant among servants, silently serving in the background, following the beck of the Sakhīs, always hidden, always alert, always ready. The world of Vraja is not described here – it is lived. Every scent, every garment, every ornament becomes an expression of divine love – everything is there for the joy of Prāṇeśvarī.

In the end, only one request remains: “May I always be dāḍāiyā – hasty, full of devotion – running after the Sakhīs to receive even the slightest breath of Sevā.” This is the life of the rāgānugā-bhaktas – this is the goal of the heart.

(1)
prāneśvari! ei bāra karuṇā koro more!
daśanete tṛṇa dhari, añjali mastake kori,
ei jana nivedana kore

(2)
priya sahacarī sańge, sevana koribo rańge,
ańge veśa koribeka sādhe
rākho ei sevā kāje, nija pāda pańkaje,
priya sahacarī-gaṇa mājhe

(3)
sugandhi candana, maṇimaya ābharana,
kauṣika vasana nānā rańge
ei sab sevā yāra, dāsī yeno hoń tāra,
anukṣana thāki tāra sańge

(4)
jala suvāsita kori, ratana bhṛńgāre bhari,
karpūra vāsita guwā pāna
e sab sājāiyā ḍālā, labańga mālati mālā,
bhakṣa dravya nānā anupāma

(5)
sakhīra ińgita hobe, e sab ānibo kobe,
yogāibo lalitāra kāche
narottama dāsa koy, ei yeno mora hoy,
dāḍāiyā rahu sakhīra pāche

1
O Mistress of my life!
Have mercy on me this time!
With a blade of grass between my teeth,
with folded hands on my head,
this soul offers you its humble supplication.

2
Together with your trusted companions
I wish to joyfully enter your service –
adorn Your body with loving jewelry.
Keep me in this sevā,
at Your lotus feet,
amidst Your most beloved ones.

3
Fragrant sandalwood,
shimmering jewelry made of precious stones,
fine garments in delicate colors—
all this I wish to bring to the sevā.
May I be the servant of those
who serves you with these things –
and always remain at her side.

4
Prepare fragrant water,
fill it into golden vessels,
refine betel leaves with camphor and spices –
I want to prepare all this.
Delicate flower garlands of mālatī and lavanga,
and delicious foods in various forms –
everything should be ready for offering.

5
At the slightest sign from a Sakhī
I wish to offer all this
and humbly present it to Lalitā.
Narottama Dāsa speaks:
May this be my destiny—
that I may always serve hastily at the side of the Sakhīs.