Sri Sri Sikshashtakam
of
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
(1)
ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
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.
(2)
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrapita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragah
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. These 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.
(3)
trinad api(*) sunicena
taror iva sahisnuna
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 or 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.
(*) sometimes 'api', but properly 'iva'
(4)
na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanishvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi
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.
(5)
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam vishame bhavambudhau
kripaya tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vicintaya
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.
(6)
nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakir nicitam 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?
(7)
yugayitam nimeshena
cakshusha 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.
(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.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Krishna, a task which His followers have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are, in fact, the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses of teachings, called Sikshashtaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts.
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