Chapter 6. Goptrtve-varanam: Embracing the Lord’s Guardianship

हे कृष्ण! पाहि मां नाथ कृपयात्मगतं कुरु ।
इत्येवं प्रार्थनं कृष्णं प्राप्तुं स्वामिस्वरूपतः ॥१॥
गोप्तृत्वे वरणं ज्ञेयं भक्तैर्हृद्यतरं ।
परम्प्रपत्त्येकार्थकत्वेन तदङ्गित्वेन तत्स्मृतम् ॥२॥

he kṛṣṇa! pāhi māṁ nātha kṛpayātmagataṁ kuru
ity evaṁ prārthanaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ prāptuṁ svāmi-svarūpataḥ [1]

goptṛtve varaṇaṁ jñeyaṁ bhaktair hṛdyataraṁ param
prapatty ekārthakatvena tad aṅgitvena tat smṛtam [2]

‘O Krishna, please protect me! My dear Lord, kindly accept me as Your own.’

Such a prayer, as well as the prayer to obtain Sri Krishna as one’s lord and master, is the supreme solace to the hearts of the pure devotees, and is known by them as goptrtve-varanam — Embracing the Lord’s Guardianship. Because it expresses one and the same ideal as unconditional surrender, goptrtve-varanam is accepted as the chief of the six limbs of surrender.

श्रीभगवतो भक्तभावेनाश्रयप्रार्थनम् —

अयि नन्दतनुज किङ्करं
पतितं मां विषमे भवाम्बुधौ।
कृपया तव पादपङ्कज-
स्थितधूलीसदृशं विचिन्तय ॥३॥
श्रीश्रीभगवतश्चैतन्यचन्द्रस्य

śrī-bhagavato bhakta-bhāvenāśraya-prārthanam —

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛṣaṁ vichintaya [3]

Appearing as His own devotee, the Supreme Lord Himself prays for refuge —

O Nanda Nandan, son of King Nanda, although I am Your eternal servitor, I have fallen into the terrible ocean of material existence due to the fructification of my own deeds (karma). Please graciously consider me to be a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.

 — the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra

सर्व्वसद्गुणविग्रह आत्मप्रदो हरिरेव गोप्तृत्वेन वरणीयः —

कः पण्डितस्त्वदपरं शरणं समीयाद्
भक्तप्रियादृतगिरः सुहृदः कृतज्ञात्।
सर्व्वान्ददाति सुहृदो भजतोऽभिकामान्
आत्मानमप्युपचयापचयौ न यस्य ॥४॥
श्रीमदक्रूरस्य

sarva-sad-guṇa-vigraha ātma-prado harir eva goptṛtvena varaṇīyaḥ —

kaḥ paṇḍitas tvad-aparaṁ śaraṇaṁ samīyād
bhakta-priyād ṛta-giraḥ suhṛdaḥ kṛtajñāt
sarvān dadāti suhṛdo bhajato ’bhikāmān
ātmānam apy upachayāpachayau na yasya [4]

Only the self-giving Lord Sri Hari, the Supreme Good, should be petitioned for guardianship —

You give Your affection to Your devotees, Your word is truth, You are the ever-grateful friend. Can any intelligent person thus take refuge in anyone but You? You fulfil all the desires of the sincere souls that serve You, giving Your very self to them; and yet, You are neither augmented nor diminished thereby.

 — Srimad Akrura

श्रीकृष्णचरणमेव प्रपन्नानां सन्तापहारिसुधावर्षि आतपत्रम् —

तापत्रयेणाभिहतस्य घोरे
सन्तप्यमानस्य भवाध्वनीश।
पश्यामि नान्यच्छरणं तवाङ्घ्रि
द्वन्द्वातपत्रादामृताभिवर्षात् ॥५॥
श्रीमदुद्धवस्य

śrī-kṛṣṇa-charaṇam eva prapannānāṁ santāpa-hāri-sudhā-varṣi ātapatram —

tāpa-trayeṇābhihatasya ghore
santapyamānasya bhavādhvan īśa
paśyāmi nānyach charaṇaṁ tavāṅghri-
dvandvātapatrād amṛtābhivarṣāt [5]

The lotus feet of Lord Krishna are the umbrella to vanquish the suffering of His surrendered souls, and shower nectar upon them —

O Master, for persons afflicted by the triple miseries in this ghastly course of material existence, I see no other shelter but the umbrella of Your holy lotus feet, from which the rain of eternal nectar showers down.

 — Srimad Uddhava

षड्रिपुताडितस्य शान्तिहीनस्य स्वनाथचरणाश्रयमेवाभयाशोकामृतप्रदम् —

चिरमिह वृजिनार्त्तस्तप्यमानोऽनुतापैर्
अवितृषषडमित्रोऽलब्धशान्तिः कथञ्चित्।
शरणद समुपेतस्त्वत्पदाब्जं परात्मन्न्
अभयमृतमशोकं पाहि मापन्नमीश ॥६॥
श्रीमुचुकुन्दस्य

ṣaḍ-ripu-tāḍitasya śānti-hīnasya sva-nātha-charaṇāśrayam evābhayāśokāmṛta-pradam —

chiram iha vṛjinārtas tapyamāno ’nutāpair
avitṛṣa-ṣaḍ-amitro ’labdha-śāntiḥ kathañchit
śaraṇada samupetas tvat padābjaṁ parātmann
abhayam ṛtam aśokaṁ pāhi māpannam īśa [6]

For the disturbed soul who is flogged by his six enemies, only the shelter of the lotus feet of his natural Master awards him immortality in fearlessness and sorrowlessness —

O Supreme Soul, for time immemorial in this material world I have been tormented with sin, stung with remorse, and constantly harassed by my six insatiable enemies (the five senses and the mind). O gracious awarder of shelter, somehow I have come before Your holy lotus feet, which are the embodiment of fearlessness, sorrowlessness, and positive immortality. My Master, please protect this one distressed.

 — Sri Muchukunda

लब्धस्वरूपसन्धानस्य कामादिसङ्गजन्यनिजवैरूप्येधिक्कारयुक्तस्य शरणागतस्य श्रीहरिदास्यमेवासच्चेष्टादितो निष्कृति कारकत्वेनानुभूतम् —

कामादीनां कति न कतिधा पालिता दुर्निदेशास्
तेषां जाता मयि न करुणा न त्रपा नोपशान्तिः।
उत्सृज्यैतानथ यदुपते साम्प्रतं लब्धबुद्धिस्
त्वामायातः शरणमभयं मां नियुङ्क्ष्वात्मदास्ये ॥७॥
केषाञ्चित्

labdha-svarūpa-sandhānasya kāmādi-saṅga-janya-nija-vairūpye-dhikkāra-yuktasya śaraṇāgatasya śrī-hari-dāsyam evāsach-cheṣṭādito niṣkṛti kārakatvenānubhūtam —

kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās
teṣāṁ jātā mayi na karuṇā na trapā nopaśāntiḥ
utsṛjyaitān atha yadu-pate sāmprataṁ labdha-buddhis
tvām āyātaḥ śaraṇam abhayaṁ māṁ niyuṅkṣv ātma-dāsye [7]

A realisation of the fact that the surrendered soul who discovers his eternal identity and denounces his perversity caused by the association of lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion, and hatred, is rescued forever from all evil pursuits by the devotional service of Lord Krishna —

O Lord, for so long have I obeyed the unending, wicked dictates of lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion, and hatred, but they never took pity upon me, and I have felt neither shame nor the desire to abandon them. O Lord of the Yadus, after all this, I am leaving them behind. At last I have found my genuine sanity: I am surrendered wholly unto Your lotus feet, which are the abode of fearlessness. Please now engage me as Your personal servitor.

 — revered votary

उपलब्धकृष्णाश्रयैकमङ्गलस्य चाश्रयप्राप्तिविलम्बने तदप्राप्तिसम्भावनायामुद्वेगप्रकाशः —

कृष्ण! त्वदीय पदपङ्कजपञ्जरान्तम्
अद्यैव मे विशतु मानसराजहंसः।
प्राणप्रयाणसमये कफवातपित्तैः
कण्ठावरोधनविधौ स्मरणं कुतस्ते ॥८॥
श्रीकुलशेखरस्य

upalabdha-kṛṣṇāśrayaika-maṅgalasya chāśraya-prāpti-vilambane tad aprāpti-sambhāvanāyām udvega-prakāśaḥ —

kṛṣṇa! tvadīya pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam
adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ
prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ
kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te [8]

The expression of anguish in the suspense of delay in achieving the shelter of Lord Krishna, by one who realises such shelter to be the only good fortune —

O Krishna! Please allow my mind to immediately yield to Your lotus flower-like feet, just as the flamingo enters into the labyrinth of the lotus flowers’ stems. When at the moment of my last breath my throat becomes constricted by the action of the bodily humours air, bile, and phlegm, how will I be able to remember You?

 — Sri Kulasekhar

स्वरूपत एव श्रीकृष्णस्याभिभावकत्वपालकत्वदर्शनेन तदाश्रयप्रार्थना —

कृष्णो रक्षतु नो जगत्त्रयगुरुः कृष्णं नमध्वं सदा
कृष्णेनाखिलशत्रवो विनिहताः कृष्णाय तस्मै नमः।
कृष्णादेव समुत्थितं जगदिदं कृष्णस्य दासोऽस्म्यहं
कृष्णे तिष्ठति विश्वमेतदखिलं हे कृष्ण रक्षस्व माम् ॥९॥
श्रीकुलशेखरस्य

svarūpata eva śrī-kṛṣṇasyābhibhāvakatva-pālakatva-darśanena tadāśraya-prārthanā —

kṛṣṇo rakṣatu no jagat-traya-guruḥ kṛṣṇaṁ namadhvaṁ sadā
kṛṣṇenākhila-śatravo vinihatāḥ kṛṣṇāya tasmai namaḥ
kṛṣṇād eva samutthitaṁ jagad idaṁ kṛṣṇasya dāso ’smy ahaṁ
kṛṣṇe tiṣṭhati viśvam etad akhilaṁ he kṛṣṇa rakṣasva mām [9]

A prayer for the shelter of Lord Sri Krishna, with the vision that He alone is the natural guardian and sustainer of the living being —

May Lord Krishna, the Guru of the three worlds, protect us;
our obeisance unto Lord Krishna at all times.
Krishna is the vanquisher of all enemies —
I offer my obeisance unto that Krishna.
This world emanates from Krishna;
I am the servant of only Krishna.
This whole universe is situated within Krishna alone —
O Krishna! please protect me.

 — Sri Kulasekhar

गोपीजनवल्लभ एव परमपालकः —

हे गोपालक हे कृपाजलनिधे हे सिन्धुकन्यापते
हे कंसान्तक हे गजेन्द्रकरुणापारीण हे माधव।
हे रामानुज हे जगत्त्रयगुरो हे पुण्डरीकाक्ष मां
हे गोपीजननाथ पालय परं जानामि न त्वां विना ॥१०॥
श्रीकुलशेखरस्य

gopījana-vallabha eva parama-pālakaḥ —

he gopālaka he kṛpā-jalanidhe he sindhu-kanyā-pate
he kaṁsāntaka he gajendra-karuṇāpārīṇa he mādhava
he rāmānuja he jagat-traya-guro he puṇḍarīkākṣa māṁ
he gopījana-nātha pālaya paraṁ jānāmi na tvāṁ vinā [10]

The only guardian is Krishna, the beloved Lord of the Gopis —

O tender of the cows, ocean of mercy
O Lord of the Goddess of fortune;
O slayer of Kamsa, merciful deliverer of Gajendra
O sweet, artful Krishna;
O young brother of Balaram, Guru of the three worlds
O lotus-eyed Lord;
O dear Lord of the Gopis, please protect me in every way —
I know no one but You.

 — Sri Kulasekhar

नित्यपार्षदा अपि सर्व्वात्मना श्रीकृष्णाश्रयं प्रार्थयन्ते —

मनसो वृत्तयो नः स्युः कृष्णपादाम्बुजाश्रयाः।
वाचोऽभिधायिनीर्नाम्नां कायस्तत्प्रह्वणादिषु ॥११॥
श्रीनन्दस्य

nitya-pārṣadā api sarvātmanā śrī-kṛṣṇāśrayaṁ prārthayante —

manaso vṛttayo naḥ syuḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāmbujāśrayāḥ
vācho ’bhidhāyinīr nāmnāṁ kāyas tat-prahvaṇādiṣu [11]

Even the eternal associates of the Lord pray whole-heartedly for His shelter —

O Uddhava, may our thoughts take refuge in the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, may our words be the chanting of His Holy Names, and may our bodies be engaged in making obeisance unto Him.

 — Sri Nanda

व्रजलीलस्य श्रीकृष्णस्य पालकत्वं प्रभावमयम् —

दधिमथननिनादैस्त्यक्तनिद्रः प्रभाते
निभृतपदमगारं बल्लवीनां प्रविष्टः।
मुखकमलसमीरैराशु निर्व्वाप्य दीपान्
कवलितनवनीतः पातु मां बालकृष्णः ॥१२॥
श्रीश्रीभगवतश्चैतन्यचन्द्रस्य

vraja-līlasya śrī-kṛṣṇasya pālakatvaṁ prabhāvamayam —

dadhi-mathana-ninādais-tyakta-nidraḥ prabhāte
nibhṛta-padam agāraṁ ballavīnāṁ praviṣṭaḥ
mukha-kamala-samīrair āśu nirvāpya dīpān
kavalita-navanītaḥ pātu māṁ bāla-kṛṣṇaḥ [12]

The most powerful protection is afforded by Sri Krishna, the Lord of Divine Pastimes in Vrndavan —

That child Krishna, who, awakening by the sound of butter-churning, stealthily enters the homes of the cowherd ladies, swiftly blows out the lamps with the breeze of His lotus mouth and devours the fresh butter — may He kindly protect me.

 — the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra

सर्व्वथा योग्यताहीनस्यापि प्रपत्तावनधिकारो न —

न धर्म्मनिष्ठोऽस्मि न चात्मवेदी
न भक्तिमांस्त्वच्चरणारविन्दे।
अकिञ्चनोऽनन्यगतिः शरण्य
त्वत्पादमूलं शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥१३॥
श्रीयामुनाचार्य्यस्य

sarvathā yogyatā-hīnasyāpi prapattāv anadhikāro na —

na dharma-niṣṭho ’smi na chātma-vedī
na bhaktimāṁs tvach charaṇāravinde
akiñchano ’nanya-gatiḥ śaraṇya
tvat pāda-mūlaṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye [13]

Even a totally unqualified person is not unfit to surrender —

O supreme refuge, I am not religious, I do not know the nature of the soul, nor have I any devotion for Your holy lotus feet; therefore, I am bereft — I am bereft of all good, and I am bereft of any other shelter. Such as I am, I surrender unto the dust of Your lotus feet.

 — Sri Yamun Acharya

श्रीभगवतः कृपावलोकनमेवाश्रयदातृत्वम् —

अविवेकघनान्धदिङ्मुखे बहुधा सन्ततदुःखवर्षिणि।
भगवन्भवदुर्द्दिने पथस्खलितं मामवलोकयाच्युत ॥१४॥
श्रीयामुनाचार्य्यस्य

śrī-bhagavataḥ kṛpāvalokanam evāśraya-dātṛtvam —

aviveka-ghanāndha-diṅmukhe
bahudhā santata-duḥkha-varṣiṇi
bhagavan bhava-durdine patha-
skhalitaṁ mām avalokayāchyuta [14]

The shelter of the Supreme Lord is awarded by His merciful glance —

O Lord, spreading darkness in all directions, the clouds of ignorance are constantly raining multifarious calamities. I have lost my way in this storm of material suffering. O Infallible Lord, kindly cast Your glance upon me.

 — Sri Yamun Acharya

जीवस्य भगवत्पाल्यत्वं स्वरूपत एव सिद्धम् —

तदहं त्वदृते न नाथवान्मदृते त्वं दयनीयवान्न च।
विधिनिर्म्मितमेतदन्वयं भगवन्पालय मा स्म जीहय ॥१५॥
श्रीयामुनाचार्य्यस्य

jīvasya bhagavat-pālyatvaṁ svarūpata eva siddham —

tad ahaṁ tvad ṛte na nāthavān
mad ṛte tvaṁ dayanīyavān na cha
vidhi-nirmitam etad anvayaṁ
bhagavan palaya ma sma jihaya [15]

It is proven to be perfectly natural for the soul to be sustained by the Lord —

O Lord, without You, I cannot have a guardian, and without me, You cannot have a fit recipient for Your mercy. This is our relationship as the creator and the created Therefore, please take my charge, O my Master, and never leave me.

 — Sri Yamun Acharya

प्रपन्नस्य विविधसेवासम्बन्धः —

पिता त्वं माता त्वं दयिततनयस्त्वं प्रियसुहृत्
त्वमेव त्वं मित्रं गुरुरपि गतिश्चासि जगताम्।
त्वदीयस्त्वद्भृत्यस्तव परिजनस्तद्गतिरहं
प्रपन्नश्चैवं स त्वहमपि तवैवास्मि हि भरः ॥१६॥
श्रीयामुनाचार्य्यस्य

prapannasya vividha-sevā-sambandhaḥ —

pitā tvaṁ mātā tvaṁ dayita-tanayas tvaṁ priya-suhṛt
tvam eva tvaṁ mitraṁ gurur api gatiś chāsi jagatām
tvadīyas tvad bhṛtyas tava parijanas tad gatir ahaṁ
prapannaś chaivaṁ sa tv aham api tavaivāsmi hi bharaḥ [16]

A surrendered soul’s various serving relationships with the Lord —

For the entire creation You are father, mother, beloved son, dear well-wisher, and friend. You are the Universal Guru, the ultimate refuge. And I also am Yours, sustained by You, a member of Your family. You alone are my shelter, I am Your surrendered soul, and such as I am, Your dependent.

 — Sri Yamun Acharya

भगवतश्चैतन्यचन्द्रस्य पतितपालकत्वम् —

संसारदुःखजलधौ पतितस्य काम
क्रोधादिनक्रमकरैः कवलीकृतस्य।
दुर्व्वासनानिगडितस्य निराश्रयस्य
चैतन्यचन्द्र मम देहि पदावलम्बम् ॥१७॥
श्रीप्रबोधानन्दपादानां

bhagavataś-chaitanyachandrasya patita-pālakatvam —

saṁsāra-duḥkha-jaladhau patitasya kāma-
krodhādi-nakra-makaraiḥ kavalī-kṛtasya
durvāsanā-nigaḍitasya nirāśrayasya
chaitanyachandra mama dehi padāvalambam [17]

Sri Chaitanyachandra’s guardianship for the fallen —

O Chaitanyachandra, I, afallen into the miserable ocean of material existence, am being devoured by the sharks and alligators of lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion, and hatred; chained by wicked desires, I am bereft of any shelter. Please graciously grant me the refuge of Your holy lotus feet.

 — Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati

निराशस्याप्याशाप्रदं गौरशरणम् —

हा हन्त हन्त परमोषरचित्तभूमौ
व्यर्थी भवन्ति मम साधनकोटयोऽपि।
सर्व्वात्मना तदहमद्भुतभक्तिबीजं
श्रीगौरचन्द्रचरणं शरणं करोमि ॥१८॥
श्रीप्रबोधानन्दपादानां

nirāśasyāpyāśā-pradaṁ gaura-śaraṇam —

hā hanta hanta paramoṣara-chitta-bhūmau
vyarthī bhavanti mama sādhana-koṭayo ’pi
sarvātmanā tad aham adbhuta-bhakti-bījaṁ
śrī-gaurachandra-charaṇaṁ śaraṇaṁ karomi [18]

The shelter of Sri Gaurachandra gives hope to the hopeless —

Alas, to cultivate the barren and rocky desertland of my heart, tens of millions of assiduous attempts have proven to be simply futile. Therefore, with all the will at my command, I embrace the shelter of Sri Gaurachandra’s lotus feet, the source of the miraculous seed of pure devotion.

 — Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati

श्रीकृष्णचैतन्यप्रपन्नस्य वैराग्यादिभक्तिपरिकरसिद्धिः —

वैराग्यविद्यानिजभक्तियोग
शिक्षार्थमेकः पुरुषः पुराणः।
श्रीकृष्णचैतन्यशरीरधारी
कृपाम्बुधिर्यस्तमहं प्रपद्ये ॥१९॥
श्रीसार्व्वभौमपादानां

śrī-kṛṣṇa-chaitanya-prapannasya vairāgyādi-bhakti-parikara-siddhiḥ —

vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-
śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-chaitanya-śarīra-dhārī
kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye [19]

For the soul surrendered to the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanyadev, the attainment of detachment, knowledge, and so on, are proven to be concomitant ornaments of devotion —

The endless ocean of mercy, the eternal Supreme Person one without a second, has appeared as Sri Krishna Chaitanya to teach detachment, divine knowledge, and His personal relationship in devotion. I do surrender unto Him.

 — Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya

श्रीकृष्णचैतन्यप्रपत्तिरेव युगधर्म्मः —

अन्तः कृष्णं बहिर्गौरं दर्शिताङ्गादिवैभवम्।
कलौ सङ्कीर्त्तनाद्यैः स्म कृष्णचैतन्यमाश्रिताः ॥२०॥
श्रीजीवपादानां

śrī-kṛṣṇa-chaitanya-prapattir eva yuga-dharmaḥ —

antaḥ kṛṣṇaṁ bahir gauraṁ darśitāṅgādi-vaibhavam
kalau saṅkīrtanādyaiḥ sma kṛṣṇa-chaitanyam āśritāḥ [20]

The only pure religion of the age: surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu —

Accompanied by His divine entourage, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya has appeared in all His pristine glory. In this Age of Kali, we now take shelter in Him by means of the characteristic method of devotional service based on sankirtan, congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Within, He is none other than Krishna Himself, and without, He is the Golden Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya.

 — Sri Jiva Goswami

श्रीचैतन्याश्रितस्य परमपुमर्थप्राप्तिः —

योऽज्ञानमत्तं भुवनं दयालुर्
उल्लाघयन्नप्यकरोत्प्रमत्तम्।
स्वप्रेमसम्पत्सुधयाद्भुतेऽहं
श्रीकृष्णचैतन्यममुं प्रपद्ये ॥२१॥
श्रीकृष्णदासपादानां

śrī-chaitanyāśritasya parama-pumartha-prāptiḥ —

yo ’jñāna-mattaṁ bhuvanaṁ dayālur
ullāghayann apy akarot pramattam
sva-prema-sampat-sudhayādbhute ’haṁ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-chaitanyam amuṁ prapadye [21]

The soul surrendered to Sri Chaitanyadev attains the supreme perfection of human life —

I surrender unto that performer of miraculous deeds, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the merciful Supreme Personality who delivered the insane universe from the disease of ignorance, and then drove the world stark mad with the nectarean treasure of His sweet love divine.

 — Sri Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami

श्रुतिविमृग्यश्रीहरिनामसंश्रयणमेव परममुक्तानां भजनम् —

निखिलश्रुतिमौलिरत्नमाला
द्युतिनीराजितपादपङ्कजान्त।
अयि मुक्तकुलैरुपास्यमान!
परितस्त्वां हरिनाम संश्रयामि ॥२२॥
श्रीरूपपादानां

śruti-vimṛgya śrī-hari-nāma-saṁśrayaṇam eva parama-muktānāṁ bhajanam —

nikhila-śruti-mauli-ratna-mālā-
dyuti-nīrājita-pāda-paṅkajānta
ayi mukta-kulair upāsyamāna!
paritas tvāṁ hari-nāma saṁśrayāmi [22]

The pure devotional service rendered by the great liberated souls: complete refuge in the Holy Name of the Lord, as sought after by all the Vedas —

The acme of all the Vedas, the Upanisads, are like a string of transcendental jewels. The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet, O Holy Name, are eternally worshipped by the radiance emanating from those jewels. You are constantly worshipped by the great liberated souls (headed by Narad and Suka, whose hearts are reposed in complete absence of worldly aspirations). Therefore, O Name Divine, I surrender unto You in every time, place, and circumstance.

 — Sri Rupa Goswami

इति श्रीप्रपन्नजीवनामृते

श्रीभक्तवचनामृतान्तर्गतं

गोप्तृत्वेवरणं नाम षष्ठोऽध्यायः।

iti śrī-prapanna-jīvanāmṛte

śrī-bhakta-vachanāmṛtāntargataṁ

goptṛtve-varaṇaṁ nāma ṣaṣṭo ’dhyāyaḥ

thus ends the sixth chapter

Embracing the Lord’s Guardianship

Words of Nectar from the Devotees

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