Prayer (prarthana): A Translation of a Passage from the Nama Ghosa

Prayer (prarthana)

You are the one who sets into motion all impulses of my consciousness, O Shelter of All Embodied Beings.

You are the Lord; I am the possessor-of-Lord.

Giving to me the shade of your umbrella-like feet, drive off this nescience of primal matter.

Do mercy on me, O the supreme Lord of All Opulence! 129

You are my inner controller; I have become your servant.

Knowing this, do your grace (krpa) on me, The One Entering into the Category of the Senses!

I hold up a straw in my teeth; in the manner that I may remain in your service—

give to me, Lord, only that instruction! 130

You are the devotees’ Wish-yielding Tree; from within and outside, you are my preceptor.

Apart from you, I do not have any other.

Do favor (krpa) on me, O Great Remover of Affliction; giving me sustenance at your feet,

provide me with your most excellent nectarine devotional service. 131

You, most compassionate Remover of All Miseries, are showering your grace (anugraha) on me

from the outside, in the form of the spiritual preceptor (guru).

As the indwelling preceptor also, make that true; let me have

fond attachment always in your name. 132

O Krsna! O son of Vasudeva! Devaki’s delight! The Remover of All Miseries!

I salute you, O prince of cowherd Nanda!

Personality of grace! The Opulent Chief of the Cows! To your lotus-feet

I do obeisance millions and millions of times! 133

He who has a navel like the lotus, I prostrate before him again and again!

Salutations to you, O wearer of the divine garland of lotuses!

Salutations to Him whose eyes are like the lotus; whose feet are the lotus!

Salutations to the remover of the fear of the pure devotees! 134

Krsna, the son, as it were, of Vasudeva! You are the most beloved of the devotees!

O destroyer of the wicked entities like Kamsa, Canura and the others!

O gladdener of Devaki’s heart! The preceptor of the entire world, Krsna!

At your feet I do this adoration! 135

In these three worlds, there is no sinner that can equal me.

And, there is no sin-remover that can equal you, Lord.

Knowing this, King of the Cows, do now what you think to be fit, to me.

I do only this supplication at your feet. 136

Thousands and thousands of extremely serious offences day and night

I am doing, this greatly foolish one of extremely dull intellect.

But, my master, I am now your servant; knowing this fact, O World-Residence,

please forgive me, O the enfeebler of the nescience of the devotees. 137

I know all those duties that I have to do; still, my Lord, there is no inclination.

from those things that are not to be done, again, I cannot extricate myself.

Fixed in my heart, my master, the way you will make me do,

Immanent Lord, in that manner only will I do. 138

I do not know the ritual of welcoming, nor do I know the act of farewell.

I do not know any incantations or prayer-formulae associated with procedural worship.

Therefore, Supreme Lord, I have become the servant of your feet;

it now behooves you to secure the fate appropriate for me. 139