कार्पण्यपञ्जिकास्तोत्रम्
Kārpaṇya-pañjikā-stotram

A hymn expressive of wretchedness

By Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda

With excerpts (in italics) from Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s ṭīkā on Stava-mālā.

श्रीवृन्दावनेशौ जयतः ।

śrī-vṛndāvaneśau jayataḥ

Glory to the Īśas of Śrī Vṛndāvana!

namo bhāvaka-bhūpāya śrī-rūpāya dayālave |
kārpaṇya-pañjikā-duḥkha-bhāñjikā labhyate yataḥ ||

Obeisance unto the king of bhāvakas [i.e., relishers of bhāva],
The gracious Śrī Rūpa,
From whom this sorrow-dispelling Kārpaṇya-pañjikā [-stotram]
Is received.

atha kārpaṇya-nivedanayā svāminī prasādayati—

Now, the author [i.e., Śrī Rūpa] propitiates Svāminī [i.e., Śrī Rādhā] with a profession of wretchedness (kārpaṇya):

तिष्ठन्वृन्दाटवीकुञ्जे विज्ञप्तिं विदधत्यसौ ।
वृन्दाटवीशयोः पादपद्मेषु कृपनो जनः ॥१॥

tiṣṭhan vṛndāṭavī-kuñje vijñaptiṁ vidadhaty asau |
vṛndāṭavīśayoḥ pāda-padmeṣu kṛpano janaḥ ||1||

This wretched person,
Staying in a kuñja in Vṛndāvana,
Makes an entreaty
At the lotus feet of the Īśas of Vṛndāvana.

kīnāśaḥ kṛpaṇo lubdho gṛdhro dīno’bhilāṣukaḥ iti dhanañjayaḥ | … tad-dhāmopāntasthasya dīnasya me vijñaptir īśābhyāṁ tābhyāṁ śrotavyaiva | svasaudhopānte phūtkurutāṁ dīnānāṁ vijñaptim īśvarāḥ śṛṇvantīti prasiddham iti bhāvaḥ |

Poor, wretched (kṛpaṇa), longing, greedy, distressed, and desirous [are synonyms] according to [the lexicologist] Dhanañjaya. … An entreaty of mine, a distressed person situated in the vicinity of the dhāma, must be heard by those Īśas [of Vṛndāvana]. It is well known that lords hear an entreaty from distressed persons bawling in the vicinity of their own mansion. This is the purport.

नवेन्दीवरसंदोहसौन्दर्यास्कन्दनप्रभम् ।
चारुगोरोचनागर्वगौरवग्रासिगौरभाम् ॥२॥

navendīvara-saṁdoha-saundaryāskandana-prabham |
cāru-gorocanā-garva-gaurava-grāsi-gaura-bhām ||2||

You whose luster withers the beauty
Of a cluster of fresh blue lotuses,
And you whose golden splendor
Eclipses the pride and glory of lovely gorocanā, …

navendīvara—ity-ādīnām aṣṭānāṁ ślokānām tvāṁ ca iti navama-ślokena sambandhaḥ | he vṛndāvanādhīśa he vṛndāvaneśvari, ayaṁ janas tvāṁ ca tvāṁ ca prārthayate| tatra tvāṁ ca kathaṁbhūtaṁ tvāṁ ca kathaṁbhūtām ity apekṣāyāṁ kramād ekaikena padena vijñāpyayos tayor viśeṣaṇa-dānam | 

The eight verses beginning with this one (navendīvara …) have a relationship with [i.e., are part of one sentence that ends in] the ninth verse [that follows this one, i.e., the tenth verse of the composition]. O Adhīśa of Vṛndāvana [i.e., O Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa], O Īśvarī of Vṛndāvana [i.e., Lordess Śrī Rādhā], this person is praying to you [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and to you [i.e., Śrī Rādhā]. In expectation in this regard [of the question that may arise in the mind of the reader], “You [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] who are of what nature? And you [i.e., Śrī Rādhā] who are of what nature?” qualifiers for the two who are being entreated have been given with [compound] words one by one in succession [over the course of the next eight verses].

शातकुम्भकदम्बश्रीविडम्बिस्फुरदम्बरम् ।
हरता किंशुकस्यांशूनंशुकेन विराजिताम् ॥३॥

śātakumbha-kadamba-śrī-viḍambi-sphurad-ambaram |
haratā kiṁśukasyāṁśūn aṁśukena virājitām ||3||

You whose shining garments
Mock the beauty of golden kadamba flowers
[alt., A mass of liquid gold],
And you who are resplendent
With garments that surpass
The rays of palāśa flowers [in their bright redness], …

सर्वकैशोरवद्वृन्दचूडारूढहरिन्मणिम् ।
गोष्ठाशेषकिशोरीणां धम्मिल्लोत्तंसमल्लिकाम् ॥४॥

sarva-kaiśoravad-vṛnda-cūḍārūḍha-harin-maṇim |
goṣṭhāśeṣa-kiśorīṇāṁ dhammillottaṁsa-mallikām ||4||

You who are the emerald jewel
Mounted atop the crown of all of adolescents,
And you who are the crest of jasmine
Atop the braided chignon
Of all the adolescent girls of Vraja, …

श्रीशमुख्यात्मरूपाणां रूपातिशयिविग्रहम् ।
रमोज्ज्वलव्रजवधूव्रजविस्मापिसौष्ठवाम् ॥५॥

śrīśa-mukhyātma-rūpāṇāṁ rūpātiśayi-vigraham |
ramojjvala-vraja-vadhū-vraja-vismāpi-sauṣṭhavām ||5||

You whose figure is exceedingly beautiful
[Even] Among all of your own forms
Led by Śrīśa [i.e., four-armed Nārāyaṇa],
And you whose excellence
Astonishes the women of Vraja [beginning with Candrāvalī],
Who are more lovely
Than [even] Ramā [i.e., Lakṣmī Devī], …

सौरभ्यहृतगान्धर्वं गन्धोन्मादितमाधवाम् ।
राधारोधनवंशीकं महतीमोहिताच्युताम् ॥६॥

saurabhya-hṛta-gāndharvaṁ gandhonmādita-mādhavām |
rādhā-rodhana-vaṁśīkaṁ mahatī-mohitācyutām ||6||

You whose scent captivates Gāndharvā [i.e., Rādhikā],
And you whose fragrance maddens Mādhava;
You whose vaṁśīka [i.e., flute] stuns Rādhā,
And you by whose mahatī [i.e., vīṇā]
Acyuta becomes enchanted, …

राधाधृतिधनस्तेनलोचनाञ्चलचापलम् ।
दृगञ्चलकलाभृङ्गीदष्टकृष्णहृदम्बुजाम् ॥७॥

rādhā-dhṛti-dhana-stena-locanāñcala-cāpalam |
dṛg-añcala-kalā-bhṛṅgī-daṣṭa-kṛṣṇa-hṛd-ambujām ||7||

You the restlessness in the corners of whose eyes
Is the thief of the wealth of Rādhā’s composure,
And you the bumblebee of the art in the corners of whose eyes
Has bitten the lotus of Kṛṣṇa’s heart, … 

राधागूढपरीहासप्रौढिनिर्वचनीकृतम् ।
व्रजेन्द्रसुतनर्मोक्तिरोमाञ्चिततनूलताम् ॥८॥

rādhā-gūḍha-parīhāsa-prauḍhi-nirvacanī-kṛtam |
vrajendra-suta-narmokti-romāñcita-tanū-latām ||8||

You who boldly made no reply
To Rādhā’s confidential jokes,
And you the creeper of whose figure
Horripilated at the joking words of the Prince of Vraja, …

dāna-keli-kaumudyāṁ draṣṭavyam etat |

This is to be seen in the Dāna-keli-kaumudī.

दिव्यसद्गुणमाणिक्यश्रेणीरोहणपर्वतम् ।
उमादिरमणीव्यूहस्पृहणीयगुणोत्कराम् ॥९॥

divya-sad-guṇa-māṇikya-śreṇī-rohaṇa-parvatam |
umādi-ramaṇī-vyūha-spṛhaṇīya-guṇotkarām ||9||

You who are an ascending mountain
[Made] Of the rubies of divine virtues,
And you who are a mass of qualities
Desirable [even] to an array of beautiful women led by Umā [i.e., Parvatī], …

divyā prākṛta-gandha-śūnyā yā sadguṇa-māṇikya-śreṇis tasyārohaṇa-parvatam | rohaṇa-nāmā ratnamayo girir asti | meghe garjati yatra ratnāni vardhante | evam atra bhakte stuvati guṇā vardhanta iti bhāvaḥ | “ime cānye ca bhagavan nityā yatra mahāguṇāḥ,” “ananta-kalyāṇa-guṇātmako’sau” ity ādi-smṛtibhyaḥ | umā śiva-patnī tad-ādīnāṁ ramaṇīnāṁ vyūhaiḥ spṛhaṇīyo vāñchanīyo guṇotkaro yasyās tām | durgārādhyā ramārādhyā iti sarasvatīśā durgeśā iti, ananta-guṇa-saṁpannā iti ca nāradīye tan-nāma-stotrāt |

You who are an ascending mountain [made] of the rubies of virtues that are divine, that is, free from even a trace of mundanity. There is a mountain made of jewels named Rohaṇa [i.e., Adam’s Peack in Sri Lanka, the mountain from which Rāvaṇa ruled the island] where jewels grow when the clouds rumble. Similarly, when praised by bhaktas, [your] qualities increase. This is the purport, on account of statements in the Smṛtis, such as [SB 1.16.30], “O Bhagavān, in whom these and other great, eternal qualities [desirable to those who seek greatness never diminish] …,” and [Viṣṇu Purāṇa: 6.5.84], “He [i.e., Bhagavān] constituted of endless auspicious qualities ….” You who are a mass of qualities desirable, that is, wished for, by [even] an array of beautiful women led by Umā, that is, Śiva’s wife, on account of [i.e., as evidenced in] the stotra of her [i.e. Rādhā’s] names in Nāradīya Purāṇa (1.82.151, 1.82.190, 1.82.169), “She who is worshippable to Durgā, she who is worshippable to Ramā, …” “She who is the Lordess of Sarasvatī, she who is the Lordess of Durgā, …” and “She who is endowed with endless qualities ….”

त्वां च वृन्दावनाधीश त्वां च वृन्दावनेश्वरि ।
काकुभिर्वन्दमानोऽयं मन्दः प्रार्थयते जनः ॥१०॥

tvāṁ ca vṛndāvanādhīśa tvāṁ ca vṛndāvaneśvari |
kākubhir vandamāno’yaṁ mandaḥ prārthayate janaḥ ||10||

To you, O Adhīśa of Vṛndāvana,
And to you, O Īśvarī of Vṛndāvana,
This foolish person is offering obeisance
And praying with grief-stricken cries.

evaṁ divya-rūpa-guṇa-tulyatayeśvarau nirvarṇya tābhyāṁ prārthyam āha—

In this way, having contemplated the two Īśvaras endowed with commensurate divine forms and qualities, the author [i.e., Śrī Rūpa] tells them his desired object [i.e., what he is praying to them for] …

योग्यता मे न काचिद्वां कृपालाभाय यद्यपि ।
महाकृपालुमौलित्वात्तथापि कुरुतं कृपाम्॥११॥

yogyatā me na kācid vāṁ kṛpā-lābhāya yadyapi |
mahākṛpālu-maulitvāt tathāpi kurutaṁ kṛpām ||11||

Although I do not have any worthiness
To receive your grace,
Still,
Please bestow [your] grace upon me,
For you two are the foremost of the most gracious.

mahākṛpālavo hy atidhanino’yogye’pi paṅgu-badhirādau kṛpayanto dṛṣṭāḥ kiṁ punas tan-maulibhūtau yuvām ity arthaḥ |

The greatly wealthy, on account of being most gracious, are seen to be gracious even to the unworthy, that is, the lame, the deaf, and so forth, so what more of you two, who are the foremost of them [i.e., of those who are most gracious]? This is the meaning.

nanu tvaṁ na kevalam ayogyaḥ, api tu sāparādhaś ca | tatas tvayi katham āvayoḥ kṛpā syāt tatrāha—

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, you are not only unworthy, but rather are also offensive. Therefore, how can our grace be upon you?” To this, the author says …

अयोग्येऽप्यपराधेऽपि दृश्यन्ते कृपयाकुलाः ।
महाकृपालवो हन्त लोके लोकेशवन्दितौ ॥१२॥

ayogye sāparādhe’pi dṛśyante kṛpayākulāḥ |
mahākṛpālavo hanta loke lokeśa-vanditau ||12||

Hanta!
The most gracious in this world
Are seen to be filled with grace
Even for the unworthy and offensive,
O worshiped Īśas of the world!

he lokeśa-vanditāv iti hetu-garbhaṁ sambodhanam | te hi kūpāt taṁ jana-pada-drohiṇam api gṛhītvā nītaṁ hasty-aśva-sthāna-dānair anugṛhnanto dṛṣṭāḥ kiṁ punas tad-vanditau yuvām iti bhāvaḥ |

“O worshiped Īśas of the world” is a vocative containing the cause [i.e., a compound word in the vocative case that implicitly conveys the reason for the author’s appeal and answer to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s question as to why they should bestow their grace upon him], since it is seen that they [i.e., those who are gracious in this world] rescue even an enemy of their nation from a well and favor him with gifts of elephants, horses, and territory, so what’s more of you two, who are worshiped by them [i.e., you two are worshiped and regarded as supremely gracious even by such exemplars of graciousness in the world as kings who treat even enemies of their state kindly]. This is the purport.

nanu bhaktyaivāvayoḥ prasādo viśrutaḥ, tvayi bhakti-śūnye sa katham iti cet tatrāha— |

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, it is well-known that our grace comes only through bhakti [i.e., in response bhakti], so how can it come upon you who are devoid of bhakti?” If this [is said], [then] to that the author says …

भक्तेर्वां करुणाहेतोर्लेशाभासोऽपि नास्ति मे ।
महालीलेश्वरतया तदप्यत्र प्रसीदतम्॥१३॥

bhakter vāṁ karuṇā-hetor leśābhāso’pi nāsti me |
mahālīleśvaratayā tad apy atra prasīdatam ||13||

Although I do not have
Even a semblance of a trace of bhakti—
The cause of your compassion—
Still be gracious here [i.e., upon me]
By virtue of you two being
Īśvaras of extraordinary līlā.

suhṛdy-udāsīne ca parjanyo varṣan dṛṣṭa iti bhāvaḥ |

A raincloud is seen to shower [water] upon the friendly and the indifferent. This is the purport [i.e., as a cloud showers water indiscriminately upon all people and places, including those that can make no proper use of it, so I pray you may shower your grace even upon I who lack the fitness of making proper use of it, that is, who lack bhakti].

nanu dhanikā nṛpāś cājñā daṇḍye’pi duṣṭe sāgasi prasīdanti, naivaṁ vijñā devāḥ kuryur iti cet tatrāha—

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, the wealthy, kings, and the ignorant are gracious towards even the punishable, the depraved, and the offensive, but the wise and the devas shall not act like that.” If this [is said], [then] to that the author says …

जने दुष्टेऽप्यभक्तेऽपि प्रसीदन्तो विलोकिताः ।
महालीलामहेशाश्च हा नाथौ बहवो भुवि ॥१४॥

jane duṣṭe’py abhakte’pi prasīdanto vilokitāḥ |
mahālīlā-maheśāś ca hā nāthau bahavo bhuvi ||14||

Hā!
O Nāthas,
Many great Īśas of extraordinary līlā in this world
Are seen to be gracious
Even to depraved persons
And even to non-bhaktas.

yathā vaija-nāmni kirāte nityaṁ gaṇḍūṣāmbu-nikṣepiṇi prasīdan śivas tasmai mahāntaṁ varaṁ dadau tan-nāmnā svakhyātim avāpa | yathā steyāya śivālayaṁ praviṣṭe’rtha-darśanāyottejita-dīpe stene prasīdan śivas tasmai kuberatvāntaṁ varaṁ dadau … iti bhuvi devā mahālīlā dṛṣṭāḥ | kim uta deva-devau yuvām |

As Śiva became pleased with a hunter named Vaija who daily spat mouthfuls of water [on him], granted him the boon of being a mahānta, and achieved his own renown by that name; and as Śiva became pleased with a thief who entered a Śiva temple for the purpose of stealing and lit lamps to be able to see articles [so that he could steal them], and granted him the boon of becoming Kubera … thus indeed devas who perform extraordinary līlā [i.e., līlās of being extraordinarily gracious] are seen in the world. What’s more then of you two, the devas of [all such] devas [i.e., why would it thus be unheard of or impossible for you two to also bestow grace upon even an unfit and offensive non-bhakta like me]?

nanu devās te’nugrahaṁ nigrahaṁ cāśu kurvanty apekṣya-kāriṇaḥ | āvāṁ tu kiñcid bhaktim apekṣyaivānugṛhṇāva eva, na tu kadācid api gṛhṇāva ity āvayoḥ svabhāvaḥ | tava tu bhakti-leśo’pi nāstīti cet tatra svāparādha-nivedana-pūrvakaṁ svabhaktiṁ vadan prasādaṁ yācate “adhamo’pi” dvābhyām—

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, the devas quickly bestow favor and disfavor after due consideration. We two, however, shall bestow favor only after considering some bhakti [i.e., examining whether someone has any bhakti or not], and shall not, rather, just accept [anyone] at any time. This is our nature. You certainly do not have even a trace of bhakti [and thus we are not prepared to bestow our grace upon you].” If this [is said], [then] to that the author confesses his own offences, describes his own bhakti, and prays for grace in two [verses] beginning adhamo’pi

अधमोऽप्युत्तमं मत्वा स्वमज्ञेऽपि मनीषिणम्।
शिष्टं दुष्टोऽप्ययं जन्तुर्मन्तुं व्यधित यद्यपि ॥१५॥
तथाप्यस्मिन्कदाचिद्वामधीशौ नामजल्पिनि ।
अवद्यवृन्दनिस्तारिनामाभासौ प्रसीदतम्॥१६॥

adhamo’py uttamaṁ matvā svam ajñe’pi manīṣiṇam |
śiṣṭaṁ duṣṭo’py ayaṁ jantur mantuṁ vyadhita yadyapi ||15||
tathāpy asmin kadācid vām adhīśau nāma-jalpini |
avadya-vṛnda-nistāri-nāmābhāsau prasīdatam ||16||

Although this creature has committed offense,
Having considered himself exalted
Even though he is lowly,
Wise even though he is ignorant,
And virtuous even though he is depraved,
Still,
O Adhīśas,
O you two [even] a semblance of whose names
Delivers [even] the condemnable,
May you two be gracious to him,
Since he sometimes speaks your names.

sat-sabhāyām adhamatvādi-dharmaṇaḥ svasyottamatvādi-prakāśanaṁ mahān-aparādha ity arthaḥ | … avadyānām adhamatvādi-doṣa-duṣṭānāṁ vṛndaṁ nistārayati tathābhūto nāmabhāso’pi yayos tau | … govindeti tathā proktaṁ bhaktyā vā bhakti-varjitaiḥ | dahate sarva-pāpāni yugāntāgnir ivotthitaḥ || ity ādi smṛtibhyaś ca | vāṁ cāvadyety ādi-lakṣaṇāv ity asti saṅgatir iti bhāvaḥ |

One possessed of lowliness and so forth making a show of one’s own [he supposed] exaltedness in an assembly of sādhus is a great offense. This is the meaning. … [Avadya-vṛnda-nistāri-nāmābhāsau means] O you two even a semblance of whose names causes the deliverance of the condemnable, that is, those who are depraved by the faults of being lowly and so forth. … In accord with Smṛtis [i.e., statements in Smṛti-śāstra], such as, “[The name] ‘Govinda’ pronounced with bhakti or by those devoid of bhakti burns away all sins like the fire that arises at the end of the yuga,’ there is applicability of your characteristics of being such that even a semblance of your name delivers the condemnable [i.e., you should bestow your grace upon those who speak your name even if they are devoid of bhakti and offensive, and thus you should bestow your grace upon me]. This is the puport.

nanu tavāparādho’sti, tasya kaḥ pratīkāras tatrāha— |

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, you have committed offense. What is the remedy for that [i.e., your offensiveness still needs to be rectified, so how will that be accomplished?]” To this, the author says …

यदक्षम्यं नु युवयोः सकृद्भक्तिलवादपि ।
तदागः क्वापि नास्त्येव कृताशां प्रार्थये ततः ॥१७॥

yad akṣamyaṁ nu yuvayoḥ sakṛd-bhakti-lavād api |
tad-āgaḥ kvāpi nāsty eva kṛtvāśāṁ prārthaye tataḥ ||17||

[Even] An offense
That is [otherwise] unpardonable
Never remains
After even one instance
Of a trace of bhakti to you two.
Thus I have hope,
And I pray [to you two for your grace,
Since even a trace of bhakti to you two
Can purify me of my offenses].

nanu sādhana-sampatti-hīnas tvaṁ katham āvāṁ durālokau lipsasi bhūstha iva candra-tārake, iti cet tatrāha— |

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, how can you, who are devoid of any accomplishment [alt., success, or abundance] of sādhana, desire we who are difficult to see just like someone situated on the earth [desiring] the moon and the stars?” If this [is said], [then] to that the author says …

हन्त क्लीबोऽपि जीवोऽयं नीतः कष्टेन धृष्टताम्।
मुहुः प्रार्थयते नाथौ प्रसादः कोऽप्युदञ्चतु ॥१८॥

hanta klībo’pi jīvo’yaṁ nītaḥ kaṣṭena dhṛṣṭatām |
muhuḥ prārthayate nāthau prasādaḥ ko’py udañcatu ||18||

Hanta!
This living being,
Although impotent,
Has taken to boldness because of hardship,
And prays to you repeatedly,
“O Nāthas,
May your grace be upon this insignificant one.”

hanteti viṣāde | … ayaṁ jīvaḥ prāṇī klībo’pi sādhana-bala-śūnyo’pi kaṣṭena saṁsṛti-duḥkha-gahanena dhṛṣṭatāṁ nītaḥ san muhur yuvāṁ prārthayate mat-kaṣṭam apanayatam iti yācate | …  kaṣṭa-nāśaś ca prasādaṁ vinā na bhavet, tasmād yuvayoḥ ko’pi prasādo’smin jīve udañcatu bhavatu ||

Hanta is [spoken] with despondency. … This living being, although impotent, that is, although devoid of any strength of sādhana, has taken to boldness because of hardship, that is, the deep sorrow of saṁsāra, and repeatedly prays to you two, that is, he prays, “Please take away my suffering. … Cessation of [my] hardship will not come about without [your] grace. Therefore, let some form of your grace be upon this living being.”

atidainyam ālambyāha—|

Taking to intense humility, the author says … 

एष पापी रुदन्नुच्चैरादाय रदनैस् तृणम् ।
हा नाथौ नाथति प्राणी सीदत्यत्र प्रसीदतम् ॥१९॥

eṣa pāpī rudann uccair ādāya radanais tṛṇam |
hā nāthau nāthati prāṇī sīdaty atra prasīdatam ||19||

Crying aloud
And holding straw in his teeth,
This sinful living being begs:
“O Nāthas,
Please be gracious here [i.e., towards me].”

हाहारावमसौ कुर्वन्दुर्भगो भिक्षते जनः ।
एतां मे शृणुतं काकुं काकुं शृणुतमीश्वरौ ॥२०॥

hāhā-rāvam asau kurvan durbhago bhikṣate janaḥ |
etāṁ me śṛṇutaṁ kākuṁ kākuṁ śṛṇutam īśvarau ||20||

Crying out, “Hā! Hā!”
This unfortunate person begs,
“Please listen to this grief-stricken cry of mine!
Please listen to this grief-stricken cry,
O Īśvaras!

kākau śrutāyāṁ kṛpā bhāvinīti bhāvaḥ | kaṣṭa-hetukena saṁbhrameṇa pravṛtteḥ śṛṇutaṁ śṛṇutam iti dviruktiḥ | evam agre’pi |

When grief-stricken cries are heard, then grace will manifest. This is the purport. The repetition, “Please listen, please listen” is because of a sense of agitation caused by hardship. It is so ahead also [i.e., instances of repetition are for the same reason later on].

याचे फुत्कृत्य फुत्कृत्य हा हा काकुभिराकुलः ।
प्रसीदतमयोग्येऽपि जनेऽस्मिन्करुणार्णवौ ॥२१॥

yāce phutkṛtya phutkṛtya hā hā kākubhir ākulaḥ |
prasīdatam ayogye’pi jane’smin karuṇārṇavau ||21||

Overwhelmed,
Bawling and bawling,
With grief-stricken cries of“Hā! Hā!”
I beg:
Please be gracious to this person
Even though he is unworthy,
O Oceans of compassion!”

क्रोशत्यार्तस्वरैरास्ये न्यस्याङ्गुष्ठमसौ जनः ।
कुरुतं कुरुतं नाथौ करुणाकणिकामपि ॥२२॥

krośaty ārta-svarair āsye nyasyāṅguṣṭham asau janaḥ |
kurutaṁ kurutaṁ nāthau karuṇā-kaṇikām api ||22||

Placing his thumb in his mouth,
This person cries in tones of distress:
“O Nāthas,
Please grant,
Please grant,
Just a small drop of compassion.”

वाचेह दीनया याचे साक्रन्दमतिमन्दधीः ।
किरतं करुणस्वान्तौ करुणोर्मिच्छटामपि ॥२३॥

vāceha dīnayā yāce sākrandam ati-manda-dhīḥ |
kirataṁ karuṇa-svāntau karuṇormi-cchaṭām api ||23||

I, of very dull wit,
Here with cries in a sorrowful voice beg:
“O you two of compassionate heart,
Please cast even the [shimmering] light
From the waves of [your] compassion [upon me,
i.e., please grant me even the slightest trace of your grace].” 

evam īśābhyāṁ saha svasya sambandhaṁ nyāyataḥ pratipādya svābhīṣṭāṁ prema-sevāṁ yācate tribhiḥ | tatrādau premāṇaṁ yācate— |

Having in this way properly established his own relation with his Īśas, he begs for his desired object, prema-sevā, with three [verses]. In the first of these, he begs for prema.

मधुराः सन्ति यावन्तो भावाः सर्वत्र चेतसः ।
तेभ्योऽपि मधुरं प्रेम प्रसादीकुरुतं निजम्॥२४॥

madhurāḥ santi yāvanto bhāvāḥ sarvatra cetasaḥ |
tebhyo’pi madhuraṁ prema prasādī-kurutaṁ nijam ||24||

Please grant [me],
As your grace,
Prema for you two,
Which is sweet
More so than all existents everywhere
That are sweet to the heart.

premṇā khalu sevakāya sevā rocate kṣudheva bhojyaṁ bhuñjānāya | sarvatra tvan-nitya-dhāmani yāvanto bhāvāḥ sālokyādi-lakṣaṇā divya-rasa-gandhādi-bhogya-lakṣaṇā vā padārthāś cetaso madhurāḥ priyāḥ santi tebhyo’pi sarvebhyo nijaṁ bhavad-viṣayakaṁ premaiva madhuraṁ cetaso’tipriyam | atas tad eva prasādī-kurutam | prasannau santau dadatam ity arthaḥ |

Service appeals to a servitor only because of prema, just as food appeals to an eater only because of hunger. Everywhere, that is, throughout your eternal abodes, all the existents, that is, those objects in the form of sālokya and so forth [i.e., the various forms of mokṣa], or those in the form of perceptible objects, such as divine tastes, fragrances, and so on, that are sweet, that is, pleasing, to the heart—only your own prema, that is, [prema] focused on you, is sweet to the heart, that is, greatly pleasing, more so even than all of those. Therefore, grant this alone as your grace. May you two be pleased and bestow [this]. This is the meaning.

nanu prasannābhyām āvbhyām asmal loka-samṛddhīr gṛhāṇa kim asmat premṇeti cet tatrāha—

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa reply:] “Well, accept from we, who are pleased [with you], the great opulences of our abode. What is the use of prema for us?” If this [is said], [then] to that the author says …

सेवामेवाद्य वां देवावीहे किञ्चन नापरम्।
प्रसादाभिमुखौ हन्त भवन्तौ भवतां मयि ॥२५॥

sevām evādya vāṁ devāv īhe kiñcana nāparam |
prasādābhimukhau hanta bhavantau bhavatāṁ mayi ||25||

I now wish only for service to you,
O Devas,
And nothing else.
Hanta!
May you two please
Be disposed to grace me.

he devau rādhikā-mādhavau, lubdha-yuṣmat-premāhaṁ vāṁ sevām evehe spṛhayāmi, aparaṁ kiñcana na | sevā-prasāda-dāne’bhimukhau mayi bhavantau bhavatām | hanta harṣe |

O Devas, that is, O Rādhikā and Mādhava, I, who am intensely desirous of prema for you two, wish, that is, long, only for service to you two, and nothing else. May you two please be disposed to bestow the grace of [your] service upon me. Hanta is in the sense of exultation.

sevāyām atyādarāt tām eva punar api yācate—

Out of profound adoration for [such] service, he again prays for that alone—

नाथितं परमेवेदमनाथजनवत्सलौ ।
स्वं साक्षाद्दास्यमेवास्मिन्प्रसादीकुरुतं जने ॥२६॥

nāthitaṁ param evedam anātha-jana-vatsalau |
svaṁ sākṣād-dāsyam evāsmin prasādī-kurutaṁ jane ||26||

Only this alone is begged for [by me],
O you two who are affectionate to the helpless!
Please bestow the grace
Of your own personal service upon this person.

he anātha-jana-vatsalau, yadyapi yuvāṁ sarva-samṛddhi-pradāne samutsukau tathāpi mayā paraṁ kevalam idam eva nāthitam | kiṁ tad ity āha—svam iti | svakīyaṁ sākṣād-dāsyam aṅga-sevām eva asmin jane mayi prasādī-kurutam | prasādaṁ dattam ity arthaḥ | prema-sevā khalu paramānanda-yuṣmad-anubandhitvāt paramaḥ pum-arthaḥ, sa evātyudārābhyāṁ yuvābhyāṁ yācito dātavya iti |

O you two who are affectionate to the helpless, although you two are eager to bestow all opulence [upon me], still only this alone is begged for by me. “What is that?” He says svam … [i.e., he speaks the second half of the verse]. Please bestow only the grace (prasādī-kurutam) of your own personal service, that is, the service of your bodies, upon this person, that is, me. Service with prema is indeed the supreme goal of human life because of the highest bliss and the two of you [i.e., being its consequences [i.e., by serving you with prema, I will automatically attain the highest bliss and the two of you]. That alone [i.e., your personal service with prema] is [thus] begged for [by me], and is to be given by you two, who are extremely magnanimous.

sākṣād-dāsyāt phala-viśeṣān sphuṭayiṣyann āha— 

Disclosing the special attainments that come about as a result of personal service [to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa], the author says …

अञ्जलिं मूर्ध्नि विन्यस्य दीनोऽयं भिक्षते जनः ।
अस्य सिद्धिरभीष्टस्य सकृदप्युपपाद्यताम्॥२७॥

añjaliṁ mūrdhni vinyasya dīno’yaṁ bhikṣate janaḥ |
asya siddhir abhīṣṭasya sakṛd apy upapādyatām ||27||

Fixing his joined palms atop his head,
This poor person begs:
“May you bring about the fulfillment
Of his desire just once.”

abhīṣṭam āha—amala ity ādibhiḥ pañca-daśabhiḥ |

The author states his desire with fifteen [verses] beginning with amala ….

अमलो वां परिमलः कदा परिमिलन्वने ।
अनर्घेण प्रमोदेन घ्राणं मे घूर्णयिष्यति ॥२८॥

amalo vāṁ parimalaḥ kadā parimilan vane |
anargheṇa pramodena ghrāṇaṁ me ghūrṇayiṣyati ||28||

When will the flawless fragrance
Of the two of you
Fill the forest
And cause my nose
To reel with immeasurable delight?

रञ्जयिष्यति कर्णौ मे हंसगुञ्जितगञ्जनम् ।
मञ्जुलं किं नु युवयोर्मञ्जीरकलसिञ्जितम्॥२९॥

rañjayiṣyati karṇau me haṁsa-guñjita-gañjanam |
mañjulaṁ kiṁ nu yuvayor mañjīra-kala-siñjitam ||29||

Will the charming, melodious,
Tinkling of your anklets,
Which surpasses the trumpeting of swans,
Delight my ears?

सौभाग्याङ्करथाङ्गादिलक्षितानि पदानि वाम् ।
कदा वृन्दावने पश्यन्नुन्मदिष्यत्ययं जनः ॥३०॥

saubhāgyāṅka-rathāṅgādi-lakṣitāni padāni vām |
kadā vṛndāvane paśyann unmadiṣyaty ayaṁ janaḥ ||30||

When upon seeing your footprints
Marked with signs of good fortune,
Such as a chariot wheel,
Will this person become maddened?

सर्वसौन्दर्यमर्यादानीराज्यपदनीरजौ ।
किमपूर्वाणि पर्वाणि हा ममाक्ष्णोर्विधास्यथ ॥३१॥

sarva-saundarya-maryādā-nīrājya-pada-nīrajau |
kim apūrvāṇi parvāṇi hā mamākṣṇor vidhāsyatha ||31||

O you two whose lotus feet are worshipable
[Even] To the ultimate limit of all beauty!
Hā!
Will you two occasion unprecedented festivals for my eyes
[i.e., Give me the chance to behold
Your supreme beautiful forms]?

सुचिराशाफलाभोगपदाम्भोजविलोकनौ ।
युवां साक्षाज्जनस्यास्य भवेतामिह किं भवे ॥३२॥

sucirāśā-phalābhoga-padāmbhoja-vilokanau |
yuvāṁ sākṣāj janasyāsya bhavetām iha kiṁ bhave ||32||

O you two the sight of whose lotus feet
Is the attainment of an object of long-standing desire!
Will you two become directly visible
To this person in this birth?

कदा वृन्दाटवीकुञ्जकन्दरे सुन्दरोदयौ ।
खेलन्तौ वां विलोकिष्ये सुरतौ नातिदूरतः ॥३३॥

kadā vṛndāṭavī-kuñja-kandare sundarodayau |
khelantau vāṁ vilokiṣye suratau nātidūrataḥ ||33||

O you two who are gracious!
When will I,
From not very far away,
Behold you two playing in the kuñjas
And caves of Vṛndāvana,
Your beauty rising forth?

गुर्वायत्ततया क्वापि दुर्लभान्योन्यवीक्षणौ ।
मिथः सन्देशसीधुभ्यां नन्दयिष्यामि वां कदा ॥३४॥

gurvāyattatayā kvāpi durlabhānyonya-vīkṣaṇau |
mithaḥ sandeśa-sīdhubhyāṁ nandayiṣyāmi vāṁ kadā ||34||

When will I delight you two
With the nectars of messages
From each other whenever seeing one another
Is difficult to accomplish
Because of remaining in the presence of elders?

harer api kadācij janmotsavādau gurvāyattatā bhavet |

Even Hari sometimes has to remain in the presence of elders during the festival for his birth and so on.

गवेषयन्तावन्योऽन्यं कदा वृन्दावनान्तरे ।
सङ्गमय्य युवां लप्स्ये हारिणं पारितोषिकम्॥३५॥

gaveṣayantāv anyo’nyaṁ kadā vṛndāvanāntare |
saṅgamayya yuvāṁ lapsye hāriṇaṁ pāritoṣikam ||35||

When will I unite you two
As you are searching for each other
Within Vṛndāvana
And receive a delightful reward?

vṛndāvanāntare’nyo’nyaṁ gaveṣayantau vāṁ saṅgamayya kadā hāriṇaṁ manoharaṁ pāritoṣikaṁ paritoṣeṇa deyaṁ hāra-padakādikaṁ lapsye prāpsyāmi |

When will I unite you two as you are searching for each other in Vṛndāvana and receive, that is, obtain, a delightful reward, that is, something to be given out of satisfaction, such as a necklace or pendant?

पणीकृतमिथोहार-लुञ्चनव्यग्रहस्तयोः ।
कलिं द्यूते विलोकिष्ये कदा वां जितकाशिनोः ॥३६॥

paṇīkṛta-mitho-hāra-luñcana-vyagra-hastayoḥ |
kaliṁ dyūte vilokiṣye kadā vāṁ jitakāśinoḥ ||36||

When will I behold the quarrel of the two of you
Over a gambling match,
Your fists clenched
As your hands are engaged
In tugging upon each other’s wagered necklaces?

कुञ्जे कुसुमशय्यायां कदा वामर्पिताङ्गयोः ।
पादसम्वाहनं हन्त जनोऽयं रचयिष्यति ॥३७॥

kuñje kusuma-śayyāyāṁ kadā vām arpitāṅgayoḥ |
pāda-samvāhanaṁ hanta jano’yaṁ racayiṣyati ||37||

Hanta!
When will this person massage your feet
As your bodies lay
Upon a bed of flowers in a kuñja?

कन्दर्पकलहोद्घट्टत्रुटितानां लतागृहे ।
कदा गुम्फाय हाराणां भवन्तौ मां नियोक्ष्यतः ॥३८॥

kandarpa-kalahodghaṭṭa-truṭitānāṁ latā-gṛhe |
kadā gumphāya hārāṇāṁ bhavantau māṁ niyokṣyataḥ ||38||

When will you two instruct me
To [re-] string your necklaces
Which tore as a result of your rashness
During a love battle in a cottage of creepers?

केलिकल्लोलविस्रस्तान्हन्त वृन्दावनेश्वरौ ।
कर्हि बर्हिपतत्रैर्वां मण्डयिष्यामि कुन्तलान्॥३९॥

keli-kallola-visrastān hanta vṛndāvaneśvarau |
karhi barhi-patatrair vāṁ maṇḍayiṣyāmi kuntalān ||39||

Hanta!
O Īśvaras of Vṛndāvana!
When will I decorate with peacock feathers
Your hair which has become disheveled
By the high waves of your play?

कन्दर्पकेलिपाण्डित्य-खण्डिताकल्पयोरहम् ।
कदा वामलिकद्वन्द्वं करिष्ये तिलकोज्ज्वलम्॥४०॥

kandarpa-keli-pāṇḍitya-khaṇḍitākalpayor aham |
kadā vām alika-dvandvaṁ kariṣye tilakojjvalam ||40||

When will I make radiant tilaka
On the foreheads of the two of you
After your attire has been disordered
By your skillfulness in love play?

देवोरस्ते वनस्रग्भिर्दृशौ ते देवि कज्जलैः ।
अयं जनः कदा कुञ्जमण्डपे मण्डयिष्यति ॥४१॥

devoras te vana-sragbhir dṛśau te devi kajjalaiḥ |
ayaṁ janaḥ kadā kuñja-maṇḍape maṇḍayiṣyati ||41||

When will this person decorate
Your chest with forest garlands,
O Deva,
And your eyes with kajjala,
O Devi,
In a kuñja bower?

जाम्बूनदाभताम्बूलीपर्णान्यवदलय्य वाम् ।
वदनाम्बुजयोरेष निधास्यति जनः कदा ॥४२॥

jāmbūnadābha-tāmbūlī-parṇāny avadalayya vām |
vadanāmbujayor eṣa nidhāsyati janaḥ kadā ||42||

When will this person break golden-hued betel leaves
[i.e., break off their stems]
And place them in your lotus mouths?

evam atidurlabhāny abhīṣṭāni prārthya teṣu svāyogyatāṁ paśyann āha—

In this way, after praying for these extremely rare to attain desired objects, the author [again] observes his own unworthiness for them and says …

क्वासौ दुष्कृतकर्माहं क्व वामभ्यर्थनेदृशी ।
किं वा कं वा न युवयोरुन्मादयति माधुरी ॥४३॥

kvāsau duṣkṛta-karmāhaṁ kva vām abhyarthanedṛśī |
kiṁ vā kaṁ vā na yuvayor unmādayati mādhurī ||43||

Where am I,
This perpetrator of wicked deeds?
And where are such requests of you two?
Who does the sweetness of you two not madden?

āsau duṣkṛta-karmāhaṁ kva | vām īdṛśī etad viśeṣaṇa-viśiṣṭā pūrvokty-abhyarthanā kva durghaṭo dvayoḥ sambandha ity arthaḥ | tārhi katham arthayase tatrāha—kiṁ veti | athavā yuvayor mādhurī kaṁ vā janaṁ nonmādayati | api tu sarvam evety arthaḥ | tatra me ko doṣa iti bhāvaḥ |

“Where am I, this perpetrator of wicked deeds? [And] Where are such requests of you two [made] in the previous statements bearing these characteristics?” [Being] Difficult to accomplish is the relation between the two [i.e., between the requester and the request]. This is the meaning.

[Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa ask:] “Then, how you do make this request?”

To this [question], the author says kiṁ vā … [i.e., he speaks the second half of the verse]. “Rather, what person does the sweetness of you two not madden? Indeed, rather, everyone [is maddened by it].” This is the meaning. “What fault do I have in this regard [i.e., what fault is it of mine if I too am maddened by your sweetness and thus make these untenable requests for your personal service]?” This is the purport.

mādhurī-stutyā sasmitāv ālakṣyāha—

After praising the sweetness [of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in this way], the author beholds them smiling and says … 

यया वृन्दावने जन्तुरनर्होऽप्येष वास्यते ।
तयैव कृपया नाथौ सिद्धिं कुरुतमीप्सितम्॥४४॥

yayā vṛndāvane jantur anarho’py eṣa vāsyate |
tayaiva kṛpayā nāthau siddhiṁ kurutam īpsitām ||44||

O Nāthas,
With that very grace by which this creature,
Although unworthy,
Is enabled to reside in Vṛndāvana,
Please fulfill his desire.

nāma-jalpanāj jātayā yayā kṛpayānarho’py eṣa jantur vṛndāvane vāsyate | he nāthau, tayaiva mamepsitāṁ siddhiṁ yuvāṁ kurutam |

With the very grace manifest by speaking your names by which this creature, although unworthy, is enabled to reside in Vṛndāvana, O Nāthas, may you two please fulfill my desire [i.e., as a result of my calling your names, you two have bestowed upon me your grace in the form of allowing me to reside in Vṛndāvana; with that same grace of yours, please fulfill my desires for prema and personal service to you both].

etat stotra-pāṭha-mātrāt prema-siddhir bhaved ity āha—

Just by reciting this stotra, attainment of prema will occur. Thus, the author says …

कार्पण्यपञ्जिकामेतां सदा वृन्दाटवीनटौ ।
गिरैव जल्पतोऽप्यस्य जन्तोः सिध्यतु वाञ्छितम्॥४५॥

kārpaṇya-pañjikām etāṁ sadā vṛndāṭavī-naṭau |
giraiva jalpato’py asya jantoḥ sidhyatu vāñchitam ||45||

O you two dancers of Vṛndāvana!
May the desire be fulfilled
Even of the person who continuously recites
This Kārpaṇya-pañjikā merely with words.

kārpaṇyaṁ dainyaṁ pañjyate vistīryate’nayā kārpaṇya-pañjikā | pṛṣodarādiḥ | pañjikā pada-bhañjikā iti haimaḥ | he vṛndāṭavī-naṭau | etāṁ giraiva kiṁ punar manasā ca sadā jalpato’pi kiṁ punas tad-arthaṁ vicārayato’sya jantoḥ prāṇino vāñchitaṁ yuṣmat-kāruṇyaṁ sidhyatu |

Kārpaṇya-pañjikā means that by which wretchedness (kārpaṇya), that is, distress [alt., heartache, or, humility], is expressed, that is, divulged. It [i.e., this compound] is a pṛṣodarādi [i.e., it belongs to the class of compounds compiled by Pāṇini known as pṛṣodarādi, that is, compounds that are formed with some irregularity in the coalescence of their constituent members], since pañjika means a pada-bhañjikā [i.e., a commentary on a text which separates out its constituent words and elaborates on their meaning and the process by which they were compounded] according to Haima. O you two dancers of Vṛndāvana! May the desire, [that is, receiving] your grace, be fulfilled of the person, that is, the living being, who continuously recites [this Kārpaṇya-pañjikā-stotra] even just with words [i.e., who merely inattentively recites it without considering its meaning], and all more one who does so with the mind [i.e., attentively], and all the more one who deliberates on its meaning. 

Meter

Anuṣṭup

Sources

Stava-mālā editions by Śrī Purī Dāsa Mahāśaya, Śrī Rāma Nārāyaṇa Vidyāratna, and Nirṇaya Sāgara Press.

Categories

, , , , , , , ,
Scroll to Top