प्रार्थनापद्धतिः
Prārthanā-paddhatiḥ
The way of prayer
By Gauḍīya–Vaiṣṇavācārya-varya Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda
With excerpts (in italics) from Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s ṭīkā.
श्रीराधिकायै नमः ।
śrī-rādhikāyai namaḥ |
Obeisance unto Śrī Rādhikā.
atha prārthanayā rādhāṁ prasādayati—
Now, the author [i.e., Śrī Rūpa] propitiates Rādhā with a prayer.
शुद्धगाङ्गेयगौराङ्गीं कुरङ्गीलङ्गिमेक्षणाम् ।
जितकोटीन्दुबिम्बास्यामम्बुदाम्बरसंवृताम् ॥१॥
śuddha-gāṅgeya-gaurāṅgīṁ kuraṅgī-laṅgimekṣaṇām |
jita-koṭīndu-bimbāsyām ambudāmbara-saṁvṛtām ||1||
You of fair figure like pure gold,
You whose eyes are charming like [those of] a doe,
You whose face defeats crores of moons,
You who are covered in cloud-like garments, …
नवीनवल्लवीऋन्दधम्मिल्लोत्तंसमल्लिकाम् ।
दिव्यरत्नाद्यलङ्कारसेव्यमानतनुश्रियम् ॥२॥
navīna-vallavī-vṛnda-dhammillottaṁsa-mallikām |
divya-ratnādy-alaṅkāra-sevyamāna-tanu-śriyam ||2||
You who are the crest of jasmine
Atop the braided chignon
Of the youthful gopīs,
You the beauty of whose figure
Is served by splendid jewels and other ornaments, …
विदग्धमण्डलगुरुं गुणगौरवमण्डिताम् ।
अतिप्रेष्ठवयस्याभिरष्टाभिरभिवेष्टिताम् ॥३॥
vidagdha-maṇḍala-guruṁ guṇa-gaurava-maṇḍitām |
atipreṣṭha-vayasyābhir aṣṭābhir abhiveṣṭitām ||3||
You who are the guru
Of the circle of the clever [gopīs],
You who are adorned
With eminence by virtue of your qualities,
You who are encircled
By your eight, exceedingly dear friends, …
चञ्चलापाङ्गभङ्गेन व्याकुलीकृतकेशवाम् ।
गोष्ठेन्द्रसुतजीवातुरम्यबिम्बाधरामृताम् ॥४॥
cañcalāpāṅga-bhaṅgena vyākulīkṛta-keśavām |
goṣṭhendra-suta-jīvātu-ramya-bimbādharāmṛtām ||4||
You who excite Keśava
With the waves of your restless, sidelong glances,
You the nectar of whose beautiful bimba lips
Is life-giving medicine to the Son of Vraja’s king, …
त्वामसौ याचते नत्वा विलुठन्यमुनातटे ।
काकुभिर्व्याकुलस्वान्तो जनो वृन्दावनेश्वरि ॥५॥
tvām asau yācate natvā viluṭhan yamunā-taṭe |
kākubhir vyākula-svānto jano vṛndāvaneśvari ||5||
Offering obeisance to you,
And rolling about on the bank of the Yamunā,
This person of agitated heart,
Begs with grief-stricken cries,
O Vṛndāvaneśvarī!
kiṁ yācase tatrāha—
[Rādhā asks:] “What do you beg for?” In this regard, he says …
कृतागस्केऽप्ययोग्येऽपि जनेऽस्मिन्कुमतावपि ।
दास्यदानप्रदानस्य लवमप्युपपादय ॥६॥
kṛtāgaske’py ayogye’pi jane’smin kumatāv api |
dāsya-dāna-pradānasya lavam apy upapādaya ||6||
Although a transgressor,
Although unfit,
And although ill-minded,
Please bestow upon this person
Just a tiny portion of the gift
Of a share of [your] service.
kṛtāgaske sāparādhe’pi | ayogye nirguṇe’pi | kumatau kuṭila-buddhāv apy asmin mal-lakṣaṇe jane | dāsya-lakṣaṇasya dānasya deyasya yat-pradānaṁ tasya lavam apy upapādayārpaya | viśeṣoktir atrālaṅkāraḥ | dāna-pātratvābhāve samagre’pi hetau sati tad-aprārthanasya tat-kāryasyābhāvāt | yad uktam—viśeṣoktir akhaṇḍeṣu kāraṇeṣu phalāvacaḥ iti |
Although a transgressor, that is, although implicated in aparādha; although unfit, that is, although devoid of qualities; and although ill-minded, that is, although possessed of a crooked mind, please bestow, that is, confer, upon this person, myself, just a tiny portion of the gift of a share of [your] service. Here the alaṅkāra is viśeṣokti [lit., “mention of a variation [from a norm]”] because when the cause of even the complete absence of worthiness of the gift is present, there is an absence [in the author’s statement] of its effect, not praying for that [gift], as it is said [in Mammaṭa’s Kāvya-prakāśa (10.163)], “A viśeṣokti is a non-statement [i.e., non-occurrence] of an effect [even] when undiminished causes [of this effect] are present.”
nanv ayogye tad-dānaṁ kathaṁ tatrāha—
[Rādhā asks:] “Well, when you are unfit, how can that be given?” In this regard, he says …
युक्तस्त्वया जनो नैव दुःखितोऽयमुपेक्षितुम् ।
कृपाद्योतद्रवच्चित्तनवनीतासि यत्सदा ॥७॥
yuktas tvayā jano naiva duḥkhito’yam upekṣitum |
kṛpā-dyota-dravac-citta-navanītāsi yat sadā ||7||
It is not proper for this sorrowful person
To be neglected by you,
For the fresh butter of your heart
Is always melted under the sunshine of your grace.
ayaṁ duḥkhito janas tvayopekṣituṁ na yuktaḥ | yat tvaṁ kṛpādyotety ādi-lakṣaṇāsi | para-duḥkha-prahāṇecchā hi kṛpā | duḥkhitaś cāhaṁ tatas tyaktuṁ na yuktaḥ | pada-gata-kāvya-liṅgam |
It is not proper for this sorrowful person to be neglected by you because you have the characteristic that the fresh butter of your heart is always melted under the sunshine of your grace. Grace is indeed desire to remove another’s sorrow, and I am sorrowful. Therefore, it is not proper [for you] to neglect [me]. This is a [instance of] pada-gata-kāvya-liṅga [lit., “a poetic reason derived from a word,” i.e., the reason for it being improper for Rādhā to neglect to bestow her service upon him is stated in a word: she possesses the quality of grace (kṛpā)].
Note
Kavi Karṇapura defines the viśeṣokti alaṅkāra in his Alaṅkāra-kaustubha (8.159): viśeṣoktiḥ kāraṇeṣu satsu kāryasya nodayaḥ, “Non-emergence of an effect in the presence of causes [of that effect] is [called] viśeṣokti.”
Meter
Anuṣṭup
Sources
Stava-mālā editions by Śrī Purī Dāsa Mahāśaya, Śrī Rāma Nārāyaṇa Vidyāratna, and Nirṇaya Sāgara Press.