श्रीनित्यानन्दाष्टकम्
Śrī Nityānandāṣṭakam
Eight verses in praise of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu
By Śrī Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura
सरच्चन्द्रभ्रान्तिं स्फुरदमलकान्तिं गजगतिं
हरिप्रेमोन्मत्तं धृतपरमसत्त्बं स्मितमुखम् ।
सदा घूर्णन्नेत्रं करकलितवेत्रं कलिभिदं
भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥१॥
sarac-candra-bhrāntiṁ sphurad-amala-kāntiṁ gaja-gatiṁ
hari-premonmattaṁ dhṛta-parama-sattvaṁ smita-mukham |
sadā ghūrṇan-netraṁ kara-kalita-vetraṁ kali-bhidaṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||1||
Roving like the autumn moon,
Shining with spotless luster,
His gait like an elephant’s,
Intoxicated with prema for Hari,
Bearing the highest nature,
His face mildly smiling,
His eyes rolling continuously,
Holding a staff in hand,
And cutting Kali asunder—
Nityānanda—
The root of the tree of worship,
I worship
Without end.
रसानामागारं स्वजनगणसर्वस्वमतुलं
तदीयैकप्राणप्रतिमवसुधाजाह्नवीपतिम् ।
सदा प्रेमोन्मादं परमविदितं मन्दमनसां
भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥२॥
rasānām āgāraṁ svajana-gaṇa-sarvasvam atulaṁ
tadīyaika-prāṇa-pratima-vasudhā-jāhnavī-patim |
sadā premonmādaṁ param aviditaṁ manda-manasāṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||2||
An Abode of rasas,
The Be-all and End-all of those who are his own,
Incomparable,
The Husband of Vasudhā and Jāhnavā,
Who are his very life,
Intoxicated with prema continuously,
And misunderstood only by those of dull mind—
Nityānanda—
The root of the tree of worship,
I worship
Without end.
शचीसूनुप्रेष्ठं निखिलजगदिष्टं सुखमयं
कलौ मज्जज्जीवोद्धरणकरणोद्दामकरुणम् ।
हरेराख्यानाद्बा भवजलधिगर्वोन्नतिहरं
भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥३॥
śacī-sūnu-preṣṭhaṁ nikhila-jagad-iṣṭaṁ sukhamayaṁ
kalau majjaj-jīvoddharaṇa-karaṇoddāma-karuṇam |
harer ākhyānād vā bhava-jaladhi-garvonnati-haraṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||3||
Greatly dear to the Son of Śacī,
Adored by the entire world,
Blissful,
Of unbound compassion
Which causes the deliverance of the jīvas
Floundering in [the Age of] Kali,
And subduing the swell of arrogance
In the ocean of material existence
Just by speaking of Hari—
Nityānanda—
The root of the tree of worship,
I worship
Without end.
अये भ्रातर्नृणां कलिकलुषिणां किं नु भबिता
तथा प्रायश्चित्तं रचय यदनायासत इमे ।
व्रजन्ति त्वामित्थं सह भगवता मन्त्रयति यो
भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥४॥
aye bhrātar nṛṇāṁ kali-kaluṣiṇāṁ kiṁ nu bhavitā
tathā prāyaścittaṁ racaya yad-anāyāsata ime |
vrajanti tvām itthaṁ saha bhagavatā mantrayati yo
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||4||
“O Brother!
What will become of the people polluted by Kali?
Please create a means of purification for them
By which they can easily reach you.”
Without end,
I worship Nityānanda,
The root of the tree of worship,
Who consults with Bhagavān [Śrī Caitanya] in this way.
यथेष्ठं रे भ्रातः कुरु हरिहरिध्वानमनिशं
ततो वः संसाराम्बुधितरणदायो मयि लगेत् ।
इदं बाहुस्फोटैरटति रटयन्यः प्रतिगृहं
भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥५॥
yatheṣṭhaṁ re bhrātaḥ kuru hari-hari-dhvānam aniśaṁ
tato vaḥ saṁsārāmbudhi-taraṇa-dāyo mayi laget |
idaṁ bāhu-sphoṭair aṭati raṭayan yaḥ pratigṛhaṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||5||
“O brothers!
At will and continuously,
Chant, ‘Hari!’ ‘Hari!’
Thus let the responsibility for the deliverance of you all
From the ocean of saṁsāra
Fall to Me”—
Without end,
I worship Nityānanda,
The root of the tree of worship,
Who roams from house to house
Proclaiming this
With his arms upraised.
बलात्संसाराम्भोनिधिहरनकुम्भोद्भवमहो
सतां श्रेयःसिन्धून्नतिकुमुदबन्धुं समुदितम् ।
खलश्रेणीस्फूर्ज्जित्तिमिरहरसूर्य्यप्रभमहं
भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥६॥
balāt saṁsārāmbhonidhi-harana-kumbhodbhavam aho
satāṁ śreyaḥ-sindhūnnati-kumuda-bandhuṁ samuditam |
khala-śreṇī-sphūrjit-timira-hara-sūrya-prabham ahaṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||6||
Aho!
The Agastya Muni forcibly swallowing
The ocean of saṁsāra,
The risen moon swelling
The ocean of the sat’s blessedness,
The light of the sun dispelling
The thundering darkness of the wicked—
Nityānanda—
The root of the tree of worship,
I worship
Without end.
Commentary
kumbhodbhavam: “Agastya Muni.” Agastya Muni is known as Kumbha-udbhava, that is, he who was “pitcher-born” (see Ṛg-veda: 7.33.10; Mahābhārata: 12.329.28), and is known to have drunken the entire ocean with the palm of his hand by virtue of his yogic power to protect the devas and brāhmaṇas (Mahābhārata: 3.103.3). Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu is compared to Agastya Muni here to indicate that he can easily remove the covering of saṁsāra from the jīvas who take to the path of Bhagavad-bhakti.
नटन्तं गायन्तं हरिमनुवदन्तं पथि पथि
व्रजन्तं पश्यन्तं स्वमपि मदयन्तं जनगणम् ।
प्रकुर्वन्तं सन्तं सकरुणदृगन्तं प्रकलना-
द्भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥७॥
naṭantaṁ gāyantaṁ harim anuvadantaṁ pathi pathi
vrajantaṁ paśyantaṁ svam api madayantaṁ jana-gaṇam |
prakurvantaṁ santaṁ sakaruṇa-dṛgantaṁ prakalanād
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||7||
Dancing, singing, and chanting, “Hari!”
Looking and roaming
Down path after path,
Delighting the people and himself as well,
And by virtue of his profound wisdom
Casting side-long glances of compassion upon the sat—
Nityānanda—
The root of the tree of worship,
I worship
Without end.
सुबिभ्राणं भ्रातुः करसरसिजं कोमलतरं
मिथो वक्त्रालोकोच्छलितपरमानन्दहृदयम् ।
भ्रमन्तं माधुर्य्यैरहह मदयन्तं पुरजना-
न्भजे नित्यानन्दं भजनतरुकन्दं निरवधि ॥८॥
subibhrāṇaṁ bhrātuḥ kara-sarasijaṁ komalataraṁ
mitho vaktrālokocchalita-paramānanda-hṛdayam |
bhramantaṁ mādhuryair ahaha madayantaṁ pura-janān
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi ||8||
Fondly holding his brother’s very tender lotus hand,
His heart filled with the highest bliss
Aroused by their gazing into one another’s faces,
And roaming about,
Ahaha!
Delighting the townspeople with their sweetnesses—
Nityānanda—
The root of the tree of worship,
I worship
Without end.
रसानामाधारं रसिकवरसद्वैष्णवधनं
रसागारं सारं पतितततितारं स्मरणतः ।
परं नित्यानन्दाष्टकमिदमपूर्व्वं पथति य-
स्तदङ्घ्रिद्वन्द्वाब्जं स्फुरतु नितरां तस्य हृदये ॥९॥
rasānām ādhāraṁ rasika-vara-sad-vaiṣṇava-dhanaṁ
rasāgāraṁ sāraṁ patita-tati-tāraṁ smaraṇataḥ |
paraṁ nityānandāṣṭakam idam apūrvaṁ pathati yas
tad-aṅghri-dvandvābjaṁ sphuratu nitarāṁ tasya hṛdaye ||9||
May his two lotus feet
Always appear in the heart
Of one who recites
This unprecedented and exalted Nityānandāṣṭakam,
Which is a reservoir of rasas,
A treasure for the pure Vaiṣṇavas
Who the best among relishers of rasa,
An excellent treasury of rasa,
And a liberator of multitudes of the fallen
As a result of being meditated upon.
Meter
Śikhariṇī
Source
Manohara-bhajana-dīpikā