3) Sri Guru-parampara

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada

1
krsna hoite catur-mukha, hoy krsna-sevonmukha,
brahma hoite naradera mati
narada hoite vyasa, madhwa kohe vyasa-dasa,
purnaprajna padmanabhia gati

2
nrhari madhava-bamse, aksobhya paramahamse,
sisya boli' angikara kore
aksobhyera sisya jaya- tirtha name paricaya,
tara dasye jnanasindhu tore

3
taha hoite dayanidhi, tara dasa vidyanidhi,
rajendra hoilo taha ha'te
tahara kinkora jaya- dharma name paricaya,
parampara jano bhalo mate

4
jayadharma-dasye khyati, sri purusottama-jati,
ta ha'te brahmanya-tirtha suri
vyasatirtha tara dasa, laksmipati vyasa-dasa,
taha ha'te madhavendra puri ]

5
madhavendra puri-bara, sisya-bara sri-iswara,
nityananda, sri-adwaita vibhu
iswara-purike dhanya, korilen sri-caitanya,
jagad-guru gaura mahaprabhu

6
mahaprabhu sri-caitanya, radha-krsna nahe anya,
rupanuga janera jivana
viswambhara priyankara, sri-swarupa damodara,
sri-goswami rupa-sanatana

7
rupa-priya mahajana, java, raghunathu hana,
tara priya kavi krsnadasa
krsnadasa-priya-bara, narottama seva-para,
jara pada viswanatha-asa

8
viswanatha-bhakta-satha, baladeva jagannatha,
tara priya sri-bhaktivinoda
maha-bhagavata-bara, sri-gaurakisora-bara,
hari-bhajanete ja'ra moda

9
ihara paramahamsa, gaurangera nija-bamsa,
tadera carane mama gati
ami seba-udasina, namete tridandi dina,
sri-bhaktisiddhanta saraswati

TRASLATION

(1) In the beginning of creation the science of devotional service was received by the four-headed Brahma from the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. Devarsi Narada's understanding of this divine science was obtained from Brahma. The great sage Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa, who was empowered to compile the Vedic literatures, be- came a disciple of Devarsi Narada. Sripada Madhvacarya, the founder of the suddha-dvaita school of Vedanta philosophy, who visited Vyasadeva at Badarikasrama in the thirteenth century to learn from him Vedanta philosophy, calls himself a servant of Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa. Purnaprajna Tirtha [Madhva] is the guru and sole refuge of Padmanabha Tirtha.

(2) The two other principal disciples of Madhva are Nrhari Tirtha and Madhava Tirtha. Madhava Tirtha accepted the great paramhamsa Aksobhya Tirtha as a disciple. The principal disciple of Aksobhya Tirtha was known as Jayatirtha. Jayatirtha's service was for his disciple Jnanasindhu.

(3) Dayanidhi received the science of devotional service from Jnanasindhu, and the servant of Dayanidhi was Vidyanidhi [Vidyadhiraja Tirtha]. Rajendra Tirtha became a disciple of Vidyadhiraja Tirtha. Rajendra Tirtha's servant was known as Jayadharma or Vijayadhvaja Tirtha. In this way you should properly understand this disciplic succession.

(4) The great sannyasi Sri Purusottama Tirtha received his knowledge in the service of his guru, Vijayadhvaja Tirtha [Jayadharma]. The principal disciple of Purusottama Tirtha was Subrahmanya Tirtha. His servant was the great Vyasatirtha [Vyasa Raya]. Vyasatirtha's servant was Laksmipati Tirtha, whose disciple was Madhavendra Puri Gosvami.

(5) The chief disciple of Madhavendra Puri was Isvara Puri, and two of his other disciples were the renowned incarnations of Godhead Sri Nityananda and Advaita Acarya. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the spiritual preceptor of all the worlds made Isvari Puri greatly fortunate by accepting him as His spiritual master.

(6) Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanya is non different from Sri Sri Radha and Krsna and is the very life of those Vaisnavas who follow Sri Rupa Gosvami. Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, and Sanatana Gosvami were the givers of great happiness to Visvambhara [Sri Caitanya].

(7) The great souls Jiva Gosvami and Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami became very dear to Rupa Gosvami. Jiva Gosvami was a disciple of Rupa Gosvami, and Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, a disciple of Advaita Acarya's disciple Yadunandana Acarya, was accepted by Rupa and Sanatana as their third brother. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's beloved student was Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. Krsnadasa Kaviraja was an intimate friend of Lokanatha Gosvami. They lived together in Vrndavana and always discussed the topics of Krsna with one another. Lokanatha Gosvami, a disciple of Gadadhara Pandita, had only one disciple, whose name was Narottama Dasa. Narottama Dasa was always engaged in the service of his guru, and he also engaged himself in the service of his guru's intimate friend. Thus he became very dear to Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. To serve I the feet of Narottama Dasa Thakura was the only desire of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, who was the fourth acarya in disciplic succession from Narottama Dasa.

(8) Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura was the siksa-guru [instructing spiritual master] of Baladeva Vidyabhusana, to whom he taught the precepts of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Jagannatha Dasa Babaji was a very prominent acarya after Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana and was the beloved siksa-guru of Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Bhaktivinoda Thakura's intimate friend and associate was the eminent maha-bhagavata Sri Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji, whose sole joy was found in hari-bhajana.

(9) These treat saintly Vaisnavas are all paramahamsas, or devotees of the highest order, and they are all part of Lord Gauranga's own spiritual family. Their holy feet are my refuge. I have no real interest in devotional services and I am a poor and lowly tridandi sannyai named Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

*Because this song has been composed by Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he has placed his name at the end of the song, as is customarily done by Vaisnava poets. In order to glorify Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and his beloved disciple Sri A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as spiritual teachers in the preceptorial succession from Sri Caitanyadeva, the following verse has been added and may be optionally sung instead of the song's ninth verse.

sri-varsabhanavi-bara, sada sevya-seva-para, tahara dayita-dasa-nama tara pradhan pracarako, sri-bhaktivedanta namo, patita-janete doya-dhama

The renowned Sri Varsabhanavi-dayita Dasa [the initiated name of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati] is always engaged in the service of his spiritual master, Srila Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji. His foremost disciple-preacher is Sri A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who has spread the message of Lord Caitanya throughout the world and is thus a reservoir of mercy and compassion for all fallen souls.