Gadadhara astakam

Svarup Damodar Goswami

Text 1
sva-bhakti-yoga-lasinam sada vraje viharinam hari-priya-ganagragam cacisuta-priyecvaram saradha-krsna-sevana-prakacakam mahacayam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned and exalted spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu, who appears very splendid, engaged in the Lord's devotional service. He always performs pastimes in Vraja, where he is very prominent among the gopis, who are very dear to Lord Hari. Lord Caitanya, the Son of Saci is the dear Lord of Gadadhara Prabhu, who is preaching the service of Radha and Krsna."

Text 2
navojjvaladi- bhavana-vidhana-karma-paragam vicitra-gaura-bhakti-sindhu-ragga-bhagga-lasinam suraga-marga-darsakam vrajadi-vasa-dayakam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu. He is expertly absorbed in meditation on the nine rasas of devotional service, beginning with ujjvala-rasa (conjugal love), and he dances in the waves of the amazing ocean of devotional service to Lord Caitanya. He preaches the path of raganuga-bhakti (spontaneous devotional service), and He is a fit person to attain residence in the transcendental land of Vraja."

Text 3
sacisutagghri-sara-bhakta-vrnda-vandya-gauravam gaura-bhava-citta-padma-madhya-krsna-vallabham mukunda-gaura-rupinam svabhava-dharma-dayakam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu. The best of those who are devoted to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, the Son of Saci-devi, offer respecful obeisances to him and treat him with great importance, and he is very dear to Lord Krsna, Who is seated in the middle of the lotus flower which is his heart, assuming His golden form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He preaches that Lord Mukunda has assumed the golden form of Lord Caitanya, and he returns the living entities to their constitutional position as servants of the Lord."

Text 4
nikunja-sevanadika-prakasanaika-karanam sada sakhi-rati-pradam maha-rasa-svarupakam sadacritagghri-pankajam sariri-sad-gurum varam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned and exalted spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu. It is only because of him that the truth of the exalted devotional service performed by the intimate associates of Krsna in the forests and groves of Vrndavana has been revealed. He is preaching the ecstatic love attained by the gopis, and he is indeed a personification of the mellows of devotional service. The saintly devotees take shelter of his lotus feet, and he teaches the truth of spiritual life to the living entities."

Text 5
mahaprabhor maha-rasa-prakasanagkuram priyam sada maha-rasagkura-prakacanadi-vasanam mahaprabhor vrajagganadi-bhava-moda-karakam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu. He is very dear to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and it is as if he had sprouted from the manifestation of the Lord`s ecstatic love. He is always adorned with the garments of ecstatic love of Godhead, and He delights Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by arousing in the Lord the ecstatic emotional love experienced by the gopis of Vraja."

Text 6
dvijendra-vrnda-vandya-pada-yugma-bhakti-vardhakam nijesu radhikatmata-vapuh-prakacanagraham asesa-bhakti-sastra-siksayojjvalamrta-prabam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu, who expands the mellows of devotional service and whose lotus feet are worshipped by the kings of the brahmanas. Among his confidential associates, he reveals his actual form as Srimati Radharani. He distributes the nectar of the ecstatic mellow of the gopis conjugal love, strictly following the instructions of all the devotional scriptures."

Text 7
muda nija-priyadika-svapada-padma-sindhubhir maha-rasarnavamrta-pradesta-gaura-bhaktidam sadast-sattvikanvitam nijesta-bhakti-dayakam bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam gurum prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu. With delight he is giving the devotional service of Lord Caitanya which reveals the nectarean ocean of the most exalted mellows of devotional service, along with the nectar flowing from the lotus feet of the gopis, headed by Srimati Radharani, who is most dear to Krsna. Gadadhara Prabhu is decorated with the eight transcendental ecstatic symptoms of sattvika-bhava,and he is distributing devotional service to his worshippable Lord Krsna."

Text 8
yadiya-riti-raga-ragga-bhagga-digdhamanaso naro `api yati turnam eva narya-bhava-bhajanam tam ujjvalakta-cittam etu citta-matta-catpado bhajamy aham gadadharam supanditam guram prabhum

"I worship the greatly learned spiritual master, Srila Gadadhara Prabhu. Even a conditioned soul, whose mind becomes anointed by the colorful waves of spontaneous devotional service as delineated by Srila Gadadhara Prabhu, quickly attains the highest level of devotional service. He becomes like a maddened bumble bee whose mind is anointed with the mellow of ujjvala-rasa (conjugal love)."

Text 9
maha-rasamrta-pradam sada gadadhara-astakam pathet tu yah subhaktito vrajaggana-ganotsavam saci-tanuja-pada-padma-bhakti-ratna-yogyatam labheta radhika-gadadharagghri-padma-sevaya

"These eight verses glorifying Srila Gadadhara Prabhu distribute the nectat of the most exalted mellow of devotional service, and they are like a festival for the gopis of Vraja. If one regularly reads these verses and serves the lotus feet of Srila Gadadhara Prabhu, who is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani, then he will become qualified to attain the jewel of pure devotional service for the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya,the son of Sacidevi."