Prayer to Yogamāyā Devi (Durga-devi)
- Kalyāṇa Kalpataru 38 -
Desire Tree of Auspiciousness
Songs by Śrīla Saccidānanda
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
Ucchvasa: Prarthana Dainyamayi Song 5
Prayer to Yogamāyā Devi
Text 1
āmāra samāna hīna nāhi e soṁsāre
asthira ha'yechi poḍi' bhaba pārābāre
In this world no one is fallen like me. Drowning in the ocean of birth and death, I am very anxious.
1) The likes of such a lowly soul as me is not to be found anywhere else in this world. Thus I have become most agitated due to falling into this vast ocean of material existence.
Text 2
kuladebī jogamāyā more kṛpā kori'
ābaraṇa sambaribe kabe biśwodarī
O Goddess Yogamāyā, O the mother of the worlds, when will you be merciful to me and remove this veil of illusions?
2) Oh Yogamaya! When will you show mercy to me by lifting up the curtain of illusion with which you shroud the universe in your external form of Mahamaya? You are known as Kuladevi, the traditional worshipable Goddess of all the Vaisnavas dynasties.
Text 3
śunechi āgame bede mahimā tomāra
śrī-kṛṣṇa-bimukhe bāndhi karāo soṁsāra
In the Vedas and Agamas I have heard your glories. The souls who have turned away from Lord Kṛṣṇa you imprison in the world of birth and death.
3) I have heard of your glories and activities from the Vedic literatures, You take all those souls who are averse to Krsna and bind them within the material world.
Text 4
śrī-kṛṣṇa-sāmmukhya jā'ra bhāgya-krame hoya
tā're mukti diyā koro' aśoka abhoya
To the fortunate souls who try to turn toward Lord Kṛṣṇa you give liberation. You free them from fear and grief.
4) To that person whose good fortune gradually dawns and allow him to again become favorably disposed to Krsna, you award him with liberation and make him free from all grief and fear.
Text 5
e dāse janani kori' akaitaba doyā
bṛndābane deha' sthāna tumi jogamāyā
O mother, please be merciful to this servant. Please don't cheat him. O Yogamāyā, please give him a place in Vṛndāvana.
5) Oh my dear Mother! Showing your causeless mercy to your servant give me a place in Vrndavana, for you are Yogamaya Herself. (The internal energy of yoga, or union.)
Text 6
tomāke laṅghiyā kothā jībe kṛṣṇa pāya
kṛṣṇa-rasa prakaṭilo tomāra kṛpāya
How can a person who neglects you find Lord Kṛṣṇa? It is by your mercy that the nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa is openly visible.
6) Without complying with you, no soul at any time can get Krsna, for the manifestation of Krsna's pastimes is all enacted only by your mercy.
Text 7
tumi kṛṣṇa-sahacarī jagata-jananī
tumi dekhāile more kṛṣṇa-cintāmaṇi
You are Lord Kṛṣṇa's companion. You are the mother of the worlds. You showed me the cintāmaṇi jewel that is Lord Kṛṣṇa.
7) You are the devoted follower of Lord Krsna, and you are the mother of the universe. You have shown to me the transcendental touchstone of Krsna consciousness.
Text 8
niṣkapaṭa ho'ye mātā cāo mora pāne
baiṣṇaba biśwāsa bṛddhi ha'ka prati-khaṇe
O mother, I sincerely desire that my faith in the Vaiṣṇavas will grow moment after moment.
8) My dear Mother, I sincerely wish that you will let my faith in the Vaisnavas increase at every moment.
Text 9
baiṣṇaba-caraṇa binā bhaba-parābāra
bhakatibinoda nāre hoibāre pāra
Without taking shelter of the Vaiṣṇavas' feet, Bhaktivinoda has no power to cross to the farther shore of the ocean of birth and death.
9) Without the lotus feet of the devotees of the Lord, Bhaktivinoda is not able to cross to the other side of this ocean of material existence.
Kalyana Kalpataru, or the “Desire Tree of Auspiciousness,” was one of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s famous songbooks. The mood of this songbook is philosophical and instructional to the mind as well as readers of this text. This covers general aspects of the philosophy, such as the need to worship Krsna, to more in depth topics, such as the nature of the spirit soul, demigod worship, and such. He does include a few kirtans glorifying Lord Krsna and Lord Caitanya. Compared to his Gitavali, which was filled with kirtans, this text does not have many of such songs.
He sees this book as a tree, with three branches of Spiritual Advice, Attainment of Realization, and Overflowing Spiritual Emotion, or Upadesa, Upaladhi, and Ucchvasa. He concludes this work with eight kirtana songs. Unlike his Saranagati and Gitavali, which have songs that are frequently sung, this book doesn’t have too many songs common to the Vaisnava community in general. Although the songs “Ami Jamuna Puline”, “Kali Kukkur Kadan”, “Gopinath”, and “Vibhavari Sesa” which are well known are found in here.
Please also see:
Nava-Durgā - The nine forms of Goddess Durgā
The Gopīs worship Goddess Kātyānanī
