Ananda Sambada

Sri Gour Govinda Swamyastakam

This astakam was composed by Sri Kalakantha prabhu and originally appeared as his Vyasa puja offering to His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Swami. It is also the first chapter of the Gour Govinda Swami Charita

kancanam sutanuh gambhirya badanam mundita siram

gairika dharanam lalate gopitilaka sundaram,

kanthe puspamalaya sobhitam bhakta-jana citasparsitam,

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Goura Govinda Swami Maharaja, whose bodily colour is like gold. He is very grave, his head is shaved, and he dresses in saffron with gopi-tilaka beautifying his forehead. A beautifully fragrant flower garland surrounds his neck, attracting the hearts of all devotees.

parityaktam svadhanam yauban-jibanam sukham bibhabam,

indriyalalasam tatha gramya-barta ca barjita,

nidraharadi bijitam sada hari-kirtan priyam,

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste.

I offer my respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Srila Goura Govinda Swami Maharaja, who likes to glorify Sri Hari by describing Vedic literature (sastra), by noting the essence of sastra, and by chanting harinama always. For this he has given up wealth, family members, youth, material happiness, sense gratification, topics other than Krishna and has also given up sleeping and eating.

purna gurukrpa goura-krpa ca krpa govindam ba

krpatraya mritimanta, goura govinda swami namni,

radha-krsna yasaya hrdaye baddha nityam param bhagavatam,

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste.

Srila Gour Govinda Swami has achieved three full mercies, i.e. from Lord Gouranga Mahaprabhu, Lord Govindadeva and from Srila Prabhupada. He is the embodiment of these three mercies, named as Goura Govinda Swami. By the mercy of Lord Gouranga, his name is Goura. By the mercy of Lord Govinda, his name is Govinda. By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada (his spiritual master) he is Swami. Hence Radha and Krishna have been bound up in his heart. I offer my respectful humble obeisances unto his lotus feet, which are the embodiment of these three mercies.

nana-sastra byakhya nipunei debanam parivestitam,

jananam mangal karinei dhiram patitam pavanam,

praptam ya sah parampara haripadeika sebakah,

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste.

I offer my respectful humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Goura Govinda Swami, who is very expert in describing the Vedic scriptures (sastric injunctions, essence of sastra). When he does so the demigods surround him to hear the nectarean descriptions. He is wise and does all-auspiciousness to the people, being a deliverer of all degraded souls. Having accepted the real disciplic succession, he engages himself, always, in the service of Lord Hari.

srila prabhupada preritehi pradanartham krsna-naka

krparnave dhritva avatirna kalau dinatarine,

cintayanta mam padarajam nityadasoham

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste.

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has sent his dear disciple, Srila Goura Govinda Swami, here (to Bhubaneswar) to distribute the holy name of Sri Krishna. He appeared, carrying an ocean of mercy, to deliver the most distressed and degraded souls of this Age of Kali. Myself being one of the most degraded souls, please think me as a speck of dust at his lotus feet. I am his eternal servant. I offer my respectful obeisances unto his lotus feet.

harinam rasamrta panarata sada sarvada

bitaranam harinam mahausadhi badhha-jivanam

rudati ca hrdaya yasaya jivanam dukham dristya

vande srila gour govinda swamine namo namaste.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Sri Srimad Goura Govinda Swami Maharaja who is always busy drinking the nectar of the holy names of Krishna and distributing that nectar to the conditioned souls, declaring it the supremely perfect medicine to cure all diseases in this material ocean of miseries. His heart is crying seeing the distressed condition of the living entities.

paramhamsa acharyah svadan madhurya lilamrtam,

patitodharane jatibesam sisya sisya karoti,

palayati ye guru-engya it sa bandya sada sarvada,

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste

I offer my respectful humble obeisances to the lotus feet of Srila Goura Govinda Swami Maharaja, who is, without doubt a Paramahamsa. He accepted sannyasa only to deliver the fallen souls, by accepting them as disciples, according to the orders of his spiritual master Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A spiritual master like him, who follows the orders of his spiritual master, should always be worshipped.

hrdays pabitram darsana yasaya vasudhadi tirthana

smrti laveta sri krsna nama ca vaisnavottamam

debaha bai gayanti guna yasya pramami sada-aham;

vande srila goura govinda swamine namo namaste.

I offer my respectful humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of Sri Srimad Goura Govinda Swami Maharaja, by whose mere darshan, one can purify his heart whose residence becomes a tirtha (a holy place); one can chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra by his mere darshan only, and who is a Vaishnava of highest calibre (uttama-adhikari) The demigods continuously glorify him. I offer my respectful obeisances always, unto his lotus feet.

kalakantha dasa biracitam goura govinda swamyastakam,

acirat sa laveta bhakti pathati ya trisandhyam

This “Goura Govinda Swamyastakam” has been composed by Sri Kalakantha Das. One who recites this Swamyastakam, in tri-sandhya (morning, noon & evening) will – without doubt – get bhakti very soon.