Ananda Sambada

Sri Guru Parampara

This song – originally composed by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupadji Maharaja – has been updated to include Iskcon’s Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Gaudiya Siddhantacharya His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja.

1) krsna hoite catur-mukha, hoy krsna-sevonmukha,

brahma hoite naradera mati

narada hoite vyasa, madhva kohe vyasa-dasa,

purnaprajna padmanabha gati

In the beginning of creation the science of devotional service was received by the four-headed Brahma from the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Devarshi Narada’s understanding of this divine science was obtained from Brahma. The great sage Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa who was empowered to compile the Vedic literatures, became a discipleof Devarshi 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 Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. Purnaprajna Tirtha [Madhva] is the guru and sole refuge of Padmanabha Tirtha.

2) nrhari madhava-bamse, aksobhya paramahamse,

sisya boli’ angikara kore

aksobhyera sisya jaya-tirtha name paricaya,

tara dasye jnanasindhu tore

The two other principal disciples of Madhva are Nrihari Tirtha and Madhava Tirtha. Madhava Tirtha accepted the great paramahamsa Aksobhya Tirtha as a disciple. The principal disciple of Akshobhya Tirtha was known as Jayatirtha. Jayatirtha’s service was for his disciple Jnanasindhu.

3) taha hoite dayanidhi, tara dasa vidyanidhi,

rajendra hoilo taha ha’te

tah&ra; kinkora jaya-dharma name paricaya,

parampara jano bhalo mate

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) jayadharma-dasye khyati, sri purusottama-jati,

ta ha’te brahmanya-tirtha suri

vyasatirtha tara dasa, laksmipati vyasa-dasa,

taha ha’te madhavendra puri

The great sannyasi Sri Purushottama Tirtha received his knowledge in the service of his guru, Vijayadhvaja Tirtha [Jayadharma]. The principal disciple of Purushottama Tirtha was Subrahmanya Tirtha. His servant was the great Vyasatirtha [Vyasa Raya]. Vyasatirtha’s servant was Lakshmipati Tirtha whose disciple was Madhavendra Puri Gosvami.

5) madhavendra puri-bara, sisya-bara sri-isvara,

nityananda, sri-advaita vibhu

isvara-purike dhanya, korilen sri-caitanya,

jagad-guru gaura mahaprabhu

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 Isvara Puri greatly fortunate by accepting him as His spiritual master.

6) mahaprabhu sri-caitanya, radha-krsna nahe anya,

rupanuga janera jivana

visvambhara priyankara, sri-svarupa damodara,

sri-gosvami rupa-sanatana

Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanya is nondifferent from Sri Sri Radha and Krishna and is the very life of those Vaishnavas 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) rupa-priya mahajana, jiva, raghunatha hana,

tara priya kavi krsnadasa

krsnadasa-priya-bara, narottama seva-para,

jara pada visvanatha-asa

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 Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. Krishnadasa Kaviraja was an intimate friend of Lokanatha Gosvami. They lived together in Vrindavana and always discussed the topics of Krishna 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 Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. To serve 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-bhakta-satha, baladeva jagannatha,

tara priya sri-bhaktivinoda

maha-bhagavata-bara, sri-gaurakisora-bara,

hari-bhajanete ja’ra moda

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura was the siksha-guru [instructing spiritual master of Baladeva Vidyabhushana, to whom he taught the precepts of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Jagannatha dasa Babaji was a very prominent acarya after Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana and was the beloved siksha-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) sri-varsabhanavi-bara, soda sevya-seva-para,

tahara dayita-dasa-nama

These great saintly Vaishnavas 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 service, and I am a poor and lowly tridandi sannyasi named Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Srila Prabhupada and his dearmost disciple Srila Gour Govinda Swami

Additional verses:

tara pradhan pracarako, sri-bhaktivedanta namo,

patita-janete doya-dhama

The renowned Sri Varshabhanavi-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.

sri bhaktivedanta dhara, pracare jagata sara

jei sunilo haila ananda

gudha tattva prakasile, premamrta vitarile

gaura-priya sri gaura-govinda

Next a disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada came and preached all over the world. Whoever listened to his discourses became full of happiness. In his talks he gave very deep and confidential philosophy, in this way he distributed love of Godhead indiscriminately to one and all. Thus he is very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and is known as Srila Gour Govinda Swami.