S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka

S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of
Krsna, a task which His followers have continued to carry out down to the present day. The
elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Chaitanya are, in fact, the
most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to the system of disciplined succession.
Although Lord Chaitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight
verses, called Siksastaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts.
These supremely valuable prayers are translated herein.
(1)
ceto-darpana-mârjanam bhava
The hearts' reflection purifying,
mahâ-dâvâgni-nirvâpanam
Of matter extinguishing the fire,
s'reyah-kairava-candrikâ-vitaranam
The Blessing of white moonshine,
vidyâ-vadhû-jîvanam
Radiates the being married to the soul.
ânandâmbudhi-vardhanam prati
A sea of happiness expands,
padam pûrnâmritâsvâdanam
With each step nectar giving the taste,
sarvâtma-snapanam param vijayate
For all bathing the self in transcendence,
s'rî-krishna-sankîrtanam
May there be Krishna's singing together,

cetah-of the heart; darpana-the mirror; mârjanam-cleansing; bhava-of material existence;

mahâ-dâva-agni-the blazing forest fire; nirvâpanam-extinguishing; s'reyah-of good fortune;
kairava-the white lotus; candrikâ-the moonshine; vitaranam-spreading; vidyâ-of all
education; vadhû-wife; jîvanam-the life; ânanda-of bliss; ambudhi-the ocean; vardhanam-
increasing; prati-padam-at every step; pûrna-amrita-of the full nectar; asvâdanam-giving a

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taste; sarva-for everyone; âtma-snapanam-bathing of the self; param-transcendental;

vijayate-let there be victory; s'rî-krishna-sankîrtanam-for the congregational chanting of the
holy name of Krishna.

Glory to the sri-krsna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for
years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This
sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the
rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the
ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are
always anxious.
(2)
nâmnâm akâri bahudhâ nija-sarva-s'aktis
Holy names manifested there many, all types of personal prowess,
tatrârpitâ niyamitah smarane na kâlah
Given therein and limited remembrance out of time!
etâdris'î tava kripâ bhagavan mamâpi
So enormous Your grace, o Lord although my
durdaivam îdris'am ihâ-jani nânurâgah
Misery lies in the fact, not to be attached to that.

nâmnâm-of the holy names of the Lord; akâri-manifested; bahudhâ-various kinds; nija-
sarva-s'aktih-all kinds of personal potencies; tatra-in that; arpitâ-bestowed; niyamitah-
restricted; smarane-in remembering; na-not; kâlah-consideration of time; etâdris'î-so much;
tava-Your; kripâ-mercy; bhagavan-O Lord; mama-My; api-although; durdaivam-misfortune;
îdris'am-such; iha-in this (the holy name); ajani-was born; na-not; anurâgah-attachment.

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You
have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental
names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and
fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily
approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for
them.

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(3)
trinâd api sunîcena
As grass treaded, still lower,
taror api sahishnunâ
as a tree as tolerant,
amâninâ mânadena
no false pride and the mind subdued,
kîrtanîyah sadâ harih
thus always I chant Your holy name!

trinât api-than downtrodden grass; sunîcena-being lower; taroh-than a tree; iva-like;

sahishnunâ-with tolerance; amâninâ-without being puffed up by false pride; mânadena-
giving respect to all; kîrtanîyah-to be chanted; sadâ-always; harih-the holy name of the
Lord.

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself
lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all
sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of
mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.(Caitanya-caritâmrita, Antya-lîlâ
20.21)
(4)
na dhanam na janam na sundarîm
No riches, no followers, nor beauty,
kavitâm vâ jagad-îs'a kâmaye
the fruit, nor almighty I long for.
mama janmani janmanîs'vare
Birth after birth My Supreme Lord,
bhavatâd bhaktir ahaitukî tvayi
the service without desire to You.

na-not; dhanam-riches; na-not; janam-followers; na-not; sundarîm-a very beautiful woman;

kavitâm-fruitive activities described in flowery language; vâ-or; jagat-îs'a-O Lord of the

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universe; kâmaye-I desire; mama-My; janmani-in birth; janmani-after birth; îs'vare-unto the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhavatât-let there be; bhaktih-devotional service;
ahaitukî-with no motives; tvayi-unto You.

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women
nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth
after birth.
(5)
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
O My Lord, son of Nanda, your Servant,
patitam mâm vishame bhavâmbudhau
fell alas in the sea of ignorance.
kripayâ tava pâda-pankaja
The causeless mercy of Your lotusfeet,
sthita-dhûlî-sadris'am vicintaya
place me there like some dirt as You please.

ayi-O my Lord; nanda-tanuja-the son of Nanda Mahârâja, Krijna; kinkaram-the servant;

patitam-fallen; mâm-me; vijame-horrible; bhava-ambudhau-in the ocean of nescience;
kripayâ-by causeless mercy; tava-Your; pâda-pankaja-lotus feet; sthita-situated at; dhûlî-
sadris'am-like a particle of dust; vicintaya-kindly consider.

O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have
fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and
place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.
(6)
nayanam galad-as'ru-dhârayâ
Eyes full tears, down in streams,
vadanam gadgada-ruddhayâ girâ
my words choked up in my mouth.
pulakair nicitam vapuh kadâ
The hairs on my body stand on end,

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tava nâma-grahane bhavishyati

when the singing of Your names takes place.

nayanam-the eyes; galat-as'ru-dhârayâ-by streams of tears running down; vadanam-

mouth; gadgada-faltering; ruddhayâ-choked up; girâ-with words; pulakaih-with standing up
of the hairs due to transcendental happiness; nicitam-covered; vapuh-the body; kadâ-when;
tava-Your; nâma-grahane-in chanting the name; bhavijyati-will be.

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I
chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body
stand on end at the recitation of Your name?
(7)
yugâyitam nimeshena
An aeon takes me each moment,
cakshushâ prâvrshâyitam
my eyes crying like the rain.
s'ûnyâyitam jagat sarvam
Complete empty seems the world,
govinda-virahena me
Govinda separated from You!

yugâyitam-appearing like a great millennium; nimejena-by a moment; cakjujâ-from the

eyes; prâvrijâyitam-tears falling like torrents of rain; s'ûnyâyitam-appearing void; jagat-the
world; sarvam-all; govinda-from Lord Govinda, Krijna; virahena me-by my separation.

O Govinda! Feeling Your separations I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or

more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the
world in Your absence.

(8)
âs'lishya vâ pâda-ratâm pinashtu mâm

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Embraced with joy down for Him, taking me over,

adars'anân marma-hatâm karotu vâ
not to be seen, a broken heart, I let Him be.
yathâ tathâ vâ vidadhâtu lampato
The way He wants, He may proceed, me denied,
mat-prâna-nâthas tu sa eva nâparah
For life my Lord, but Him alone, and no one else!

âs'lishya-embracing with great pleasure; vâ-or; pâda-ratâm-who have fallen at the lotus
feet; pinashtu-let Him trample; mâm-me; adars'anât-by not being visible; marma-hatâm-
brokenhearted; karotu-let Him make; vâ-or; yathâ-as (He likes); tathâ-so; va-or; vidadhâtu-
let Him do; lampatah-a debauchee, who mixes with other women; mat-prâna-nâthah-the
Lord of My life; tu-but; sah-He; eva-only; na aparah-not anyone else.

I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me
roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is
completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord,
unconditionally.