A HUMBLE APPEAL TO THE MASTER OF RADHA
By the medieval poet Gaurasundar Das
Gaurasundar Das was a Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava poet who lived in the early part of the 18th century. He compiled the famous songbook named Kīrtanānanda, which consists of 651 songs composed by 60 different poets. Gaurasundar Das wrote a similar song to the one below, in which every line also begins with the words, “rādhā-nātha”
(śrī-rāga)
rādhā-nātha dekhite lāgiche bhaya tanu-bala hrāsa āra buddhi-nāśa kakhana ki jāni haya
O master of Radha, I am afraid to even look! My bodily strength is diminishing. My intelli-gence is destroyed. What do I know now?
rādhā-nātha sakali chā
iyā gela dānta ānta gela badhira ha-ila nayane nā dekhi bhāla
O master of Radha, everything has gone away! My teeth are gone. My digestion is gone. My hearing is bad. I do not see well.
rādhā-nātha tumi se karu ā-sindhu tomā vinā āra kebā uddhāribe tumi sakalera bandhu
O master of Radha, you are an ocean of mercy! But for you, who will deliver me? You are the friend of everyone.
rādhā-nātha āge saba nivedaya mara asamaya vyādhi-grasta haya smara a nāhika raya
O master of Radha, I have told you every-thing! Now I am in the grip of a fatal disease. I cannot remember anything.
rādhā-nātha āra kichu nāhi bhaya vabhānu-sutā-cara a-sevane pāche kpā nāhi haya
O master of Radha, I am not afraid! Please be merciful and allow me to serve the feet of Vrishabhanu’s daughter.
rādhā-nātha ei nivedayi āmi vabhānu-sutā-pade dāsī kari agīkāra kara tumi
O master of Radha, I place this prayer be-fore you! Please accept me. Please make me a gopi maidservant at the feet of Vrishabhanu’s daughter.
rādhā-nātha ei mora abhilāa nibhta nikuñje nija pade leha e gaurasundara dāsa
O master of Radha, this is my desire! Please make this Gaurasundar Das into a gopi, a gopi that in a secluded forest grove has fallen in love with your feet.
Bibliography
— Jagadbandhu Bhadra. Gaura-pada-taraginī. Sri Gauranga Press. Calcutta. 1931. Bengali.
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