Narottama Dasa Thakura – Disappearance & Astaka

Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura – Disappearance & Aṣṭakam

One day, sitting in a lonely place, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and Rāmacandra discussed something secret. Rāmacandra Kavirāja after some time went to Yājigrāma with a perturbed mind. A message came from Yājigrāma that Śrī Ācārya Ṭhākura had gone to Vṛndāvana with Rāmacandra Kavirāja. Who could understand the mind of those two?

One day Śrī Mahāśaya could not control his mind and began to lament for some unprecedented happenings. He began to sing:

“The associates of Gaurāṅga are Śrīnivāsa, Gadādhara, Narahari, Mukunda, Murāri. Svarūpa Dāmodara, Haridāsa, Vakreśvara are possessors of divine love. The sports that they had performed could melt the stone, but how unfortunate I am for not being able to witness them. I failed to be born at that time and remained ignorant; how can I forget this sorrow? Prabhu Sanātana, Rūpa, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, Bhūgarbha, Śrī Jīva, Lokanātha, all these Prabhus did beautiful sports in Vṛndāvana with other devotees.

Now all of them have disappeared, leaving this world empty. My eyes have become blind; to whom shall I disclose my sorrow? Thus I am living like an animal. Ācārya Śrīnivāsa, in whom I took refuge and whose words used to cool my mind, he has also left me, and Rāmacandra is absent. How can I live without them? The sorrows which I am bearing in my mind cannot be told to others. So I have lost interest in my own life. The food I used to eat is just like poison to me, yet I am still living. Then what is the value of Narottama dāsa?”

At that moment, the news came to him that Rāmacandra Kavirāja had disappeared from the world. Śrī Ṭhākura Mahāśaya completely broke down and ran to a dense forest. He began to cry loudly and lamented for Rāmacandra. His voice became choked and he fell on the ground. King Narasiṁha, Rūpanārāyaṇa, Śrī Govinda, and Santoṣa could do nothing to pacify him. They could only cry along with Ṭhākura Mahāśaya. Due to the wish of Prabhu, he pacified himself after a long time. After 5-7 days, he decided to go for a bath in the Gaṅgā.

So some of his disciples very carefully took him to Budhuri and from there to Gambhilā near the bank of the Gaṅgā. Suddenly he got a tremendous fever and he ordered his disciples to prepare a pyre for him. Then he remained completely silent. His disciples became completely at a loss. Gaṅgānārāyaṇa pacified others. Many brāhmaṇa paṇḍitas came to meet him but he did not speak to them. In this state, he spent three days. He remained detached from the people. His disciples bathed him in the Gaṅgā and placed him on a celestial seat on the pyre.

The brāhmaṇas began to jeer at Narottama by saying, “This is the result of his effort of making brāhmaṇas his disciples. Now Narottama is dying after losing the power of speaking. Gaṅgānārāyaṇa being a brāhmaṇa has become his disciple after discarding the customs of a brāhmaṇa. Now he is witnessing the condition of his religious master. We don’t know what is in store for him either.”

In this way, they began to throw the arrows of words towards Gaṅgānārāyaṇa. Instead of being angry, Gaṅgānārāyaṇa felt sorry for those heretics. He came and stood before the pyre with folded hands and prayed to Narottama, “You had saved many heretics before. This time these heretics, being ignorant of your power, are criticising you. Your disciples are feeling very sad to hear their bad words. Please be favorable to them and save them from damnation.”

On hearing the helpless utterances of Gaṅgānārāyaṇa, Mahāśaya again came back to his senses. He got up on the pyre uttering “Rādhākṛṣṇa Caitanya” and came out of the pyre shining like the sun. The people around him began to shout Haribola. Suddenly the gods began to shower flowers on him.

The now-believer brāhmaṇas watching everything from a distance became horrified. They began to repent for their evil mentality. With tears in their eyes, they fell at the feet of Gaṅgānārāyaṇa and asked for mercy. Being moved by their prayers, Gaṅgānārāyaṇa went to Mahāśaya and requested him to forgive those brāhmaṇas.

The brāhmaṇas then fell at the feet of Narottama and completely surrendered themselves after confessing all their sins. Ṭhākura Mahāśaya became so moved that he at once embraced them and empowered them with devotion. He ordered them to study devotional books under Gaṅgānārāyaṇa.

He then told everybody, “After a few days, I shall go to Khetarī and you all should go with me. Today I shall go to Budhuri.” Saying so, he quickly bathed in the Gaṅgā. This incident spread all over the country. From the bank of the Gaṅgā, Mahāśaya with others went to the house of Gaṅgānārāyaṇa. There they ate prasādam. Then he started for Budhuri very gladly. He went back to Khetarī with Śrī Govinda Kavirāja, Karṇapūra Kavirāja, Gokula, Vallabhī Majumdār, and others and remained engaged in the topics of Kṛṣṇa.

Narottama used to serve the Prabhus all the time. Sometimes he used to roll in the dust of the courtyard of Gaurāṅga and used to pray to the Prabhu in this way, “Oh Lord Gaurāṅga, Vallabhī Kānta Kṛṣṇa, be merciful to me like a materialist. Oh Lord, Rādhākānta, Śrī Vrajamohana, let me get rid of the agonies of this material world. Oh Lord Rādhāramaṇa, let me lie under your feet and do help me to remember you in this life and the life after death.” In this way, he used to lament everyday.

In order to avoid the crowd, he used to enter the dense forest and cry out loudly, “Oh Lord Gaurāṅga Sundara, the moon of Navadvīpa, oh Lord Nityānanda, son of Padmāvatī, oh Lord Advaita, the husband of Sītā, oh Lord Śrī Paṇḍita Gadādhara, the abode of love, oh Lord, Paṇḍita Śrīvāsa, the ocean of mercy, oh lords Vakreśvara, Śrī Murāri, Haridāsa, Śrī Svarūpa, Rāmānanda, Dāmodara, oh Śrī Ācārya Gopīnātha, Kāśīśvara, oh lords Vācaspati, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, oh lords Sūryadāsa, Gaurīdāsa, oh Śrī Paṇḍita Jagadīśa Śuklāmbara,

oh Śrī Govinda Ghoṣa, Dāsa Gadādhara, oh Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi Mahāśaya, Mukunda, Mādhava, Vasu Ghoṣa, Dhanañjaya, oh Śrī Jagadānanda, Śaṅkara, Śrīdhara, oh Śrī Mukunda, Narahari, oh Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Śrī Bhūgarbha, Lokanātha, oh Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, oh Svarūpa Raghunātha, the dwellers of Śrī Kuṇḍa, oh Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and oh the devotees of Gaura Nityānanda, be merciful to me, I am at your feet. Don’t neglect me because I am a sinner. Please fulfill my desires.”

With these prayers his eyes began to shed continuous tears. He began to roll on the ground. He began to pray to Śrī Govinda, Gopīnātha, Madanamohana, Rādhā Dāmodara, Śrī Rādhāramaṇa, Rādhāvinoda and the Queen of Vṛndāvana. He also prayed to Lalitā, Viśākhā, Sucitrā, Śrī Campakalatā, Raṅgadevī, Sudevī, Tuṅgavidyā, Indulekhā, Śrī Rūpamañjarī, Ratimañjarī, Kastūrī, Lavaṅgamañjarī, and Mañjulālī to help him to stay under the feet of Rādhārāṇī.

He prayed to Śrī Rādhā, “Oh Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Kṛṣṇa is yours, you are always engaged in His service. Please give me the chance of worshipping You both. I want to place you on a jewelled throne and I shall fan you at that time. Being directed by the sakhīs, I shall offer betel leaves to your moon-like mouths. Will my desires be fulfilled?”

Saying so, he sighed. Then he tried to remember the sports of Gaurāṅga with his associates in Nadīyā. Observing the restless state of mind of Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, Śrī Rādhāvallabha became very anxious. Sometimes Ṭhākura Mahāśaya used to console his dear disciples and used to have them concentrate on saṅkīrtana. One day he asked his disciples about the delay of Gaṅgānārāyaṇa in coming to Khetarī. In the meantime, Rāmakṛṣṇa and Gaṅgānārāyaṇa came with those brāhmaṇas.

All of them bowed to the feet of Ṭhākura Mahāśaya and expressed their desires of being initiated by Ṭhākura Mahāśaya. Ṭhākura Mahāśaya became glad. He initiated some of them and some of them got initiation from Gaṅgānārāyaṇa. After that, all of them went to the courtyard of Gaurāṅga. The priest gave them offered garlands. Śrī Govinda Kavirāja and others became satisfied to observe the sincere efforts of the brāhmaṇas. Śrī Śaṅkara Bhaṭṭācārya and other brāhmaṇas very humbly bowed to the feet of the Vaiṣṇavas.

On the next day, a great festival took place. The brāhmaṇas became mad in saṅkīrtana. One day, Mahāśaya in the morning, began to shed tears helplessly with fire-like sighs. He lay down on the ground for some time and his lotus face became dry. He with a choked voice, began to lament in this way, “How cruel is the providence to me, where has Śrīnivāsa gone after giving me so much pain? I had Rāmacandra but he has also left me and I cannot hear a word from him any longer.

Can I have him again in my life? My life has become futile. Svarūpa, Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha, the merciful, and the Bhaṭṭas, be kind to me. Ācārya Śrīnivāsa, whose servant is Rāmacandra, can I have them again? Without observing their faces my heart is getting pierced, just like a doe pierced by a poisonous arrow. I kept some jewels hidden under my cloth; who has stolen them? Why is Narottama suffering so much misery?”

Saying so, he kept mum and everyone became aware of some unforeseen incident. On knowing the state of mind of his dear disciples, Mahāśaya consoled them all. Ṭhākura Mahāśaya came to the courtyard of Gaurāṅga and dedicated himself once again to the feet of Prabhu. He started for Budhuri with Govinda and others. He stayed one day at Budhuri and Śrī Govinda Cakravartī and others came to meet him. After talking very sweetly with them, Mahāśaya spent the day and night in saṅkīrtana. From Budhuri, he quickly moved to Gambhilā.

After taking a bath in the Gaṅgā, he sat in the water and ordered Rāmakṛṣṇa and Gaṅgānārāyaṇa to massage his body. But there was no chance of massaging his body because with only the touch of their hands, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s body melted like milk and vanished in the Gaṅgā. Suddenly the river became turbulent. Everyone became puzzled at this. The gods began to shower flowers from heaven on seeing this type of disappearance.

The cry of Hari Hari filled the air. The disciples of Śrī Mahāśaya went to the house of Gaṅgānārāyaṇa and very patiently they kept themselves calm and quiet. Śrī Govinda Kavirāja and others quickly arranged for a funeral ceremony at Gambhilā. Then they went hastily to Khetarī via Budhuri. There king Narasiṁha, Rūpanārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇasiṁha, Cānda Rāya, Śrī Gopīramaṇa, Śrī Govinda, King Santoṣa, and others started preparations for a great festival.

Due to the fear of exaggeration, I restrain myself from describing the festival in toto but when they started saṅkīrtana in the courtyard of Gaurāṅga, within a short time, Devīdāsa, Gaurāṅga, Gokula, Śrī Govinda Kavirāja and others forgot their own entities. They began to roll on the ground. They began to roar like lions and they began to soak the ground with their tears.

Suddenly due to the favor of guru, Kṛṣṇa, and Vaiṣṇavas, everyone witnessed Narottama dancing with them. When he vanished everyone lost their patience. So Narottama again appeared and consoled them all. Who can realise the qualities of Ṭhākura Mahāśaya?

Śrī Narottama Prabhor Aṣṭakam
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura

rājan mṛdaṅga-karatāla-kalābhirāmaṁ
gaurāṅga-gāna-madhu-pāna-bharābhirāmam
śrīman-narottama-padāmbuja-mañju-nṛtyaṁ
bhṛtyaṁ kṛtārthayatu māṁ phaliteṣṭa-kṛtyam [11]
May the enchanting dance of Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura’s lotus feet, which is beautified by the sweet sound of the mṛdaṅga and karatālas, and the ecstasy of drinking the nectar of Śrī Gaurāṅga’s glory, satisfy this servant’s desires and fulfil him.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmāmṛta-varṣi-vaktra-candra-
prabhā-dhvasta-tamo-bharāya
gaurāṅga-devānucarāya tasmai
namo namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [1]
Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva’s servant, Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura, who dispels all darkness with the lustre of his moon-like face by showering the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāma.

saṅkīrtanānandaja-manda-hāsya
danta-dyuti-dyotita-dinmukhāya
svedāśru-dhārā-snapitāya tasmai
namo namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [2]
When he gently smiles with the joy of Nāma-saṅkīrtana, the lustre of his teeth illuminates the directions, and he bathes in streams of perspiration and tears. Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

mṛdaṅga-nāda-śruti-mātra-cañcat-padāmbuja-
manda-manoharāya
sadyaḥ samudyat-pulakāya tasmai
namo namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [3]
As soon as he hears the sound of the mṛdaṅga, his nimble lotus feet capture everyone’s heart, and his hair stands on end. Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

gāndharva-garva-kṣapaṇa-svalāsya-vismāpitāśeṣa-
kṛti-vrajāya
sva-sṛṣṭa-gāna-prathitāya tasmai
namo namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [4]
He is renowned for the songs he writes, and he crushes the pride of the Gandharvas and astonishes even the extremely sober with his dancing. Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

ānanda-mūrcchāvanipāta-bhāta-dhūlī-
bharālaṅkṛta-vigrahāya
yad darśanaṁ bhāgya-bhareṇa tasmai
namo namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [5]
When he faints in ecstasy and falls to the ground, his entire divine form becomes ornamented with dust. Only by divine fortune does one behold him. Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

sthale sthale yasya kṛpā-prapābhiḥ
kṛṣṇānya-tṛṣṇā jana-saṁhatīnām
nirmūlitā eva bhavanti tasmai
namo namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [6]
Establishing watering holes of mercy everywhere, he quenches everyone’s thirst for all things other than Kṛṣṇa. Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

yad bhakti-niṣṭhopala-rekhikeva
sparśaḥ punaḥ sparśa-maṇīva yasya
prāmāṇyam evaṁ śrutivad yadīyaṁ
tasmai namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [7]
His firm devotion is like a line carved in stone. His touch is like that of a philosopher’s stone (his touch fulfils all desires). His words are as authoritative as the Vedas. Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

mūrtaiva bhaktiḥ kim ayaṁ kim eṣa
vairāgya-sāras tanumān nṛloke
sambhāvyate yaḥ kṛtibhiḥ sadaiva
tasmai namaḥ śrīla narottamāya [8]
Seeing him within human society, the wise constantly wonder: “Is he the embodiment of devotion or the epitome of detachment?” Again and again I offer my obeisance unto Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura.

śrī-rādhikā-kṛṣṇa-vilāsa-sindhau
nimajjataḥ śrīla-narottamasya
paṭhed ya evāṣṭakam etad uccair
asau tadīyaṁ padavīṁ prayāti [9]
He is constantly immersed in the ocean of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, and certainly one who loudly recites this poem about Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura will also attain that position.

kāruṇya-dṛṣṭi-śamitāśrita-mantu-koṭi-ramyādharodyad
atisundara-danta-kāntiḥ
śrīman-narottama-mukhāmbuja-manda-hāsyaṁ
lāsyaṁ tanotu hṛdi me vitarat svadāsyam [10]
May Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura’s gently smiling lotus face, which is replete with his merciful glance that absolves millions of the surrendered souls’ sins and the lustre of his extremely beautiful teeth shining from his enchanting lips, dance within my heart and grant me his service.