The Chariot of the Mind by Govinda Dasa

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I have arrived in Sridam Mayapur for a one-week visit.

śrī-pada-kamala-sudhā-rasa-pāne

śrī-vigraha-guṇa-gaṇa kari gāne

śrī-mukha-vacana-śravaṇa-anuṣaṅgī

anubhavi kata bhela prema-taraṅgī

By drinking the nectarean honey of the lotus feet of Sri Gaura, by singing the glories of Sri Gaura’s deity, by listening to the instructions of Sri Gaura, and by associating with devotees who follow his instructions, so many fortunate individuals experienced the joyous waves of Prema.

re mana! kāhe karasi anutāpe

pahuṁka pratāpa-mantra karu jāpe

O mind! Why do you keep burning repeatedly in the fire of worldliness? Simply keep chanting the mantra of your dear Lord.

yo kichu vicāri mano-rathe caḍabi

pahuṁka caraṇa-yuga sārathi karabi

Think carefully about the ultimate aim of your life and then climb on the chariot of the [purified] mind. Make the feet of Lord Gaura your charioteer.

ratha-rohana karu prāṇa-turaṅga

āśā-pāśa jori naha bhaṅga

Engage your five life-airs (prāṇa, apāna, udāna, vayāna and samāna) as the five horses driving this chariot. Let āśā, the hope of attaining the Lord, be the strong rope controlling these horses so that the chariot may never break down.

līlā-jaladhi tīre calu dhāī

prema-taraṅge aṅga avagāī

Using this chariot, go quickly towards the shore of the unlimited ocean of the Lord’s loving pastimes. Having reached there, bathe thoroughly in the waves of this ocean of Prema.

rasa-taraṅgī saṅgī hari-dāse

rati-maṇi deī puraba abhilāṣe

In this ocean, you will swim along with other servants of Hari who are delighting in the waves of bhakti-rasa. These servants of Hari will fetch you the rare jewel of Prema from the depths of this ocean and will thus fulfill your most cherished desire.

so rasa-jaladhi mājhe maṇi-geha

tahiṁ rahu gori suśyāmera deha

In the middle of that ocean of bhakti-rasa is a house decorated with precious jewels in which brilliant complexioned Radha and dark-complexioned Syam reside.

sārathi leī milāyaba tāya

govinda-dāsa gaura-guṇa gāya

The charioteer, Lord Gaura’s lotus feet, will help you meet these two, Radha and Shyam. It is for this reason that Govinda Das sings the glories of Gaura.

[ The Chariot of the Mind,

By the medieval poet, Govinda Dasa

from Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī, fourth edition ]