New Pranam Mantras for Srila Gurudeva

by Pujyapad Premananda Prabhuji

sri sri guru gaurangau jayatah!

Dandavat pranams. I would just like to share two pranam mantras written by our Pujyapad Premananda Prabhuji for Srila Gurudeva on the observance of Sri Guru Purnima last 30 July 2007. We became so happy that Prabhuji had written and shared these very beautiful and meaningful pranam mantras for us to use in our auspicious invocations to Srila Guru Maharaja.

First version is:

vande 'ham sri guru varam sri rupanuga pravaram
vraja-rasa-rasikam ca narayanam tam prapanam

Second version is:

sri guru caranam vande ramanaprestham bhutale
rupanuga bhaktidam ca krpamurti narayanam

The above poster pictures contain the proper spelling of the slokas. The slokas I typed in this article have no diacritic marks so they don't have the correct spelling.

A general meaning/translation to the first version will be:

I worship (vande'ham) in humble submission (tam prapanam) Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Goswami Maharaja (narayanam), who is my best Spiritual Master (sri guru varam), the foremost member of the Rupanuga dynasty (sri rupanuga pravaram), and (ca) who is always relishing the mellows of Vraja (vraja-rasa-rasikam).

The general meaning/translation to the second version is:

I worship the lotus feet of Srila Gurudev (sri guru caranam vande) Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Goswami Maharaja (narayanam) who in this world is very dear to his worshipful Lord Sri Radha-raman Biharijiu (ramanaprestham bhutale), who is the distributor of rupanuga bhakti (rupanuga bhaktidam) and (ca) who is the embodiment of mercy (krpamurti).

Feel free to use any of the 2 versions which Prabhuji wrote for us to be able to use.

As for the various deep meanings of the slokas, you will have to find them out from Prabhuji himself. So the next time you come to Vraja, you will have to take advantage of his valuable association.

Here in Braja we had a 3 day Gurupuja Festival in 2007 -- 29 July in Mathura (Sri Keshavji Gaudiya Math), 30 in Vrndavan (in Ananda Dham) and 1 August in Govardhan (Giridhari Gaudiya Math). On each day, so many devotees from all over India and overseas came to offer worship to Srila Gurudeva. However, before Srila Gurudev accepted everyone's worship, he began each day with himself doing puja or worship to his Guru Maharaja, to the entire disciplic succession and then to all the senior vaishnavas and his godbrothers. Then he would sit for hours to give opportunity for everyone to personally see him (one by one) to offer garlands or flowers and varous gifts and prayers to him. On these days, everyone came to receive his blessings and so many came also to receive harinama and diksa.

Really, I've never seen so much mercy and love from Srila Gurudeva flowing for the general masses on this day of Guru Purnima than in any other day. We pray that someday we can become a permanent particle of this love.

Pujyapad Premananda Prabhuji

Srila Narayana
Maharaja Page