Sri Gurudeva Arati

jaya jaya gurudevera aratika sobha
yamuna-tata vraja-vane bhakta-mano-lobha (1)

All glories, all glories to the splendid arati of Srila Gurudeva, being performed in a forest of Vraja on the bank of the Yamuna, attracting the minds and hearts of all the devotees.

raga-marga siddhantera murtimanta ati
kesavera priya tumi narayana yati (2)

Gurudeva, you are the embodiment of the philosophy of raga-marga, the path of spontaneous love, and you are extremely dear to your Gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja.

gaura-vani dhupa tava sri vedanta dipa
pascatya pracarakera tumi hao bhupa (3)

We perform your arati with the incense of gaura-vani, the teaching of Sri Gaurasundara, and with the ghee lamp of vedanta, the philosophical conclusions of the Vedas. You are a monarch among preachers in the Western world. (Bhu also refers to Bhudhara Prabhu, while pa means palana kara, or “the maintainer”. Thus, this line also means Gurudeva is travelling to the Western world and maintaining the devotional creeper of Bhudhara Prabhu. sarasvata-kesava dhara jala sankha dhara
palya-dasi madhu-snehe mugdha caracara (4)

The conchshell water used in your arati is the pure conception coming in the line of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. You have struck with wonder the entire world with your moods of palya-dasi, or servitude to Srimati Radhika, and madhu-sneha, the feeling that Krsna is yours, this mood is belongs to Srimati Radhika and her group (as opposed to ghrita-sneha, the feeling that you are Krsna’s, which is present in the heart of Sri Candravali and her group).

tila phula jini nasa sri-anga sundara
desi videsi bhakta tava puspa sambhara (5)

Your nose defeats the beauty of the sesame flower, and your limbs are very charming. The Eastern and Western devotees are the flowers used in your arati.

ura pura vraja tirthe bajaya jhanjhara
dama bhajana suro candra bajaya kansara (6)

‘Ura’ means Sripada Padmanabha Maharaja (formerly known as Urukrama Prabhu), ‘pura’ refers to Purandara Prabhu, ‘vraja’ Vrajanatha Prabhu and ‘tirthe’ refers to Sripada Tirtha Maharaja, all these devotees play the large cymbals, while ‘Dam’ Sripada Damodara Maharaja, ‘bhajana’ Sripada Sajjana Maharaja (formerly known as Krsna-bhajana Prabhu), ‘su’ Subala Sakha prabhu (and other devotees who serve in the Publication Department, publishing the Sri Sri Bhagavata Patrika and other devotional books) and 'ro' Rohini Nandana Prabhu ‘candra’ Ramacandra Prabhu (who are both spreading Gurudeva’s glories in Northern India).

sevanande premananda camara dulaya
madhu-kanthe krsna-dasa nirajana gaya (7)

Sripada Premananda Prabhu, who takes pleasure in performing service, is fanning Srila Gurudeva with a camara, while sweet-voiced Krsna-dasa Prabhu is singing this arati song. (Here 'madhu' also refers to Madhumangala Prabhu, Madhuvrata Prabhu, Madhukara Prabhu, Madhusudana Prabhu.)

krsna amala sundara bajaya mrdanga
madhava vana akatare mage tava sanga (8)

Krsna-krpa Prabhu (and all the devotees whose names contain the word ‘Krsna’, including Dvija Krsna Prabhu, Tamala Krsna Prabhu, Krsna-karunya Prabhu, Hare Krsna Prabhu and Kisora Krsna Prabhu), Amala Krsna Prabhu, and all other devotees of beautiful character who are too numerous to name (including Sripada Akincana Maharaja, Sripada Asrama Maharaja, Sripada Avadhuta Maharaja, Sripada Bhagavata Maharaja, Sripada Bharati Maharaja, Sripada Dandi Maharaja, Sripada Govinda Maharaja, Sripada Harijana Maharaja, Sripada Muni Maharaja, Sripada Nemi Maharaja, Sripada Niskincana Maharaja, Sripada Parivrajaka, Maharaja, Sripada Sruvak Maharaja Sripada Srauti Maharaja, Sripada Tridandi Maharaja, Sripada Vaikhanas Maharaja, Sripada Visnudaivata Maharaja, Sripada Yati Maharaja, Gopavrindapala Prabhu, Gopinatha Prabhu, Nirguna Prabhu, Nrihari Prabhu, Prana-kisora Prabhu, Tamopaha Prabhu, Radha Kanta Prabhu, Ramesha Prabhu, Yasodanadana Prabhu, Vrajendranandana Prabhu, Vrndavana Prabhu, Srimati Syamarani Didi, and Vishnu Dasa, Aruna Verma Sushila Agrawal, Tarun Krsna, Krsna Dasa, who were the first organisers of Gurudeva's preaching in the USA, and all the devotees who are engaged in preaching and publication and all other services which are too innumerable to mention) are playing the mrdanga, or the large drum of book publishing and distribution. (Sundara also refers to Sundarananda Prabhu, the former personal servant of Srila Gurudeva (Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja) and Srila Guru Maharaja (Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja), and to Sundara-gopala Prabhu.) Meanwhile, Madhava-priya Prabhu, Sripada Vana Maharaja and the composer of this kirtana, Sripada Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja, are humbly hankering for your association.