dṛṣṭir vā bhātu vṛndāvana-mahima-sudhā-vāridhau majjatād dhīḥ |
śrī-vṛndāraṇya-bhūmau luṭhatu mama tanur vihvalānanda-pūraiḥ
śrīvṛndāraṇya-sattveṣv ahaha tata ito daṇḍavan me natiḥ syāt ||
May my eyes become filled with anxious desire on seeing the waves of Vrindavan’s nectarean splendor! May my intelligence dive deeply into the ocean of Vrindavan’s glories! May my body, imbued with joy and spiritual desire, roll in the dust of Vrindavan! And may I fall down in prostrated obeisances in every direction to all of Vrindavan's creatures! (1.14)
modante yatra rādhā-ratimaya-lalitādy-ujjvala-śrī-kiśoryaḥ |
āścaryānaṅga-raṅgair ahaha niśi-divā khelanāsakta-rādhā-
kṛṣṇau raty-eka-tṛṣṇau mama samudayatāṁ śrīla-vṛndāvanaṁ tat ||
May that Vrindavan manifest to me, in which Krishna and the amazing cowherd boys like Subala and others play, in which the effulgent maidens like Lalita and others, filled with love for Radha, find their joy, and where the Divine Couple, Radha and Krishna, whose only desire is for their mutual lovemaking, are attached day and night to their love games in which the god of love demonstrates his wondrous skills. (1.15)
svacchaṁ svacchandam evāsty atimadhura-rasa-
nirjharād ambu tātuṁ
bhoktuṁ svādūni kāmaṁ sakala-taru-tale śīrṇa-parṇāni santi |
kāmaṁ niḥśīta-vātaṁ vimala-giri-guhādy asti nirbhāti vastuṁ
śrī-vṛndāraṇyam etat tad api yadi jihāsāmi hā hā hato’smi ||
In Vrindavan, the waters flowing from the springs are pure and very sweet tasting and one can drink them to one’s heart’s content; one can eat all one desires of the delicious dry leaves that fall from each and every tree. One can take up residence in the spotless caves of the mountains where cool winds freely blow. When Vrindavan is like this, if I should ever wish to leave it, it will be a sign of greatest misfortune. (1.16)
It is hard not to read this last verse without being provoked into deep reflection about the changing times. It is clear that Prabodhananda is an extremely renounced sadhu. Again and again he expresses a pleasure in the life of renunciation and austerity. Living in caves? dry leaves? Not so appealing to us today. But the evocation of plentiful sweet water gives pause. Even so, the idea of a forested area, with plenty of open space, easy access to water, is not only a sign of a place suitable for the renunciate, but for any kind of living.
Of all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, it is Narottam Das who has the most similarities to Prabodhananda. Narottam's songs about rolling in the Vrindavan dust, bathing in the Yamuna, sleeping under the trees, drinking the Vrindavan waters... all these things seem to be directly following in the ascetic mood expressed in Prabodhananda's Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛtam. We hear of the same thing in the Goswamis' practice, but the expression found in so many of Prabodhananda's verses is closest to that found in Narottam.
Like Narottam, Prabodhananda switches back and forth from sādhaka consciousness to sphürtis of the nitya-lila with ease, blending the two so that they become one. The distinctions between that world and this one are blurred until they become meaningless.
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