Technical Difficulties and Sacred Songs

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · San Francisco · 1968

Chapters

Introduction and technical setup

Prabhupāda: What is this maker, the trademark?

Gargamuni: Concord.

Prabhupāda: Concord, yes. Concord is famous tape record company. [tapping microphone] It is all right?

Yamunā: Oh, yes, Swāmījī. It can also..., it can be an amplification system.

Gargamuni: See, if you talk... [feedback]

Yamunā: The thing is, they're too close to one another so there's a feedback. You have to be twelve feet away. Then it will amplify. That's what we were using in all of our speaking engagements.

Gargamuni: Hare Kṛṣṇa. It's like..., it's an amplifier.

Devotee: Oh!

Prabhupāda: Oh, it acts as amplifier also? So I'll have to speak from here?

Gargamuni: No.

Yamunā: You don't have to... If all..., the two microphones weren't so close, then it would be..., we wouldn't have this noise, and you could speak as you like to speak.

Prabhupāda: So Gargamuni wants that prayer? Solo? Solo?

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: You also like that? [chuckles]

Yamunā: Oh. If it isn't too much energy, Swāmījī, that would be very beautiful.

Prabhupāda: All right.

Gargamuni: Also, when you used to sing in New York, Vande 'Haṁ, you would add on Cintāmaṇi. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ.

Prabhupāda: Yes, sometimes. You shall, I shall...? I shall pray that?

Gargamuni: Oh, yes.

Description of Krishnaloka and Brahma-samhita

That's nice, that one.

Yamunā: What does that mean, Swāmījī, that new prayer?

Prabhupāda: Cintāmaṇi... That is description of Kṛṣṇaloka.

Yamunā: From the Brahma-saṁhitā?

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: You have?

Yamunā: Yes, I have a copy of it.

Prabhupāda: Sit down? Why do you keep there?

Gargamuni: Well, because... So it's not too loud.

Prabhupāda: Oh. [Prabhupāda chants Cintāmaṇi prayers]

Chanting and translation of Cintamani prayers

BS 5.29चिंतामणि प्रकार सद्मसु कल्पवृक्षलक्ष आवृतेषु सुरभिः अभिपालयन्तम् ।लक्ष्मी सहस्र शत सम्भ्रम सेव्य मानंगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ २९ ॥cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhir abhipālayantamlakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.

The divine form of Govinda

BS 5.30वेणुं क्वणन्तम् अरविन्द दल आयत अक्षंवर्हावतंसम् असित आंबुद सुन्दर अङ्गम् ।कन्दर्प कोटि कमनीय विशेष शोभम्गोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३० ॥veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam-barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgamkandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.

BS 5.31आलोल चन्द्रक लसत् वन माल्य वंशीरत्नान्गद प्रणय केली कला विलासम् ।श्यामं त्रिभङ्ग् ललितं नियत प्रकाशम्गोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३१ ॥ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vamśī-ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsamśyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Śyāmasundara is eternally manifest.

Devotional access to the supreme lord

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs** or gopīs.] BS 5.33अद्वैतम् अच्यतुम् अनादिम् अनंत रूपंआद्यं पुराण पुरुषं नव यौवनं च ।वेदेषु दुर्लभम् अदुर्लभम् आत्म भक्तौगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३३ ॥advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpamādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ cavedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktaugovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.

** [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas,** but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.] BS 5.29चिंतामणि प्रकार सद्मसु कल्पवृक्षलक्ष आवृतेषु सुरभिः अभिपालयन्तम् ।लक्ष्मी सहस्र शत सम्भ्रम सेव्य मानंगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ २९ ॥cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhir abhipālayantamlakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.

BS 5.34पन्थाः तु कोटि शत वत्सर सम प्रगम्योवायोः अथ अपि मनसो मुनि पुंगवानाम् |सः अपि अस्ति यत् प्रपद् सीम्नि अविचिन्त्य तत्त्वेगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३४ ॥panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyovāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāmso 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattvegovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogīs who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to prāṇāyāma by drilling the respiration; or by the jñānīs who try to find out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years.

BS 5.35एकः अपि असौ रचयितुं जगदण्ड कोटियत् शक्तिः अस्ति जगदण्ड् चया यत् अन्तः |अण्ड अन्तरस्थ परमाणु च अन्तरस्थंगोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३५ ॥eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁyac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥaṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham-govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiHe is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.