In this series, we present, each month, a prayer kirtan composed by His Holiness Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. These kirtans underline the importance of prayers and show us how to pray.
O Lord! Please Come and Reside in My Heart!
‘sakala bhuvana madhye nirdhanAstepi dhanyA
nivasati hrudi yeshAm shriharer bhaktirekA |
harirapi nijalokam sarvathAto vihAya
pravishati hrudi teshAm bhaktisUtrOpanaddhaha ||’
Padma Purana says, “In the entire universe, the poor may still be considered rich, if he has devotion for Lord Hari in his heart. For such a devotee, the Lord abandons his abode to dwell in His devotee’s heart, bound as He is by the cord of the devotee’s love!”
The Gopas and Gopis of Vrindavan were simple people who had immense love for Krishna. It was bound by that pure love, that the Lord danced on the poisonous Kaliya, lifted the Govardhan hill to save Gokula from torrential rain, killed several demons like Aghasura, Bakasura, Dhenukasura, and drank the forest fire, etc.
In Damodara Lila, Yashoda was able to bind the Lord only because of her pure love. As long as she ran around trying to catch the Lord, He was unattainable. The moment she gave up, the Lord took pity on her and allowed himself to be caught and tied to the mortar. This clearly shows us that our efforts will not suffice. His grace is required.
In the song, “Agachcha Svayameva”, set in Kamas raga, Sri Swamiji prays to the Lord to come and grace his heart with His presence. The lyrics and the meaning are presented here.
Agachcha Svayameva
Raga: Kamas Tala: Adi
Agachcha svayameva mama hrudaye
mA gachcha kshaNamapi sriya pate
sAdana rahitoham bhAvanarahitoham
tava krupAmAtram avalambanam sri hare
chandrasamAna sundaravadana
shankha chakradhara shyAmala varNa
shata koTi manmata sundarAkAra
charaNa rasika muralIdharanuta
Meaning:
Please come of your own accord and reside in my heart
Do not leave it even for a second, O Lord of Shri!
I am neither capable of efforts nor capable of truly loving you
Your grace is my sole refuge, O Sri Hari!
The One whose face is as beautiful as the moon!
The dark hued One bearing the conch and discus!
The One who is as beautiful as hundred crores of Manmata!
The One who is eulogized by Muralidhara, the devotee of Your Holy Feet!
Sowmya Balasubramanian, Fremont CA
