Text 8

The following six verses of the Yāmuna-stotra (19–21, 43, 45, 47) [which comprise Texts 8–13] illustrate the poet Yāmunācārya’s own humility:

न धर्म-निष्ठो’स्मि न चात्म-वेदी न भक्तिमांस् त्वच्-चरणारविन्दे
अकिञ्चनो’नन्य-गतिः शरण्य त्वत्-पाद-मूलं शरणं प्रपद्ये

na dharma-niṣṭho’smi na cātma-vedī na bhaktimāṃs tvac-caraṇāravinde
akiñcano’nanya-gatiḥ śaraṇya tvat-pāda-mūlaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye

I am not devoted to dharma, nor do I have any knowledge of the soul, and my heart has no devotion to Your lotus feet. O protector, being destitute, I take shelter of You. I have no shelter other than You. You have come as the saviour of the fallen to deliver such a wretched fallen soul as me. I am Your eternal servant and You are my eternal master.

हरि हे!
धर्म-निष्ठा नाहि मोर, आत्म-बोध वा सुन्दर,
भक्ति नाइ तोमार चरणे
अतएव अकिञ्चन, गति-हीन दुष्ट-जन,
रत सदा आपन-वञ्चने

hari he!
dharma-niṣṭhā nāhi mora, ātma-bodha vā sundara,
bhakti nāi tomāra caraṇe
ataeva akiñcana, gati-hīna duṣṭa-jana,
rata sadā āpana-vañcane

पतित-पावन तुमि, पतित अधम आमि,
तुमि मोर एक-मात्र गति
तव पाद-मूले पैनु, तोमार शरण लैनु,
आमि दास तुमि नित्य-पति

patita-pāvana tumi, patita adhama āmi,
tumi mora eka-mātra gati
tava pāda-mūle painu, tomāra śaraṇa lainu,
āmi dāsa tumi nitya-pati

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

The sādhaka prays to the Supreme Lord in a meek and destitute mood, “O Lord, I have no devotion to dharma, no bhakti and no jñāna, so how can I remember Your lotus feet? You are the saviour of the fallen (patita-pāvana ); You even give those who are poor and lowly a place at Your lotus feet. Therefore, please deliver me, this degraded soul. Then Your name, Patita-pāvana, will become meaningful.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

In other editions of Mukunda-mālā this verse reads as follows: kṛṣṇo rakṣatu no jagat-traya-guruḥ kṛṣṇaṃ namdhvaṃ sadā / kṛṣṇenākhila-satravo vinihatāḥ kṛṣṇāya tasmai namaḥ / kṛṣṇād eva samutthitaṃ jagad idaṃ kṛṣṇasya dāso’smy ahaṃ / kṛṣṇe tiṣṭhati viśvam etad akhilaṃ he kṛṣṇa rakṣasva mām.