The Guru Bhatimā of Madhavadeva

guru bhaṭimāTransliterated from Mahāpuruṣa Mādhavadeva Bākyāmṛita, 1st ed., Srimanta Sankardev Sangha, 1994, pp. 201-202. jaya guru śaṅkara, sarbba guṇākara yākeri nāhikenāhi upāma . tohari caraṇaku, reṇu śata koṭi bāreka karohom̐ praṇāma .. daraśita sundara, gaura kalevara yaicanayaisana sura parakaśa . sakala sabhāsada, rañjana yākeri daraśane pāpa bināśa .. bine aṅga bhūśaṇa, pekhi suśobhana gahīnagahana gambhīra dhīramati . āyata kamala, nayana bara sundara bayana cāndakahu jyoti .. līlā gajagati, gamana bilokana bāṇī megha gambhīra . pāṣaṇḍa marddana, kaliko kāle yākuyāko sama nāhi dhīra .. sohi nārāyaṇa, māyā bistāri karu trijagata niramāṇa . sanaka sanātana, yogī yākeri mahimā kabahu najāna .. sakala carācara, pālanakārī yo hari devaku devā . catura bayana śiva, surapati yākeri karu nita caraṇahi sevā .. cāri beda, śiromaṇi māje yākeri caraṇa bikāśa . sohi devaka, kayali kaliko śaṅkaradeva parakāśa .. tribhuvana bandana, daivakīnandana yo hari mārala kaṃsa . jagajana tāraṇa, deva nārāyaṇa śaṅkara tākeri aṃśa .. māyā naratanu, dhari hari bhakati kayali bahu paracāra . sava nara pāpa, payodhi majjala tāhe kayali uddhāra .. avaniśi cāri, beda bicāri bekata karu harināma . yākeri bayane, milāi gāi pāi manoratha kāma .. paṇḍita mānī, beda bakhāni garava kayali sava cūra . gīta kavitba guṇa, śaṅkara devara kīriti gayo bahudūra .. śrīyaśa dāna, māna bhūtadāyā savaguṇa sampanna ṭhika . bhakataka bhakati, dāne karu guru dāyā tanaya adhika .. harikahu mūruti, suruti mana magana majjala ānanda sindhu . aicana niramala, hṛdaye bikaśita bhakata kumuda kula indu .. nijakula tāri, bhakati bistāri bāndhala hariguṇa setu . kaliyuge pāpa, payodhi sava nara tāraṇa kāraṇa hetu .. bhakati bhāṇḍāra, dbāra saba choḍi mukuti kayali udāsa . eka śaraṇa hari, nāma dharamakahu rājā karu parakāśa .. ki kahaba śaṅkara, devara mahimā jāni jñānī anta napāi . yākeri caraṇaka, reṇu śire paraśi mukuti sukha sukhe pāi .. mādhava dīna, mūrukhamati kahaya bāṇī śuna sava loi . bine gurucaraṇa, bhakati rakati mukuti kabahu nahoi .. ohi parama tattba, bedako bāṇī jāni nara nakara birāma . dharamaka karamaka, garavaka choḍi ḍāki bolahu rāma rāma ..

The TranslationNeog, Dimbeswar. “Proofs of Sankardew’s Scholarship.” Jagat-Guru Śaṅkardew, 2nd ed., Śrīmanta Śaṅkaradeva Saṅgha, 1998, pp. 28-29. Some parts of the bhatima have been left untranslated by the author.

Sankaradeva: Artist's Impression Glory to Guru Sankara(-deva), the mine of all virtues, who bears no comparison. I bow down a hundred crores of time at the dusts of his lotus feet. Majestic to look at, he is with a body reddish white, as though the Sun-god has emerged into view. The attraction is he of a whole assemblage, at whose sight sins are destroyed. He looks so attractive even without any ornament; grave, majestic, sober. His eyes are very beautiful like lotuses in bloom; his face sheds the lustre of the moon. [...] Sankara(-deva) is the counterpart of God Narayana who came for deliverance of the people on earth, worshipped by the three worlds, son of Devaki, the killer of Kamsa. He assumed a false human body to have spread devotion to God, so vast. All people immersed in the sea of sins (and) he has rescued them. He has searched the four Vedas thoroughly and found out (the gem of) God’s name. (Anybody) singing it with his mouth can get his wished-for object. A venerable scholar, he crushed the pride of all by (re-)interpreting the Vedas. The songs and poetic genius of Sankaradeva with accompanying fame have spread far and wide. He had beauty, fame, gifts, rank, kindness for all life, all intact. As the Guru he taught devotion to devotees, and loved them better than his sons. [...] By delivering his line of people, spreading bhakti, he built the bridge of God’s name so that in the Iron Age all people could cross the sea of sins. He has opened all avenues for the store of bhakti and has made people indifferent (even) to salvation. He has brought into light the Eka Sarana (self-surrender to the One) [Hari] Nama Dharma (the religion of reciting the name of God) which is the king (of religions). What should I speak of the greatness of Sankaradeva, for I find no end of that knowledge. Only by touching the dusts of his lotus-feet with the head one can feel the bliss that salvation alone may give....