(Hinduism, Gaudiya Vaishnavism; Bengali)

Kabe Habe Bolo
(When, O When, Will That Day Be Mine?)

by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

(1)
kabe ha'be bolo se-dina amar
(amar) aparadha ghuci, suddha name ruci,
krpa-bale habe hrdoye sañcar

When, O when, will that day be mine? When will you give me your blessings, erase all my offences and give my heart a taste [ruci] for chanting the Holy Name in purity?

(2)
trnadhika hina, kabe nije mani',
sahisnuta-guna hrodyete ani'
sakale manada, apani amani,
hoye aswadibo nama-rasa-sar

When will I taste the essence of the Holy Name, feeling myself to be lower than the grass, my heart filled with tolerance? When will I give respect to all others and be free from desire for respect from them?

(3)
dhana jana ara, kobita-sundari,
bolibo na-cahi deha-sukha-kari
janme-janme dao, ohe gaurahari!
ahaituki bhakti carane tomar

When will I cry out that I have no longer any desire for wealth and followers, poetry and beautiful women, all of which are meant just for bodily pleasure? O Gaura Hari! Give me causeless devotional service [bhakti] to your lotus feet, birth after birth.

(4)
(kobe) korite sri-krsna-name uccarana
pulakita deho gadgada bacana
baibarnya-bepathu ha'be sanghatana,
nirantara netre ba'be asru-dhar

When will my body be covered with goose bumps and my voice broken with emotion as I pronounce Krishna's name? When will my body change colour and my eyes flow with endless tears as I chant?

(5)
kobe nabadwipe, suradhuni-tate
gaura-nityananda boli' niskapate
naciya gaiya, beraibo chute
batulera praya chariya bicar

When will I give up all thought of the world and society to run like a madman along the banks of the Ganges in Navadvipa, singing and danvcing and sincerely calling out the names of Gaura and Nityananda?

(6)
kobe nityananda, more kori' doya,
charaibe mora visayera maya
diya more nija-caranera chaya,
namera hatete dibe adhikar

When will Nityananda Prabhu be merciful to me and deliver me from the enchantment [maya] of the sense objects? When will he give me the shade of his lotus feet and the right to enter the market place [hama-hatta] of the Holy Name?

(7)
kinibo, lutibo, hari-nama-rasa,
nama-rase mati' hoibo vivasa
rasera rasika-carana parasa
koriya mojibo rase anibar

When will I buy, borrow or steal the ecstasies of the Holy Name? When will I lose myself in the intoxication of the Holy Name? When will I immerse myself in the nectar of the Holy Name after grasping the feet of a saint who constantly relishes the flavours [rasa] of devotion?

(8)
kabe jibe doya, hoibe udoya,
nija-sukha bhuli' sudina-hrdoya
bhaktivinoda, koriya binoya,
sri-ajña-tahala koribe pracar

When will I feel compassion for all living beings [jibas]? When will I forget my own pleasure in genuine humility? And when will I, Bhaktivinode, meekly go from door to door, preaching your message of love?


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