"As One of Your Own"

Verse 5 of Sri Siksastakam
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.

Here in the blog, i present one verse per day over the next eight days. Feel free to comment on these verses. They contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.

ayi nanda tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada pankaja
sthita dhuli sadrsam vicintaya

Translation:
Dear son of Nanda, i am your insignificant follower.
Somehow i fell into this ferocious ocean of illusion
known as the 'material world.'
I can’t save myself, so please show your mercy and rescue me.
Think of me as a tiny speck of dust
on the bottom of your reddish lotus feet.

Commentary:
In great humility, a devotee feels practically helpless against the forces of nature. The strongest force in nature is the attraction of the jiva to enjoy matter while remaining in ignorance. It is the force of illusion covering the natural identity and bliss of the soul. Recognizing this almost insurmountable force, and his/her own vulnerability, the devotee asks the Lord to rescue him from the ocean of illusion with the rope of His mercy.

Addressing the Lord now as the son of Maharaj Nanda, the devotee no longer prays to Krishna as the universal controller. He/she wants to go beyond arguments and philosophy and wants to surrender directly to the transcendental youthful cowherd, Braj Kishore. He/she wishes to give up independence even as a great scholar or king and be accepted as a humble servant.

“If you consider me like a piece of dust and place me on the bottom of your lotus feet, then i can take my proper position and be peaceful and secure. There i will find freedom and joyfulness to the fullest degree. This is my prayer: Accept me in any position, but accept me as one of Your own.”