The Ballad of a Sankirtan Devotee
Brhat-mrdanga drumming with a sacred mighty force
Meant to keep your mission on its elevated course
Not graced to travel with you as your servants or your cooks
We dedicate our lives to you, passing out your books
This life is very precious, nothing more that one can give
Than ease the suffering of lost souls and show them how to live
Clad with faith as armor, we wield the sword of truth
Enlisted in your army, we sacrificed our youth
One becomes compassionate by being kind to all
Lifting every jiva from its downward tragic fall
The sankirtan devotee gives everyone a chance
Awakening a love supreme that lifts all hearts to dance
Taking up this service, one must be strong and brave
To see the soul in everyone, not choose whom she will save
But leave our egos far away. From the holy site
Where these books of truth emerge, some will run in fright
A sacrifice for your desire is our only claim
We thrive upon your sacred text and chant the holy name
Not graced to travel with you as your servants and your cooks
We dedicate our lives to you, passing out your books
They were written for all souls, and we are all the same
These books ignite within the heart a transcendental flame
Enlightened words of ecstasy exist on every page
What could be more valuable in this fallen age?
In silent hours of the night, absorbed in meditation
writing down the Lord’s decrees of secret revelation
As He spoke to the Pandavas, a battle though it took
The essence of the Vedas is captured in your book
The gurus always present, but we must play our part
They come to teach that love of God begins within the heart
An intimate connection awakening that place
Hearing with sincerity awards internal grace
Krsna knows the selflessness that one accepts to serve
and awards accordingly; we get what we deserve
But in proportion to one’s love, the Lord is ever ready
to give Himself to His dear friend whose service has been steady
And of those gentle souls engaged in serving all these years
Not many of us know their names and fewer know their tears
They did not travel with you as your servants or your cooks
There love for you is nurtured by the wealth within your books
(This if from the vyasa-puja book “Tributes”, 2018 edition, and was forwarded to us by Jayadvaita Swami.)
