Shri Daya Bai, a rasik devotee, a disciple of Shri Charan Das of the Shuka sect.
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Dayābāī says that the Holy Name of Śrī Hari is the boat that carries one across the ocean of material existence (bhava-sāgara), and the Guru is its helmsman. If one genuinely performs the true association of a saint, then crossing this ocean of worldly existence does not take even a moment of delay.
Meditate upon Śrī Manmohana and love Him with all your heart and being. How unfortunate it is that people forsake Śrī Hari and become entangled only in the fleeting worldly affairs.
A sakhī, describing the captivating beauty of Śrī Kṛṣṇa to her intimate companion, says: O sakhī! The effect of Mohana’s supremely sweet and divine glance cannot be expressed in mere words. That glance has penetrated so deeply into my heart that, however much I try to remove it, it simply will not leave.
Through this couplet, Dayābāī Jī expresses the divine experience of beholding Śyāmā-Śyāma in Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma. She says, lost in the burning pain of separation, she cried out again and again, calling “Śyāmā-Śyāma,” until one day, in a secluded kuñja, the divine Couple, Lāḍilī Lāl, revealed Themselves to her. In that single moment, her life transformed into complete fulfillment.
Dayābāī says that those who are absorbed in divine love of God lose all awareness of bodily consciousness. They are so immersed in the nectar of Śrī Hari that external injunctions and prohibitions, vows, and ritual observances no longer hold any special significance for them.
Seeing her intense longing for God realization, Śrī Dayābāī Jī was instructed by her Gurudeva, Śrī Caraṇdās Jī, to reside in Vṛndāvan. The vision of Śyāmā–Śyām that she received there is described as follows— O friend! Today, the two Kuñja-Bihārīs (Śrī Lāḍilī-Lāl) suddenly met me within the secluded forest bower.
The path of love is absolutely mysterious and unlike any other. Its sweet pain can only be understood by one whose own heart has been wounded by it — one who has experienced that divine agony.
Wherever true love manifests, God Himself appears. Shri Dayabai says that, moved by compassion, God continually blesses such a premi bhakata with His divine darshan, making their life truly blessed and eternally fulfilled.
Only one who truly engages in the association of saints knows the immense bliss it bestows. It is so precious that even half a moment spent in their association is enough to destroy all sins.
Those who are immersed in the love of Shri Hari roam fearlessly, forever absorbed in divine bliss. To their love-drenched eyes, there is no difference between a king and a pauper.
One may perform yoga, sacrifices, japa, penance, vows, and pilgrimages, follow discipline and good conduct, and even master the four Vedas and six scriptures—yet, O Lord, without Your grace, nothing is truly fruitful.
Dayabai says, “O Lord, I swear by You—let me be immersed in sorrow forever, I do not long for happiness, nor do I desire even Vaikuntha. I only wish that my mind may remain constantly and solely fixed on Your lotus feet.”
The agony of divine love has made me so restless that neither day nor night passes in peace. Without beholding the beautiful form of my beloved Shyamsundar, my heart finds no solace, even for a moment, says Dayabai.
Those who are immersed in the nectar of Shri Hari are beyond description. For them, the wealth of all three worlds is as insignificant as a mere blade of grass.
When love arises in one’s heart, one becomes unaware of bodily consciousness. Their journey turns inward, erasing the distinction between home and the forest.
