Patita Pavanastakam

I took this reading from Sundarananda Vidyavinoda's Sri Kshetra (pp. 79-82). He in turn says he got it from Haridas Das's Gaudiya Vaishnava Sahitya, pp. 67-68.

This poem is credited to Sal Beg, a Muslim devotee of Lord Jagannath, who was forbidden entry to the temple in Puri, and for whom it is said that Lord Jagannath appeared in the Patita Pavan murti, which is visible to outsiders from the Lion's Gate.

Jagat (updated 2006-04-22, 278)

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Added by: Jagat
Credits:
Text version: 2.00 (legend)
Keywords: Patita, Pavanastakam, Salbeg, Jagannatha

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Additional notes from the editors' research and selected discussion forum contributions.

O Lord! Bestower of boons!
I see you have become concerned
on contemplating the record of my past activities;
Even so, I have dared come before you
because of your promise to purify the most fallen.
Previously, you cared nothing for me,
but now is no longer the time to make judgments:
Either renege on your promise
or purify this most fallen soul.

O Raghava! I am not Jatayu, the vulture king!
O Krishna! I am not Sishupala, the king of Chedi!
Nor, Narayana, destroyer of hell, am I the sinner Ajamila!
O Ocean of Forgiveness! You should know
that I am the most sinful chief of all offenders,
so be on your guard against me.

Chitragupta and the other scribes of Yamaraja,
when trying to make a tally of my sins,
write and write until the nibs of their pens break,
causing them much embarrassment.
O most merciful one, if you are expert enough,
then save me, the foremost of the fallen.

Within my sinful heart, I know full well at every moment
that your vow to save the fallen will never fail to bear fruit.
O Lord of the Yadus, you are the spiritual master of the universe;
the scriptures say I am unworthy to worship you
because of my sinfulness;
so if I do not chant your name, please do not be angry with me.

O unlimited one! All those who have witnessed my sins
are so terrorized that they stop seeing their own flaws,
and fearlessly praise each other's virtue.
So if you are truly a purifier of the fallen,
then, O Master, save this worst of all miscreants.

The king of the circle can give protection
to his tributary kings, and I too have myself acted in this way
pretending to be a protector of the needy.
So these rascals in every direction
now think of me as a deliverer of the fallen,
but if you do not deliver me, O Lord,
this reputation will be the only reward I get.

Never once have I tasted the nectar of your feet,
for my life has been wasted in mundane talk.
If you should capriciously discard me now
and refuse me your mercy,
then your reputation as the savior of the fallen
will be greatly damaged.

You are the most dutiful Lord;
You have given ample evidence of your compassion;
You yourself are completely independent,
but if you are so, then am I not also?
So now, if you are the deliverer of the most fallen,
show it, or your good name will everywhere turn to disrepute.

If those who have been purified
speak of your promise to purify the fallen,
I do not do so to any great extent,
even though I am the most ill-mannered of all.
Whether you purify me or not,
whether I speak with propriety or not,
please take note only of my virtues,
for who in this world is without fault?

(Trans. Jagat)