Lyrics
[Unaccompanied voice] The morning sun is rising In the eastern sky, And Gaura, jewel among the saints, Awakens with the light. [Short wooden flute answer] With all His loving devotees He walks from door to door, Through every street and village path, Calling evermore. [Voice alone] The khol begins its beating, The cymbals softly ring, His golden form is swaying As the devotees sing. His anklets sound beneath His feet, His heart is full of love, And every step awakens The sleeping world above. [Flute — one simple phrase] Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava, Hari, Fill your mouth with these holy names. Why sleep away the precious night? The light of day has come again. [Long pause] This human life is hard to gain, So rare, so brief, so dear. Why waste it lost in passing things And never turn to Him? If now you will not worship The son of Yashoda, At the end, when life is leaving, Only sorrow will remain. [Flute alone] The sun that rises in the morning In the evening disappears. Another day has passed away, Another day is gone. So why remain in idleness? Why let the heart still sleep? Turn now toward the Lord who dwells Within the heart so deep. [Voice alone] Know well that life is passing, And danger fills the road. Take shelter in the Holy Name And carry on your work. With care and steady purpose, Let the Name become your guide, And walk through all the changing days With Hari by your side. [Very sparse flute] For every soul’s deliverance This sweetest Name has come. It rises like the morning sun And drives the dark away. The darkness born of ignorance Cannot remain before The Holy Name that shines within The heavens of the heart. [Final verse — unaccompanied] Drink deeply of Krishna’s Holy Name And cool the burning heart. O Bhaktivinoda, take your rest Within this nectar sweet. There is nothing else but the Holy Name Throughout all worlds that be. There is nothing else but the Holy Name, Our shelter and our peace. [Flute, very soft] Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava, Hari. [Voice alone] Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava, Hari.