Mukunda Mala Stotram of King Kulashekara, source of all things, You always care for us, divine Lord

Jai Gurudev. Here in French, but with English subtitles, Swami Vijayananada shares the commentary of Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda on the Mukunda Mala Stotram of the Alvar King Kulashekhara
The Mukunda Mala Stotram was written by King Kulashekara of South Kerala in India, a great devotee of Rama.
Verse 3. O Mukunda! I bow my head and beg You to fulfill one desire of mine: in this life and in future ones, I should, by Your mercy, always remember You and never forget Your Lotus Feet.
Kulashekara asks: Lord, let there be no obstacles in my path to glorify and serve you. May I never forget you in any of my lives, and may I always be absorbed in your name. He asks: "Give me the blessing to be always with you, my beloved Lord. You are the source of all things. You have neither beginning nor end. You always care for us whether we believe in you or not. »
Bhakta Priya means, "the beloved of his devotees. »
4. O Lord I do not bow before Your Holy Feet, to be saved from the dualities of material existence, nor to be protected from the Kumbhipaka hell (a hell where one is roasted in boiling oil). I do not pray to You to enjoy heavenly gardens or the bodies of beautiful women. I am only praying that, birth after birth, I am able to remember You in the core of my heart.
A characteristic of the mind is to forget. So Kulashekara asks: "Let my soul never get Alzheimer's and let it remember you from life to life. For how else can I glorify you?
May my mind always be on your lotus feet. »
The king asks nothing for himself, only to be his servant in each of his lives.
When love awakens in the heart of a devotee, he continually remembers his beloved and this relationship takes deep root in him.
He continues: "What do I know about love? If it is not you who loves through me. Everything I do dictate by my mind becomes useless. For it functions at a low level. I want to raise it to your higher level. This is only possible through your grace. »
When love awakens we forget everything and we always want more.
One becomes a magnet, attracting others to the Divine.
The more we get to know him the more we love him and the futility of this world appears to us.
He says: "Already in my mother's womb you kept me company, you took care of me. Then when I came out of her womb, I forgot all about who I am, until the Guru reminded me of who I really am. »
Many people make this world the center of their lives. But what can they take with them when they die? This world of duality is not permanent. Not even paradise is permanent.
This material existence cannot make us happy. When the heart is full of love, we see the beloved in everything and everywhere.
When we are always in this mood, in this bhav, we perceive only him. The soul recognizes him, he is the only one. There is no more fearKulashekara says: "I am not concerned about what I am going to eat, because this body is not me. The soul is the observer of everything, it is not troubled by anything. My soul is permanently with the supreme Lord, it cannot be separated from You.
It is not my purpose to go to heaven by my merits. Why should I have to drive myself crazy to acquire merits? » During life, external reality plays its part in the drama. The Bhakta only wants to serve the Lord.
5. I have no interest in just fulfilling dharmic principles, nor in the collection of wealth and assets, nor in passion and making love. For what has been decided by You, will come to me in the form of karmas of the past. But I do have one soulful prayer to Thee, my Lord, in this birth and what follows: let me have an unwavering devotion to Your Lotus Feet.
Kulashekara says: "To live only for the sake of respecting the dharmic principles, is something boring: a life of work, eating and sleeping, earning money and making love. I am only interested in the things you like. What is my true dharma? » At the weekend we have fun, we get drunk and every week we do the same thing again. It is the mind that enjoys the drink and good food.
What we are, is the observer. "You come to me in the form of the Karma of the past. You decide what is good for me. » The devotee does not question what the Lord gives him. We depend on him. "May my devotion to your Lotus feet never waver. » In the simplicity of his heart, with humility, the King only asks for devotion, a love that does not waver, that grows steadily, not a platonic love, not something dull, but pure devotion. By attaining true knowledge one realizes the Self, through this wisdom one achieves clarity, inner wisdom. "Birth after birth, Lord remember me. The moment I am born, Lord make me remember Him. Every experience with you is filled with joy and happiness. May I remember you eternally, you are the Lord of my heart. »