Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 1, pt. 3 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja) Updated 1-31

     But as a result of their contemplation of oneness with Brahman, those whose hearts have been pierced by the desire for liberation forever lose the understanding that the true relationship between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the jīva is eternally one of master and servant. The devotees of the Lord stay far away from these people, thus making it hardly possible for them to receive their mercy, which is the root and only cause of attaining bhakti. Ultimately, after attaining sāyujya-mukti, their chance of ever awakening a relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa or receiving bhakti is forever lost. For this reason, the desire for mokṣa is said to be the greatest deception and darkest ignorance. By the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the muktivādī Śrīla Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya tasted the sweetness of bhajana-rasa and spoke the following:

কৃষ্ণের বিগ্রহ যেই সত্য নাহি মানে । যেই নিন্দা-যুদ্ধাদিক করে তাঁর সনে ॥

সেই দুইয়ের দণ্ড হয়--ব্রহ্ম-সাযুজ্য মুক্তি । তার মুক্তি ফল নহে--যেই করে ভক্তি ॥

মুক্তি-শব্দ কহিতে মনে হয় ঘৃণা-ত্রাস । ভক্তি-শব্দ কহিতে মনে হয় ত উল্লাস ॥

     “The punishment for those who deny that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is true and for those who vilify or fight with him is that they receive sāyujya-mukti, or union with Brahman. But that is not the result for one who performs bhakti. If I say the word mukti, my mind is immediately filled with aversion and trepidation, but if I say the word bhakti, then my mind is suffused with delight.” (CC. Mad. 6.264-265, 276)

     With the collyrium stick of knowledge, Śrī Gurudeva cures the eye disease of the jīvas blinded by ignorance and gives them sight. In  his commentary, Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has written the following regarding the ‘collyrium stick of knowledge’: “kayā unmīlitā jñānāñjana-śalākayā---‘īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam ity anena’, ‘kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam ity anena’ ca kṛṣṇa-bhagavattā-jñānam evāñjana-śalākā tayā ‘kṛṣṇe bhagavattā jñāna samvidera sāra’ iti śrī-caitanya-caritāmṛtokte.” Here the word jñāna is understood to mean knowledge that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is himself the Supreme God, and that knowledge is likened to a collyrium stick used to cure the eye of its disease in the form of ignorance. In the beginning of the Brahma-Saṁhitā it is said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Govinda, is the Supreme God; the form of eternity, knowledge and bliss; without beginning; the origin of all and the cause of all causes. This indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is personally Bhagavān, the foundation of all forms of God. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata it is written: ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (Bhāg. 1.3.28), meaning that among the various forms of God, some are partial manifestations, and some are parts of those parts, whereas Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān Himself. Svayaṁ bhagavān is the Bhāgavata’s own terminology. In other śāstras wherein a form of God other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa is being discussed, this terminology is not used. With the support of the aforementioned verse, the highly realized ācāryas have deliberated upon kṛṣṇa-tattva and, in their opinion, this is a paribhāṣā, or technical term, for the fundamental truth described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. aniyame niyama-kāriṇī paribhāṣā. “Speech that arranges unsystematized subject matters in an organized way is called paribhāṣā.” By this device, a word or idea mentioned only once in śāstra can govern countless other words. In the entire Bhāgavata, the kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam verse has been expressed only once. The unrestrained victory flag of this mahāvākya, like that of an emperor, flies gloriously above the heads of all other śāstrika statements. This knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s divinity is like a collyrium stick that cures the jīva’s ‘eye disease’ of ignorance. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī has also written, kṛṣṇe bhagavattā-jñāna---sambitera sāra, brahma-jñānādi saba tāra paribāra (CC. Ādi 4.67). “Understanding Kṛṣṇa’s divinity is the essence of consciousness. All other knowledge of brahman, etc. is dependent upon that.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is svayaṁ bhagavān, the Truth to be worshipped by all. If the awareness that “He is my eternal Lord, and I am his eternal servant” arises, this is called sambandha-jñāna, or knowledge of relationship. Then, as a consequence, the awareness arises that to perform sevā or bhajana for him is my only duty. This is called abhidheya-jñāna, or knowledge of how that relationship is to be expressed. Then the awareness dawns that love for his lotus feet is my only desire, because without love, no sevā that I perform will bring him happiness. This is prayojana-jñāna, or knowledge of the objective. Thus, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying here that he offers his obeisance to Śrī Gurudeva, who has with the collyrium stick of knowledge cured his eye disease of ignorance and has awakened his spiritual vision by instructing him in the truth of sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

Another Bengali Grammar

     Here is a link to another Bengali Grammar that I just scanned. It's the one that I have been using for years but just never got around to scanning and posting. I think it's probably more useful than the one I posted earlier, but, like dictionaries, no one grammar book has everything you need. So I suggest you utilize both. You'll probably want to print it out. I'm also putting it over there -----> in the Free Books section. I scanned it in high resolution to make sure all those little squiggly lines in the Bengali script show up. It's a large file (451 megs), so those with slow connections will have to wait awhile. Go chant japa while it's downloading.

Sneaking Home

भ्रश्यद्दुकूल-चिकुर-स्रजमुन्नयन्तौ भीतौ पृथग् गहन-वर्त्मनि चापयान्तौ ।

तौ वीक्ष्य भीतितरलौ जटिलेति नाम्ना सख्यस्ततस्तत इतश्चकिता निरीयुः ||

     Hearing the name of Jaṭilā, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa stole away in fear upon separate forest paths, holding up their loosened clothing, hair and garlands. Alarmed by seeing this, the sakhīs also fled in every direction. (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 1.110)

वामे चन्द्रावलि-परिजनान् घोषवृद्धान् पुरस्तात्

कृष्णः पश्चात् कुटिलजटिलामागतां मन्यमानः ।

यान्तीं कान्तां सभयचटुलां दक्षिणे द्रष्टुमुत्क-

श्चञ्चद्ग्रीवं दिशि दिशि दृशौ प्रेरयन् गोष्ठमायात् ॥

     To Kṛṣṇa’s left were Candrāvalī and her sakhīs, and in front of him, the elderly people of the cowherd village. He feared that the deceitful Jaṭilā may sneak up on him from behind. Craning his neck in eagerness, he looked here and there on his right side, trying to see his anxious lover as she ran for home. In this way, Kṛṣṇa carefully made his way toward the village. (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 1.111)

म्लानामुत्क्षिप्य मालां त्रुटित-मणिसरः कज्जलं विभ्रदोष्ठे

संकीर्णाङ्गो नखाङ्कैर्दिशि दिशि विकिरन् घूर्णिते नेत्रपद्मे ।

पश्य म्लानाङ्गयष्टिः स्फुटमपरिचितो गोप-गोष्ठीभिरग्रे

गोष्ठे गोष्ठेन्द्रसूनुः प्रविशति रजनौ ध्वंसमासादयन्त्याम् ॥

     Seeing Kṛṣṇa’s movement, one sakhī said to another, “Look, Vrajendranandana is entering the village at the end of night, his dark, slender form unseen by the cowherds. His restless lotus eyes are looking all about, he has thrown away his withered garland and his pearl necklace is broken. His lips are smeared with collyrium and his body covered with marks from Śrīmatī’s nails.” (Stava-Mālā, Kuñja-Bhaṅga 2)

अनुगता जटिलेत्यभिशङ्किनी गुरुनितम्ब-कुचोद्वहनाकुला ।

द्रुतविलम्बित-वल्गु ययौ व्रजं करधृताम्बरकेशचयेश्वरी ॥

     Śrī Rādhā was also afraid that Jaṭilā may be approaching from behind. Burdened by her heavy breasts and hips, and holding up her loosened dress and locks of hair with her hands, she walked with graceful, alternately quick and slow movements on the path toward Vraja. (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 1.112)

न व्यालादपि सम्बिभेति पुरतः स्थाणोर्यथा दूरतो

नोद्विग्ना करिगर्जितादपि यथा काकावली-निःस्वनात् ।

नैवेयं तिमिरेऽपि मुह्यतितरां कामं प्रकाशे यथा

तन्मन्ये विरहेऽपि नैव विधुरा कान्तस्य योगे यथा ॥

     Seeing a venomous snake before her didn’t cause as much fear as seeing a branchless tree trunk in the distance. Hearing the roaring of an elephant caused her less concern than hearing the cawing of crows, and the dense darkness didn’t confuse her as much as the bright daylight. Therefore it seemed that today Rādhā had been more troubled by being with Kṛṣṇa than being without him. (Jagannātha-Vallabha-Nāṭakam 5.34) 

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 1, pt. 2 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja) Updated 1/23

     Praying for the unhindered completion of his book, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya appropriately follows the Vaiṣṇava tradition of first honoring Śrī Gurudeva with an auspicious invocation.

গ্রন্থের আরম্ভে করি মঙ্গলাচরণ । গুরু বৈষ্ণব ভগবান্ তিনের স্মরণ ॥

তিনের স্মরণে হয় বিঘ্ন-বিনাশন । অনায়াসে হয় নিজ বাঞ্ছিত-পূরণ ॥

সে মঙ্গলাচরণ হয় ত্রিবিধ-প্রকার । বস্তু-নির্দেশ আশীর্বাদ আর নমস্কার ॥

     “At the beginning of this book I perform an auspicious invocation by remembering the spiritual master, the devotees and the Supreme Lord. By remembering these three, all impediments are removed and all one’s desires are easily fulfilled. An invocation (maṅgalācaraṇa) is of three types: establishment of the subject matter, a blessing and obeisance.” (CC. Ādi 1.20-22)

     Even though Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was the embodiment of prema, still, out of extreme humility he felt himself to be an ordinary materialistic person bound by māyā. Remembering the words of boundless mercy spoken by his guru, he bows to his lotus feet with great devotion. This is the ‘obeisance’ type of maṅgalācaraṇa. “I lie prostrate at the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva, who has opened my eyes, once blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the collyrium stick of knowledge.” Here ‘the darkness of ignorance’ means the cheating tendency of the jīva, expressed as the desire for piety, wealth, sense gratification and liberation.

অজ্ঞান-তমের নাম কহিয়ে কৈতব । ধর্ম-অর্থ-কাম-বাঞ্ছা আদি এই সব ॥

তার মধ্যে মোক্ষ-বাঞ্ছা কৈতব-প্রধান । যাহা হৈতে কৃষ্ণ-ভক্তি হয় অন্তর্ধান ॥

     “The darkness of ignorance, known as kaitava, or cheating, consists of the desire for piety, wealth, sense gratification and liberation. Among these, the desire for liberation is the supreme deceit, because of which kṛṣṇa-bhakti disappears.” (CC. Ādi 1.90, 92) The meaning of darkness of ignorance is fraud or deceit, which is described as the longing for piety, wealth, sense gratification and liberation. But the words fraud or deceit aren’t synonyms for the phrase darkness of ignorance, and the phrase desire for piety, wealth, sense gratification and liberation isn’t synonymous with the word deceit. Why have these seemingly unrelated terms been utilized in the Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta? Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda reaches this conclusion in his commentary of those verses: kṛṣṇa-nitya-dāsasya jīvasya tad-dāsatvaṁ vinā nija-sukhārtham anyaṁ sarvaṁ kaitavam iti bhāvaḥ. The jīva is by nature the eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and his duty is to serve him. If at some time the jīva forgets his service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he falls into the darkness of ignorance, forgets his own nature, and becomes deeply engrossed in his illusory body and all that goes with it, trying desperately to find some sort of self-satisfaction. If these various types of self-satisfaction are scientifically divided, it is seen that they are nothing more than the desires for dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. Here the word dharma refers to ordinary Vedic sacrifices, worship, charity, compassion, etc. performed by workers motivated by their desire for elevation to the heavenly planets. The celestial happiness earned by this piety is temporary, which can be understood from verses like tad yatheha karmārjito lokaḥ kṣīyate, evam evātra puṇya-jito lokaḥ kṣīyate, kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti and others from the śrutis. Consequently, after the deluded jīvas enjoy the heavenly pleasures, and the piety they accumulated by Vedic sacrifices and worship, etc. is exhausted, they are once again afflicted with birth, death, and all the other dreadful miseries of mundane life. Moreover, even the heavenly happiness that the deluded jīva is caused to enjoy is actually a novel type of punishment by māyā for him having turned away from Kṛṣṇa. In Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has written:

কৃষ্ণ ভুলি’ সেই জীব অনাদি-বহির্মুখ । অতএব মায়া তারে দেয় সংসার-দুঃখ ॥

কভু স্বর্গে উঠায়, কভু নরকে ডুবা । দণ্ড্য-জনে রাজা যেন নদীতে চুবায় ॥

     “Having been averse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodied soul has been attracted to external things since beginningless time. Because of this, māyā, the illusory energy, has plagued him with the miseries of mundane life. Sometimes he is lifted to heaven, and sometimes sunk into hell, just as a king punishes a criminal by repeatedly dunking him in a river.” (CC. Mad. 20.117-118)
     In olden times, when criminals were to be punished by the king, one method commonly used was for the king’s men to tie the criminal to the end of a long stick of bamboo and immerse him in a river or the water of a deep pond. When he’d been in the water so long that he was nearly dead, he would then be pulled up. After being lifted from the water, he would gasp, “Aho, I’m alive!” and feel great happiness. That happiness quickly turned to misery because as soon as he was pulled from the water, he would again be dunked repeatedly. In much the same way, māyā punishes the worldly jīva who has forgotten Śrī Kṛṣṇa by alternately raising him to heaven and then plunging him into hell. Therefore, the dharma practiced by those who aspire to the heavenly worlds is understood to be the grossest ignorance.

     The word artha indicates the worldly sense objects such as forms, sounds, flavors, aromas and tactile sensations that are enjoyed by the eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin. Or it can also mean incomparable kingly power, riches, possessions, etc. Kāma means the desire to satisfy one’s own senses without any regard for whether doing so would be a lustful, immoral or pious act. Those jīvas who have forgotten that they are the eternal servants of Śrī Kṛṣṇa consider their bodies to be themselves and all that is enjoyable to be theirs. As the result of this materialistic conception, their minds are imprisoned and they remain absorbed in this mentality life after life. This sense gratification leads them to be repeatedly swallowed by the dreadful gape of birth and death wherein they suffer unbearably hellish agonies. If, by the will of God, a jīva happens to get the body of a knowledgeable and intelligent human, but retains a mentality pervaded by contaminated desires, he will be unable to determine what is beneficial or harmful to himself and remain engrossed in bodily enjoyment. Thus, this artha and kāma are very powerful manifestations of the jīva’s ignorance or deceit.
     But if the living being is somehow freed from his illusory bondage to dharma, artha and kāma, and he attains to brahma-sāyujya, that mokṣa or liberation becomes the greatest deception or ignorance covering the true nature of the jīva. Since the jīva whose heart is only muddied by the desires for dharma, artha and kāma is continually wandering from one womb to the other, the possibility remains that he may at some time get the association of great devotees. By their mercy, his dormant nature as servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa may be awakened and he may receive the seed of bhakti. In the Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta we find the following:

নিত্যবদ্ধ--কৃষ্ণ হৈতে নিত্য-বহির্মুখ । নিত্য সংসারী ভুঞ্জে নরকাদি দুখ ॥

সেই দোষে মায়াপিশাচী দণ্ড করে তারে । আধ্যাত্মিকাদি তাপত্রয় জারি তারে মারে ॥

কাম-ক্রোধের দাস হঞা তার লাথি খায় । ভ্রমিতে ভ্রমিতে যদি সাধু-বৈদ্য পা ॥

তার উপদেশ-মন্ত্রে পিশাচী পালায় । কৃষ্ণভক্তি পায় তবে কৃষ্ণ নিকট যায় ॥

     “The nitya-baddha, or perpetually bound soul, is always averse to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Remaining endlessly within the cycle of birth and death, he suffers all kinds of miseries. Because of his mistake, he is punished by the demoness of māyā, who tortures him with the three kinds of afflictions: miseries caused by his own mind or body, those caused by other living entities, and those caused by the gods. He becomes the servant of lust and anger, and is mercilessly kicked by these cruel masters. If, in his wanderings, he gets the mercy of a sādhu and accepts instruction and mantra from him, he can escape from that demoness and by the power of bhakti go to Kṛṣṇa.” (CC. Mad. 22.12-15)

(to be continued...)

Kṛṣṇāhnika-Kaumudī 1.42-43

पथि पिशुनमतिभ्यः शङ्कमानौ गुरुभ्यः चलचकित-तरङ्गौ निक्षिपन्तावपाङ्गौ ।

परम-गुण-गभीरौ काम-संग्रामधीरौ ययतू रति-वितन्द्रौ राधिका-कृष्णचन्द्रौ ॥

     Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇacandra, valiant but tired warriors in Kāmadeva’s battle, were very solemn as they walked carefully on the path. Fearful of their critical elders, they cast restless, timid glances here and there from the corners of their eyes.

न पथि न भवने वा लक्षितौ तौ वने वा सहज-सदनुरक्त्या स्वीययानन्द-शक्त्या ।

परिजन-नयनानामुत्सवानादधानावथ पथि विहरन्तौ रेजतुर्लोक-कान्तौ ॥

     They shone beautifully as they moved along, unseen by anyone on the path, in the forest or from their homes. Due to their natural affection and personal joy, they were much loved and the delight of all their friends’ eyes.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 1 (commentary by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja) Updated 1-11

अज्ञानतिमिरान्धस्य ज्ञानाञ्जन-शलाकया ।

चक्षुरुन्मीलितं येन तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥ १ ॥

     I lie prostrate at the lotus feet of Śrī Gurudeva, who has opened my eyes, once blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the collyrium stick of knowledge.

Maṅgalācaraṇa:

Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā:

(Drop of Nectar Commentary)

अद्वैतप्रकटीकृतो नरहरिप्रेष्ठः स्वरूपप्रियो नित्यानन्द-सखः सनातनगतिः श्रीरूप-हृत्केतनः ।

लक्ष्मी-प्राणपतिर्गदाधररसोल्लासी जगन्नाथभूः साङ्गोपाङ्ग-सपार्षदः स दयतां देवः शचीनन्दनः ॥

     “May that golden-hued son of Śrī Jagannātha Miśra, Deva Śrī Śacīnandana, who is always attended by his affectionate entourage, please be merciful unto us. He has been revealed to the world by Śrī Advaita Prabhu and is very dear to Śrī Narahari. He is loved by Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, is the closest friend of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and the refuge of Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmipāda. Śrī Rūpa’s heart dwells in him, he is the husband of Śrī Lakṣmīdevī, and his presence awakens the rapture of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita.”

     This book composed by Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is called Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā. Ṭhākura Mahāśaya was the embodiment of love for Śrīla Nitāicānda. The glowing moon of prema was always present in the sky of his heart, and the nectarous effulgence of that moon appeared in the world as this book, blessing mankind by shining the rays of prema-bhakti upon the hearts of those covered by the dense darkness of ignorance.
     Bhakti is the essence of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śaktis named hlādinī and samvit. This svarūpa-śakti exists within Śrī Bhagavān as three faculties, namely hlādinī, samvit and sandhinī,  but not within the jīva-śakti or bahiraṅgā-māyā-śakti. By God’s mercy, the hlādinī and samvit faculties of this svarūpa-śakti enter into the heart of the jīva, and when his sādhana and bhajana mature, the jīva’s desires and inclinations become one with this energy and prema is attained. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, “tasyā hlādinyā eva kvāpi sarvānandātiśāyinī vṛttir nityaṁ bhakta-vṛndeṣv eva nikṣipyamāṇā bhagavat-prītyākhyayā vartate. atas tad-anubhavena śrī-bhagavān api śrīmad-bhakteṣu prīty-atiśayaṁ bhajata iti.” (Prīti-Sandarbhaḥ, 65 anuḥ) The meaning is that, in this way, the hlādinī-śakti is always present within Śrī Bhagavān, and whenever that most blissful, eternal faculty is deposited within the devotees, it is called bhagavat-prīti or love of God. Thus, when Śrī Bhagavān experiences the devotee’s love for him, he also feels great love. For example, if sulphur powder is dropped into mercury, even without mixing, just by their contact the forms of mercury and sulphur disappear and a new and different substance called mercury sulphate is created. The mercury and sulphur have united. In the same way, as the result of bhajana such as hearing and chanting, the materialistic mentality of the bhakta-sādhaka joins with the sac-cid-ānanda nature of bhakti and spontaneously acquires a spiritual quality. The fusing of the sādhaka’s mental function and the hlādinī-śakti is called prema. In this book, the crystalline radiance of that prema-sādhana shimmers brightly; thus the name Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā.

     In this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, composed of the sublime and enlightened words of Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, the full potency of divine-love-giving, infallible sādhana and bhajana has been stored. At the same time, incomparably nectarous instructions on how to skillfully perform this bhajana have also been given. The splendor of his words will remove the darkness in the heart of one engaged intensely in śravaṇa and kīrtana and quickly suffuse it with prema-bhakti. It is as though he is gently taken by the hand and brought to the lotus feet of his beloved Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Just as moonlight can illumine the path for a traveller who has lost his way and lead him to his destination, similarly by the radiance of this book, the deluded jīvas who are attached to walking the difficult road of material existence can be shown the true path of bhajana. The blaze of the three types of miseries is extinguished, their spiritual nature as mañjarīs is awakened, and they are delivered to the entrance of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s forest bower. Therefore, the name Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā is quite appropriate.
     In this book, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s uniquely profound words reveal through simple Bengali language a summary of the esoteric and complex philosophy of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava bhajana and sādhana. Truly, that which is most precious and most important within the world of Gauḍīya bhajana is present in these instructions. Nevertheless, by resorting to the mercy of great souls and, as much as possible, through my own experience of bhajana, I shall try to explain the inner meaning of his words, which are filled with deep realizations of the practice. It is very difficult to appreciate the inner significance of this work by means of mundane knowledge or intellect. Regarding this, I will relate a true story I heard from my venerable gurudeva. Some years ago, a certain well-educated man from Bengal retired from his vocation and decided he wanted to live in Vraja, so he came here and took shelter at the lotus feet of a great devotee. That devotee gave him a copy of Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā and instructed him to read it daily. From time to time the devotee would ask the man whether he was reading the book daily and understanding it. Upon hearing such questions, the highly educated man would think to himself, “Because Śrī Gurudeva is so deeply absorbed in bhajana, he has probably just forgotten that I am such a big scholar. This book is written in simple tripadī Bengali meter. How could he think I wouldn’t be able to understand it?” Thinking like this, he would reply, “Yes; I can understand everything.” One day, the high-minded devotee read one verse and requested the educated gentleman to explain it. The gentleman then explained it to the devotee by the strength of his mundane knowledge. Hearing that interpretation, the devotee smiled slightly and said, “My dear boy, this is not the entire explanation or inner significance of the verse.” Saying this, he then revealed such a wonderful interpretation that it was beyond even the imagination of the learned gentleman. From that day, he began to realize how difficult the subject matter of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā was, so he then diligently studied the meaning of all the verses with his gurudeva. Having taken shelter at the lotus feet of the author Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, and depending on their mercy, I shall now try to explain the inner meaning of this book according to my understanding.

(To be continued...)