श्रीचैतन्य-मनोऽभीष्टं स्थापितं येन भूतले ।
सोऽयं रूपः कदा मह्यं ददाति स्वपदान्तिकम् ॥ २ ॥
When will Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda, who has established within this world the most cherished object of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s heart, give me a place at his lotus feet?
Maṅgalācaraṇa:
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā:
In the first śloka, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya offered an obeisance type of maṅgalācaraṇa by means of a guru-vandanā, or homage to his teacher. In this śloka, by remembering his most beloved Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu along with Śrī Caitanya’s dear companion, the crest-jewel of Vaiṣṇavas Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda, he has very elegantly performed an invocation in the form of establishing the subject matter (vastu-nirdeśa) and offering blessings (āśīrvāda).
To fulfill an unprecedented, wonderful desire he had in vraja-līlā, svayaṁ bhagavān Śrī Vrajendranandana, the dwelling house of unequalled beauty and sweetness, assumed the mood and complexion of Śrī Rādhā and became Gaura. His heart’s desire was of two parts, the primary one for himself and the secondary one for the world. Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya said to Śrīman Mahāprabhu: nija gūḍha-kārya tomāra prema āsvādana, ānuṣaṅge premamaya kaile tribhuvana. “Your own secret purpose was to taste prema yourself, but incidentally you also caused the three worlds to be filled with it.” (CC. M. 8.280) kaichana rādhā-premā kaichana (mora) madhurimā, kaichana bhābe tiṅho bhora. “What is the nature of Rādhā’s love? What is the nature of my own sweetness? What is the nature of the state in which she is engrossed?” In the mood of Rādhā, Śrī Caitanyadeva fulfilled these three desires in endless ways. Having personally tasted that truth, the desire arose within him to cause all of mankind to experience as Śrīmatī’s maidservants the sweetness of rādhā-prema. He established and proclaimed that desire in this world through his own dear companion Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda.
In his commentary on this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has written, śrī-caitanya-mahāprabhor mano’bhīṣṭaṁ mano’bhilaṣitaṁ śrīmad-bhagavad-bhakti-rasa-śāstraṁ bhūtale yena rūpeṇa sthāpitaṁ nirūpitam. The meaning is that Śrī Caitanyadeva’s desire, namely, that scriptures describing bhagavad-bhakti-rasa be established within this world, was fulfilled by Śrī Rūpa. Even though there were various bhakti-rasa-śāstras circulated prior to the Caitanya Era, Mahāprabhu’s specific contribution, the lofty ujjvala-rasamaya-bhakti (devotion pervaded by the sentiment of unrestrained love or passion) following the mood of the beautiful young girls of Vraja, was introduced and described by Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda in Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu, Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi, Vidagdha-Mādhava-Nāṭaka, Lalita-Mādhava-Nāṭaka, Stava-Mālā and others. That ujjvala-rasa of Vraja was previously beyond the reach of even Brahmā, Śiva and Uddhava, but by the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the mantra-draṣṭā-ṛṣi (a sage who sees mantras) Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has composed many rasika books and dramas to enable even ordinary kali-yuga-jīvas to taste the nectar. Other than Śrī Rūpa, no one was able to impart this subject matter. The natural form of Śrī Bhagavān is rasa. If he hadn’t descended as the cloud of mercy Śrī Gaurāṅga to bless the world, the jīvas would never have been able to receive this rasa. By the direct inspiration of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has propagated the knowledge of rasa-tattva. Śrī Rūpa personally mentioned this in the beginning of his Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu:
हृदि यस्य प्रेरणया प्रवर्तितोऽहं वराकरूपोऽपि । तस्य हरेः पदकमलं वन्दे चैतन्यदेवस्य ॥
“I praise the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva, by whom I have been inspired and engaged in the composition of this book about bhakti-rasa, though I am nothing more than an insignificant jīva.” At Mahāprabhu’s urging, his dear companion Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has established the Lord’s beloved vraja-rasa within this world via the medium of books. Therefore, those who are very eager to taste the sweet, most exalted transcendental bhāgavata-rasa of Vraja must take shelter at the feet of Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda, the beloved associate of Śrī Gaurasundara, the giver of rasa and embodiment of blissful līlā, and make a serious study of the rasa-granthas he has composed.
By the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrī Rūpa has had great success in establishing this subject matter. After Śrī Mahāprabhu, along with his associates, heard Śrī Rūpa’s drama narrated in Nāmācārya Śrī Haridāsa’s hut in Nīlācala, he and Śrī Rāmānanda had a discussion about the drama that gave a glowing testament to Rūpa’s success:
(to be continued...)
By the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrī Rūpa has had great success in establishing this subject matter. After Śrī Mahāprabhu, along with his associates, heard Śrī Rūpa’s drama narrated in Nāmācārya Śrī Haridāsa’s hut in Nīlācala, he and Śrī Rāmānanda had a discussion about the drama that gave a glowing testament to Rūpa’s success:
এত শুনি রায় কহে প্রভুর চরণে । রূপের কবিত্ব প্রশংসি সহস্র বদনে ॥
কবিত্ব না হয় এই অমৃতের ধার । নাটক-লক্ষণ সব সিদ্ধান্তের সার ॥
প্রেম-পরিপাটী এই অদ্ভুত বর্ণন । শুনি চিত্ত-কর্ণের হয় আনন্দ-ঘূর্ণন ॥
কিং কাব্যেন কবেস্তস্য কিং কাণ্ডেন ধনূষ্মতঃ ।
পরস্য হৃদয়ে লগ্নং ন ঘূর্ণয়তি যচ্ছিরঃ ॥
তোমার শক্তি বিনু এই জীবে নহে বাণী । তুমি শক্তি দিয়া কহাও হেন অনুমানি ॥
প্রভু কহে--প্রয়াগে ইঁহার হৈল মিলন । ইঁহার গুণে ইঁহাতে আমার তুষ্ট হৈল মন ॥
মধুর প্রসন্ন ইঁহার কাব্য সালঙ্কার । ঐছে কবিত্ব বিনু নহে রসের প্রচার ॥
সবে কৃপা করি ইঁহারে দেহ এই বর । ব্রজলীলা প্রেমরস বর্ণে নিরন্তর ॥
Hearing this, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya submitted at the lotus feet of Śrīman Mahāprabhu the greatness of Śrī Rūpa’s poetic ability, praising it as though with a thousand mouths. “This is not just poetry; it is a rather a stream of nectar. Expressed indirectly as a drama, it is actually the cream of all philosophical conclusions. If one hears this wonderful description of the course of prema, one’s mind and ears will reel with joy. ‘What good are a poet’s verses or an archer’s arrows that, when they penetrate another’s heart, don’t cause his head to spin?’ Without your power, a jīva cannot speak; if you give him that power, he can say something. This is what I think.”
Mahāprabhu replied, “I met him at Prayāga and was very satisfied by his good qualities. His poetry is very sweet, clear and ornate. Without such literary skill, one cannot bring the rasa forth. All of you be merciful and give him the blessing that he may incessantly describe the prema-rasa of vraja-līlā.” (CC.Ant.1.192-199)
To one who hears, chants and remembers Śrī Rūpa’s prema-rasamaya poetry, which appeared by the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, mundane sentiments and flavors become unattractive. Those who taste that transcendent rasa by hearing and chanting are very fortunate and successful. This can be understood from the following words of a mahājana:
पीयूषसार-शिशिरानपि चन्द्रपादान् धीरान्मधुरांश्च मधोः समीरान् ।
वाञ्छन्ति के भुवि तथामृतसिन्धुपूरान् श्रीरूपपाद-कवितां सुरसां निपीय ॥
“Having once tasted the delicious poetry of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, who on earth cares about the cooling, nectarous rays of the moon, or the sweet, gentle breezes of spring, or even oceans filled with ambrosia?”
पश्यन्ति के सुरावलि-रमणीयतां तां मन्दाकिनी-विकच-काञ्चन-पद्मलक्ष्मीम् ।
सम्पूर्ण-शारद-सुधाकर-मण्डलं वा श्रीरूपपाद-कवितां सुरसां निपीय ॥
“Having once tasted the delicious poetry of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, who even glances upon the beauty, grace and charm of the gods, or a lovely full-blown golden lotus in the heavenly Mandākinī, or the globe of the full moon in autumn?”
के वा रसालमुकुलेष्वलि-झङ्कृतानि शृण्वन्ति किन्नरवधू-कलकण्ठिनादन् ।
कुञ्जेषु मञ्जु-कल-कोकिल-कूजितं वा श्रीरूपपाद-कवितां सुरसां निपीय ॥
“Having once tasted the delicious poetry of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, who listens to the buzzing of the black bees as they alight upon the fresh buds of the mango tree, or the sweet voices of the wives of the celestial singers, or the melodious warbling of the cuckoos in the forest bowers?”
Later on, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmipāda traveled from Śrī Vṛndāvana through the Jhārikhaṇḍa Forest to visit Śrīman Mahāprabhu at Nīlācala. During this journey his body became afflicted by oozing sores. When he reached Nīlācala and was embraced by Śrīman Mahāprabhu, he felt disgusted with himself and wanted to end his life by falling under the wheel of one of the giant carts. Mahāprabhu forbade Sanātana to do so and told him that he must help spread his cherished dharma. The following should also be known as the Lord’s inner desire.
ভক্ত-ভক্তি-কৃষ্ণপ্রেম-তত্ত্বের নির্ধার । বৈষ্ণবের কৃত্য আর বৈষ্ণব-আচার ॥
কৃষ্ণভক্তি-কৃষ্ণপ্রেম-সেবাপ্রবর্তন । লুপ্ততীর্থ-উদ্ধার আর বৈরাগ্য-শিক্ষণ ॥
“You must ascertain the essential nature of the devotee, devotion and love of Kṛṣṇa, as well as the duties and conduct of a Vaiṣṇava. You must also promote devotion to Kṛṣṇa, love of Kṛṣṇa and service to Him, along with recovering the lost holy places and teaching others how to become free from worldly desires.” (CC.Ant.4.79-80)
(to be continued...)
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