Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 39

श्यामे! त्वमप्यलमलक्षित-मन्नितान्त-स्वान्तव्रणा हससि मां यदतो ब्रवीमि ।

विद्युद्विहन्ति तिमिरं निशि यद् दृशोस्तत् सद्यः पुनर्द्विगुणयेदिति भोः प्रतीहि ॥ ३९ ॥

śyāme! tvam apy alam alakṣita-man-nitānta-

svānta-vraṇā hasasi māṁ yad ato bravīmi |

vidyud vihanti timiraṁ niśi yad dṛśos tat

sadyaḥ punar dviguṇayed iti bhoḥ pratīhi || 39 ||

     Hearing this, Rādhā responded, “Śyāmā! You are making jokes about me without understanding the depth of my heartache. Therefore, I say to you: Just as after a brilliant flash of lightning the night seems even darker than before, in the same way, after having Kṛṣṇa’s embrace for only half a moment, the pain of my separation from him has now doubled in strength.” (Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 3.23) 

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 19 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

হৃষীকে গোবিন্দসেবা,        না পূজিব দেবী দেবা,

এইত অনন্যভক্তি কথা ।

আর যত উপালম্ভ,        বিশেষ সকলি দম্ভ,

দেখিতে লাগয়ে বড় ব্যথা ॥ ১৯ ॥

hṛṣīke gobinda-sebā,        nā pūjiba debī debā,

eita ananya-bhakti kathā |

āra yata upālambha,        biśeṣa sakali dambha,

dekhite lāgaye baḍa byathā || 19 ||

     I shall serve Śrī Govinda with my senses. I shall not worship other gods or goddesses. I shall only speak of pure devotion. I shall denounce everything else. Whenever I see such vanity in everyone, it gives me great pain.

Serving Hṛṣīkeśa

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has previously discussed ananya-bhajana (exclusive service). Having defined ananya-bhakti, he now ascertains those things that are obstructions to a devotee’s bhajana and must be given up. hṛṣīke gobinda-sebā, nā pūjiba debī debā, eita ananya-bhakti kathā. In Śrī-Nārada-Pañcarātra, while determining the characteristics of pure devotion, it has been said, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. “That sevā which is offered with one’s senses to Śrī Hṛṣīkeśa, or Śrī Govinda who controls the senses, which is free from all upādhis (limitations) or all types of desires regarding this world or the next, which is pure and performed only for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure is called bhakti.” One meaning of the name Govinda is ‘the controller or lord of the senses.’ Go means the senses. The implied meaning of the word govinda in this verse is hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses. The eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin are the five jñānendriyas or organs of perception; the organ of speech, the hands, the feet, the anus and the genitals are the five karmendriyas or organs of action; the antarendriya or inner sense is the mind. Service to Śrī Govinda with these eleven senses is called bhakti. Seeing the vigraha (deity form) of Śrī Govinda and seeing the lustrous form of a bhakta are infallible means to obtain prema. In Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.239, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written,

smerāṁ bhaṅgi-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ

vaṁśī-nyastādhara-kiśalayām ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa |

govindākhyaṁ hari-tanum itaḥ keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe

mā prekṣiṣṭhās tava yadi sakhe! bandhu-saṅge’sti raṅgaḥ ||

     “O friend! If you want to enjoy with your friends and relatives, don’t look at the radiant, smiling form of Śrī Hari known as Govinda, standing near Keśitīrtha. His body bends gracefully in three places, his large eyes cast a sidelong glance, his lips, tender as fresh leaves, are placed upon his flute, and he bears a peacock feather upon his head.” By the words ‘Don’t look,’ he has expressed great praise for seeing Kṛṣṇa’s form by using an opposite meaning. This indicates that simply by seeing Śrī Govinda, all other attachments are driven from one’s heart, and one’s eyes and mind are colored with love for him. On the other hand, without seeing the form of Śrī Bhagavān, the eyes are thus condemned. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.22 says, barhāyite te nayane narāṇāṁ liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye. “If the beautiful form of Śrī Viṣṇu is not seen, a man’s eyes are as useless or insensate as the markings on the tail of a peacock.” Just by seeing Śrī Bhagavān’s devotees, bhakti is transmitted into one’s heart. Therefore, in Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Sudhodaya, the sight of a bhakta has been called the fruit of the eyes. akṣṇoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-darśanaṁ hi, tvādṛśānāṁ kathaṁcit tvad-anukaraṇavatām api darśanam evākṣṇoḥ phalam (commentary in Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa). “What more can be said about seeing a devotee? By seeing even one who imitates the mood or dress of a bhakta, the fruit of possessing eyes is attained.”

     Hearing discussions about Śrī Govinda with one’s ears is called śravaṇa. Because hearing govinda-kathā is the best way to get prema, it has been repeatedly glorified in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other śāstras. If śrī-govinda-kathā somehow enters into one’s ears, all anarthas and so on are destroyed and one gets prema at Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet. yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyāṁ kṛṣṇe parama-pūruṣe, bhaktir utpadyate puṁsaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahā (Bhāg. 1.7.7). “If one hears the pāramahaṁsa-saṁhitā Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which contains stories of Śrī Govinda, then devotion to the Supreme Person Śrī Kṛṣṇa is engendered. This bhakti destroys grief, illusion and fear.” Even though the discussion of Śrī Govinda’s stories may take place somewhere far away and one is not able to directly attend, if a person simply desires to hear that govinda-kathā, the Lord is at once captured in his heart and there remains. This is a beginning statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt (Bhāg. 1.1.2). sadya eva hṛdi avarudhyate vaśī-kriyata iti premā sūcitaḥ tasya premaika-vaśyatvāt (Sārārtha-Darśinī commentary). “Śrī Hari is immediately captured or subdued within the heart of one eager to hear his stories. This indicates the appearance of prema, because only by prema is the Lord controlled.” Conversely, the ears that don’t hear śrī-govinda-kathā are like useless, ineffective holes. bile batorukrama-vikramān ye na śṛṇvataḥ karṇa-puṭe narasya (Bhāg. 2.3.20). “The ears of a person who never hears śrī-hari-līlā-kathā are simply useless holes.”

     With the tongue, the devotee tastes the offerings made to Śrī Govinda. The nectar from Śrī Govinda’s lips destroys all desires for anything other than Śrī Govinda. itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ nṛṇām (Bhāg. 10.31.14). In the words of Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya, we see that māyā is conquered as a result of drinking the nectar from Śrī Govinda’s lips. tvayopabhukta-srag-gandha-vāso’laṅkāra-carcitāḥ, ucchiṣṭa-bhojino dāsās tava māyāṁ jayemahi (Bhāg. 11.6.46). Śrī Uddhava said to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “O Lord! By adorning ourselves with the garlands, sandalwood paste, clothing and ornaments that you have enjoyed, and by eating the remnants of your food, we, your servants, can conquer your māyā.” Incapable of abandoning Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya has extolled the glories of mahāprasāda. Indeed, the sādhaka not only conquers māyā when he honors the Lord’s mahāprasāda, but he is also blessed with prema. Stories are told of the awakening of an everlasting desire to honor mahāprasāda, even in the hearts of the premikas. In the Utkala-Khaṇḍa of the Brahma-Purāṇa, it has been described that Devarṣi Nārada serves Śrī Lakṣmīdevī because of his eagerness to honor mahāprasāda. When Devī is satisfied, she gives him Śrīman Nārāyaṇa’s prasāda. When he gets that prasāda, Śrī Nārada then goes to Maheśa and sings its praises. Śrīman Mahādeva then honors a tiny particle of prasāda that is stuck on the tip of Śrī Nārada’s fingernail and is overwhelmed with love. Not getting any of the prasāda, Devī Pārvatī becomes very unhappy. She then performs austerities so that mahāprasāda, which is difficult for even the gods to get, can be distributed to all the ordinary people of the world. To fulfill Devī’s prayer, Śrī Bhagavān personally, in the form of Śrī Jagannātha at Puruṣottama-Kṣetra, is eternally eating huge offerings and then distributing the prasāda. On the other hand, if one shuns mahāprasāda, he is deprived of Śrī Hari’s mercy. ucchiṣṭera bale haridāsa bala dhare, prabhu bidyamāne ucchiṣṭera puraskāre. hena mahāprasāda muñi nā bhuñjinu kabhu, antare jānila more bañciyāche prabhu (Śrī-Caitanya-Maṅgala). “By the influence of the Lord’s food remnants, Haridāsa had become powerful and he praised those remnants in the presence of the Lord. I had never tasted such mahāprasāda and in my heart I felt the Lord had deprived me.”

     With the nose, one should smell the flowers that have been offered to Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet. Prema has been transferred into the minds of even self-satisfied sages like Sanaka-Sanandana, the mind-born sons of Brahmā, when they got a whiff of the Tulasī leaves placed on the lotus feet of Śrī Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. This prema caused the appearance of transformations in their bodies and minds, as has been described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.43:

tasyāravinda-nayanasya padāravinda-

kiñjalka-miśra-tulasī-makaranda-vāyuḥ |

antargataḥ svavivareṇa cakāra teṣāṁ

saṁkṣobham akṣara-juṣām api citta-tanvoḥ ||

     “When a breeze laden with the nectar of Tulasī blossoms mixed with saffron from the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed Śrī Bhagavān entered the nostrils of Śrī Sanaka and others absorbed in the joy of brahma, their minds and bodies were deeply agitated. Extreme joy arose in their minds and horripilation appeared on their bodies.” Therefore, it is understood that smelling the flowers offered to Śrī Govinda helps one to realize prema. Conversely, a person who does not serve in this way is as good as dead. śrī-viṣṇu-padyā manujas tulasyāḥ śvasañ-chavo yas tu na veda gandham (Bhāg. 2.3.23). “A person who does not smell the Tulasī leaves offered at the lotus feet of Śrī Hari, though breathing, is as good as dead.”

     Similarly, with the skin, one should touch the dust from the lotus feet of a bhagavad-bhakta. Without this, there is no way for the inclination to love Śrī Bhagavān to appear. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.32 says, mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo’bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. On the other hand, without serving the dust from the lotus feet of a mahābhāgavata, one’s body remains useless. jīvañ-chavo bhāgavatāṅghri-reṇuṁ na jātu martyo’bhilabheta yas tu (Bhāg. 2.3.23). “A mortal human who does not accept the dust from the lotus feet of a bhagavad-bhakta is as good as dead.”

     With the organ of speech, one should glorify Śrī Govinda’s name, qualities, pastimes and so on. Śrī Bhagavān can never abandon one who speaks his kathā. mat-kathā-vācakaḥ nityaṁ mat-kathā-śravaṇe ratam, mat-kathā-prīta-manasaṁ nāhaṁ tyakṣāmi taṁ naram (Viṣṇu-Dharmottara). Śrī Bhagavān said, “I can never abandon those who speak or hear my kathā, or those whose minds are moistened with love toward my kathā.” Without doing this, a person’s tongue is like the tongue of a frog: jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta na copagāyaty urugāya-gāthāḥ (Bhāg. 2.3.20). “The tongue that does not sing the glories of Śrī Hari must be considered to be like the faulty tongue of a frog.” Likewise, the hands should be used to serve Śrī Govinda; otherwise, they are useless. śāvau karau no kurutaḥ saparyāṁ harer lasat kāñcana-kaṅkanau vā (Bhāg. 2.3.21). “If a person’s hands never serve Śrī Hari, those hands, though adorned with radiant, golden bangles, are to be considered like those of a dead man.” The feet are successful when used to travel to the places of Śrī Bhagavān’s pastimes or his dhāma; otherwise, those feet are no better than some inanimate object. pādau nṛṇāṁ tau druma-janma-bhājau kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau (Bhāg. 2.3.22). “Men’s feet that never go to the places of Śrī Hari are like the roots of trees.” Even though one cannot directly serve Śrī Bhagavān with the anus and genitals, in one way they can be utilized in sevā. utsargān mala-mūtrādeś citta-svāsthyaṁ yato bhavet, ataḥ pāyor upasthasya tad-ārādhana-sādhanam. “By the elimination of stool and urine through the anus and genitals, the body and mind, which are the fundamental constituents of bhajana-sādhana, remain healthy. Because of this, even the anus and genitals can indirectly be instruments for worshiping Śrī Bhagavān.

     The primary way of worshiping Śrī Bhagavān is through the inner sense, or mind. Even though one performs bhajana with the jñānendriyas (organs of knowledge) and karmendriyas (organs of action), without having a concentrated mind, the attainment of prema by mere mechanical bhajana is hardly possible. Therefore, the diligent sādhaka should specifically be very careful to perform bhajana with his jñānendriyas and karmendriyas, as well as with a concentrated mind. Śrī Govinda gives himself to one who always remembers him. smarataḥ pāda-kamalam ātmānam api yacchati (Bhāg. 10.80.11). “Jagadguru Śrī Kṛṣṇa directly appears and gives himself to one who meditates upon his lotus feet, meaning that he becomes enchanted by and obedient to a person who does smaraṇa.” For this reason, in Padma-Purāṇa, it has been said, smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit, sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. “Śrī Viṣṇu should be remembered at all times and never forgotten. All prescriptions in the śāstras regarding what is to be done are the obedient servants of the rule to always remember Viṣṇu, and all prohibitions regarding what is not to be done are the obedient servants of the rule to never forget Viṣṇu.” The meaning is that by remembering Śrī Viṣṇu, all prescriptions of the śāstras are observed, and by never forgetting Śrī Viṣṇu, all prohibitions are maintained.

     Such service of the lord of the senses, Śrī Govinda, with the senses, and the non-worship of other devas and devīs is ananya-bhakti, or exclusive devotion. People who desire various results worship different devatās with faith, but because Kṛṣṇa contains all the devas, they are actually worshiping him. Still, because in that type of worship there is no prescription for obtaining prema, it has been called avidhi-pūrvaka worship, or not according to rule. ye’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ, te’pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam (Gītā 9.23).

     Then Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, āra yata upālambha, biśeṣa sakali dambha, dekhite lāgaye baḍa byathā. All worldly actions related to the body performed by a person devoid of śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana are considered objectionable to the soul. Such actions are not of the soul’s nature; because they are actions of the body, which is created from ignorance, they are nothing more than self-deception. They are merely creations of the vanity or egotism concerning the body and things related to it. When one sees such useless pride in the māyā-bound jīvas, only extreme distress appears in his heart and mind.

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 38

पक्ष्मावली बत यदीयरसेन शोणेनारञ्जि कञ्जमुखि! तन्न तदप्यपश्यः ।

यत्स्वादन-व्यतिकरादधरो व्रणित्वमागात्तथापि तदहो! न कदाप्यभुङ्क्थाः ॥ ३८ ॥

pakṣmāvalī bata yadīya-rasena śoṇe-

nārañji kañja-mukhi! tan na tad apy apaśyaḥ |

yat-svādana-vyatikarād adharo vraṇitvam

āgāt tathāpi tad aho! na kadāpy abhuṅkthāḥ || 38 ||

     “This is amazing, lotus-faced one! You’ve never even seen the very fruit whose juice has reddened your eyelashes. You’ve never tasted the fruit by whose touch your lips have been repeatedly bruised!” (Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 3.22)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 18 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

কৃষ্ণভক্ত অঙ্গ হেরি,        কৃষ্ণভক্ত সঙ্গ করি,

শ্রদ্ধান্বিত শ্রবণ কীর্তন ।

অর্চন স্মরণ ধ্যান,        নবভক্তি মহাজ্ঞান,

এই ভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥ ১৮ ॥

kṛṣṇa-bhakta aṅga heri,        kṛṣṇa-bhakta saṅga kari,

śraddhānbita śrabaṇa kīrtana |

arcana smaraṇa dhyāna,        naba-bhakti mahājñāna,

ei bhakti parama kāraṇa || 18 ||

     While seeing the devotees and associating with them, one should faithfully perform śravaṇa, kīrtana, arcana, smaraṇa, dhyāna and so on. The nine processes of bhakti embody the greatest wisdom. This bhakti is the best method.

Performing Bhajana with Faith

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, the author discusses the performance of bhajana such as śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on by the faithful in the association of Kṛṣṇa’s devotees. kṛṣṇa-bhakta aṅga heri, kṛṣṇa-bhakta saṅga kari, śraddhānbita śrabaṇa kīrtana. By the power of seeing the lustrous forms of the kṛṣṇa-bhaktas and associating with them, even ordinary people can rise gradually through the stages from śraddhā up to ruci, and then quickly attain rati and then prema. From the sādhu’s body, all the purified subtle elements (tanmātrā), namely sound, touch, form, taste and aroma, come forth such that just by seeing these sādhus even an ordinary person devoid of bhajana can be infused with these purified elements and made successful by being given the extraordinary treasure of bhajana. In his commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.16 (śuśrūṣoḥ śraddhadhānasya ityādi) in his book Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ (11 anuḥ), Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, kāryāntareṇāpi tīrthe bhramato mahatāṁ prāyas tatra bhramatāṁ tiṣṭhatāṁ vā darśana-sparśana-sambhāṣaṇādi-lakṣaṇā sevā svata eva sampadyate. tat-prabhāveṇa tadīyācaraṇe śraddhā bhavati. tadīya-svābhāvika-paraspara-bhagavat-kathāyāṁ kim ete saṁkathayanti tat-śṛṇomīti tad-icchā jāyate. tac-chravaṇena ca tasyāṁ rucir jāyata iti. tathā ca mahadbhya eva śrutvā jhaṭiti kārya-karīti bhāvaḥ. tathā ca kapiladeva-vākyam. Bhāg. 3.25.25---

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ |

taj-joṣanād āśv apavarga-vartmani śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati ||

     “If someone during his leisure time travels to a holy place such as Śrī Vṛndāvana with the intention of doing tīrtha-sevā, he will naturally without any separate endeavor perform sevā just by seeing, touching and conversing with the great souls residing there. It is impossible for the worldly-minded jīva to have the urge to seek out the association of mahāpuruṣas, but by the power of seeing and touching these magnanimous souls, the pilgrim develops some faith or trust in their practices. When he hears the bhagavat-kathā naturally being discussed by the mahāpuruṣas, he thinks, ‘Let me listen to what they are saying.’ In this way, the inclination is also awakened within him. By hearing the hari-kathā flowing from the lotus mouths of those magnanimous souls, he also develops a taste for it. When one hears this hari-kathā from the mahats, it very quickly becomes effective. Therefore, Bhagavān Śrī Kapiladeva said to his mother Devahūti, ‘O Mother! By the auspicious association of the sādhus, the jīva hears stories of my glory, which are like an elixer for the heart and ears. If one hears these stories with devotion, śraddhā, rati and prema-bhakti appear very quickly.’” This prema-bhakti is the jīva’s ultimate goal or highest object of human life, and only by associating with sādhus and receiving their mercy is it attainable. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.25, when Śrī Viṣṇu wanted to give a boon to Mahārāja Pṛthu, Śrī Pṛthu replied, 

sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā-kaṇānilaḥ |

smṛtiṁ punar vismṛta-tattva-vartmanāṁ kuyogināṁ no vitaraty alaṁ varaiḥ ||

     “O Lord! We have forgotten the highest truth, which is knowledge of you. Even a wisp of the sweet fragrance of your lotus feet or the nectarous stories of your pastimes flowing from the mouths of great souls can once again cause us to remember you. The līlā-kathā narrated by the mahats is the highest attainment and highest form of sādhana. Therefore, my Lord, we have no need for any other boon.” This tattva has been described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other bhakti-śāstras, as well as in the Upaniṣads. In the Kaṭhopaniṣad, after presenting much knowledge, the author informs us of the difficulty in understanding brahma and establishes that brahma is beyond the reach of words and the mind. Then how shall it be known? In answer to this question, it has been said, naiva vācā na manasā prāptuṁ śakyo na cakṣuṣā, astīti bruvato’nyatra kathaṁ tad-upalabhyate. “Brahma is indeed not an object of attainment by speech, mind, eyes or any of the senses. Then how shall one gain knowledge of him? Śruti replies that he shall be known from a mahāpuruṣa who has strong faith in God.” In his commentary on this mantra, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has written, tasmād astīti bruvato’stitvavādina āgamārthānusāriṇaḥ śraddhadhānād anyatra kathaṁ tat brahma upalabhyate na kathaṁ ca nopalabhyate ity ārthaḥ. Other than by the association and mercy of the faithful mahāpuruṣas, there is no way of knowing brahma. Śaṅkara has established this firmly in his commentary. In the universal scripture Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā also, it has been said, upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ (4.34). “O Arjuna! Those great souls who know the śāstras and have direct experience of the truth shall teach you this spiritual knowledge.” From all these scriptural statements, it is easily understood that after studying the śāstras and becoming to some degree expert in śabda-brahma, one must obtain the association and mercy of great souls who have direct perception of the truth. Otherwise, there is no possibility of becoming free from anarthas or attaining bhakti. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has said, kṛṣṇa-bhakta aṅga heri, kṛṣṇa-bhakta saṅga kari, śraddhānbita śrabaṇa kīrtana. As long as one does not get the association of a kṛṣṇa-bhakta-mahāpuruṣa, he should study the śāstras revealed by the great devotees or the books on dharma that have been explained by them. This is also a type of satsaṅga, which will be understood in the course of this discussion.

     Then he says, arcana smaraṇa dhyāna, naba-bhakti mahājñāna, ei bhakti parama kāraṇa. Here, śravaṇa, kīrtana, arcana, smaraṇa and dhyāna have been discussed. Dhyāna is included within smaraṇa: viśeṣato rūpādi-cintanaṁ dhyānam (Śrī Jīva). After the practice of smaraṇa becomes mature, one reaches the stage of dhyāna, wherein there is meditation on a specific form and so on. Four particular limbs of the nine kinds of bhakti have been mentioned in this verse. By the words naba-bhakti mahājñāna, he is referring to the necessity for us to obtain detailed knowledge regarding the nine types of bhakti. In verse eleven, the author said, bhāgabata śāstra-marma, naba-bidhā bhakti-dharma, sadāi kariba susebana. In this context, it is worth noting that we have discussed the nine kinds of bhakti to the best of our understanding in the commentary on that part of the verse. ei bhakti parama kāraṇa means that these nine kinds of bhakti are the best method for obtaining prema.

bhajanera madhye śreṣṭha---naba-bidha-bhakti |

kṛṣṇa-prema kṛṣṇa dite dhare mahāśakti ||

tāra madhye sarba-śreṣṭha---nāma-saṅkīrtana |

niraparādha nāma haite haya prema-dhana ||

     “Among the processes of worship, the nine kinds of bhakti are best because they possess the power to give Kṛṣṇa and love for Kṛṣṇa. Among these nine methods, the best of all is nāma-saṅkīrtana. By chanting the Holy Names without offense, one is blessed with the treasure of prema.” (CC. Antya 4.70-71)