Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 76 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

রাধাকৃষ্ণ-সেবন,        একান্ত করিয়া মন,

চরণকমল বলি যাঁউ ।

দোঁহার নাম গুণ শুনি,        ভক্ত মুখে পুনি পুনি,

পরম আনন্দ সুখ পাঁউ ॥ ৭৬ ॥

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana,        ekānta kariyā mana,

caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu |

doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni,        bhakta mukhe puni puni,

parama ānanda sukha pāñu || 76 ||

     O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively. I am astonished by the sweetness of their lotus feet. By repeatedly hearing about their names, qualities and so on from the mouths of bhaktas, I shall attain the highest joy.

Dedicated Service

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya expresses his desire to obtain the highest joy by hearing from the mouths of bhaktas about the names and qualities of his beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and to engage in dedicated service to their lotus feet. First he says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana. “O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively.” Or, “I shall worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a focused mind.” Singleminded worship means devoting one’s life to exclusively worshiping Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in a focused way or with deep love. In Śri-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, four kinds of exclusive devotion (ekāntitva) have been mentioned: (1) indifference toward dharma (meaning varṇāśrama-dharma), (2) complete disinterest in karma, jñāna and so on, (3) devotion to love even during difficult times, and (4) devotion to nothing but love. In this way, service to one’s beloved deity is ekānta-sevana. The goal of worship is a life devoted to prema with no interest in anything else. upāsanaṁ tu yathā-śāstra-samāpitaṁ kiñcid ālambanam upādāya tasmin samāna-citta-vṛtti-santāna-karaṇam–tad-vilakṣaṇa pratyayāntaritam iti (from the preface of Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya’s commentary on Chāndogyopaniṣad). “After adopting an object of meditation established according to śāstra, one must thus establish continuous harmony, like a stream of oil, of the faculty of the mind with that object so that other, dissimilar conceptions cannot arrive in the form of obstructions or interruptions.” This is the goal of singleminded service to one’s chosen deity. In his Siddhānta-Ratna, Śrīpāda Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has explained the word sevana as constant pursuit of a goal with one’s body, mind and words. In Prīti-Sandarbha 129 anuḥ, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written sevanaṁ cittānuvṛttiḥ, meaning, the word sevana is defined as performing service after having understood the mind of the one to be served. This is true singleminded sevana. Externally, in one’s sādhaka-deha, perform arcana, vandana, śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on with love and devotion to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. In one’s mind, after understanding the mind of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, contemplate sevā in one’s siddha-deha while remembering the aṣṭa-kāla-līlā (eightfold daily pastimes).

     Then he says, caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu. “I am astonished by the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet.” My mind, like a greedy bee, is constantly absorbed in tasting the sweet nectar of their beautiful feet. The toes of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet are their petals; the beams of radiance coming from their nails are the stamens; their beauty is the nectar; their fragrance continuously perfumes the horizon. The bee-like eyes of the sakhīs and mañjarīs always relish with deep love the nectarous beauty of their lotus feet.

     Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava sādhakas cool their burning hearts by always remembering the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, which are adorned with nineteen symbols. The method of meditation upon the symbols on their lotus feet is as follows: There are eleven marks on the sole of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot, namely a barleycorn near the joint of his big toe; beneath that, a wheel; beneath that, an umbrella; a line running from between the big toe and the index toe to the middle of the foot; a lotus at the base of the middle toe; below that, a flag; an elephant goad at the base of the little toe; below that, a thunderbolt, and on the heel, an octagon surrounded by four swastikas between four ripened rose apples. On his left foot, there are eight symbols: a conch-shell at the base of the big toe; a symbol for the sky at the base of the middle toe; below that, a bow; below that, a cow’s hoofprint; below that, a triangle surrounded by four waterpots; below that, a crescent moon; below that, a fish. Thus, there are a total of nineteen different symbols on the soles of his feet.

     There are eleven symbols on the sole of Śrī Rādhā’s left foot: a barleycorn below her big toe; below that, a wheel; below that, an umbrella; a line running from between the big toe and the index toe to the middle of the foot; a lotus at the base of the middle toe; beneath that, a flag; beneath that, a flower; to its right, a bracelet; beneath that, a flower creeper; beneath that, a crescent moon; and an elephant goad at the base of the little toe. There are eight symbols on the sole of her right foot: a conch-shell beneath the big toe; a mountain beneath the middle toe; an altar beneath the ring toe and the little toe; below that, an earring; a chariot beneath the mountain, with a club to its right; a spear on the chariot’s left side, and on the heel, a fish. Thus, there are a total of nineteen different symbols on the soles of her feet. In the Skanda-Purāṇa, several specific marks on the soles of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are mentioned along with the reason for remembering them.

dakṣiṇasya pado’ṅguṣṭha-mūle cakraṁ vibharty ajaḥ |

tatra namra-janasyāri-ṣaḍ-varga-cchedanāya saḥ ||

madhyamāṅguli-mūle tu dhatte kamalam acyutaḥ |

dhātṛ-citta-dvirephānāṁ lobhanāyātiśobhanam ||

padmasyādho dhvajaṁ dhatte sarvānartha-jaya-dhvajam |

kaniṣṭhā-mūlato vajraṁ bhakta-pāpādri-bhedanam ||

pārṣṇi-madhye’ṅkuśaṁ bhakta-cittebha-vaśa-kāriṇam |

bhoga-sampan-mayaṁ dhatte yavam aṅguṣṭha-parvaṇi ||

tathā vāma-padāṅguṣṭha-mūlatas tan-mukhodaram |

sarva-vidyā-prakāśāya dadhāti bhagavān asau ||

padmādīny api cihnāni tatra dakṣiṇa-pādavat ||

     “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot bears a wheel-symbol (cakra) at the base of the big toe. By that, kāma and the other five enemies of the one who has taken shelter are destroyed. Remembrance of the lotus symbol at the base of his middle toe causes the bee of the bhakta’s mind to be allured. Remembrance of the flag symbol below the lotus causes the bhakta’s victory flag to fly, signifying his conquest over all anarthas. Remembrance of the thunderbolt symbol at the base of his little toe pulverizes the bhakta’s mountain of sins. Remembrance of the elephant goad symbol in the middle of the heel brings the elephant of the bhakta’s mind under control. Remembrance of the barleycorn symbol near the joint of his big toe endows the bhakta with enjoyment and prosperity. Remembrance of the conch-shell symbol at the base of the big toe of his left foot reveals all knowledge to the bhakta. In this way, the glory of the other symbols on both feet can also be understood.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that the beauty, qualities and glory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are indescribable.

     Then he says, doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni, parama ānanda sukha pāñu. The illustrious author is revealing that having heard repeatedly from the mouths of bhaktas about Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s names, qualities, pastimes and so on, he now desires to obtain such happiness. The greatness of hearing śrī-hari-kathā from the mouth of a high-minded bhakta has been repeatedly proclaimed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the cream of all vedānta. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.25, Bhagavān Śrī Kapiladeva said the following to his mother, Devahūti:

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama-vīrya-saṁvido

bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ |

taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani

śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati ||

     “O Mother, those who obtain the auspicious association of sādhus will receive the good fortune of hearing talks about my glories from them. Discussions about me heard from the mouths of such holy persons become an elixer for the listener’s heart and ears. As a result of this, faith, attachment and devotion to me gradually appear, accompanied by the destruction of ignorance, illusion and so on.” Repeated hearing of the naturally God-related conversations among the infinitely great kṛṣṇa-bhakta-mahāpuruṣas causes faith in Śrī Bhagavān to awaken in the jīva’s heart. The pure tan-mātras* issuing from the body of a sādhu bless even ordinary, non-religious persons with the extraordinary treasure of bhajana. Gradually, by hearing hari-kathā, ruci (taste) appears; then from the performance of the nine kinds of bhakti-sādhana, the eternally perfect kṛṣṇa-prema, the highest goal of life, appears in the citta (heart/mind). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.25, Śrīla Pṛthu Mahārāja says he wants no other boon from Śrī Bhagavān than to hear śrī-hari-kathā from the mouths of great souls:

sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto

bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā-kaṇānilaḥ |

smṛtiṁ punar vismṛta-tattva-vartmanāṁ

kuyogināṁ no vitaraty alaṁ varaiḥ ||

     “O illustrious one! Bearing drops of nectar from your lotus feet, the air flowing from the mouths of great souls, meaning the nectarous talk about you streaming from their mouths, bestows remembrance of you again to fallen yogīs like me who have forgotten the truth about you. Therefore, there is no need for any other boon.” However, please give me this blessing (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.24):

na kāmaye nātha tad apy ahaṁ kvacin

na yatra yuṣmac-caraṇāmbujāsavaḥ |

mahattamāntar-hṛdayān mukha-cyuto

vidhatsva karṇāyutam eṣa me varaḥ ||

     “O Lord! I do not desire the boon of liberation in which there is no hope of getting the nectar of your lotus feet, which flows from within the hearts of the greatest sādhus and out through their mouths. Therefore, please give me ten thousand ears for drinking the nectarous talks about you that pour from the mouths of these great souls. This is my request.” By this we are informed of his deep longing to relish śrī-hari-kathā from the mouth of a bhakta and the profound wonder and joy he experiences.

     Or, in the first half of this verse, which says rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana, caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya reveals his desire to serve Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a focused mind and to taste the sweetness of their lotus feet. Then he describes the means to attain that: doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni, parama ānanda sukha pāñu. If the names, qualities, pastimes and so on of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda are repeatedly heard with a joyful heart (or with enjoyment) from the mouth of a bhakta, resolute service to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is easily performed externally with body, mind and words and internally by loving contemplation of one’s service in the mentally conceived siddha-deha. This is an unfailingly powerful sādhana for attaining success or prema through rāga-bhajana.

*A subtle and primary element, such as sound, taste, touch, sight and smell from which the five mahābhūtas or grosser elements are produced.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 75 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

প্রার্থনা করিব সদা,        শুদ্ধভাবে প্রেমকথা,

নাম মন্ত্রে করিয়া অভেদ ।

নৈষ্ঠিক করিয়া মন,        ভজ রাঙ্গা শ্রিচরণ,

পাপগ্রন্থি হবে পরিচ্ছেদ ॥ ৭৫ ॥

prārthanā kariba sadā,        śuddha-bhābe prema-kathā,

nāma mantre kariyā abheda |

naiṣṭhika kariyā mana,        bhaja rāṅgā śri-caraṇa,

pāpa-granthi habe pariccheda || 75 ||

     I shall always pray to hear talks of prema in a pure state of mind. I make no distinction between nāma and mantra. O mind! If you worship the crimson feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with firm faith, the knot of sin will be completely severed.

Devout Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, while teaching his own mind about devout bhajana, the high-souled author is also alluding to some valuable information regarding the practice. He first says, prārthanā kariba sadā, śuddha-bhābe prema-kathā. “I shall always pray to hear talks of prema in a pure state of mind.” In a pure state means in a singleminded way devoid of any desire for one’s own happiness. Though we always talk about pure bhajana or desireless bhajana, in fact, pure bhajana free from any search for personal happiness is very rare and is dependent on the mercy of Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Hari. Because of being absorbed in desires for women, gold, profit, adoration, high position and other things related to the body, various kinds of subtle desires for personal happiness have secretly pervaded the heart. At the end of Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa it is written that the hope for high position and fame exists even in the heart of one who has renounced everything.

sarva-tyāge’py aheyāyāḥ 

sarvānartha-bhuvaś ca te |

kuryuḥ pratiṣṭhā-viṣṭhāyā 

yatnam asparśane varam ||

     “Even by renouncing everything, the hope for pratiṣṭhā (high rank or celebrity), which is the root of all anarthas, is not abandoned. The sādhaka must be particularly careful not to touch this excrement.” Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has called this hope for name and fame ‘the unchaste wife of a dog-eater.’ pratiṣṭhāśā–dhṛṣṭā śvapaca-ramaṇī me hṛdi naṭet kathaṁ sādhu-premā spṛśati śucir etan nanu manaḥ (Manaḥ-Śikṣā 7). “O mind! An unchaste wife of a dog-eater dances in my heart in the form of yearning for fame. How can pure, holy love ever touch such a heart?” To benefit the sādhakas, the great souls cast light in various ways upon the sādhakas’ hidden desires for personal happiness. Śrīla Premānanda Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has written the following in his Manaḥ-Śikṣā:

ore mana ki tora bujhibāra bhula |

kahicha bedera pāra, karicha niṣiddhācāra, bhāba dekhi āpanāra mūla ||

muktike aiśvarya bali, dūrete diyecha pheli, iṅgite bujhāo ei tattva |

anitya asāra artha, se bhāla sadāi prārthya, yā lāgi rajanī dibā matta ||

nirhetu yājana kara, hetu se chāḍite nāra, kathāya birakta e saṁsāra |

sarbasva balicha yāra, dite eka baṭa tāra, se cāhile kaha āpanāra ||

kaha bhaji bṛndābana, ghare sukha bāsa mana, bhālabāsa basana-bhūṣaṇe |

santuṣṭa mānicha māne, mahākrodha apamāne, ātma-sukha ghucila kemane ||

kahicha gopīra dharma, ki bujhicha tāra marma, svabhāba chāḍite nāra tile |

dekhiyā pāicha sukha, prakṛti bāghinī mukha, sarbātmā sahite yei gile ||

śuna kahe premānanda, bicārile saba dhanda, kahile śunile kibā haya |

‘hari hari’ abirata, kaha ei prema-patha, nirmala haibe suniścaya ||

     “O mind! Have you misunderstood? You said that you are beyond the Vedas, yet you engage in forbidden acts. I see your essence and your origin. You have said that true freedom is to possess great wealth, and yet you squander it away. Help me to somehow understand this. Wealth is temporary and unsubstantial. Thinking it beneficial and always to be desired, you madly chase after it, day and night. You say you perform religious rituals without any motive, but the real reason is that you are unable to give them up, while saying you have no attachment to this world. You said you would give away all your possessions, but if someone asks for even one cowrie, you tell them it all belongs to you. O mind, you say ‘I worship Vṛndāvana in my home, where I live very happily, satisfied with love, nice clothes and ornaments.’ But you have acknowledged that through pride, anger and contempt you lost that happiness. How did this happen? You talk about the dharma of a gopī; have you understood the spirit of it? You are unable to even slightly let go of your own nature. Seeing that you have found some happiness, the tigress of material nature swallows that along with your entire self. Premānanda says, ‘Please listen; if you think about it, you will see it is all a trick. What is the point of speaking or hearing of it? Just chant hari hari constantly. Without doubt, you will become pure on this path of love.’”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, “I shall always pray at the feet of my beloved deity to be able to hear, sing and remember the stories about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love with a pure and desireless heart, free from the expectation of personal happiness.” Prayer removes the barriers to Śrī Bhagavān’s compassion. A person whose citta (mind/heart) is pervaded by the impressions of various kinds of hopes and longings cannot by the power of his own sādhana give up the desire for personal happiness and attain pure consciousness. If Śrī Hari’s compassion falls upon a devotee as a result of prayer, he is able to easily get the blessing of continuously hearing with a pure heart discussions about the love of his cherished deity. This should be the understanding in this context.

     Then he says, nāma mantre kariyā abheda. In becoming mantras, the names of Śrī Bhagavān, such as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda and so on, have been given dative case endings and combined with words such as namaḥ and svāhā by the sages, and are comprised of six parts including ṛṣi. Therefore, in reality there is no difference between mantras and Śrī Bhagavān’s names. The question may be asked that if there is no difference between mantra and nāma, and that without relying on dīkṣā-puraścaryā, nāma impartially gives prema to one who performs kīrtana, then what is the need for mantra-dīkṣā? Regarding this, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda says, nanu bhagavan-nāmātmakā eva mantrāḥ. tatra viśeṣeṇa namaḥ-śabdādy-alaṅkṛtāḥ śrī-bhagavatā śrīmad-ṛṣibhiś cāhita-śakti-viśeṣāḥ śrī-bhagavatā-samamātma-sambandha-viśeṣa-pratipādakāś ca, tatra kevalāni bhagavan-nāmāny api nirapekṣāny eva parama-puruṣārtha-phala-paryanta-dāna-samarthāni; tato mantreṣu nāmato’py adhika-sāmarthye’labdhe kathaṁ dīkṣādy apekṣā? ucyate–yadyapi svarūpato nāsti, tathāpi prāyaḥ svabhāvato dehādi sambandhena kadarya-śīlānāṁ vikṣipta-cittānāṁ janānāṁ tat saṁkocīkaraṇāya śrīmad-ṛṣi-prabhṛtibhir atrārcana-mārge kvacit kācin-maryādā sthāpitāsti. tatas tad-ullaṅghane śāstraṁ prāyaścittam ubhāvayati (Krama-Sandarbhaḥ commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.18). It may be said, “Because mantras are composed of Śrī Bhagavān’s various names, each mantra is specific. According to Bhagavān’s desire, Śrī Nārada and other ṛṣis have adorned his names with namaḥ and other words and deposited a particular śakti in each mantra. Therefore, mantras establish a specific relationship between the mantra-chanter and Śrī Bhagavān. But Śrī Bhagavān’s names do not depend on anything else and can by themselves even give prema, the parama-puruṣārtha, the supreme goal of life. Therefore, we see more power in nāma than in mantra. So why does one who performs nāma-kīrtana need mantra-dīkṣā?” In reply to this question, he says, “In principle, it may not be necessary to accept dīkṣā due to the power or influence of Śrī Harināma, as in the case of Śrī Ajāmila. Still, to curtail the engagement of scatterbrained humans in frequently abominable actions related to the body, which is naturally devoted to enjoyment, Śrī Nārada and other ṛṣis have established some guidelines in various places on the arcana-mārga. For those who do not comply with those guidelines, śāstra has prescribed various kinds of penance. Therefore, the need for mantra-dīkṣā must certainly be recognized.” Specifically, when a person accepts mantra-dīkṣā from a sad-guru who has the characteristics mentioned in śāstra, the gloom is driven out from his māyā-darkened mind by Śrī Guru’s mercy. After his mind becomes steady, no longer distracted by sense-objects, he can engage in bhajana. Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Nandanandana has in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga accepted mantra-dīkṣā from Śrīpāda Īśvara Purī. At the beginning of his instructions to Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī regarding the sixty-four components of bhajana, he says, śrī-guru-pādāśraya, dīkṣā, gurura sebana; sad-dharma-śikṣā-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārgānugamana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.115). “Shelter at the feet of Śrī Guru, initiation, service to Śrī Guru; receiving instructions in transcendental dharma and asking questions; following the path of the holy ones.” By these words he has pointed out the instruction or guideline that mantra-dīkṣā comes from a guru who has received it through a true paramparā. This is also seen to be the practice of the great souls.

     Or, nāma mantre kariyā abheda means there is no difference between nāma and mantra, in the sense that nāma has also been called a mantra. For example, the thirty-two-syllable hare-kṛṣṇa-nāma has been called a mahāmantra. Regarding this, we see the following in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.19, in the description of the glories of the Holy Name:

yathāgadaṁ vīryatamam 

upayuktaṁ yadṛcchayā |

ajānato’py ātma-guṇaṁ 

kuryān mantro’py udāhṛtaḥ ||

     In the narration of the deliverance of Ajāmila, the viṣṇudūtas said to the yamadūtas, “Just as a powerful medicine destroys the disease of someone who ingests it, though the person may not understand how it works, in the same way, if one even ignorantly chants a mantra consisting of Bhagavān’s names, the fruit of nāma is spontaneously obtained. The power of a thing is never dependent on intellect or knowledge.” In his Krama-Sandarbha commentary on this verse, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, mantra-śabdenātra nāmoktiḥ–mantrasya tathā prabhāve śraddhādy-apekṣatvād asya tu tad-anapekṣatvād atraiva mantra-śabdasya mukhyā-vṛttir ity abhiprāyeṇa jñeyā. “Here, the word mantra is understood to mean nāma. Though by nature, nāma and mantra are one, still, mantras rely on faith and so on. Because in nāma there is no such reliance, it is to be understood that nāma bears primary significance among the words of a mantra.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, naiṣṭhika kariyā mana, bhaja rāṅgā śri-caraṇa, pāpa-granthi habe pariccheda. “O mind! If you worship the crimson feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with firm faith, the knot of sin or ignorance will be completely severed.” When niṣṭhā (firm faith) appears, bhajana-śaithilya (bhajana-fatigue) completely disappears; even during incessant bhajana, no weariness is felt. These five kinds of anarthas are also removed: laya (drowsiness at the time of śravaṇa-kīrtana and so on), vikṣepa (distraction, concern about news of worldly matters at the time of bhajana), apratipatti (even though no drowsiness or distractions are present, one is still incapable of doing bhajana), kaṣāya (impurities, saṁskāras of anger, greed, pride and so on) and rasāsvāda (lack of mental absorption in bhajana due to thoughts of sense enjoyment). Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has referred to dhruvānusmṛti, or remembrance of Śrī Bhagavān that is continuous like a stream of oil, as naiṣṭhikī-bhakti or firm devotion: naiṣṭhikī-bhakti-dhyānākhyā dhruvānusmṛtir ity ucyate (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 198). Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17-18 says that hearing and chanting śrī-hari-kathā is the only way to obtain naiṣṭhikī-bhakti:

śṛṇvatāṁ svakathāṁ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |

hṛdy-antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi 

vidhunoti suhṛt-satām ||

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu 

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā |

bhagavaty uttamaśloke 

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī ||

     “Situated in the heart, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa destroys the inauspicious desires for worldly pleasure in the minds of those devout souls who listen to his stories, which bestow virtue when heard or sung. In this way, when inauspiciousness has been mostly destroyed through continuous bhāgavata-sevā (service to the bhaktas and/or study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), firm devotion to the preeminent Śrī Kṛṣṇa appears.” The reading āstika kariyā mana is also seen. āstikyam asti vedaika-gamyaṁ vastv iti niścayaḥ. “Āstikyam (theism) is the conviction that truth can only be obtained through the Vedas.” This means one must worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with śraddhā or faith in the words of śāstra and the mahājanas. Some people have interpreted āstikyam as having established a self-concept of one’s own siddha-svarūpa and one’s own relationship with Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. In this context, this is also a good interpretation.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 74 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

কর্মী জ্ঞানী মিছাভক্ত,        না হবে তাতে অনুরক্ত,

বিশুদ্ধ ভজন কর মন ।

ব্রজজনের যেই রীত,        তাহাতে ডুবাও চিত,

এই সে পরমতত্ত্ব ধন ॥ ৭৪ ॥

karmī jñānī michā-bhakta,        nā habe tāte anurakta,

biśuddha bhajana kara mana |

braja-janera yei rīta,        tāhāte ḍubāo cita,

ei se parama-tattva dhana || 74 ||

     O mind! Do not be attached to the karmīs, jñānīs and false bhaktas. Perform pure bhajana. Immerse your thoughts in the ways of the Vraja people. This is a great treasure of the supreme reality.

A Treasure of the Highest Truth

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is again teaching the sādhakas the method of vraja-bhajana through varjanātmaka (abandoning) and grahaṇātmaka (accepting) instructions to his own mind. First, he gives a varjanātmaka instruction, saying, karmī jñānī michā-bhakta, nā habe tāte anurakta. In the previous verse, the exalted author has forbidden the association of karmīs, jñānīs and so on even in times of difficulty. Again in this verse he says to abandon any attachment for them. It seems that the statements in the previous verse refer to pure or exclusive karmīs and jñānīs, meaning those who consider karma, jñāna and so on as capable of bestowing svarga (heaven) and mokṣa (liberation) without the help of bhakti. Actually, bhakti binu kona sādhana dite nāre phala, saba phala deya bhakti svatantra prabala; ajā-gala-stana nyāya anya sādhana, ataeba hari bhaje buddhimān jana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 24.92-93). “Without bhakti, no sādhana can give any result. Bhakti is independent and powerful and brings all success. Other sādhanas are like the nipples on a goat’s neck. Therefore, intelligent people worship Śrī Hari.” Because karma, jñāna, yoga and so on are similar to sādhanas, they are referred to as such, but in fact they are not. The method by which a desired object is obtained is rightly called a sādhana, but karma, jñāna and so on cannot bestow any fruit without the help of bhakti. For this reason, independent of bhakti, all other sādhanas are like the nipples on a goat’s neck. The nipple-shaped lumps of flesh on the neck of a goat are called nipples, but they never actually produce milk. Like that, karma, jñāna and so on are never able to produce results without the help of bhakti. But because the external religious activities of those paths resemble sādhanas, they have been called sādhanas. In truth, bhakti-mukha-nirīkṣaka karma-yoga-jñāna (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.17). “Karma, yoga and jñāna gaze upon the face of bhakti.”

     For this reason, those karmīs and jñānīs who are relatively intelligent practice karma, jñāna and so on mixed with bhakti to obtain the fruits of the respective sādhanas as mentioned in the śāstras. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya had seen the bhajana of these mixed bhaktas and, in his wisdom as a pure bhakta, is cautioning the bhakta-sādhaka who is devoted to bhajana to not develop attachment for them because their association is harmful to pure bhakti. In some books, the reading karmī, jñānī, miśra-bhakta, nā habe tāya anurakta is seen. Michā-bhakta means those who are deceitful or hypocritical. A pure bhakta must not become attached to those dishonest people who externally wear the dress, tilaka and mālā of a bhakta but whose bhajana is pretense only. In fact, they are attached to women and wealth. They must be avoided because their association is dangerous. Such Vaiṣṇava behavior has been indicated in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.87: asat-saṅga tyāga ei baiṣṇaba-ācāra, strī-saṅgī eka asādhu kṛṣṇābhakta āra. “It is a Vaiṣṇava practice to abandon the association of dishonest or immoral people. One such person is attached to women and another has no faith in Kṛṣṇa.”

     Or, karmī jñānī michā-bhakta can mean that if at any time bhakti is seen among the karmīs, who engage in fruitive work, and the jñānīs, who contemplate undifferentiated brahman, they should be known as michā-bhaktas. If the mercy of some great soul falls upon them, they can become bhaktas in the future, but for now, associating with them in their current condition can hinder one’s advancement in bhakti. Therefore, the sādhaka should give up any attachment for them.

     Then, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya gives a grahaṇātmaka instruction by saying, biśuddha bhajana kara mana. After taking shelter of the path of śuddha-bhakti, one’s bhajana becomes pure and genuine. In determining the nature of śuddha-bhakti, the Śrī-Gopāla-Tāpanī-Śruti says, bhaktir asya bhajanaṁ tad ihāmutropādhi-nairāsyenāmuṣmin manaḥ kalpanam etad eva hi naiṣkarmyam. Bhakti means worship of Śrī Bhagavān that is devoid of all kinds of desires regarding this life and the next, with the mind and all the senses continuously devoted to him. This constant absorption in meditation upon him is known as naiṣkarmya.

     Here, by the correlation of bhajana and naiṣkarmya it is indicated that if a bhakta is engaged in bhajana, all of his past desires for fruitive actions as well as his present ones are destroyed, and his mind, free of any unessential relations, remains fully absorbed in the service of Śrī Bhagavān. This is called viśuddha or pure bhajana. Smṛti also says, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (Śrī-Nārada-Pañcarātra). “Śrī Kṛṣṇa is known as hṛṣīkeśa, controller of the senses. When a devotee, after abandoning all desires regarding this life and the next, serves Śrī Kṛṣṇa with his senses, intending only to please him, this is called uttamā-bhakti.”

     After deliberating upon all such statements from śruti and smṛti, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has revealed a complete definition of viśuddha-bhakti in a single verse of his Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ. It should be known that this definition extends everywhere, whether in vaidhī-mārga, rāga-mārga, sādhana-bhakti, sādhya-bhakti, bhāva or prema. The verse is,

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam |

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā ||

     “Favorable, devoted service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa that is devoid of any other desire and is not covered by jñāna or karma is called uttamā-bhakti.” The word anuśīlanam here is, like the verb, understood immediately by the meaning of its root. Verbal roots have two kinds of meanings: pravṛtti and nivṛtti. These two kinds of actions are manifested in the form of bodily, verbal and mental endeavors. Endeavors of the body, mind and speech originating from pravṛtti (desire to act) are described as serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa with one’s body; singing his names and about his qualities, pastimes and so on with the power of one’s speech; contemplating his forms, qualities and pastimes with one’s mind and always keeping love for him in one’s heart. Endeavors of the body, mind and speech that originate in nivṛtti (renunciation) include giving up nāmāparādha (offenses to the Holy Name) and sevāparādha (offenses while performing service).

     Bhakti is also divided into sopādhika (with material qualities) and nirupādhika (without material qualities). Bhakti has two kinds of upādhis or defining qualities: one is anyābhilāṣa (other desires) and the other is anya-miśraṇa (mixing with something else). Other desires means desire for sense-enjoyment, desire for liberation and so on. Mixing with something else means being covered by karma, jñāna and so on. If service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is devoid of the desire for anything else, is free from admixture, and is practiced by absorption in pure hearing and chanting, it is called nirupādhika-bhakti. This is viśuddha-bhajana.

     The karma alluded to above means regular and occasional actions such as acts of charity and taking of vows, as mentioned in the smṛti-śāstras. Jñāna here means nirviśeṣa-brahma-jñāna, or knowledge that establishes the unity of the jīva and brahma. But in śuddha-bhakti also the acts of worship and praise are absolutely necessary, as is knowledge related to the goal and the method (siddhānta-jñāna). Without these, there is no bhajana. Such karma and jñāna is direct bhakti.

     The word ānukūlya implies a favorable inclination toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It has been used in regard to attaining the state of bhakti because even though hostile behavior can be pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there is no devotion in it. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the narration of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastime of being tied with a rope, it is described that Mother Yaśodā put him down from her lap, though he was hungry and irritable, to go stir the milk that had boiled over. Mother Yaśodā’s action was not pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but because it was done for his benefit, it has been called bhakti. On the other hand, when the asuras fight with the great hero Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they cause him to taste yuddha-rasa (the pleasure of combat). This is pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but because of the inherent hostility involved, it does not attain the nature of bhakti. Therefore, viśuddha-bhajana is the repeated practice of actions that please Śrī Kṛṣṇa, such as hearing and chanting about him, worshiping him, praising him and so on without a trace of desire for one’s own sense-pleasure.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, braja-janera yei rīta, tāhāte ḍubāo cita, ei se parama-tattva dhana. Also within viśuddha-bhajana, rāgānugā-bhajana is practiced in allegiance to Vraja’s madhura-rasa type of rāgātmikā-bhakti. The glorious gift of Śrīman Mahāprabhu in this particular kali-yuga, it is a very mystical type of bhakti-yoga also practiced and preached by his dear companions Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and others. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, braja-janera yei rīta, tāhāte ḍubāo cita. Here, braja-jana (people of Vraja) means in a broader context that all his nitya-siddha companions in Vraja have given up thinking of him as God and just consider him to be an ordinary dear friend or relative. mora putra, mora sakhā, mora prāṇapati (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta): “My son, my friend, my lover.” They have become wholly absorbed in him, submerged in the rasa of love for him. In the same way, the sādhaka must become submerged in the sweet worship of Vraja in allegiance to them. The meaning is that in Vraja, the nitya-siddha companions in dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and madhura-bhāvas eternally perform loving service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the mood of an ordinary dear friend or relative. Devotees in the Vraja mood perform bhajana in allegiance to the nitya-siddha-pārṣadas of the respective bhāvas, in dāsya and the other rasas, according to the ruci (taste) born of their association with a great soul or from the mercy of a great soul. When they achieve success in bhajana, they will obtain the loving service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Śrī Vṛndāvana in that particular bhāva. This is the method of Vraja’s pure rāga-mārga-bhajana. In Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 9.128-131, Śrīman Mahāprabhu said the following to Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa:

braja-lokera bhābe pāi tāṅhāra caraṇa |

tāṅre ‘īśvara’ kari nāhi jāne braja-jana ||

keho tāṅre putra-jñāne udūkhale bāndhe |

keho tāṅre sakhā-jñāne jini caḍe kāndhe ||

‘brajendra-nandana’ tāṅre jāne braja-jana |

aiśvarya-jñāna nāhi–nija sambandha manana ||

braja-lokera bhābe yei karaye bhajana |

sei jana pāya braje brajendra-nandana ||

     “One can attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet through the moods of the residents of Vraja. They do not perceive him as God. Someone considers him her son and ties him to a grinding mortar; someone else considers him a friend, and after defeating him, rides on his shoulders. They know him as Vrajendra-nandana, the son of the king of Vraja. They do not consider his divinity; they only think of him in terms of their relationships with him. Whoever performs bhajana in the mood of the Vrajavāsīs gets Vrajendra-nandana in Vraja.”

     The goal of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is to worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the mood of a mañjarī or maidservant of Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Therefore, they worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in rādhā-snehādhikā-bhāvollāsā-rati (having more affection for Śrī Rādhā than Śrī Kṛṣṇa), submerged in the stream of love flowing from Vraja’s nitya-siddhās Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, Śrī Rati Mañjarī and so on; or in other words, by dedicating their hearts and minds to following the moods of the mañjarīs. This is the highest level of rāga-mārga-bhajana. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is Campaka Mañjarī, who is most dear to Śrī Rādhārāṇī, and is an ācārya of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā. Therefore, braja-janera yei rīta, tāhāte ḍubāo cita means to absorb the citta (mind, heart) in following the moods of the nitya-siddhā-mañjarīs of Vraja. This is the highest level the jīva-śakti can attain in the realm of bhakti. Therefore he says, ei se parama-tattva dhana. “This is a great treasure of the supreme reality.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 73 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

অন্যের পরশ যেন,        নহে কদাচিৎ হেন,

ইহাতে হইব সাবধান ।

রাধাকৃষ্ণ নাম গান,        এই সে পরম ধ্যান,

আর না করিহ পরমাণ ॥ ৭৩ ॥

anyera paraśa yena,        nahe kadācit hena,

ihāte haiba sābadhāna |

rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāna,        ei se parama dhyāna,

āra nā kariha paramāṇa || 73 || 

     I shall be careful to avoid contact with other types of sādhakas. Singing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the highest meditation. There is nothing you must prove.

     टीका–अन्येर–योगिन्यासिकर्मिज्ञानिप्रभृतीनाम् । कदाचित्–आपद्यपि यथा स्पर्शनं न भवेत् तथा सावधानो भवामि ॥

The Highest Meditation

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, the high-souled author instructed his own mind to become submerged in the prema-bhakti ocean of nectar. Now he is teaching the method for attaining that prema-bhakti. His instructions are of two kinds: (1) varjanātmaka–of the nature of abandoning, and (2) grahaṇātmaka–of the nature of accepting. First, he gives a varjanātmaka instruction by saying, anyera paraśa yena, nahe kadācit hena, ihāte haiba sābadhāna. Here, the word anyera (of others) means that the bhakta-sādhaka must avoid the association of sādhakas from other paths, such as karma, jñāna, yoga and so on, meaning the yogīs, sannyāsīs, karmīs and jñānīs. The reason is that as the result of contact with them, by seeing, touching and so on, there remains a strong possibility that one may develop a fondness for their goals and practices while losing interest in one’s own pure bhakti. In the first chapter of the second section of Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda’s Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam, we see that a certain simple-hearted brāhmaṇa named Janaśarmā, who lived in Kāmarūpadeśa, received the ten-syllable mantra of Śrīman Madana-Gopāladeva, along with the method to worship him, from Kāmākhyā Devī in a dream. Still, as a result of the association of karmīs and jñānīs in Gaṅgāsāgara and Kāśī, he became attracted to their customs and practices and desired to adopt their path. Only by the power of mantra-japa and the divine command of Devī and Śrīman Mahādeva was he able to resist joining them. Therefore, the bhakta-sādhaka should avoid the association of such people, who are always reproached by the śuddha-bhaktas. The bhakta-sādhaka must thus be careful to avoid their association even in times of need. To censure the karmīs, jñānīs and others who were averse to Śrī Gaura’s lotus feet, Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda said the following:

dhig astu brahmāhaṁ-vadana-pariphullān jaḍa-matīn

kriyāsaktān dhig dhig vikaṭa-tapaso dhik ca yaminaḥ |

kim etān śocāmo viṣaya-rasa-mattān nara-paśūn

na keṣāṁcil leśo’py ahaha milito gaura-madhunaḥ || 

     “Shame on the karmīs, the frowning ascetics and the aṣṭāṅga-yogīs. Shame on all those dull-minded jñānavādīs who horripilate in joy by merely saying ‘I am brahma.’ Alas! Why grieve for man-animals who are intoxicated by sense-enjoyment? None has even tasted a drop of the nectar of Śrī Gaura’s lotus feet.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Candrāmṛtam 8) The bhaktas must surely avoid contact with the recipients of such a reproach from the high-minded ones.

     Then, to impart a grahaṇātmaka teaching, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāna, ei se parama dhyāna, āra nā kariha paramāṇa. In this half-verse, he instructs his mind to engage in rāgānugā-bhajana. For sādhakas on the path of rāga, the two principal limbs of bhajana are kīrtana of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names and meditation on their forms, pastimes and so on. In Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.218, Śrī Nārada taught Gopakumāra about vraja-bhajana:

tad dhi tat-tad-vraja-krīḍā-dhyāna-gāna-pradhānayā |

bhaktyā sampadyate preṣṭha-nāma-saṅkīrtanojjvalam ||

     ṭīkā–adhunā sādhanam āha–tad dhīti. tāsāṁ tāsāṁ vraja-krīḍānāṁ bhagavad-gokula-līlānāṁ dhyānaṁ cintanaṁ gānaṁ saṅkīrtanaṁ te pradhāne mukhye yasyās tayā bhaktyā nava-prakārayā prema sampadyate susiddhati. tatraiva viśeṣam ekam āha–preṣṭhasya nijeṣṭatama-devasya, preṣṭhānāṁ nija-priyatamānāṁ bhagavan-nāmnāṁ saṅkīrtanena ujjvalaṁ prakāśamānaṁ śuddhaṁ vā. gānety uktvā nāma-saṅkīrtane prāpte’pi nija-priyatama-nāma-saṅkīrtanasya premāntaraṅga-tara-sādhanatvena punar viśeṣeṇa nirdeśaḥ.

     “Vraja-prema is attained by performing the nine kinds of bhakti, principally by remembering and singing about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vraja. Moreover, there is a remarkable statement here saying that bhakti is made radiant by the singing of one’s favorite names of Śrī Bhagavān. Although the word gāna (singing) is understood to refer to nāma-saṅkīrtana, still, it is mentioned here separately because singing one’s own favorite names of Bhagavān is a very personal way to attain prema.” Therefore, under the pretext of instructing his own mind, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is advising sādhakas who are devoted to yugala-bhajana to sing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa that are most dear to them. Śrīmat Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Abhīṣṭa-Sūcana-Stava:

rādheti nāma nava-sundara-sīdhu-mugdhaṁ

kṛṣṇeti nāma madhurādbhuta-gāḍha-dugdham |

sarva-kṣaṇaṁ surabhi-rāga-himena ramyaṁ

kṛtvā tad eva piba me rasane kṣudhārte ||

     “The name Rādhā is delicious like fresh, sweet nectar. The name Kṛṣṇa is delightful like amazing condensed milk. O my hungry tongue! Always drink these two substances chilled with fragrant ice made of love.” Great souls who are devoted to serving the Divine Couple contemplate and sing the thirty-two-syllable ‘hare kṛṣṇa’ mahāmantra composed of eight pairs of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names. The word hare is the vocative of the word harā (a thief). She who steals Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s heart and mind with her beauty, sweetness and love is called Harā or Śrī Rādhā. Moreover, the word rāma here does not refer to Dāśarathi Rāma. The word rāma is derived from the verbal root ram (to make happy). Thus, rāma refers to Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa, the lover of Harā Śrī Rādhā. Therefore, this mahāmantra consists of sixteen names of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the vocative case.

     Or, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāna, ei se parama dhyāna: singing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is prema itself, the most desirable of all things, which is to be contemplated always and exclusively by the sādhaka. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written the following in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.3.164-166:

nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ proktaṁ

kṛṣṇasya prema-sampadi |

baliṣṭhaṁ sādhanaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ

paramākarṣa-mantravat ||

tad eva manyate bhakteḥ

phalaṁ tad rasikair janaiḥ |

bhagavat-prema-sampattau

sadaivāvyabhicārataḥ ||

sal-lakṣaṇaṁ prema-bharasya kṛṣṇe

kaiścid rasa-jñair uta kathyate tat |

premṇo bhareṇaiva nijeṣṭa-nāma-

saṅkīrtanaṁ hi sphurati sphuṭārtyā ||

     “Śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana is an intimate and extremely powerful sādhana for attaining the treasure of śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema. It is like a mantra with intense magnetism. The bhakti-rasikas also consider śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana as the fruit of bhakti because it is always very effective in producing the inexhaustible treasure of bhagavat-prema. Some knowers of rasa regard nāma-saṅkīrtana as the svarūpa (natural state or form) of prema. If one wholeheartedly sings the names of his own beloved deity, by the influence of prema he will have a personal vision of that deity.” Therefore, the state of being both cause and effect is seen in saṅkīrtana and prema, and because of the non-difference between cause and effect, the non-difference of saṅkīrtana and prema is realized.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, āra nā kariha paramāṇa, meaning that other than singing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing you must prove, no other goal or means you must ascertain, and no other practices based on scriptural authority or instructions you must accept. If one sings the names of one’s cherished deity with love, that śrī-nāma causes the other limbs of bhakti to appear and very quickly blesses the sādhaka with the gift of prema. Śrīman Mahāprabhu has said,

saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra-nāśana |

citta-śuddhi, sarba-bhakti-sādhana-udgama ||

kṛṣṇa-premodgama, premāmṛta-āsvādana |

kṛṣṇa-prāpti, sebāmṛta-samudre majjana ||

     “From saṅkīrtana the world of sin is destroyed, the mind and heart are cleansed and the nine kinds of bhakti-sādhana arise. Love for Kṛṣṇa appears and the bhakta tastes the nectar of prema. Then Kṛṣṇa is attained and the bhakta is immersed in the ambrosial ocean of sevā.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 20.13-14)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 72 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

প্রেমভক্তি সুধানিধি,        তাহে ডুব নিরবধি,

আর যত ক্ষারনিধি প্রায় ।

নিরন্তর সুখ পাবে,        সকল সন্তাপ যাবে,

পরতত্ত্ব কহিনু উপায় ॥ ৭২ ॥

prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi,        tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi,

āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya |

nirantara sukha pābe,        sakala santāpa yābe,

para-tattva kahinu upāya || 72 ||

     Prema-bhakti is like an ocean of nectar; submerge yourself in it continuously. Everything else is like an ocean of salt. You will get endless happiness and all your afflictions will go away. I shall explain the method for attaining the supreme truth.

The Prema-Bhakti Ocean of Nectar

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya rejected everything that covers or opposes bhakti, such as puṇya and mukti. In this verse he urges his mind to taste the blessed sweetness of prema-bhakti-rasa. prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi, tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi, āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya. Prema-bhakti is like an ocean of nectar. Bhakti is a special faculty of the hlādinī-śakti, the essence of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa-śakti, and is therefore naturally most enjoyable. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Śrī-Paramātma-Sandarbhaḥ: kiṁca parama-sāra-bhūtāyā api svarūpa-śakteḥ sāra-bhūtā hlādinī nāma yā vṛttis tasyā eva sāra-bhūto vṛtti-viśeṣo bhaktiḥ. “The principal faculty of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti is called hlādinī. The principal faculty of the hlādinī-śakti is called bhakti.”

     Echoing this conclusion, Śrīpāda Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has written the following in his book Siddhānta-Ratna: bhagavad-vaśīkāra-hetu bhaktiḥ kiṁ svarūpeti; kiṁ prākṛta-sattva-maya-jñānānanda-rūpā kiṁvā bhagavad-jñānānanda-rūpā athavā jaiva-jñānānanda-rūpā uta hlādinī-sāra-samaveta saṁvit-sāra-rūpeti? nādyaḥ bhagavato māyā-vaśyatvāśravaṇāt, svataḥ pūrṇatvāc ca, na dvitīya atiśayāsiddheḥ nāpi tṛtīya jaivayos tayoḥ kṣodiṣṭatvāt. kintu caturtha evāsau bhaved iti. “What is the nature of bhakti, which is the only cause of Śrī Bhagavān’s subjugation? Is bhakti the prākṛta-sattva-jñānānanda-rūpā, or the bhagavat-jñānānanda-rūpā, or the jaiva-jñānānanda-rūpā or the hlādinī-sāra-samaveta-saṁvit-sāra-rūpā? Meaning, is bhakti the dharma of the heart and mind, or the dharma born of the nature of Paramātmā, or the natural dharma of the jīvātmā, or is it another state wherein the essence of the hlādinī-śakti born of Śrī Bhagavān’s nature is combined with the essence of his saṁvit-śakti? These are four questions produced by doubt regarding bhakti. The cause of the doubt is that while there is joy and realization in bhakti, there is also joy and realization in ordinary sattva-guṇa. Because of this similarity, the question arises as to whether bhakti is the form of happiness coming from awareness of ordinary sattva-guṇa. Or, there is knowledge and joy in Śrī Bhagavān’s form, which is composed of sac-cid-ānanda. When that knowledge and joy are reflected in the heart of the jīva, is it called bhakti? Or is bhakti the happiness of the jīva, whose form is atomic consciousness? Or is bhakti the result of the combined essences of the hlādinī-śakti and the saṁvit-śakti, which are faculties of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti?

     If we say that bhakti is the dharma of the heart and mind, which are faculties of sattva-guṇa, one may conclude that Śrī Bhagavān suffers the defect of being enchanted by māyā. In all śāstras it is seen that Bhagavān is submissive to bhakti, but nowhere is it seen or heard that he is controlled by the illusory sattva-guṇa. Therefore, after rejecting the first thesis, he mentions the second. The second thesis is that bhakti is the knowledge and joy born of Śrī Bhagavān’s nature; but how is that possible? In this, the fault of too little proof occurs because there is more ānanda or joy in bhakti than even Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpānanda (natural joy). Abandoning his svarūpānanda, he longs to experience the joy of bhakti. The third thesis is also not reasonable because the knowledge and happiness of the jīva is by nature atomic and therefore insignificant. It is never possible to attract the powerful, sac-cid-ānanda-maya Śrī Bhagavān with such insignificant knowledge and happiness. Thus, after one sees the inconsistencies or improbabilities in these three propositions, he must accept the fourth, based on the evidence. Bhakti is the state wherein the essences of the hlādinī and saṁvit-śaktis, which are born of the essence of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti, have been combined.

     eṣā tu bhaktis tan-nitya-parikara-gaṇād-ārabhyedānīṁ taneṣv api tad-bhakteṣu mandākinīva pracarati. atas tad-bhakta-kṛpayaiva labhyeti bhāgavatādi saṁvādaḥ. sā tathābhūtā nitya-dhāmni nitya-pārṣadeṣu nityaṁ cakāsti sura-sarid iva tad-bhakta-praṇālyā prapañce’vatarati (Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa). Prema-bhakti exists within Śrī Bhagavān’s eternal companions. If a sādhaka’s heart is cleansed by hearing, chanting and so on, prema-bhakti descends like the current of the Mandākinī River through the channel of bhaktas (śrī-guru-praṇālī) into the material world. When that eternally perfect kṛṣṇa-prema appears in the sādhaka’s heart and mind, it blesses him with boundless transcendental joy.

     There is no comparison anywhere to the taste of prema-bhakti. Still, to give the worldly people a little idea of that spiritual joy, it has been compared to the taste of nectar, which is the most enjoyable thing in this world. But he does not just say sudhā, or nectar; he says, prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi: the enjoyment of prema-bhakti-rasa is like an ocean of nectar. The taste of one drop makes all other happiness insignificant. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written the following in the auspicious invocation of his Dig-Darśinī commentary on Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam:

bhaktir yā nikhilārtha-varga-jananī yā brahma-sākṣāt-kṛter

ānandātiśaya-pradā viṣaya-jāt saukhyād vimuktir yayā |

śrī-rādhā-ramaṇaṁ padāmbuja-yugaṁ yasyā mahānāśrayo

yā kāryā vrajalokavad-gurutara-premṇaiva tasyai namaḥ ||

     “I bow to Śrī Bhakti Devī, the goddess of devotion, who is the mother of virtue, wealth, enjoyment and liberation; who gives joy beyond that of brahman; who makes all sense-enjoyments insignificant; whose great shelter is the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa; whose every action is heavy with love like that of the residents of Vraja.” In this verse, the enjoyment of sādhana-bhakti has been discussed. There is no lack of enjoyment even in sādhana-bhakti because of its homogeneity with prema-bhakti. Sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the primary, comparative and superlative states of the same condition. The difference is that the enjoyment of sādhana-bhakti is watery whereas the enjoyment of prema-bhakti is very thick. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has instructed his mind to submerge itself in the ocean of the nectar of prema-bhakti. tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi. There is no need for an entire ocean of prema-bhakti in order for one to always be submerged in it; one drop of prema-bhakti can drown the whole world. In Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.49, Śrīman Mahāprabhu says, śuddha-prema-sukha-sindhu, pāi tāra eka-bindu, sei bindu jagat ḍubāya. The meaning is that in śuddha-prema (pure love), there is immeasurable rasa or enjoyment. By tasting only one drop of it, one realizes that the happiness derived from worldly sense-pleasures, wealth, accomplishments and so on, as well as the bliss of liberation, are both insignificant. They are not only insignificant; they are considered contemptible and extremely harsh. For this reason, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has said, āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya. “Everything else is like an ocean of salt.”

     After that, he said, nirantara sukha pābe, sakala santāpa yābe, para-tattva kahinu upāya. The enjoyment of prema-bhakti is everlasting; prema-bhakti keeps the loving devotee submerged in an ocean of unabated delight. Concomitantly, it destroys all kinds of afflictions. This is the only way to thoroughly experience Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, the supreme reality (para-tattva-vastu).

pañcama-puruṣārtha sei prema-mahādhana |

kṛṣṇera mādhurya-rasa karāya āsvādana ||

premā haite kṛṣṇa haya nija-bhakta-baśa |

premā haite pāya kṛṣṇa-sebā-sukha-rasa ||

     “The fifth goal of life is the great treasure of prema, which causes one to taste Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya-rasa. Because of prema, Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes under the control of his devotees. Because of prema, the devotees experience the nectarous joy of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 7.144-145)

     Or, para-tattva means the specific svarūpa-śakti called parā which is to be ascertained by the self-evident, unparalleled śruti and smṛti. When the para-tattva is manifested in its preeminent state, it acquires the name puruṣottama or supreme person. When the śakti called parā is manifested in its preeminent state, it bears names like dharma and so on. For example, the parā-śakti is personally revealed in the form of dharma, expressed as knowledge, happiness, compassion and sweetness. If expressed as sound, it is Śrī Bhagavān’s names and statements; if as the earth, it is the dhāma; if as the ideal woman composed of the essence of hlādinī (joy) combined with saṁvit (consciousness), it is Śrī Rādhā and others.* By saying ‘the means of attaining the supreme truth,’ it has also been implied that one who is submerged in prema-bhakti spontaneously enjoys the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s forms, names and qualities; the sweetness of the dhāma; the sweetness of compassion and so on.

*The conclusion of Govinda-Bhāṣya on sūtra 3.3.42 of Vedānta-Darśana