Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 120 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

শ্রীগৌরাঙ্গ প্রভু মোরে যে বলান বাণী ।

তাহা বিনা ভাল মন্দ কিছুই না জানি ॥

লোকনাথপ্রভু-পদ হৃদয়ে বিলাস ।

প্রেমভক্তিচন্দ্রিকা কহে নরোত্তম দাস ॥ ১২০ ॥

śrī-gaurāṅga prabhu more ye balāna bāṇī |

tāhā binā bhāla manda kichui nā jāni ||

lokanātha-prabhu-pada hṛdaye bilāsa |

prema-bhakti-candrikā kahe narottama dāsa || 120 ||

Other than the words Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu caused me to say, I know nothing of what is good or bad, right or wrong. This Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā has been spoken by Narottama Dāsa, in whose heart the lotus feet of Lokanātha Prabhu always shine.

The Actual Author of the Book

Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: At the conclusion of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now imparts the identity of the book’s true author. śrī-gaurāṅga prabhu more ye balāna bāṇī, tāhā binā bhāla manda kichui nā jāni. The esteemed author is saying, “Actually, the true author of Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā is Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu. I have only said what he caused me to say; I had nothing to do with it. Therefore, unlike other authors who compose a book using their intellect to consider what is good and bad, what will satisfy everyone and what will be popular, I have not produced this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā from my intellect. Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu sat on my tongue and, like a machine, I spoke whatever he caused me to speak. Thus, after learning that the true author of this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā is Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu, the bhaktas will enjoy its sweet nectar.”

At the beginning of his Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu (1.1.2), Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda wrote, hṛdi yasya preraṇayā pravartito’haṁ varāka-rūpo’pi. tasya hareḥ pada-kamalaṁ vande caitanya-devasya. “I praise the lotus feet of Bhagavān Śrī Caitanyadeva, by whose inspiration I have been engaged in composing this book, though I am insignificant and unfit to ascertain the unfathomable bhakti-rasa.”

In the context of establishing his reason for writing Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Śrīmat Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in Ādi 8.78-79:

ei grantha lekhāya more madana-mohana |

āmāra likhana yena śukera paṭhana ||

sei likhi, madana-gopāla ye likhāya |

kāṣṭhera puttalī yena kuhake nācāya ||

“Madana-Mohana caused me to write this book. My writing is like the recitation of a parrot. I write whatever Madana-Gopāla inspires me to write. He is like a puppeteer who causes his wooden doll to dance.” Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda composed his books because of Śrī Caitanyadeva’s inspiration. Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda composed Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta because of the direct inspiration of Śrī Madana-Gopāladeva. Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā was also revealed through the inspiration of Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu. Therefore, we consider the doctrines of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda, who understood Śrī Caitanya’s inner desire, and the essence of the gosvāmi-śāstras, which are the essence of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, to be contained within Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta and this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā.

Finally, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya concludes the book by remembering his guru’s lotus feet: lokanātha-prabhu-pada hṛdaye bilāsa, prema-bhakti-candrikā kahe narottama dāsa. “This Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā has been spoken by Narottama Dāsa, in whose heart the lotus feet of Lokanātha Prabhu always shine.” After praising the lotus feet of Śrī Guru in the maṅgalācaraṇa (invocation) at the beginning of the book, he now ends it in the same way. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya carefully preserved in the box of Śrī Guru’s mercy the jewels of prema-bhakti he obtained by Śrī Gaurāṅga Prabhu’s mercy. Just as jewels are kept within a strongbox, the jewels in this book have been kept in the strongbox of guru-kṛpā. Śrī Guru’s compassion is the key to this box. By taking shelter of Śrī Guru’s mercy, the bhakta-sādhaka is blessed to wear a string of these jewels of prema round his neck. jaya śrī-śrī-guru-gaurāṅgadeva! jaya śrī-śrī-rādhā-mādhava! jaya śrī-śrī-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda!

Thus ends the Sudhā-Kaṇikā commentary on Śrī-Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā.