Sixth, regarding vandana, Śrī Jīvapāda has written (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 303 Anuḥ), atha vandanam--tac ca yady apy arcanāṅgatvenāpi vartate, tathāpi kīrtana-smaraṇavat svātantryeṇāpīty abhipretya pṛthag-vidhīyate...vandanasya pṛthag-vidhānaṁ cānanta-guṇaiśvarya-śravaṇāt tad-guṇānusandhāna-pāda-sevādau vidhṛta-dainyānāṁ namaskāra-mātre kṛtādhyavasāyānām arthe...tad etad vandanaṁ yathā--‘tat te’nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk (Bhāg. 10.14.8). “Now the vandana limb of bhakti is being described. Even though this vandanāṅga-bhakti has been included within the arcana limb, still, like the kīrtana and smaraṇa limbs (meaning, while performing kīrtana, smaraṇa of Śrī Hari is also there; but because of the importance of smaraṇa, a separate arrangement has been made for a smaraṇa limb), to independently show the importance of the vandana limb, a separate component has been created. Some bhakta, after hearing of Śrī Bhagavān’s limitless qualities and power, may become bewildered and filled with humility, feeling he has no qualification to explore those qualities or to serve the Lord’s lotus feet. Thinking like this, he decides to only offer obeisance to the Lord. This vandana limb has been independently described specifically for such a person. Regarding this vandana limb, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the narration of his prayers to Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Brahmā said, “O Lord! You are the embodiment of all good qualities, which no one can measure. For this reason, the person who desires only your mercy accepts all happiness and distress as a compassionate gift from you and goes on enjoying the results of his own actions, offering obeisance to you with his body, words and mind. Like a cātaka bird waiting with hope for a new raincloud to release its water, the devotee maintains his life with the hope of getting a drop of your boundless mercy. Like a brother receiving a share of his father’s wealth, he surely inherits the service of your lotus feet.” In this verse, correct sevā of the vandana limb of bhakti has been described. If correct sevā of these six of the nine kinds of bhakti is possible, then it is also true for dāsya, sakhya and ātma-nivedana. On the other hand, if the heart and mind are not purified by śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on, one’s intelligence alone is not enough to allow one to perform correct sevā of these three limbs. Nevertheless, for the information of our readers, we are briefly mentioning the characteristics of these three limbs in accordance with the description of Śrī Jīva.
Seventh, dāsya: atha dāsyam; tac ca śrī-viṣṇor dāsaṁ manyatvam--‘janmāntara-sahasreṣu yasya syān matir īdrśī. dāso’haṁ vāsudevasya sarvān lokān samuddharet.’ ity ukta-lakṣaṇam. astu tāvad bhajana-prayāsaḥ kevala-tādṛśatvābhimānenāpi siddhir bhavatīty abhipretyaivottaratra nirdeśaś ca tasya…tad etad dāsya-sambandhenaiva sarvam api bhajanaṁ mahattaraṁ bhavatīty āha--‘yan-nāma-śruti-mātreṇa pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ. tasya tīrtha-padaḥ kiṁ vā dāsānām avaśiṣyate.’ (Bhāg. 9.5.16) yasya bhagavato nāma-śravaṇa-mātreṇa yathā kathaṁcit tac-chravaṇena, kiṁ punaḥ samyak tat-tad-bhajanenety arthaḥ. tarhi dāso’smīty abhimānena samyag eva bhajatāṁ sarvatra sādhane sādhye ca kim avaśiṣyate--tad-adhikam anyat kim api nāstīty arthaḥ (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 304-305 Anuḥ). “Now, dāsya-bhakti is being described. The performance of bhajana with the self-concept that ‘I am the servant of Śrī Viṣṇu’ is called dāsya-bhakti. After countless births, the self-concept may appear in some fortunate person that ‘I am the servant of Vāsudeva.’ Such a person can liberate the entire world. Talk of the endeavor for doing bhajana remains far away. Simply by the self-concept that ‘I am the servant of Śrī Bhagavān,’ siddhi or prema-bhakti is attained. For this purpose, discussion of the limb of dāsya-bhakti has been mentioned after referring to the other limbs of bhakti. All other types of bhajana reach their highest state when connected with dāsya. Durvāsā Muni said to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, ‘A person becomes purified by somehow or other just hearing the name of Śrī Bhagavān, whose feet are worthy of veneration. As a result of tasting the Lord’s sweetness, he considers anything else as insignificant. Needless to say, he becomes successful in all respects by performing bhajana.’ Moreover, for those who are performing proper bhajana with the mentality that ‘I am the servant of Śrī Hari,’ what need is there for any other sādhana or sādhya? There is no need for anything else.”
Eighth, sakhya: atha sakhyam; tac ca hitāśaṁsanamayaṁ bandhu-bhāva-lakṣaṇam (Bhāg. 10.14.32)--‘yan-mitraṁ paramānandam’ ity atra tathaiva mitra-pada-nyāsāt. yathā rāmārcana-candrikāyām ‘paricaryā-parāḥ kecit prāsādādiṣu śerate. manuṣyam iva taṁ draṣṭuṁ vyavahartuṁ ca bandhuvat’ iti. asya cottaratra pāṭhaḥ prema-viśrambhavad bhāvanāmayatvena dāsyād apy uttamatvāpekṣayā. kiṁ ca, parameśvare’pi yat sakhyaṁ śāstre vidhīyate tan nāścarya--‘nādevo devam arcayet’ iti tad-bhāvasyāpi vidhāna-śravaṇāt. kintu tad-bhāvas tat-sevā-viruddha iti śuddha-bhaktair upekṣyate, sakhyaṁ tu parama-sevānukūlam ity upādīyata iti.” (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 306 Anuḥ)
“Now, sakhya is being described. The mood of well-wishing friendship toward Śrī Bhagavān is called sakhya. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.32, speaking to Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the absolute being and embodiment of transcendental joy, Śrī Brahmā glorifies the Vrajavāsīs as Kṛṣṇa’s mitras, or friends. In the Rāmārcana-Candrikā it is seen that, ‘Some devoted bhaktas sleep in the temple because they see Śrī Bhagavān as a human being and behave with him as a friend.’ For this reason, sakhya has been mentioned after dāsya in the śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam verse. In dāsya, even though the treasure of sevā is present, awe and reverence, hesitation and so on also become manifest. But because of the affectionate, friendly mood in sakhya, devoid of any hesitation, there is a predominance of trust. Thus, sakhya is considered superior to dāsya. Moreover, it is no wonder that in śāstra a system of unhesitant friendship toward even the Supreme Lord has been established because in the scriptures such instructions as ‘Though being God, you must worship God’ are also heard. But if a sādhaka thinks of himself as God, there will be disharmony in the service of his own Lord. For this reason, the pure bhaktas disregard any scriptural injunctions to think of oneself as identical with one’s cherished Deity. Sakhya-bhāva has been widely accepted as most favorable to the service of one’s Deity.”
Finally, the ninth limb, ātma-nivedana: tac ca dehādi-śuddhātma-paryantasya sarvato-bhāvena tasminn evārpaṇam. tat-kāryaṁ cātmārtha-ceṣṭā-śūnyatvaṁ tan-nyastātma-sādhana-sādhyatvaṁ tad-arthaika-ceṣṭāmayatvaṁ ca. idaṁ hy ātmārpaṇaṁ go-vikrayavat vikrītasya gor vartanārthaṁ vikrītavatā ceṣṭā na kriyate. tasya ca śreyaḥ-sādhakaḥ sa krītavān eva syāt. sa ca gaus tasyaiva karma kuryāt, na punar vikrītavato’pīti (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 309 Anuḥ). “Surrender is of two types: (1) surrender of the body, and (2) surrender of one’s pure soul. The word samarpaṇa (surrender) means to give oneself in every way to Śrī Bhagavān. The action of self-surrender is devoid of any endeavor for oneself. All of one’s activities aimed at perfection are to be offered to Śrī Bhagavān, including all bodily, verbal and mental endeavors. This self-surrender is like the selling of a cow. If a cow is sold, the seller no longer makes any effort to protect or maintain the cow; the buyer then provides for the cow’s well-being. The cow also now only serves the buyer, not the seller. In the same way, the sādhaka who surrenders himself to Śrī Hari undoubtedly becomes free from concern about his body or anything related to it and is blessed with the good fortune of constant bhajana.”
Then, in the second half of the verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, “I say to you, dear brothers, do not take shelter of other gods; this bhakti is the highest worship.” “O mind, my dear brother! Don’t take shelter of other gods like Brahmā or Rudra; only by taking shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Govinda and performing careful sevā of the above-mentioned nine kinds of bhakti does one practice the highest bhajana.” “Among the various types of bhajana, the nine kinds of bhakti are the best.” (CC. Antya 4.70)
2 comments:
Happy Krishna Janmasthame!
(August 10)
And the same to you, Malati!
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