Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 106 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

বিষয় বিপত্তি জান,        সংসার স্বপন মান,

নরতনু ভজনের মূল ।

অনুরাগে ভজ সদা,        প্রেমভাবে লীলা-কথা,

আর যত হৃদয়ের শূল ॥ ১০৬ ॥

biṣaya bipatti jāna,        saṁsāra svapana māna,

nara-tanu bhajanera mūla |

anurāge bhaja sadā,        prema-bhābe līlā-kathā,

āra yata hṛdayera śūla || 106 ||

     O mind! You must understand that sense-enjoyment brings trouble. Consider the world to be a dream. The human form is the foundation of bhajana. Always worship with love. Listen with delight to Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; everything else brings pain to the heart.

The Human Form is the Foundation of Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya spoke about the afflictions of the heart. The source of those afflictions is attachment to sense-objects. Recollecting that, he now says, biṣaya bipatti jāna, saṁsāra svapana māna, nara-tanu bhajanera mūla. A person experiences the five worldly sense-objects, meaning form, sound, taste, smell and touch, with respectively the eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin. As a result of enjoying these sense-objects, the person develops attachment for them. From that, countless more desires are born and he remains constantly engaged in the enjoyment of worldly sense-objects. He engages in various kinds of good and bad actions in order to accumulate more sense-objects. Then, taking those karma-saṁskāras with him, he rotates through 8.4 million wombs. Sense-enjoyment is the only reason one suffers the burning afflictions of birth in countless wombs, death, old age, disease, grief and so on, as well as the terrible miseries of various hells. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, biṣaya bipatti jāna, meaning, “You must understand that sense-enjoyment brings agony.” The human form is suitable for bhajana, is possessed of knowledge and intelligence, and is difficult for even the gods to obtain. Though acquiring such a human form, a person influenced by saṁskāras of past sense-enjoyment engages in various kinds of impious activities to accumulate sense-objects. In this way he becomes like an animal. A person who desires to obtain good fortune must always abstain from sense-enjoyment, understanding it to be merely a source of trouble.

     Then he says, saṁsāra svapana māna. saṁ dehaṁ samyak prakāre smarati cintayatīti saṁsāraḥ. This body made of five elements is known as sam,* meaning the māyā-bound jīva has forgotten his own true nature and considers this perishable body created by māyā to be himself. Though being pure spiritual substance and innately joyful, he has forever suffered the pain of saṁsāra, pleased when the body is pleased and miserable when it is suffers. This is the state of the jīva in material bondage. Instructions have been given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for giving up the illusory ego by means of discernment. There, the word māyāmaya (illusory) is an adjective describing the word ahaṅkāra (ego). Discernment is used to separate the svarūpa (true form and nature) from the ahaṅkāra. Otherwise, the adjective would have no purpose. It is like saying, “Bring me a white flower,” when there are many kinds of flowers to choose from in the garden. The jīva’s true nature is that he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, but having forgotten this, he has established the consciousness of “I and mine” in his illusory body and things related to it. Thinking that the happiness, misery, old age and death of that body are his own, he has become a worldly person. This world is like a dream for him. The only difference between this and a dream is that an ordinary dream lasts for a few hours while the saṁsāra dream lasts for a few years. This saṁsāra dream will be shattered along with the destruction of the body. The māyā-bound jīva, burdened by the fruits of endless karma, wanders through various miserable wombs and suffers unbearable hardships and sorrows.

     Therefore he says, “O mind! Consider the world to be illusory and transitory like a dream. After investigating your true nature under the shelter of sādhus and śāstra, engage yourself in the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Nara-tanu bhajanera mūla. This human body is the foundation or principal support of śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. Animals and so on obtain subhuman bodies due to ignorance. Though possessing knowledge, the form of a deva or god is unsuitable for bhajana and sādhana because of a powerful obsession with sensual enjoyment. Only the human form is suitable for bhajana. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.7.74 says, yaḥ prāpya mānuṣaṁ lokaṁ mukti-dvāram apāvṛtam; gṛheṣu khagavat saktas tam ārūḍha-cyutaṁ viduḥ. The purport is that while rotating through 8.4 million wombs in the material world, the jīva eventually obtains a human body, which is difficult for even the gods to attain. Understand that it is like the door to the cage of worldly life has been opened in this birth. If he so desires, a person can easily be liberated from saṁsāra and then go to the realm of Bhagavān. If the cage door is opened for a bird who has been confined for a long time, he has no desire to leave the cage and fly freely in the sky because he is accustomed to a state of bondage or attached to his few grains of rice. In the same way, though getting a human body, which is like a doorway to liberation from māyā, a person attached to worldly life makes no effort to become free due to the influence of saṁskāras from a former birth and the allure of insignificant worldly happiness. A person who is attached to household life is said to be like a bird who ascends to a great height and then falls. Though obtaining a human form, which is the foundation of bhajana, those who do not try to cross the difficult ocean of material life by adopting the path of bhajana are true killers of the soul. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said the following to Uddhava in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.20.17:

nṛ-deham ādyaṁ sulabhaṁ sudurlabhaṁ

plavaṁ sukalpaṁ guru-karṇadhāram |

mayānukūlena nabhasvateritaṁ

pumān bhavābdhiṁ na taret sa ātma-hā ||

     “The excellent boat of the human body is the source of all desired blessings and is very rare. It has an unwavering helmsman in the form of Śrī Guru, and I propel it as the favorable wind. A person who easily obtains such a body through fate, but makes no endeavor to cross the ocean of material life, is truly a killer of the soul.” Also, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.9.29, Śrī Bhagavān said the following to Śrī Uddhava:

labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte 

mānuṣyam arthadam anityam apīha dhīraḥ |

tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anumṛtyu yāvan 

niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt ||

     “Having obtained after many births this transitory human form, which bestows spiritual knowledge and is very rare, an intelligent person must without delay seek the highest good before the fall of his ever-dying body. Sense-enjoyment can be obtained everywhere, meaning also in the wombs of animals and so on, but only in the human form is it possible to attain the highest truth.” Śrīla Premānanda Ṭhākura sang the following in verse 16 of his Manaḥ-Śikṣā:

e mana! tu baḍa kalira bhūta | 

kara bala jāri, śūnye diyā bāḍi, hāsaye tapana-suta ||

bhūtera bāpera, śrāddha kara niti, bhūtera begāra khāṭa |

lāja nāhi mukhe, kāla kāṭa sukhe, calicha yamera bāṭa ||

kāminī-kāñcana, hṛdaya-rañjana, tāhāte magana thāka |

o dike tomāra, ki daśā ghaṭeche, tāra kichu khoṅja rākha? ||

caurāśī narake, yābe eke eke, patha pariṣkāra prāya |

kapālera jora, baḍa baṭe tora, bāhādūrī habe tāya ||

mūrakha barbara, suyukuti dhara, yadi taribāre cāo |

kahe premānanda, manera ānanda, sadā hari-guṇa gāo ||

     “O mind! You are thoroughly a creature of kali-yuga. Yamarāja, the god of death, laughs as he plunders your home. You make offerings to the ghosts of your ancestors, serving them without reward. You shamelessly pass your time enjoying pleasures as you tread the path of death. Your desire for charming women and gold overwhelms you. Do you inquire into the things that happen to you? You will go through eighty-four hells, one by one; your path is unambiguous. Moreover, you will no doubt be wealthy and achieve great things. Fool! Barbarian! Accept some good advice. Premānanda says, ‘If you want to go beyond all this, then always sing the glories of Śrī Hari with a joyful heart.’”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, anurāge bhaja sadā, prema-bhābe līlā-kathā, āra yata hṛdayera śūla. If one earnestly longs to attain his cherished service to Bhagavān, his bhajana becomes filled with love. Intense yearning for Bhagavān is called prema. As much as possible, the sādhaka’s bhajana should also be filled with yearning. Bhagavān cannot remain calm after seeing his poor bhakta’s intense longing. Those who worship him with true love, filled with enthusiasm and eagerness, belong only to him and he belongs only to them. Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 9.29:

samo’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu 

na me dveṣyo’sti na priyaḥ |

ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā

mayi te teṣu cāpy aham ||

     Śrī Bhagavān said, “O Arjuna! I am equal to all creatures. No one is my enemy and no one is my friend, but those who worship me with love become devoted to me and I to them.” From that loving service, higher and higher states are manifest according to the degree of bhakti in the sādhaka’s heart. The sādhaka attains the highest goal of human life and is forever blessed. Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s dear companions Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha and the other Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas took shelter of Vraja Dhāma and performed bhajana with extraordinary dedication and eagerness. This is the highest ideal of loving bhajana.

     Rāgānugīya-sādhakas engaged in devout bhajana should always remember and meditate on the pastimes of their cherished deity with great delight. Other than this, everything else is a cause of great suffering for the heart. Having understood this, one should let it all go.

*I think that, in this instance, sam must mean ‘junction,’ as the body connects the soul with the world.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 105 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

সার্থক ভজন-পথ,        সাধুসঙ্গে অবিরত,

স্মরণ ভজন কৃষ্ণকথা ।

প্রেমভক্তি হয় যদি,        তবে হয় মনঃশুদ্ধি,

তবে যায় হৃদয়ের ব্যথা ॥ ১০৫ ॥

sārthaka bhajana-patha,        sādhu-saṅge abirata,

smaraṇa bhajana kṛṣṇa-kathā |

prema-bhakti haya yadi,        tabe haya manaḥ-śuddhi,

tabe yāya hṛdayera byathā || 105 ||

     A devotee’s bhajana becomes fruitful through the constant association of sādhus. If she attains prema-bhakti through the processes of meditation, worship and hearing stories about Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then her mind is purified and her heartache goes away.

The Fruitful Path of Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya teaches that the path of bhajana will bless the bhakta’s life with prema. He first says, sārthaka bhajana-patha, sādhu-saṅge abirata, smaraṇa bhajana kṛṣṇa-kathā. A devotee’s bhajana becomes fruitful through the constant association of sādhus. Those who bear the message of bhakti come to the doors of worldly jīvas because they feel compassion for such ones who have fallen into a pit of sense enjoyment and are bound by the fetters of māyā. They cool them with a nectar stream of bhagavat-kathā and rescue them from the well of material life with the rope of bhakti. Eager to lead the jīvas to Bhagavān, they are true sādhus and great souls. The association of such high-minded ones is potent like a philosopher’s stone. By the touch of a philosopher’s stone, iron is at once transformed into gold. In the same way, by the association of a great sādhu, a person’s desire-contaminated mind develops a longing for bhakti and becomes bright like gold. Through keeping company with sādhus and receiving their mercy, a person becomes eager for Bhagavān or shelter on the path of bhajana. Similarly, by constant sādhu-saṅga, the sādhaka’s bhajana-wealth increases and quickly produces prema. The reason is that by constant sādhu-saṅga, the sādhaka is blessed with smaraṇa, bhajana and the hearing and speaking of kṛṣṇa-kathā. The bhaktas who are devoted to rāgānugā-bhajana have no taste for anything other than kīrtana and smaraṇa. The following is written at the end of Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa (20.382):

evam ekāntināṁ prāyaḥ 

kīrtanaṁ smaraṇaṁ prabho |

kurvatāṁ parama-prītyā 

kṛtyam anyaṁ na rocate ||

     “Exclusively devoted rāgānugā-bhaktas worship with deep love through the kīrtana and smaraṇa limbs of bhakti. They have no taste for anything else.” Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, smaraṇa bhajana kṛṣṇa-kathā. If a person hears, sings and remembers the stories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with an innocent heart, prema-bhakti will quickly appear. At the appearance of prema-bhakti, the mind becomes pure and all the heart’s distress or misery born of worldly troubles is destroyed: prema-bhakti haya yadi, tabe haya manaḥ-śuddhi, tabe yāya hṛdayera byathā.

     We see in the bhakti-śāstras that the sādhaka’s mind becomes pure at the stage of anartha-nivṛtti. In that purified mind, he realizes his svarūpa and the afflictions of his heart are destroyed. Prema appears in the sādhaka’s purified heart and mind after he passes through the stages of niṣṭhā, ruci, āsakti and rati. But here, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has stated that mental purity comes after the appearance of prema and the afflictions of the heart are destroyed after that. The purport is that if a sādhaka obtains through constant sādhu-saṅga the good fortune of hearing about, singing about and remembering Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then prema appears in the person’s heart so quickly that it seems to first enter the impure mind, then purify it and finally end the misery caused by ignorance. For example, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.40, at the end of his discussion of the rāsa-līlā, the crown-jewel of all pastimes, Śrīpāda Śuka Muni described the effect of hearing about the rāsa-līlā.

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ

śraddhānvito’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ |

bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ

hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ ||

     “One who continuously listens with faith to narrations of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance and other romantic pastimes with the vraja-gopīs, and who then repeats and meditates upon them, soon obtains the ever-fresh, constant, supreme loving devotion that follows the gopikā’s mood of love for Kṛṣṇa. She then abandons her material desires, which are the disease of the heart, and quickly becomes steadfast.”

     In this verse also, he first speaks of attaining parā-bhakti or following the mood of the gopikās and then mentions the destruction of material desires, the disease of the heart. Regarding this, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in his Laghu-Toṣaṇī commentary: atra tu hṛd-rogāpahānāt pūrvam eva parama-bhakti-prāptiḥ; tasmāt parama-balavad evedaṁ sādhanam iti bhāvaḥ. Generally it is understood that prema appears after the heart-disease of material desire is destroyed through bhajana-sādhana. But there are also statements saying that through hearing and reciting the rāsa-līlā, parama-bhakti is attained before the destruction of material desires. Therefore, this should be understood as the best and most powerful sādhana for obtaining prema. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda wrote the following in his Sārārtha-Darśinī: parāṁ prema-lakṣaṇāṁ prāpyeti ktvā pratyayena hṛd-rogavaty apy adhikāriṇi prathamata eva premṇaḥ praveśas tatas tat-prabhāvenaivācirato hṛd-roga-nāśa iti premāyaṁ jñāna-yoga iva na durbalaḥ para-tantraś ceti bhāvaḥ. “By the use of the ktvā suffix, it is understood that prema first enters the hearts of those who still have material desires. Then, by the power of prema, those desires are soon destroyed like  darkness is destroyed by the light of a lamp. Therefore, bhakti-sādhana is completely independent. Unlike jñāna-sādhana and so on, it is not weak or dependent on anything else.”

     Some people may think that this benediction is for those who have firm faith, not for ordinary people of tender faith. Does the original verse not use the word śraddhānvitaḥ, meaning possessed of faith? But that is not what the Gosvāmīs mean. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda wrote, śraddhayā viśvāsenānvita iti; tad-viparītāvajñārūpāparādha-nivṛtty-arthaṁ ca nairantaryārthaṁ ca. “Here the word śraddhānvitaḥ has been used to indicate the cessation of actions that are offensive and contrary to faith, joined with the uninterrupted practice of hearing, chanting and so on. If, due to material consciousness, someone criticizes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā and other pastimes as being like the meetings of ordinary lovers, and if he also abstains from hearing and chanting, then he will develop no faith in those līlās. Though having taken shelter of the path of yugala-bhajana, those who, based on the word śraddhānvitaḥ, think themselves unqualified for such a powerful sādhana are unnecessarily deprived of it. Know that the only cause for this is their misfortune. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda wrote, ataeva śraddhānvita iti śāstrāviśvāsinaṁ nāmāparādhinaṁ premāpi nāṅgīkarotīti bhāvaḥ. “A person who has no faith in śāstra or is offensive to the Holy Name will never be accepted by prema.” Therefore, those who practice chanting śrī-nāma and have faith in the words of śāstra regarding the transcendental nature of śrī-nāma and līlā, meaning those who abandon nāmāparādha and accept śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma, can obtain prema. People who make an unnecessary uproar by saying that we are not qualified to hear rāsa-līlā, and who infuse excessive fear in the minds of the faithful who want to hear, are merely foolish or unfortunate.

     Anyway, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya first stated that kīrtana and smaraṇa of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are the most powerful sādhanas for attaining prema-bhakti, and then he discussed the purification of the mind and the destruction of the heart’s afflictions.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 104 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

প্রেমভক্তি-তত্ত্ব এই,        তোমারে কহিনু ভাই,

আর দুর্বাসনা পরিহরি ।

শ্রীগুরু-প্রসাদে ভাই,        এ সব ভজন পাই,

প্রেমভক্তি সখী-অনুচরী ॥ ১০৪ ॥

prema-bhakti-tattva ei,        tomāre kahinu bhāi,

āra durbāsanā parihari |

śrī-guru-prasāde bhāi,        e saba bhajana pāi,

prema-bhakti sakhī-anucarī || 104 ||

     Brother mind! I have explained the nature of prema-bhakti to you. Now you must give up your inauspicious desires. By Śrī Guru’s mercy, one gets shelter on the path of bhajana and attains prema-bhakti as the follower of a sakhī.

Prema-Bhakti: Following the Sakhīs

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says to his own mind, prema-bhakti tattva ei, tomāre kahinu bhāi. “Brother mind, I have told you everything about prema-bhakti.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya addresses his mind as brother. Just as two brothers equally suffer the misery of poverty or the enjoyment of their parents’ riches, in the same way, if the soul is deprived of the treasure of prema, it suffers the misery of poverty in the form of worldly distress. The mind then also must suffer in a similar way. If the soul obtains the treasure of prema, it becomes eligible to taste bhakti-rasa. Then the mind also, having abandoned its worldliness, becomes spiritual and is blessed with an experience of Bhagavān’s unparalleled sweetness. Therefore, by addressing his mind as brother, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is teaching the sādhakas of the world that after convincing the mind that it will receive the same happiness and distress as the soul, every sādhaka must take up the path of prema-sādhana. The mind, king of senses, is the best ally of bhajana-sādhana.

     Until now in this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, everything Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has discussed has been in regard to prema-bhakti or sādhya-sādhana-tattva (knowledge of the goal and how to attain it). The association of great souls, the mercy of great souls, eagerness for Bhagavān, faith, taking refuge, the shelter of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, service to Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, sādhana-bhajana, the nine kinds of bhakti, impediments to bhajana, niṣṭhā, ruci, āsakti, rati, prema, mahābhāva (the highest level of prema), mañjarī-bhāva-sādhana, nāma-tattva, dhāma-tattva, rasa-tattva and so on have all been discussed. If a sādhaka seriously studies this Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā with rapt attention, he or she will be able to understand and realize all the secrets of bhakti-sādhana. Of this there is no doubt. The author has revealed the profound mysteries of bhajana-sādhana in such a simple, natural way, and in so few words, that it is as though he is taking the sādhakas by the hand and leading them to the kingdom of prema-bhakti. Therefore, he says to his mind, “Brother mind, I have given all knowledge of prema-bhakti to you in a simple, natural way. Now, āra durbāsanā parihari; you must abandon the bad karma-saṁskāras* that have accumulated due to beginningless ignorance.” The bad actions of previous births produce bad saṁskāras or impressions that are established in a person’s mind. These bad saṁskāras awaken in the person’s heart the inclination to engage in bad actions. When the mind is attracted in such a way to bad actions, a person becomes unable to rescue himself by his own endeavors from the grip of irresistible wicked desires. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya informs us of the only way to give up inauspicious desires and take shelter on the path of bhajana: śrī-guru-prasāde bhāi, e saba bhajana pāi

     “O brother mind! By the mercy of Śrī Guru, a person gives up his wicked desires and is blessed with shelter on the path of pure bhajana.” In his description of the sixty-four limbs of bhajana in Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda said that taking shelter of Śrī Guru, receiving dīkṣā and instructions, and serving Śrī Guru with faith comprise the main gateway to the path of bhakti. Bhagavad-bhakti or bhajana cannot be accomplished by any means without the mercy or grace of Śrī Guru. This is the unanimous conclusion of all the śāstras and mahājanas. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, tat-prasādo hi sva-sva-nānā-pratīkāra-dustyajānartha-hānau parama-bhagavat-prasāda-siddhau ca mūlam (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 237). “It is difficult to give up anarthas through self-made remedies. The main cause of the destruction of anarthas and the attainment of Bhagavān’s supreme grace is the grace of Śrī Guru.” Therefore, śrī-guru-caraṇānāṁ nityam eva viśeṣataḥ sevāṁ kuryāt (ibid). “To give up his wicked desires and attain the treasure of bhajana, the sādhaka shall always seek Śrī Guru’s mercy by serving him or her in specific ways.”

     It is not that by the mercy of Śrī Gurudeva only the sādhaka’s bad desires or anarthas will be destroyed and she will attain the great fortune of bhajana. Beyond that, the sādhaka will soon attain prema and be blessed with the treasure of her desired sevā. prema-bhakti sakhī-anucarī. After attaining prema-bhakti, by Śrī Guru’s mercy the sādhaka takes birth in her internally conceived mañjarī-svarūpa from the womb of a gopī in Vraja. There she will get the companionship and mercy of the nitya-siddha sakhīs and mañjarīs. By following them as their attendant, she will be blessed with the confidential nikuñja-sevā of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. After taking shelter of Śrīnivāsācārya Prabhu and receiving his mercy, King Vīrahāmbira of Vanaviṣṇupura sang the following:

prabhu mora śrīnibāsa, pūrāile manera āśa, tuyā pade ke baliba āra |

āchinu biṣaya-kīṭa, baḍai lāgita miṭha, ghucāile rāja-ahaṅkāra ||

karitu garala-pāna, se bhela dāhina bāma, dekhāilā amiyāra dhāra |

piba piba kare mana, saba lāge ucāṭana, emati tomāra byabahāra ||

rādhā-pada sudhā-rāśi, se pade karilā dāsī, gorā-pade bāṅdhi dilā cita |

rādhikāra guṇa saha, dekhāilā kuñja-geha, śikhāilā duṅhu prema-rīta ||

kālindīra kūle yāi, sakhī-saṅge dhāoyā dhāi, rāi-kānu biharaye sukhe |

e bīrahāmbira hiyā, braja-pura sadā dheyā, yāṅhā ali uḍe lākhe lākhe ||

     “Śrīnivāsa, my master! You fulfilled my heart’s desire. What more shall I submit at your lotus feet? I was a worm in the muck of worldly enjoyment, thinking it all to be sweet. You removed my pride in being king. I used to drink poison, but that has all changed. You revealed a stream of nectar and encouraged me by saying, ‘Drink, drink!’ Thus is your behavior. Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet are an ocean of nectar. You made me a maidservant of those lotus feet. You bound my mind to Gaurāṅga’s lotus feet. You told me of Rādhikā’s virtues and showed me the cottage in the bower. You taught me the nature of their love. Along with the sakhīs, I chase after Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa as they joyfully sport on the banks of the Yamunā. May this Vīrahāmbira always remember the village of Vraja, where bumblebees fly in great numbers.”

*Saṁskāras are impressions on the mind of acts done in a former state of existence. (Monier-Williams)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 103 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

গোবিন্দ গোকুলচন্দ্র,        পরম আনন্দকন্দ,

পরিবার-গোপ-গোপী-সঙ্গে ।

নন্দীশ্বর যাঁর ধাম,        গিরিধারী যাঁর নাম,

সখী-সঙ্গে তাঁরে ভজ রঙ্গে ॥ ১০৩ ॥

gobinda gokulacandra,        parama ānandakanda,

paribāra-gopa-gopī-saṅge |

nandīśvara yāṅra dhāma,        giridhārī yāṅra nāma,

sakhī-saṅge tāṅre bhaja raṅge || 103 ||

     Śrī Govinda is the moon of Gokula and the source of the highest joy. He lives in Nandīśvara and is also known as Giridhārī. Lovingly worship him in the company of his family, cowherd friends and girlfriends.

The Joy of Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: After describing love-filled yugala-bhajana, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now explains the way to perform it. gobinda gokulacandra, parama ānandakanda, paribāra-gopa-gopī-saṅge. The name Govinda means one whose senses have attained Śrī Rādhārāṇī. He is the embodiment of concentrated joy, but the mahājanas have sung of his condition when he longs to meet with Śrī Rādhā. From the Pada-Kalpa-Taru:

cānda nehāri, candane tanu lepai, tāpa sahai nā pāra |

dhabala nicola, bahai nāhi pārai, kaiche karaba abhisāra ||

sundari! to binu ākula kāna |

birahe kṣīṇa tanu, anukhana jara jara, jībaite bidhi bhela bāma ||

yatanahi megha, mallāra ālāpai, timira payāna gati āśe |

āota jalada, tatahi uḍi yāota, utapata dīgha niśāse ||

tuyā guṇa nāma, gāma japi jībai, bahu pulakāyita dehā |

gobinda dāsa kaha, iha aparūpa naha, yāṅhā iha naba naba lehā ||

     “After seeing the full moon, he smears his body with sandalwood paste; he cannot bear the heat. Unable to tolerate even a white cādara,* how can he meet with his lover? O beautiful one, Kṛṣṇa is distraught without you. His body has become thin in separation from you. He is tormented at every moment and fate has turned against him. Hoping to go on abhisāra** in the darkness, he carefully plays rāga megha-mallāra on his flute. (The clouds appear when this rāga is played.) The clouds come, but Śyāma blows them away with his long, hot breaths. He sustains his life by reciting your names and qualities; his body erupts in goosebumps. Govinda Dāsa says, ‘This is no surprise where there is ever-fresh love.’”

     Or, the well-known meaning of the name Govinda is “the king of the cows.” Govinda and his friends daily herd countless cows to the slopes of Govardhana Hill to graze them. After turning over responsibility for the cows to his friends, he goes to the banks of Śrī Rādhā-Kuṇḍa to meet with Śrī Rādhārāṇī and her girlfriends. There, they freely engage in various kinds of romantic pastimes. The purpose of Govinda’s grazing pastime is to attain Śrī Rādhārāṇī. He said, rākhāla laiyā bane, sadā phiri dhenu sane, tuyā lāgi bane banacārī (Pada-Kalpa-Taru). “Because of you, Kṛṣṇa always goes to the forest with his gopa friends to graze the cows.” The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas worship this form of Govinda with love, meaning absorbed in their own siddha-svarūpas, the sādhakas meditate on the sweet līlā of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava submerged in the play of śṛṅgāra-rasa.*** Within that līlā, they contemplate their loving service to the Divine Couple. In Pada-Kalpa-Taru, a sakhī describes Śrīmatī’s condition during pūrva-rāga**** to Gokulacandra:

kāñcana-gaurī, bhorī bṛndābane, khelai sahacarī meli |

tuyā diṭhi miṭhi, garale tanu jārala, taikhane śyāmarī bheli ||

mādhaba! so abicala kula-rāmā |

maramahi goi, roi dina yāminī, guṇi guṇi tuyā guṇa-gāmā ||

gurujana abudha, mugadha-mati parijana, alakhita biṣama beyādhi |

ki karaba dhanī maṇi, mantra-mahauṣadhi, locane lāgala samādhi ||

kheṇe kheṇe aṅga, bhaṅga tanu moḍai, kahata bharamamaya bāṇī |

śyāmara nāme, camaki tanu jhāṅpai, gobinda-dāsa kiye jāni ||

     “Lovely, fair-skinned Rādhā sports with her girlfriends in Vṛndāvana. Poisoned by your sweet glance, her body has become emaciated. She is dark and despondent. Mādhava! This faithful, noble girl secretly cries day and night, thinking always of your virtues. Her elders are unaware, her friends and family bewildered. Her terrible disease goes unnoticed. Will gems, mantras or herbs help a beautiful girl whose eyes are lost in you? Her every movement or gesture reveals her lethargy. Her speech is delusional. Hearing the name ‘Śyāma,’ she is startled and her body jumps. How can Govinda Dāsa understand such things?” 

     After attaining Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Govinda floats in an ocean of bliss. After attaining Gokulacandra, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is immersed in a sea of happiness. A mahājana sang the following in Pada-Kalpa-Taru:

tanu tanu milane upajala prema | marakata yaichana beḍhala hema ||

kanaka-latāye janu taruṇa tamāla | naba jaladhare janu bijurī rasāla ||

kamale madhupa yena pāola saṅga | duṅhu tanu pulakita prema-taraṅga ||

duṅhu adharāmṛta duṅhu karu pāna | gobinda dāsa duṅhuka guṇa-gāna ||

     “With their two bodies in union, prema arose. Together they appeared like an emerald encircled by gold, a young tamāla tree embraced by a golden vine, a streak of lightning on a newly formed raincloud, or a black bee with a golden lotus. Both their bodies were delighted by waves of love; both drank the nectar of each other’s lips. Govinda Dāsa sings of their wonderful qualities.”

     In this way, Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava are paramānanda-kanda, meaning they are the source of the highest joy. A stream of the flower nectar of supreme happiness flows incessantly from their lotus feet. Śrīman Mahāprabhu descended to save the souls of kali-yuga. Along with the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas who are sheltered at his feet, he has pointed the joy-seeking jīvas toward a fountain of this paramānanda-rasa. Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda wrote the following in Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta 6.30-32:

mahāścaryāṁ rītiṁ dṛśi vacasi gatyādiṣu dadhan

mahāpremāveśonmada-madana-vaivaśya-madhuram |

aho yatraivānandati sahaja-kaiśorakam aho

dvayaṁ gaura-śyāmaṁ tad udayati vṛndāvanam idam ||

vicinvantaṁ nīlān alaka-nikarāṁś cāru-karajair

vijighrantaṁ phullad-vadana-kanakāmbhojam asakṛt |

vicumbantaṁ bimbādharam asakṛd unnamya cibukaṁ 

nidhāyāṅke rādhāṁ smara madana-mūrtiṁ madhu-patim ||

aho gaura-śyāme madhura-madhure divya-mahasī 

kiśore sarvāṅgotthita-madana-bādhātivivaśe |

rati-krīḍāmbhodhāv ativiharatī pāra-rahite 

subhāvaiḥ śrī-vṛndāvana-nava-nikuñjeṣu bhajata ||

     “Śrī Vṛndāvana is very beautiful. There, fair Rādhā and dark Kṛṣṇa joyfully reveal their astonishing natures through their eyes, speech, movements and so on. They are deeply in love and their sweet adolescent forms are helpless against the impassioned god of love. Meditate on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of the god of love and the leader of the Madhu dynasty. After taking Śrī Rādhā on his lap, Kṛṣṇa affectionately arranges her dark locks of hair with his graceful fingers. He repeatedly smells her cheerful, golden lotus face, then lifts her chin and kisses her reddish lips again and again. Aho! The beautiful Gaura-Śyāma Yugala are sweeter than sweet. Their limbs are overwhelmed by love’s afflictions. They always play in the infinite ocean of love-sports. Take shelter of madhura-bhāva and worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa as they enjoy the newly blossomed bowers of Śrī Vṛndāvana.”

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, paribāra-gopa-gopī-saṅge; nandīśvara yāṅra dhāma, giridhārī yāṅra nāma, sakhī-saṅge tāṅre bhaja raṅge. “Śrī Govinda is the moon of Gokula and the source of the highest joy. He lives in Nandīśvara and is also known as Giridhārī. Lovingly worship him in the company of his family, cowherd friends and girlfriends.” For the full nourishment of madhura-rasa, Kṛṣṇa must be worshiped in connection with his mother, father, relatives, friends and so on. The sādhaka should meditate on serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava along with their companions. Śrī Rādhārāṇī comes to Nandīśvara daily to cook for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The sādhaka in mañjarī-bhāva contemplates herself as being with Śrī Rādhā at all times. The sādhaka must meditate on performing service in his internally conceived siddha-svarūpa to Kṛṣṇa’s mother, father, relatives, friends, gopas and gopīs at Nandīśvara. Śrī Kṛṣṇa performs pastimes such as the lifting of Govardhana Hill in order to see Śrī Rādhārāṇī for an extended time. All of the Vrajavāsīs are there together and Rādhā’s kiṅkarī maintains the appropriate respect, affection and devotion toward each of them. Specifically, the sādhaka joyfully contemplates himself as one of Rādhā’s maidservants rendering sevā to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and their sakhīs in the bowers. The sādhaka is blessed at the time of siddhi with the service he contemplated during sādhana, now performed directly in the kingdom of līlā.

* A sheet of cloth worn over the body, in this case, to hide him from the bright light of the full moon

** A lover’s journey to meet with his or her beloved.

*** The erotic sentiment

**** Amorous attraction felt even before two lovers meet

Silence is Golden

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 102 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

ঈশ্বরের তত্ত্ব যত,        তাহা বা কহিব কত,

অনন্ত অপার কেবা জানে ।

ব্রজপুরে প্রেম সত্য,        এই সে পরম-তত্ত্ব,

ভজ ভজ অনুরাগ মনে ॥ ১০২ ॥

īśvarera tattva yata,        tāhā bā kahiba kata,

ananta apāra kebā jāne |

braja-pure prema satya,        ei se parama-tattva,

bhaja bhaja anurāga mane || 102 ||

     What can I say of the nature of God? He is eternal and boundless. Who can understand? In Vraja, love is real. This is the supreme truth. Constantly worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with love.

The Highest Reality

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Previously, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, līlā-rasa sadā gāna; prārthanā kariba sadā, lālasā abhīṣṭa-kathā, ihā binā sakali anartha, and so on. Now, the question may be asked that if someone is constantly hearing, chanting and remembering Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlā-rasa, when will she hear, chant and remember his philosophy and glories? Moreover, verse 97 says, jagat byāpaka hari, aja bhaba-ājñākārī, madhura mūrati līlā-kathā; ei tattva jāne yei, parama uttama sei, tāra saṅga kariba sarbathā. “Śrī Hari pervades the entire world and is its eternal ruler. The stories of his pastimes embody his sweetness. Those who know this are the greatest devotees and I shall always seek their association.” Is this saying that the experience of rasa or līlā rests upon the foundation of philosophy and divine power? The venerable author has introduced this verse due to the likelihood of such a question.

     First, he says, īśvarera tattva yata, tāhā bā kahiba kata, ananta apāra kebā jāne. The essential nature of God is that he is eternal and boundless. The ocean of his glory is shoreless and difficult to be entered. No one can cross it. In his prayers to Śrī Bhagavān in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.11, the creator of the universe Lord Brahmā said the following:

kvāhaṁ tamo-mahad-ahaṁ-kha-carāgni-vār-bhū-

saṁveṣṭitāṇḍa-ghaṭa-sapta-vitasti-kāyaḥ |

kvedṛg-vidhāvigaṇitāṇḍa-parāṇu-caryā 

vātādhva-roma-vivarasya ca te mahitvam ||

     “O Bhagavān! Where am I? I live in a body measuring seven handspans in a universe surrounded by eight coverings of primordial matter, cosmic intelligence, ego, space, air, fire, water and earth. Countless universes whirl in every pore of your skin like particles of dust in a stream of light. Such is your glory. Therefore, before you, I am insignificant.” In this way, Brahmā described the infinite nature of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, pastimes and so on. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.7 says the following in relation to his qualities:

guṇātmanas te’pi guṇān vimātuṁ

 hitāvatīrṇasya ka īśire’sya |

kālena yair vā vimitāḥ sukalpair

 bhū-pāṁśavaḥ khe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ ||

     “O Lord! Who can count your qualities? You, the ruler of all qualities, have incarnated for the good of the world. Even great yogīs capable of counting the particles of dust on earth, the dew-drops in the air and the stars in the heavens are unable to enumerate all of your attributes.” Brahmā describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s endless pastimes in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.21:

ko vetti bhūman bhagavan parātman 

yogeśvarotīr bhavatas trilokyām |

kva vā kathaṁ vā kati vā kadeti 

vistārayan krīḍasi yogamāyām ||

     “O unlimited one! O one endowed with all majesty! O universal soul! O possessor of inconceivable power! When you extend your unimaginable energy called yogamāyā to reveal your amazing pastimes, who can understand how, when, where or how many?” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.38, Brahmā said,

jānanta eva jānantu 

kiṁ bahūktyā na me prabho |

manaso vapuṣo vāco 

vaibhavaṁ tava gocaraḥ ||

     “O Bhagavān! What more can I say? Let those who claim to know your greatness continue to think so. Your glories, however, are beyond the reach of my body, mind and words.”

     Brahmā is the creator and original guru of the world. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories are beyond the reach of Brahmā’s body, mind and words, it need not be said that they are beyond the reach of others. A bhakta who yearns to taste mādhurya should focus on experiencing the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s forms, qualities, pastimes and so on rather than spending a great amount of time studying philosophy. But it is not that philosophical discussions are entirely discouraged. They are favorable for one devoted to mādhurya to the extent that they support the tasting of līlā-rasa. If one becomes too much engrossed in philosophical discussions, he will be deprived of the joy of tasting līlā-rasa that he so desires. This is the gist of the Sandarbhas.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, braja-pure prema satya, ei se parama-tattva, bhaja bhaja anurāga mane. The simple meaning of the word prema is love, but no one should think that prema is like ordinary worldly love. Prema is love for God. Prema is the essential faculty of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śaktis (innate powers) called hlādinī and saṁvit. When that spiritual faculty mixes with the heart and mind of a bhakta, it is known as prema. Therefore, words referring to worldly love such as homeland-prema, father-prema, brother-prema and so on merely abuse the word prema.

     Prema means love of Bhagavān, and because prema is a faculty of the spiritual energy, it is not a transitory thing like mundane love. It is the supreme, imperishable truth. But here, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says braja-pure prema satya. Because of this, one may think that vraja-prema is real and the prema of Vaikuṇṭha, Ayodhyā, Dvārakā and so on is not, but that is not what he means. The prema of the devotees in all of Bhagavān’s abodes is real. He is saying here that pure love is only seen in Vraja. Because the prema of the other dhāmas is mixed with aiśvarya-jñāna, the bhaktas feel reverence and hesitation toward Śrī Bhagavān. In the pure love of Vraja, the bhāva of the vraja-bhaktas toward Śrī Bhagavān is that he is “my son, my friend, my lover.” It is free from even a whiff of aiśvarya-jñāna. Except for Vraja, prema is everywhere designated as a form of aiśvarya-jñāna. Pure or true love is only seen in Vraja.

     The meaning of ei se parama-tattva is that because prema has its fullest manifestation in Vraja, the highest truth is vraja-prema. Or, ei se parama-tattva means that the highest category of prema is properly expressed in vraja-prema. Wherever there is an excess of awe and reverence born of aiśvarya, there will be an equal reduction in the delight of prema. Prema wants to remove hesitation from the heart. If hesitation produced by awe and reverence appears, it is as though prema’s heart is broken. In close embrace, the bhakta and Bhagavān float continuously in a stream of sweetness within prema. This is a special characteristic of prema. This bhāva is not found anywhere other than in vraja-prema because the highest category of prema only exists here. The sweet love of Vraja is above all others. One characteristic  of prema has been described as such: sarvathā dhvaṁsa-rahitaṁ saty api dhvaṁsa-kāraṇe, yad-bhāva-bandhanaṁ yūnoḥ sa premā parikīrtitaḥ. “The bond of love between a young man and young woman is called prema when despite there being hundreds of reasons for them to break up, they stay together.” The principle of prema reaches its zenith in the mutual love of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, because there, nā so ramaṇa nā hāma ramaṇī, duṅhu mana manobhaba peṣala jāni (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.194). “He is not the ramaṇa (boyfriend) and I am not the ramaṇī (girlfriend). The god of love has pressed our hearts together.” Prema has merged Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s hearts as though into one. The goal of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is to worship this ultimate truth, yugala-prema, in the mood of Śrī Rādhā’s maidservants. Therefore, to inspire them to attain the love-filled life of bhajana, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, bhaja bhaja anurāga mane. “Constantly worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with love.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 101 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

আন কথা না বলিব,        আন কথা না শুনিব,

সকলি করিব পরমার্থ ।

প্রার্থনা করিব সদা,        লালসা অভীষ্টকথা,

ইহা বিনা সকলি অনর্থ ॥ ১০১ ॥

āna kathā nā baliba,        āna kathā nā śuniba,

sakali kariba paramārtha |

prārthanā kariba sadā,        lālasā abhīṣṭa-kathā,

ihā binā sakali anartha || 101 ||

टीका—परमार्थ–श्रीकृष्णभक्तिः

     I will neither speak nor hear of any other topic; I will devote everything to the highest truth. I will always pray longingly to hear the stories of my deity. Other than this, all talk is useless.

Longing for One’s Cherished Deity

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya prayed that the sole object of his devotion in life and death would be the lotus feet of Yugala-Kiśora Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. In this verse, he resolves to dedicate the actions of his external and internal senses to the service of the Supreme Truth Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and to abandon all concerns other than Kṛṣṇa, considering them to be useless. First, he says, āna kathā nā baliba, āna kathā nā śuniba, sakali kariba paramārtha. Other than discussions about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti and the bhaktas, discussions about things such as karma, jñāna, yoga, wealth, supernatural powers, liberation and so on are all āna kathā or ‘other talk.’ Hearing or speaking about these topics causes the mind to be distracted and keeps it absorbed in matters other than Kṛṣṇa. The jīvas, bound by māyā and indifferent to Śrī Kṛṣṇa since beginningless time, have become worldly-minded and devoid of spiritual knowledge. Because of this, they have obtained this miserable material condition. kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jība anādi-bahirmukha, ataeba māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 20.117). The origin of this material disease is forgetfulness of Bhagavān; all the śāstras have declared the remedy for this to be remembrance of him. The following is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.12.55:

avismṛtiḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ 

kṣiṇoty abhadrāṇi ca śaṁ tanoti |

sattvasya śuddhiṁ paramātma-bhaktiṁ 

jñānaṁ ca vijñāna-virāga-yuktam ||

     “Constant remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet destroys inauspicious or worldly desires born of aversion to him and awakens auspiciousness or eagerness for his lotus feet. It creates apathy toward matters other than Kṛṣṇa and increases prema-bhakti and divine realization.” When divine realization and apathy toward matters other than Kṛṣṇa arise in the pure mind devoid of attachment and aversion, then uninterrupted remembrance of Kṛṣṇa occurs. This is called dhruvānusmṛti, which is synonymous with darśana or direct knowledge and which is the immediate and best means to meet Bhagavān. At the beginning of his Śrī-Bhāṣya, Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya said the following about dhruvānusmṛti: bhavati ca smṛter bhāvanā prakarṣād darśana-rūpatā. “When meditation becomes very deep and one’s thoughts are concentrated and harmonious, free from any stream of unrelated ideas, then knowledge having the nature of smaraṇa* is transformed into direct knowledge.”

     Śrī Bhagavān has repeatedly described the glories of smaraṇa in Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā. For example, verse 8.14:

ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ |

tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ ||

     “O Pārtha! I am easy to obtain for the devoted yogī who constantly remembers me with a concentrated mind.”

     And again in verse 9.22:

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate |

teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham ||

     “For those who constantly and exclusively think of me and worship me, I provide what they need and protect what they have.” Therefore, he said to Arjuna, tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām anusmara (8.7). “Thus, Arjuna, remember me at every moment.” Because speaking and hearing about other topics are invariably impediments to the glorious smaraṇa limb of bhajana, he resolves to abandon them completely.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, sakali kariba paramārtha. He vows to devote all efforts of his body and mind to śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhakti, the highest goal of life. The lesson for the sādhakas in this is that they must try to dedicate all their physical, verbal and mental endeavors to śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. No action that is unfavorable to bhajana should be done with the body. There should be no words spoken that hinder bhajana and one should not think about anything that is detrimental to bhajana. Regarding the process of śaraṇāgati (taking shelter), the śāstras and great sages have instructed through the analogy of selling a cow that the body and all things related should be employed for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. A person who buys a cow feeds and protects her, and the cow provides a service for him, not for the person who sold her. In the same way, a sheltered sādhaka dedicates his body, mind and soul to Śrī Bhagavān and devotes all of his efforts to śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. With the help of divine power, nothing is unattainable for someone who in every respect gives up self-reliance and actions born of weakness.** After handing the burden over to God, such a person performs his work in a carefree way, meaning Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the center of inspiration for all action, dwells in his heart and causes him to perform his work. tavāsmīti vadana vācā, tathaiva manasā vidan; tat-sthānam āśritas tanvā, modate śaraṇāgataḥ. “The surrendered sādhaka says, ‘O Bhagavān! I am yours.’ Having said it with his mouth, he also knows it in his mind. With his body he takes shelter of Śrī Bhagavān’s pastime places and remains there in joy.” All of his bodily and mental efforts are paramārtha, meaning they are performed for the sake of śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhakti. The sādhakas must first put in some effort; after that, everything gradually becomes spontaneous.

After that, he says, prārthanā kariba sadā, lālasā abhīṣṭa-kathā, ihā binā sakali anartha. “I will always pray that a longing to hear the stories of my beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava is born in me. Other than this, all talk is useless for bhajana.” For rāgānugā-sādhakas who are absorbed in līlā-rasa, all discourse other than talk of their cherished deity’s pastimes is worthless. The internal bhajana of rāgānugā-sādhakas is contemplation of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s aṣṭa-kālīya-līlā while conceiving of themselves as residents of Vraja. They meditate on performing their own services within their meditation on the pastimes. At the time of maturity, sādhane bhābiba yāhā, siddha-dehe pāba tāhā. “That which I contemplate in sādhana, I will attain in the siddha-deha.” By following this method, they obtain directly in the kingdom of līlā the service they think about in their internally conceived siddha-svarūpas. Therefore, in rāga-bhajana, it is inappropriate for them to nourish a desire for anything other than the līlā-kathā of their chosen deity. Everything else is useless for their bhajana. Without the mercy of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, the sādhaka is unable to free himself from the influence of anarthas and maintain the desire to hear līlā-kathā. For this reason, they pray constantly at Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet. The sādhaka’s plaintive prayer unlocks the deity’s mercy and he or she is blessed to attain the deity without delay.

*Smaraṇa means remembrance, recollection, reflection, meditation, etc.

**An example of this might be the Gajendra story in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 2.