Sri Brahma Samhita
FIFTH CHAPTER
TRANSLATION
The three worlds have been created from
nine elements,
namely earth, water, fire, air, space, the
directions, time,
the mind and soul. I worship the original
personality, Çré
Govinda, from whom the elements have
originated, in
whom they are situated after their
manifestation, and into
whom they enter at the time of the cosmic
annihilation.
2 7 4
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Everything is clear.
TÄTPARYA
The entire universe is composed of nothing
but the five gross
elements – earth, water, fire, air and
space – plus the directions,
time, the jévätmä, and the mental
principle allied with the conditioned
soul’s subtle body, which consists of
mind, intelligence
and false ego. Those following the path of
fruitive activities offer
sacrificial oblations into the fire. Such
materialistic jévas do not
know anything more than the perceptible
world of these nine
essential realities. The jïänés engaged
in the cultivation of dry
impersonal knowedge are searching for the
self in the form of
the state of self-satisfaction, and the
living entity is himself that
ätmä. The säìkhya philosophical system calls this world prakåti
and says that the ätmä or self is
situated within it. In other words,
the principles defined by all kinds of
philosophers are included
within the nine tattvas. Thus, Çré
Govinda is exclusively the original
cause and repose of the creation,
maintenance and annihilation
of the sum total of these tattvas.
verse 51
2 7 5
Verse 52
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yac-cakñur eña savitä sakala-grahäëäà
räjä samasta-sura-mürtir açeña-tejäù
yasyäjïayä bhramati sambhåta-käla-cakro
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
Anvaya
aham bhajämi – I perform bhajana; tam –
of that; ädi-puruñam
govindam – original Supreme Person, Çré Govinda; eñaù
savitä –
Süryadeva (the sungod); yat-cakñuù –
who functions as His eye (in
other words he illuminates the entire
universe, thereby providing the
power of sight); räjä – (is) the
king; sakala-grahänäm – of all the planets;
samasta-sura-mürtiù – regulator of all the demigods; açeña-tejaù
–
possessed of limitless potency; yasya
äjïayä – on account of Govinda’s
order; bhramati – he travels; sambhåta
– sustaining; käla-cakraù – the
wheel of time.
TRANSLATION
Süryadeva, the predominating deity of the
sun, is the king
of all the planets, and is likened to the
eye of this world.
I worship the original personality, Çré Govinda, upon
whose order the sun travels in his regular
orbit, having
mounted the wheel of time.
2 7 6
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Some people say that Süryadeva is the
controller of all, and the
original person. The actual nature of the
sun-god is being analyzed
in this çloka beginning yac-cakñuù,
in order to resolve this
misconception. Factually, he is the king
of all the planets, full of
infinite effulgence, and he acts as the
eye of the universe. He is a
demigod who has been invested with special
authority by Çré
Govinda; he is not an independent or
separate god. Indeed, it is
in accordance with Çré Govinda’s order
that he mounts the wheel
of time and always remains dedicated to
his service. This has also
been described in Bhagavad-gétä (15.12):
yad-äditya-gataà tejo
jagad bhäsayate ’khilam
yac-candramasi yac-cägnau
tat-tejo viddhi mämakam
All the power in the sun that illuminates
the whole universe is certainly
only My power, and so is the power of the
moon and of fire.
Similarly, in the çruti we find: “bhéñäsmäd
vätaù parvate
bhéñodeti süryaù – the wind blows out of fear of Me, and
the sun
shines out of fear of Me.” Furthermore, it
is stated in Çrémad-
Bhägavatam (3.25.42):
mad-bhayäd väti väto ’yaà
süryas tapati mad-bhayät
varñaténdro dahaty agnir
måtyuç carati mad-bhayät
The wind blows out of fear of Me, the sun
shines out of fear of Me,
Indra sends the rain out of fear of Me,
fire incinerates out of fear
of Me, and death continuously traverses
back and forth throughout
the world out of fear of Me.
The commentary on this verse explains Çré
Bhagavän’s
words as follows: “If any of them inflict
any kind of difficulty
verse 52
2 7 7
whatsoever upon My devotee, I do not delay
in withdrawing
their authority.”
na tatra süryo bhäti na candra-tärakaà
nemo vidyuto bhänti kuto ’yam agniù
tam eva bhäntam anubhäti sarvaà
tasya bhäsä sarvam idaà vibhäti
Katha Upaniñad (2.2.15)
Although the sun, moon, stars, lightning
and fire illuminate everything,
they cannot illuminate Bhagavän or His
abode.
Descriptions such as this verse 52 of Brahma-saàhitä,
defining
Sürya as the eye of the universal form,
are found in many places
throughout the Vedas.
TÄTPARYA
Many followers of the Vedas worship
Süryadeva and consider
him to be Brahman. Süryadeva has also been
included among
the five demigods who are worshiped
according to the system of
païcopäsanä. Some people consider heat to be the
original
cause, and believe Süryadeva to be the
original personality,
because he is the foundation of all heat
and therefore the cause
of the universe. Whatever opinion they may
hold, the fact is that
the sun is the presiding deity of only one
solar system, empowered
with the aggregate of all the material
heat therein.
Therefore, he is one demigod among the
delegated authorities of
the mundane world. He always remains
absorbed in his service
according to the order of Çré Govinda.
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 7 8
Verse 53
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czãkfndhVirxkoèk;'p thok% A
;íÙkek=foHkoizdVizHkkok
xksfoUnekfniq#"ka rega Hktkfe û ‡…û
dharmo ’tha päpa-nicayaù çrutayas tapäàsi
brahmädi-kéöa-patagävadhayaç ca jéväù
yad-datta-mätra-vibhava-prakaöa-prabhävä
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
Anvaya
aham bhajämi – I perform bhajana; tam –
of that; ädi-puruñam
govindam – original Supreme Person, Çré Govinda; yat-datta-mätravibhava
– who merely by His power of endowment; prakaöaprabhäväù
– are manifest the respective potencies; dharmaù
– of pious
activities i.e. varëa- and äçrama-dharmas
as described in the Vedas;
atha – and; päpa-nicayaù – the multitude of sins; çrutayaù
– the Åg,
Säma, Yajur and Atharva Vedas, as well as the
Upaniñads, which are
the crest-jewels of the Vedas; tapäàsi –
the various austerities; ca jéväù
– and the living beings; brahmä-ädi –
beginning from the great Brahmä;
avadhayaù – down to; kéöa-pataga – the
insignificant birds and insects.
TRANSLATION
I worship that original personality, Çré
Govinda, whose
power of endowment alone manifests the
respective
potencies in the principles of religious
conduct, sinful
activities, the Vedas, various austerities
and all living
entities from Brahmä down to the most
insignificant
insect.
2 7 9
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 8 0
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
What remains to be said on this topic? In
this world of repeated
birth and death, there are so many forms
of religious conduct
and sinful activities, as well as all the
various living beings. All of
these manifest their own potency or
prowess, which are all
bestowed by Bhagavän alone. Otherwise they
have not the
slightest independent capacity to show
their own potency. It is
also stated in Bhagavad-gétä (10.8):
ahaà sarvasya prabhavo
mattaù sarvaà pravartate
I am the source from which everything
emanates, and I am also
the inspiration for all things.
TÄTPARYA
The principles of religious conduct (dharma)
are those which
have been prescribed in the Vedas as
proper conduct for the
welfare of human society. The twenty dharma-çästras
describe
varëa-dharma and äçrama-dharma. Varëa-dharma means
religious duties prescribed according to
the various natures of
priests and intellectuals (brähmaëas),
warriors and administrators
(kñatriyas), farmers, traders and
merchants (vaiçyas), and
artisans and workers (çüdras). Äçrama-dharma
means the duties
that are suitable for the respective
spiritual orders (äçramas) of
those living as celibate students (brahmacärés),
householders
(gåhasthas), retired ascetics (vänaprasthas)
and renounced mendicants
(sannyasés). These two forms of dharma
(according to
varëa and äçrama) alone have been ascertained to be proper
conduct for those in the human form of
life. Adharma (irreligion),
as indicated by the words päpa-nicayaù,
refers to all the
various types of sin, including ignorance,
which is the root of sin;
sinful desires; the five heinous sins;39
serious crimes such as
murder, rape, adultery, robbery and so on;
and all other forms of
illicit behavior. One should understand çrutayaù
to mean the Åg,
Säma, Yajur and Atharva Vedas, along with the
Upaniñads,
which are considered the head of the body
of çruti. The word
tapäàsi refers to the many various types of difficult practices
that
are characteristically meant for dharma,
religious progress. Many
instructions have been written in the dharma-çästras
regarding
such troublesome and painful practice. In
many places the process
of “five fires”40 and other great
austerities and penances are
described. The eightfold yoga process and
the pursuit of impersonal
spiritual realization are included within
the category of austerities.
The word jéväù refers to all the
conditioned souls who
are bound within this world on the wheel
of fruitive activities.
The conditioned souls wander throughout
8,400,000
species of life. There are so many
varieties of life such as
demigods, demons, räkñasas, human
beings, nägas, kinnaras
and gandharvas. The soul takes on
bodies in unlimited forms of
life from Brahmä down to the most
insignificant insect. As the
jévas wander through various species on the wheel of karma,
they attain the various powers that are
specific to each life-form.
Some species exhibit great strength, while
others possess
uncommon intelligence and so on. But these
specific powers are
not manifest of their own accord. Çré
Govindadeva bestows His
own power or prowess upon the various
forms of life, and therefore
they each manifest varying degrees of
Govinda’s potency or
prowess.
verse 53
2 8 1
39
According to Manu-småti, the five
heinous sins (mahä-pätaka) are killing a
brähmaëa, drinking liquor, stealing, committing adultery with the
wife of one’s
guru, and associating with those who engage in such great sins.
40
In the austerity known as païca-tapa,
or “five fires,” one sits in the midst of
four fires during summer, with the blazing
sun overhead counted as the fifth fire.
Verse 54
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cUèkkuq:iQyHkktuekruksfr A
dekZf.k funZgfr fdUrq p HkfäHkktka
xksfoUnekfniq#"ka rega Hktkfe û‡†û
yas tv indragopam athavendram aho
sva-karmabandhänurüpa-
phala-bhäjanam ätanoti
karmäëi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhäjäà
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
Anvaya
aham bhajämi – I perform bhajana; tam –
of that; ädi-puruñam
govindam – original Supreme Person, Çré Govinda; yaù
– who (in a
disinterested manner); ätanoti –
makes; indragopam – the insignificant
red insect named indragopa; athavä
– as well as; indram – Indra, the
king of the administrative demigods; phala-bhäjanam
– the recipient of
the fruits; anurüpa-bandha – in
accordance with the bondage; svakarma
– generated by their respective
activities; kintu ca – however;
aho – Oh how astonishing!; bhakti-bhäjäm – for those
dedicated in
çuddha-bhakti; nirdahati – He utterly consumes,
i.e. nullifies; karmäëi
– the results generated from their
activities performed in all of their
previous lives.
TRANSLATION
Çré Govinda impartially bestows the fruits
of reaction
upon all living entities who are wandering
on the path
of karma, from the insignificant indragopa
insect to
Indradeva, the monarch of the demigods,
according to the
bondage accrued from their respective
individual actions.
2 8 2
However, it is wonderful that He
completely burns to the
roots the karma of those who are
devoted to Him. I
worship that original personality, Çré
Govinda.
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
As the fully independent controller of all
controllers, Bhagavän
Çré Kåñëa does whatever He considers to be
appropriate, and no
one can oppose Him even in the slightest
way. Just as a cloud
gives rain impartially, He is equally
disposed to all. In keeping
with this principle, Çré Kåñëa is also the
impartial bestower of the
fruits of action. From the tiny red indragopa
insect that appears
during the rainy season, up to Indra, the
king of heaven, Çré
Kåñëa bestows good and bad results upon
everyone according to
their good and bad activities. However, He
burns down to the
roots the karma, the fruits of karma,
the desire for karma and
even the ignorance of His exclusively
one-pointed devotees who
are attentively engaged in bhakti.
This favoritism that He shows
to His devotees is utterly astonishing.
The profound implication of saying that
Çré Kåñëa regards
everyone equally like a cloud is as
follows. Just as a cloud rains
down water in one place and not another,
or rains down more in
one place and less in another, and just as
no one can control the
rainfall, similarly, although Bhagavän
sees everyone equally, He
is totally independent in the matter of punishing
or showing
favor to anyone. This particular quality
of Bhagavän is described
in this verse beginning yas tv
indragopam.
For example Svayam Bhagavän has said in Bhagavad-gétä
(9.29):
samo ’haà sarva-bhüteñu
na me dveñyo ’sti na priyaù
ye bhajanti tu mäà bhaktyä
mayi te teñu cäpy aham
verse 54
2 8 3
I am equally disposed to all living
entities. No one is My enemy
and no one is My friend. However, I
consider those who render
service to Me with devotion to be Mine,
and I am theirs.
It is also stated in Bhagavad-gétä (9.22):
“ananyäç cintayanto
mäm – I personally carry the necessities of My unalloyed
devotees
who are exclusively engaged in My service,
and I always
protect them.”
Someone may say, “Bhagavän delivers His
own devotees from
material existence and bestows upon them
the loving service of
His lotus feet, but He never does this for
the non-devotees, so He
must be guilty of partiality arising from
attachment and aversion.”
However, such partiality can never be
found in Bhagavän merely
because He is extremely caring and
affectionate to His devotees
(bhakta-vatsala). Being so kind to
His devotees is one of His
unique characteristics, and this quality
is His ornament. There is
no fault or partiality on His side.
For example, it is described in Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(8.16.24):
tathäpi bhaktaà bhajate maheçvaraù. Although all living entities
have come from Bhagavän and Bhagavän is
equally disposed
to all of them, still He shows a special
favoritism toward His
devotees. Just as the devotee remains
constantly attached to
Bhagavän, so Bhagavän also remains
constantly attached to His
devotee. Just as the devotee binds
Bhagavän with the rope of
prema and keeps Him bound within his heart, similarly Bhagavän
binds His devotees with the ropes of His
sweet qualities.
visåjati hådayaà na yasya säkñäd
dharir avaçäbhihito ’py aghaugha-näçaù
praëaya-rasanayä dhåtäìghri-padmaù
sa bhavati bhägavata-pradhäna uktaù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.2.55)
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 8 4
If someone calls the name of Çré Hari even
accidentally, He never
leaves their heart, but destroys the heaps
of sins residing there.
One who binds Çré Hari’s lotus feet in his
heart with the ropes of
intimate love (praëaya) is known as
the topmost devotee.
It has also been stated in the Ädi
Puräëa:
asmäkaà guravo bhaktä
bhaktänäà guravo vayam
mad-bhaktä yatra gacchanti
tatra gacchämi pärthiva
O King, the devotees are My gurus,
and I am their guru. I go wherever
My devotees go.
This conclusion is also supported by the
following statement
from Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.16.16):
särathya-pärañada-sevana-sakhya-dautyavéräsanänugamana-
stavana-praëämän
snigdheñu päëòuñu jagat-praëatià ca viñëor
bhaktià karoti nå-patiç caraëäravinde
That Çré Kåñëa, to whom all the living
beings in the universe offer
praëäma, would sometimes become a chariot driver for his dear
devotees, the Paëòavas, and sometimes He
would become the
chairman of their council. He was their
servant and friend.
Sometimes He would take up a sword in His
hand and guard their
door at night like a doorkeeper. Following
behind them, praying
and offering His obeisances, Çré Kåñëa
showed His qualities of
loving affection for His devotees in such
a way that when
Mahäräja Parékñit heard all this in the
form of songs from the
mouths of the royal court bards, bhakti
that was full of intense
pangs of separation from the lotus feet of
Çré Kåñëa awakened in
his heart.
Similarly Akrürajé said:
verse 54
2 8 5
na tasya kaçcid dayitaù suhåttamo
na cäpriyo dveñya upekñya eva vä
tathäpi bhaktän bhajate yathä tathä
sura-drumo yadvad upäçrito ’rtha-daù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.38.22)
Although no one is eligible to be Çré
Kåñëa’s dear bosom friend,
His undesirable enemy, or the object of
His neglect, still, just as
one attains whatever one prays for from a
desire-tree, in the same
way one attains a particular fruit from
Çré Kåñëa corresponding to
one’s bhajana.
Only those who take shelter of a kalpa-våkña,
desire-tree,
attain the benefit bestowed by it, not
others. This is not partiality
on the part of the desire-tree. Similarly,
although there is a
difference in the results attained by
those who take shelter of
Bhagavän and those who do not, this cannot
be considered
partiality. Furthermore, the speciality of
Bhagavän is even greater
than that of a desire-tree. For example, a
desire-tree never
becomes subordinate to one who takes its
shelter, but Bhagavän
becomes subordinate to His unconditionally
surrendered
devotees.
Bhagavän is impartial in all cases. This
is illustrated by the
following statements from Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(6.17.22–23):
na tasya kaçcid dayitaù pratépo
na jïäti-bandhur na paro na ca svaù
samasya sarvatra niraïjanasya
sukhe na rägaù kuta eva roñaù
He is equally disposed to all living
entities. No one is dear to Him,
nor does He dislike anyone. He is
detached, and therefore He has
no affinity for the happiness derived from
sense objects. Neither is
He subject to aversion, which is simply
the antithesis of sense gratification.
In the course of bestowing the results of
the jévas’ own
fruitive activities, He gives happiness to
one and distress to
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 8 6
another, bondage to one and liberation to
another. Still, He never
exhibits any partiality arising from
attachment or aversion.
tathäpi tac-chakti-visarga eñäà
sukhäya duùkhäya hitähitäya
Although Bhagavän is the original
performer of activities, He is not
personally responsible for the jéva’s happiness,
distress, bondage
and liberation.
By acting under the influence of the three
qualities of material
nature, the living entity creates his own
sinfulness and piety,
which in turn become the cause of his
birth and death. Although
this is the function of mäyä, it is
understood to be the activity of
Bhagavän. One should not imagine that
Bhagavän is partial in
this, because each individual living
entity tastes the results of his
own activities. Although the light of the
sun generally gives
happiness to everyone, it gives distress
to the owl and the night
lotus. Nevertheless, one cannot attribute
partiality to the sun.
Similarly, through the agency of
Bhagavän’s mäyä, the jéva
attains a particular result according to
his karma. Thus, there is
no question of partiality in Bhagavän.
The general rule is that Bhagavän bestows
upon the jévas the
fruit of their work, but although He is
impartial in all cases, He
shows His loving care to His devotees.
This is not His personal
partiality. It is well known that Bhagavän
is bhakta-vatsala, but
He never becomes jïäni-vatsala or yogi-vatsala.
This has never
happened. Moreover, He is also not
affectionate to the devotees
of demigods and demigoddesses. He is
affectionate to His own
devotees (sva-bhakta-vatsala).
Therefore in Brahma-sütra
(2.1.36) it is stated: upapadyate ca
api upalabhyate ca.
Bhagavän’s quality of being bhakta-vatsala
is imbued with partiality
in the form of favoritism. The protection
of His devotees is
the function of His svarüpa-çakti.
verse 54
2 8 7
This partiality in favoritism to His
devotees is found in the
description of the qualities of Çré Hari.
Moreover, Bhagavän’s
quality of favoring His devotee is the
ornament among all other
qualities.
Thus in his commentary on this verse from Çré
Brahmasaàhitä,
Çré Jéva Gosvämipäda has presented another
verse from
Bhagavad-gétä (9.22):
ananyäç cintayanto mäà
ye janäù paryupäsate
teñäà nityäbhiyuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham
In personally describing the speciality of
His unalloyed devotees,
Bhagavän said, “My devotees consider Me to
be the exclusive
goal of their lives. They are always
absorbed in thoughts of
Me with undivided attention; that is, they
never take shelter of
any other object of desire or serve any
other worshipable deity.
Unlimitedly auspicious qualifications
appear in them. Taking
shelter of My lotus feet, which are the
essence of the nectar of
astonishing pastimes, they engage in bhajana
with one-pointed
determination. Such devotees do not even
remember how to
maintain their lives in this world, so I
personally maintain them
by protecting them and by collecting their
eatables and other
necessities.
“The purport of saying the word vahämi (I
personally carry)
and not karomi (I arrange) in this
verse is that the responsibility
for maintaining those unalloyed devotees
falls upon Me, and I
carry that responsibility just as a
householder personally maintains
and nourishes the members of his own
family.”
Bhagavän takes the responsibility of
personally and directly
taking care of His devotees by His own
free will, whereas duties
such as creation and so on are
accomplished simply by His desiring
them to take place. Therefore His devotees
are not really a
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 8 8
burden for Him. Just as a man feels
happiness by taking care of
a lover with whom he enjoys, similarly
Bhagavän feels happiness
in supporting and nourishing His devotees.
In this regard there is an example from Vedänta-sütra
(3.4.44):
sväminaù phala-çruter ity ätreyaù. Does the detached devotee
maintain his life in this world by his own
efforts, or does he
depend on the efforts of Parameçvara? In
answer to this question,
it is stated that the devotee does not
want Bhagavän to have to
do anything for him, so he makes some
endeavor for his own
maintenance.
Although Bhagavän personally maintains His
devotees, when
Ätreya Muni saw the final benediction (phala-çruti)
given to the
readers of the Taittiréya Upaniñad,
he said, “The worldly maintenance
of the devotees is arranged by Sarveçvara
Bhagavän. Just
as fish, turtles and birds maintain their
offspring by sight, meditation
and touch respectively, similarly Bhagavän
maintains His
devotees.”
“My kindness upon such unalloyed devotees
is that I make
them attain My transcendental abode. I do
not do this for the
worshipers of other devatäs.” Viçeñaà
ca darçayati: this sütra
indicates that Bhagavän causes those
devotees who have no
material desires, and who are acutely
afflicted by the distress of
separation from Him, to attain His abode
very quickly because
He is unable to tolerate any delay. This
is Bhagavän’s special
arrangement.
The following verse is found in the Varäha
Puräëa:
nayämi paramaà sthänam
arcir-ädi-gatià vinä
garuòa-skandham äropya
yatheccham aniväritaù
My devotees are indifferent to material
circumstances. I lift
them up onto the shoulders of Garuòa and,
bypassing all the
verse 54
2 8 9
intermediate realms, I bring them directly
to My transcendental
abode without any impediments, in
accordance with their desire.
Therefore Bhagavän personally carries the
necessities of His
unalloyed devotees. This means that He
does not arrange for
them through any other agent. It is
understood that this is no
burden for Him; rather, it gives Him great
happiness due to His
affection for His unalloyed devotees, who
are exceedingly dear
to Him.
TÄTPARYA
The supreme controller sees with equal
vision. Exactly in accordance
with the previous activities of the
conditioned souls, He
bestows the inclination for particular karma
at a later date without
the slightest partiality. However, He is
especially kind to His
devotees. He totally incinerates their
desires for fruitive activities,
their ignorance and all the results of
their sinful and pious work.
Although karma is beginningless (anädi),
it is destructible.
The karma of those who engage in
work with the hope of
enjoying the fruits of their activities is
permanent; it is never
destroyed. Even the duties of the
renounced order (sannyäsadharma)
is one kind of karma befitting that
äçrama. Simply
following the duties of a renunciant is
not pleasing to Çré Kåñëa
because the desire for the fruit of
liberation remains. Therefore
sannyäsés also attain the results of their
activities. Even if they
reach the final limit of desirelessness,
they certainly attain the
insignificant result of satisfaction in
the self.
On the other hand, pure devotees
continuously render service
to Çré Kåñëa with a favorable mood,
abandoning without exception
all independent endeavors such as jïäna
and karma. For
these pure devotees, who are devoid of all
desires except the
desire for service, Çré Kåñëa completely
incinerates their karma,
the desire for karma and the root
of karma, namely ignorance.
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 9 0
In light of His general neutrality, Çré
Kåñëa’s partiality to His
devotees is a matter of sheer
astonishment.
verse 54
2 9 1
Verse 55
;a Øksèkdkelgtiz.k;kfnHkhfr &
okRlY;eksgxq#xkSjolsO;HkkoS% A
lf´pUR; rL; ln`'kha ruqekiqjsrs
xksfoUnekfniq#"ka rega Hktkfe û‡‡û
yaà krodha-käma-sahaja-praëayädi-bhétivätsalya-
moha-guru-gaurava-sevya-bhävaiù
saïcintya tasya sadåçéà tanum äpur ete
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
Anvaya
aham bhajämi – I engage in bhajana; tam –
of that; ädi-puruñam
govindam – original Supreme Person, Çré Govinda; yam
– whom;
saïcintya – by full contemplation; bhävaiù –
through the moods;
krodha – of anger (such as that shown by Çiçupäla toward Kåñëa out
of
enmity); käma – of lust felt by the
vraja-gopés etc., out of a desire to
give Kåñëa pleasure (in other words mädhurya-rasa
or prema); sahajapraëaya-
ädi – of sakhya-bhäva, the spontaneous affection of the
cowherd friends (sakhäs) such as
Çrédämä, Subala, etc.; bhéti – of incessant
terror felt by persons such as Kaàsa,
accompanied by the evil
thought, “I shall be slain by Kåñëa!”; vätsalya
– of parental affection felt
by persons headed by Çré Nanda and Yaçodä;
moha – of delusion felt by
those of the Mäyävädé cult, i.e. a mood of
total forgetfulness in the
contemplation of säyujya-mukti (liberation
through merging one’s
identity with Çré Kåñëa’s impersonal
aspect of the non-differentiated
divine light, known as nirbheda-brahma);
guru-gaurava – of çäntabhäva,
wherein one contemplates Him as a great
personage, worthy of
respect; sevya – of däsya-bhäva,
the mood of servitude rendered by
those who contemplate Çré Kåñëa as the
sole object worthy of their
2 9 2
service; ete – those persons; äpuù
– attain; sadåçém – an appropriate;
tanum – body; tasya – for His service.
TRANSLATION
Those who contemplate Him with feelings of
lust, anger,
the natural intimacy of friendship, fear,
parental affection,
bewilderment, reverence and servitude,
attain bodies
(suitable for associates of Bhagavän) with
various degrees
of beauty and qualities corresponding to
their individual
meditations. I worship that original
personality, Govinda.
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Svayam Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa is the only
actual bestower of results;
He bestows the appropriate fruits upon
all. The results bestowed
by others are perishable, but the fruit
bestowed by Çré Kåñëa is
never subject to destruction. Bhagavän is
eternal, His devotees
are eternal, and His bhakti and the
fruit of bhakti are also eternal.
Because pure devotees are full of deep
attachment for Him,
they are infinitely superior to the
desireless yogés. That Prabhu
who bestows even upon His most
antagonistic enemies a result
that is supremely difficult for great yogés
to attain must necessarily,
according to the logic of “inferential
partial illustration”
(kaimutika-nyäya), bestow
the highest fruit of all upon His
devotees who incessantly cultivate
favorable activities and
moods in His service. This is certainly
not a point of controversy.
What intelligent person could possibly
give up such a highly generous
Prabhu as Çré Kåñëa to worship any other
demigod or
demigoddess? Having stated this in the
previous verse, Brahmäjé
completes the section characterized by the
phrase, “I worship the
original personality, Çré Govindadeva,”
with this verse beginning
yaà krodha-käma.
verse 55
2 9 3
Words such as krodha indicate fear
and enmity, as well as
anger. For example, when Bhagavän Çré
Kåñëa’s enemies such as
Kaàsa and Çiçupäla become absorbed in Him,
even through
moods that are unfavorable to bhakti,
He bestows upon them
a transcendental destination. Aho!
Pütanä was a man-eating
demoness, accustomed to killing babies and
drinking their
blood, yet the most liberal and merciful
Çré Kåñëa gave her a
destination befitting a nurse-maid in
Goloka because she had
assumed the appearance of a mother.
Våñabhäsura and Keçédaitya
also attained destinations like the oxen
that pull carts in
Goloka Vraja. Çré Kåñëa also awarded a
destination to the wicked
Käléya-näga in Goloka Vraja, using him as
a boat in His waterpastimes.
Although many other avatäras of
Bhagavän are
bestowers of elevated destinations upon
their enemies, they
have given the demons killed by them
destinations such as heavenly
happiness and vast sensory enjoyment.
However, they have
not given destinations extending even up
to the point of liberation,
what to speak of elevation to Goloka.
Anger is the mood of an enemy. Natural
intimacy is the mood
of a friend. Lust refers to çåìgära,
the amorous mood, which is
the sweetest of all. The affection of a
mother and father for their
child is called vätsalya. Reverence
like that offered to one’s guru
is neutrality (çänta-bhäva).
Servitude indicates däsya-bhäva.
Here the word moha implies the
utter forgetfulness experienced
due to a vision of Brahman; this is the brahmamaya-bhäva
of the
proponents of impersonal knowledge.
The purport of saying that those who
contemplate Bhagavän
attain bodies corresponding to their moods
is that by becoming
absorbed in these moods at the time of sädhana,
when they
achieve perfection, they attain bodies
like the associates of
Bhagavän according to their individual bhävas,
and they become
absorbed in His service. Those who become
absorbed in the
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 9 4
transcendental subject through the mood of
anger attain only a
partial aspect of that transcendence in
the form of impersonal liberation
(säyujya-mukti). Aside from that,
those who have the
sentiments of çänta, däsya, sakhya,
vätsalya and çåìgära attain
bodies appropriate for those individual bhävas,
with beauty and
qualities corresponding to the extent of
their attainment. In this
regard, we find evidence in the statement
of Çré Vasudeva
(Çrémad-Bhägavatam 10.3.41): “adåñöänyatamaà
loke çélaudäryaguëaiù
– in my previous life I begged from You
the benediction
of having a son endowed with all qualities
like You. However,
You said, ‘There is no one else endowed
with qualities like Me.
It can never be. Therefore I will
personally appear as your son.’”
From this it is concluded that no living
entity can have all the
transcendental qualities of Bhagavän. Thus
the words sadåçéà
tanum indicate that one can attain a body suitable for an
associate
of Bhagavän, which is partially imbued
with His transcendental
qualities.
It has also been stated in Brahma-sütra:
“jagad vyäpäravarjam
– it is not possible for the jévas to
perform the task of
creation, maintenance and destruction of
the universe. It is only
possible for Brahman. This ability of
Bhagavän cannot possibly
occur in the jéva.” Çré Närada has
also stated (Çrémad-
Bhägavatam 1.6.29): “prayujyamäne mayi täà çuddhäà
bhagavatéà tanum – when my devotional service was mature,
Bhagavän mercifully bestowed upon me my
pure body as His
associate. My previous body composed of
the five gross material
elements was cast aside and I went to the
abode of Bhagavän in
that transcendental body.” The essence of
this statement is that
no one is identical with Bhagavän in all
respects and no one can
become so at any time.
In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.5.48) we
find: “vaireëa yaà
nåpatayaù – if kings such as Çiçupäla and Dantavakra
attained
verse 55
2 9 5
Bhagavän by the mood of enmity, then anurakta-dhiyäà
punaù
kim – what will be unattainable for the unalloyed premibhaktas
through their powerful attachment for Him?
What need
is there to say that they most definitely
attain Him?”
One can attain Çré Kåñëa by being absorbed
in anger, hostility
or envy, or also through the moods of çänta,
däsya, sakhya,
vätsalya and çåìgära. However, just as there
is a difference
between hostility and loving attachment,
there is also a difference
in the destinations attained through these
respective
moods. The sädhakas attain the
positions of being different types
of associates in accordance with the level
of their prema or
anuräga (deep attachment). The highest attainment is only
achieved by those with the highest loving
attachment. On the
basis of this principle, it is established
that there is no difference
between the associates situated in Goloka
and the associates
who descend to Bhauma-Våndävana. The two
are non-different.
This is also mentioned in Çrémad-Bhägavatam:
“nandädayas tu
taà dåñtvä – the Vrajaväsés headed by Çré Nanda saw
the majesty
of Goloka in Brahma-hrada and became
joyfully amazed.” The
oneness of Goloka and Bhauma-Våndävana has
been established
by this statement.
TÄTPARYA
Bhakti is of two kinds: regulative (vaidhé) and spontaneous
(rägänugä). The first type of bhakti
is based on the faith that
arises to a small extent through the
medium of çästra and the
instructions of one’s guru, and it
develops very slowly because
of the confinement of observing the rules
and regulations of
scripture. That bhakti is
transformed into niñöhä, ruci, äsakti and
bhäva by the cultivation of activities in connection with Çré
Kåñëa
in the form of hearing, chanting and
remembering in the association
of sädhus. When bhäva arises,
the sädhaka-bhakta can be
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 9 6
the recipient of Çré Kåñëa’s mercy. In
this process there is a long
delay before arriving at the stage of bhäva.
This is called vaidhébhakti.
Rägätmikä-bhakti gives results very quickly and attracts
Çré
Kåñëa, and therefore it is superior. What
is its inherent nature?
This particular verse describes the
various forms in which it is
perceived. The category of rägätmikä-bhakti
includes passive or
neutral adoration (çänta-bhäva)
characterized by guru-gaurava
(reverence); däsya-bhäva exemplified
by sevya-bhäva (servitude);
sakhya-bhäva (friendship) typified by sahaja-praëaya
(natural
intimacy); vätsalya-bhäva (parental
affection); and mädhuryabhäva
(amorous love) characterized by käma.
Anger (krodha),
fear (bhaya) and delusion (moha),
although spontaneous, are
not included in the category of bhakti.
Anger is seen in demons
like Çiçupäla, fear in demons like Kaàsa
and delusion in the
scholars of Mäyäväda philosophy. Although
there is absorption
in the spontaneous activities of anger,
fear and the total forgetfulness
of everything arising from the internal
vision of the
impersonal Brahman, they are still not
considered to be bhakti,
because they are not favorable to Çré
Kåñëa.
Furthermore, when we consider çänta,
däsya, sakhya, vätsalya
and mädhurya, spontaneous
attachment (räga) remains almost
absent from çänta-bhäva because
of an excess of neutrality.
Nevertheless, it has been accepted as bhakti
because it is somewhat
favorable. Besides this, the other four
moods possess an
abundance of spontaneous attachment.
According to Bhagavadgétä
(4.11): “ye yathä mäà prapadyante täàs
tathaiva bhajämy
aham – I reciprocate with everyone according to their individual
degree of surrender to Me.” Those who
cultivate attachment in
the form of anger, fear and delusion attain
salvation in the form
of säyujya-mukti, the impersonal
aspect of liberation in which
one imagines that he has merged with
Brahman. By çänta-bhäva
verse 55
2 9 7
one attains a body suitable for remaining
absorbed in Brahman
and Paramätmä, like the four Kumäras,
headed by Sanaka and
Sanätana, or like Çukadeva Gosvämé. By däsya
and sakhyabhäva
one attains an appropriate male or female
form in accordance
with one’s eligibility. By vätsalya-bhäva
one acquires a
fatherly or motherly form corresponding to
one’s mode of service.
A pure, transcendental body of a gopé is
attained by those in
çåìgära-bhäva.
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
2 9 8
Verse 56
fJ;% dkUrk% dkUr% ijeiq#"k% dYirjoks
æqek Hkwfef'pUrkef.kx.ke;h rks;ee`re~ A
dFkk xkua ukVîa xeuefi oa'kh fiz;l[kh
fpnkuUna T;ksfr% ijefi rnkLok|efi p û
l ;= {khjkfCèk% òofr lqjHkhH;'p lqegku~
fues"kk¼Zk[;ks ok oztfr u fg ;=kfi
le;% A
Hkts 'osr}hia regfeg xksyksdfefr ;a
fonUrLrs lUr% f{kfrfojypkjk% dfri;s û‡ˆû
çriyaù käntäù käntaù parama-puruñaù
kalpa-taravo
drumä bhümiç cintämaëi-gaëa-mayé toyam
amåtam
kathä gänaà näöyaà gamanam api vaàçé
priya-sakhé
cid-änandaà jyotiù param api tad äsvädyam
api ca
sa yatra kñéräbdhiù sravati surabhébhyaç
ca su-mahän
nimeñärdhäkhyo vä vrajati na hi yaträpi
samayaù
bhaje çvetadvépaà tam aham iha golokam iti
yaà
vidantas te santaù kñiti-virala-cäräù
katipaye
Anvaya
yatra – where; käntäù – the beloveds; çriyaù –
(are) Mahä-Lakñmés
(who are none other than Çré Kåñëa’s
dearmost beautiful vraja-gopés);
käntaù – (where) the sole hero; parama-puruñaù – (is) the
primeval
Supreme Person, Çré Govinda; drumä –
(where) the trees; kalpataravaù
– fulfill all desires; bhümiù –
(where) the land; cintämaëigaëa-
mayé – (is) wish-fulfilling stone; toyam – (where) water;
amåtam
– (is) immortal nectar; kathä –
(where) speech; gänam – (is) song; api
– and; gamanam – movement; näöyam
– (is) dance; vaàçé – (where)
Çré Kåñëa’s bamboo flute; priya-sakhé –
acts as a dear friend; jyotiù –
2 9 9
(where) the svarüpa of light; cid-änandam
– is a substance of cognizance
and bliss; param api tat – in that
place even ordinary items that
are usually illuminated from outside
illuminate all other objects like the
sun and moon, because their nature is
supreme, meaning full of knowledge
and bliss; äsvädyam api ca – and
they are also relishable, i.e.
enjoyable; ca – and; saù
su-mahän – (where) a very great; kñéraabdhiù
– ocean of milk; surabhébhyaù –
from the udders of millions
upon millions of Surabhé cows, who are
absorbed in öhe vibration of
Kåñëa’s flute; sravati –
incessantly flows; yatra api – where also;
samayaù – time; hi na vrajati – certainly does not pass away
(i.e. eternal
spiritual time, which is free from the
influence of material time, is an
eternal unbroken present without past or
future); vä – even; nimeñaardha-
äkhyaù – to the extent of half a moment; aham bhaje – I
render
service; tam – to that; çveta-dvépam
– white island of Çvetadvépa; yam –
which; te – those; katipaye –
very few; santaù – saints whose faith
(niñöhä) for Çré Bhagavän is firmly
established; kñiti-virala-cäräù – wandering
on the face of the Earth; iha – in
this world; vidantaù – know; iti
– as; golokam – Goloka.
TRANSLATION
I worship that supreme abode of
Çvetadvépa, where the
beloved heroines are a host of
transcendental goddesses
of fortune, and the Supreme Personality
Çré Kåñëa is the
only lover; where all the trees are
spiritual desire-trees,
and the earth is made of transcendental
wish-fulfilling
cintämaëi jewels; where the water is nectar, natural
speaking is a melodious song, and walking
to and fro is an
artful dance; where the flute is the
dearmost friend; where
light is full of knowledge and bliss, and
the supreme
spiritual substance that comprises all
things is relishable;
where a vast transcendental ocean of milk
is always
flowing from millions upon millions of surabhé
cows; and
where time is not subject to passing away,
even for half
the blink of an eye, because it is not
divided into past and
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
3 0 0
future, but remains in the undivided
eternal present. That
divine abode, which is practically unknown
in this world,
is known by the name of Goloka to only a
few, rare
sädhus.
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Brahmäjé has thus described in poetic
prayers the glories of his
worshipable Lord, and how He alone is the
supermost object of
loving service. Now, in this pair of
verses which comprise verse
56, he eulogizes that realm that is
beautified by his worshipable
deity (iñöadeva). One should
understand the word çriyaù to
mean the beautiful gopés of Vraja.
They are Mahä-Lakñmés and
they are the beloveds of Golokapati Çré
Kåñëa. They have been
described in this way by the mantras and
meditations employed
in their worship. The word käntaù is
singular in number. This
means that Çré Kåñëa alone is the one
exclusive lover of countless
beautiful Vraja maidens. Therefore, the
glories of Çré Govinda
excel even those of other forms of
Bhagavän such as Mahä-
Näräyaëa, and the glories of Govinda-dhäma
excel the glories of
Mahä-Vaikuëöha.
In Mahä-Vaikuëöha, Mahä-Lakñmé continually
renders service
to Mahä-Näräyaëa in a mood of extreme
reverence. Mahä-
Näräyaëa also accepts Her service and
bestows an abundance of
mercy upon her. However, in Goloka
Våndävana the son of
Nanda Mahäräja, Çré Kåñëa, is the lover of
innumerable gopés. He
dances with them in räsa-lélä and
always remains eager to attain
their favor. Thus Goloka-dhäma and Çré
Kåñëa, the supreme connoisseur
of transcendental mellows (rasika-çekhara),
are both
possessed of the highest and most
astonishing glories because
they are adorned with a sweetness that
covers their opulences.
The trees there are wish-fulfilling trees
(kalpa-taru), which
fulfill all the hearts’ desires of
everyone. Out of intense love for
verse 56
3 0 1
Çré Kåñëa, they have become like inanimate
trees, and they
bestow sweet fruits upon all. Feeling the
anguish of separation
from Çré Kåñëa when He is away, and
becoming immersed in
prema upon meeting Him, they exhibit the eight types of ecstatic
bodily symptoms (añöa-sättvika-vikära).
Even the soil of that
place fulfills all desires just like a desire-tree,
for its touch alone
awakens kåñëa-prema in the heart.
Furthermore, it is composed
of transcendental bliss just like Çré
Kåñëa. If even the soil is of this
nature, then what can be said of jewels
such as the Kaustubha
jewel? If the water there is as delectable
as nectar, then what can
be said of the nectar?
In Goloka-dhäma, vaàçé is the
dearmost friend (priya-sakhé),
because, by the waves of her sweet voice,
she first informs Çré
Kåñëa’s beloved gopés about where
Çré Kåñëa is happily engaged
in His pastimes and then, exerting a
powerful attraction upon
them, she brings them to that very place.
Furthermore, every
substance in that abode is the embodiment
of transcendental joy.
Every article is self-effulgent like the
sun and moon. Thus it is
stated in the Gautaméya-tantra: “samänodita
candrärkam – the
sun and moon rise at the same time there,
and all the substances
of that abode possess the power of
self-illumination like the sun
and moon. The moon displays sixteen phases
every night there,
and all the objects illuminated by that
full moon are themselves
self-effulgent. Being composed of cit-çakti,
they are all highly
relishable.
darçayäm äsa lokaà svam
gopänäà tamasaù param
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.28.14)
From this verse it is understood that Çré
Kåñëa granted to Çré
Nanda and the other Vrajaväsés darçana of
His own planet,
which is situated beyond the material
energy. By the expression
surabhébhyaç ca, it should be understood that when the
cows
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
3 0 2
hear the sweet sound of Çré Kåñëa’s flute,
they are helplessly
overwhelmed with feelings of parental
affection, and a stream of
milk flows automatically from their
udders. They forget to chew
and swallow the lush, green grass in their
mouths. Instead, they
close their eyes and with an insatiable
thirst drink the nectar of
the sound of Çré Kåñëa’s flute through the
vessels of their ears.
The confidential purport of the expression
vrajati na hi is that
because all the Vrajaväsés are perpetually
immersed in the
absorption of condensed prema for
Çré Kåñëa, they forget everything
about their bodies and everything related
to the body. They
have no time for meditation. There, the
great ocean of transcendental
blissfulness, which is completely devoid
of material afflictions
such as birth, death, old age, disease,
lamentation and fear,
is incessantly moving in endless waves.
There is no influence of
time in that realm: na ca käla-vikramaù
(Çrémad-Bhägavatam
2.9.10).
The word çveta means çuddha,
absolutely pure and
untouched by the association of anything
else. Therefore Çré
Kåñëa’s abode is called Çvetadvépa or
Çuddhadvépa. It has also
been stated in the Gopäla-täpané: “yathä
sarasi padmaà tiñöhati
tathä bhümyäà hi tiñöhati – just as a lotus flower remains in
water and yet is untouched by it,
similarly, although Çvetadvépadhäma
(Våndävana-Navadvépa) is apparently
located on the surface
of the earth, it remains untouched by
earthly defects.”
The word kñitéti indicates that
very few rare persons in this
world know about the factual existence of
Çré Goloka. The åñis
headed by Sanaka Kumära said: “yaà na
vidyo vayaà sarve
påcchanto ’pi pitämaham – although we all posed questions
before our great father, Brahmäjé, we
could not understand
Goloka Våndävana-dhäma.” Therefore, Goloka
Våndävanadhäma
is the most inaccessible abode. It can
only be understood
by those who are the recipients of Çré
Kåñëa’s mercy.
verse 56
3 0 3
TÄTPARYA
The dhäma is completely
transcendental, full of the most excellent
transcendental mellows, and easily
attained by those living
entities who perform bhajana. It
cannot be referred to as devoid
of attributes (nirviçeña). The
impersonal brahma-dhäma is
attained through anger, fear and delusion.
The devotees attain
either Paravyoma Vaikuëöha in the
spiritual universe or above
that, Goloka-dhäma, depending on their rasa,
or individual
devotional inclination. Goloka-dhäma is
called Çvetadvépa (the
white isle) because it is absolutely pure.
In this world, those who
perform worship on the path of viçuddha-bhakti
attain viçuddhaprema-
bhakti. Only they have darçana of the aforementioned
çvetadvépa-tattva in Gokula Våndävana and Navadvépa situated
in this world. Those rare devotees refer
to that çvetadvépa-tattva
as Goloka.
In that Goloka one will find the
everlasting, exquisite beauty
of the transcendentally qualified lover
and beloved, trees and
creepers, land (with mountains, rivers and
forests), water,
speech, movement, flute-song, moon, sun,
the enjoyed and
enjoyment (the inconceivable variegated
wonders of the sixtyfour
arts), cows, nectar in the form of a
flowing ocean of milk,
and spiritual time characterized by the
eternal present. This
Goloka is described in numerous places in çästra
such as the
Vedas, Puräëas and tantras.
It is stated in the Chändogya Çruti:
brüyäd yävän vä ayam
äkäças tävän eña antar hådaye äkäçaù uta
asmin dyäv äpåthivé
antar eva samähite ubhäv agniç ca väyuç ca
sürya-candramasäv
ubhau vidhun nakñaträëi yac cänyad ihästi
yac ca nästi
sarvaà tasmin samähitam iti.
The purport is that, just as there are so
many attributes and
varieties in the world of mäyä,
similarly all those variegated features
and even more are present in that
transcendental abode.
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
3 0 4
The harmonious combination of the diverse
facets of the spiritual
world produces blissfulness, whereas the
discord between the
diverse features of the material world
produces mixed happiness
and distress. Through the Vedas and the
principles of knowledge
contained therein, the Vedas personified
and the saintly devotees
of Bhagavän adopt the pure and uncontaminated
state of
consciousness. Thus, they adopt the yoga
system of the trance of
pure devotion, in which they attain the darçana
of that Golokadhäma.
By the mercy of Çré Kåñëa, the faculty of
their insignificant
consciousness attains an unlimited nature
of enjoyment on the
same level as Çré Kåñëa in His abode; that
is, they relish the
happiness of loving service.
The expression param api tad äsvädyam
api ca has a hidden
meaning. The words param api indicate
that among all the transcendentally
blissful varieties within Goloka, Çré
Kåñëa is the
Supreme Absolute Truth (para-tattva).
The words tad äsvädyam
api indicate that all the other transcendentally blissful
varieties
are the objects of Çré Kåñëa’s enjoyment;
that is, they are Çré
Kåñëa’s äsvädya-tattva, meaning
they are to be tasted by Him. Çré
Kåñëa attains the condition of possessing
a golden complexion
when He relishes the following three bhävas:
the greatness of
Çrématé Rädhikä’s intimate love (praëaya),
the rasa of Çré Kåñëa
that is realized by Her, and the happiness
She feels upon realizing
that rasa. In other words, He
assumes the form of Çré
Gaurasundara, whose body is adorned with
the emotions and
luster of Çré Rädhä, and engages in
tasting His own glories. That
condition is the happiness of His own rasa-sevä,
service imbued
with transcendental mellows. This
happiness of rasa-sevä is also
eternally present in Çvetadvépa.
verse 56
3 0 5
Verse 57
vFkksokp egkfo".kqHkZxoUra iztkifre~
A
czãu~ egÙofoKkus iztklxZs p psUefr% A
i´p'yksdhfeeka fo|ka oRl nÙkka fucksèk es
û‡‰û
athoväca mahä-viñëur
bhagavantaà prajäpatim
brahman mahattva-vijïäne
prajä-sarge ca cen matiù
païca-çlokém imäà vidyäà
vatsa dattäà nibodha me
Anvaya
atha – thereafter, i.e. after hearing the prayers of Brahmä; mahä-viñëuù
– Mahä-Viñëu, i.e. Çré Kåñëa, the
controller of all controllers; uväca –
said; bhagavantam prajäpatim – to
Bhagavän Brahmä; brahman - O
Prajäpati (protector of the universal
population); cet – if; matiù – your
mind desires; mahattva-vijïäne –
realized knowledge of My glories, i.e.
specific knowledge of the transcendental
nature; ca – and; prajä-sarge
– the process of generating universal
progeny; vatsa – (then) dear child;
nibodha – know; me – from Me; imäm – this; vidyäm –
knowledge;
dattäm – given; païca-çlokém – in five verses.
TRANSLATION
On hearing this prayer, which contains so
many essential
truths, Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa said to Brahmä,
“O Brahmä,
if you desire to create progeny by
employing the
transcendental realization of My glories,
then My dear
child, I will bestow upon you this
knowledge, contained in
five verses. You should take it up in
practice.”
3 0 6
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Thus, the mercy bestowed on Brahmäjé by
Çré Bhagavän upon
hearing his prayers is related in this one
and a half çlokas beginning
with athoväca. Everything is clear
in this verse.
TÄTPARYA
Until this point, Brahmäjé has offered
with a burning expectation
many types of prayers containing names
such as Kåñëa and
Govinda, which indicate Bhagavän’s form,
qualities and pastimes,
and when Svayam Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa heard
this, He was very
pleased. At that time Brahmä also had a
desire in his heart to
create progeny. Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa
understood his mood, and
explained how jévas may perform the
sädhana of pure, unalloyed
bhakti while carrying out His orders in the material world.
Çré Bhagavän said, “O Brahmä, knowledge of
the transcendental
reality is the essential science. If you
want to create progeny
while remaining situated in this realized
knowledge of transcendence,
then listen to the instruction on bhakti-vidyä
that I will
impart in the following five çlokas.”
Bhagavän will explain how one should
practice çuddhabhakti
while performing one’s worldly duties in
pursuance of His
order.
verse 57
3 0 7
Verse 58
izcq¼s KkuHkfäH;kekReU;kuUnfpUe;h A
mnsR;uqÙkek HkfäHkZxoRizsey{k.kk û‡Šû
prabuddhe jïäna-bhaktibhyäm
ätmany änanda-cin-mayé
udety anuttamä bhaktir
bhagavat-prema-lakñaëä
Anvaya
ätmani prabuddhe – when the soul becomes awakened; jïänabhaktibhyäm
– through knowledge of the transcendental tattvas
of Çré
Bhagavän and devotion for Him; anuttamä
– (then) the most exalted of
all; bhaktiù – devotion; änanda-cin-mayé
– which is the rasa-svarüpa
of transcendental bliss; bhagavat-prema-lakñaëä
– and is characterized
by love for Çré Kåñëa; udeti –
arises.
TRANSLATION
When one realizes the transcendental
subject through
knowledge, and through devotion whose goal
is affection
for Çré Kåñëa, there is an awakening of prema
for
Bhagavän. That prema is
characterized by extremely
elevated bhakti in the form of
transcendental rasa in
relation to the soul’s beloved Çré Kåñëa.
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Now, in these five verses, the mercy of
Bhagavän is being
described. Bhagavän begins to bestow His
mercy with this
verse beginning prabuddhe. “O
Brahmä, being imbued with
3 0 8
knowledge and realization by My mercy, you
may engage in My
service with ecstatic devotional
sentiments.”
For example, Bhagavän said to Uddhavajé: jïäna-vijïänasampanno
bhaja mäà bhakti-bhävitaù (Çrémad-Bhägavatam
11.19.5). The meaning is: “mäm eva
bhaja anyat-sarva-tyaja –
abandon everything and engage exclusively
in My service.”
(Çrédhara Svämipäda)
“Service is the embodiment of knowledge (jïäna),
and one
who serves is the embodiment of realized
knowledge (vijïäna).
The highest auspiciousness for the jévas
lies in rendering service
to Bhagavän in knowledge of the
constitutional nature of the
served and the servant. Therefore the
prime duty is to engage in
His service with knowledge of relationship
(sambandha-jïäna).
One cannot attain love for Bhagavän by
rendering the unsightly
service that results from the absence of sambandha-jïäna.”
(Prabhupäda Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta
Sarasvaté Öhäkura)
TÄTPARYA
The meaning of jïäna is sambandha-jïäna,
or knowledge of
the mutual relationship between spiritual
substance (in the form
of the living entities), dull matter and
the supreme transcendental
reality who is Çré Kåñëa. Here jïäna
udeti does not refer to
knowledge of the body and mind, because
that knowledge is
opposed to bhakti. The statements
of the Vedas and literature in
pursuance of the Vedic conclusion,
received through the spiritual
hierarchy of guru-paramparä,
constitute the only immaculate
evidence. The seven principles of Daça-müla
that constitute
sambandha-jïäna are as follows: (1) Çré Hari is the
Supreme
Absolute Truth. (2) He is omnipotent. (3)
He is the nectarean
ocean of all transcendental mellows. (4)
The living entities are
His separated expansions. (5) Some of
those jévas are conditioned.
(6) Most of the living entities exist
before and beyond this
verse 58
3 0 9
material world and are liberated. (7) The
relationship between
Bhagavän, the jévas and the
creation is one of inconceivable
difference and non-difference.
Bhakti is the only process to attain the goal of life, and among
the many limbs of bhakti, nine are
prominent. Activities such as
hearing about Çré Kåñëa, glorifying Him,
remembering Him, serving
His lotus feet, worshiping Him, offering
Him prayers, carrying
out His orders, relating to Him as a
friend and fully
surrendering oneself to His will are called
kåñëänuçélana, the
cultivation of endeavors directly for Çré
Kåñëa or in connection
with Him. One should understand that such kåñëänuçélana
is the
only process to attain the goal of life.
Its limbs and sub-limbs
have been described elaborately in Çré
Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu.
Only by this type of knowledge and
devotion can one attain the
enlightenment characterized by the
awakening of prema-bhakti
within the heart. Such prema is the
highest form of bhakti, and
the ultimate goal for the living entities.
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
3 1 0
Verse 59
izek.kSLrr~lnkpkjSLrnH;klS£ujUrje~ A
cksèk;ékkReukRekua HkfäeI;qÙkeka yHksr~
û‡‹û
pramäëais tat-sad-äcärais
tad-abhyäsair nirantaram
bodhayann ätmanätmänaà
bhaktim apy uttamäà labhet
Anvaya
tad-abhyäsaiù – through the sädhaka’s repeated
practice; tat-sadäcäraiù
– in accordance with the pure standards of
bhakti that have
been previously established by the
examples of sädhu-bhaktas;
pramäëaiù – and with the evidence given in all çästras
that teach the
philosophical conclusions of pure bhakti;
nirantaram – incessantly;
bodhayan – realizing; ätmänam – oneself; ätmanä
api – through one’s
own self (in the form of a purified jéva
who has taken shelter of Çré
Bhagavän); labhet – one can attain;
uttamäm bhaktim – pure devotion.
TRANSLATION
One may attain incessant realization of
one’s
constitutional identity by continuously
observing the
codes of appropriate behavior, and by
practicing the
sädhana-bhajana prescribed by the authentic scriptures.
Understanding oneself to be under the
shelter of
Bhagavän, one may offer oneself fully at
His lotus feet. A
sädhaka who does so attains uttama-bhakti.
3 1 1
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Sädhana-bhakti is the only method to attain prema-bhakti.
Therefore the subject of sädhana-bhakti
is being described in
this verse beginning pramäëais tat.
The term sat or sädhu refers
to the great transcendentally realized
personalities who conduct
themselves perfectly in accordance with
the precepts of çuddhabhakti,
and with the etiquette prescribed by
authentic devotional
scriptures such as the Vedas, Puräëas, Bhagavad-gétä
and Çrémad-
Bhägavatam. When the sädhaka-bhakta continuously
practices
the limbs of bhakti – such as çravaëa,
kértana and smaraëa – in
accordance with the standards set by such
realized personalities,
he realizes within his heart that he is a
pure spirit soul under the
shelter of Bhagavän. Çuddha-bhakti is
actually rägänuga-bhakti;
that is, bhakti following the moods
of Çré Kåñëa’s eternal associates
in Goloka who are by nature deeply
attached to Him. One
who engages in the uninterrupted
cultivation of this çuddhabhakti
attains within his pure heart a
transcendental manifestation
of his eternal spiritual form as a servant
of Bhagavän, by the
mercy of a pure devotee or by the direct
mercy of Bhagavän
Himself. Subsequently he achieves the
highest stage of premabhakti.
A lucid analysis of this occurrence can
also be found in
the prayers by the Vedas personified in Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(10.87.20):
sva-kåta-pureñv améñv
abahir-antara-saàvaraëaà
tava puruñaà vadanty akhila-çakti-dhåto
’àça-kåtam
iti nå-gatià vivicya kavayo nigamävapanaà
bhavata upäsate ’ìghrim abhavam bhuvi
viçvasitäù
The living entities are internally and
externally controllers of their
bodies and populate the entire universe.
They are not independent,
but are fragmentary parts (vibhinnäàça)
of Your energy.
Those who attain a true understanding, and
who are in knowledge
ÇRÉ BRAHMA-SAÀHITÄ
3 1 2
of the desired goal of the greatly
realized souls, utterly reject the
fruitive activities mentioned in the Vedas.
With complete faith they
cultivate unalloyed, transcendental bhakti
in the form of worshiping
You without the slightest expectation of
material remuneration.
In this way, although they remain in the
world, they easily
cross over the insurmountable ocean of
material existence and
come to You by engaging in the loving
service of Your lotus feet.
Your divine lotus feet are the only cure
for the fear experienced in
the endless chain of birth and death.
TÄTPARYA
The word pramäëa (reliable
evidence) refers to the bhaktiçästras
such as the Vedas, Upaniñads, Puräëas, Bhagavad-gétä
and Çrémad-Bhägavatam. The word sadäcära
should be understood
to indicate the behavior of Vaiñëavas who
are practicing
pure bhakti, and whose activities
are based on deep, spontaneous
attachment to Çré Kåñëa. Tad-abhyäsa denotes
the process
of acquiring a clear understanding of the
ten fundamental principles
(daça-müla-tattva) described in bhakti-çästra,
and then,
as prescribed by the çästra,
receiving harinäma, which is the
embodiment of Çré Kåñëa’s names, form,
qualities and pastimes.
After that one should continuously
cultivate the practice of chanting
harinäma throughout the day and night. This is the
meaning
of abhyäsa. Thus, this verse
stresses that it is absolutely necessary
to adopt the process of spiritual
cultivation in accordance
with the instructions of çästra,
and under the guidance of sädhus.
Cultivating the practice of chanting harinäma
along with appropriate
conduct dispels the ten kinds of offenses
against the holy
name. Abhyäsa means to follow the
uninterrupted and offenseless
cultivation of harinäma practiced
by çuddha-bhaktas. If one
practices in this way, the desired result,
namely prema-bhakti,
will manifest in the heart.
verse 59
Verse 60
;L;k% Js;Ldja ukfLr ;;k fuo`ZfrekIuq;kr~ A
;k lkèk;fr ekeso Hkfäa rkeso lkèk;sr~
ûˆOEû
yasyäù çreyas-karaà nästi
yayä nirvåtim äpnuyät
yä sädhayati mäm eva
bhaktià täm eva sädhayet
Anvaya
na asti – there is nothing else; çreyaù-karam – which is
more potent in
promoting auspiciousness; yasyäù –
than that (çuddha-bhakti ); yayä –
(because) by that; äpnuyät – one
can attain; nirvåtim – supreme bliss;
eva – certainly; yä sädhayati – it captivates; mäm –
Me; eva – indeed;
sädhayet – one should practice sädhana; täm
bhaktim – for that
çuddha-bhakti.
TRANSLATION
Prema-bhakti is the aim and object of life, and there
is
nothing more auspicious than this. The
platform of
supreme bliss is attained only through prema-bhakti.
This
prema-bhakti, which leads to Me, is only achieved
through sädhana-bhakti.
ÖÉKÄ TRANSLATION
Prema-bhakti is the only aim and object of life (sädhya),
and
there is nothing more auspicious than this
for the living entities.
Bhagavän is attained by prema-bhakti,
which is the embodiment
of the highest transcendental bliss. This
has also been stated in
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (4.24.55):
3 1 4
taà durärädhyam ärädhya
satäm api duräpayä
ekänta-bhaktyä ko väïchet
päda-mülaà vinä bahiù
O Bhagavän, Your unalloyed devotional
service is extremely difficult
to attain, even for sädhus. After
worshiping Your lotus feet,
which are rarely attained, what kind of
unfortunate person in this
world could give up loving service to them
and desire anything
else born of ignorance, such as the
happiness derived from the
gross physical body, from elevation to
heaven, or from liberation?
Those who wish to know more about this
subject can refer to
Bhakti-sandarbha.
TÄTPARYA
There is nothing more auspicious for the
living entities than
prema-bhakti. This stage of accomplished devotion
constitutes
the jévas’ highest bliss. The lotus
feet of Çré Kåñëa are attained
only by prema-bhakti. Only
those who cultivate sädhana-bhakti
with a grief-stricken and desperate
hankering to attain accomplished
devotion can become successful in
achieving it. Premabhakti
can never be attained by others.
verse 60
3 1 5
Verse 61
èkekZuU;ku~ ifjR;T; ekesda Hkt fo'olu~ A
;kn`'kh ;kn`'kh J¼k flf¼HkZofr rkn`'kh û
dqoZfékjUrja deZ yksdks·;euqoÙkZrs A
rsuSo deZ.kk è;k;u~ eka ijka HkfäfePNfr
ûˆƒû
dharmän anyän parityajya
mäm ekaà bhaja viçvasan
yädåçé yädåçé çraddhä
siddhir bhavati tädåçé
kurvan nirantaraà karma
loko ’yam anuvartate
tenaiva karmaëä dhyäyan
mäà paräà bhaktim icchati
Anvaya
parityajya – completely renouncing; anyän –
other; dharmän – forms
of constitutional activity centered around
the principles of religious
conduct, economic development, sense
gratification and liberation,
which are practiced out of ignorance; bhaja
– render service; mäm – to
Me; ekam – exclusively; viçvasan
– with faith; yädåçé yädåçé – in accordance
with the degree; çraddhä – of
faith; bhavati – there is achieved;
tädåçé – a corresponding; siddhiù – perfection; ayam
lokaù – the people
of this material world; nirantaram –
incessantly; kurvan – engaging in
action; karma anuvartate – follow
this process of work; eva – certainly;
tena karmaëä – through performing such activities; dhyäyan
– while
contemplating; mäm – Me; icchati
– one hankers; paräm bhaktim – for
the supreme stage of bhakti, i.e. prema-bhakti.
3 1 6
TRANSLATION
O Brahmä, abandon all varieties of dharma
and engage
exclusively in My bhajana with
unwavering determination
and faith. Perfection is attained
according to one’s faith.
Human beings in this world are
continuously engaged in
occupational duties. They should desire to
attain premabhakti
by being absorbed in thoughts of Me
through the
performance of their respective duties.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swami jis great Devotees , Philosophic Scholars,
Purebhakti dot com for the
collection)
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