केवलं तत्पदाम्भोजसाक्षादीक्षावशिष्यते ।
तज्जपेऽर्हति नासक्तिं किन्तु तन्नामकीर्तने ॥
श्रीमन्मदनगोपालपादाब्जोपासनात्परम् ।
नामसङ्कीर्तनप्रायाद्वाञ्छातीतफलप्रदात् ॥
तल्लीलास्थलपालीनां श्रद्धासन्दर्शनादरैः ।
सम्पाद्यमानान्नितरां किञ्चिन्नास्त्येव साधनम् ॥
सञ्जातप्रेमकाच्चास्माच्चतुर्वर्गविडम्बकात् ।
तत्पादाब्जवशीकारादन्यत्साध्यं न किञ्चन ॥
kevalaṁ tat-padāmbhoja-sākṣād-īkṣāvaśiṣyate |
taj jape’rhati nāsaktiṁ kintu tan-nāma-kīrtane ||
śrīman-madana-gopāla-pādābjopāsanāt param |
nāma-saṅkīrtana-prāyād vāñchātīta-phala-pradāt ||
tal-līlā-sthala-pālīnāṁ śraddhā-sandarśanādaraiḥ |
sampādyamānān nitarāṁ kiñcin nāsty eva sādhanam ||
sañjāta-premakāc cāsmāc catur-varga-viḍambakāt |
tat-pādābja-vaśīkārād anyat sādhyaṁ na kiñcana ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.1.103–106)
“[Gopa Kumāra thinks:] Only direct vision of his [viz., Śrī Madana Gopāladeva’s] lotus feet remains [for this brāhmaṇa to attain]. Thus, he needs attachment not to japa but to kīrtana of his [viz., Śrī Madana Gopāla’s] names. There is certainly no means of accomplishment (sādhana) other than worship of Madana Gopāla’s beautiful lotus feet (1) in which saṅkīrtana of his names is abundant, (2) which is being practiced plentifully with conviction (śraddhā), direct observation (sandarśana), and adoration (ādara) of the places of their [i.e., those lotus feet’s] līlās, and (3) which is [thus] a complete bestower of results beyond [even one’s] desires. There is [also] no object to be accomplished (sādhya) other than this [viz., such worship of Madana Gopāla’s lotus feet], (1) by which prema becomes manifest in full, [since such worship is that] (2) which is a belittler of the catur-varga [viz., dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa], and [that] (3) which is a captivator of his lotus feet.”
Commentary
Śrī Sanātanapāda comments that “attachment” (āsaktim) refers to absorption of the mind (cittābhiniveśam) and that the brāhmaṇa’s necessity is for absorption of the mind kīrtana rather than japa because accomplishment (siddhi) of direct vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa shall occur only thereby (arhati tenaiva tat-siddheḥ), meaning, only by means of absorption of the mind in kīrtana of Madana Gopāla’s names. He further comments that Madana Gopāla’s lotus feet are described as beautiful (śrīman) because they are replete with the splendor of [i.e., created by receiving] countless varieties of service (śrīmator aśeṣa-vividha-sevā-śobhātiśaya-yuktayor Madana-gopāla-pādābjayor). He also explains that the term nāma-saṅkīrtana refers to loud pronunciation (kīrtana) of names, such as “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, Gopāla …,” that is pleasant (saṅ—samyak), meaning, done with sweet tunes and verses (nāmnāṁ Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Kṛṣṇa-Govinda-Gopālety-ādīnāṁ yat samyaṅ madhura-svara-gāthayā kīrtanam uccair uccāraṇaṁ). Moreover, the mention of “direct observation” (sandarśana) of the places of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlās refers to traveling all over the land of Vraja to see those places directly in person (sandarśanaṁ sarvataḥ paribhramaṇena sākṣād avalokanam). Śrī Sanātanapāda further explains that such sādhana is described as “a complete bestower of results beyond [even one’s] desires” (vāñchātīta-phala-pradāt) because it bestows in full all results, both those desired and not desired, or because it bestows in full a result that is beyond the scope of the mind to desire (vāñchāyāḥ phalaṁ tad-atītaṁ ca kāmitam akāmitam api sarvam ity arthaḥ, yad vā vāñchāyā mano-vṛtter atītam agocaram adhikam api yat phalam arthaḥ, tat prakarṣeṇa dadātīti). Śrī Sanātanapāda conclusion in the final verse in the passage is there is no means of accomplishment (sādhana) or object to be accomplished (sādhya) other than this worship of Madana Gopāla constituted of pleasant kīrtana of his various names accompanied by a plentiful degree of conviction in, adoration for, and visits to the sites of his līlās because such worship can fulfill all the desires one has, grant one objects beyond even what one can desire, give rise to prema for Madana Gopāla, that is, an object superior to the caturvarga, and cause one to have direct experience of Kṛṣṇa himself, as is indicated by such worship’s being described as a captivator of Kṛṣṇa.