एतन्महाख्यानवरं महाहरेः
कारुण्यसारालयनिश्चयार्थकम् ।
यः श्रद्धया संश्रयते कथञ्चन
प्राप्नोति तत्प्रेम तथैव सोऽप्यरम् ॥
etan mahākhyāna-varaṁ mahāhareḥ
kāruṇya-sārālaya-niścayārthakam |
yaḥ śraddhayā saṁśrayate kathañcana
prāpnoti tat-prema tathaiva so’py aram ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.160)
“Even one who somehow
Aptly honors with śraddhā
This excellent epic—
The aim of which is determination
Of the vessel of the essence
Of the grace of Great Hari—
Swiftly attains prema for him
Just so.”
Commentary
aho yathoktāśrayaṇena mahima-viśeṣa-jñānato bhajana-viśeṣa-sampattyā bhagavat-prema setsyatīti kiṁ vaktavyam | tat-tat-pratipādakaitad-granthasya śraddhā-śravaṇād api sampadyata ity āha—etad iti |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Aho! Prema for Bhagavān will become possible by means of accomplishment of a special form of worship [of Bhagavān] as a result of [acquiring] knowledge of [the] special greatness [of the gopīs] by way of serving [Bhagavān along with the gopīs] as described [earlier in BB 1.7.154–155 and 159]. Thus, what [more] is to be said? That is attainable even by hearing with śraddhā this text explicative of those things [i.e., explicative of the special greatness of the gopīs, the special form of worship that can be performed as a result of knowledge of the special greatness of the gopīs, and so on]. Thus, he says etat … [i.e., he speaks this verse].”
Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmīpāda further explains in his commentary that “Great Hari” refers to Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, that is, Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Gokula (Mahāhareḥ Śrī-Kṛṣṇacandrasya), that “somehow” (kathañcit) means in any manner, such as hearing or speaking (kenāpi śravaṇa-kīrtanādi-prakāreṇa), and that “just so” (tathaiva) means specifically of that type (tādṛśam eva), that is, one who aptly honors this epic by hearing it, speaking it, or otherwise attains prema for Śrī Kṛṣṇa akin to that of the gopīs, they who are shown in this epic to be the vessels of the essence of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace.
Śrī Sanātanapāda concludes his commentary on this first section of Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta with the following prayer:
prīyatāṁ kṛṣṇa-bhaktir me pāṣāṇa-sadṛśasya ca |
svayaṁ taralitasyaitaiḥ karparī-nartanādibhiḥ ||
“May Kṛṣṇa-bhakti be pleased
With I who am like a stone
Yet melting spontaneously
Because of these dancings and so on of a pen
[Alt., yet trembling spontaneously
By way of these dancings and so on of a pen].”