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  • ye śrī-kṛṣṇa-vihāraika-bhajanāsvāda-lolupāḥ ||
    muktāv api nirākāṁkṣās teṣāṁ bhāgavataṁ dhanam ||
    (Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 4.31)

    “The Bhāgavata is the wealth of those who are disinterested even in mukti and deeply desirous of one-pointedly worshiping and relishing the play of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

    Read on →: ye śrī-kṛṣṇa-vihāraika-bhajanāsvāda-lolupāḥ

  • yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā |
    tadā bhāgavata-śrāvo māsenaiva punaḥ punaḥ ||
    yadā lakṣmīḥ svayaṁ vaktrī viṣṇuś ca śravaṇe rataḥ |
    māsa-dvayaṁ rasāsvādas tadātīva suśobhate ||
    adhikāre sthito viṣṇur lakṣmīr niścinta-mānasā |
    tena bhāgavatāsvādas tasyā bhūri prakāśate ||
    (Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 3.35‒37)

    “When Viṣṇu himself is the speaker [in a recitation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] and Lakṣmī is engaged in listening, then the hearing of the Bhāgavata is repeatedly only for one month [i.e., every time Viṣṇu does the series of daily readings, it always ends up taking one month to complete the full recitation of the text]. When Lakṣmī herself is the speaker and Viṣṇu is engaged in listening, then it [i.e., the recitation] is two months [in duration] and the relish of the rasa is exceedingly splendid. Viṣṇu is engaged in administration. Lakṣmī is worry-free in mind. Thus, her relish of the Bhāgavata manifests most abundantly.”

    Read on →: yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā

  • śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ śāstraṁ yatra bhāgavatair yadā |
    kīrtyate śrūyate cāpi śrī-kṛṣṇas tatra niścitam ||
    śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ yatra ślokaṁ ślokārddham eva ca |
    tatrāpi bhagavān kṛṣṇo ballavībhir virājate ||
    (Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 3.12‒13)

    “When and where the śāstra Śrīmad Bhāgavam is praised and heard by Bhāgavatas, Śrī Kṛṣṇa too is certainly present there. Even where only a verse or a half-verse of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam [is heard and praised], there Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifests with the ballavīs [i.e., the gopīs].”

    Read on →: śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ śāstraṁ yatra bhāgavatair yadā

  • śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |
    hṛdy antaḥstho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām ||
    (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.17; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 12)

    “Situated internally, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Well-Wisher of the sat, he of whom hearing and praising are purifying, completely washes away vices in the hearts of those who hear narrations of himself.”

    Read on →: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

  • tasya ca bhaved dvayaṁ vipralambhaḥ sambhogaś ceti | tatra vipralambho viprakarṣeṇa lambhaḥ prāptir yasya sa tathā | yathoktam—‘yūnor ayuktayor bhāvo yuktayor vā tayor mithaḥ | abhīṣṭāliṅganādīnām anavāptau prakṛṣyate | sa vipralambho vijñeyaḥ sambhogonnati-kārakaḥ ||’ iti | … tasya vipralambhasya catvāro bhedāḥ—pūrva-rāgo mānaḥ prema-vaicittyaṁ pravāsaś ceti | atha sambhogaś ca yūnoḥ saṅgatayoḥ sambaddhatayā bhogo yatra sa bhāva ucyate | yathoktam—’darśanāliṅganādīnām ānukūlyān niṣevayā | yūnor ullāsam ārohan bhāvaḥ sambhoga ucyate ||’ iti |
    (Prīti Sandarbha: 370)

    “It [i.e., ujjvala-rasa], furthermore, shall have two varieties: (1) vipralambha [i.e., separation] and (2) sambhoga [i.e., enjoyment together]. Therein, vipralambha is [known as] that the attainment (lambha) of which occurs because of distance (vipra—viprakarṣa) [between the couple, lit., the ‘drawing apart’ of the couple], as is described [in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 15.2], ‘That bhāva of a couple, [be they] non-united or united together [at a given time], which is distinctly brought forth when their mutually desired embraces and so forth are not attained, and which is a cause of the elevation of [their] sambhoga, is to be known as vipralambha [i.e., separation].’ … This vipralambha has four varieties: (1) pūrva-rāga [lit., ‘prior attachment,’ that is, the vipralambha felt by a couple after they have developed attachment (rāga) to one another but prior to their ever meeting one another], (2) māna [i.e., jealous anger], (3) prema-vaicittya [lit., ‘bewilderment because of prema’], and (4) pravāsa [i.e., dwelling abroad]. Then, that bhāva in which a united couple’s enjoyment (bhoga) occurs on account of being joined together is called sambhoga [lit., ‘enjoyment (bhoga) together (sam)’], as is described [in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 15.188], ‘That bhāva that elevates a couple’s elation by means of acts of service [for one another], such as looking [at one another] and embracing [one another], out of favorability (anukūlya) [towards one another] is called sambhoga [i.e., enjoyment together].’”

    Read on →: tasya ca bhaved dvayaṁ vipralambhaḥ sambhogaś ceti

  • so’yam upadeśo buddhy-arthaḥ | sarvatra tadīyatva-jñānārthaḥ pādavat | pādo’sya viśvā bhūtāni ity atra yathā viśvasya bhagavat-pādatvopadeśas tadvat | evaṁ hi dveṣa-nihīnaṁ manas tat-pravaṇaṁ bhavati | na caivaṁ rāga-prāptir nihīnatva-buddher bādhakatvāt |
    (Govinda-bhāṣya on Vedānta-sūtra: 3.2.34)

    “This teaching [i.e., the teaching Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1, ‘All of this is verily Brahman’ (sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ Brahma)] is for the sake of understanding, that is, for the sake of awareness of belongingness to him (tadīyatva) in everything, like [his] foot, that is, as there is a teaching of the universe’s being the foot of Bhagavān here [in Ṛg-veda 10.90.3], ‘The existent universes are his foot.’ In this way completely free from enmity, the mind becomes intent upon him [i.e., on Bhagavān]. Also in this way [i.e., also by means of the aforementioned teaching that everything belongs to him] an occurrence of attachment (rāga) [to the universe in which one is situated, or anything within it] does not occur because of the annulling of that by understanding of the utter inferiority [of sāṁsārika existence and everything within it in comparison to Śrī Bhagavān himself].”

    Read on →: so’yam upadeśo buddhy-arthaḥ

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