The Latest
- Read on →: kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ
kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ |
mahāśano mahāpāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 3.37)“[In response to the question, ‘What causes a person to commit sin even against one’s will?’ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:] It is kāma, of raja-guṇa in origin, voracious, and greatly harmful, and it is [kāma’s transformation upon obstruction] anger. Know this [i.e., kāma] to be the enemy here [i.e., on the path to mokṣa].”
- Read on →: mitho harer mṛgākṣyāś ca sambhogasyādi-kāraṇam
mitho harer mṛgākṣyāś ca sambhogasyādi-kāraṇam |
madhurāpara-paryāyā priyatākhyoditā ratiḥ |
asyāṁ kaṭākṣa-bhrū-kṣepa-priya-vāṇī-smitādayaḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.36–37)“The rati [of doe-eyed women, i.e., beautiful young women] that is the primary cause of mutual enjoyment [i.e., of the eight types of enjoyment beginning with mutual remembrance and sight] between Hari and doe-eyed women, wherein side-long glances, arching of the eyebrows, endearing speech, mild smiling, and so forth occur, is called priyatā [i.e., the rati of dearness, on account of it being the rati of priyās, that is, ladyloves—those who regard Hari with amorous dearness] and [is] synonymous with madhurā [i.e., sweetness; it is also known as madhurā-rati].”
- Read on →: ananya-mamatā viṣṇau mamatā prema-saṅgatā
ananya-mamatā viṣṇau mamatā prema-saṅgatā |
bhaktir ity ucyate bhīṣma-prahlādoddhava-nāradaiḥ ||
(Nārada Pañcarātra; cited Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.382; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.4.2; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.23.8)“Bhakti dedicated to Viṣṇu that is filled with mamatā [for him] and free from any other mamatā [i.e., loving attachment, lit., ‘my-ness,’ for anyone or anything else] is called prema by Bhīṣma, Prahlāda, Uddhava, and Nārada.”
- Read on →: satāṁ kṛpā mahat-sevā śraddhā guru-padāśrayaḥ
satāṁ kṛpā mahat-sevā śraddhā guru-padāśrayaḥ |
bhajaneṣu spṛhā bhaktir anarthāpagamas tataḥ ||
niṣṭhā rucir athāsaktī ratiḥ premātha darśanam |
harer mādhuryānubhava ity arthāḥ syuś caturdaśe ||
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.21)“There are fourteen steps [mentioned in SB 1.2.16–21 to describe how a jīva in saṁsāra reaches the highest attainment]: (1) the grace of sādhus, (2) service to a great person, (3) śraddhā, (4) taking shelter at the feet of a guru, (5) desire for [engagement in] practices of bhakti (bhajana), (6) bhakti [i.e., engagement in sādhana-bhakti], (7) disappearance of anarthas, (8) niṣṭhā [i.e., fixity in the practice of bhakti], (9) ruci (taste), (10) āsakti (affinity), (11) rati [i.e., bhāva-bhakti], (12) prema (divine love), (13) darśana [i.e., direct perception of Bhagavān], and then (14) experience of his mādhurya (mellifluousness).”
- Read on →: jīva-māyā guṇa-māyeti dvy-ātmikāṁ māyākhya-śaktiṁ vidyāt
jīva-māyā guṇa-māyeti dvy-ātmikāṁ māyākhya-śaktiṁ vidyāt | … nimittāṁśo jīva-māyā | upādānāṁśo guṇa-māyeti … | avidyā-vidyākhya-nimitta-śakti-vṛttikatvāj jīva-viṣayakatvena jīva-māyātvam | … svīya-tat-tad-guṇa-maya-mahad-ādy-upādāna-śakti-vṛttikatvād guṇa-māyātvam |
(Bhagavat Sandarbha: 18)“Know the śakti [of Bhagavān] known as māyā to be of two aspects, viz., jīva-māyā and guṇa-māyā. … The instrumental aspect is [called] jīva-māyā, and the constituent aspect is [called] guṇa-māyā. … Jīva-māyā is such because it relates to the jīva on account of being a function of the potency of [māyā’s] instrumentality known as avidyā and vidyā; guṇa-māyā is such because of its being a function of the potency of [māyā‘s] constitution in the form of the mahat and so forth [i.e., in the form of all the subtle and gross aspects of the material universe’s constitution], which are constituted of its own respective guṇas [i.e., the three guṇas of sattva, rajas, and tamas].”
- Read on →: athāvidyākhyasya bhāgasya dve vṛttī—āvaraṇātmikā vikṣepātmikā ca
athāvidyākhyasya bhāgasya dve vṛttī—āvaraṇātmikā vikṣepātmikā ca | tatra pūrvā jīva eva tiṣṭhantī tadīyaṁ svābhāvikaṁ jñānam āvṛṇvānā, uttarā ca taṁ tad-anyathā-jñānena sañjayantī vartata iti |
(Paramātma Sandarbha: 54)“Now, the aspect [of māyā] known as avidyā (ignorance) has two functions: that constituted of covering (āvaraṇātmikā) and that constituted of projecting (vikṣepātmikā). Therein, the former exists in [i.e., casts its influence over] only the jīva and covers [i.e., suppresses] its [i.e., the jīva’s] inherent awareness, and the latter produces attachment in the jīva [i.e., binds the jīva] with awareness of that which is other than itself [i.e., it captivates the jīva by causing it, in the absence of any perception of its own nature as induced by the covering (āvaraṇātmikā) function, to cast its awareness outwards towards the constituents of māyā].”