The Latest

  • atha ātma-nivedanam | tac ca dehādi-śuddhātma-paryantasya sarvato-bhāvena tasminn evārpaṇam | tat-kāryaṁ cātmārtha-ceṣṭā-śūnyatvaṁ tan-nyastātma-sādhana-sādhyatvaṁ tad-arthaika-ceṣṭāmayatvaṁ ca | idaṁ hy ātmārpaṇaṁ go-vikrayavat, vikrītasya gor vartanārthaṁ vikrītavatā ceṣṭā na kriyate | tasya ca śreyaḥ-sādhakas taṁ krītavān eva syāt | sa ca gaus tasyaiva karma kuryāt, na punar vikrītavato’pīti | atha kecid dehārpaṇam evātmārpaṇam iti manyante | … kecic chuddha-kṣetrajñārpaṇam eva | … kecic ca dakṣiṇa-hastādikam apy arpayantaḥ, tena tat-karma-mātraṁ kurvate, na tu dehādi-karmety adyāpi dṛśyate | tad etat sarvātmakaṁ sakāryam ātma-nivedanaṁ yathā … | … atra sarvathā tatraiva saṅghātātma-nikṣepaḥ kṛta iti vaiśiṣṭyāpattyā smaraṇādi-mayopāsanasyaivātmārpaṇatvam | … yathā smaraṇa-kīrtana-pāda-sevana-mayam upāsanam eva āgamokta-vidhimayatva-vaiśiṣṭyāpattyārcanam ity abhidhīyate, tato nāviviktatvam, snāna-paridhānādi-kriyā cāsya bhagavat-sevā-yogyatvāyaiveti, tatrāpi nātmārpaṇa-bhakti-hānir ity anusandheyam | … tad etad ātma-nivedanaṁ bhāvaṁ vinā bhāva-vaiśiṣṭyena ca dṛśyate |
    (Bhakti Sandarbha: 309)

    “Now, ātma-nivedanam [i.e., submission of the self, will be discussed]. That, furthermore, is offering of the body and so forth, up to the pure self (ātmā), in all respects to him [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] alone. The result thereof, furthermore, is (1) being free from endeavor for the sake of oneself, (2) being of one’s means (sādhana) and ends (sādhya) consigned to him [i.e., Bhagavān, meaning, relying primarily upon Bhagavān for all of one’s means and ends, both in the spiritual sense of one’s bhakti-sādhana and attainment of the ideal of prema, and in the relative sense of one’s practical objectives related to the upkeep of the body and the means of effecting that], and (3) being possessed of endeavor solely for his sake. This offering of the self is like the selling a cow: [after the sale] endeavor is not performed by the seller for the sake of the maintenance of that which was sold [i.e., the cow], and the buyer alone shall be the agent of its [i.e., the cow’s] well-being. Furthermore, [after the sale] the cow shall work only for him [i.e., the buyer], and not any more for the seller [i.e., when one has offered oneself to Śrī Bhagavān, then, like a sold cow, one acts solely for the sake of one’s proprietor, Śrī Bhagavān, and the responsibility of one’s maintenance is solely that of Śrī Bhagavān]. Now, some consider offering of the self to be only offering of the body. … Some [alternately, consider offering of the self to be] offering of the pure knower of the field (kṣetrajña) [i.e., the ātmā]. … Some also offer the right hand or otherwise [i.e., some particular body part, to Bhagavān] and perform only action for him with that [offered part of the body] and not, rather, action for the body and so forth. Even today this is seen. Now, submission of the self, along with its functions, in totality is as follows [i.e., is demonstrated by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, as described in SB 9.4.18–20]. … In this case [of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa], casting of the entirety of the self [i.e., the body, mind, and so forth up to the ātmā] solely unto him [i.e., Bhagavān] in all respects was performed. On account of the occurrence of this characteristic [i.e., of his engaging all the faculties of his self in action for the sake of Śrī Bhagavān, as described in SB 9.4.18–20], worship (upāsanā) constituted of remembrance and so forth [i.e., of usage of one’s various faculties, such as the mind] itself is part of [the limb of bhakti known as] offering of the self [i.e., ātma-nivedanam]. … As worship (upāsana) constituted of remembrance, praising, and serving the feet [of Bhagavān] is called arcana on account of the occurrence of the characteristic [in such worship] of being based on the injunctions stated in the Āgamas, and is not distinguished from that [i.e., from arcana, when that characteristic is present in them, since arcana is defined as worship performed according to śāstric injunction], one’s acts of bathing, dressing, and so forth [i.e., a bhakta’s attendance to their own basic bodily functions and needs after they have offered themselves to Bhagavān] too are [performed] only because of [their] being useful for the service of Bhagavān, and therein as well are to be considered non-detrimental to the [limb of] bhakti [known as] offering the self [i.e., one who has taken up the limb of bhakti known as offering one’s entire self to Bhagavān can still engage in actions for the sake of maintaining the body and so forth that one has offered to Bhagavān because such actions are actually actions for the sake of Śrī Bhagavān since they facilitate performance of various services to Śrī Bhagavān with the body and are themselves acts of care for something that belongs to and is dear to Bhagavān]. … Then, this submission of the self is seen to be (1) without a [specific] bhāva [as described in SB 11.29.32] and (2) with a specificity of bhāva [as in the case of Rukmiṇī offering herself to Śrī Kṛṣṇa with madhura-bhāva, as described in SB 10.52.1].”

    Read on →: atha ātma-nivedanam

  • atha sakhyam | tac ca hitāśaṁsana-mayaṁ bandhu-bhāva-lakṣaṇam | … asya cottaratra pāṭhaḥ prema-viśrambhavad-bhāvanā-mayatvena dāsyād apy uttamatvāpekṣayā | kiṁ ca, parameśvare’pi yat sakhyaṁ śāstre vidhīyate, tan nāścaryam, nādevo devam arcayet iti tad-bhāvasyāpi vidhāna-śravaṇāt | kintu tad-bhāvas tat-sevā-viruddha iti śuddha-bhaktair upekṣyate | sakhyaṁ tu parama-sevānukūlam ity upādīyata iti | tad etat sākṣād-bhajanātmakaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyaṁ ca … | atra ca tābhyāṁ karmārpaṇa-viśvāsau na vyākhyātau, sāksād-bhaktitvābhāvāt | karmārpaṇasya phalaṁ bhaktir viśvāsaś ca bhakty-abhiniveśa-hetur itīha pūrvam uktam | tac ca bhagavad-viṣaya-hitāśaṁsana-mayaṁ sakhyam, bhagavat-kṛta-hitāśaṁsanasya nityatvāt, tena saha tasya nitya-sahavāsāc ca | bhajana-viśeṣeṇāpi viśiṣṭaṁ sampādayituṁ nātiduṣkaraṁ syād ity āha—ko’ti-prayāso’sura-bālakā harer upāsane sve hṛdi chidravat sataḥ, svasyātmanaḥ sakhyur aśeṣa-dehināṁ sāmānyataḥ kiṁ viṣayopapādanaiḥ |
    (Bhakti Sandarbha: 306)

    “Now, friendship (sakhyam) [will be discussed]. That, furthermore, is made up of well-wishing [for the object of friendship, Śrī Bhagavān,] and possessed of the characteristic of amity [i.e., the bhāva of being friends with Bhagavān]. … Its [i.e., sakhyam’s] reading [i.e., placement] later on [in the list of the nine primary limbs of bhakti in SB 7.5.23–24] is out of regard for its superiority even to servitude (dāsya) by virtue of [its] being filled with a spirit (bhāvanā) possessed of love (prema) and intimacy (viśrambha). Moreover, that [such] friendship (sakhyam) is enjoined in śāstra even by the Supreme Lord (Parameśvara) is not surprising on account of hearing [in certain places in śāstra] of the practice even of the bhāva [alluded to in the statement], ‘A non-deva should not worship Deva’ [i.e., the bhāva of considering oneself to be Deva, that is, Śrī Bhagavān himself, meaning, if Bhagavān himself has even enjoined the practice of considering oneself to be himself, then it is not surprising that he would enjoin the practice of considering oneself to be his friend]. That bhāva [i.e., the practice of ahaṁgrahopāsanā wherein one meditates one oneself as being Bhagavān himself], however, is disregarded by pure bhaktas because it is contrary to service to him [i.e., when one considers oneself to be Śrī Bhagavān, then one does not foster the attitude of service to Śrī Bhagavān himself and thus pure bhaktas disregard such a practice]. Friendship (sakhyam) [i.e., the bhāva of considering oneself a close companion of Śrī Bhagavān], however, is highly favorable for service [to Śrī Bhagavān], and thus is adopted [by pure bhaktas]. So, this servitude (dāsyam) and friendship (sākhyam) [mentioned in SB 7.5.23–24] are of the nature of direct service (bhajana) [to Śrī Bhagavān]. … Here [i.e., in the context of discussion of forms of direct bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān], furthermore, offering karma and faith (viśvāsa) are not alluded to by these two [i.e., by the forms of direct bhakti known as dāsyam and sakhya, and thus dāsyam here does not refer to offering karma to Bhagavān and sakhyam here does not refer to faith (viśvāsa) alone], because of the non-existence of [their, i.e., offering karma and faith (viśvāsa)] being direct [forms of] bhakti. In this regard, it was previously stated that [direct] bhakti is an outcome of offering karma and faith (viśvāsa) is a cause of absorption in [direct] bhakti. Because of the constancy [alt., eternality] of the well-wishing performed by Bhagavān [for his bhaktas], and because of one’s [i.e., a jīva’s] constant [alt., eternal] co-abidance with him [i.e., Bhagavān], sakhyam, constituted of well-wishing the object of which is Bhagavān, qualified even by a distinct [act of] bhajana [i.e., sakhyam in the form of an act performed for the pleasure of Bhagavān in the manner that a friend acts for the pleasure of another friend] shall not be very difficult to perform. Thus, he [i.e., Prahlāda Mahārāja] says [in SB 7.7.38], ‘O boys of the asuras, what great exertion [i.e., difficulty] is there in worship of Hari, he who is [ever] present like space in one’s heart and is the inherent Self and common Friend of all embodied beings [who fulfills all their desires, be they material or spiritual, when worshiped as a friend]? [Therefore,] What [is the use] of accumulating objects of the senses [instead of engaging in the worship of Hari]?’”

    Read on →: atha sakhyam tac ca hitāśaṁsana-mayaṁ bandhu-bhāva-lakṣaṇam

  • A Jewel-like Hymn

    By Śrīmad Yāmunācārya

    Read on →: Stotra-ratna

  • Prayers

    By Śrīmad Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura Mahāśaya

    Read on →: Prārthanā

  • sa guruḥ paramo vairī yo dadāti hy asan-matim |
    taṁ namaskṛtya sat-śiṣyaḥ prayāti jñānadaṁ gurum ||
    (Nārada Pañcarātra: 1.10.21)

    “A guru who propagates misconception is the greatest enemy. A sincere disciple should offer obeisance to him and [after abandoning him] go to a guru who gives [proper] knowledge.”

    Read on →: sa guruḥ paramo vairī yo dadāti hy asan-matim

  • guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ |
    utpatha-pratipannasya parityāgo vidhīyate ||
    (Nārada Pañcarātra: 1.10.20; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 238)

    “Rejection is enjoined for even a guru who is arrogant, unaware of what is to be done and not to be done, and set out on a wrongful path.”

    Read on →: guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ

Scroll to Top