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- Read on →: na rāja-rājeśvaratā-vibhūtīr
na rāja-rājeśvaratā-vibhūtīr
na divya-vastūni ca te bhavattaḥ |
na kāmayante’nyad apīha kiñcid
amutra ca prāpyam ṛte bhavantam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.79)“[Śrī Uddhava to Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] From you, they [viz., the people of Vraja] desire neither the splendors of being a king or an emperor, nor heavenly objects, nor anything else attainable in this world or the next apart from you [i.e., they desire you alone and will never be satisfied by anything else].”
- Read on →: idam ākarṇya bhagavān utthāya śayyanād drutam
idam ākarṇya bhagavān utthāya śayyanād drutam |
priya-prema-parādhīno rudann uccair bahir gataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.63)“Hearing this [statement of Balarāma], Bhagavān [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa], he who is captivated by the prema of dear ones, quickly arose from bed and went outside, weeping loudly.”
- Read on →: mama pratyakṣam evedaṁ yadā kṛṣṇo vraje’vrajat
mama pratyakṣam evedaṁ yadā kṛṣṇo vraje’vrajat |
tato hi pūtanādibhyaḥ keśy-antebhyo muhur muhuḥ ||
daityebhyo varuṇendrādi-devebhyo’jagarāditaḥ |
tathā cirantana-svīya-śakaṭārjuna-bhaṅgataḥ |
ko vā nopadravas tatra jāto vraja-vināśakaḥ ||
tatratyās tu janāḥ kiñcit te’nusandadhate na tat ||
mohitā iva kṛṣṇasya maṅgalaṁ tatra tatra hi |
icchanti sarvadā svīyaṁ nāpekṣante ca karhicit ||
svabhāva-sauhṛdenaiva yat kiñcit sarvam ātmanaḥ |
asyopakalpayante sma nanda-sūnoḥ sukhāya tat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.39–40)“[Rohiṇī Devī to Devarṣi Nārada:] This is verily my experience: when Kṛṣṇa went to Vraja, from right then on, and again and again, what calamity devastating to Vraja—starting from Pūtanā and ending with Keśī—[coming] from asuras, from devas like Varuṇa and Indra, from pythons and so on [i.e., and other fearsome creatures], and from [even] the breaking of a cart and arjuna trees that had long been our own—did not arise? Still, the people situated there [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] did not consider any of that [i.e., still, their love for Kṛṣṇa did not wane, and rather, only increased (Vraja-janānāṁ Kṛṣṇe prītir na jātu kṣīṇā, api tu vivṛddhaiva, DDT)]. As if beguiled, in all those cases [i.e., calamities], they [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] always desired Kṛṣṇa’s well-being, and they never considered their own [well-being]. Purely out of natural cordiality, they offered everything that was their own for his—the Son of Nanda’s—pleasure.”
- Read on →: uddhavo’tyanta-sambhrānto drutam utthāya tat-padau
uddhavo’tyanta-sambhrānto drutam utthāya tat-padau |
vidhāyāṅke samāliṅgya tasyābhipretya hṛd-gatam ||
hṛt-prāpta-bhagavat-tat-tat-prasāda-bhara-bhāg-janaḥ |
tadīya-prema-sampatti-vibhava-smṛti-yantritaḥ ||
rodanair vivaśo dīno yatnād dhairyaṁ śrito munim |
avadhāpyāha mātsaryāt sāttvikāt pramudaṁ gataḥ ||
śrīmad-uddhava uvāca—
sarvajña satyavāk-śreṣṭha mahāmuni-vara prabho |
bhagavad-bhakti-mārgādi-gurunoktaṁ tvayeha yat ||
tat sarvam adhikaṁ cāsmāt satyam eva mayi sphuṭam |
varteteti mayā jñātam āsīd anyair api dhruvam ||
idānīṁ yad vraje gatvā kim apy anvabhavaṁ tataḥ |
mahāsaubhāgyamāno me sa sadyaś cūrṇatāṁ gataḥ ||
tata eva hi kṛṣṇasya tat-prasādasya cādbhutā |
tat-premṇo’pi mayā jñātā mādhurī tadvatāṁ tathā ||
tad-darśanenaiva gato’tidhanyatāṁ
tarhy eva samyak prabhuṇānukampitam |
tasya prasādātiśayāspadaṁ tathā
matvā svam ānanda-bharāpluto’bhavam ||
gāyaṁ gāyaṁ yad abhilaṣatā yat tato’nuṣṭhitaṁ yat
tat sarveṣāṁ suviditam itaḥ śakyate’nyan na vaktum |
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.19–27)“Becoming greatly perfervid, Uddhava quickly arose, placed his [viz., Nārada’s] feet upon his own chest, fully embraced them, and, inferring that which was present in his [viz., Nārada’s] heart, holding in his own heart those persons [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] possessed of an abundance of that particular [ineffable] grace of Bhagavān, becoming pained by remembrance of the greatness of the attainment of prema of they [so possessed of his grace] who are his own [alt., of the appearance—in the form of distress, weeping, and so on—of the fortune of prema of those so possessed of his grace who are his own], overwhelmed with tears, [thus] humble, [thereafter] with effort [from Nārada or Balarāma and others] reposed with composure, and given over to great delight out of sāttvika jealousy, he addressed the sage [viz., Nārada] and spoke. Blessed Uddhava said, ‘O all-knowing one, O best of truth-speakers, O foremost of great sages, O master, everything which was stated by you, the original guru of the path of bhakti to Bhagavān, and more than that, is verily true and clearly evident to me. Thus, it was certainly [already] known to me and to others. That pride in my great fortune [which you have described, which was known to me, and which was as big as Mount Sumeru] was immediately pulverized as a result of that [wonder] which I experienced recently after going to Vraja. Specifically from that [experience], the astonishing sweetness of Kṛṣṇa, of his grace, of prema for him, and of those possessed of that has become known to me. I have become greatly fortunate only by the sight of them [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs, alt., only by that experience]. Considering myself fully blessed by Prabhu and a recipient a profusion of his grace only then [i.e., after I had that experience], I have became submerged in an abundance of bliss. That which thus [i.e., because of my being so blissful] was sung [by me] repeatedly [in etāḥ paraṁ tanubhṛto … (SB 10.47.58) …], which was desired [by me in āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām … (SB 10.47.61) …], and which was done [by me i.e., the obeisance I offered in vande nanda-vraja-strīṇāṁ … (SB 10.47.63)] is well known to everyone. Anything more than this is not able to be spoken [by me here now].’”
- Read on →: astācalaṁ cumbati bhānu-bimbe
astācalaṁ cumbati bhānu-bimbe
gṛhe gṛhe gokula-sundarīṇām |
divyānulepābharaṇāmbarāṇi
kṛṣṇāhriyante paritaḥ sakhībhiḥ ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 8.101)“O Kṛṣṇa,
When the orb of the sun
Kisses the western horizon,
In house after house
The splendid unguents, ornaments, and garments
Of the beauties of Gokula
Are brought from all sides by [their] friends
[So that these beauties can be well-dressed when they meet Kṛṣṇa as he re-enters the village in the early evening from his day of cow-herding out in the forest].” - Read on →: phalam api phalaṁ mākandānāṁ sitā api tāḥ sitā
phalam api phalaṁ mākandānāṁ sitā api tāḥ sitā
amṛtam amṛtaṁ drākṣā drākṣā madhūni madhūny api |
saha tulayituṁ tenaiteṣāṁ na kiñcana yujyate
subala yad ayaṁ sāraṅgākṣyā bhavaty adharo’dharaḥ ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 3.5)“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] Even the fruit of mango trees
Is [just] fruit.
Even candied sugar
Is [just] candied sugar.
[Even] Nectar is [just] nectar.
[Even] Grapes are [just] grapes.
Even honey is [just] honey.
O Subala,
None of these are fit
To be compared with that,
Since [that, viz.,] this lower lip of she of doe-eyes [viz., Śrī Rādhikā]
Is [really] a lower lip (adharaḥ)
[i.e., Something that excels all else].”