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ataḥ kavir nāmasu yāvadarthaḥ

ataḥ kavir nāmasu yāvadarthaḥ
syād apramatto vyavasāya-buddhiḥ |
siddhe’nyathārthe na yateta tatra
pariśramaṁ tatra samīkṣamāṇaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.3)

“Therefore, a wise person should accept articles [only] as necessary, being non-neglectful and of resolute mind. Should one’s object be attained otherwise [i.e., should what is necessary for one’s sustenance come of its own accord], then one should not endeavor for it, seeing clearly the labor therein [i.e., seeing the unfavorable consequences of unnecessarily endeavoring for what one already has attained].”

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svamātuḥ svinna-gātrāyā visrasta-kabara-srajaḥ

svamātuḥ svinna-gātrāyā visrasta-kabara-srajaḥ |
dṛṣṭvā pariśramaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ kṛpayāsīt svabandhane ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.9.18)

“Seeing his own mother’s sweating body, the garland from her braid fallen loose, and her exertion, Kṛṣṇa, by his grace, became bound by his own [i.e., by his own mother; alt., by his own will].”

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yādṛcchikatvaṁ na tu karma-janitatvaṁ

yādṛcchikatvaṁ na tu karma-janitatvaṁ … |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.10.17)

“Being yādṛcchika [lsly., “of independent cause”], and not rather, being produced by karma ….”

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sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ

sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ |
mantraoṣadhi-vaśaḥ sarpaḥ khalaḥ kena nivāryate ||
(Cāṇakya-nīti)

“A snake is cruel, and the wicked are cruel. The wicked [however] are even more cruel than a snake. A snake can be controlled by mantras and medicinal herbs, but how are the wicked subdued? [i.e., They cannot be subdued by anything].”

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vande’haṁ durjanān pūrvaṁ sajjanāś ca tataḥ param

vande’haṁ durjanān pūrvaṁ sajjanāś ca tataḥ param |
mukha-prakṣālanāt pūrvaṁ pāyu-prakṣālanaṁ yathā ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā-prakāśa on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.1.1)

“I offer obeisance to the wicked first, and thereafter to the virtuous, just as one washes one’s rear before washing one’s mouth.”

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mīnā jālena dāsaiḥ sarasi mṛga-gaṇā vāgurābhi svaraṇye

mīnā jālena dāsaiḥ sarasi mṛga-gaṇā vāgurābhi svaraṇye
hiṁsraiḥ saṁsāra-cakre hari-vimukha-narā māyayā moha-pāśaīḥ |
kārāgāreṣu gāḍhoddhata-nṛpati-bhaṭāis taskarāḥ śṛṅkhalābhir
vṛndāraṇye vayaṁ cādbhuta-rasa-valitais tad-guṇaughair nibaddhāḥ ||
(Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta: 12.18)

“Fish become tightly bound in a lake by fishermen with a net, animals in a deep forest by hunters with traps, human beings averse to Hari in the wheel of saṁsāra by māyā with the ropes of illusion, thieves in jails by forceful hired soldiers of a king with shackles, and we with the inundation of its [i.e., Vṛndāvana’s] qualities accompanied by astonishing rasa in the forest of Vṛndā.”

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yat kiñcit tṛṇa-gulma-kīkaṭa-mukhaṁ goṣṭhe samastaṁ hi tat

yat kiñcit tṛṇa-gulma-kīkaṭa-mukhaṁ goṣṭhe samastaṁ hi tat
sarvānandamayaṁ mukunda-dayitaṁ līlānukūlaṁ param |
śāstrair eva muhur muhuḥ sphuṭam idaṁ niṣṭaṅkitaṁ yāchñayā
brahmāder api saspṛheṇa tad idaṁ sarvaṁ mayā vandyate ||
(Stavāvalī: Vraja-vilāsa-stava, 102)

“Everything beginning with the grass, shrubs, and insects in Vraja is indeed constituted of all bliss, beloved to Mukunda, and completely favorable to [his] līlā; this is declared by the śāstras again and again by means of the prayers of Brahmā and others [e.g., Uddhava], and all of this [i.e., everything in Vraja] is [thus] bowed to by me with longing.”

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aho’tiramyaṁ pulinaṁ vayasyāḥ

aho’tiramyaṁ pulinaṁ vayasyāḥ
sva-keli-sampan mṛdulāccha-vālukam |
sphuṭat-saro-gandha-hṛtāli-patri-ka-
dhvani-pratidhvāna-lasad-drumākulam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.13.5)

[Kṛṣṇa:] “Aho! Friends! This bank is very pleasant, with amenities for our play; soft, clear sand; and an abundance of swaying trees and echoes of sounds from the water of birds and bees attracted by the fragrance of the blooming pools.”

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cintāmaṇiś caraṇa-bhūṣaṇam aṅganānāṁ

cintāmaṇiś caraṇa-bhūṣaṇam aṅganānāṁ
śṛṅgāra-puṣpa-taravas taravaḥ surāṇām |
vṛndāvane vraja-dhanaṁ nanu kāma-dhenu-
vṛndāni ceti sukha-sindhur aho vibhūtiḥ ||
(Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.173; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.14.228)

“‘Nanu! In Vṛndāvana, the ladies’ foot-ornaments are thought-jewels, the decorative flowering trees are desire-trees [lit., trees of the suras], and the communal wealth is herds of desire-cows. Aho! The opulence [here] is thus an ocean of joy!”

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śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpa-taravo

śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpa-taravo
drumā bhūmiś cintāmaṇi-gaṇa-mayī toyam amṛtam |
kathā gānaṁ nāṭyaṁ gamanam api vaṁśī priya-sakhī
cid-ānandaṁ jyotiḥ param api tad āsvādyam api ca ||
sa yatra kṣīrābdhiḥ sravati surabhībhyaś ca sumahān
nimeṣārdhākhyo vā vrajati na hi yatrāpi samayaḥ |
bhaje śvetadvīpaṁ tam aham iha golokam iti yaṁ
vidantas te santaḥ kṣiti‑virala‑cārāḥ katipaye ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.55–56; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.143; Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.94–95; Laghu Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.5.500–501; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 172, 177, 186; Prīti Sandarbha: 111; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.14.227)

“That [place] where the lovers [alt., women] are Śrīs [i.e., resemblant of Lakṣmī], the beloved is the Supreme Puruṣa [i.e., he who is superior even to Nārāyaṇa and expands himself to reciprocate with every lover], the trees are desire-trees, the land is made of thought-jewels, the water is nectar, the speech is song, the movement is dance, the vaṁśī [i.e., flute] is a dear sakhī [i.e., is a friend to Kṛṣṇa as his constant companion and a friend to the residents of Vraja by making Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure and whereabouts known], the conscious, blissful, superb light is supremely relishable, an ocean of milk flows from the cows [i.e., where the cows become absorbed in the sound of the flute and yield unlimited milk], and where even the time [i.e., the time span] known as half of the most immense [i.e., half of the lifespan of Brahmā] or [the time span known as half of] the blink of the eye [i.e., an instant] does not pass [i.e., where the troublesome effects of time are absent and the residents are unaware of time on account of their absorption]—I worship [i.e., take shelter in] that Śvetadvīpa [lit., ‘white island’] which [only] a few sādhus in this world, who move about in seclusion on the earth [out of attachment to Kṛṣṇa and non-attachment to everything of the world; alt., who are extremely rare], know to be Goloka.”

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