svarūpa-guṇābhyāṁ parama-bṛhattamaḥ sarvākarṣaka ānandaḥ kṛṣṇa-śabda-vācya iti jñeyam |
(Jīva Gosvāmī’s ṭīkā to Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.1)
“The subject of the word Kṛṣṇa should be known as he who is the absolute greatest in constitution and qualities, the attractor [alt., ruler] of all, and bliss itself.”
kṛṣi-śabdaś ca sattārtho ṇaś cānanda-svarūpakaḥ |
sukha-rūpo bhaved ātmā bhāvānanda-mayatvataḥ ||
(Gautamīya-tantra; cited in Jīva Gosvāmī’s ṭīkā to Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.1)
“The word kṛṣ means existence, and [the word] ṇa means that which is of the nature of bliss. The Ātmā is the very form of joy because he is constituted of the bliss of bhāva [i.e., existence, alt., prema].”
kṛṣir bhū-vācakaḥ śabdo ṇaś ca nirvṛti-vācakaḥ |
tayor aikyaṁ paraṁ brahma kṛṣṇa ity abhidhīyate ||
(Mahābhārata: Udyoga-parva: 71.4; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.9.30 and Jīva Gosvāmī’s ṭīkā on Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.1)
“The word [i.e., root] kṛṣ is a signifier of existence, and [the suffix] ṇa is a signifier of bliss. The oneness of the two [i.e., of the referrents of kṛṣ and ṇa, that is, existence and bliss], Parabrahman, is thus referred to as Kṛṣṇa.”
vaṁśī-vibhūṣita-karān nava-nīradābhāt
pītāmbarād aruṇa-bimba-phalādharauṣṭhāt |
pūrṇendu-sundara-mukhād aravinda-netrāt
kṛṣṇāt paraṁ kim api tattvam ahaṁ na jāne ||
(Gītā-gūḍhārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 15.20; cited in the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 15.18)
“His hands adorned with the flute,
His luster like that of a fresh cloud,
His garments bright yellow,
His lower lip red like a bimba fruit,
His face beautiful like the full moon,
His eyes like lotuses,
I know of no entity of any kind higher than Kṛṣṇa.”
tasmān nandātmajo’yaṁ te nārāyaṇa-samo guṇaiḥ |
śriyā kīrtyānubhāvena gopāyasva samāhitaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.8.19)
[Gargācārya to Nanda Mahārāja:] “Therefore, O Nanda, attentively protect this son of yours who in qualities, beauty, glory, and influence is equal to Nārāyaṇa [alt., is he to whom Nārāyaṇa is equal in some, but not all, respects].”
yasya brahmeti saṁjñāṁ kvacid api nigame yāti cin-mātra-sattāpy
aṁśo yasyāṁśakaiḥ svair vibhavati vaśayann eva māyāṁ pumāṁś ca |
ekaṁ yasyaiva rūpaṁ vilasati parama-vyomni nārāyaṇākhyaṁ
sa śrī-kṛṣṇo vidhattāṁ svayam iha bhagavān prema tat-pāda-bhājām ||
(Tattva Sandarbha: 8)
“He whose existence purely as consciousness is called Brahman in parts of the Vedas, whose expansion the Puruṣa [i.e., Mahāviṣṇu] controls māyā [i.e., the material energy] and manifests as his own sub-expansions, and whose particular form known as Nārāyaṇa enjoys in Paravyoma [lit., ‘the higher sky,’ i.e., the spiritual world]—may [he,] Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Svayaṁ Bhagavān, bestow prema upon the servants of his feet here [i.e., in this world].”
akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ |
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.1)
“The embodiment of the nectar of all rasas [Śrī Kṛṣṇa …].”
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ |
anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.1)
“The Controller, the Supreme Being, Kṛṣṇa, is the embodiment of eternal being, consciousness, and bliss, the origin without origin, Govinda, and the cause of all causes.”
paṇḍitā bahavo rājan bahu-jñāḥ saṁśaya-cchidaḥ |
sadasas patayo’py eke asantoṣāt patanty adhaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.15.21)
“O King! Many paṇḍitas who have vast knowledge and can cut away [others’] doubts, and even numerous assembly leaders [i.e., paṇḍitas of the highest rank], fall down because of dissatisfaction [i.e., the inability to be satisfied, that is, because of greed].”
śanaiḥ panthāḥ śanaiḥ kanthā śanaiḥ parvata-laṅghanam |
śanaiḥ vidyā śanaiḥ vittaṁ pañcaitāni śanaiḥ śanaiḥ ||
(Unknown source)
“Gradually a path, gradually a quilt, gradually climbing a mountain, gradually knowledge, and gradually wealth—gradually, gradually these five [come about].”
