Jīva Gosvāmī

gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran yad amuṣya rūpaṁ

gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran yad amuṣya rūpaṁ
lāvaṇya-sāram asamorddhvam ananya-siddham |
dṛgbhiḥ pibanty anusavābhinavaṁ durāpam
ekānta-dhāma yaśasaḥ śriya aiśvarasya ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.44.14; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.135; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 101, 183; Prīti Sandarbha: 99, 111; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.21.112)

“What austerity did the gopīs perform as a result of which they drink through their eyes his form which is the essence of loveliness, unequalled and unsurpassed, not accomplished otherwise, new at every moment, difficult to attain, and the ultimate reservoir of fame, splendor, and mastery?”

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rājño jīvatu deho’yaṁ prasannāḥ prabhavo yadi

rājño jīvatu deho’yaṁ prasannāḥ prabhavo yadi |
tathety ukte nimiḥ prāha mā bhūn me deha-bandhanam ||
yasya yogaṁ na vāñchanti viyoga-bhaya-kātarāḥ |
bhajanti caraṇāmbhojaṁ munayo hari-medhasaḥ ||
dehaṁ nāvarurutse’haṁ duḥkha-śoka-bhayāvaham |
sarvatrāsya yato mṛtyur matsyānām udake yathā ||
devā ūcuḥ—
videha uṣyatāṁ kāmaṁ locaneṣu śarīriṇām |
unmeṣaṇa-nimeṣābhyāṁ lakṣito’dhyātma-saṁsthitaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.13.8–11)

“[The sages pray to the devas for the sake of Mahārāja Nimi:] ‘May this body of the king live if you all are satisfied [with the sacrifice initiated by the king] and capable [of bringing the king’s body back to life].’ When, ‘So be it’ was said [by the devas in response to the sages’ prayer], Nimi [being situated then only in a subtle body] said, ‘Let me not be subject to the bondage of a [gross] body [again]. Sages who are agitated by fear of disconnection [from a gross body], who are endowed with wisdom related to Hari, and who worship the lotus feet [of Hari], do not desire connection with that [i.e. with a gross body]. [Thus,] I do not wish to don a [gross] body, which is a cause of suffering, sorrow, and fear, since its death, like that of fish [even] in water, can occur everywhere.’ [In reply to the sages] The devas said [with regard to Mahārāja Nimi]: ‘Bodiless [i.e., free from a gross body] and situated in a subtle body, at will let him be observed in the opening and closing [i.e., blinking] in the eyes of the embodied.’”

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etāvatālaṁ viśvātman sarva-sampat-samṛddhaye

etāvatālaṁ viśvātman sarva-sampat-samṛddhaye |
asmin loke’tha vāmuṣmin puṁsas tvat-toṣa-kāraṇam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.81.11)

“[Queen Rukmiṇī to Śrī Kṛṣṇa after he partook of the first handful of the rice brought by Sudāmā Vipra:] ‘There is no need of this much [i.e., of eating the second handful]. O you who are the Self of the universe, the means of your satisfaction leads to the increase of all types of fortune for a person in this world and the next.”

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śrutaya ūcuḥ

śrutaya ūcuḥ—
kandarpa-koṭi-lāvaṇye tvayi dṛṣṭe manāṁsi naḥ |
kāminī-bhāvam āsādya smara-kṣubdhāny asaṁśayam |
yathā tval-loka-vāsinyaḥ kāma-tattvena gopikāḥ |
bhajanti ramaṇaṁ matvā cikīrṣājani nas tathā ||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca—
durlabho durghaṭaś caiva yuṣmākaṁ sumanorathaḥ |
mayānumoditaḥ samyak so’pi bhavitum arhati ||
āgāmini viriñcau tu jāte sṛṣṭy-artham udyate |
kalpaṁ sārasvataṁ prāpya vraje gopyā bhaviṣyatha ||
pṛthivyāṁ bhārate kṣetre māthure mama maṇḍale |
vṛndāvane bhaviṣyāmi preyān vo rāsa-maṇḍale ||
jāra-dharmeṇa susnehaṁ sudṛḍhaṁ sarvato’dhikam |
mayi samprāpya sarve’pi kṛtakṛtyā bhaviṣyatha ||
(Bṛhad Vāmana Purāṇa; cited in the Locana-rocanī-ṭīkā and Ānanda-candrikā-ṭīkā on Ujjvala-nīlamāṇi: 3.47)

“The Śrutis say, ‘Upon seeing you possessed of the loveliness of a crore of Kandarpas, our minds take on the bhāva of a ladylove (kāminī) and are undoubtedly agitated by passion. As the gopikās residing in your abode worship you with the essence of kāma, having accepted you as their lover, so [too] our desire has arisen to do so.’ Śrī Bhagavān says, ‘This excellent desire of you all is difficult to attain and difficult to accomplish. [When] Approved by me in full [however], it too can come to be. When a future Brahmā is born and arises for the purpose of emanation [of the universe], you all will arrive in the Sārasvata-kalpa and become gopīs in Vraja. In the rāsa circle in Vṛndāvana within my district of Mathurā in the land of Bhārata on Earth, I will become the beloved of you all. Attaining in full profound affection for me that is profoundly firm and all-surpassing, you all too will become successful.”

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atha parikarāṇām api bhāveṣu tāratamyaṁ vivecanīyaṁ

atha parikarāṇām api bhāveṣu tāratamyaṁ vivecanīyaṁ, yeṣāṁ bhagavattaivopajīvyā | tatra bhagavattā tāvat sāmānyato dvividhaiva—paramaiśvarya-rūpā parama-mādhurya-rūpā ceti | aiśvaryaṁ prabhutā | mādhuryaṁ nāma ca śīla-guṇa-rūpa-vayo-līlānāṁ sambandha-viśeṣāṇāṁ ca manoharatvaṁ, paramatvaṁ ca cāsamordhvatvam | atha bhaktādi-catur-vidhāḥ parikarāpi dvividhāḥ | paramaiśvaryānubhava-pradhānāḥ parama-mādhuryānubhava-pradhānāś ca | tatraiśvarya-mātrasya sādhvasa-sambhrama-gaurava-buddhi-janakatvaṁ mādhurya-mātrasya prīti-janakatvam iti sarvānubhava-siddham eva | tatas tatraiśvarya-mādhuryayoḥ paramatvam iti tābhyāṁ yathāsaṅkhyaṁ sādhvasādīnāṁ prīteś ca paramatvam eva syāt |
(Excerpt from Prīti Sandarbha: 97)

“Now, the gradation among the bhāvas of even the parikaras (associates) [of Śrī Bhagavān], whose sole sustenance is Bhagavattā [i.e., the Bhagavān aspect of Bhagavān—the myriad of characteristics what constitute the essential nature of Bhagavān, as opposed to the Brahman aspect (Brahmatva) of Bhagavān], is to be deliberated upon. In that regard, Bhagavattā is in general only of two types: that the form of which is paramount aiśvarya (paramaiśvarya) and that the form of which is paramount mādhurya (parama-mādhurya). Aiśvarya refers to powerfulness (prabhutā), and mādhurya refers to charmingness [lit., ‘being captivating to the mind’] of disposition, qualities, figure, age, and līlā, as well as of specific relations [i.e., of forms of relationship]. [The aforementioned] ‘Paramountness’ (paramatva) [of the aiśvarya and the mādhurya of Bhagavān’s Bhagavattā], furthermore, refers to [their] being unequaled and unsurpassed (asamordhvatva) [by any other feature of Śrī Bhagavān, much less by any feature of any other entity subordinate to him].
“Now, parikaras too, who are of four types beginning with bhaktas [i.e., those whose principal rati is dāsya and so forth], are also of two [general] types: those in whom experience of paramount aiśvarya is predominant (paramaiśvaryānubhava-pradhāna) and those in whom experience of paramount mādhurya is predominant (mādhuryānubhava-pradhāna). In this regard, only aiśvarya’s being productive of alarm (sādhavasa), reverential excitement (sambhrama), and a sense of superiority (gaurava-buddhi), and only mādhurya’s being productive of prīti, is certainly established by the experience of everyone. Thus, there is the paramountness (paramatva) of the aiśvarya and the mādhurya [of Śrī Bhagavān’s Bhagavattā] in this regard [i.e., such paramountness is also to be considered present in the nature of Śrī Bhagavān], and the definitive paramountness of alarm and so forth and of prīti [that bhaktas experience in response to Śrī Bhagavān’s Bhagavattā] shall come about respectively because of these two [i.e., because of the paramount aiśvarya and the paramount mādhurya in Śrī Bhagavān’s Bhagavattā].”

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tad evaṁ trividhāpi sā punar akaitavā sakaitavā ceti dvividhā jñeyā

tad evaṁ trividhāpi sā punar akaitavā sakaitavā ceti dvividhā jñeyā | tatrāropa-saṅga-siddhayor yasyā bhakteḥ sambandhena bhakti-pada-prāptyāṁ sāmarthyaṁ tan-mātrāpekṣatvaṁ ced akaitavatvaṁ, svīyānyadīya-phalāpekṣatvaṁ cet sakaitavatvam | svarūpa-siddhāyāś ca yasya bhagavataḥ sambandhena tādṛśaṁ māhātmyaṁ tan-mātrāpekṣa-parikaratvaṁ ced akaitavatvaṁ, prayojanāntarāpekṣayā karma-jñāna-parikaratvaṁ cet sakaitavatvam | iyam evākaitavā akiñcanākhyatvena pūrvam uktā | ‘dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo’tra paramaḥ’ ity atra cāsya tad-ubhaya-vidhatve pramāṇaṁ jñeyam | tathoktaṁ—‘prīyate’malayā bhaktyā harir anyad viḍambanam’ iti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 217)

“Thus, in this way, although of three types [i.e., (1) āropa-siddhā, accomplished (siddhā) by means of attribution (āropa); (2) saṅga-siddhā, accomplished (siddhā) by means of association (saṅga); and (3) svarūpa-siddhā, accomplished (siddhā) by means of its own nature (svarūpa)], that [i.e., bhakti] further is to be known to be of two types: akaitavā (non-deceitful) and sakaitavā (deceitful) [i.e., each of the three aforementioned types of bhakti can be of two types, that is, either akaitavā (non-deceitful) or sakaitavā (deceitful)]. Therein, if āropa- and saṅga-siddhā [-bhakti] are possessed of intent only upon that bhakti by connection with which they have the ability to attain the status of [being] bhakti [i.e., if they are possessed of intent only upon bhakti wherein there is desire for bhakti alone, then] they are possessed of akaitavatva (non-deceitfulness), but if they are possessed of intent upon a result relating to one’s self or relating to another [i.e., relating to anyone other than Bhagavān, then] they are possessed of sakaitavatva (deceitfulness). If svarūpa-siddhā [-bhakti] is possessed of being an assistant to intent only upon that bhakti [wherein there is desire for bhakti alone by connection with which it [i.e., that svarūpa-siddhā-bhakti] has such greatness [i.e., has the quality of being the very essence of all the śāstras as discussed in BKS 169, has the quality of being the highest bliss (paramānanda) as discussed in BKS 3, and so on, then] it is possessed of akaitavatva (non-deceitfulness), but if it is possessed of being an assistant to karma or jñāna on account of intent upon another aim (prayojana) [i.e., an aim other than bhakti wherein there is desire for bhakti alone, then] it is possessed of sakaitavatva (deceitfulness). This exact non-deceitful (akaitavā) [bhakti] was described earlier [in BKS 165, 170, 178 179, and 202 with reference to SB 5.18.12] as being called ‘unconditional’ (akiñcanā). Also, evidence in regard to its [i.e., bhakti’s] being of both types [i.e., potentially being either non-deceitful or deceitful] is to be understood here in [SB 1.1.2], ‘Here [i.e., in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] is the highest dharma completely free from deceit (kaitava)’ (dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo’tra paramaḥ). Similarly, it is stated [in SB 7.7.52], ‘Hari is pleased [only] by taintless bhakti. All else is a sham [i.e., deceitful].’”

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bhaktis trividhā—āropa-siddhā saṅga-siddhā svarūpa-siddhā ca

bhaktis trividhā—āropa-siddhā, saṅga-siddhā, svarūpa-siddhā ca | tatrāropa-siddhā svato bhaktitvābhāve’pi bhagavad-arpaṇādinā bhaktitvaṁ prāptā karmādi-rūpā | saṅga-siddhā svato bhaktitvābhāve’pi tat-parikaratayā saṁsthāpanena … labdha-tad-antaḥpātā jñāna-karma-tad-aṅga-rūpā | svarūpa-siddhā cājñānādināpi tat-prādurbhāve bhaktitvāvyabhicāriṇī sākṣāt-tad-anugaty-ātmā tadīya-śravaṇa-kīrtanādi-rūpā | ‘śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ’ ity-ādau viṣṇoḥ śravaṇaṁ viṣṇoḥ kīrtanam iti viśiṣṭasyaiva vivakṣitatvāt teṣām api nāropa-siddhatvaṁ, pratyuta mūḍha-pronmattādiṣu tad-anukartṛṣv api kathañcit sambandhena phala-prāpakatvāt svarūpa-siddhatvaṁ |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 217)

“Bhakti is of three types: (1) āropa-siddhā [i.e., that accomplished (siddhā) by means of attribution (āropa)], (2) saṅga-siddhā [i.e., that accomplished (siddhā) by means of association (saṅga)], and (3) svarūpa-siddhā [i.e., that accomplished (siddhā) by means of its own essential nature (svarūpa)]. Therein, āropa-siddhā [-bhakti] is that the form of which is karma or otherwise [e.g., jñāna] which, even in the absence of the quality of being bhakti (bhaktitva) within itself, has attained the quality of being bhakti (bhaktitva) by means of an offering [of itself] to Bhagavān and so on [i.e., or an offering of its result to Bhagavān]. Saṅga-siddhā [-bhakti] is that the form of which is jñāna, karma, or a limb thereof which, even in the absence of the quality of being bhakti (bhaktitva) within itself, has attained inclusion in [being] that [i.e., bhakti] by means of establishment [of it] as being an assistant to that [i.e., bhakti, e.g., as the non-attachment of the mind to worldly objects described in SB 11.3.23 is not bhakti in and of itself but becomes a form of bhakti, i.e., saṅga-siddhā-bhakti, because of its functioning as an assistant to forms of svarūpa-siddhā-bhakti]. Svarūpa-siddhā [-bhakti] is that the form of which is hearing, praising, and so forth of him [i.e., Bhagavān] the nature of which is direct attendant service (anugati) to him [i.e., Bhagavān] and which is unwavering in the quality of being bhakti when its manifestation occurs even unknowingly or otherwise [i.e., even without one intentionally performing the action as an act of bhakti to Bhagavān]. On account of specified hearing of Viṣṇu, [specified] praising of Viṣṇu, and so on being intended in [the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja in SB 7.5.23 listing the nine principal forms of bhakti], ‘Hearing of Viṣṇu, praising [of him] …’ (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ Viṣṇoḥ …), their also not being āropa-siddha, and rather, [their being] svarūpa-siddha on account of being causes of attainment of the result [i.e., causes of the result of performing an act of bhakti to Bhagavān] by contact of any sort [i.e., their being performed in any manner at all] even in the case of the ignorant, the completely intoxicated, and so on [who happen to engage in such acts for any reason whatsoever], and [even] in the case of imitators of them [i.e., those who engage in these acts only with the aim of imitating others they have seen performing them], as in the case of Śrī Prahlāda’s fasting on Śrī Nṛsiṁha Caturdaśī in his previous birth, and as in the case of the circumambulation of a temple of Bhagavān by a raptor caught in the mouth of a dog, is to be understood, as also similarly is an obeisance performed by an ignorant person on account of a different vision or otherwise [e.g., as is a person’s lying down in a temple in front of Bhagavān for the purpose of taking rest or cooling off in the shade rather than for the purpose of bowing down before Bhagavān as an offering of honor to him].”

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kṛṣṇaiśvaryādy-avijñānaṁ kṛtaṁ naiṣām avidyayā

kṛṣṇaiśvaryādy-avijñānaṁ kṛtaṁ naiṣām avidyayā |
kintu premottara-rasa-viśeṣeṇaiva tat kṛtam ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 4.4.15)

“Their [i.e., bhaktas’] absence of awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s aiśvarya and so forth is not caused by ignorance (avidyā). Rather, it is caused solely by a particular rasa overlaid with prema.”

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dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam |
śrīmad-bhāgavate mahāmuni-kṛte kiṁ vāparair īśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.1.2; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.396; Tattva Sandarbha: 19, 26, 50; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 84; Paramātma Sandarbha: 106, Bhakti Sandarbha: 106, 115, 217; Prīti Sandarbha: 16, 18, 73; Durgama-saṅgamanī-ṭīkā and Bhakti-sāra-pradarśinī-ṭīkā on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.244)

“Here [i.e., in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam], for the sādhus who are free from envy, is the highest dharma wherein deceit is utterly rejected. Here is the Reality, the real object to be be known, which bestows the highest good and uproots the three miseries. What need is there of any other [śāstra] than this Śrīmad Bhāgavatam compiled by the best of the sages [i.e., Vedavyāsa]? [There is no such need because] Here Īśvara is bound within the heart by the fortunate who desire to serve immediately, from that [very] moment [they begin to listen].”

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