śrī-sanātana-gopāla-rūpa-padābja-bhṛṅgatām |
vibhrad vṛndāvanstho’yaṁ śrī-jīvo mama sad-gatiḥ ||
(Hari Dāsa Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)
“Sustaining the state of being a bee
In the lotus of the feet
Of the blessed eternal cowherd figure
[Of Śrī Bhagavān, viz., Śrī Kṛṣṇa],
May this Śrī Jīva situated in Vṛndāvana
Be my trusted refuge.”
śrī-jīvasya padāravindam atulaṁ vandāmahe sarvadā |
vāñchā-kalpa-taroḥ kṛpārdra-manaso dīnaika-bandhoḥ prabhoḥ ||
śrīmad-rūpa-sanātanāṅghri-kamale bhṛṅgāya mānātmano |
yena śrī-bhagavan-mahattva-vitateḥ siddhānta āviṣkṛtaḥ ||
(Rāsa-vihārī Dāsa Sāṅkhya-tīrtha)
“Forever we offer obeisance
Unto the incomparable lotus feet of Śrī Jīva Prabhu,
The wish-fulfilling tree
And foremost friend of the humble,
His heart melted with compassion,
By whom siddhānta
Regarding an authoritative compendium
Of Śrī Bhagavān’s greatness
Was revealed
To the bees in the lotus of the feet
Of blessed Rūpa and Sanātana
[Alt., To the bees in the lotus of the feet
Of the blessed Lord of eternal form—Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa].”
śrī-jīva-gosāñi vando̐ sabhāra sammata |
siddhānta kariyā ye rākhila bhakti-tattva ||
(Vaiṣṇava-vandanā by Devakī-nandana Dāsa)
“I offer obeisance to Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī,
Who formulated conclusions (siddhānta) accepted by all
And [thus] established the essential nature (tattva) of bhakti.”
na vidyate yasya ca janma karma vā
na nāma-rūpe guṇa-doṣa eva vā |
tathāpi lokāpyaya-sambhavāya yaḥ
sva-māyayā tāny anukālam ṛcchati ||
tasmai namaḥ pareśāya brahmaṇe’nanta-śaktaye |
arūpāyoru-rūpāya nama āścarya-karmaṇe ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.3.8–9)
“Obeisance unto the Supreme Īśa, unto Brahman, unto he possessed of unending potency, unto he who has no birth or action, no name or form, and no faults in the form of [material] qualities whatsoever, and who by means of his own māyā still accepts these [i.e., births, actions, names, forms, and qualities] perpetually for the sake of the dissolution and the attainment of the people. Obeisance unto he who has no [material] form, unto he who has an excellent [spiritual] form, unto he of astonishing action.”
sṛṣṭy-ādikaṁ harir naiva prayojanam apekṣya tu |
kurute kevalānandād yathā martyasya nartanam ||
pūrṇānandasya tasyeha prayojana-matiḥ kutaḥ |
muktā apy āpta-kāmāḥ syuḥ kim u tasyākhilātmanaḥ ||
(Nārāyaṇa-saṁhitā; cited in Bhagavat Sandarbha: 47; Paramātma Sandarbha: 93; Govinda-bhāṣya on Vedānta-sūtra: 2.1.32)
“Without reference to a motive whatsoever, Hari performs the emanation and so forth [of the universe] out of bliss alone like an inebriated person’s dancing [which occurs as a result of bliss and not for the sake of attaining bliss]. Where is the notion of a motive in this regard for he who is possessed of complete bliss? Even the liberated shall be possessed of fulfilled desires. So how much more so shall this be so for he who is the Self of all?”
sarva-dharmopapatteś ca |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 2.1.37)
“And because of the establishment of all attributes [in Brahman, Brahman rightly both remains impartial to jīvas in general and favors his bhaktas specifically].
upapadyate cābhyupalabhyate ca |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 2.1.36)
“That [i.e., partiality on the part of Brahman in the form of favoring bhaktas] is also established, and is also observable.”
na karmāvibhāgād iti cen nānāditvāt |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 2.1.35)
“‘No, [Brahman cannot be said to be free from partiality or cruelty just by making reference to karma] because of the non-distinction of karma [from Brahman prior to the emanation of the universe].’ If this [objection is raised], [then to that it is said] no, [karma is not simply undivided prior to the emanation of the universe] because of [karma’s] being beginningless [i.e., because of karma’s becoming recurrently distinguished from Brahman in each successive emanation of the universe in accord with its state at the end of each previous emanation of the universe in a perpetual cycle without beginning].”
vaiṣamya-nairghṛṇye na sāpekṣatvāt tathā hi darśayati |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 2.1.34)
“There exists no partiality or cruelty [in Brahman when he acts as the emanator of the universe] because of [Brahman’s] being dependent [on the karma of the jīvas] since the śāstra shows so.”
lokavat tu līlā-kaivalyam |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 2.1.33)
“Like a person’s [endeavor to act], it [i.e., Brahman’s endeavor of emanating the universe], rather, is a singularity of play.”
