Bābāra Kathā

satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ

satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ
naivārtha-do yat punar arthitā yataḥ |
svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām
icchā-pidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.19.26; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 98, Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.40, 2.24.199)

“It is true that Prabhu bestows, when requested, the requested object of human beings, but he is certainly not munificent [just] by means of that since [thereafter] they again become requesters [of something else once the object which he has already bestowed upon them has been enjoyed, found to be ultimately unfulfilling, and left the requester with still unsatisfied desirousness]. [Thus,] He of his own accord bestows his own bud-like feet upon worshippers who are undesirous [of his feet] which are covering of [i.e., fulfilling and quelling of all] desires.”

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anādi-pravṛtti-śīlānāṁ pravṛtti-saṅkocāya āśramāḥ śāstreṇa vihitāḥ

anādi-pravṛtti-śīlānāṁ pravṛtti-saṅkocāya āśramāḥ śāstreṇa vihitāḥ | atas tad-vidhāne na tasya tātparyaṁ kintu tat-saṅkoca eva | tā hi brahma-rati-pratibandhikā bhavanti | ye tūpakṣīṇa-pravṛttayo brahmaika-ratās teṣāṁ na kiñcid āśramaiḥ phalam iti nairāśramyaṁ varīyaḥ |
(Govinda-bhāṣya on Vedānta-sūtra: 3.4.39)

“The āśramas [i.e., brahmacarya, gārhasthya, etc.] are enjoined by the śāstra for those possessed of a beginningless disposition towards active engagement (pravṛtti) [i.e., towards attached involvement in worldly affairs and experience of worldly objects] for the purpose of the diminution of that active engagement (pravṛtti). Thus, its [i.e., the śāstra’s] aim (tātparya) is not in enjoinment [alt., execution] of that [i.e., its aim is not to perpetuate attached engagement with the worldly (pravṛtti)] but [rather] only in the diminution of that [i.e., of pravṛtti] since those [i.e., the āśramas] become impediments to Brahma-rati [i.e., loving attachment to Bhagavān, when they not observed as a secondary, subordinate aspect of the pursuit of Brahma-rati, if at all]. For those who are attached only to Brahman and in whom active engagement (pravṛtti) has vanished, there is no gain whatsoever by means of [observance of] the āśramas. Thus, being without an āśrama is better [for them].”

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na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ |
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṁ yo’nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.47; Manu-smṛti: 2.154)

“[The youthful Sārasvata Muni says to an assembly of elder ṛṣis who had requested him to teach them the Vedas after they had neglected to study them for many years during a prolonged famine and thus forgotten how to recite the Vedas in full and proper completion:] Neither by years, nor by grey hairs, nor by wealth, nor by relations have ṛṣis performed dharma. One who is devoted to learning [i.e., one who is well-versed in the śāstra so as to be able to read, repeat, and teach it to others] is the great one amongst us [i.e., a ṛṣi’s performance of dharma is constituted principally of learning, understanding, and teaching the śāstra].”

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yo hy adharmeṇa vibrūyād gṛhṇīyād vāpy adharmataḥ

yo hy adharmeṇa vibrūyād gṛhṇīyād vāpy adharmataḥ |
hīyetāṁ tāv ubhau kṣipraṁ syātāṁ vā vairiṇāv ubhau ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.46)

“One who shall teach undharmicly [i.e., without accepting the student as a disciple] and one who shall acquire [knowledge] undharmicly [i.e., without acceptance of discipleship to the teacher]—both shall quickly abandon one another or become enemies of one another.”

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mātaḥ sapady eva vimiśritā gavāṁ

mātaḥ sapady eva vimiśritā gavāṁ
hambā-ravair veṇu-viṣāṇa-nikvaṇāḥ |
taumbeya-vīṇā-dala-vādya-carcitā
jātā gabhīrā madhurā vidūrataḥ ||
tau prāpitau bodham amībhir utthitau
tad-dīrgha-nādābhimukhe’bhyadhāvatām |
gopāla-devaṁ tam apaśyatām atho
suśyāma-gātra-dyuti-maṇḍalojjvalam ||
paśūn payaḥ pāyayituṁ vayasyaiḥ
samaṁ vihartuṁ taraṇeḥ sutāyām |
gajendra-līlārcita-nṛtya-gatyā-
ntike samāyāntam ananta-līlam ||
svakīya-kaiśora-mahāvibhūṣaṇaṁ
vicitra-lāvaṇya-taraṅga-sāgaram |
jagan-mano-netra-mudaṁ vivardhanaṁ
muhur muhur nūtana-mādhurī-bhṛtam ||
niḥśeṣa-sal-lakṣaṇa-sundarāṅgaṁ
nīpāvataṁsaṁ śikhi-piccha-cūḍam |
muktāvalī-maṇḍita-kambu-kaṇṭhaṁ
kauṣeya-pītāmbara-yugma-dīptam ||
guñjā-mahā-hāra-vilamba-bhūṣita-
śrī-vatsa-lakṣmy-ālaya-pīna-vakṣasam |
siṁhendra-madhyaṁ śata-siṁha-vikramaṁ
saubhāgya-sārārcita-pāda-paṅkajam ||
kadamba-guñja-tulasī-śikhaṇḍa-
pravāla-mālāvali-cāru-veṣam |
kaṭī-taṭī-rājita-citra-puṣpa-
kañcī-vilambāḍhya-nitamba-deśam ||
sauvarṇa-divyāṅgada-kaṅkaṇollasad-
vṛttāyatā-sthūla-bhujābhirāmam |
bimbādhara-nyasta-manojña-veṇu-
vādyollasat-padma-karāṅgulīkam ||
svotprekṣitāpaurvika-veṇu-gīta-
bhaṅgi-sudhā-mohita-viśva-lokam |
tiryaṅ manāg lola-viloka-līlā-
laṅkāra-saṁlālita-locanābjam ||
cāpopamā-bhrū-yuga-nartana-śrī-
saṁvardhita-preṣya-janānurāgam |
śrīmat-sadā-smera-mukhāravinda-
śobha-samākṛṣṭa-munīndra-cittam ||
tila-prasūnottama-nāsikāgrato
virājamānaika-gajendra-mauktikam |
kadāpi go-dhūli-vibhūṣitālaka-
dvirepha-sambhālanato lasat-karam ||
sūryātmajā-mṛd-racitordhva-puṇḍra-
sphītārdha-candrākṛti-bhāla-paṭṭam |
nānādri-dhātu-praticitritāṅgaṁ
nānā-mahāraṅga-taraṅga-sindhum ||
sthitvā tri-bhaṅgi-lalitaṁ kadācin
narmāṇi vaṁśyā bahu vādayantam |
tair hāsayantaṁ nija-mitra-vargān
bhūmiṁ padaiḥ svaiḥ paribhūṣayantam ||
tādṛg-vayo-veṣa-vatāgra-janmanā
nīlāṁśukālaṅkṛta-gaura-kāntinā |
rāmeṇa yuktaṁ ramaṇīya-mūrtinā
taiś cātma-tulyaiḥ sakhibhiḥ priyair vṛtam ||
tad-darśanādbhuta-mahāmudāvalī-
bhareṇa gāḍhena nipātitau hi tau |
daṇḍa-praṇāmārtham ivāśu petatuḥ
sambhrānti-vidhvaṁśita-sarva-naipuṇyau ||
sa ca priya-prema-vaśaḥ pradhāvan
samāgato harṣa-bhareṇa mugdhaḥ |
tayor upary eva papāta dīrgha-
mahābhujābhyāṁ parirebhatau dvau ||
premāśru-dhārābhir aho mahāprabhuḥ
sa snāpayām āsa kṛpārdra-mānasaḥ |
kṣaṇāt samutthāya kara-dvayena
tāv utthāpayām āsa cakāra ca sthirau ||
saṁmarjayann aśru rajaś ca gātre
lagnaṁ dayālur muhur āliliṅga |
tatraiva tābhyām upaviśya bhūmau
vākyāmṛtair vipram atoṣayac ca ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.19–36)

“[Parīkṣit Mahārāja to Uttarā Devī:] O Mother,
All of the sudden arose the deep,
Sweet sounds of flutes and horns
Blended with the mooing of cows
And joined by the music
Of gourd vīṇās and leaves [i.e., leaf whistles].
Brought to consciousness by these [sounds],
The two [i.e., the guru and disciple, Sarūpa and the Mathurā brāhmaṇa] arose and ran
Towards those long-traveling sounds.
Then,
They saw him,
Gopāladeva,
Effulgent with the radiance
Of his excellently swarthy figure;
Coming near with a dancing gait,
[Which is] Worshiped by the sporting of the king of elephants,
To water his animals
And play with his contemporaries [i.e., close friends]
In the Daughter of the Sun [i.e., the Yamunā];
[They saw Gopāladeva, he who is] Possessed of unlimited līlās;
Possessed of the tremendous, fine ornament
Of his own adolescence;
An ocean filled with waves
Of extraordinary loveliness;
Greatly increasing of the delight
Of the minds and eyes of the world;
Filled with fresh sweetness moment after moment;
Of beautiful figure [marked] with all the signs of auspiciousness;
[Adorned with] Kadamba flower ear-garlands [on his ears];
[Adorned with] A peacock feather plume [atop his head];
Of conch-shell neck adorned with a pearl necklace;
Luminous by virtue of his pair of yellow silken garments;
Of broad chest—the abode of the śrīvatsa and Lakṣmī—
Ornamented with a long, hanging necklace of guñjās;
Of a waist of the king of lions;
Of the strength of a hundred lions;
Of lotus feet worshiped by the essence of good fortune [i.e., paramount beauty];
Wearing the charming adornments
Of kadamba, guñjā, tulasī, peacock feather, and coral necklaces;
Of hips adorned with a hanging sash of bright flowers
Embellishing the slope of his waist;
Attractive with his long, round, buff arms
Shining with splendid golden bangles and armlets;
Of fingers on his lotus hands shining
As he plays his alluring flute
Fixed at his bimba [red] lips;
Enchanting the people of the world
With the nectar of the unprecedented embellishments
Of his flute song anticipated [alt., demonstrated] by him [alone];
Of lotus eyes finely caressed by the ornaments
Of the play of his side-long, slightly rolling glances;
Fully nourishing of the love of his servants
With the beauty of the dancing
Of his pairs of brows comparable to [the] bows [of an archer];
Possessed of a splendor in his beautiful ever-smiling lotus face
Fully attracting to the hearts of the best of the sages;
Possessed of one excellent pearl from a king of elephants
Shining on the tip of his fine sesame flower nose;
Of glistering hands sometimes brushing aside
The bees of his locks finely adorned with dust raised by the cows;
Possessed of a half-moon shaped, slab-like forehead
Endowed with vertical marks
Made with [bright] clay from the Daughter of the Sun [i.e., the Yamunā];
Of limbs painted all over with various mountain minerals [e.g., red gairika and yellow haritāla];
An ocean of the waves
Of various grand sports;
Standing sometimes in a thrice-bent posture;
Playing numerous humorous sounds with his flute;
Making his personal friends laugh thereby;
Decorating the earth all around with his own feet [i.e., with his foot-prints];
Accompanied by his elder brother of similar age and garb—
[That is,] Rāma of pleasing figure and fair luster
Bedecked with fine blue garments;
And surrounded by his dear friends equal to himself.
Knocked down by the heavy weight
Of the series of great joys
Produced the sight of him,
They [i.e., Sarūpa and the Mathurā brāhmaṇa] quickly dropped [to the ground] as if to offer prostrate obeisances,
All their adeptness dashed by their astonishment.
He [i.e., Śrī Gopāladeva] too became overwhelmed
With prema for his dear ones,
Ran over,
Joined [them],
Became bewildered by the weight of his delight,
And fell right on top of them,
Embracing them both with his long, mighty arms,
Aho!
He, the Supreme Master (Mahāprabhu),
His heart melted with compassion,
Bathed them with streams of his tears of prema.
Arising after a moment,
He raised and steadied them with his two hands.
Wiping away the tears and dust
Smeared on their bodies,
The Gracious One embraced them repeatedly.
And [then] sitting right there on the ground with them,
He satisfied the brāhmaṇa with the nectars of his speech.”

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śāstraṁ hy abuddhvā tattvena kecid vāda-balāj janāḥ

śāstraṁ hy abuddhvā tattvena kecid vāda-balāj janāḥ |
kāma-dveṣābhibhūtatvād ahaṅkāra-vaśaṁ gatāḥ ||
yāthātathyam avijñāya śāstrāṇāṁ śāstra-dasyavaḥ |
brahma-stenā nirārambhā dambha-moha-vaśānugāḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: Śānti-parva, 269.53)

“Not understanding śāstra accurately, some persons become captivated by arrogance (ahaṅkāra) on account of being overcome by desire or enmity on the strength of argument. Without knowing the truth of the śāstras, the robbers of the śāstras—thieves of Brahman—controlled by deceit and delusion, remain without undertaking [i.e., they do not take up the practices taught in the śāstras beginning with equanimity and so on].”

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ekadā kṛṣṇa-patnyas tu śrī-kṛṣṇa-virahāturāḥ

ekadā kṛṣṇa-patnyas tu śrī-kṛṣṇa-virahāturāḥ |
kālindīṁ muditā vīkṣya papracchur gata-matsarāḥ ||
śrī-kṛṣṇa-patnya ūcuḥ |
yathā vayaṁ kṛṣṇa-patnyas tathā tvam api śobhane |
vayaṁ viraha-duḥkhārtās tvaṁ na kālindi tad vada ||
tac chrutvā smayamānā sā kālindī vākyam abravīt |
sāpatnyaṁ vīkṣya tat tāsāṁ karuṇāpara-mānasā ||
śrī-kālindy uvāca |
ātmārāmasya kṛṣṇasya dhruvam ātmāsti rādhikā |
tasyā dāsya-prabhāveṇa viraho’smān na saṁspṛśet ||
tasyā evāṁśa-vistārāḥ sarvāḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāyikāḥ |
nitya-sambhoga evāsti tasyāḥ sāmmukhya-yogataḥ ||
(Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 2.8–12)

“Once, wives of Kṛṣṇa who were distressed in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa [and had come to Śrī Vṛndāvana] saw Kālindī [i.e., Yamunā Devī] delighted, and been covetous, inquired [from her]. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s wives said, ‘As we are wives of Kṛṣṇa, so too are you, O splendid one. We are stricken with sorrow in separation, but you are not, O Kālindī. Please explain this.’ Hearing this [inquiry], observing their rivalry [towards her as a co-wife], and being of compassionate mind towards them, she, Kālindī, smiling, spoke this statement [to them]. Śrī Kālindī said, ‘Rādhikā is the eternal self (ātmā) of Kṛṣṇa, he whose joy is in the self [i.e., he who is known to be ātmārāma]. By the influence of service to her, separation [from Kṛṣṇa] cannot touch us. All of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mistresses (nāyikās) are extensions of a part of her alone. There is certainly perpetual union [with Kṛṣṇa] (nitya-sambhoga) as a result of being present before her [alt., as a result of her favor, or, as a result of attentive service to her].”

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yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā

yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā |
tadā bhāgavata-śrāvo māsenaiva punaḥ punaḥ ||
yadā lakṣmīḥ svayaṁ vaktrī viṣṇuś ca śravaṇe rataḥ |
māsa-dvayaṁ rasāsvādas tadātīva suśobhate ||
adhikāre sthito viṣṇur lakṣmīr niścinta-mānasā |
tena bhāgavatāsvādas tasyā bhūri prakāśate ||
(Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 3.35‒37)

“When Viṣṇu himself is the speaker [in a recitation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] and Lakṣmī is engaged in listening, then the hearing of the Bhāgavata is repeatedly only for one month [i.e., every time Viṣṇu does the series of daily readings, it always ends up taking one month to complete the full recitation of the text]. When Lakṣmī herself is the speaker and Viṣṇu is engaged in listening, then it [i.e., the recitation] is two months [in duration] and the relish of the rasa is exceedingly splendid. Viṣṇu is engaged in administration. Lakṣmī is worry-free in mind. Thus, her relish of the Bhāgavata manifests most abundantly.”

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śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |
hṛdy antaḥstho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.17; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 12)

“Situated internally, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Well-Wisher of the sat, he of whom hearing and praising are purifying, completely washes away vices in the hearts of those who hear narrations of himself.”

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