Bābāra Kathā

tṛptāv anya-janasya tṛptim ayitā duḥkhe mahāduḥkitā

tṛptāv anya-janasya tṛptim ayitā duḥkhe mahāduḥkitā
labdhaiḥ svīya-sukhāli-duḥkha-nicayair no harṣa-bādhodayāḥ |
sveṣṭārādhana-tatparā iha yathā śrī-vaiṣṇava-śreṇayaḥ
kās tā brūhi vicārya candra-vadane tā mad-vayasyā imāḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 13.113)

“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa presents a riddle:]
‘They attain satisfaction from another person’s satisfaction,
Are greatly troubled by [by another person’s] trouble,
Experience no elation or misery
Because of the personal pleasures and troubles they undergo,
And are devoted to the worship of their own Iṣṭa
Like the multitudes of blessed Vaiṣṇavas here—
Consider and tell [me],
O you of moon face,
Who are they?’
[Śrī Rādhā replies:]
‘They are these friends of mine!’”

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rāgeṇaivārpitātmāno loka-yugmānapekṣiṇā

rāgeṇaivārpitātmāno loka-yugmānapekṣiṇā |
dharmeṇāsvīkṛtā yās tu parakīyā bhavanti tāḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 3.17)

“Those [beloveds of Śrī Kṛṣṇa] who have offered themselves [to Kṛṣṇa] purely out of rāga [i.e., intense desire], are indifferent to the two worlds [i.e., their standing in this world and the next], and have not been accepted [by him] by means of dharma [but rather on account of his rāga for them] are [called] parakīyā.”

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mādhavomādhavāv īśau sarva-siddhi-vidhāyinau

mādhavomādhavāv īśau sarva-siddhi-vidhāyinau |
vande parasparātmānau paraspara-nati-priyau ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 3)

“I offer obeisance unto the two lords
Mādhava and Umādhava [i.e., Śiva, the husband of Umā],
Who are bestowers of all attainments (siddhis),
The hearts of one another,
And fond of bowing to one another.”

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anyo’nya-bhakti-dānārtham anyo’nyopāsanā-karau

anyo’nya-bhakti-dānārtham anyo’nyopāsanā-karau |
vande hariharau devāv anyo’nya-prema-tatparau ||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.187)

“I offer obeisance to the devas Hari and Hara,
Who are immersed in prema for one another
And performers of upāsanā of one another
For the sake of imparting [to others] bhakti to one another.”

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tathāpi saṅgaḥ parivarjanīyo

tathāpi saṅgaḥ parivarjanīyo
guṇeṣu māyā-raciteṣu tāvat |
mad-bhakti-yogena dṛḍhena yāvad
rajo nirasyeta manaḥ-kaṣāyaḥ ||
yathāmayo’sādhu cikitsito nṛṇāṁ
punaḥ punaḥ santudati prarohan |
evaṁ mano’pakva-kaṣāya-karma
kuyoginaṁ vidhyati sarva-saṅgam ||
kuyogino ye vihitāntarāyair
manuṣya-bhūtais tridaśopasṛṣṭaiḥ |
te prāktanābhyāsa-balena bhūyo
yuñjanti yogaṁ na tu karma-tantram ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.28.27–28)

“[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] Nevertheless [i.e., even though brahman is not influenced by the guṇas or the ahaṅkāra], association with the guṇas [i.e., objects of the senses] fabricated by māyā is to be avoided so long as the impurity in the mind—passion (rajas)—is not removed by means of steadfast bhakti-yoga to me. As an improperly treated disease of people again and again crops up and causes trouble, so a mind with unburnt [i.e., undestroyed] impurities and actions that retains attachment to everything thwarts an immature yogī. One who remains an immature yogī [thwarted] because of ordained obstacles existent in the form of human beings sent by the devas, again [i.e., in another birth] by the strength of previous practice engages in yoga, and not rather, in a multitude of karma.”

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na yāvad etāṁ tanu-bhṛn narendra

na yāvad etāṁ tanu-bhṛn narendra
vidhūya māyāṁ vayunodayena |
vimukta-saṅgo jita-ṣaṭ-sapatno
vedātma-tattvaṁ bhramatīha tāvat ||
na yāvad etan mana ātma-liṅgaṁ
saṁsāra-tāpāvapanaṁ janasya |
yac choka-mohāmaya-rāga-lobha-
vairānubandhaṁ mamatāṁ vidhatte ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.11.15–16)

“[Rendered according to the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā:] O King, as long as the bearer of a body does not cast away this māyā, and, having become completely freed from attachment and victorious over the six co-wives [i.e., the six senses], understand the nature of the self (ātma-tattva) by means of the appearance of wisdom, so long he wanders here [i.e., in saṁsāra], and as long as one does not understand the mind, a guise of the self, to be the field of a person’s suffering in saṁsāra which bears a continuance of lamentation, delusion, disease, attraction, greed, and enmity, and produces my-ness [so long one wanders in saṁsāra].”

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bhakty-astreṇa tyājayitvā viṣayān sva-mano yatiḥ

bhakty-astreṇa tyājayitvā viṣayān sva-mano yatiḥ |
dhvastāvidyo’vadhatte yaḥ kṛṣṇaṁ muktaḥ sa ucyate ||
bhakty-abhāvān mano-vṛttīr āśrayad vāsanāmayam |
avidyāṁ yasya puṣṇāti sa pumān baddha ucyate ||
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.11.17)

“An ascetic who with the weapon of bhakti removes viṣayas from his own mind and, having destroyed ignorance (avidyā), attends to [i.e., devotedly serves] Kṛṣṇa is called a mukta [i.e., one who is liberated from saṁsāra]. A person who nourishes his avidyā by taking shelter in functions (vṛttis) of the mind based on inclinations (vāsanās) as a result of a lack of bhakti is called baddha [i.e., bound in saṁsāra].”

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kim alabhyaṁ bhagavati prasanne śrī-niketane

kim alabhyaṁ bhagavati prasanne śrī-niketane |
tathāpi tat-parā rājan nābhivāñchanti kiñcana ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.39.2)

“What is unattainable when the Abode of Śrī, Bhagavān, is satisfied? [Nothing.] Still, O King, those who are devoted to him do not at all desire anything [other than him].”

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athāpi nopasajjeta strīṣu straiṇeṣu cārtha-vit

athāpi nopasajjeta strīṣu straiṇeṣu cārtha-vit |
viṣayendriya-saṁyogān manaḥ kṣubhyati nānyathā ||
adṛṣṭād aśrutād bhāvān na bhāva upajāyate |
asamprayuñjataḥ prāṇān śāmyati stimitaṁ manaḥ ||
tasmāt saṅgo na kartavyaḥ strīṣu straiṇeṣu cendriyaiḥ |
viduṣāṁ cāpy avisrabdhaḥ ṣaḍ-vargaḥ kim u mādṛśām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.26.22–24)

“Even then [i.e., even though women are disgusting in so far as their bodies are made of flesh, blood, stool, urine, pus, and so forth], a sagacious person should not associate with women or those subjugated by women. The mind is disturbed by contact of the senses with [their] objects and not otherwise [i.e., the mind is not disturbed if such contact does not occur]. Feeling does not arise from unseen or unheard of objects. [Thus,] The mind of one who is non-engaged with the prāṇas [i.e., senses] is still and peaceful. Therefore, association is not to be done by means of the senses with women or those subjugated by women, since the ṣaḍ-varga [i.e., the six senses] even of the wise, much less of myself [i.e., of I who am undiscerning], are untrustworthy.”

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parigraho hi duḥkhāya yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām

parigraho hi duḥkhāya yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām |
anantaṁ sukham āpnoti tad vidvān yas tv akiñcanaḥ ||
sāmiṣaṁ kuraraṁ jaghnur balino’nye nirāmiṣāḥ |
tadāmiṣaṁ parityajya sa sukhaṁ samavindata ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.9.1–2)

“Acceptance (parigraha) of whatever is most dear to human beings leads to suffering. One who understands this and is without anything (akiñcana) [i.e., possessionless], however, attains boundless peace. [When] An osprey with a piece of meat was attacked by other powerful ones without meat, then he gave up the meat and attained peace in full.”

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