Bābāra Kathā

nanu niratiśaya-nityānanda-rūpasya bhagavataḥ kathaṁ tayā sukham utpadyeta, niratiśayatva-nityatvayor virodhāt? ucyate—śāstre khalu niratiśayānandatvaṁ nityatvaṁ ca bhagavataḥ śrūyate | bhakter api tathā tat-prīti-hetutvaṁ śrūyate | tata evaṁ gamyate—tasya paramānandaika-rūpasya sva-parānandinī svarūpa-śaktir yā hlādinī-nāmnī vartate, prakāśa-vastunaḥ sva-para-prakāśana-śaktivat parama-vṛtti-rūpaivaiṣā | tāṁ ca bhagavān sva-vṛnde nikṣipann eva nityaṁ vartate | tat-sambandhena ca svayam atitarāṁ prīṇātīti | ata eva tasya prīti-rūpasyāpi bhakti-prīṇanīyatvam āha—‘yat-prīṇanād barhiṣi deva-tiryaṅ-manuṣya-vīrut-tṛṇam ā viriñcāt, prīyeta sadyaḥ sa ha viśva-jīvaḥ prītaḥ svayaṁ prītim agād gayasya’ | … ata eva tathābhūtatvenātmārāmasya pūrṇa-kāmasyāpi tasya kṣudra-guṇa-vastv api paritoṣāya kalpata iti dṛṣṭānenāha—‘tatropanīta-balayo raver dīpam ivādṛtāḥ | ātmārāmaṁ pūrṇa-kāmaṁ nija-lābhena nityadā || prīty-utphulla-mukhāḥ procur harṣa-gadgadayā girā | pitaraṁ sarva-suhṛdam avitāram ivārbhakāḥ ||’ … tathā ātmārāma-pūrṇa-kāmatve’pi tādṛśasya sva-sambandhābhimāni-prītimat-putrādiṣu prīti-viśeṣodayo yathā dṛśyate, tathā teṣu taṁ prītimantam … | evaṁ kalpataru-dṛṣṭānte’pi bhagavato bhakta-viṣayikā kṛpā yathārtham evopapadyate | ye khalu sahaja-tat-prītim evātmani prārthayamānā bhajante, tebhyas tad-dāna-yāthārthyasyāvaśyakatvāt | tasmād asty evānanda-rūpasyāpi bhaktāv ānandollāsa iti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 142–143)

“[A doubt is raised:] ‘Well, how can pleasure (sukha) be produced by that [i.e., by bhakti] for Bhagavān, he who is of the nature of all-exceeding, eternal bliss, on account of the contradiction to the all-exceedingness and eternality [of his bliss if bhakti where to also produce pleasure for him]?’ [To this] It is said that Bhagavān’s all-exceeding blissfulness and eternality are certainly heard of in the śāstra. Bhakti’s being a cause of pleasure (prīti) for him is also heard of therein. Therefore, this is understood: this intrinsic potency (svarūpa-śakti) delighting to himself and others of [i.e., that belongs to] he who is the sole embodiment of the supreme bliss [viz., Bhagavān] which exists bearing the name hlādinī and verily has the form of a superlative function (vṛtti) like a luminous object’s potency of illumination of itself and others—Bhagavān exists eternally verily casting that [viz., this svarūpa-śakti known as hlādinī, which is to say, bhakti] into the many who are his own [viz., his bhaktas] and by connection with that [i.e., by then receiving expressions of bhakti back from his bhaktas] personally feels even greater pleasure [than he does as a result of that hlādinī-śakti’s presence within himself]. Therefore, Śrī Śukadeva describes his [viz., Śrī Bhagavān’s] being able to be pleased by bhakti even though he is the embodiment of pleasure [in SB 5.15.13], ‘He because of whose pleasure the devas, animals, human beings, and plants beginning with Brahmā immediately become pleased, [he who is] the very life of the universe, [and] pleasure himself [i.e., the very embodiment of pleasure], became pleased at the sacrifice of [King] Gaya [i.e., by the bhakti offered to him therein].’ …

“Therefore, even an object possessed of meager qualities is capable of greatly satisfying him even though he is possessed of satisfaction from within the self and of fulfilled desires by virtue of being such [i.e., by virtue of being both the embodiment of pleasure and able to be pleased by bhakti]. Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes this with an illustration [in SB 1.11.4–5], ‘There [i.e., Dvārakā], offering gifts like worshippers [offering] a lamp to the sun, [their] faces blossoming out of love, they [i.e., the citizen of Dvārakā] began to speak, like children to their father, with words stammering out of delight to [Kṛṣṇa,] he who is ever possessed of satisfaction from within the self, he of fulfilled desires by virtue of gain from within himself [i.e., by virtue of the supreme bliss that is his essential nature], he who is the well-wisher of all and guardian.’ … Moreover, even in the midst of [his] being of possessed of satisfaction from within the self and of fulfilled desires, he [viz., Bhagavān] is [seen to be] possessed of love (prīti) for them [i.e., for the people of Dvārakā, that is, his bhaktas] just as the emergence of a special form of love (prīti) on the part of one who is such [i.e., one who is possessed of satisfaction from within the self and of fulfilled desires] for a son and others who are possessed of love (prīti) and sense of self that is related to him is [seen in the world]. … In this way, even in the case of the illustration of a desire tree [i.e., even when Bhagavān’s character and conduct is compared to a desire tree, that is, a tree that grants one whatever one so desires from it], Bhagavān’s grace the object of which is [his] bhaktas is indeed rightly manifested on account of the necessity of reciprocal accuracy in granting natural love for himself to they in particular who perform worship [of himself] praying in the heart for that specifically. Therefore, there is indeed an increase in bliss because of bhakti on the part even of he who is the embodiment of bliss [viz., Bhagavān].”

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