Bhajana

vaiṣṇave prītir āstāṁ me prītir āstāṁ prabhor guṇe

vaiṣṇave prītir āstāṁ me prītir āstāṁ prabhor guṇe |
sevāyāṁ prītir āstāṁ prītir ārtiś ca kīrtane ||
āśrite prītir āstāṁ me prītiś ca bhajanonmukhe |
ātmani prītir āstāṁ me kṛṣṇe bhaktir yathā bhavet ||
(Śrī Kṛṣṇa-bhajanāmṛta: 1.35–36)

“May I have love (prīti) for the Vaiṣṇavas;
May I have love for Prabhu’s qualities;
May I have love for service [to Bhagavān, Vaiṣṇavas, and so on];
May I have love and heart-ache for kīrtana;
May I have love for those who have taken shelter [in Bhagavān];
May I have love for those intent upon
bhajana [of Bhagavān];
And may I have love for my self,
So that I may have bhakti to Kṛṣṇa.”

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ayaṁ svasty-ayanaḥ panthā dvijāter gṛha-medhinaḥ

ayaṁ svasty-ayanaḥ panthā dvijāter gṛha-medhinaḥ |
yac chraddhayāpta-vittena śuklenejyeta pūruṣaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.84.37)

“This path whereby the Puruṣa [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] shall be worshiped with śraddhā by means of purely obtained wealth is auspicious for a twice-born householder.”

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bāri matheṁ ghṛta hoi baru sikatā te baru tela

bāri matheṁ ghṛta hoi baru sikatā te baru tela |
binu hari bhajana na bhava taria yaha siddhāṁta apela ||
(Rāma-carita-mānasa: 7.122)

“Ghee coming from churning water may be possible, and oil coming from pressing sand may be possible, but crossing over material existence without Hari-bhajana is not possible. This is the unshakable conclusion (siddhānta).”

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sei veṣa kaila ebe vṛndāvana giyā

sei veṣa kaila ebe vṛndāvana giyā |
kṛṣṇa-niṣevaṇa kari nibhṛte vasiyā ||
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.3.9)

“I have accepted that garb [i.e., the garb of a sannyāsī]. Now, going to Vṛndāvana, I shall perform worship of Kṛṣṇa, sitting in seclusion.”

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tāsāṁ nāthaṁ ballavīnāṁ sametaṁ

tāsāṁ nāthaṁ ballavīnāṁ sametaṁ
tābhiḥ premṇā saṁśrayantī yathoktam |
mātaḥ satyaṁ tat-prasādān mahattvaṁ
tāsāṁ jñātuṁ śakṣyasi tvaṁ ca kiñcit ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.159)

“By taking full shelter with prema [i.e., by becoming fully absorbed in sevā with prema] of the gopīs and their Nātha together with them as described [i.e., without transgressing the rules regarding upāsanā described in śāstra], I promise that you too will be able to understand something of their [i.e., the gopīs’] greatness by their [i.e., the gopīs’ and their Nātha’s] grace [i.e., even though their greatness is indescribable].”

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tataḥ prathamānantaraṁ dvitīyaḥ sādhu-saṅgo

tataḥ prathamānantaraṁ dvitīyaḥ sādhu-saṅgo bhajana-rīti-śikṣā-nibandhanaḥ |
(Durgama-saṅgamanī-ṭīkā on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.4.15)

“Then, following the first [stage, viz., śraddhā], a second [type of] association with a sādhu, that is, that the purpose of which is learning the practice of bhajana, occurs.”

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bhaktir asya bhajanam

bhaktir asya bhajanam | tad ihāmutropādhi-nairāsyenāmuṣmin manaḥ-kalpanam | etad eva ca naiṣkarmyam ||
(Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad: Pūrva, 14; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.166; Bhakti Sandarbha 169, 234)

“Bhakti is worship (bhajana) of him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. It is engaging the mind in him free from upādhis (adjuncts) [i.e., desires] related to this world and the next [i.e., engaging in hearing, praising, remembering, and so forth related to him without any motivation of attaining anything related to this world or the next but rather with the motivation solely of attaining him such that one can serve and satisfy him]. And this is indeed [secondarily] naiṣkarmya [i.e., mukti, syn., jñāna; lit., exoneration from and transcendence of karma].”

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