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 service (bhajana) to him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. It is engaging in [alt., offering to] him [along with the other senses] the mind free from all upādhis [i.e., material desires, forms of conditioning, etc.] related to this world and the next [i.e., engaging in hearing, praising, remembering, and so forth in relation to him]. And this is indeed [secondarily] naiṣkarmya [i.e., mukti, or jñāna; lit., exoneration from and transcendence of karma].”

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