Gopī-bhāva – Anuśīlana.in

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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aho kṛṣṇa-rasāviṣṭaḥ sadā nāmāni kīrtayet

aho kṛṣṇa-rasāviṣṭaḥ sadā nāmāni kīrtayet |
kṛṣṇasya tat-priyāṇāñ ca bhaiṣmyādīnāṁ gurur mama ||
gopīnāṁ vitatādbhuta-sphuṭatara-premānalārciśchaṭā-
dagdhānāṁ kila nāma-kīrtana-kṛtāt tāsāṁ viśeṣāt smṛteḥ |
tat-tīkṣṇa-jvalanocchikhāgra-kaṇikāsparśena sadyo mahā-
vaikalyaṁ sa bhajan kadāpi na mukhe nāmāni kartuṁ prabhuḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.157–158)

“Aho! My guru [i.e., Śukadeva Gosvāmī], absorbed in Kṛṣṇa-rasa, can continuously chant the names of Kṛṣṇa and his dear ones beginning with Rukmiṇī. [My] Prabhu [however] can never pronounce with his mouth the names of the gopīs, who are burned by the myriad of flames of the fire of their profuse, astonishing, full-blown prema because he immediately becomes greatly overwhelmed by the touch of the sparks from the tips of the high flames of that searing fire by performing kīrtan of their names and thus remembering them in particular.”

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tvadīyās tāḥ krīḍāḥ sakṛd api bhuvo vāpi vacasā

tvadīyās tāḥ krīḍāḥ sakṛd api bhuvo vāpi vacasā
hṛdā śrutyāṅgair vā spṛśati kṛta-dhīḥ kaścid api yaḥ |
sa nityaṁ śrī-gopī-kuca-kalasa-kāśmīra-vilasat-
tvadīyāṅghri-dvandve kalayatutarāṁ prema-bhajanam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.144)

“May anyone of made up mind
Who by speech, mind, hearing, or limbs
Touches those plays or even places of yours even once
Daily attain in profusion
Worship with prema
Of your two feet shining with saffron
From the urns of the blessed gopīs’ breasts.”

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gopīnāṁ mahimā kaścit tāsām eko‘pi śakyate

gopīnāṁ mahimā kaścit tāsām eko’pi śakyate |
na mayā svamukhe kartuṁ merur makṣikayā yathā ||
(Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.156)

“[Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja to his mother Uttarā:]
Even a little of the greatness of those gopīs
Is not able to be uttered by me with my own mouth,
Just as [even a little of the greatness] of [Mount] Meru
[Is not able to be swallowed] by a fly [with its own mouth].”

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mātar gopa-kiśoraṁ taṁ

mātar gopa-kiśoraṁ taṁ tvañ ca rāsa-rasāmbudhim |
tat-prema-mohitābhiḥ śrī-gopībhir abhito vṛtam ||
amūṣāṁ dāsyam icchantī tādṛśa-prema-bhaṅgibhiḥ |
nityaṁ bhajasva tan-nāma-saṅkīrtana-parāyaṇā ||
(Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.154–5)

“The Adolescent Cowherd,
The Ocean of the rasa of rāsa,
Surrounded on all sides by beautiful gopīs
Enchanted by prema for him—
O Mother,
You too should always worship him
With means of prema akin to theirs,
Being desirous servitude to them
And being absorbed in saṅkīrtana of his names.”

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sva-dānātṛpta vṛtto’ham idānīṁ saphala-śramaḥ

sva-dānātṛpta vṛtto’ham idānīṁ saphala-śramaḥ |
tvan-mahākaruṇā-pātra-jana-vijñānam āptavān ||
ayam eva varaḥ prāpto’nugrahaś cottamo mataḥ |
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.141–142)

“[Śrī Nārada to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:]
O you who are unsatiated by your own giving
[Alt., O you who are unsatiated even by giving your own self]!
I have now become successful in my effort:
I have acquired in-depth knowledge
Of the recipients of your paramount grace.
This attained boon itself attained
Is accepted [by me] as [your] favor
And as most excellent.”

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pūrva-pūrvebhya uttarottarāḥ śreṣṭhā ity arthaḥ

pūrva-pūrvebhya uttarottarāḥ śreṣṭhā ity arthaḥ | evaṁ sarvataḥ śraiṣṭhyaṁ parama-bhagavatīṣu śrī-rādhādiṣu paryavasitaṁ jñeyam | tāratamye saty api sva-sva-rasa-jātīya-sukha-parama-kāṣṭhā-sampattyā sarveṣām eva teṣāṁ paripūrṇārthatā sidhyaty eva … |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavāmṛta: 1.7.138)

“‘The latter are superior to the former’ is the meaning [i.e., among all the bhaktas mentioned earlier, starting from the brāhmaṇa at Prayāga, each of the bhakta mentioned later is superior to those mentioned earlier]. In this way, superiority to all is to be understood to be determined in the paramount bhagavatīs led by Śrī Rādhā [i.e., the gopīs of Vraja led by Śrī Rādhā, who are mentioned last in the discourse, are the foremost of all bhaktas of Śrī Bhagavān]. Even in the presence of this gradation [among all bhaktas], complete fulfillment indeed of all of them is verily established by means of [their] attainment of the apogee of the happiness belonging to their own respective rasas.”

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icchet punas tādṛśam eva bhāvaṁ

icchet punas tādṛśam eva bhāvaṁ
kliṣṭaṁ kathañcit tad-abhāvataḥ syāt |
yeṣāṁ na bhātīti mate’pi teṣāṁ
gāḍhopakārī smṛti-daḥ priyāṇām ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.128)

“[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Śrī Nārada:]
It shall wish for a bhāva of that very type again,
And because of the absence of that [bhāva] somehow,
It shall become afflicted.
Even in the view of those for whom this [aforesaid explanation] does not shine [i.e., to whom it does not appeal],
A giver of remembrance of dear ones is highly supportive.”

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yadi ca prītaye teṣāṁ tatra yāmi vasāmi ca

yadi ca prītaye teṣāṁ tatra yāmi vasāmi ca |
tathāpi kim api svāsthyaṁ bhāvyaṁ nālocayāmy aham ||
mad-īkṣaṇād eva vigāḍha-bhāvo-
dayena labdhā vikalā vimoham |
na daihikaṁ kiñcana te na dehaṁ
vidur na cātmānam aho kim anyat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.94–95)

“And if I go and reside there
For their pleasure,
I still do not consider
That their well-being will occur at all.
Becoming overwhelmed
And seized by intense stupor
Because of the arising of very deep bhāva
Just by the sight of me,
They know neither the bodily,
Nor the body,
Nor even themselves whatsoever.
Aho!
What [to speak] of anything else?”

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yā bhartṛ-putrādi vihāya sarvaṁ

yā bhartṛ-putrādi vihāya sarvaṁ
loka-dvayārthān anapekṣyamāṇāḥ |
rāsādibhis tādṛśa-vibhramais tad-
rītyābhajaṁs tatra tam enam ārtāḥ ||
ato hi yā no bahu-sādhanottamaiḥ
sādhyasya cintyasya ca bhāva-yogataḥ |
mahāprabhoḥ prema-viśeṣa-pālibhiḥ
sat-sādhana-dhyāna-padatvam āgatāḥ ||
tāsv etasya hi dharma-karma-suta-pautrāgāra-kṛtyādiṣu
vyagrābhyo’smad athādaraiḥ patitayā sevā-karībhyo’dhikaḥ |
yukto bhāva-varo na matsara-padaṁ codvāha-bhāgbhyo bhavet
saṁślāghyo’tha ca yat prabhoḥ priya-janādhīnatva-māhātmya-kṛt ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.82–84)

“[Rukmiṇī Devī speaks in praise of the Vraja-gopīs:]
[They] Who being heart-stricken,
Forsaking everything—husband, son, and so on,
And disregarding the objects of the two worlds,
Worshiped him—he there—in that manner
By means of such graceful movements as rāsa and the like,
And who thus indeed attained in full the state of being
The object of paramount adoration and meditation
Accompanied by series of special expressions of prema
For our Great Master,
He who has been an object of attainment for us
By means of a profusion of the most excellent adorations
And an object of contemplation
By means of bhāva—
His greater, most beautiful bhāva for them [viz., the gopīs]
In comparison to us—
We who are his marital partners,
His servants with reverences
Because of his being our husband,
And intently concerned
About propriety (dharma), rites (karma), sons,
Grandsons, home, and duties—
Shall be appropriate,
Not an object of envy,
And rather fit to be highly praised [by us]
Since it is a cause for our Master
Of the greatness of being subservient to dear persons.”

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