niśāmya vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma pārthaḥ parama-vismitaḥ |
yat kiñcit pauruṣaṁ puṁsāṁ mene kṛṣṇānukampitam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.89.63)
“After having seen the abode of Viṣṇu [i.e., Mahākālapura, the abode of Mahāviṣṇu], Arjuna, completely astonished, recognized that any prowess in a person (puruṣa) [including even the Supreme Puruṣa in the universe, Mahāviṣṇu], is manifest [only] by Kṛṣṇa’s favor.”
namo nalina-netrāya veṇu-vādya-vinodine |
rādhādhara-sudhā-pāna-śāline vana-māline ||
(Unknown source; cited in Padyāvalī: 2)
“Obeisance unto he of lotus eyes,
He who produces delight by playing the veṇu,
He who is adept in drinking the nectar of Rādhā’s lips,
He who wears a forest garland.”
vaṁśī-nyastāsya-candraṁ smita-yutam atulaṁ pīta-vastraṁ vareṇyaṁ
kañjākṣaṁ sarva-dakṣaṁ nava-ghana-sadṛśaṁ barha-cūḍaṁ śaraṇyam |
trai-bhaṅgair bhaṅgimāṅgaṁ vraja-yuvati-yutaṁ dhvasta-keśy-ādi-śūraṁ
vande śrī-nanda-sūnuṁ madhura-rasa-tanuṁ dhurya-mādhurya-pūram ||
(Unknown source)
“A vaṁśī poised before his moon face
[Which is] Replete with an incomparable smile,
His yellow cloth superb,
His eyes like lotuses,
Expert in all respects,
Resembling a fresh cloud,
His chaplet a peacock-plume,
The [supreme] protector,
His figure embowed with three bends
And surrounded by the young women of Vraja,
The hero by whom Keśī and so forth have been vanquished—
I worship the beautiful Son of Nanda,
The embodiment of madhura-rasa,
The reservoir of the foremost mādhurya.”
barhāpīḍābhirāmaṁ mṛgamada-tilakaṁ kuṇḍalākrānta-gaṇḍaṁ
kañjākṣaṁ kambu-kaṇṭhaṁ smita-subhaga-mukhaṁ svādhare nyasta-veṇum |
śyāmaṁ śāntaṁ tri-bhaṅgaṁ ravi-kara-vasanaṁ bhūṣitaṁ vaijayantyā
vande vṛndāvana-sthaṁ yuvati-śata-vṛtaṁ brahma gopāla-veśam ||
(Gautamīya Tantra: Gopāla-kavaca, 1)
“Charming with a peacock-plume chaplet,
His tilaka [made of] musk,
His cheeks flanked by earrings,
His eyes like lotuses,
His throat like a conchshell,
His face lovely with a smile,
A veṇu fixed at his lips,
Swarthy,
Tranquil,
Thrice-bent,
His cloth like the rays of the sun,
[And] Decorated with a vaijayantī [i.e., a victory garland]—
I worship Brahman,
Situated in Vṛndāvana,
Surround by hundreds of young women,
In the garb of a cowherd.”
kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya haraye paramātmane |
praṇata-kleśa-nāśāya govindāya namo nama ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.73.16)
[The 20,800 kings released after Jarāsandha’s defeat pray to Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] “Obeisance and obeisance unto Kṛṣṇa [i.e., Svayaṁ Bhagavān], Vāsudeva [i.e., he who has appeared as the son of Vasudeva], Hari [i.e., he who removes suffering and captivates the mind], Paramātmā [i.e., he who is the ultimate object of prema], the destroyer of the distress of the humble [i.e., his bhaktas], Govinda [i.e., he who sports in Vraja as a cowherd].”
svamātuḥ svinna-gātrāyā visrasta-kabara-srajaḥ |
dṛṣṭvā pariśramaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ kṛpayāsīt svabandhane ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.9.18)
“Seeing his own mother’s sweating body, the garland from her braid fallen loose, and her exertion, Kṛṣṇa, by his grace, became bound by his own [i.e., by his own mother; alt., by his own will].”
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam |
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.29; cited in Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 80, 106, 116, 137, 153, 172; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.5.22)
“I serve him, Govinda, the original Person, who in abodes made of spiritual gemstone filled with lakhs of wish-fulfilling trees tends the cows and is lovingly served by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs.”
ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ |
mad-bhaktānāñ ca ye bhaktās te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ
(Ādi Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.133; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.218; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.11.28)
“O Arjuna, those persons who are bhaktas of me [i.e., who are focused only on me and neglect my bhaktas]—those persons are not my bhaktas [i.e., they are not my bhaktas in the full and proper sense]. Those who are bhaktas of my bhaktas are considered my best bhaktas [i.e., I consider those who have bhakti both for me and for my bhaktas to truly be my bhaktas].“
śruti-ratna-vibhūṣaṇa-ruci-jita-pūṣaṇam alidūṣaṇa-nayanānta-gatiṁ
yamunā-taṭa-talpita-puṣpam analpita-mada-jalpita-dayitāpta-ratim |
vandemahi vandita-nandam amandita-kulam andhita-khala-kaṁsa-matiṁ
tvām iha dāmodara haladhara-sodara hara no daram anubaddha-ratim ||
(Stava-mālā: Tribhaṅgī-pañcakam, 5)
“Unto you whose jeweled earrings have conquered the splendor of the sun, you whose sidelong glances belittle black bees, you who lie on a bed of flowers on the bank of the Yamunā, you who become delighted by the plentiful proud words of your beloved, you by whom Nanda is venerated, you who are of a prominent family, you who blinded the mind of wicked Kaṁsa, you who are bound by rati [to your bhaktas]—we offer obeisance. O Dāmodara! O Brother of Haladhara [i.e., O Kṛṣṇa, brother of Balarāma]! Please remove our fear here [i.e., our fear related to saṁsāra].”
