tava muralī-dhvanir amarī-
kāmāmbudhi-vṛddhi-śubhrāṁśuḥ |
acaṭula-gokula-kulajā-
dhariyāmbudhi-pāna-kumbhajo jayati ||
(Stava-mālā: Govinda-virudāvalī: 4)
“The sound of your flute—
The bright-rayed moon
For swelling the ocean
Of the ladies of Svarga’s desire,
The Agastya for drinking the ocean
Of the composure of the unwavering noble ladies of Gokula—
Triumphs!”
ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyā cintitā hariḥ |
govinda dvārakā-vāsin kṛṣṇa gopī-jana-priya ||
kauravaiḥ paribhūtāṁ māṁ kiṁ na jānāsi keśava |
he nātha he ramānātha vrajanāthārti-nāśana |
kauravārṇava-magnāṁ mām uddharasva janārdana ||
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahāyogin viśvātman viśva-bhāvana |
prapannāṁ pāhi govinda kuru-madhye’vasīdatīm ||
ity anusmṛtya kṛṣṇaṁ sā hariṁ tribhuvaneśvaram |
prārudad duḥkhitā rājan mukham ācchādya bhāminī ||
yājñasenyā vacaḥ śrutvā kṛṣṇo gahvarito’bhavat |
tyaktvā śayyāsanaṁ padbhyāṁ kṛpāluḥ kṛpayābhyagāt ||
kṛṣṇaṁ ca viṣṇuṁ ca hariṁ naraṁ ca
trāṇāya vikrośati yājñasenī |
tatas tu dharmo’ntarito mahātmā
samāvṛṇod vai vividhaiḥ suvastraiḥ ||
ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyās tu viśāṁpate |
tad-rūpaṁ aparaṁ vastraṁ prādurāsīd anekaśāḥ ||
nānā-rāga-virāgāṇi vasanān yatha vai prabho |
prādurbhavanti śataśo dharmasya paripālanāt ||
tato halahalā-śabdas tatrāsīd ghora-nihsvanaḥ |
tad-adbhutatamaṁ loke vīkṣya sarve mahībhṛtaḥ |
śaśaṁsur draupadīṁ tatra kutsanto dhṛtarāṣṭrajam ||
(Mahābhārata: 2.68.41–49)
“Hari was thought of by Draupadī as her cloth was being pulled [off of her body by Duḥśāsana on the order of Duryodhana], ‘O Govinda! O Resident of Dvārakā! O Kṛṣṇa! O Beloved of the gopīs! Do you not know I am being humiliated by the Kauravas. O Keśava! O Lord! O Lord of Lakṣmī! O Lord of Vraja! O Destroyer of distress! Save I who am drowning in the ocean of the Kauravas! O Janārdana! O Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa! O Supreme Yogī! O Soul of the world! O Origin of the world! Please protect I who have taken shelter [in you] and am coming undone in the midst of the Kurus, O Govinda!’ In this way constantly remembering Kṛṣṇa, Hari, the Lord of the three worlds, this beautiful woman, distressed, cried aloud, covering her face, O king. Hearing the words of Yājñasenī [i.e., Draupadī], Kṛṣṇa became absorbed. Leaving his couch and seat, the Compassion One compassionately came [there] on foot. Yājñasenī cried out to Kṛṣṇa, to Viṣṇu, to Hari, to Nara, for deliverance. Then, concealed [from view], Dharma, the Supreme Self, indeed completely covered [her] with various excellent clothes. As Draupadī’s cloth was being pulled, O king, another similar cloth appeared many times. As clothes of various colors and tones appeared by the hundreds on account of [Draupadī’s] apt observance of dharma, so the sound of applause—an awe-inspiring reverberation—[also] arose there. Seeing this paramount wonder in the world [i.e., seeing that Draupadī was miraculously protected from being disrobed], all the kings there praised Draupadī and reproached the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra [i.e., Duryodhana].”
oṁ namo viśva-rūpāya viśva-sthity-anta-hetave |
viśveśvarāya viśvāya govindāya namo namaḥ ||
namo vijñāna-rūpāya paramānanda-rūpiṇe |
kṛṣṇāya gopīnāthāya govindāya namo namaḥ ||
namaḥ kamala-netrāya namaḥ kamala-māline |
namaḥ kamala-nābhāya kamalā-pataye namaḥ ||
barhāpīḍābhirāmāya rāmāyākuṇṭha-medhase |
ramā-mānasa-haṁsāya govindāya namo namaḥ ||
veṇu-vādana-śīlāya gopālāyāhi-mardine |
kālindī-kūla-lolāya lola-kuṇḍala-dhāriṇe ||
ballavī-nayanāmbhoja-māline nṛtya-śāline |
namaḥ praṇata-pālāya śrī-kṛṣṇāya namo namaḥ ||
(Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad: 1.34–37, 40–41)
“Om.
Obeisance unto he who is the form of the universe,
Unto he who is the cause of the continuance and end of the universe,
Unto he who is the Lord of the universe,
Unto he who is the universe.
Unto Govinda,
Obeisance and obeisance.
Obeisance unto he whose form is constituted of consciousness,
Unto he who is the embodiment of the highest bliss.
Unto Kṛṣṇa,
Unto Gopīnātha,
Unto Govinda,
Obeisance and obeisance.
Obeisance unto he of lotus eyes.
Obeisance unto he of lotus garland.
Obeisance unto he of lotus navel.
Obeisance unto he who is the Lord of the kamalās [i.e., gopīs].
Unto he of delightful peacock feather crest,
Unto he who is delightful,
Unto he of infinite intellect,
Unto he who is a swan in the Mānasa lake of the ramās [i.e., the gopīs],
Unto Govinda,
Obeisance and obeisance.
Obeisance unto he who is fond of playing the flute,
Unto he who is a cowherd,
Unto he who subdued the serpent [i.e., Kāliya],
Unto he who frolics on the bank of the Kālindī,
Unto he who wears swaying earrings,
Unto he whose garland
Is made of the lotuses of the gopīs’ eyes,
Unto he who is fond of dancing.
Unto he who protects the humble,
Unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
Obeisance and obeisance.”
prāṇair viyuktā na bhavanti yāvat
tāvad vinodaṁ karuṇa tyajaitam |
kṛṣṇānyathā goṣṭha-janaika-bandho
gantāsi śokaṁ mṛdula-svabhāvaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.6.239)
“[Baladeva appeals to Kṛṣṇa lying motionless in the coils of Kāliya:] Before they become deprived of their prāṇas,
O Compassionate One,
Stop this play.
Otherwise,
O Kṛṣṇa,
O you whose only kinsmen are the people of the cowherd community,
You who are of tender disposition
Will undergo sorrow.”
bhakti vinu kṛṣṇe kabhu nahe premodaya |
prema vinu kṛṣṇa-prāpti anya haite naya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.4.58)
“Without bhakti [i.e., sādhana-bhakti], a manifestation of prema for Kṛṣṇa never occurs, and without prema, attainment of Kṛṣṇa does not occur by means of anything else [i.e., prema is the only means of attaining Kṛṣṇa].”
e mādhuryāmṛta pāna sadā yei kare |
tṛṣṇā-śānti nahe, tṛṣṇā bāḍhe nirantare ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.4.149)
“One who continuously drinks the nectar of this sweetness (mādhurya) [of Śrī Kṛṣṇa]—there is no quenching of [their] thirst. [Their] Thirst increases ceaselessly.”
gopīṣu ca sadā tāsu pratyekaṁ koṭi-koṭiṣu |
parā prītiḥ kṛpāsaktir api sā tasya vīkṣyate || …
tatrāpi yāṁ prati prema-viśeṣo’sya yadekṣyate |
tadā pratīyate kṛṣṇāsyaiṣaiva nitarāṁ priyā ||
sarvās tad-ucitāṁ tās tu krīḍā-sukha-paramparām |
sarvadānubhavantyo’pi manyante prema na prabhoḥ ||
pratyekaṁ cintayanty evam aho kiṁ bhavitā kiyat |
saubhāgyaṁ mama yena syāṁ kṛṣṇasyādhama-dāsy api ||
aho svāmin gabhīro’yaṁ dustarko mahatām api |
gāḍha-prema-rasāveśa-svabhāva-mahimādbhutaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.6.214, 216–219)
“That paramount love (prīti), grace (kṛpā), and attachment (āsakti) of his towards every one of those crores and crores of gopīs is always observable. … Yet in that regard [i.e., even when he treats all of them as equally dearmost to him], when a special form of his prema is observable [on occasion] towards one [of them in particular], then by all means she alone is regarded [by the rest of them] as dear to Kṛṣṇa. Even though all of them, who are worthy of that [i.e., of the special form of prema Kṛṣṇa expresses whereby one of them in particular is regarded as dearmost to him], constantly experience a succession of the bliss of play [with him], they do not conceive of Prabhu’s prema [i.e., they do not actually think, ‘I am dearmost to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’]. Every one of them thinks [i.e., desires] thus, ‘Aho! Will some little good fortune to me whereby I can become even a lowly maidservant of Kṛṣṇa?’ Aho! Svāmī! [i.e., O Lord!] This greatness the nature of which is absorption in the rasa of intense prema is difficult to comprehend even for mahats, deep, and astonishing.”
māthurottama tatratyaṁ mahāścaryam idaṁ śṛṇu |
kathyamānaṁ mayā kiñcit śrī-kṛṣṇasya prabhāvataḥ ||
bālakās taruṇā vṛddhā gopās te koṭi-koṭiśaḥ |
sarve vidur mahāpreyān ahaṁ kṛṣṇasya netaraḥ ||
tathaiva vyavahāro’pi teṣāṁ kṛṣṇe sadekṣyate |
pratyekaṁ teṣu tasyāpi viśuddhas tādṛg eva saḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.6.210–212)
“O best among those from Mathurā, hear of this great wonder found there. Something [of it] can be related by me by the power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The children, the youth, and the elderly—all of those crores and crores of cowherds—feel, ‘I am most dear to Kṛṣṇa; not anyone else.’ Their behavior too with Kṛṣṇa is always observable to be exactly so, and that of his as well with every one of them is pure and exactly such.”
cira-kāla nāhi kari prema-bhakti-dāna |
bhakti vinā jagatera nāhi avasthāna ||14||
sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti |
vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhāva pāite nāhi śakti ||15||
aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagat miśrita |
aiśvarya-śikhila-preme nāhi mora prīta ||16||
aiśvarya-jñāne vidhi-bhajana kariyā |
vaikuṇṭhete yāya catur-vidha mukti pāyyā ||17||
sārṣṭi, sārūpya, āra sāmīpya, sālokya | …
āpani kariba bhakta-bhāva aṅgīkāre |
āpani ācari bhakti śikhāimu sabhāre ||20||
āpani nā kaile dharma śikhāna nā yāya |
ei ta siddhānta gītā-bhāgavate gāya |21|| …
yuga-dharma-pravartana haya aṁśa haite |
āmā vinā anye nāre vraja-prema dite ||26||
santv avatārā bahavaḥ paṅkaja-nābhasya sarvvato-bhadrāḥ |
kṛṣṇād anyaḥ ko vā latāsv api premado bhavati ||27||
tāhāte āpana bhakta-gaṇa kari saṅge |
pṛthivīte avatari karimu nānā raṅge ||28||
eta bhāvi kali-kāle prathama sandhyāya |
avatīrṇa hailā kṛṣṇa āpani nadīyāya ||29||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.3.14–18, 20–21, 26–29)
“[After his descent (avatāra) at the end of the Dvāpāra-yuga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa mused:] ‘For a long time, I have not bestowed the gift of prema-bhakti [upon the world], and without bhakti the world has no stability. The whole world engages in injunction-based (vidhi) bhakti to me. There is no power in injunction-based bhakti [however] to attain Vraja-bhāva. The whole world is mixed with awareness of [my] aiśvarya (masterdom). My satisfaction does not come about [however] through prema slackened by [awareness of my] aiśvarya. By performing injunction based worship with awareness of [my] aiśvarya, people go to Vaikuṇṭha upon attaining [one or more of] the four types of mukti: sārṣṭi [i.e., possessing opulence akin to mine], sārūpya [i.e., possessing a form akin to mine], sāmīpya [i.e., dwelling in my personal company], and sālokya [i.e., dwelling in my domain]. … [Therefore,] I will personally accept the bhāva of a bhakta, and I will teach everyone bhakti by practicing it personally. Dharma cannot be taught if one does not follow it personally. This is the conclusion sung in the Gītā and Bhāgavatam [see, e.g., BG 4.7–8, 3.24, 3.21]. … Propagation of the dharma for the age can be done by an aṁśa [i.e., a partial manifestation of myself]. No one other than I [however] can bestow Vraja-prema [since it is said], “There may be many all-auspicious avatāras of he of lotus-navel [i.e. Bhagavān], but who other than Kṛṣṇa is the bestower of prema upon even creepers?” Thus, I will personally descend to the earth with my bhaktas and engage in various merriments.’ Musing thus, Kṛṣṇa personally descended in Nadia during the first phase of the Age of Kali.”
sukha-rūpaṁ sukhādhāraḥ śarkāra-piṇḍavan matam |
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-dvandvaṁ sukhaṁ brahma tu kevalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.181)
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s two feet are considered forms of bliss and a substratum of bliss like a lump of sugar [which is both a form of sweetness and a substratum of sweetness] whereas Brahman is only bliss [i.e., it is not also a substratum of bliss].”
