na hṛṣyaty ātma-sammāne nāvamānena tapyate |
gāṅgo hrada ivākṣobhyo yaḥ sa paṇḍita ucyate ||
(Mahābhārata: Udyoga-parva, Vidura-nīti, 27)
“One who does not delight in praise of oneself, is not troubled by dishonor, and is imperturbable like a lagoon on the Gaṅgā is said to be a wise person (paṇḍita).”
yā prītir vidurārpite mura-ripo kunty-arpite yādṛśī
yā govardhana-mūrdhni yā ca pṛthuke stanye yaśodārpite |
bhāradvāja-samarpite śabarikā-datte’dhare yoṣitāṁ
yā vā te muni-bhāminī-vinihite’nne’trāpi tām arpaya ||
(Unknown author; cited in Padyāvalī: 117)
“O Enemy of Mura,
The pleasure which you took
In the offering of Vidura,
The offering of Kuntī,
[The fruits, roots, and so forth offered by] The peak of Govardhana,
The abundant breastmilk offered by Yaśodā,
The grand offering of Bhāradvāja,
The offering of the Śabara’s daughter,
The lips of the women [of Vraja],
And the offering of the wives of the sages [i.e., the Vedic brāhmaṇas of Vraja]—
May you take that [type of pleasure] in the food [being offered] here too.”
dvija-strīṇāṁ bhakte mṛduni vidurānne vraja-gavāṁ
dadhi-kṣīre sakhyuḥ sphuṭa-cipiṭa-mṛṣṭau mura-ripo |
yaśodāyāḥ stanye vraja-yuvati-datte madhuni te
yathāsīd āmodas tam ayam upahāre’pi kurutām ||
(Attributed to Śrī Rāmānuja; cited in Padyāvalī: 116)
“O Enemy of Mura,
As you delighted in the food of the brāhmaṇa’s wives,
The meager meal from Vidura,
The yoghurt and milk of the cows of Vraja,
The handful of broken, flat rice from your friend [i.e., Sudāmā],
The breastmilk of Yaśodā,
And the sweets offered by the young girls of Vraja,
So may you do so [i.e., may you delight]
In this offering as well.”
kaḥ paṇḍitas tvad aparaṁ śaraṇaṁ samīyād
bhakta-priyād ṛta-giraḥ suhṛdaḥ kṛtajñāt |
sarvān dadāti suhṛdo bhajato’bhi kāmān
ātmanam apy upacayāpacayau na yasya ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.48.26; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.678; Bhakti Sandarbha: 107; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.96)
“What paṇḍita would take full shelter in anyone other than you, to whom bhaktas are dear, whose words are truthful, who are well-wishing, who are grateful, and who bestow all thoroughly desired objects upon a well-wishing worshiper [of yourself] and even your own self [upon them] without any accumulation for, or diminution of, yourself [thereby]?”
Uddhava-gītā
Six verses in praise of the Vraja-gopīs expressed by Śrī Uddhava after delivering Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s messages from Mathurā.
Excerpted from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.58–63.
ka utsaheta santyaktum uttamaḥśloka-saṁvidam |
anicchato’pi yasya śrīr aṅgān na cyavate kvacit ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.47.48)
“[The gopīs to Uddhava:] Who could completely give up perception of [alt., private conversations with] he of highest praise, from whose chest Śrī never strays even when he is nonchalant?”
aho yūyaṁ sma pūrṇārthā bhavatyo loka-pūjitāḥ |
vāsudeve bhagavati yāsām ity arpitaṁ manaḥ ||
dāna-vrāta-tapo-homa-japa-svādhyāya-saṁyamaiḥ |
śreyobhir vividhaiś cānyaiḥ kṛṣṇe bhaktir hi sādhyate ||
bhagavaty uttamaḥ-śloke bhavatībhir anuttamā |
bhaktiḥ pravartitā diṣṭyā munīnām api durlabhā ||
diṣṭyā putrān patīn dehān svajanān bhavanāni ca |
hitvāvṛṇīta yūyaṁ yat kṛṣṇākhyaṁ puruṣaṁ param ||
sarvātma-bhāvo’dhikṛto bhavatīnām adhokṣaje |
viraheṇa mahābhāgā mahān me’nugrahaḥ kṛtaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.47.23–27)
“[Uddhava to the gopīs:] Aho! You all, whose minds are offered to Bhagavān Vāsudeva in this way, are verily successful and worshipable to the world. Bhakti to Kṛṣṇa is certainly accomplished by means of charity, rites, austerities, sacrifices, japa, study, and sense control, as well as by various other meritorious acts. Unexcelled bhakti to Bhagavān, he of highest praise (Uttamaḥśloka), that is rare to attain even for the sages, [however,] has been performed [alt., will be propagated] by you all by great fortune. That you all have forsaken [your] sons, husbands, bodies, relatives, and homes and accepted the Supreme Puruṣa [alt., ‘another man’] known as Kṛṣṇa is by great fortune. Bhāva in full form for he who is transcendent (Adhokṣaja) has been attained by [alt., conferred upon] you all, and by separation [i.e., by your experience of separation from Kṛṣṇa with that most complete form of bhāva], O you all of great fortune, tremendous favor has been shown to me.”
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca |
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.46; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.25, 10.75; Bhakti Sandarbha: 189; Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.73)
“One who fosters prema, friendship, grace, and disregard [respectively] in relation to Īśvara, his dependents, the unwise, and the inimical is an intermediate [bhāgavata].”
aho bhagavato naumi balāt sarva-pravartanam |
prāhiṇod yaḥ sva-śūnye’pi śrī-nandadīn api vraje ||
tvāṁ vrajeśvari śocāmi tvāṁ ca vṛndāvaneśvari |
kṛṣṇaṁ vinā gateṣv eṣu hā hā jīviṣyathaḥ katham ||
(Laghu Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.45.25)
“Aho! I praise [only] by force all the promptings of Bhagavān, who sent even Śrī Nanda and company to Vraja even when it was devoid of himself. I grieve for you, O Vrajeśvarī! [i.e., O Mother Yaśodā!], and you, O Vṛndāvaneśvarī! [i.e., O Śrī Rādhā!] Hā hā! Now that they [i.e., Śrī Nanda and company] have gone [back to Vraja] without Kṛṣṇa, how will you two live?”
