Sudāmā Vipra

kim upāyanam ānītaṁ brahman me bhavatā gṛhāt

kim upāyanam ānītaṁ brahman me bhavatā gṛhāt |
aṇv apy upāhṛtaṁ bhaktaiḥ premṇā bhūry eva me bhavet |
bhūry apy abhaktopahṛtaṁ na me toṣāya kalpate ||
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati |
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.81.3–4)

“O brāhmaṇa, what gift has been brought by you from your home for me? Even something small offered by bhaktas with prema shall certainly be great to me. Even a great [i.e., lavish] offering by a non-bhakta [however] does not lead to satisfaction for me. One who with bhakti offers a leaf, flower, fruit, or water to me—I partake of that offered out of bhakti from one of pure heart.”

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etāvatālaṁ viśvātman sarva-sampat-samṛddhaye

etāvatālaṁ viśvātman sarva-sampat-samṛddhaye |
asmin loke’tha vāmuṣmin puṁsas tvat-toṣa-kāraṇam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.81.11)

“[Queen Rukmiṇī to Śrī Kṛṣṇa after he partook of the first handful of the rice brought by Sudāmā Vipra:] ‘There is no need of this much [i.e., of eating the second handful]. O you who are the Self of the universe, the means of your satisfaction leads to the increase of all types of fortune for a person in this world and the next.”

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vyādhasyācaraṇaṁ dhruvasya ca vayo vidyā gajendrasya kā

vyādhasyācaraṇaṁ dhruvasya ca vayo vidyā gajendrasya kā
kubjāyāḥ kim u nāma rūpam adhikaṁ kiṁ tat sudāmno dhanam |
vaṁśaḥ ko vidurasya yādava-pater ugrasya kiṁ pauruṣaṁ
bhaktyā tuṣyati kevalaṁ na ca guṇair bhakti-priyo mādhavaḥ ||
(An unidentified south kavi; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.593; Padyāvalī: 8)

“Did the hunter have good conduct?
Did Dhruva have age?
Did Gajendra have knowledge?
Did Kubjā have special beauty?
Did Sudāmā have wealth?
Did Vidura have a noble lineage?
Did the King of the Yadus, Ugrasena, have valor?
He whose pleasure is bhakti,
Mādhava,
Is satisfied only by bhakti,
And not by qualities [such as those aforementioned].”

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dvija-strīṇāṁ bhakte mṛduni vidurānne vraja-gavāṁ

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.”

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anyeṣām api mahābhaktānāṁ prīter udāsīnā gatir na bhavaty eva

anyeṣām api mahābhaktānāṁ prīter udāsīnā gatir na bhavaty eva | kim uta viruddhā | tad-anukūlā sampattiś cāprārthitaiva bhavatīti sthitam | prītimatāṁ cāyam atiśayaḥ—yadi bhagavatā sa na dīyate tadā tenādānenāpi prīter ullāsa eva bhavati | yadi vā dīyate tadā tenāpīti |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 59)

“Other great bhaktas also never have a destination (gati) indifferent to prīti, much less one contrary [to it]. And it has been established [earlier in PRS 51] that attainments favorable to that [i.e., prīti] also occur unsought [i.e., without their having to be prayed for specifically]. Those [bhaktas] possessed of prītī also have this excellence: if that [i.e., some particular attainment, such as some form of wealth, status, opportunity, etc., or a particular form of mukti] is not given [to them] by Bhagavān, then even with that non-bestowal [of the attainment], there is a definitive increase in [their] prīti, and if, alternately, that [attainment] is given [by Bhagavān], then with that bestowal [of the attainment] also [there is a definitive increase in their prīti, as in the case of Sudāmā Vipra who rejoiced out of prīti after leaving Dvārakā without receiving anything from Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and rejoiced again out of prīti after arriving home and finding all the wealth given to him by Śrī Kṛṣṇa].”

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aho he putrakā yūyam asmad-arthe’tiduḥkhitāḥ

aho he putrakā yūyam asmad-arthe’tiduḥkhitāḥ |
ātmā vai prāṇināṁ preṣṭhas tam anādṛtya mat-parāḥ ||
etad eva hi sac-chiṣyaiḥ kartavyaṁ guru-niṣkṛtam |
yad vai viśuddha-bhāvena sarvārthātmārpaṇaṁ gurau ||
tuṣṭo’haṁ bho dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ satyāḥ santu manorathāḥ |
chandāṁsy ayāta-yāmāni bhavantv iha paratra ca ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.40–42; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 2.112)

“[Sāndīpani Muni to Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā after finding that they have endured a night trapped in the forest by a storm after going out to collect firewood for his service]: Aho! O sons! The body is certainly most dear to living beings, but you two, being devoted to me, have disregarded it and been greatly troubled for my sake. Purely offering the entirety of one’s wealth and self to guru—this is indeed the requital of guru to be performed by sincere disciples. Bho! Best of the twice-born! I am satisfied [with you both because of your ideal attitude and conduct as disciples]. In this world and the next may your desires be fulfilled, and may the mantras [i.e., the mantras in the Vedas that I have taught you] be undiminished [i.e., remain ever-fresh and imbued with their essence—may they manifest themselves in your mind and bestow their wisdom and benefit upon you in this life and the next].”

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itthaṁ-vidhāny anekāni vasatāṁ guru-veśmani

itthaṁ-vidhāny anekāni vasatāṁ guru-veśmani |
guror anugraheṇaiva pumān pūrṇaḥ praśāntaye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.43)

“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] While living in the home of our guru, we had many [experiences] of such type. Only by the grace of guru does a person become fulfilled and completely peaceful.”

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nanv artha-kovidā brahman varṇāśrama-vatām iha

nanv artha-kovidā brahman varṇāśrama-vatām iha |
ye mayā guruṇā vācā taranty añjo bhavārṇavam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.33)

“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] O brāhmaṇa, certainly they among those adherent to varṇa and āśrama here are sagacious who easily cross over the ocean of material existence by means of words from me—the guru.”

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sa vai sat-karmaṇāṁ sākṣād dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ

sa vai sat-karmaṇāṁ sākṣād dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ |
ādyo’ṅga yatrāśramiṇāṁ yathāhaṁ jñānado guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.32)

“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāma:] Here he because of whom existence arises [i.e., one’s father] is the first guru, he because of whom [the existence] of a twice-born’s meritorious activities arises is [the second guru] like I [myself], and he who is a giver of knowledge to the members of the āśramas is [the third guru] directly [I myself].”

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