Prema

kim api kim api brūte rātrau svapann api nāmabhir

kim api kim api brūte rātrau svapann api nāmabhir
madhura-madhuraṁ prītyā dhenūr ivāhvayati kvacit |
uta sakhi-gaṇān kāṁścid gopān ivātha manoharāṁ
samabhinayate vaṁśī-vaktrāṁ tribhaṅgi-parākṛtim ||
kadācin mātar me vitara navanītaṁ tv iti vadet
kadācic chrī-rādhe lalite iti sambodhayati mām |
kadāpīdaṁ candrāvali kim iti me karṣati paṭaṁ
kadāpy asrāsārair mṛdulayati tūlīṁ śayanataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.51–52)

“[Rukmiṇī Devī of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā:] Sometimes even while sleeping at night he says all sorts of things, [sometimes] in the sweetest of sweet ways with love and by name he as though calls his cows, his girlfriends, or some cowherds, and [sometimes] as though with his flute at his mouth he fully enacts his charming thrice-bent posture [that he customarily assumes when playing the flute]. Sometimes he can say, ‘O Mother, give me some fresh butter.’ Sometimes he addresses me, ‘O Śrī Rādha!’ or ‘O Lalitā!’ Sometimes he pulls my garment [and says], ‘O Candrāvalī, what is this [act of yours in deceiving me]’? And sometimes he wets the pillow on his bed with torrents of tears.”

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idam ākarṇya bhagavān utthāya śayyanād drutam

idam ākarṇya bhagavān utthāya śayyanād drutam |
priya-prema-parādhīno rudann uccair bahir gataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.63)

“Hearing this [statement of Balarāma], Bhagavān [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa], he who is captivated by the prema of dear ones, quickly arose from bed and went outside, weeping loudly.”

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mama pratyakṣam evedaṁ yadā kṛṣṇo vraje’vrajat

mama pratyakṣam evedaṁ yadā kṛṣṇo vraje’vrajat |
tato hi pūtanādibhyaḥ keśy-antebhyo muhur muhuḥ ||
daityebhyo varuṇendrādi-devebhyo’jagarāditaḥ |
tathā cirantana-svīya-śakaṭārjuna-bhaṅgataḥ |
ko vā nopadravas tatra jāto vraja-vināśakaḥ ||
tatratyās tu janāḥ kiñcit te’nusandadhate na tat ||
mohitā iva kṛṣṇasya maṅgalaṁ tatra tatra hi |
icchanti sarvadā svīyaṁ nāpekṣante ca karhicit ||
svabhāva-sauhṛdenaiva yat kiñcit sarvam ātmanaḥ |
asyopakalpayante sma nanda-sūnoḥ sukhāya tat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.39–40)

“[Rohiṇī Devī to Devarṣi Nārada:] This is verily my experience: when Kṛṣṇa went to Vraja, from right then on, and again and again, what calamity devastating to Vraja—starting from Pūtanā and ending with Keśī—[coming] from asuras, from devas like Varuṇa and Indra, from pythons and so on [i.e., and other fearsome creatures], and from [even] the breaking of a cart and arjuna trees that had long been our own—did not arise? Still, the people situated there [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] did not consider any of that [i.e., still, their love for Kṛṣṇa did not wane, and rather, only increased (Vraja-janānāṁ Kṛṣṇe prītir na jātu kṣīṇā, api tu vivṛddhaiva, DDT)]. As if beguiled, in all those cases [i.e., calamities], they [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs] always desired Kṛṣṇa’s well-being, and they never considered their own [well-being]. Purely out of natural cordiality, they offered everything that was their own for his—the Son of Nanda’s—pleasure.”

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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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na tathā rocate vedaḥ purāṇādyās tathetarāḥ

na tathā rocate vedaḥ purāṇādyās tathetarāḥ |
yathā tāsān tu gopīnāṁ bhartsanaṁ garvitaṁ vacaḥ ||
(Gopī-premāmṛta)

“Neither the Vedas nor the Purāṇas and others are so pleasing as the chastisement and proud speech of those gopīs.”

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kadācid darśanaṁ vā syād vaikuṇṭhādi-nivāsinām

kadācid darśanaṁ vā syād vaikuṇṭhādi-nivāsinām |
śrī-kṛṣṇa-viraheṇārtān iva paśyāmi tān api ||
kadāpi teṣu vraja-vāsi-loka-
sādṛśya-bhāvānavalokanān me |
jātānutāpena bhavet tato’pi
prema-prakāśāt paramaṁ sukhaṁ tat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.6.378–379)

“Sometimes sight of the residents of Vaikuṇṭha and elsewhere [e.g., Ayodhyā] can occur. [When it does,] I see even them to be as though distressed by separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As a result of a manifestation of prema [within me] because of the sorrow produced by sometimes not seeing the bhāva similar to the people residing in Vraja in them [i.e., in the residents of Vaikuṇṭha and elsewhere], I feel that paramount joy [which is experienced in the company of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Goloka and Bhauma Vraja] to be [present] even there [i.e., in those residents of Vaikuṇṭha and elsewhere].”

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prabho! bhagavan! kṛpā-pārāvāra! ghora-saṁsāra-pravāha-prāpita

prabho! bhagavan! kṛpā-pārāvāra! ghora-saṁsāra-pravāha-prāpita-kleśa-cakra-nakra-vyūha-carvyamāṇaṁ māṁ vilokya, kāruṇyodyota-drava-ceto-navanīto’khila-lokātīto bhagavan śrī-guru-rūpa-dhārī mad-anādy-avidyā-vidāri-sva-darśanena sudarśanenaiva tan nirbhidya, tad-daṁṣṭrā-taṭād evonmocya, nija-caraṇa-kamala-yugala-dāsī-cikīrṣayā sva-mantra-varṇa-vīthīṁ mat-karṇa-vīthīṁ praveśya, nirvyathīkṛtya, muhur muhur api sva-guṇa-nāma-śravaṇa-kīrtana-smaraṇādibhir māṁ yad aśūśudhan nija-bhaktair api saṅgamitaiḥ sva-sevām apy abūbudhat, tad api durmedho’ham adhamatamo divasam ekam api prabhuṁ na paryacaraṁ, kadarya-caryas tad ayaṁ jano daṇḍayitum evārhaḥ, pratyutaitāvad darśana-mādhurīṁ pāyitaḥ |
(Mādhurya-kādambinī: 8.9)

“O Master! O Bhagavān! O Ocean of grace! Seeing me being chewed by the crocodile bask of the cycle of afflictions engendered by the frightful course of saṁsāra, [you,] Bhagavān, who are beyond all planes [in saṁsāra] and the butter of whose heart becomes melted by the radiance of [your] compassion, have assumed the form of śrī-guru, cut that [bask of crocodiles] asunder with the sudarśana [cakra] of your own darśana rending of my beginningless ignorance (avidyā), freed me from their jaws, caused the syllables of your mantra to enter the path of my ears out of desire to engage me [in service] as a maidservant of your two lotus feet, freed me from all pain, purified me by means of repeated hearing, chanting, remembering, and so forth of your names and qualities, and enlightened me about your own service by means of the association of your own bhaktas, yet still I of dull wit, the most fallen, have not served my Master [i.e., you, O Bhagavān] for even one day. Thus, this ill-behaved person [i.e., my most-fallen self] is certainly fit to be punished. Despite all this [however] I have been given the chance to drink the sweetness of your darśana.”

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bhakti vinu kṛṣṇe kabhu nahe premodaya

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].”

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śire vajra paḍe yadi putra mari yāya

śire vajra paḍe yadi putra mari yāya |
tāhā sahi, tomāra viccheda sahana nā yāya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.7.48)

“If a thunderbolt strikes my head or my son dies, I can tolerate that. Tolerating separation from you [however] is not possible.”

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mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes
tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam |
mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā
vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye |
ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu ||
gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.5.2–3; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.17, 69; Bhakti Sandarbha: 186; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.82)

“Service to the mahats is said to be the door to ultimate mukti, and attachment to those who are attached to women [is said to be] the door to darkness. The mahāntas are they who are of equal mind, tranquil, free from anger, friendly, and virtuous, or, they who (1) have made affection [i.e., prema] for me, Īśa, their aim, (2) are unpossessed of affinity for persons fixated upon affairs related to bodily maintenance and houses accompanied by wives, children, and friends, and (3) are possessed of only so much wealth [as is necessary] in this world.”

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