Prīti

vaiṣṇave prītir āstāṁ me prītir āstāṁ prabhor guṇe

vaiṣṇave prītir āstāṁ me prītir āstāṁ prabhor guṇe |
sevāyāṁ prītir āstāṁ prītir ārtiś ca kīrtane ||
āśrite prītir āstāṁ me prītiś ca bhajanonmukhe |
ātmani prītir āstāṁ me kṛṣṇe bhaktir yathā bhavet ||
(Śrī Kṛṣṇa-bhajanāmṛta: 1.35–36)

“May I have love (prīti) for the Vaiṣṇavas;
May I have love for Prabhu’s qualities;
May I have love for service [to Bhagavān, Vaiṣṇavas, and so on];
May I have love and heart-ache for kīrtana;
May I have love for those who have taken shelter [in Bhagavān];
May I have love for those intent upon
bhajana [of Bhagavān];
And may I have love for my self,
So that I may have bhakti to Kṛṣṇa.”

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tomāra bhajana-phala—tomāte prema-dhana

tomāra bhajana-phala—tomāte prema-dhana |
viṣaya lāgi tomāya bhaje sei mūrkha-jana ||
sei śuddha-bhakta—ye tomā bhaje tomā lāgi |
āpanāra sukha-duḥkhe haya bhoga-bhogī ||
tomāra anukampā cāhe, bhaje anukṣaṇa |
acirāte mile tāre tomāra caraṇa ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.9.69, 75–76)

“[Śrī Kāśī Miśra to Śrīman Mahāprabhu:] The result of worship of you is the wealth of prema for you. A person who worships you for the sake of objects of the senses (viṣaya) is a fool. … He is a pure bhakta who worships you for your sake and is an endurer of the experience of his own happiness and suffering [i.e., he does not worship you for the sake of attaining personal happiness or removing personal suffering]. He desires [only] your grace and worships [you] at every moment. Your feet reach him before long.”

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tṛptāv anya-janasya tṛptim ayitā duḥkhe mahāduḥkitā

tṛptāv anya-janasya tṛptim ayitā duḥkhe mahāduḥkitā
labdhaiḥ svīya-sukhāli-duḥkha-nicayair no harṣa-bādhodayāḥ |
sveṣṭārādhana-tatparā iha yathā śrī-vaiṣṇava-śreṇayaḥ
kās tā brūhi vicārya candra-vadane tā mad-vayasyā imāḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 13.113)

“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa presents a riddle:]
‘They attain satisfaction from another person’s satisfaction,
Are greatly troubled by [by another person’s] trouble,
Experience no elation or misery
Because of the personal pleasures and troubles they undergo,
And are devoted to the worship of their own Iṣṭa
Like the multitudes of blessed Vaiṣṇavas here—
Consider and tell [me],
O you of moon face,
Who are they?’
[Śrī Rādhā replies:]
‘They are these friends of mine!’”

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Vṛtrāsura-stuti

Vṛtrāsura-stuti

Six verses illustrating the nature of pure prīti for Bhagavān spoken by Vṛtrāsura.

Excerpted from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.11.22–27.

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kim alabhyaṁ bhagavati prasanne śrī-niketane

kim alabhyaṁ bhagavati prasanne śrī-niketane |
tathāpi tat-parā rājan na hi vāñchanti kiñcana ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.39.2)

“What is unattainable when Bhagavān, the abode of Śrī, is satisfied? Still, O King, those who are devoted to him do not desire anything [other than bhakti to him].”

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yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi

yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi |
tadātma-bandhu-sadṛśī buddhir vaḥ kriyatāṁ mayi ||
nāhaṁ devo na gandharvo na yakṣo na ca dānavaḥ |
ahaṁ vo bāndhavo jāto nātaś cintyam ato’nyathā ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa: 5.13.11–12; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 325)

“If you all have love (prīti) for me, and if you all [also] consider I am praiseworthy [i.e., a worthy object of reverence], then you all should [give up your awe and reverence of me and] foster the attitude in regard me that I am like the kinsmen (bandhu) of your very self (ātmā) [i.e., that I am one of your fellow cowherds, alt., that I am like the dear friend (bandhu) of your heart (ātmā)]. I am neither a deva, nor a gandharva, nor a yakṣa, nor a dānava. I have been born as your kinsmen (bāndhava—bandhu), and thus from now on I am not to be thought of otherwise [i.e., as anyone other than one of your fellow cowherds and kinsmen; I should not be thought of as any sort of devatā].”

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svātantryāt kriyate karma na ca vedoditaṁ mahat

svātantryāt kriyate karma na ca vedoditaṁ mahat |
vinaiva bhagavat-prītyā te vai pāṣaṇḍinaḥ smṛtāḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa: Uttara-khaṇḍa, 235.9a, 7a; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 312)

“They who, without prīti for Bhagavān, independently perform grand works not stated in the Vedas are known as heretics (pāṣaṇḍis).”

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nātaḥ parataro loke puṁsaḥ svārtha-vyatikramaḥ

nātaḥ parataro loke puṁsaḥ svārtha-vyatikramaḥ |
yad-adhy anyasya preyastvam ātmanaḥ sva-vyatikramāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgatavatam: 4.22.32)

“There is no neglect of one’s own interest in this world greater than one’s own neglect of the self (ātmā) [i.e., of one’s true nature as an eternal spiritual entity distinct from the gross and subtle bodies], [the self solely] for the sake of which there is dearness of another [i.e., of any other thing, person, etc., e.g., one’s body gross and subtle bodies, family, wealth, etc.].”

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tathā tat-priya-vargaś ca pūrvaṁ darśitaḥ ‘tulayāma lavenāpi’ ity ādinā

tathā tat-priya-vargaś ca pūrvaṁ darśitaḥ ‘tulayāma lavenāpi’ ity ādinā | asya bhagavad-viṣaya-prīty-ālambanatvam api yuktam | smaraṇādi-pathaṁ gate hy asmiṁs tad-ādhārā sā prītir anubhūyate | ālambana-śabdaś ca viṣayādhārayor vartana iti | … tad evam api yam āśritya śrī-bhagavati sa prīti-viśeṣaḥ pravartate, sa evālambano jñeyaḥ | anye tūddīpanāḥ | athaivaṁ sa-vāsana-bhinna-vāsanaka-dvidha-tat-priya-varga-viṣayā ca yā prītiḥ sāpi tat-prīty-ādhāratvenaiva na tu sva-sambandhādinā | ata eva tat-priya-varge’pi sva-sambandha-hetukāṁ prītiṁ niṣidhya śrī-bhagavaty eva tām abhyarthya punas tat-priya-varge tad-ādhāratvenaiva prītim aṅgīkaroti | atha tatra niṣedhaḥ—‘atha viśveśa viśvātman viśva-mūrte svakeṣu me | sneha-pāśam imaṁ chindhi dṛḍhaṁ pāṇḍuṣu vṛṣṇiṣu ||’ atha abhyarthanā—‘tvayi me’nanya-viṣayā matir madhu-pate’sakṛt | ratim udvahatād addhā gaṅgevaugham udanvati ||’ atha aṅgīkāraḥ—‘śrī-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-sakha vṛṣṇy-ṛṣabhāvani-dhrug-rājanya-vaṁśa-dahanānapavarga-vīrya | govinda go-dvija-surārti-harāvatāra yogeśvarākhila-guro bhagavan namas te ||’ atra śrī-kṛṣṇa-sakhety ādi-sambodhenais tat-prīty-ādhāratvenārjunādiṣv api prītir aṅgīkṛtyā | evaṁ ‘vṛknaḥ’ ity ādi-dvayaṁ śrīmad-uddhava-vākyam api saṅgamanīyam | yathā—‘vṛkṇaś ca me sudṛḍhaḥ sneha-pāśo dāśārha-vṛṣṇy-andhaka-sātvateṣu | prasāritaḥ sṛṣṭi-vivṛddhaye tvayā sva-māyayā hy ātma-subodha-hetinā || namo’stu te mahā-yogin prapannam anuśādhi mām | yathā tvac-caraṇāmbhoje ratiḥ syād anapāyinī ||’ sṛṣṭi-vivṛddhaye tvayā svādhīnayā māyayā yo dehādi-sambandhajaḥ sneha-pāśaḥ prasāritaḥ sa vṛkṇaś chinnaḥ | kena? ātma-subodha-hetinā, tvadīya-prīty-utpādaka-śobhana-jñāna-lakṣaṇa-śastreṇa | adhunā tvat-sambandhenaiva sa bhātīty arthaḥ | ata evottara-padyam api tathaiva | iyaṁ coktiḥ śrīmad-uddhavasya siddhatvān na sambahavatīti sva-vyājenānyān uddiśyaiveti jñeyam |
(Excerpted from Prīti Sandarbha: 112–115 and Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.8.41–43)

“Similarly [i.e., just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa was shown to be the objective support (viṣayālambana) of prīti], his dear ones were also shown [to be the “vessel-supports” (āśrayālambanas) of prīti] in accord with [the statement in SB 1.18.13], ‘Let us not equate Svarga or non-repetition of birth [i.e., mokṣa], much less the blessings [i.e., wealth] of mortals, with even an instant of association with those who are devoted to Bhagavān.’ Their being supports of prīti the object of which is Bhagavān is also appropriate since that prīti, the substratum of which is them, is experienced in them when he is situated on the path of [their] remembrance and forth. The word __ālambana__, furthermore, signifies both the object (viṣaya) and substratum (ādhāra) [of prīti]. … Thus, in this way as well, only the one [i.e., the particular dear one of Śrī Bhagavān] by taking shelter in whom a particular form of this prīti for Śrī Bhagavān proceeds [from the heart of the dear one towards its object, Śrī Bhagavān] is to be known as the support (ālambana) [of prīti], whereas others [i.e., other dear ones of Śrī Bhagavān] are excitants (uddīpanas) [of that prīti]. Now, similarly, even that prīti the object (viṣaya) of which is his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] dear ones, who are of two types—(1) of like inclination (vāsanā) and (2) of different inclination (vāsanā) [with respect to a particular bhakta’s inclination (vāsanā)]—exists only because of [those dear ones’] being substrata of prīti for him, and not, rather, because of a [a particular dear associate’s] own relationship or otherwise [with them]. Therefore, one [i.e., a particular dear associate of Śrī Bhagavān] terminates [one’s] prīti even for his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] dear ones the cause of which is one’s own relationship [with them], prays for that [i.e., prīti] only in relation to Śrī Bhagavān, and then accepts prīti for his dear ones only because of [their] being substrata of that [i.e., prīti for him]. Now, the termination in this regard [is illustrated in the following prayer of Śrī Kuntī Devī to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in SB 1.8.41], ‘Now, O Lord of the universe, O Giver of consciousness to the universe, O Form of the universe, please cut this strong bond of affection of mine for my relatives, the Pāṇḍavas and Vṛṣṇis.’ Now, the prayer [for prīti solely for Śrī Bhagavān, as illustrated in the next statement of Śrī Kuntī Devī in SB 1.8.42], ‘O Madhupati, may my mind, having no other object [but for you], continuously [i.e., without cessation, and without regard for obstacles] carry forth rati for you, just as the Gaṅgā carries forth its stream [i.e., its water, continuously towards the ocean, disregarding all obstacles in its path].’ Now, the acceptance [of prīti for dear ones of Śrī Bhagavān because of their being substrata of prīti for him, as illustrated in the next statement of Śrī Kuntī Devī in SB 1.8.43], ‘O Śrī Kṛṣṇa! O Friend of Arjuna! O Best of the Vṛṣṇis! O you who are the fire upon the dynasties of kings who are destructive of the earth! O you who are of unlimited potency! O Govinda! O you whose descent is for removing the distress of the cows, twice-born, and suras! O Master of Yoga! O Guru of all! O Bhagavān! Obeisance unto you.’ Here, by means of the invocations, ‘O blessed Friend of Arjuna’ and so forth, prīti even for Arjuna and others on account of [their] being substrata of prīti for him [i.e., Bhagavān] is accepted.
“The statement of Śrīmad Uddhava [to Śrī Kṛṣṇa] in the two [verses] beginning __vṛknaḥ__ … [i.e., SB 11.29.39–40] is also to be contextualized in this way. ‘The exceedingly firm bond of my affection for the Dāśārhas, Vṛṣṇis, Andhakas, and Sātvatas, which was extended by your own māyā for the purpose of perpetuating the emanation [i.e., the universe], has been cut away with the weapon of fine understanding of the Self [viz., you]. May my obeisance be [offered] unto you, O Greatest of yogīs. Please instruct me, who have taken shelter [in you], so that I may have everlasting rati for your lotus feet.’ [This citation is explained as follows:] This bond of [my] affection born of relationships with bodies and so on, which was extended [i.e., created and made extensive] by you by means of [your] independent māyā for the purpose of perpetuating the emanation [i.e., the universe], has been cut away. With what? With the weapon of fine understanding of the Self, that is, with the weapon in the form of brilliant knowledge productive of prīti for you. Now, that [bond of affection] shines only in relationship to you. This is the meaning. Therefore, the latter verse [i.e., SB 11.29.40] too is exactly so [i.e., it is spoken with the same sense and intent]. Because of Śrīmad Uddhava’s being a siddha, this statement [of his], furthermore, is not possible [for him to make on his own account]. Therefore, it is to be understood to be [spoken] only for the sake of others on the pretext of referring to himself.”

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atha śrutau—‘bhaktir evainaṁ nayati

atha śrutau—‘bhaktir evainaṁ nayati, bhaktir evainaṁ darśayati bhakti-vaśaḥ puruṣo bhaktir eva bhūyasī’ iti śrūyate | tasmād evaṁ vivicyate—yā caivaṁ bhagavantaṁ svānandena madayati, sā kiṁ-lakṣaṇā syāt? iti | … hlādiny-ākhya-tadīya-svarūpa-śakty-ānanda-rūpaiveti avaśiṣyate, yayā khalu bhagavān svarūpānandam anubhavati, yad-ānandenānanda-viśeṣī-bhavati, yayaivaṁ taṁ tam ānandam anyān apy anubhāvayatīti | … tasyā hlādinyā eva kāpi sarvānandātiśāyinī vṛttir nityaṁ bhakta-vṛndeṣv eva nikṣipyamāṇā bhagavat-prīty-ākhyayā vartate | atas tad-anubhavena śrī-bhagavān api śrīmad-bhakteṣu prīty-atiśayaṁ bhajata iti | ata eva tat-sukhena bhakta-bhagavatoḥ parasparam āveśam āha—sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham | mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api || … atyantāveśenaikatāpattyā jvalal-lohādāv agni-vyapadeśavad atrāpy abheda-nirdeśa ity arthaḥ | tenaiva parasparaṁ vaśavartitvam āha—ajita jitaḥ sama-matibhiḥ sādhubhir bhavān jitātmabhir bhavatā | vijitās te’pi ca bhajatām akāmātmanāṁ ya ātmado’ti-karuṇaḥ ||
(Prīti Sandarbha: 65)

“Now, in the Śruti [i.e., Māṭhara-śruti], it is heard, ‘Bhakti certainly attracts him. Bhakti certainly reveals him. The Puruṣa is captivated by bhakti. Bhakti is certainly [thus] supreme.’ Therefore, the following is to be considered: what could be the character of that which in this way maddens Bhagavān with its own bliss? … Only the bliss aspect of his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] svarūpa-śakti, known as hlādinī—(1) by which Bhagavān verily experiences the bliss of his own nature (svarūpa), (2) by the bliss of which he becomes possessed of the particular bliss [i.e., by virtue of which he possesses bliss as an inherent attribute], and (3) by which he similarly causes others as well to experience bliss—remains [as an acceptable conclusion]. [Thus,] Some particular vṛtti of the hlādini [-śakti], abounding in all bliss and being eternally cast only into bhaktas, exists by the name of prīti for Bhagavān. Then, by experience thereof [i.e., by experience of this vṛtti of the hlādinī-śakti known as prīti, when it is expressed to Bhagavān by the bhaktas into whom Bhagavān has cast it], Śrī Bhagavān also feels pleasure in profusion from his beautiful bhaktas. Therefore, Śrī Bhagavān [in SB 9.4.63] describes the mutual absorption of the bhakta and Bhagavān [in one another that occurs] because of that happiness, ‘The sādhus are my heart, and I am the heart of the sādhus. They do not know anyone other than I, and I do not know anyone other than them in the least.’ … As a red-hot iron or another object is called fire because of an acquisition of oneness [with fire] as a result of extreme immersion [i.e., as a red-hot iron is sometimes referred to as fire because fire has become completely infused into it], here too a description of non-difference is made [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān says he is the heart of sādhus and they are his heart because their hearts have acquired a state of oneness as a result of the intense absorption of their hearts in one another produced by the joy of prīti for one another, that is, produced by the effect of the supreme vṛtti of Śrī Bhagavān’s hlādinī-śakti, viz., prīti, or prema-bhakti; the sādhus, however, are not literally Bhagavān’s heart, and Bhagavān is not literally the sādhus’ heart]. This is the meaning. Specifically because of this [i.e., because of the happiness and consequent mutual absorption felt by Śrī Bhagavān and his bhaktas by virtue of prīti], Citraketu describes their mutual captivation [of another in SB 6.16.34], ‘O Unconquerable One! You are conquered by sādhus [i.e., bhaktas] who are of equal mind and conquered heart, and they are also fully conquered by you, who are highly gracious and give yourself to those who perform worship with hearts free from [extraneous] desire.’”

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