Sūkti Sudhākara

cintāmaṇiś caraṇa-bhūṣaṇam aṅganānāṁ

cintāmaṇiś caraṇa-bhūṣaṇam aṅganānāṁ
śṛṅgāra-puṣpa-taravas taravaḥ surāṇām |
vṛndāvane vraja-dhanaṁ nanu kāma-dhenu-
vṛndāni ceti sukha-sindhur aho vibhūtiḥ ||
(Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.173; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.14.228)

“‘Nanu! In Vṛndāvana, the ladies’ foot-ornaments are thought-jewels, the decorative flowering trees are desire-trees [lit., trees of the suras], and the communal wealth is herds of desire-cows. Aho! The opulence [here] is thus an ocean of joy!”

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śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpa-taravo

śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpa-taravo
drumā bhūmiś cintāmaṇi-gaṇa-mayī toyam amṛtam |
kathā gānaṁ nāṭyaṁ gamanam api vaṁśī priya-sakhī
cid-ānandaṁ jyotiḥ param api tad āsvādyam api ca ||
sa yatra kṣīrābdhiḥ sravati surabhībhyaś ca sumahān
nimeṣārdhākhyo vā vrajati na hi yatrāpi samayaḥ |
bhaje śvetadvīpaṁ tam aham iha golokam iti yaṁ
vidantas te santaḥ kṣiti‑virala‑cārāḥ katipaye ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.55–56; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.143; Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.94–95; Laghu Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.5.500–501; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 172, 177, 186; Prīti Sandarbha: 111; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.14.227)

“That [place] where the lovers [alt., women] are Śrīs [i.e., resemblant of Lakṣmī], the beloved is the Supreme Puruṣa [i.e., he who is superior even to Nārāyaṇa and expands himself to reciprocate with every lover], the trees are desire-trees, the land is made of thought-jewels, the water is nectar, the speech is song, the movement is dance, the vaṁśī [i.e., flute] is a dear sakhī [i.e., is a friend to Kṛṣṇa as his constant companion and a friend to the residents of Vraja by making Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure and whereabouts known], the conscious, blissful, superb light is supremely relishable, an ocean of milk flows from the cows [i.e., where the cows become absorbed in the sound of the flute and yield unlimited milk], and where even the time [i.e., the time span] known as half of the most immense [i.e., half of the lifespan of Brahmā] or [the time span known as half of] the blink of the eye [i.e., an instant] does not pass [i.e., where the troublesome effects of time are absent and the residents are unaware of time on account of their absorption]—I worship [i.e., take shelter in] that Śvetadvīpa [lit., ‘white island’] which [only] a few sādhus in this world, who move about in seclusion on the earth [out of attachment to Kṛṣṇa and non-attachment to everything of the world; alt., who are extremely rare], know to be Goloka.”

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cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam |
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.29; cited in Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 80, 106, 116, 137, 153, 172; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.5.22)

“I serve him, Govinda, the original Person, who in abodes made of spiritual gemstone filled with lakhs of wish-fulfilling trees tends the cows and is lovingly served by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs.”

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parityajeyaṁ trailokyaṁ rājyaṁ deveṣu vā punaḥ

parityajeyaṁ trailokyaṁ rājyaṁ deveṣu vā punaḥ |
yadvāpy adhikam etābhyāṁ na tu satyaṁ kathañcana ||
tyajec ca pṛthivī gandham āpaś ca rasam ātmanaḥ |
jyotis tathā tyajed rūpaṁ vāyuḥ sparśa-guṇaṁ tyajet ||
prabhāṁ samutsṛjed arko dhūmaketus tathoṣṇatām |
tyajec chabdaṁ tathākāśaḥ somaḥ śītāṁśutāṁ tyajet ||
vikramaṁ vṛtrahā jahyād dharmaṁ jahyāc ca dharmarāṭ |
na tv ahaṁ satyam utsraṣṭuṁ vyavaseyaṁ kathañcana ||
(Mahābhārata: 1.97.15–18)

“[Bhīṣmadeva insisting to his mother Satyavatī that he will not break his vow of not begetting children:] I shall renounce the three worlds, an empire among the devas, or even anything greater than these, but never by any means my vow. The earth may give up its fragrance, and water its own taste. Similarly, light may give up its form, and air may give up the quality of touch. Similarly, the sun may cease to emit light and fire [cease to emit] heat. Similarly, the sky may give up sound, and the moon may give up having cooling rays. The slayer of Vṛtra [i.e., Indra] may abandon valor, the king of dharma [i.e., Yama] may abandon dharma, but I shall never resolve by any means to abandon my vow.”

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niyamāt phalam āpnoti na śreyo niyamaṁ vinā

niyamāt phalam āpnoti na śreyo niyamaṁ vinā ||
(Bhaviṣya Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 15.464, Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 13.510, 15.630)

“One attains the result on account of the vow [i.e., the resolution (saṅkalpa) to perform a given vrata or sevā]. Without the vow, no auspicious result comes about.”

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viṣaya thākite kṛṣṇa-prema nāhi haya

viṣaya thākite kṛṣṇa-prema nāhi haya |
viṣayīra dūre kṛṣṇa jāniha niścaya ||
viṣaye āviṣṭa mana baḍai jañjāla |
strī-putra māyā-jāla, ei saba kāla ||
daive kona bhāgyavān sādhu-saṅga pāya |
viṣaye āveśa chāḍi kṛṣṇere bhajaya ||
sei saba aparādha habe punar-bāra |
viṣayera dharma ei śuna kathā-sāra ||
‘viṣaya pāsara ahar-niśa bala hari’ ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 1.16.59–63)

“[Hari Dāsa Ṭhākura to inmates in jail:] “Kṛṣṇa-prema does not manifest in the presence of viṣaya [i.e., objects of the senses and mental inclinations for them]. Know for certain that Kṛṣṇa is far from viṣayīs. A mind absorbed in viṣaya is a great disturbance. Wife and sons are the net of māyā. They are all death [i.e., the bewilderment produced attachment related to them effectively terminates one’s endeavor to transcend the realm of saṁsāra and perpetuates only absorption in worldly ends]. If by destiny some fortunate person attains association with a sādhu, then one gives up absorption in viṣaya and serves Kṛṣṇa. All that offense [i.e., all the offenses in the form of violence towards, and disturbance of, other living beings that you have committed and thus wound up in jail] will happen again [if you do not follow my advice]. This is the nature of viṣaya [i.e., the nature of worldly objects and the mental inclinations they produce, that is, vāsanās, is that they cause one to perpetually engage in the same behaviors]. Listen to the essence of my message …: ‘Forget viṣaya and day and night chant, “Hari!”’”

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tathāpi viṣayera svabhāva—kare mahā-andha

tathāpi viṣayera svabhāva—kare mahā-andha |
sei karma karāya, yāte haya bhava-bandha ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.6.199)

”Still, the nature of viṣaya [i.e., objects of the senses and the inclinations for them impressed in the mind] makes one severely blind. It causes one to perform karma whereby worldly bondage accrues.”

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manur api pareṇaivaṁ pratisandhita-manorathaḥ surarṣi

manur api pareṇaivaṁ pratisandhita-manorathaḥ surarṣi-varānumatenātmajam akhila-dharā-maṇḍala-sthiti-guptaya āsthāpya svayam ati-viṣama-viṣaya-viṣa-jalāśayāśāyā upararāma |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.1.22)

“His desire thus accomplished by Brahmā, Manu too, with the permission of Surarṣi [i.e., Nārada], designated his son to maintain law across the entire earth and [then] personally withdrew from [all] inclination towards the poisonous ocean of extremely arduous viṣaya.”

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kṛṣṇe gate madhupurīṁ bata ballavīnāṁ

kṛṣṇe gate madhupurīṁ bata ballavīnāṁ 
bhāvo’bhavat sapadi yo laya-vahni-tīvraḥ |
premāsya hetur uta tattvam idaṁ hi tasya
mā tad-viśeṣam aparaṁ bata boddhum iccha ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.232)

“The cause of the gopīs’ bhāva, intense like the fire of [universal] destruction, that immediately arose when Kṛṣṇa went to Madhupurī is prema, and this [i.e., this state] is indeed its [i.e., prema’s] very nature. Bata! Do not desire to understand anything other than this description.”

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śūnyāyate mahāgoṣṭhaṁ girīndro’jagarāyate

śūnyāyate mahāgoṣṭhaṁ girīndro’jagarāyate |
vyāghra-tuṇḍāyate kuṇḍaṁ jīvātu-rahitasya me ||
(Stavāvalī: Prārthanāśraya-caturdaśaka, 11)

“The great pastureland [i.e., Vraja] seems empty, the king of mountains [i.e., Girirāja Govardhana] seems like a python, and the pool [i.e., Rādhā Kuṇḍa] seems like the jaws of a tiger for I who am bereft of [my] vitality [i.e., Śrī Rūpa].”

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