Sūkti Sudhākara

yat tatra saṁsidhyati vastv ihāpi

yat tatra saṁsidhyati vastv ihāpi 
sampadyate tat kila nāsti bhedaḥ |
kintv asya tatra vraja-bhū-caritra- 
dṛṣṭi-śrutibhyāṁ bhavitā sa śokaḥ ||
tasmin jagannātha-mukhābja-darśanān
mahāprasādāvali-lābhataḥ sadā |
yātrotsavaughānubhavād api sphuraty
ullāsa evātmani naiva dīnatā ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.239)

“That reality which is fully manifest there [i.e., in Puruṣottama Kṣetra] is also manifest here [in Dvārakā]. There is certainly no difference [between the manifestations here and there], but there [i.e., in Puruṣottama Kṣetra] that sorrow [i.e., the sorrow that arises from feeling the absence of the attainment of one’s Iṣṭa-devatā] will occur as a result of seeing and hearing of his līlā [that takes place] in the land of Vraja [by means of watching dramatic enactments and the like of that Vraja-līlā and hearing songs and so forth about that Vraja-līlā while you are present in Puruṣottama Kṣetra, and thus because of this unrest in your heart you will not feel any special joy there]. There [i.e., in Puruṣottama Kṣetra], as a result of the sight (darśana) of Jagannātha’s lotus face, obtaining varieties of his mahāprasādam, and observing his numerous of outings and festivals, [some degree of] delight certainly arises in the heart continuously, but humility certainly does not.”

Read on →

prema-dhana vinu vyartha daridra jīvana

prema-dhana vinu vyartha daridra jīvana |
dāsa kari vetana more deha’ prema-dhana ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.20.37)

“Without the wealth of prema, life is meaningless and poor. Please make me your servant and grant me a salary of the wealth of prema.”

Read on →

kvāhaṁ manda-matiḥ kvedaṁ manthanaṁ kṣīra-vāridheḥ

kvāhaṁ manda-matiḥ kvedaṁ manthanaṁ kṣīra-vāridheḥ |
kiṁ tatra paramāṇur vai yatra majjati mandaraḥ ||
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim |
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavam ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 5)

“Where am I of dull-wit? And where is this churning of the ocean of ksir [i.e., this endeavor to explain Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (being made in this commentary)]? What is an atomic particle there where even [Mount] Mandara submerges [i.e., how can I tiny, incapable person like myself take on such an enormous task]? I offer obeisance unto Mādhava, Supreme Bliss, by whose grace a mute speaks and a cripple crosses a mountain [i.e., by whose grace even this otherwise impossible task becomes possible].”

Read on →

athāta ānanda-dughaṁ padāmbujaṁ

athāta ānanda-dughaṁ padāmbujaṁ
haṁsāḥ śrayerann aravinda-locana |
sukhaṁ nu viśveśvara yoga-karmabhis
tvan-māyayāmī vihatā na māninaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.3; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 326)

[Translation as per Śrīdhara Svāmī’s ṭīkā:] “Therefore, O lotus-eyed One, O Lord of the universe, swans [i.e., those who are expert in discriminating between the essential and non-essential] take shelter in your bliss-exuding lotus feet happily and certainly, as they [i.e., your bhatkas] are not impeded by your māyā and thus are not proud on account of yoga or karma [i.e., they do not, like yogīs and karmīs, neglect to take shelter in your feet].”

Read on →

kṛpāsya dainyādi-yuji prajāyate

kṛpāsya dainyādi-yuji prajāyate
yayā bhavet prema-viśeṣa-lakṣaṇā |
bhaktir hy ananyādhipater mahātmanaḥ
sā cottamā sādhana-rūpikāparā ||
(Nimbārkācārya’s Daśa-ślokī: 9)

“His grace, by which unalloyed bhakti possessed of the special characteristic of prema to [him,] the Supreme Lord, the Great Ātmā, can come to be, manifests upon one endowed with humility (dainya) and so forth. That [i.e., prema-bhakti] is most excellent [i.e., the superlative form of bhakti manifest within siddhas]. The other [i.e., bhakti devoid of prema] is the sādhana form [i.e., the form of bhakti manifest within sādhakas].”

Read on →

na hi sādhana-sampattyā haris tuṣyati kasyacit

na hi sādhana-sampattyā haris tuṣyati kasyacit |
bhaktānāṁ dainyam evaikaṁ hari-toṣana-sādhanam ||
(Subodhinī-ṭikā of Vallabhācārya on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10)

“Hari is not satisfied by anyone’s performance of [alt., abundance of, or excellence in,] sādhana. The humility of bhaktas is indeed the only means of satisfying Hari.”

Read on →

bhagavad-bhakti-svabhāva-kṛta-sarva-viṣayaka-vinaya

kuberād api śrī-dhruveṇa bhagavad-bhakti-svabhāva-kṛta-sarva-viṣayaka-vinaya-punaḥ-punar-bhakty-abhilāṣābhyāṁ yuktena satā kṛtaṁ bhagavad-bhakti-vara-prārthanam … |

(Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)

“A prayer for the boon of bhakti to Bhagavān was made by Śrī Dhruva even from Kubera [i.e., even from he whose followers Śrī Dhruva had previously attacked] on account of [Śrī Dhruva’s] being endowed with constant desire for bhakti and humility regarding everything produced [in him] by the [very] nature (svabhāva) of bhakti to Bhagavān.”

Read on →

tatraivotpadyate dainyaṁ tat premāpi sadā satām

tatraivotpadyate dainyaṁ tat premāpi sadā satām |
tat-tac-chūnyam ivāraṇya-sarid-giry-ādi paśyatām ||
sadā hāhā-ravākrānta-vadanānāṁ tathā hṛdi |
mahā-santāpa-dagdhānāṁ sva-priyaṁ parimṛgyatām ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.242–243)

[Uddhava to Gopa Kumāra:] “There [i.e., in Gokula], humility (dainya) and prema always arise within the sādhus who see the forests [i.e., such as Vṛndāvana], waters [such as the Yamunā], mountains [such as Govardhana], and so forth as though empty, [those sādhus] whose mouths are filled with cries of “Hā! Hā!”, and who are burned by intense sorrow at heart as they search for their Beloved.”

Read on →

tāṁ vinodeti na prema goloka-prāpakaṁ hi yat

tāṁ vinodeti na prema goloka-prāpakaṁ hi yat |
na ca tal-loka-lābhena vināsya svāsthyam udbhavet ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.240)

“Without that [i.e., without humility], prema—that which is a cause of attaining Goloka—certainly does not manifest, and without attaining that plane [i.e., Goloka], one’s satisfaction shall not come about.”

Read on →

paripākeṇa dainyasya premājasraṁ vitanyate

paripākeṇa dainyasya premājasraṁ vitanyate |
parasparaṁ tayor itthaṁ kārya-kāraṇatekṣyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.225)

“With the full maturation of humility, prema manifests in a special manner continuously. In this way, their being the cause and effect of one another is seen.”

Read on →

Scroll to Top