Sūkti Sudhākara – Page 269

dūrān niśamya mahimānam upetya pārśvam

dūrān niśamya mahimānam upetya pārśvam
antaḥ praviśya śubha-bhāgavatāmṛtābdheḥ |
paśyāmi kṛṣṇa-karuṇāñjana-nirmalena
hṛl-locanena bhagavad-bhajanaṁ hi ratnam ||
(Viṣṇu Purī’s Bhakti-ratnāvalī: 6)

“After hearing from afar, approaching the bank [i.e., studying], and then entering within [i.e., understanding the confidential meaning of] the greatness of the ocean of the nectar that is the bountiful Bhāgavatam, I see with the eyes of my heart purified by the collyrium of Kṛṣṇa’s compassion that Bhagavad-bhajana alone is the jewel [i.e., bhakti is essential to the attainment of all puruṣārthas and furthermore is the ultimate puruṣārtha itself].”

Read on →

te’pi tan-mukhataḥ sarvaṁ

te’pi tan-mukhataḥ sarvaṁ śrutvā tat-tan-mahādbhutam |
sāra-saṅgrāhiṇo’śeṣam anyat sarvaṁ jahur dṛḍham ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.152)

“Grasping the essence [i.e., the tattva] after hearing from his [i.e., Nārada’s] mouth all of these profound wonders [i.e., the extraordinary things which were experienced by Nārada during his journey for the recipient of the essence of Kṛṣṇa’s grace], they too [i.e., the sages at Prayāga listening to Nārada’s account] resolutely and completely gave up everything else [i.e., jñāna, karma, and all other paths apart from Kṛṣṇa-bhakti].”

Read on →

bhaktir asya bhajanam

bhaktir asya bhajanam | tad ihāmutropādhi-nairāsyenāmuṣmin manaḥ-kalpanam | etad eva ca naiṣkarmyam ||
(Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad: Pūrva, 14; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.166; Bhakti Sandarbha 169, 234)

“Bhakti is worship (bhajana) of him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. It is engaging the mind in him free from upādhis (adjuncts) [i.e., desires] related to this world and the next [i.e., engaging in hearing, praising, remembering, and so forth related to him without any motivation of attaining anything related to this world or the next but rather with the motivation solely of attaining him such that one can serve and satisfy him]. And this is indeed [secondarily] naiṣkarmya [i.e., mukti, syn., jñāna; lit., exoneration from and transcendence of karma].”

Read on →

daivādhīnaṁ jagat sarvaṁ

daivādhīnaṁ jagat sarvaṁ janma-karma-śubhāśubham |
saṁyogaś ca viyogaś ca na ca daivāt paraṁ balam ||
kṛṣṇāyattaṁ ca tad daivaṁ sa daivāt paratas tataḥ |
bhajanti satataṁ santaḥ paramātmānam īśvaram ||
daivaṁ vardhayituṁ śaktaḥ kṣayaṁ kartuṁ svalīlayā |
na daiva-baddhas tad bhaktaś cāvināśī ca nirguṇaḥ ||
(Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa)

“The entire world, along with birth, karma, auspiciousness, inauspiciousness, meeting and separation, is under the control of destiny (daiva). There is no power greater than destiny, yet that destiny is dependent on Kṛṣṇa. He is thus greater than destiny. Sādhus [thus] always worship the Paramātmā, Īśvara [i.e., Kṛṣṇa]. He can expand and diminish destiny by means of his līlā. Bhaktas [of Kṛṣṇa] are thus unbound by destiny, imperishable, and beyond the guṇas.”

Read on →

na vā etad viṣṇudatta

na vā etad viṣṇudatta mahad-adbhutaṁ yad asambhramaḥ sva-śiraś-chedana āpatite’pi vimukta-dehādy-ātma-bhāva-sudṛḍha-hṛdaya-granthīnāṁ sarva-sattva-suhṛd-ātmanāṁ nirvairāṇāṁ sākṣād bhagavatānimiṣāri-varāyudhenāpramattena tais tair bhāvair abhirakṣyamāṇānāṁ tat-pāda-mūlam akutaścid-bhayam upasṛtānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānām |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.9.20)

[Śukadeva to Parīkṣit Mahārāja:] “O Viṣṇudatta, it is not greatly astonishing that the topmost ascetic devotees of Bhagavān (Bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas) are undisturbed even in the event of their own head being cut off, as they are completely free from the extremely tight knot in the heart of identification with the body and so forth [i.e., the mind, etc.], are by nature well-wishers of all beings, are free from enmity, are completely protected by ever-vigilant Bhagavān himself armed with the most excellent disc of time in various states of being [i.e., in various forms, such as Bhadrakālī (in this particular case in the life of Jaḍa Bharata), or, on account of his (i.e., Bhagavān’s) various qualities], and have approached the soles of his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] feet, wherein there is no fear [whatsoever].”

Read on →

na tathā me priyatama

na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ |
na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr naivātmā ca yathā bhavān ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.15)

“Neither he who is self-born [i.e., Brahmā], nor Śaṅkara [i.e., Śiva], nor Saṅkarṣaṇa [i.e., Balarāma], nor Śrī [i.e., Lakṣmī], nor even my own Self are so dearmost to me as you [O Uddhava].”

Read on →

kṛṣṇonmukhaṁ svayaṁ yānti

kṛṣṇonmukhaṁ svayaṁ yānti yamāḥ śaucādayas tathā |
ity eṣāṁ ca na yuktā syād bhakty-aṅgāntara-pātitā ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.261)

“The restraints (yamas) and cleanliness and so on [i.e., the niyamas] come of their own accord to those who are intent upon Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, they are not fit to be included among the limbs of [uttama-] bhakti.”

Read on →

avijñātākhila-kleśāḥ

avijñātākhila-kleśāḥ sadā kṛṣṇāśrita-kriyāḥ |
siddhāḥ syuḥ santata-prema-saukhyāsvāda-parāyaṇāḥ ||
samprāpta-siddhayaḥ siddhā nitya-siddhāś ca te dvidhā ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.280–281)

“[The characteristics of siddha Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas are described:] Those to whom all affliction is unknown, whose actions are always sheltered in Kṛṣṇa, and who are constantly absorbed in relishing the happiness of prema are siddhas. These siddhās are of two types: those who have attained siddhi and those who are eternally siddha.”

Read on →

utpanna-ratayaḥ samyaṅ

utpanna-ratayaḥ samyaṅ nairvighnyam anupāgatāḥ |
kṛṣṇa-sākṣātkṛtau yogyāḥ sādhakāḥ parikīrtitāḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.276)

“[The characteristics of sādhaka Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas are described:] Those in whom rati is manifest yet have not become completely unimpeded, and who are fit for realization of Kṛṣṇa, are said to be sādhakas.”

Read on →

tad-bhāva-bhāvita-svāntāḥ

tad-bhāva-bhāvita-svāntāḥ kṛṣṇa-bhaktā itīritāḥ ||
te sādhakāś ca siddhāś ca dvi-vidhāḥ parikīrtitāḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.273, 275)

“[The definition of a Kṛṣṇa-bhakta:] Those whose hearts are imbued with that bhāva [i.e., their particular, highly exalted and personally desired rati for Kṛṣṇa] are called Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas. … They are said to be of two types: sādhakas and siddhas.”

Read on →