vande nanda-vraja-strīṇāṁ pāda-reṇum abhīkṣṇaśaḥ |
yāsāṁ hari-kathodgītaṁ punāti bhuvana-trayam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.47.63; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.152; Prīti Sandarbha: 107)
“I offer obeisance constantly to the foot-dust of the ladies of Nanda’s Vraja, whose resounding singing of narrations of Hari purifies the three worlds.”
tatra mat-parama-preṣṭhaṁ lapsyase sva-guruṁ punaḥ |
sarvaṁ tasyaiva kṛpayā nitarāṁ jñāsyasi svayam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.236)
“There you will meet again your own guru, he who is most dear to me. By his grace specifically, you will understand everything completely yourself.”
kevalaṁ tat-padāmbhoja-sākṣād-īkṣāvaśiṣyate |
taj jape’rhati nāsaktiṁ kintu tan-nāma-kīrtane ||
śrīman-madana-gopāla-pādābjopāsanāt param |
nāma-saṅkīrtana-prāyād vāñchātīta-phala-pradāt ||
tal-līlā-sthala-pālīnāṁ śraddhā-sandarśanādaraiḥ |
sampādyamānān nitarāṁ kiñcin nāsty eva sādhanam ||
sañjāta-premakāc cāsmāc catur-varga-viḍambakāt |
tat-pādābja-vaśīkārād anyat sādhyaṁ na kiñcana ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.1.103–106)
“[Gopa Kumāra thinks:] Only direct vision of his [viz., Śrī Madana Gopāladeva’s] lotus feet remains [for this brāhmaṇa to attain]. Thus, he needs attachment not to japa but to kīrtana of his [viz., Śrī Madana Gopāla’s] names. There is certainly no means of accomplishment (sādhana) other than worship of Madana Gopāla’s beautiful lotus feet (1) in which saṅkīrtana of his names is abundant, (2) which is being practiced plentifully with conviction (śraddhā), direct observation (sandarśana), and adoration (ādara) of the places of their [i.e., those lotus feet’s] līlās, and (3) which is [thus] a complete bestower of results beyond [even one’s] desires. There is [also] no object to be accomplished (sādhya) other than this [viz., such worship of Madana Gopāla’s lotus feet], (1) by which prema becomes manifest in full, [since such worship is that] (2) which is a belittler of the catur-varga [viz., dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa], and [that] (3) which is a captivator of his lotus feet.”
yat tāta tāsām api dhairya-moṣakaṁ
yā vai kula-strī-kula-pūjitāṅghrayaḥ |
rūpeṇa śīlena guṇena karmaṇā
śraiṣṭhyaṁ gatā hanta mahāśriyo’pi yāḥ ||
yad-darśane pakṣma-kṛtaṁ śapanti
vidhiṁ sahasrākṣam api stuvanti |
vañchanti dṛktvaṁ sakalendriyānāṁ
kāṁ kāṁ daśāṁ vā na bhajanti lokāḥ ||
kiṁ varṇyatāṁ vraja-bhuvo mahimā sa tasya
yatraiva tat sa bhagavān vitanoti rūpam |
yat tādṛśa-prakṛtināpy amunā sametā
nānyatrikā dadhati bhāvam ime’pi tadvat ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.109–111)
“O dear one, can that greatness of the land of Vraja be described, [that land of Vraja] alone wherein that Bhagavān [viz., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] manifests that [supremely astonishing] form [of himself] which is a stealer of the composure even of they [viz., the gopīs] whose feet are worshiped by women of noble families and who by virtue of [their] figure, character, qualities, and actions are possessed of superiority even to Mahāśrī [i.e., Mahālakṣmī]; [that form of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa found only in Vraja] by seeing which people curse the Creator, the maker of eyelids, praise even he of a thousand eyes [viz., Indra], desire that all [their] senses become eyes, and attain not what sort of state [i.e., attain all sorts of extraordinary states], since even they who are from elsewhere [e.g., the residents of Vaikuṇṭha and Dvārakā] even [when] together with he of such nature [viz., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Vraja] do not possess bhāva like them [i.e., the people of Vraja]?”
vrajaḥ sa nandasya guṇaiḥ svakīyair
vilāsa-bhūr āsa mahāvibhūteḥ |
yasyāḥ kaṭākṣena jagad-vibhūtir
vaikuṇṭha-nāthasya gṛheśvarī yā ||
yasyaika-vṛkṣo’pi nijena kenacid
dravyena kāmāṁs tanute’rthino’khilān |
tathāpi tat tan na sadā prakāśayed
aiśvaryam īśaḥ sva-vihāra-vighnataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.104–105)
“By virtue of its own qualities, that abode of Nanda—even one tree of which can produce with any aspect of itself all the desired objects of any seeker, and by the sidelong glance of which the magnificence of the world exists—has become the play-land of she of great magnificence [viz., Mahālakṣmī], the Mistress of the household of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. Still, Īśa [viz., Śrī Kṛsṇa] shall not always manifest that particular splendor (aiśvarya) on account of obstruction to his own sporting [i.e., if he were to do so, and thus he doesn’t manifest it always but rather only when doing so is suitable].”
tat tu laukika-sad-bandhu-buddhyā prema bhayādi-jam |
vighnaṁ nirasya tad-gopa-gopī-dāsyepsayārjayet ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.217)
“With the mentality of an excellent kinsmen of the world in relation to him [viz., Kṛṣṇa], one should overcome the obstruction [to prema for Kṛṣṇa] produced by fear and so forth, and with the desire to attain the servitude of those gopas and gopīs [who are so dear to Kṛṣṇa], one should verily acquire prema [for him].”
te’pi nūnaṁ na tāṁ pūjāṁ tyajeyur yadi sarvathā |
tadā tan-niṣṭhayā citte śodhite guṇa-darśinām ||
kṛpayā kṛṣṇa-bhaktānāṁ prakṣīṇāśeṣa-dūṣaṇāḥ |
kālena kiyatā te’pi bhavanti paramottamāḥ ||
yathā sakāma-bhaktā hi bhuktvā tat-kāmitaṁ phalam |
kāle bhakti-prabhāvena yogyaṁ vindanti tat-phalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.219–221)
“If even they [who perform worship in the manner aforesaid in BB 2.4.213–15, that is, in SB 11.2.47, 3.29.21–24, and 7.9.11] shall assuredly not forsake [even] that [manner of] worship under any circumstance, then when [their] minds are purified by [their] fixity in that [i.e., in such inapt worship] and they have all their faults destroyed by the grace of bhaktas of Kṛṣṇa, who are observers of qualities [in them rather than faults], they too after some time become most excellent, just as desirous (sakāma) bhaktas enjoy that desired result [which they performed bhakti with a desire to attain, viz., insignificant enjoyment of objects of the senses and the like] and in time by the power of bhakti attain that result which is befitting [of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān and beyond even what one can desire, as alluded to in BB 2.4.216–217, viz., the result of attaining prema, entrance in Śrī Bhagavān’s abode, and the privilege of meeting, sporting, and so forth with him there in the spirit of prema].”
kadāpi kṛṣṇa-pratimārcanāvatāṁ
na sambhavet kṛṣṇa-pareṣv anādaraḥ |
ghaṭeta cet karhy api tad-viṣaktito
gṛṇanti nāgas tad amī stuvanty atha ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.212)
“Disregard for those devoted to Kṛṣṇa should never be possible for those engaged in worship of a deity of Kṛṣṇa. If ever it occurs because of [a worshiper’s] being intently engaged therein, they [i.e., those devoted to Kṛṣṇa, viz., the Vaiṣṇavas] do not take offense and rather praise [such a worshiper].”
yat-pāda-paṁśur bahu-janma-kṛcchrato
dhṛtātmabhir yogibhir apy alabhyaḥ |
sa eva yad-dṛg-viṣayaḥ svayaṁ sthitaḥ
kiṁ varṇyate diṣṭam aho vrajaukasām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.12.12; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.122; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 100)
“Aho! How can the fortune be described of these residents of Vraja, the sole object of whose vision present directly [before them] is he the dust of whose feet is unattainable even by yogīs who have painstakingly controlled their minds for many births?”
siddhiḥ syād bhagavad-dṛṣṭyā tṛṇa-saṁmānanād api |
sakṛd-uccaranān nāmābhāsasya śravaṇāt tathā ||
kutas tat-smārake tasyādhiṣṭhāne mantra-saṁskṛte |
sarva-bhakti-pade pūjyamāne doṣādi-tarkaṇam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.210–211)
“Attainment (siddhi) [i.e., mokṣa or the acquisition of any and all desired objects] can occur even as a result of honoring [with an obeisance, a sprinkling or water, and so on] a blade of grass with vision of Bhagavān [being present within it as the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī)] and as a result of only pronouncing or hearing a semblance (ābhāsa) of the name [of Śrī Bhagavān]. [Therefore,] How could there be [even] any conjecture of a fault or otherwise when [a deity of him, that is,] a dwelling place (adhiṣṭhāna) of his that (1) is consecrated by mantras, (2) is a reminder of him, and (3) is an object of [offerings of] all [limbs of] bhakti, is being worshiped?”
