Texts

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].”

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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].”

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kevalaṁ paramaṁ dainyam avalambyāsya śikṣayā

kevalaṁ paramaṁ dainyam avalambyāsya śikṣayā |
śrīman-madana-gopāla-caraṇābjam upāsata ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.153)

“According to his [i.e., Nārada’s] teaching, they [i.e., the sages in Prayāga] took recourse to pure and profound humility and worshipped the lotus feet of Śriman Madana Gopāla.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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yayā vācehayā dainyaṁ matyā ca sthairyam eti tat

yayā vācehayā dainyaṁ matyā ca sthairyam eti tat |
taṁ yatnena bhajed vidvāṁs tad-viruddhāni varjayet ||
dainyaṁ tu paramaṁ premṇaḥ parīpākeṇa janyate |
tāsāṁ gokula-nārīṇām iva kṛṣṇa-viyogataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.223–224)

“One who is wise should carefully cultivate speech, activity, and thought by which that [i.e., humility] attains steadfastness and should avoid contrarieties [i.e., all speech, activity, and thought contrary] to that. Paramount humility, however, manifests with the full maturation of prema like that of them—the ladies of Gokula—as a result of separation from Kṛṣṇa.”

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tat karma-jñāna-yogādi-sādhanād dūrataḥ sthitam

tat karma-jñāna-yogādi-sādhanād dūrataḥ sthitam |
sarvatra nairapekṣyeṇa bhūṣitaṁ dainya-mūlakam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.221)

“It [i.e., that prema] is situated far from the sādhanas of karma, jñāna, yoga, and so forth, is decorated with indifference everywhere [i.e., towards everything apart from its object], and is rooted in humility.”

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yenāsādhāraṇāśaktādhama-buddhiḥ sadātmani

yenāsādhāraṇāśaktādhama-buddhiḥ sadātmani |
sarvotkarṣānvite’pi syād budhais tad dainyam iṣyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.222)

“That by which a sense of [oneself] being exceptionally incapable and lowly shall exist continuously in the mind even when [one is] endowed with all excellence is called humility (dainyam) by the wise.”

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