Viṣṇu

yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā

yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā |
tadā bhāgavata-śrāvo māsenaiva punaḥ punaḥ ||
yadā lakṣmīḥ svayaṁ vaktrī viṣṇuś ca śravaṇe rataḥ |
māsa-dvayaṁ rasāsvādas tadātīva suśobhate ||
adhikāre sthito viṣṇur lakṣmīr niścinta-mānasā |
tena bhāgavatāsvādas tasyā bhūri prakāśate ||
(Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 3.35‒37)

“When Viṣṇu himself is the speaker [in a recitation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] and Lakṣmī is engaged in listening, then the hearing of the Bhāgavata is repeatedly only for one month [i.e., every time Viṣṇu does the series of daily readings, it always ends up taking one month to complete the full recitation of the text]. When Lakṣmī herself is the speaker and Viṣṇu is engaged in listening, then it [i.e., the recitation] is two months [in duration] and the relish of the rasa is exceedingly splendid. Viṣṇu is engaged in administration. Lakṣmī is worry-free in mind. Thus, her relish of the Bhāgavata manifests most abundantly.”

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vyāmohāya carācarasya jagatas te te purāṇāgamās

vyāmohāya carācarasya jagatas te te purāṇāgamās
tāṁ tām eva hi devatāṁ paramikāṁ jalpantu kalpāvadhi |
siddhānte punar eka eva bhagavān viṣṇuḥ samastāgama-
vyāpāreṣu vivecana-vyatikaraṁ nīteṣu niścīyate ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 5.97.27; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.107; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.4.142; Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.2.53; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.20.142)

“Let the various Purāṇas and Āgamas chatter about the [supposed] supremacy of various devatās for the sake of deluding the world of moving and stationary beings to the end of the kalpa. When, however, the expressions of all the Āgamas are brought into conjoint examination, then, in accord with their siddhānta, one alone, Bhagavān Viṣṇu, is ascertained [to be supreme].”

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mādhavomādhavāv īśau sarva-siddhi-vidhāyinau

mādhavomādhavāv īśau sarva-siddhi-vidhāyinau |
vande parasparātmānau paraspara-nati-priyau ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 3)

“I offer obeisance unto the two lords
Mādhava and Umādhava [i.e., Śiva, the husband of Umā],
Who are bestowers of all attainments (siddhis),
The hearts of one another,
And fond of bowing to one another.”

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anyo’nya-bhakti-dānārtham anyo’nyopāsanā-karau

anyo’nya-bhakti-dānārtham anyo’nyopāsanā-karau |
vande hariharau devāv anyo’nya-prema-tatparau ||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.187)

“I offer obeisance to the devas Hari and Hara,
Who are immersed in prema for one another
And performers of upāsanā of one another
For the sake of imparting [to others] bhakti to one another.”

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kāryaṁ guṇāvatāratvenaikyād rudrasya vaiṣṇavaiḥ

kāryaṁ guṇāvatāratvenaikyād rudrasya vaiṣṇavaiḥ |
vaiṣṇavāgryatayā śreṣṭhyāt sadācārāc ca tad-vratam ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.195)

“This vrata [i.e., Śiva Rātri] is to be performed by Vaiṣṇavas (1) because of Rudra’s oneness [with Bhagavān Viṣṇu] on account of [his] being a guṇāvatāra [of Bhagavān Viṣṇu], (2) because of [his] superiority [to other devatās] on account of [his] being the foremost of Vaiṣṇavas, and (3) because of proper conduct [i.e., because it is considered proper conduct to do so since it is a great fault to not].”

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niśāmya vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma pārthaḥ parama-vismitaḥ

niśāmya vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma pārthaḥ parama-vismitaḥ |
yat kiñcit pauruṣaṁ puṁsāṁ mene kṛṣṇānukampitam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.89.63)

“After having seen the abode of Viṣṇu [i.e., Mahākālapura, the abode of Mahāviṣṇu], Arjuna, completely astonished, recognized that any prowess in a person (puruṣa) [including even the Supreme Puruṣa in the universe, Mahāviṣṇu], is manifest [only] by Kṛṣṇa’s favor.”

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liṅga‑yony‑ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī prajāḥ

liṅga‑yony‑ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī prajāḥ ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.9)

“These begotten offspring, constituted of liṅga and yoni [i.e., produced by the union of Śiva and his śakti] are [called] māheśvarī [i.e., they belong to Maheśvara (Śiva), that is, the aṁśa of Viṣṇu known as Śambhu].”

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yasya brahmeti saṁjñāṁ kvacid api nigame yāti cin-mātra-sattāpy

yasya brahmeti saṁjñāṁ kvacid api nigame yāti cin-mātra-sattāpy
aṁśo yasyāṁśakaiḥ svair vibhavati vaśayann eva māyāṁ pumāṁś ca |
ekaṁ yasyaiva rūpaṁ vilasati parama-vyomni nārāyaṇākhyaṁ
sa śrī-kṛṣṇo vidhattāṁ svayam iha bhagavān prema tat-pāda-bhājām ||
(Tattva Sandarbha: 8)

“He whose existence purely as consciousness is called Brahman in parts of the Vedas, whose expansion the Puruṣa [i.e., Mahāviṣṇu] controls māyā [i.e., the material energy] and manifests as his own sub-expansions, and whose particular form known as Nārāyaṇa enjoys in Paravyoma [lit., ‘the higher sky,’ i.e., the spiritual world]—may [he,] Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Svayaṁ Bhagavān, bestow prema upon the servants of his feet here [i.e., in this world].”

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