saric-chaila-vanoddeśān mukunda-pada-bhūṣitān |
ākrīḍān īkṣyamāṇānāṁ mano yāti tad-ātmatām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.46.22)
“The mind of those who behold the rivers, hills, forests, spots, and pleasure-grounds decorated by the feet of Mukunda enter a state of absorption in him.”
tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṁ
yad gokule’pi katamāṅghri-rajo-’bhiṣekam |
yaj-jīvitaṁ tu nikhilaṁ bhagavān mukundas
tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.34)
[A translation based on the commentary of Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda:] “May I have that great fortune in which a birth of any sort here in the forest in Gokula shall occur wherein I may also receive an ablution in the dust of the feet of anyone [there] whose entire life is Bhagavān, Mukunda, [he] whose footdust is verily an object to be sought by the Śrutis even to this very day.”
[A translation based on the commentary of Śrī Viśvanātha Carkavartīpāda:] “May I have that great fortune in which a birth of any sort here in the forest or even in Gokula shall occur wherein I may receive an ablution in the dust of the feet of anyone [there] whose entire life is Bhagavān, Mukunda, and whose footdust is verily an object to be sought by the Śrutis even to this very day.”
kṛṣṇāṅghri-padma-makaranda-nipāna-lubdho
jānāti tad-rasa-lihāṁ paramaṁ mahattvam |
brahmaiva gokula-bhuvām ayam uddhavo’pi
gopī-gaṇasya yad imau lasataḥ sma tat tat ||
yeṣāṁ hi yad vastuni bhāti lobhas
te tadvatāṁ bhāgya-balaṁ vidanti |
gopyo mukundādhara-pāna-lubdhā
gāyanti saubhāgya-bharaṁ muralyāḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.157)
“One intensely desirous of drinking the nectar of the lotus of Kṛṣṇa’s feet knows the paramount greatness of those who taste that rasa; Brahmā certainly [knows that] of those born in Gokula and he, Uddhava, [knows that] of the gopīs, since they both long for those two [i.e., since Brahmā longs for the rasa relished by those born in Gokula and Uddhava longs for the rasa relished by the gopīs]. Those who have intense desire for an object speak of the strength of the fortune of those possessed of that [object]. Intensely desirous of drinking from the lips of Mukunda, the gopīs sing of the abundance of good fortune of the flute.”
ete na vaikuṇṭha-nivāsi-pārṣadā
no vānarās te na ca yādavā api |
goloka-lokā bhavad-eka-jīvanā
naśyanty aśakyā bhagavan mayāvitum ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.238)
“[Śrī Baladeva appeals to Śrī Kṛṣṇa as he remains bound within the coils of the serpent Kālīya:] These are neither associates residing in Vaikuṇṭha, nor the forest monkeys, nor even the Yādavas. The people of Goloka, they whose life is you alone, are dying, and are unable to be saved by me, O Bhagavān!”
karuṇā-nikuramba-komale
madhuraiśvarya-viśeṣa-śālini |
jayati vraja-rāja-nandane
na hi cintā-kaṇikābhyudeti naḥ ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.21.45)
“Since the Son of Vraja’s king, who is tender by virtue of his abundance of compassion and replete with a special form of sweet (madhura) aiśvarya, remains triumphant, not even a trace of worry arises in us.”
lokānugāpi sānyonyaṁ priyatātīta-laukikā |
madhurātyadbhutaiśvarya-laukikatva-vimiśritā ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.84)
“Although following the [ways of] the world, that reciprocal fondness [of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣna and the Vraja-vāsīs] is beyond the worldly, sweet (madhurā), exceedingly astonishing, and specially mixed with worldliness and aiśvarya.”
sa ca tad-vraja-lokānāṁ śrīmat-premānuvartinā |
kṛṣṇe śuddhatareṇaiva bhāvenaikena labhyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.81)
“And that [i.e., Goloka] is attained only through one-pointed, exceedingly pure bhāva for Kṛṣṇa which follows the beautiful prema of those residents of Vraja.”
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ |
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.37; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.92; Ujjvala-nīlāmaṇi: 3.55; Locana-rocanī-ṭīkā and Ānanda-candrikā-ṭīkā on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 4.3; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 96; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 177, 186, 188; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.4.72, 2.8.161)
“I serve him, Govinda, the Original Person, the existent Self (Ātmā) of all who resides solely in Goloka and solely with they who by their own nature are potencies ever-manifest [alt., ever-imbued, or, ever reciprocally adored] with rasa constituted of consciousness and bliss.”
yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi |
tadātma-bandhu-sadṛśī buddhir vaḥ kriyatāṁ mayi ||
nāhaṁ devo na gandharvo na yakṣo na ca dānavaḥ |
ahaṁ vo bāndhavo jāto nātaś cintyam ato’nyathā ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa: 5.13.11–12; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 325)
“If you all have love (prīti) for me, and if you all [also] consider I am praiseworthy [i.e., a worthy object of reverence], then you all should [give up your awe and reverence of me and] foster the attitude in regard me that I am like the kinsmen (bandhu) of your very self (ātmā) [i.e., that I am one of your fellow cowherds, alt., that I am like the dear friend (bandhu) of your heart (ātmā)]. I am neither a deva, nor a gandharva, nor a yakṣa, nor a dānava. I have been born as your kinsmen (bāndhava—bandhu), and thus from now on I am not to be thought of otherwise [i.e., as anyone other than one of your fellow cowherds and kinsmen; I should not be thought of as any sort of devatā].”
jayati nija-padābja-prema-dānāvatīrṇo
vividha-madhurimābdhiḥ ko’pi kaiśora-gandhiḥ |
gata-parama-daśāntaṁ yasya caitanya-rūpād
anubhava-padam āptaṁ prema gopīṣu nityam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.1)
“Someone—
Who descended to bestow prema
For his own lotus feet,
Who is an ocean
Of various sweetnesses,
Who is fragrant with adolescence,
And whose everlasting prema for the gopīs,
Having attained the ultimate limit
Of the highest state,
Has reached the position of experience [for others]
Because of his form of Caitanya—
Triumphs!”
