जयति जयति कृष्णप्रेमभक्तिर्यदङ्घ्रिं
निखिलनिगमतत्त्वं गूढमाज्ञाय मुक्तिः ।
भजति शरणकामा वैष्णवैस्त्यज्यमाना
जपयजनतपस्यन्यासनिष्ठां विहाय ॥
jayati jayati kṛṣṇa-prema-bhaktir yad-aṅghriṁ
nikhila-nigama-tattvaṁ gūḍham ājñāya muktiḥ |
bhajati śaraṇa-kāmā vaiṣṇavais tyajyamānā
japa-yajana-tapasya-nyāsa-niṣṭhāṁ vihāya ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.8)
“Kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti—
Whose foot
Mukti,
Being shunned by the Vaiṣṇavas
And [thus] desirous of shelter,
Worships
Having determined [it] to be the esoteric essence
Of all the Vedas
And utterly rejected perfection in japa, yajña, tapasya, and sannyāsa—
Triumphs!
Triumphs!”
Commentary
idānīṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpāyāḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhakter eva sat-prasādāya tad-utkarṣaṁ varṇayati—jayatīti | śrī-kṛṣṇe premṇā prema-yuktā vā bhaktiḥ | yad-aṅghriṁ yadīya-caraṇāravindam ekaṁ yad eka-deśaṁ, kañcid ity arthaḥ, muktir bhajati āśrayate | śravaṇa-kīrtanādi-bhakti-prakāra-madhye sakṛd yat kiñcid āśrayaṇenaiva muktiḥ syāt, nānyena kenāpīty arthaḥ | kiṁ kṛtvā? gūḍhaṁ rahasyaṁ nikhilānāṁ nigamānāṁ veda-śāstrāṇāṁ tattvaṁ sāram ājñāya samyag vicāreṇa nirṇīya, japa-yajana-tapasyā-nyāsānāṁ krameṇa catur-āśrama-dharmiṇāṁ niṣṭhāṁ parākāṣṭhāṁ, teṣu cottamāṁ sthitiṁ vihāya viśeṣeṇa hitvā, parama-niṣṭhayā kṛteṣv api teṣu muktir naiva bhaved ity arthaḥ | yadyapy evaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhaktā eva muktā bhavantīty āyātaṁ, tathāpi te tām atitucchatvān nādriyanta ity āha—vaiṣṇavair iti śrī-viṣṇu-devatākaiḥ yathā kathañcid gṛhīta-viṣṇu-dīkṣākair apīty arthaḥ, tyajyamānā svayaṁ dāsīvad upasthitāpy upekṣyamāṇā, tyajyamāneti vartamāna-nirdeśena pūrvam adhunā paścād apīti kāla-trayaṁ saṅgṛhyate | tarhi kim-arthaṁ bhakty-aṅghriṁ bhajate tad āha—śaraṇa-kāmeti | ananya-gatikatvenāśraya-mātram icchanti, anyathā aśaraṇatvān naśyed evety arthaḥ | ayaṁ bhāvaḥ—yathā kathañcit śrī-kṛṣṇam āśrayatām eva dāsīva svāśrita-mūḍha-kāmināṁ nimittaṁ kaṭākṣeṇa kadācid īkṣyamāṇā dūre tiṣṭhati—vividha-siddhaya iva | anyaiś ca prārthyamānāpi na prāpyate japādinā durlarbhatvād iti | atas taiḥ śāstra-tattvam api na jñāyata ity āyātam iti dik |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Now, for the sake of [attaining] the true grace of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-bhakti specifically, the nature of which is eternal being, consciousness, and bliss, he describes her excellence: jayati … [i.e., he states this verse]. [Kṛṣṇa-prema-bhaktiḥ means] Bhakti [performed] with prema, or, possessed of prema, for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Mukti ‘worships’ (bhajati), that is, takes shelter in, ‘whose foot’ (yad-aṅghriṁ), that is, one of whose lotus feet, meaning, one place—some [one] among them [i.e., Mukti most humbly takes shelter not even in both but in just one foot of Kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti]. The meaning is that mukti shall occur just by taking shelter once in any one among the [various] forms of bhakti beginning with hearing and praising, and not by any other means.
“Having done what [does Mukti take shelter in a foot of Kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti]? Having determined (ājñāya), that is, having determined by means of full deliberation, [a foot of Kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti] to be the esoteric (gūḍham) essence (tattvam) of all the Nigamas, that is, all the Veda-śāstras, and having utterly rejected (vihāya) perfection (niṣṭhāṁ) in and the highest standing in regard to japa, yajña, tapasya, and sannyāsa, which are in [the] order [listed] possessed of the dharmas of the four āśramas. ‘Mukti shall certainly not come about because of these [i.e., by observance of any of the duties of any of the āśramas] even if they are performed with complete fixity [i.e., perfectly, or, in a way that exceeds the level of their observance by others]’ is the meaning [i.e., without bhakti, nothing one does can lead to the attainment of mukti]. Although in this way it comes [as a conclusion] that Śrī Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas alone become muktas, still they [i.e., Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas] do not adore her [i.e., mukti] because of [her] being very insignificant [to them]. Thus, he says ‘being shunned by the Vaiṣṇavas’ (Vaiṣṇavais tyajyamānā), meaning, being disregarded even when present of her own accord like a maidservant by those whose object of worship (Devatā) is Śrī Viṣṇu [i.e., Vaiṣṇavas]—even those who have somehow or other accepted Viṣṇu-dīkṣā. By the usage of the present [tense], the three times—the past, present, and future—are accepted [i.e., Vaiṣṇavas disregard mukti as insignificant perpetually].
“[A question is raised:] ‘Then for what purpose does she [i.e., mukti] worship the feet of Bhakti?’ He thus says [in response], ‘[being] desirous of shelter’ (śaraṇa-kāmā). On account of being devoid of any other recourse, she just seeks shelter. Otherwise, on account of being shelterless [if she did not seek and receive shelter in Bhakti], she would certainly perish. This is the meaning. The purport is this: like a maidservant of those who have somehow taken shelter in Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she remains afar [from them], like various metanormal powers (siddhis), sometimes being beheld [by those Vaiṣṇavas] with a side-long glance because of the foolish, desirous persons who haven take shelter in her [i.e., because in her midst remain persons lacking proper understanding who seek to attain her by means other than bhakti]. Although also being desired by others [while she remains at a distance from the Vaiṣṇavas like a maidservant], she is not attained [by those who desire her] because of [her] being difficult to attain by means of japa and so forth [i.e., because of her being difficult to attain by the means those who desire her adopt in their attempts to attain her independent of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān, viz., japa, yajña, tapasya, and sannyāsa]. Thus, it comes [as the conclusion] that even the essence of the śāstra is not understood by them [i.e., by those who seek to attain her by any means other than bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān]. This is the direction.”