जयति मथुरादेवी श्रेष्ठा पुरीषु मनोरमा
परमदयिता कंसारातेर्जनिस्थितिरञ्जिता ।
दुरितहरणान्मुक्तेर्भक्तेरपि प्रतिपादना-
ज्जगति महिता तत्तत्क्रीडाकथास्तु विदूरतः ॥
jayati mathurā-devī śreṣṭhā purīṣu manoramā
parama-dayitā kaṁsārāter jani-sthiti-rañjitā |
durita-haraṇān mukter bhakter api pratipādanāj
jagati mahitā tat-tat-krīḍā-kathās tu vidūrataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.4)
“Mathurā Devī—
The best among cities,
Delighting to the mind,
Supremely beloved to Kaṁsa’s Foe,
Illumined by his birth and [eternal] presence,
And honored throughout the world
For removing sins
And bestowing mukti and bhakti—
Triumphs!
Let narration of those particular sports [of his in Mathurā],
However,
Remain aside.”
Commentary
sarveṣṭa-siddhi-kāri-tādṛg-bhakti-prāptis tu bhagavataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇasya parama-premāspadatvān nirantara-krīḍā-viśeṣa-maṇḍitatvāc ca bhagavatyāṁ śrī-mathurāyām eva saṁpadyata ity āśayena tasyāḥ prasāda-labdhaye tan-māhātmyaṁ stauti—jayatīti | devī parameśvarī sarvadā dyotamānā vā nitya-bhagavat-sānnidhyena kāla-bhayādy-abhāvāt | ata eva purīṣu kāśy-ādi-saptasu, kiṁ vā ūrdhvādho-madhya-vartamānāsu devādīnāṁ śrī-bhagavato’pi purīṣu sarvāsv eva madhye śreṣṭhā utkṛṣṭā yato manoramā vicitra-śobhā-bhareṇa paramā sundarī | yad vā, sarveṣām eva sarvābhīṣṭa-pūraṇena mano ramayatīti tathā sā | tad uktaṁ padma-purāṇe—‘trivargadā kāmināṁ yā mumukṣuṇāṁ ca mokṣadā | bhaktīcchor bhaktidā kas tāṁ mathurāṁ nāśrayed budhaḥ ||’ iti | ata eva kaṁsārāteḥ śrī-kṛṣṇasya bhagavataḥ parama-vallabhā | kaṁsārāter iti kaṁsa-vadhena prāyo mathurā-vāsinām ārti-bhaya-nāśanāt parama-dayitatā-lakṣaṇaṁ darśayati | ata eva kaṁsārāter eva janir āvirbhāvaḥ | sthitiś ca nitya-nivāsaḥ—‘mathurā bhagavān yatra nityaṁ sannihito hariḥ’ ity-ādy-ukteḥ tābhyāṁ rañjitā śobhitā, ata eva duritānāṁ haraṇād vināśanāt, tathā mukter bhakter api pratipādanāt pradānād api jagati mahitā pūjitā sarvaiḥ | kaṁsārāter eva tāsāṁ tāsām anirvācyānāṁ suprasiddhānāṁ vā rāsādi-krīḍānāṁ kathā tu vidūrataḥ atidūre’stu, tābhir yad asyā mahitatvaṁ tad vārtā kena nirūpayituṁ śakyata ity arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Attainment of such bhakti [i.e., prema-bhakti], which is a cause of the attainment of all desired objects, however, can occur only in divine (bhagavatī) Śrī Mathurā on account of [Śrī Mathurā’s] being the object of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s paramount prema and being ever adorned with [his most] special sports. With this intent, he praises her greatness for the sake of [attaining] her grace: jayati … [i.e., he states this verse]. ‘Devī’ means most exalted Goddess, or ever-resplendent, on account of [her] being free from time, fear, and so forth by virtue of the constant presence of Śrī Bhagavān [within her]. Therefore, among cities, that is, the seven [on earth] beginning with Kāśī [viz., Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā (Haridvāra), Kāśī, Kāñcī, Avantikā (Ujjain), and Dvāravatī (Dvaraka)], and moreover, among all the cities of the devas and others, and even of Śrī Bhagavān present above, below, and in the middle [i.e., in all the higher and lower planes within the universe], [Mathurā Devī is] the best (śreṣṭhā), that is, supreme, since she is ‘delighting to the mind’ (manoramā), that is, supremely beautiful by virtue of an abundance of variegated splendor. Alternately, [‘delighting to the mind’ (manoramā) means] she who delights the mind by means of fulfilling all the desired objects indeed of all. This is stated in Padma Purāṇa: ‘What wise person would not take shelter in her, Mathurā, who is a bestower of the trivarga [i.e., dharma, artha, and kāma] for the desirous, a bestower of mokṣa for seekers of mokṣa, and bestower of bhakti for those who desire bhakti?’ Therefore, [Mathurā Devī is] ‘supremely beloved to Kaṁsa’s Foe’ (parama-dayitā Kaṁsārāter), that is, to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. [The name] ‘Kaṁsa’s Foe’ (Kaṁsārāter) shows the indicator of [Mathurā Devī’s] being supremely beloved [to Śrī Kṛṣṇa] on account of the destruction of the residents of Mathurā’s distress and fear almost entirely by the slaying Kaṁsa [i.e., the residents of Mathurā became almost entirely free from all distress and fear after Śrī Kṛṣṇa killed Kaṁsa, and this act of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which was for the purpose of protecting and pleasing the residents of Mathurā, shows that he holds Mathurā to be supremely dear to him]. Thus, [Mathurā Devī is] ‘illumined’ (rañjitā), that is, beautified, by the birth (janiḥ), that is, appearance, and presence (sthitiḥ), that is, eternal residence, of Kaṁsa’s Foe, as per the statement [in SB 10.1.28], ‘Mathurā, wherein Bhagavān Hari is eternally present in full ….’ Thus, [Mathurā Devī is also] ‘honored’ (mahitā), that is, worshiped, by all throughout the world for removal, that is, destruction, of sins, and for ‘bestowal’ (pratipādanāt) of mukti and bhakti!
“Let narration of ‘those particular,’ that is, ineffable, or, highly renowned, sports of rāsa and so forth of Kaṁsa’s Foe [there in Mathurā, since Mathurā here is being spoken of here not just as a city but as the whole district that encompasses Vraja and thus includes places like Vṛndāvan where Śrī Kṛṣṇa performs rāsa-līlā)], however, remain aside, that is, let it remain very far off [i.e., let us just leave aside discussion of that entirely]; an account of her [i.e., Mathurā Devī’s] honorability by virtue of [her being the site of] those [sports] is able to be delineated by whom? [i.e., it is impossible to describe the supreme honorability possessed by Mathurā Devī by virtue of her being the site of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dancing and other supreme wonderful līlās; therefore, let us not venture into any further mention of Mathurā Devī’s honorability on that account at this time]. This is the meaning.”