का विद्या हरिभक्तिरेव न पुनर्वेदादिनिष्णातता
कीर्तिः का भगवत्परोऽयमिति या ख्यातिर्न दानादिजा ।
का श्रीः तत्प्रियता न वै धनजनग्रामादिभूयिष्ठता ।
किं दुःखं भगवत्प्रियस्य विरहो नो हृद्व्रणादिव्यथा ॥८॥
भगवान्: भद्रम् । के मुक्ताः?
रामानन्दः: प्रत्यासत्तिर्हरिचरणयोः सानुरागे न रागे
प्रीतिः प्रेमातिशयिनि हरेर्भक्तियोगे न योगे ।
आस्था तस्य प्रणयरभसस्योपदेहे न देहे
येषां ते हि प्रकृतिसरसा हन्त मुक्ता न मुक्ताः ॥९॥
भगवान् : भवतु ।
किं गेयं व्रजकेलिकर्म किमिह श्रेयः सतां सङ्गतिः
किं स्मर्तव्यमघारिनाम किमनुध्येयं मुरारेः पदम् ।
क्व स्थेयं व्रज एव किं श्रवणयोरानन्दि वृन्दावन-
क्रीडैका किमुपास्यमत्र महसी श्रीकृष्णराधाभिधे ॥१०॥
भगवान्: भद्रम् ।

kā vidyā hari-bhaktir eva na punar vedādi-niṣṇātatā
kīrtiḥ kā bhagavat-paro’yam iti yā khyātir na dānādijā |
kā śrīḥ tat-priyatā na vai dhana-jana-grāmādi-bhūyiṣṭhatā |
kiṁ duḥkhaṁ bhagavat-priyasya viraho no hṛd-vraṇādi-vyathā ||8||
bhagavān: bhadram | ke muktāḥ?
rāmānandaḥ: pratyāsattir hari-caraṇayoḥ sānurāge na rāge
prītiḥ premātiśayini harer bhakti-yoge na yoge |
āsthā tasya praṇaya-rabhasasyopadehe na dehe
yeṣāṁ te hi prakṛti-sarasā hanta muktā na muktāḥ ||9||
bhagavān : bhavatu |
kiṁ geyaṁ vraja-keli-karma kim iha śreyaḥ satāṁ saṅgatiḥ
kiṁ smartavyam aghāri-nāma kim anudhyeyaṁ murāreḥ padam |
kva stheyaṁ vraja eva kiṁ śravaṇayor ānandi vṛndāvana-
krīḍaikā kim upāsyam atra mahasī śrī-kṛṣṇa-rādhābhidhe ||10||
bhagavān: bhadram |
(Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭakam: 7.8–10; cited in Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 8.233–234, 236)

“Bhagavān: What is knowledge?
“Rāmānanda: Hari-bhakti alone [is knowledge], and not, rather, expertise in the Vedas and so on.
“Bhagavān: What is glory?
“Rāmānanda: The renown, ‘He is devoted to Bhagavān’ [is glory] and not that produced by giving and so on.
“Bhagavān: What is wealth?
“Rāmānanda: Fondness for him [i.e., Bhagavān, is wealth], and certainly not an abundance of money, people [i.e., relatives, friends, followers, man-power, or otherwise], villages [i.e., land, property, social influence, etc.] and so on.
“Bhagavān: What is suffering?
“Rāmānanda: The separation of one dear to Bhagavān [is suffering], and not the pain of a wound in the heart or otherwise.
“Bhagavān: Very well. Who is liberated?
“Rāmānanda: Hanta! Those of rasa-laden disposition [alt., nature] who have close contact with [alt., affinity (āsakti) for] those possessed of loving attachment (anurāga) to Hari’s feet and not [rather close contact with or affinity for] attachment (rāga) [to objects of the senses (viṣaya)], [who] have fondness (prīti) for bhakti-yoga filled with a profusion of prema related to Hari, and not [rather] for yoga [i.e., jñāna-, karma-, or aṣṭāṅga-yoga, etc.], and [who] have conviction in the body suitable for he of fervent love (praṇaya) and not [rather conviction] in the [worldly] body, are liberated, and not [rather] the liberated [i.e., those who think themselves liberated].
“Bhagavān: Let it be. What is to be sung?
“Rāmānanda: The acts of play in Vraja.
“Bhagavān: What is the highest good (śreyas) here [in this world]?
“Rāmānanda: The association of the sat.
“Bhagavān: What is to be remembered?
“Rāmānanda: The name of Agha’s Foe.
“Bhagavān: What is to be meditated upon?
“Rāmānanda: The feet of Mura’s Foe.
“Bhagavān: Where is one to be stationed?
“Rāmānanda: In Vraja alone.
“Bhagavān: What is delighting to the ears?
“Rāmānanda: The play in Vṛndāvana alone.
“Bhagavān: What is the object to be approached [i.e., worshiped] here?
“Rāmānanda: The object of worship is the [two-fold] brilliance known as Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā.
“Bhagavān: Very well.”

Commentary

Some editions of Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭakam break up verses eight and ten, which are composed in the śārdūla-vikrīḍita meter, as follows for the sake of easy understanding:

bhagavān: kā vidyā?
rāmānandaḥ: hari-bhaktir eva, na punar vedādi-niṣṇātatā |
bhagavān: kīrtiḥ kā?
rāmānandaḥ: bhagavat-paro’yam iti yā khyātir na dānādijā |
bhagavān: kā śrīḥ?
rāmānandaḥ: tat-priyatā na vai dhana-jana-grāmādi-bhūyiṣṭhatā |
bhagavān: kiṁ duḥkham?
rāmānandaḥ: bhagavat-priyasya viraho no hṛd-vraṇādi-vyathā |
bhagavān: bhadram | ke muktāḥ?
rāmānandaḥ: pratyāsattir hari-caraṇayoḥ sānurāge na rāge
prītiḥ premātiśayini harer bhakti-yoge na yoge |
āsthā tasya praṇaya-rabhasasyopadehe na dehe
yeṣāṁ te hi prakṛti-sarasā hanta muktā na muktāḥ ||9||
bhagavān : bhavatu | kiṁ geyaṁ?
rāmānandaḥ: vraja-keli-karma |
bhagavān: kim iha śreyaḥ?
rāmānandaḥ: satāṁ saṅgatiḥ;
bhagavān: kiṁ smartavyam?
rāmānandaḥ: aghāri-nāma;
bhagavān: kim anudhyeyaṁ?
rāmānandaḥ: murāreḥ padam |
bhagavān: kva stheyam?
rāmānandaḥ: vraja eva;
bhagavān: kiṁ śravaṇayor ānandi?
rāmānandaḥ: vṛndāvana-krīḍaikā;
bhagavān: kim upāsyam atra?
rāmānandaḥ: mahasī śrī-kṛṣṇa-rādhābhidhe ||10||
bhagavān: bhadram |

These verses are presented with a few variations in the Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: “The name of Agha’s Foe” (Aghāri-nāma) is given as “The name of he who is unlimited (Ananta-nāma); “those of rasa-laden disposition” (prakṛti-sarasā) is given as “those of accomplished nature” (prakṛti-kṛtino); and “fondness for him” (tat-priyatā) is given as “rati for Kṛṣṇa” (Kṛṣṇa-ratir).

Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda comments in his Subodhinī-ṭīkā on Alaṅkāra-kaustubha in regard to CCN 7.9 (AK 8.236):

praṇaya-rabhasasya premātiśayasya upayogi siddha-dehe āsthā nityatva-buddhir na tu pāñcabhautike sādhaka-dehe | tathā ca ke muktā iti praśno vyaṅgyas tatrottaraṁ yeṣāṁ vaiṣṇavādiṣu āsakty-ādiḥ ta eva prakṛtyā svabhāvena kṛtino mukhāḥ, na muktāḥ mukhābhimānino muktā na bhavantīty arthaḥ teṣāṁ bhaktyābhāvāt | tathā coktaṁ śrī-daśame ‘ye’nye’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ’ ityādau |teṣām adhaḥpatanam evoktam |

“[Those who have] Conviction in, that is, understanding of the eternality of, the siddha-deha suited to ‘he of fervent love (praṇaya),’ that is, to he possessed of a profusion of prema [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān], and not, rather, in the sādhaka-body constituted of the five [material] elements [are liberated]. That which is indicated is the question, ‘Who is liberated?’ and in that regard the answer is that those accomplished by their nature, that is, disposition, who have attachment to the Vaiṣṇavas [i.e., those who were said in the verse to be ‘possessed of loving attachment (anurāga) to Hari’s feet (Hari-caraṇayoḥ sānurāge)’] and so forth are liberated, and not the liberated, meaning, those possessed of the conceit of being liberated do not become liberated because of their lack of bhakti. Furthermore, this is also stated in the Tenth Canto [i.e., SB 10.2.32]: ye’nye’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas …. Their fall down is stated definitively [there as well].”

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