लोकानुगापि सान्योन्यं प्रियतातीतलौकिका ।
मधुरात्यद्भुतैश्वर्यलौकिकत्वविमिश्रिता ॥
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.”
Commentary
tatra hetum āha—loketi | sā anyonyaṁ priyatā, tal-loka-nāthasya tatratyānāṁ ca lokānāṁ mithaḥ sauhṛdaṁ lokānugā lokānusāriṇy api atītam atikrāntaṁ laukikaṁ loka-svābhāvikaṁ yayā sā loke tādṛśa-bandhutvāvṛtteḥ | tathā hi, yathā mātuḥ śrī-yaśodāyāḥ smaraṇa-mātreṇaivākāle’pi stanya-dhārā-srāvādikam, yathā ca pituḥ śrī-nandasyāśru-dhārābhiṣecanādikam, yathā ca gopa-vargāṇāṁ kalatrādikam api sarvaṁ tat-sukhārtham eva nānyan nija-sukhāpekṣaṇaṁ kiñcit, yathā jaratīnāṁ kāsāñcid api śrī-yaśodā-bhāvāpattiḥ, kāsām api ca tat-priyārthaṁ nija-vadhū-kanyakādīnām api veśādi-paratā, yathā ca vayasyānāṁ gopa-kumārāṇāṁ satata-tadīya-sandarśanaikāvalambanānāṁ kadācit tadīya-gulmādy-antaritatā-sahane’py asāmarthyādikam, yathā ca bhagavatīnāṁ śrī-gopikānāṁ tad-anya-kiñcid apy anapekṣamāṇānāṁ vicchede’bhisaraṇe, saṁyoge’pi nirantaraṁ vividha-daśā-bhāktvam iti dik | ata eva madhurā atyadbhutā ca yataḥ aiśvaryeṇa laukikatvena ca viśeṣato miśritā, yad vā, madhurātyadbhutābhyām aiśvarya-laukikatvābhyāṁ vimiśritā | tatra bhakta-janānāṁ tatratyānām aiśvaryaṁ nāma bhagavatas tat-tal-līlāyāḥ sarvathānusaraṇe parama-vaidagdhyādi-prakāśanaṁ laukikatvaṁ ca sahaja-bhojana-pānādi-prīti-vyavahāra-jātaṁ spaṣṭam eva | tathā bhagavataś ca pūtanā-stanya-pānādi-rūpāyāṁ bālya-līlāyām api tayaiva mahārākṣasyā api tasyā alakṣitaṁ prāṇa-śoṣaṇa-sāmarthyādinā tathaivohyam | etac cāśeṣam agre vyaktaṁ bhāvi | ata eva śrī-śukenāpy uktam—evaṁ nigūḍhātma-gatiḥ sva-māyayā gopātmajatvaṁ caritair viḍambayan | reme ramā-lālita-pāda-pallavo grāmyaiḥ samaṁ grāmyavad īśa-ceṣṭitaḥ || iti | asyārthaḥ—gopātmajatvaṁ nija-gopa-kumāra-līlām ity arthaḥ | caritaiḥ sva-ceṣṭitaiḥ viḍambayan hetau śatṛṅ viḍambayituṁ, ḍa-layor ekatvāt vilambayitum āśrayitum | māyayā nija-śakti-viśeṣeṇa nigūḍhā saṁvṛtā bahir na prakaṭitety arthaḥ | ātma-gatir nijaiśvaryaṁ yena tathā-bhūtaḥ san reme cikrīḍa | aiśvaryāprakāśanena gopātmaja-sadṛśa-līlayā laukikatvam aiśvaryaṁ ca tasyāṁ tasyām eva līlāyām antar-madhurima-viśeṣa-parama-kāṣṭhā-pradarśanād ūhyam | ata eva kaiścid grāmyaiḥ samaṁ yathā kaścid grāmyo ramate, tathaiva mahālakṣmī-lālita-pāda-pallavo’pi reme | evaṁ grāmya-dṛṣṭāntena laukikatvaṁ ramā-lālita-pāda-pallavatvena ca svabhāvād aiśvaryam api siddham | tathā īśa-ceṣṭita eva grāmyavad reme ity apy ūhyam | grāmyavat krīḍām api pūrvokta-prakāreṇa aiśvaryasyāpy antar-vṛtter iti dik |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“He [i.e., Śrī Nārada] states the cause in this regard [i.e., in regard to why the prema of the Vraja-vāsīs is beyond anything found in the brahmāṇḍa or even in Vaikuṇṭha, as is stated in the previous verse]: lokānugāpi … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. That (sā) reciprocal (anyonyaṁ) fondness (priyatā), meaning, the mutual cordiality (sauhṛdam) of the Lord of that plane [viz., Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Goloka] and the people thereof [viz., the Vraja-vāsīs], although following the [ways of] the world (lokānugā), is that which is beyond (atīta) the worldly (laukika), meaning, [that] by which the nature of the world is surpassed, on account of the non-existence of such friendship (bandhutva) [i.e., loving bondedness] in the world, as [is seen], for instance, in the case of blessed Mother Yaśodā’s having flowing streams of breast milk even at unfounded times just as a result of merely remembering [Kṛṣṇa] and so forth; in the case of Śrī Nanda’s becoming wet with streams of tears and so forth, in the case of the gopas’ all [i.e., the totality of their relations and possessesions]—even their wives and so forth—being only for the sake of his [i.e., Kṛṣṇa’s] pleasure and [their] having no consideration of their own happiness otherwise whatsoever; in the case of even some elderly women’s entering into the bhāva of Śrī Yaśodā; in the case of some [elderly women] also engaging in dressing and so forth even their own daughters and daughters-in-law for the sake of pleasing him; in the case of [his] young gopa friends whose sole sustenance is constant sight of him being incapable even of tolerating being separated from him even by a shrub for a moment and so forth; and in the case of the illustrious (bhagavatī) blessed gopīkās being heedless of anything other than him and constantly experiencing various extraordinary states in separation [from him], in trysts [with him], and even in union [with him].
“Therefore, [that reciprocal fondness] is sweet (madhurā) and exceedingly astonishing (atyadbhutā), since it is specially mixed (vimiśritā) with aiśvarya and worldliness, or, alternately, specially mixed with aiśvarya and worldliness that are sweet and exceedingly astonishing. In that regard, on the part of the bhaktas there [i.e., in Vraja], the aiśvarya is the manifestation of [their] paramount cleverness (vaidagdhya) and so forth in all cases in accord with the particular līlās of Bhagavān [i.e., the specific līlās of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vraja that are taking place at a given time], and the worldliness (laukikatva) very clearly is that arising from [their] loving behavior in the midst of natural eating, drinking, and so forth. That [i.e., the aiśvarya and worldliness (laukikatva)] of Bhagavān [in Vraja] is to be inferred from his capability to imperceptibly suck out the prāṇa of even the great rākṣasī Pūtanā even in the midst of his childlike līlā of drinking from her breast and so forth. All of his will be explained in detail ahead [in subsequent sections of the text].
“Therefore, it was stated even by Śrī Śuka [in SB 10.15.19], ‘In this way emulating being the son of a gopa with his acts, he whose own state is concealed by his own māyā, he the sprigs of whose feet are caressed by Ramā, he who is possessed of the actions of Īśa, took pleasure like a villager with [other] villagers.’ The meaning [of this verse] is this: ‘being the son of a gopa’ (gopātmajatvaṁ) means [performing] his own līlā as a gopa boy. ‘With acts’ (caritaiḥ) means with his own activities. ‘Emulating’ (viḍambayan), means, with the śatṛṅ [-affix] in the sense of cause, to emulate, or, because of the oneness of [the phonemes] ḍa and la, to depend on, that is, to take shelter in. Concealed (nigūḍha) means hidden, that is, not manifested externally, by means of his own māyā, that is, a particular potency (śakti) of his own. Being he whose own state (ātma-gatiḥ), that is, whose own aiśvarya, is existent as such by which [i.e., whose aiśvarya is concealed by his own māyā], he enjoyed (reme). Worldliness (laukikatva) is inferable [here] by means of the non-manifestation of [his] aiśvarya in his līlās resembling the son of a gopa, and [his] aiśvarya [is also inferable] because of [his] exhibiting the ultimate limit of a special form of inner sweetness in those very līlās.
“Therefore, as a villager enjoys with some [other] villagers, so exactly even he the sprigs of whose feet are caressed by Mahālakṣmī enjoyed. In this way, by means of the example of a villager, worldliness (laukikatva) is established as is aiśvarya as well because of his nature of also being he the sprigs of whose feet are caressed by Ramā. Also [the sense], ‘he who is possessed of the activities of Īśa enjoyed like a villager,’ that is, [enjoyed] even play like a villager, is also inferable because of the internal presence of [his] aiśvarya as well in the aforementioned manner. This is the direction.”