नमः श्रीगुरुकृष्णाय निरुपाधिकृपाकृते ।
यः श्रीचैतन्यरूपोऽभूत्तन्वन्प्रेमरसं कलौ ॥
namaḥ śrī-guru-kṛṣṇāya nirupādhi-kṛpākṛte |
yaḥ śrī-caitanya-rūpo’bhūt tanvan prema-rasaṁ kalau ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.10)
“Obeisance unto Śrī Guru—Kṛṣṇa,
The Embodiment of unconditional grace,
Who became the form of Śrī Caitanya
To distribute prema-rasa in [the Age of] Kali.”
Commentary
evaṁ paramaṁ maṅgalam ācarya nijābhīṣṭa-siddhaye śrī-vaiṣṇava-sampradāya-rītyā svasyeṣṭa-daivata-rūpaṁ śrī-guru-varaṁ praṇamati—nama iti | nirūpādhim ahaitukīṁ kṛpāṁ karoti, tathā tasmai | tad evāha—ya iti | tanvann iti hetau śatṛṅ | parama-durlabhataram api nija-caraṇāravinda-viṣayakaṁ prema-rūpaṁ rasaṁ madhura-dravya-viśeṣaṁ, yad vā premṇi rasaṁ rāgaṁ, vistārayitum ity arthaḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Having invoked ultimate auspiciousness in this way [i.e., by means of the last nine verses], the author offers obeisance to his beloved Śrī Guru, the form of whom is his own Iṣṭa-daivata [viz., Śrī Kṛṣṇa], in accord with the custom of the blessed Vaiṣṇava sampradāya for the sake of attaining his desired object: namaḥ … [i.e., he states this verse]. [Obeisance] Unto he who bestows unconditional, that is, causeless, grace. Thus [i.e., to describe that], he speaks the second half of the verse: yaḥ …[i.e., out of unconditional grace Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in form of Śrī Caitanya]. The śatṛṅ [affix] in tanvan [lit., ‘distributing’] is in the sense of cause [i.e., it indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Caitanya for the purpose of distributing prema-rasa]. ‘To spread prema-rasa, that is, the particular sweet substance the form of which is prema and the object of which is his own lotus feet, or, [to spread prema-rasa, meaning] affinity (rāga) for prema, although [it, i.e., prema-rasa is] most rare to attain to a very great degree’ is the meaning.”
Note
Many editions of Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta have the variant Śrī-Kṛṣṇacandrāya in place of Śrī-Guru-Kṛṣṇāya. This variant is certainly possible, but the mention in the ṭīkā of the author offering obeisance specifically into his Iṣṭa-devatā’s form as Śrī Guru (svasyeṣṭa-daivata-rūpaṁ śrī-guru-varaṁ praṇamati) seems to indicate that the reading Śrī-Guru-Kṛṣṇāya is more likely the intended one.