निदानं तु परं प्रेम्णः श्रीकृष्णकरुणाभरः ।
कस्याप्युदेत्यकस्माद्वा कस्यचित्साधनक्रमात् ॥
यथोदारान्मिलत्यन्नं पाक्वं वा पाकसाधनम् ।
साधकस्योच्यते शास्त्रगत्यायं साधनक्रमः ॥
nidānaṁ tu paraṁ premṇaḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-karuṇā-bharaḥ |
kasyāpy udety akasmād vā kasyacit sādhana-kramāt ||
yathodārān milaty annaṁ pākvaṁ vā pāka-sādhanam |
sādhakasyocyate śāstra-gatyāyaṁ sādhana-kramaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.215–216)
“But the primary cause of [such] prema is an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace. That manifests for some without cause and for some through a course of sādhanas, just as either cooked food or the ingredients for cooking come [to someone] from a generous person. This course of sādhanas for a sādhaka [through which an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace manifests] is [now going to be] described [by me] in accord with śāstra.”
Commentary
nanu tasyaiva sādhanam upadiśeti cet, tatrāha—nidānaṁ tv iti dvābhyām | premṇo nidānaṁ mukhya-kāraṇaṁ kevalaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇasya kṛpātiśaya eva | tac ca kasyacij janasya akasmāt sādhanaṁ vinaiva sahasā udet, āvirbhaved vā, kasyacic ca sādhanānāṁ kramāt pāramparyād vā udet | evaṁ prakāra-dvaye’pi śrī-kṛṣṇa-karuṇā-bhara eva nidānam ity arthaḥ ||215|| nanu yadi śrī-kṛṣṇa-karuṇā-bhareṇaiva sidhyet, tadā kathaṁ tat-siddhau bhedaḥ syād ity āśaṅkya dṛṣṭāntenopapādayati—yatheti | udārād vadānya-janāt annaṁ bhaktādikaṁ siddhaṁ vā kasyacin milati upatiṣṭhati, kasyacid vā tasyānnasya sādhanaṁ taṇḍula-pātrendhanādikaṁ milati | tatra ca yasmai yathā dātum upayujyate, tasmai ca tathā dīyate tathātrāpīty arthaḥ | tatra tu sādhakasya śrī-kṛṣṇa-kṛpā-bhara-prāpya-sādhanasya ayaṁ nirdiśyamāna-sādhana-kramaḥ [śāstra-gatyā] śāstrānusāreṇa mayā ucyate ||216||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“If [Gopa Kumāra says], ‘Well, please teach [me] specifically the sādhana of that [i.e., of the prema for Kṛṣṇa that resembles the prema for Kṛṣṇa found in Vraja which was said to be the sādhana to attain one’s Iṣṭa-devatā in the previous verse],’ then he speaks with two [verses to answer this question]: nidānaṁ tu … [i.e., he speaks BB 2.5.215–216]. The only primary cause (nidānaṁ) of [that] prema is a profusion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace specifically. That, furthermore, shall manifest, or appear, for some person without cause, that is, suddenly even without [the person performing] sādhana, and for some it shall alternately manifest through a course (kramāt) of sādhanas [i.e., gradually as a person performs a course of sādhanas]. Although there is in this way two [possible] ways [of it manifesting], only an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace is the primary cause [of attaining that prema]. This is the meaning. ||215||
“Expecting [the ensuing inquiry from Gopa Kumāra], ‘Well, if that [prema] shall be accomplished only by means of an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace, then why should there be a distinction [i.e., two different ways] in regard to accomplishment of it?’ he demonstrates [the reason for this] with an illustration: yathā … [i.e., he speaks BB 2.5.216]. From a generous person (udārāt), either food that is distributed and so on, or, that is, cooked, comes (milati) to someone, or, the ingredients for cooking food, that is, rice, a pot, firewood, and so on, come to someone. In that regard, furthermore, as charity is suited to be given to someone, so that is given to them [by a donor, i.e., a donor gives a particular recipient of charity whatever is suitable for that recipient, be it cooked food or the ingredients needed for cooking, since some recipients of charity, such as brāhmaṇas, typically only eat food cooked by themselves]. Similarly also here is the meaning [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa similarly gives his grace to bhaktas in the manner that is most suited to their personal situation, meaning, for example, that if the psyche of a bhakta is sufficiently purified, he may bless them with the grace that manifests prema even without them performing any sādhana, whereas when someone’s psyche requires purification, he may grace them first with instructions and opportunities to engage in various forms of sādhana that purify their psyche such that they become fit to receive a direct self-manifestation of prema]. In this regard, moreover, the course of sādhanas to be delineated [i.e., the manner of sādhana which Śrī Kṛṣṇa graces sādhakas with when he considers that form of grace appropriate for them] is [now going to be] described by me in accord with śāstra for a sādhaka, that is, for one whose sādhāna [as well as sādhya] is attainable [only] by an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace.”