सप्रेमका भक्तिरतीवदुर्लभा
स्वर्गादिभोगः सुलभोऽभवश्च सः ।
चिन्तामणिः सर्वजनैर्न लभ्यते
लभ्येत काचादि कदापि हाटकम् ॥
sa-premakā bhaktir atīva-durlabhā
svargādi-bhogaḥ sulabho’bhavaś ca saḥ |
cintāmaṇiḥ sarva-janair na labhyate
labhyeta kācādi kadāpi hāṭakam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.232)
“Bhakti endowed with prema is extremely rare to attain. Enjoyment of Svarga and so forth, and even non-birth [i.e., non-rebirth], are [relatively] easy to attain. A thought-jewel is not attained by everyone. [Rather,] Glass and so forth is attained, and sometimes gold.”
Commentary
nanu tarhi bhavādṛśaiḥ kathaṁ sā prāptā? tatrāha—sa-premeti | svargādi-bhogas tu sulabhaḥ, svarga-śabdena tatratyāḥ paramotkṛṣṭā vividha-viṣayā lakṣyante | ādi-śabdāt bhū-pātāla-mahar-lokādi | apy-arthe ca-kāraḥ | sa parama-durlabhatvena mumukṣubhiḥ pratipādyamāno’bhavo mokṣo’pi sulabhaḥ yuktam evety āha—cintāmaṇir iti | cintāmaṇiḥ prema-bhakti-sthānīyaḥ, kācādi svargādi-bhoga-sthānīyaṁ, hāṭakaṁ ca mukti-sthānīyaṁ, kāmādi-bhogato mukter daurlabhyāt, kācādeḥ sakāśāt svarṇasyeva | tad api kadācid iti | tasminn eva etat kaiścit prāpyate, na tu cintāmaṇeḥ svarṇato’pi tasya parama-daurlabhyāt | evaṁ kadācit kenacid eva prema-bhaktiḥ prāpyata iti bhāvaḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“‘Well, then how was this [i.e., prema-bhakti] attained by persons like you?” In regard to this [question], this verse is spoken (sa-premakā …). Enjoyment of Svarga and so forth is easy to attain. Various, extremely excellent objects belonging to that place are indicated by the word ‘Svarga,’ and from the word ‘ādi’ is understood the planes of the earth (Bhū), Pātāla, Mahar, and so on. The word ‘and’ (ca) is in the sense of ‘even’ (api). [Saying] That even non-birth, that is, mokṣa, which is said to be extremely different to attain by seekers of mokṣa, is easy to attain is indeed appropriate. Thus [i.e., to illustrate this], the second half of the verse is spoken (cintāmaṇiḥ …). A ‘thought-jewel’ (cintāmaṇi) is representative of prema-bhakti, ‘glass and so forth’ (kācādi) is representative of enjoyment of Svarga and so forth, and ‘gold’ (hāṭakam) is representative of mukti, as mukti is more difficult to attain than enjoyment of kāma and so forth, just as gold is more difficult to attain than glass and so forth. Furthermore, it is said, ‘sometimes’ (kadācit). This [i.e., gold] is attained by some, but cintāmaṇi (thought-jewel) is not because of its [i.e., thought-jewel’s] being extremely rare to attain, even more so than gold. Thus, prema-bhakti is attained only sometimes by someone [i.e., it is more rare to attain than mokṣa and attained only by a very rare, fortunate person]. This is the purport.”