सत्यं दिशत्यर्थितमर्थितो नृणां
नैवार्थदो यत्पुनरर्थिता यत: ।
स्वयं विधत्ते भजतामनिच्छता-
मिच्छापिधानं निजपादपल्लवम् ॥

satyaṁ diśaty arthitam arthito nṛṇāṁ
naivārtha-do yat punar arthitā yataḥ |
svayaṁ vidhatte bhajatām anicchatām
icchā-pidhānaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.19.26; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 98, Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.40, 2.24.199)

“It is true that Prabhu bestows, when requested, the requested object of human beings, but he is certainly not munificent [just] by means of that since [thereafter] they again become requesters [of something else once the object which he has already bestowed upon them has been enjoyed, found to be ultimately unfulfilling, and left the requester with still unsatisfied desirousness]. [Thus,] He of his own accord bestows his own bud-like feet upon worshippers who are undesirous [of his feet] which are covering of [i.e., fulfilling and quelling of all] desires.”

Commentary

ye tu nātikovidāḥ te tat-tad-arthaṁ karmādy-aṅgatvenaiva śrī-viṣṇūpāsanaṁ kurvate | tatas tad-aparādhena nija-kāmanā-mātra-phala-pradatvaṁ tatrāniyatatvaṁ ca tasyāḥ | tat-tad-artham api svatantratvena kriyamāṇāyā bhaktes tv avaśyaṁ tat-tat-phala-pradatvam | na ca tat-tan-mātra-dānena paryāptiḥ, kintu paryāvasāne parama-phala-pradatvam eveti | tatas tasyā eva parama-hitatvenābhidheyatvam āha—satyaṃ … | arthitaḥ prārthitaḥ san nṝṇām arthitaṁ satyam eva dadāti | na tatra kadācid vyabhicāra ity arthaḥ | kintu tathāpi tan-mātreṇārthado na bhavati, tan-mātraṁ dattvā nivṛtto na bhavatīty arthaḥ | yata upāsakas tatrāpūrṇatvād bhoga-kṣaye sati tadaiva punar arthitā bhavati, ‘na jātu kāmaḥ kāmānāṁ’ ity-ādeḥ | tad evam abhipretya sa tu parama-kāruṇikas tat-pāda-pallava-mādhuryājñānena tad-anicchatām api bhajatām icchāpidhānaṁ sarva-kāma-samāpakaṁ nija-pāda-pallavam eva vidhatte tebhyo dadātīty arthaḥ | yathā mātā carvyamāṇāṁ mṛttikāṁ bālaka-mukhād apasārya tatra khaṇḍaṁ dadāti, tadvad iti bhāvaḥ | evam apy uktam ‘akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā’ ity-ādau tīvratvaṁ bhakteḥ | tathoktaṁ gāruḍe—‘yad durlabhaṁ yad aprāptaṁ manaso yan na gocaram | tad apy aprārthitaṁ dhyāto dadāti madhusūdanaḥ ||’ iti | evaṁ śrī-sanakādīnām api brahma-jñānināṁ bhakty-anuvṛttyā tat-pāda-pallava-prāptir jñeyā |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 98; Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)

“Those, however, who are not greatly wise, perform worship of Śrī Viṣṇu only as a limb of karma or otherwise [e.g., jñāna] for [the attainment of] those objects [i.e., for the purpose of attaining the goals of those paths]. Consequently, because of [this] offense (aparādha) to it [i.e., bhakti], its [i.e., bhakti’s] being a bestower [upon such persons] only of the result of their own desire and [its] being indefinite in that respect as well [i.e., its not necessarily doing even that in all cases] occurs. When performed independently [of karma, jñāna, and other paths], even [if only] for [the attainment of] those objects [i.e., for the goals attained by the means of the paths of karma, jñāna, and so on], certainly bhakti’s being a bestower of those results occurs. And it is not that the end [of bhakti’s influence] occurs with the bestowal only of those [results]. Rather, in the end, [bhakti’s] verily being a bestower of the supreme result occurs [as well]. Consequently, a devatā describes its [i.e., bhakti’s] definitively being the abhidheya because of [its] being the highest good: satyaṁ … [i.e., SB 5.19.26 is stated]. Upon being requested (arthitaḥ), it is certainly true that [Prabhu] bestows the requested object of human beings. ‘There is never irregularity in this regard’ is the meaning. But, even in this regard, he is not munificent [lit., ‘a giver of an object’] (arthadaḥ) just by means of that, meaning, he does not give just that and desist, since when the cessation of the enjoyment [of the previously bestowed object] occurs because of [the worshiper’s] being unfulfilled with that [object after experiencing it for some time], then the worshiper again becomes a requester [of him for another object], as per [the statement in SB 9.19.14], ‘Desire is never extinguished by enjoyment of objects of desire; it is only again further increased [thereby] like a fire by oblations [of ghee].‘ Thus, in this way intended, he, who is verily supremely compassionate, bestows (vidhatte) specifically his own bud-like feet upon even those worshippers [of himself] who are undesirous of them as a result of ignorance of the sweetness (mādhurya) of those bud-like feet which are covering of [their] desires, that is, which are fulfilling of all [their] desires. As a mother removes clay being chewed from the mouth of a child and places a piece of sugar candy there, like that [he removes those objects his worshipers desire and bestows his feet upon them]. This is the purport. In this way as well, the strength (tīrvatva) of bhakti is described in akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā … [i.e., SB 2.3.10, meaning, bhakti-yoga is said to be ‘strong’ in SB 2.3.10 because it too is said to have the power to bestow upon a sādhaka that which is superior to and beyond even what the sādhaka aspires for by means of the practice of bhakti they are performing]. Similarly, it is stated in Garuḍa Purāṇa (2.234.12), ‘When meditated upon, Madhusūdana bestows even that which is difficult to attain, which is unattained, and which is not within the range of the mind and thus [priorly] unrequested [by the worshiper].’ In this way the attainment of his bud-like feet by means of performance of bhakti even on the part the knowers of Brahman beginning with Śrī Sanaka [i.e., the four kumāras] is to be understood [i.e., although the four kumāras meditated upon Śrī Bhagavān’s feet for the purpose of attaining realization of Brahman, Śrī Bhagavān ultimately bestowed his feet upon them in lieu of sāyujya-mukti].”

anya-kāmī yadi kare kṛṣṇera bhajana |
nā māgiteo kṛṣṇa tāre dena sva-caraṇa ||
kṛṣṇa kahe—āmāya bhaje, māge viṣaya-sukha |
amṛta chāḍi viṣa māge, ei baḍa mūrkha ||
āmi vijña ei mūrkhe viṣaya kene diba! |
sva-caraṇāmṛta diyā viṣaya bhulāiba ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.37–39)

“If a desirer of other objects performs worship of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa gives him his own feet even though he did not ask [for them]. Kṛṣṇa says [to himself], ‘He worships me but asks for the pleasure of the sense objects. He rejects nectar and asks for poison. He is a great fool. I [however] am wise. [So,] Why should I give this fool objects of the senses! I will give him the nectar of my own feet and cause him to forget the objects of the senses.’”

sakāma bhakte ajña jāni dayālu bhagavān |
sva-caraṇa diyā kare icchāra pidhāna ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.23.103)

“Knowing a [externally] desirous bhakta to be ignorant, gracious Bhagavān bestows his own feet [upon the bhakta] and covers over his desire [for external objects].”

śuddhāṁ bhaktiṁ kurvāṇās tu sakāmā api kṛtārthāḥ niṣkāma-bhakta-tulyā eva bhavantīty āhuḥ—satyam iti | nṝṇāṁ bhajatām arthitaṁ kāmitaṁ padārthaṁ tair arthitaḥ san diśati dadātīti satyam, kintu yat yathā punar arthitā bhogānte yācakatvaṁ syāt, tathā naivārthadaḥ | katham evam avagatam? ity ata āha—yataḥ nija-pāda-pallavam anicchatām api bhajatāṁ svayam eva dhruvādīnām iva icchāpidhānaṁ sarva-kāmācchādakaṁ tad eva nija-pāda-pallavaṁ vidhatte kṛpayā dadāti, nija-pāda-pallavaṁ svayam eva balād dattvā icchāyāḥ pidhānam ācchādaṁ vidhatte karotīti vā | tataś cānabhīpsitām api sita-śarkarāṁ pituḥ sakāśāt prāpya śiśavo yathā mṛdi spṛhāṁ tyajanti, tathaiva kāmān apīty arthaḥ | ata eva ‘akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā’ ity-ādau tīvreṇa jñāna-karmādy-amiśreṇa bhakti-yogena yajetety uktam | atra niṣkāmāṇāṁ sakāmānāṁ ca bhaktānām antataḥ pāda-pallava-prāptāv api naiva sarvathā aikya-rūpaṁ bhāvanīyam | na hi jātyaiva śuddhaṁ balāt śodhitaṁ ca vastu tulya-mūlyaṁ bhavati, ato dhruvādibhyaḥ sakāśād dhanūmad-ādīnām utkarṣaḥ parama eva dṛśyata iti |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“But by performing pure bhakti, even those who are possessed of desire (sakāma) become successful, that is, verily similar to desireless bhaktas. Thus, they [i.e., the devatās] say satyam … [i.e., they speak this verse]. He bestows (diśati) the requested object (arthitaṁ) of human beings (nṝṇāṁ) who are worshippers (bhajatām) [of himself] upon being requested (arthita​ḥ) by them [for that]. This is true, but he is certainly not munificent [lit., ‘a giver of an object’] (arthadaḥ) such that they shall become requesters again, meaning, after enjoying [the given object] they shall become beggars [again of another object].

“[One may ask in this regard,] ‘How is this known?’ Thus, he says since (yataḥ) he of his own accord (svayam) bestows (vidhatte), that is, graciously grants, his own bud-like feet (nija-pāda-pallavam), which are covering of desire (icchāpidhānaṁ), that is, covering [i.e., fulfilling and thus quelling] of all desires, like those of Dhurva and others, even to worshipers who are undesirous (anicchatām) of his own bud-like feet, or, he of his own accord (svayam) gives his own bud-like feet by force and thus produces a covering [i.e., fulfilling and quelling] of desire. Furthermore, as children give up desire for clay after receiving sugar candy from their father even when it was undesired [by them because they did not know what sugar candy was before that], so exactly [those worshipers give up] even [their] objects of desire [because of which they performed worship of Bhagavān and accept his feet when Bhagavān gives them his lotus feet instead of the objects they desired]. This is the meaning. Therefore it was stated in akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā … [i.e., SB 2.3.10], ‘One should worship [the Supreme Puruṣa] with bhakti-yoga that is strong (tīvra), meaning, unmixed with jñāna, karma, and so forth.’ In this regard, [however,] uniformity in all respects even in regard to the attainment, lastly, of [Bhagavān’s] bud-like feet on the part of [both] desireless and desirous bhaktas is not to be conceived since a substance that is pure by nature and one that is purified by force are not of equal value. Thus, the excellence of Hanumān and others in comparison to Dhruva and others is observable to verily be paramount.”

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