तद्धि तत्तद्व्रजक्रीडाध्यानगानप्रधानया ।
भक्त्या सम्पद्यते प्रेष्ठनामसङ्कीर्तनोज्ज्वलम् ॥
tad dhi tat-tad-vraja-krīḍā-dhyāna-gāna-pradhānayā |
bhaktyā sampadyate preṣṭha-nāma-saṅkīrtanojjvalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.218)
“That [i.e., the prema that leads to attainment of the Beloved, one’s Iṣṭa-deva, in Goloka], bright with saṅkīrtana of the names of the Beloved, is certainly manifested through bhakti in which meditation on and singing of the [Beloved’s] various acts of play in Vraja are primary.”
Commentary
adhunā sādhanam āha—tad dhīti | tāsāṁ tāsāṁ vraja-krīḍānāṁ bhagavad-gokula-līlānāṁ dhyānaṁ cintanaṁ gānaṁ saṅkīrtanaṁ te pradhāne mukhye yasyāḥ, tayā bhaktyā nava-prakārayā prema sampadyate susidhyati | tatraiva viśeṣam ekam āha—preṣṭhasya nijeṣṭatama-devasya preṣṭhānāṁ vā nija-priyatamānāṁ bhagavan-nāmnāṁ saṅkīrtanena ujjvalaṁ prakāśamānaṁ śuddhaṁ vā | gānety uktvā nāma-saṅkīrtane prāpte’pi nija-priyatama-nāma-saṅkīrtanasya premāntaraṅgatara-sādhanatvena punar viśeṣeṇa nirdeśaḥ | kiṁ vā, tat-sampatti-lakṣaṇa-jñānāya |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Now, he describes the sādhana: tad dhi … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. Prema is certainly manifested (sampadyate) through bhakti, of nine types [i.e., in the form of hearing, praising, remembering, etc. as mentioned in SB 7.5.23–24], in which meditation (dhyāna) on and singing (gāna), that is, saṅkīrtana, of the various acts of play (krīḍā) in Vraja, that is, Bhagavān’s līlās in Gokula, are primary (pradhānayā). He [also] describes one particular [form of bhakti] therein specifically: [that prema is] bright (ujjvalam), that is, splendid, or, pure, with saṅkīrtana of the Beloved (Preṣṭha), that is, one’s Dearmost (Iṣtatama) Deva, or, [saṅkīrtana] of names of Bhagavān that are beloved (preṣṭha), that is, most dear to oneself. Although saṅkīrtana of [Bhagavān’s] names was indicated by mentioning ‘singing’ (gāna) [earlier in the verse], there is a specification [of it] again in particular because of saṅkīrtana of beloved names [of Bhagavān, or, saṅkīrtana of the names of Bhagavān, who is one’s Beloved] being a sādhana that is highly integral to prema, or, [the mention of saṅkīrtana in particular even though it is implied by the mention of ‘singing’ earlier in the verse is] for the sake of knowledge of a characteristic of attainment thereof [i.e., for the purpose of making known one of the primary characteristics of attaining prema].”