तासां नाथं बल्लवीनां समेतं
ताभिः प्रेम्णा संश्रयन्ती यथोक्तम् ।
मातः सत्यं तत्प्रसादान् महत्त्वं
तासां ज्ञातुं शक्ष्यसि त्वंच किञ्चित् ॥
tāsāṁ nāthaṁ ballavīnāṁ sametaṁ
tābhiḥ premṇā saṁśrayantī yathoktam |
mātaḥ satyaṁ tat-prasādān mahattvaṁ
tāsāṁ jñātuṁ śakṣyasi tvaṁ ca kiñcit ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.7.159)
“By taking full shelter with prema [i.e., by becoming fully absorbed in sevā with prema] of the gopīs and their Nātha together with them as described [i.e., without transgressing the rules regarding upāsanā described in śāstra], I promise that you too will be able to understand something of their [i.e., the gopīs’] greatness by their [i.e., the gopīs’ and their Nātha’s] grace [i.e., even though their greatness is indescribable].”
Commentary
nanu māhātmya-viśeṣa-jñānaṁ vinā tāsāṁ dāsītva-kāmanayā tādṛśa-prema-bhajanaṁ kathaṁ setsyati? tatrāha—tāsām iti | … mukhena sarvathā tat sarvaṁ varṇayitum aśakyam eva; kathañcid varṇitam api tvayā niḥśeṣaṁ dhārayitum aśakyam; ato yathokta-bhajana-pravṛttyaiva tvayā tat-kiñcit sva-manasy eva jñātavyam | tataḥ samyag bhajanaṁ sampatsyate; tataḥ punas tad-viśeṣo jñātavyaḥ; tataḥ punaḥ samyak prema-bhajanaṁ setsyatīti | … evaṁ bhagavad-bhajana-gopī-mahima-jñānayor anyo’nyaṁ krameṇa kārya-kāraṇatvaṁ darśitam | yadyapi bhagavatas tad-bhakteś ca māhātmya-viśeṣa-jñānād eva tat-prema-bhaktiḥ sampadyata iti sarvatrocyate, tathāpi nikhila-bhakta-gaṇa-mukhyatamānāṁ śrī-gopīnāṁ māhātmya-jñāne sati svata eva bhakter bhagavato’pi mahima-viśeṣo nitarāṁ jñātaḥ syād iti dik |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“‘Well, without knowledge of their special greatness, how is such prema-bhajana with desire for servitude to them possible?’ To [answer] this [question], this verse is spoken. … It is all together impossible to describe all of this [i.e., the full greatness of the gopīs] by mouth, and it is impossible for you to fully grasp even that which has been described somewhat [i.e., you cannot fully grasp even what little of the gopīs’ greatness I have described]. Therefore, by engagement in bhajana as described [i.e., as I have already directed you], something of that [i.e., some degree of the gopīs’ greatness] is to be understood by you in your own mind. Then, full bhajana will become possible [i.e., then with that developed understanding you will become able to engage in the aforementioned process of bhajana fully], then further [i.e., by doing that] the subtleties of that [i.e., of the greatness of the gopīs] are to be understood, and then further [i.e., by that deepened understanding] complete prema-bhajana will become possible [i.e., then you will be able to do the bhajana I have described in full]. … In this way, Bhagavat-bhajana and knowledge of the gopīs’ greatness have been shown to be the sequential cause and effect of one another. Although it is said everywhere that only from knowledge of the special greatness of Bhagavān and bhakti to him does such prema-bhakti become manifest, still when knowledge of the greatness of the beautiful gopīs, the foremost of all bhaktas, comes into being, then the special greatness of bhakti and of Bhagavān will automatically become known in full.”