वृत्रासुरस्तुति
Vṛtrāsura-stuti

Six verses illustrating the nature of pure prīti for Bhagavān spoken by Vṛtrāsura, the reborn Mahārāja Citraketu, just before his foreordained death by the blow of Indra’s thunderbolt.

Excerpted from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.11.22–27 and presented with excerpts from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā by Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda, the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmīpāda, and the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā by Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda.

पुंसां किलैकान्तधियां स्वकानां
याः सम्पदो दिवि भूमौ रसायाम् ।
न राति यद्‌द्वेष उद्वेग आधि-
र्मदः कलिर्व्यसनं सम्प्रयासः ॥२२॥

puṁsāṁ kilaikānta-dhiyāṁ svakānāṁ
yāḥ sampado divi bhūmau rasāyām
|
na rāti yad dveṣa udvega ādhir
madaḥ kalir vyasanaṁ samprayāsaḥ
||22||

To persons of one-pointed mind who are his own, he certainly does not bestow the riches which are [found] in Heaven, on Earth, or in Rasā, and from which enmity, fear, anxiety, conceit, quarrel, plight, and exertion ensue.

Commentary

śṛṇu re śakra! mat-prabhos tvaṁ ca bhakto’haṁ ca bhaktas, tatra tubhyam eva bhogaiśvaryaṁ dadāti, na tu mahyam ity atra kāraṇaṁ mat-prabhoḥ svabhāvam eva śṛṇv ity āha—puṁsām iti | yāḥ sampadas tā ekānta-dhībhyaḥ pumbhyo na rāti na dadāti | kutaḥ? yad yataḥ saṁpadbhyo dveṣādayo bhakti-sukhe vikṣepakā bhavanti |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“[Vṛtra:] ‘Listen, O Śakra [i.e., Indra]! You are a bhakta of my Prabhu, and I too am a bhakta [of Prabhu]. In that, [however,] he bestows enjoyment and opulence only upon you, and not, rather, upon me. Hear of the reason for this, that is, of the disposition of my Prabhu.’ Thus, he [i.e., Vṛtra] speaks this verse (puṁsāṁ …). He does not bestow (rāti) those riches upon persons who are of one-pointed mind [upon him]. Why? [Because such riches are those] Riches from which (yad) enmity and so forth, that is, distractions from the joy of bhakti, ensue.”

त्रैवर्गिकायासविघातमस्मत्-
पतिर्विधत्ते पुरुषस्य शक्र ।
ततोऽनुमेयो भगवत्प्रसादो
यो दुर्लभोऽकिञ्चनगोचरोऽन्यैः ॥२३॥

traivargikāyāsa-vighātam asmat-
patir vidhatte puruṣasya śakra |
tato’numeyo bhagavat-prasādo
yo durlabho’kiñcana-gocaro’nyaiḥ ||23||

O Śakra! Our Master administers impediments to a person’s endeavors relating to the trivarga, and from that is to be inferred Bhagavān’s grace, which is perceptible to the distinterested but for others difficult to grasp.

Commentary

tarhi sva-bhaktasya kiṁ vidhatte tatrāha—traivargiko dharmārtha-kāma-viṣayo ya āyāsas tasya vighātaṁ vidhatte | tata āyāsoparamād evānumeyo na tv aiśvaryādinā | ataḥ samyag-bhagavat-prasādābhāvāt tava sampado bhaviṣyantīti bhāvaḥ |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)

“[Indra may ask:] ‘Then, what does he administer for his own bhakta?’ To that, he [i.e., Vṛtra] says, ‘He administers impediments to those endeavors relating to the trivarga, that is, those the object of which is dharma, artha, and kāma. ‘From that’ (tatas), meaning, only from discontinuance of those endeavors, is [ Bhagavān’s grace] to be inferred, and not, rather, by [any attainment of] opulence and so forth. Therefore, because of the non-existence of Bhagavān’s full grace [upon you], you will attain riches. This is the purport.”

traivargiko dharmārtha-kāma-viṣayo ya āyāsas tasya vighātaṁ vidhatte, puruṣasya svāntaraṅga-bhaktasya tata āyāsoparamād eva bhagavat-prasādo’numeyaḥ | nanv evam asmad anubhave tu na bhāti, tatrāha—sa akiñcana-gocara eva, anyair yuṣmābhis tu durlabho yuṣmad-agocara evety atas tvayi tasya samyak prasādābhāvāt tava sampado bhaviṣyantīti viśvasto bhūtvā śīghraṁ vajraṁ nikṣipeti bhāvaḥ |
(Excerpt from Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“[Vṛtra:] He administers impediments to those endeavors relating to the trivarga, that is, those the object of which is dharma, artha, and kāma. ‘From that’ (tatas), meaning, only from [that] discontinuance of a person’s, that is, his own intimate bhakta’s, endeavor [relating to the trivarga], is Bhagavān’s grace to be inferred.

“[Indra may reply:] ‘Well, on the contrary, that does not appear to be so in our experience.’ To this, he says, ‘That [grace] is perceptible only to the distinterested [i.e., those who have no interest in anything other than bhakti to Bhagavān] but difficult to grasp for others like you, meaning, it is indeed imperceptible to you. Therefore, because of the absence of [Bhagavān’s] full grace [upon you], you will attain riches. Being confident [of this], quickly hurl the thunderbolt. This is the purport.”

अहं हरे तव पादैकमूल-
दासानुदासो भवितास्मि भूयः ।
मनः स्मरेतासुपतेर्गुणांस्ते
गृणीत वाक् कर्म करोतु कायः ॥२४॥

ahaṁ hare tava pādaika-mūla-
dāsānudāso bhavitāsmi bhūyaḥ |
manaḥ smaretāsupater guṇāṁs te
gṛṇīta vāk karma karotu kāyaḥ ||24||

O Hari! May I again become an assisting servant of those servants [of yours] whose sole shelter is your feet. May my mind remember you, the Sustainer of my prāṇas, my speech sing of your qualities, and my body perform service [to you].

Commentary

evam indrāya svābhiprāyaṁ nivedya bhagavantaṁ prārthayate—aham iti |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)

“After thus conveying his own intention to Indra, he [i.e. Vṛtra] prays to Bhagavān: aham … [i.e., he speaks this verse].”

sā ca śuddhā prītiḥ śrīmato vṛtrasya dṛśyate | yathoktaṁ tenaiva—aham iti catuṣkam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā; Prīti Sandarbha: 72)

“This pure prīti [as defined in anucchedas 61–71 of Prīti Sandarbha] is also observable in Śrīmat Vṛtra as so stated in the four verses aham … [i.e., in SB 6.11.24–27].”

tad api vajram anikṣipantam indraṁ dṛṣṭvā hanta hanta varākam imaṁ śatruṁ bahir darśinaṁ kim iti bravīmi, sva-prabhoś caranāravinda eva kiṁ na nivedayāmīti dhyānāvirbhūtaṁ bhagavantam ālokyāha—aham iti | tava pādāv eva ekaṁ mūlam āśrayo yeṣāṁ teṣāṁ dāsānām anudāso bhūyaḥ punar api bhavitāsmi bhaviṣyāmi | kiṁ tatra kiyān vilambo vartate taṁ kṛpayā kathaya | utkaṇṭhayā jarjarībhūto’smīti bhāvaḥ | nanv avilambenaiva tvām aham eṣa evātmasāt karomi svābhīṣṭān varān vṛṇv ity āha—mano mama asupateḥ prāṇanāthasya tava prāṇanāthaṁ tvāṁ smaratu, vāk guṇān kīrtayatu, kāyaḥ karma tvat-pāda-saṁvāhana-vyajana-tāmbūla-pradānādikaṁ karotv iti kāya-vāṅ-manasāṁ me prārthanā |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“Seeing Indra nevertheless not hurling the thunderbolt, [Vṛtra thought,] ‘Hanta! Hanta! What can I say to this pitiful foe and external seer [i.e., person whose vision is fixed only upon superficial externality]? Why don’t I appeal to the lotus feet of my own Prabhu?’ Seeing Bhagavān [then] become visible in his meditation, he says aham … [i.e., he speaks this verse to Bhagavān]. When will I again become an assisting servant of those servants whose sole shelter is at your feet alone? How long will the delay [in my attaining that] remain? Please graciously tell [me] this. Out of longing, I am becoming worn out. This is the purport.

“[Bhagavān replies:] ‘Well, certainly without delay, I will make you my own. [So in the meantime,] Request your desired boons.’

“[To this, he replies,] May my mind remember you, the Sustainer of my prāṇas [alt., Lord of my heart], my speech sing of your qualities, and my body perform service to you, such as massaging your feet, fanning [you], and offering [you] tāmbūla—this is my prayer for [my] mind, speech, and body.”

न नाकपृष्ठं न च पारमेष्ठ्यं
न सार्वभौमं न रसाधिपत्यम् ।
न योगसिद्धीरपुनर्भवं वा
समञ्जस त्वा विरहय्य काङ्‌क्षे ॥२५॥

na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca pārameṣṭhyaṁ
na sārvabhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam |
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
samañjasa tvā virahayya kāṅkṣe ||25||

Neither the vault of Heaven, nor the position of the highest standing, nor rule over the entirety of the earth, nor sovereignty over Rasā, nor the yoga-siddhis, nor non-repetition of birth, do I desire, O Proper One, leaving you.

Commentary

nanu kiṁ dāsyena tubhyaṁ mahā-phalāni dāsyāmi? tatrāha—nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ dhurva-padaṁ brahma-lokādikaṁ ca he samañjasa! nikhila-saubhāgya-nidhe! tvā tvāṁ virahayya pṛthakkṛtya na kāṅkṣe necchāmi |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)

“[Bhagavān says:] ‘Well, by giving you what shall I give you the greatest rewards?’ To this, he says, ‘O Proper One!’ (Samañjasa) O Treasure-house of all good fortune! ‘Leaving,’ that is, separating from, you, I do not desire (kāṅkṣe) ‘the vault of Heaven’ (nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ), that is, the domain of Dhruva, nor the plane of Brahmā [i.e., ‘the position of the highest standing’ (paremeṣṭhi)], and so forth.”

nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ dhruva-padam | sārvabhaumaṁ śrī-priyavratādīnām iva mahārājyam | rasādhipatyaṁ pātālādi-svāmyam | apunar-bhavaṁ mokṣam api | atra nāka-pṛṣṭhādi-catuṣṭayasyānukramaś cottarottara-nyūnatva-vivakṣayādho’dho-vivakṣayā ca | tataś cottarottaraṁ kaimutyam api | dhruva-padasya śraiṣṭhyaṁ viṣṇu-pada-sannihitatvāt | yoga-siddhy-ādi-dvayaṁ tu sārvatrikam iti paścad vinyastam | anyayos tūttara-śraiṣṭhyam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)

“‘The vault of Heaven’ (nāka-pṛṣṭham) refers to the domain of Dhruva. ‘Rule over the entirety of the earth’ (sārvabhaumaṁ) refers to a great kingdom like that of Priyavrata and others. ‘Sovereignty over Rasā’ (rasādhipatyaṁ) refers to mastership over Pātāla and so forth. ‘Non-repetition of birth’ (apunar-bhavaṁ) refers also to mokṣa. The order of the four beginning with ‘the vault of Heaven’ (nāka-pṛṣṭham) is [stated] with of an intent of [their having] successive inferiority and an intent of [their being] lower and lower [in vertical position within the brahmāṇḍa relative to one another]. Thus, there is also a successive a fortiori logic (kaimutya) [i.e., a successively stronger implication of the futility of desiring any of these things]. The superiority of the domain of Dhruva [to the post of Brahmā, rule over the Earth, and sovereignty over Rasā] is because of [its] being near the feet of Viṣṇu [i.e., closer to the feet of Viṣṇu than any other place]. The two beginning with the yoga-siddhis, however, are existent everywhere and thus placed later [i.e., after the first four items in the list]. There is a superiority of the latter, however, among these other two [i.e., mokṣa is considered superior to the yoga-siddhis, yet Vṛtra does not desire even that if it entails being separated from Bhagavān and his service].”

nanu tubhyaṁ svargāpavargādīni sarvāṇy eva phalāni dadāmi, gṛhāṇeti tatra sa-śiro-dhūnanaṁ na na nety āha neti | nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ svarga-padam | tvā tvāṁ virahayya tyaktvā tvad-viraheṇa mama prāṇā jvalanti, svargādayaḥ kiṁ me sukhayiṣyantīti dhvaniḥ | tvat-saṁyoge mama pūrva-ślokoktaṁ vara-trayaṁ bhavet tadā tad eva me svargāpavargādi-sarva-sukhatamam | kim etair gṛhītair ity anudhvaniḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“[Bhagavān says:] ‘Well, I will certainly give you all rewards: Svarga, liberation (apavarga), and so forth. Accept [them].’ To this, with his head shaking, ‘No, no, no,’ he says na [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘The vault of Heaven’ (nāka-pṛṣṭham) refers to Svarga. Leaving you, that is, in separation from you, my prāṇas are burning. How will Svarga and so forth bring me any happiness? This is the implied meaning (dhvani). Let me have the three boons stated in the previous verse in connection [i.e., personal association] with you. Then that itself [i.e., such engagement in remembrance of you, speech related to you, and acts of service to you in your personal association] will be for me the greatest happiness in comparison to everything—Svarga, liberation (apavarga), and so forth. [So,] What is the use of accepting these [i.e., Svarga and so on]? This is the underlying implied meaning (anudhvani).”

अजातपक्षा इव मातरं खगाः
स्तन्यं यथा वत्सतराः क्षुधार्ताः ।
प्रियं प्रियेव व्युषितं विषण्णा
मनोऽरविन्दाक्ष दिद‍ृक्षते त्वाम् ॥२६॥

ajāta-pakṣā iva mātaraṁ khagāḥ
stanyaṁ yathā vatsatarāḥ kṣudhārtāḥ |
priyaṁ priyeva vyuṣitaṁ viṣaṇṇā
mano’ravindākṣa didṛkṣate tvām ||26||

As [baby] birds with ungrown wings [wish to see their] mother, as hunger-stricken younger calves [wish to see their mother’s] milk, and as a sorrowful loving wife [wishes to see her] distant loving husband, [so my] mind, O Lotus-eyed One, wishes to see you.

Commentary

athāha—ajāteti | atrājāta-pakṣā ity anenānanyāśrayatvaṁ tad-anugamanāsamarthatvaṁ ca | tathā tat-sahitena mātaram ity anenānanya-svābhāvika-dayālutvaṁ tadīya-dayādhikyaṁ ca vyañjitam | tena tena ca mātari teṣām api prīty-atiśayo darśitaḥ | tatas tat-sāmyena tadvad ātmano’pi bhagavati prīty-ādhikya-hetukā didṛkṣā vyañjitā | tathāpi tan-mātrā yad vastv-antaram upakriyate tad eva teṣām upajīvyam āsvādyaṁ ceti kevala-tan-niṣṭhatvābhāvād aparitoṣeṇa dṛṣṭāntaram āha—stanyam iti | atra didṛkṣā-yojanārthaṁ mātaram ity evānuvartayitavye stanyam ity uktis tasyās tais tad-aṁśa-prācurya-bhāvanayā, vastutas tasya tadīya-śarīrāṁśatayā ca tad-abheda-vivakṣārthā | tataḥ stanyaṁ stanya-rūpa-tad-aṁśamayīṁ mātaram ity eva labdhe tādṛśī mātaiva tair upajīvyate āsvādyate ceti pūrvataḥ śraiṣṭhyaṁ darśitam | tathā vatsatarā atyanta-bāla-vatsās, tata eva svāmi-baddhatayā tad-anugatāv asamarthā iti sādhāraṇye’pi bahu-samayātikramāt, kṣudhārtā ity anena pūrvato vaiśiṣṭyam | tathā go-jāteḥ snehātiśaya-svābhāvyena ca tad-anusandheyam | atha tathāpy uttara-dṛṣṭānte stanya-gavoḥ kārya-kāraṇa-bhāvena bhedaṁ vitarkya dṛṣṭānta-dvaye’py ajāta-pakṣatvādi-viśeṣaṇair āyatyāṁ tādṛśa-prīter asthiratāṁ cālokya dṛṣṭāntāntaram āha—priyam iti | satsv api vācakāntareṣūbhayoḥ priya-śabdenaiva nirdeśāt svābhāvikāvyabhicāri-prītimantāv eva tau gṛhītau | yatra vārdhakye bālye’pi sahamaraṇādikaṁ dṛśyate, tatas tādṛśī kāpi priyā yathā tādṛśaṁ priyaṁ vyuṣitaṁ vidūra-proṣitaṁ santam ananyopajīvitvena viṣaṇṇā satī didṛkṣate, locana-dvārā tad-āsvādāya bhṛśam utkaṇṭhate, tathā mama mano’pi tvām ity arthaḥ | atra dārṣṭāntike’pi sva-kartṛkatvam anuktvā manaḥ-kartṛkatvollekhenābuddhi-pūrvaka-pravṛtti-prāptau prīteḥ svābhāvikatvena avyabhicāritvaṁ vyaktam | tathāravindākṣeti manaso bhramara-tulyatā-sūcanena bhagavataḥ parama-madhurimollekhena ca tasyaivopajīvyatvam āsvādyatvaṁ ca darśitam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā; Prīti Sandarbha: 72)

“Then, he speaks this verse (ajāta … ). Here, by [the statement] ‘ungrown wings’ (ajāta-pakṣāḥ), [the baby birds’] being of no other shelter [than their mother] and being incapable of following her are indicated, and by [the mention of] ‘mother’ (mātaram) therewith, [her] having [such] natural graciousness towards no one else and her abundance of grace [specifically towards her baby birds] is also [indicated]. By both of these [indications], their [i.e., the baby birds’] abundance of prīti for their mother is also shown. Thus, because of a likeness to that [i.e., to the prīti of baby birds for their mother which evokes their wish to see her], his [i.e., Vṛtra’s] own similar wish to see [Bhagavān] the cause of which is an abundance of prīti for Bhagavān, is indicated.

“Still, out of dissatisfaction [with this example] because of the absence of [the baby birds’] having fixity solely upon her since only another object by which they are served by their mother [i.e., the food she feeds them] is their sustenance (upajīvyam) and object of relish (āsvādyam) [rather than their mother herself], he says stanyam … [i.e., he speaks the second line of the verse and gives the example of hungry younger calves wishing to see their mother’s milk]. Since definitively [the word] ‘mother’ (mātaram) is to be supplied here [in this second line] for the sake of construing the sense of wishing to see (didṛkṣā), the mention of ‘milk’ (stanyam) has an intended meaning of non-difference from her [i.e., it conveys that they wish to see her] because of thought in abundance of that portion of her by them [i.e., of their mother’s milk], and in actuality, because its [i.e., her milk’s] being a part of her body. Thus, when ‘milk’ (stanyam) is taken as specifically [conveying the meaning] ‘mother’ (mātaram), that is, she who contains a part the form of which is milk, [then] such a mother specifically is subsisted upon and relished by them. Therefore, superiority to the former [i.e., the prior example of wingless baby birds] is shown [i.e., because the birds wish to see worms and other food that are separate from their mother and brought by her to them, the example of the calves who wish to see milk, which is a part of their mother’s own body, are a better illustration of the prīti for Bhagavān that Vṛtra wishes to express].

“Also, ‘younger calves’ (vatsatarāḥ) means very young calves. Because of being tied up by [their] owner specifically because of this [i.e., because of their being very young], they are unable to follow her [i.e., their mother, when she is led out to graze]. Thus, even with such commonality [between the baby birds and the calves in that neither of them can follow their mothers out from their dwelling places], by this [mention of them being] ‘hunger-stricken’ (kṣudhārtāḥ) as a result of the passing of a long time [since they were last fed], there is a distinction from the previous [example, i.e., the example of the hunger-stricken younger calves conveys a greater intensity of wishing to see one’s source of sustenance and object of relish]. Also, that [i.e., the superiority of this second example] is to be ascertained because of the naturalness of the cow species’ abundance of affection.

“Then, nevertheless [i.e., irrespective of the superiority of the second example to the first], considering the [presence of a co-existent] distinction between the cow and the milk in the latter example because of the cause and effect relation [between them, and thus some implication that the fixity of the younger calves is not specifically upon their mother but rather on a effect she produces], and seeing even in both of the [aforementioned] examples an unsteadiness of such prīti in the future because of the qualifiers of having ungrown wings and so forth [i.e., because the baby birds are said to have no wings and the younger calves are said to be hunger-stricken, which implies that they will not have the prīti for their mothers they are implied to in the verse later after the cessation of these conditions stated in the verse, which are known to last for only a relatively short period of time], he states another example: priyam … [i.e., he gives the example of a sorrowful wife who wishes to see her distant husband].

“On account of specification of them both [i.e., the wife and the husband] only with the word priya [i.e., ‘loving’] even when there are other signifiers [i.e., even when there are various other words for a wife and a husband], the two of them [both] being possessed of natural and unwavering prīti [for one another] is understood. Since dying together and so forth is observable in old age and even in youth [i.e., since loving wives are known to voluntarily enter the funeral pyre of their husband and perform other acts of extreme fixity out of love upon their husband, who is their sustenance and object of relish, in their old age and even while they are still young,] [Vṛtra prays]: as such an extraordinary loving wife (priyā) [i.e., a wife possessed of this type of love for her husband] becomes sorrowful when such a loving husband [i.e., her husband who also has such love for her] is distant, that is, living abroad very far away, because of [her in that circumstance] having no other sustenance [since her sustenance—her husband—is far away], and [consequently] wishes to see [him], that is, intensely longs to relish him through her eyes, so my mind too [wishes to see] you. This is the meaning. Herein, because of the occurrence of the inclination [i.e., the wish to see] not precipitated by the intellect [understood to be so] on the basis of an allusion to the mind’s agency [in regard to the wish to see] after a non-mention of personal agency [over the act of wishing to see] even in the author of the example [i.e., Vṛtra, the speaker of the verse], prīti’s being unwavering by virtue of being natural [i.e., arising in the mind automatically without the bearer of the prīti having to exercise the intellect (buddhi)] is expressed. Also, with the indication of the mind’s being like a bumblebee and the allusion to Bhagavān’s paramount sweetness because of [the address] ‘O Lotus-eyed One’ (Aravindākṣa), [Bhagavān’s] being his [i.e., Vṛtra’s] sustenance and object of relish is shown.”

kiṁ ca, atyutkaṇṭhāvato’pi mama tvat-prāptis tvad-adhīnenaiva, na ca tatra me kvāpi śaktir astīty atra dṛṣṭānta-trayam āha—ajāta-pakṣāḥ khagāḥ khaga-bālakāḥ ghūkādi-trastāḥ kṣut-pīḍitāś ca mātaraṁ kadā prāpsyāma iti pratikṣaṇaṁ didṛkṣamāṇāḥ patre’pi sañcalaty āyātā mama māteti buddhyā komalaṁ kalaṁ kūjantaś cañcūn prasārayanti | nanu tarhi tan-mātā yathā āgatya ghūkādibhyo rakṣantī svataḥ pṛthag-bhūtair ānītaiḥ kṣudra-kīṭais tac-cañcū-madhye nihatais teṣāṁ kṣudhām upaśamayati tathaivāham api trividha-tāpebhya indrādi-śatrubhyaś ca tvāṁ rakṣan svarga-pārameṣṭhy-ādi-bhogair dattais tvad-abhīṣṭaṁ pūrayāṇīti tatra tvan-mādhuryaṁ vinā mama nānyat kim apy abhīṣṭām iti tathā tvat-prāpti-pratikūlaṁ vṛtrākhya-sthūla-sūkṣma-deha-dvaya-bandhanaṁ vinā mama nānyat kim api tāpa-trayam ity ato dṛṣṭāntāntaram āha—stanyaṁ vāñchantīti śeṣaḥ | vatsatarā atyalpa-vayaskā vatsā gṛhastha-gṛhe dāma-bandhāḥ kṣudhayā mātur eva dugdha-pānaikatāna-manās tad-ārtāḥ | atrāpi vatsatarā mātur dugdham eva sva-sukham abhilaṣantyo’pi mātuḥ kām api sevāṁ na lipsamānā ity aparituṣya dṛṣṭāntāntaram āha—priyaṁ prītimantaṁ patiṁ vyuṣitaṁ sudūra-deśa-sthaṁ priyā premavatī viṣaṇṇā tad-viraha-jarjaritā didṛkṣate, sā yathā svīya-sarvendriya-vyāpāraiḥ sevamānā priyaṁ sukhayituṁ priyasyaiva saundarya-sausvaryādibhir guṇa-līlā-vaidagdhyādibhiś ca sva-sarvendriyāṇi sukhayitum icchati tathaivāham api tvāṁ seveyety ata eva manaḥ smaretāsupater gūṇānāṁ gṛṇīta vāk karma karotu kāya iti vara-trayam avāñcham iti bhāvaḥ | kintu sā dāsya-sakhya-śṛṅgāraiḥ priyaṁ sukhayed ahaṁ tu kevalenaiva dāsyena tvāṁ sukhayeyam ity etāvān eva bhedaḥ | |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“[Vṛtra conveys to Bhagavān:] ‘Furthermore, even though I have intense longing, my attainment of you is entirely dependent upon you, and in that regard I have no power whatsoever.’ Thus, he states three examples here [in this verse, SB 6.11.26, of how he wishes to see Bhagavān with intense longing out of prīti]. [The first is as follows:] Birds with ungrown wings, that is, baby birds, who are afraid of owls and so forth and pained by hunger, wish to see their mother at every moment [thinking], ‘When will we get [our] mother [back]?’, stick out their beaks, and softly and sweetly coo with the thought, ‘My mom has come’ when [they see that] even a leaf sways.

“[Hearing this first example, Bhagavān replies:] ‘Well, then as their mother comes, protects them from owls and so on, and alleviates their hunger with small worms separate from herself that she has brought and placed in their beaks, so exactly I too am protecting you from the three types of miseries and enemies such as Indra and supplying your desired object with the bestowed enjoyments of Svarga, the position of the highest standing (pārameṣṭhi) [i.e., the post of Brahmā], and so forth.’ To that [Vṛtra replies], ‘I have no desired object whatsoever other than your sweetness, and I have no threefold misery whatsoever other than the bondage of the gross and subtle bodies known as “Vṛtra.”’ Thus, he states another example [i.e., he speaks of hunger-stricken younger calves wishing to see their mother]. ‘Desiring [her] milk’ is the remainder. Younger calves, that is, calves of a very young age, who are bound with ropes in the house of a householder, and, because of hunger, are of one-pointed mind upon drinking the milk of their mother alone, become distressed by that [condition and thus long intensely to see their mother and drink her milk]. Here too, the younger calves are also desirous only of [their] mother’s milk, that is, of [their] own happiness, and are not longing for any kind of service to [their] mother. Thus unsatisfied [with this second example], he states another example: a loving wife (priyā), that is, a wife possessed of prema for [her] loving husband (priyam), that is, [her] husband possessed of prīti [for her] who is distant (vyuṣitam), that is, situated in a very far away place, becomes sorrowful (viṣaṇṇā), that is, worn down by separation from him, and wishes to see [him]. As she serves [her husband] with the actions of all her senses to please [her] husband and desires to please all her own senses with the beauty, euphony, and so forth, as well as the qualities, play, arts, and so forth, only of her loving husband, so exactly I too wish to serve you. Thus, I desired the three boons [in SB 6.11.24], ‘May [my] mind remember [you], the Sustainer of [my] prāṇas, may [my] speech sing of your qualities, and may [my] body perform service [to you].’ This is the purport. But she shall please [her] loving husband with service, friendship and amorous love, whereas I shall please you only with service. Just this much is the difference [between this final example and my mind’s wish to see you out of intense longing produced by prīti].”

ममोत्तमश्लोकजनेषु सख्यं
संसारचक्रे भ्रमतः स्वकर्मभिः ।
त्वन्माययात्मात्मजदारगेहे-
ष्वासक्तचित्तस्य न नाथ भूयात् ॥२७॥

mamottamaḥśloka-janeṣu sakhyaṁ
saṁsāra-cakre bhramataḥ sva-karmabhiḥ |
tvan-māyayātmātmaja-dāra-geheṣv
āsakta-cittasya na nātha bhūyāt ||27||

As I, who am of attached mind because of your māyā, revolve around the wheel of saṁsāra as a result of my own karmas, let me have affection for the people of Uttamaḥśloka, and not, O Nātha, for the body, sons, wife, and home.

Alternate translation:

As I revolve around the wheel of saṁsāra as a result of my own karmas, let me have friendship with the people of Uttamaḥśloka, and, O Nātha, let no one of mind attached to the body, sons, wife, and home because of your māyā have friendship [with me].

Commentary

The first translation is based on the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā and the second on the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmīpāda does not comment directly on the content of this verse.

uttamaḥślokasya tava janeṣu bhakteṣv eva sakhyaṁ bhūyāt | tvan-māyayā dehādiṣv āsakta-cittasya bhūyo’pi teṣv āsaktir na bhūyāt |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)

“Let me have friendship only with the people, that is, the bhaktas, of you, Uttamaḥśloka [i.e., ‘He of highest praise’], and let I who am of mind attached to the body and so forth because of your māyā not have attachment to them [i.e., the body and so on] anymore.”

atha tad-darśana-bhāgyaṁ svasyāsambhāvayann idam api mama syād iti sabāṣpam āha mamottameti | tad etac chuddha-premodgāramayatvenaiva śrīmad-vṛtra-vadho’sau vilakṣaṇatvāc chrī-bhāgavata-lakṣaṇeṣu purāṇāntareṣu gaṇyate | ‘vṛtrāsura-vadhopetaṁ tad bhāgavatam iṣyate’ iti |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)

“‘Then, considering the fortune of seeing him [i.e., Bhagavān] impossible for himself [to ever be obtained], he tearfully speaks this verse (mamottamaḥśloka …) [wherein he prays:], ‘Let me have just this [i.e., friendship with Bhagavān’s bhaktas].’ Thus, this [narration of the] killing of Śrīmad Vṛtra, because of [its] excellence on account of [its] being constituted of an outpouring of pure prema, is considered in other Purāṇas to be among the attributes [i.e., one of the essential features] of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam [e.g., in Agni Purāṇa, 272.6]: ‘That endowed with the [narration of the] killing of Vṛtrāsura is called the Bhāgavatam.’”

atha tat-kṣaṇa evātidainya-bhāvodayena hanta hanta mamādhamasya katham etāvat saubhāgyaṁ sambhaved ata etad astv iti prārthayate—mama uttamaḥśloka-janeṣu tad-bhakteṣu sakhyaṁ bhūyāt, kintu tvan-māyayā ātmātmajādiṣv āsaktasya janasya kasyāpi mayi sakhyaṁ na bhūyāt | yathaitaj-janmani asurāṇāṁ mayi sakhyam abhūt, mama ca tvad-bhakteṣu sakhyaṁ nābhūd ity apāraṁ duḥkham anvabhūvam iti bhāvaḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“Then, because of an emergence of a bhāva of great humility at that very moment, he prays, ‘Hanta! Hanta! How could such fortune be possible for I who am [so] fallen? Therefore, let me have this,’ that is, ‘Let me have friendship with the people of Uttamaḥśloka, that is, with his bhaktas, but let no person—no one at all—who is attached to the body, sons, and so forth because of your māyā have friendship with me, as in this birth I underwent great suffering because asuras had friendship with me [i.e., considered me their friend], and I did not have friendship with your bhaktas [i.e., I was not fortunate enough to have the chance to associate with and befriend your bhaktas]. This is the purport.”

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