Text 1

Text 1

A nāma-sādhaka has no desire other than unadulterated devotional service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (ahaitukī-kṛṣṇa-bhakti).

The fourth verse of Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka states:

न धनं न जनं न सुन्दरीं कवितां वा जगदीश कामये
मम जन्मनि जन्मनीश्वरे भवताद् भक्तिर् अहैतुकी त्वयि

na dhanaṃ na janaṃ na sundarīṃ kavitāṃ vā jagadīśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

O Jagadīśa, I do not desire wealth, nor followers, nor do I desire beautiful poetry (here meaning ‘knowledge’). O Prāṇeśvara, my only desire is to have unalloyed devotion unto Your lotus feet birth after birth.

गृह-द्रव्य-शिष्य-पशु-धान्य-आदि धन
स्त्री-पुत्र दास-दासी कुटुम्बादि जन

gṛha-dravya-śiṣya-paśu-dhānya-ādi dhana
strī-putra dāsa-dāsī kuṭumbādi jana

काव्य-अलङ्कार-आदि सुन्दरी कविता
पार्थिव-विषय मध्ये ए सब वारता

kāvya-alaṅkāra-ādi sundarī kavitā
pārthiva-viṣaya madhye e saba vāratā

एइ सब पाइबार आशा नाहि करि
शुद्ध-भक्ति देह मोरे, कृष्ण कृपा करि’

ei saba pāibāra āśā nāhi kari
śuddha-bhakti deha more, kṛṣṇa kṛpā kari’

प्रेमेर स्वभाव, याङ्हा प्रेमेर सम्बन्ध
सेइ माने कृष्ण मोर नाहि भक्ति-गन्ध

premera svabhāva, yāṅhā premera sambandha
sei māne kṛṣṇa mora nāhi bhakti-gandha

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

Bhakti only appears in the heart when one performs harināma-kīrtana with firm faith (śraddhā). But the sādhaka’s perfected body will not arise unless he gives up all connection with sensual happiness in this material world. This renunciation of sensual happiness takes place in two ways: positive (anvaya) and negative (vyatireka). Here anvaya refers to the prominent characteristic of devotion, which is the cultivation of activities favourable to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (ānukūlya-maya-kṛṣṇānuśīlana ). Vyatireka refers to the two secondary characteristics of devotion, which are (1) the absence of desire for anything other than the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (anyābhilāṣitāśūnya ) and (2) the absence of the coverings of karma and jñāna (jñānakarmādy-anāvṛta ).

The words na dhanaṃ na janam in this Text clearly explain the symptoms of vyatireka. The word dhana refers to wealth and articles collected for enjoyment and entertainment, and jana indicates women, children, servants, maidservants, subjects, friends and relatives. Sundarī-kavitā means ordinary knowledge expressed in mundane poetry and literature.

“O Kṛṣṇa, Lord of my life, I am not praying to You for all these things. My only prayer is that I may have unalloyed devotion unto Your lotus feet birth after birth.”