Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)

by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja | 2005 | 440,179 words | ISBN-13: 9781935428329

The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 1.3.55-58, English translation, including commentary (Dig-darshini-tika): an important Vaishnava text dealing with the importance of devotional service. The Brihad-bhagavatamrita, although an indepent Sanskrit work, covers the essential teachings of the Shrimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata-purana). This is verse 1.3.55-58 contained in Chapter 3—Prapancatita (beyond the Material Plane)—of Part one (prathama-khanda).

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.3.55-58:

श्री-कृष्ण-चरणाम्भोजार्पितात्मानो हि ये किल ।
तद्-एक-प्रेम-लाभाशा त्यक्तार्थ-जन-जीवनाः ॥ ५५ ॥
ऐहिकामुष्मिकाशेष-साध्य-साधन-निस्पृहाः ।
जाति-वर्णाश्रमाचार-धर्माधीनत्व-पारगाः ॥ ५६ ॥
ऋण-त्रयाद् अनिर्मुक्ता वेद-मार्गातिगा अपि ।
हरि-भक्ति-बलावेगाद् अकुतश्चिद्-भयाः सदा ॥ ५७ ॥
नान्यत् किम् अपि वाञ्छन्ति तद्-भक्ति-रस-लम्पटाः ।
स्वर्गापवर्ग-नरकेष्व् अपि तुल्यार्थ-दर्शिनः ॥ ५८ ॥

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇāmbhojārpitātmāno hi ye kila |
tad-eka-prema-lābhāśā tyaktārtha-jana-jīvanāḥ || 55 ||
aihikāmuṣmikāśeṣa-sādhya-sādhana-nispṛhāḥ |
jāti-varṇāśramācāra-dharmādhīnatva-pāragāḥ || 56 ||
ṛṇa-trayād anirmuktā veda-mārgātigā api |
hari-bhakti-balāvegād akutaścid-bhayāḥ sadā || 57 ||
nānyat kim api vāñchanti tad-bhakti-rasa-lampaṭāḥ |
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ || 58 ||

Those who hanker for the actual wealth of Śrī Kṛṣṇa dedicate themselves at His lotus feet. They renounce all riches, relatives, even their self-possessiveness towards this life—abandoning all the attachments and shackles of the varṇāśrama-dharma of this world and the next—and become detached from all other means.

In other words, they liberate themselves from the three types of modes, traversing the path set by the Vedas, and by the potency of hari-bhakti remain completely fearless. Therefore, these rasikabhaktas that bhagavad-bhakti attracts see heaven, liberation and hell as the same. They do not have the slightest material desires.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

To point out the interests of bhakti-rasikas, these four verses beginning with śrī-kṛṣṇa are spoken. Those who hanker to obtain the wealth of prema at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa give up their selfish motives, particularly, wealth, relatives, sons, grandchildren and
possessiveness for life itself. Therefore, they become detached from all thoughts of the means in this world and the next. Aihika means whatever longings relating to sense enjoyments of this world. Amuṣmika means whatever happiness of sense enjoyments in the next as well as disinterest in such things as wealth and pious merits. Therefore, they have transcended their rigid varṇāśramadharma conduct. Here, varṇa refers to the four social divisions such as brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiṣya and śudra, and aśrama to the four religious divisions such as gṛhastha and vānaprastha.

Therefore, submission to the duties of the four varṇas and aśramas means detachment from daily, conditional duties and dedication of the self to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (ātma-samarpana), thus becoming free from the three kinds of debts. The doubt arises whether man, who from birth alone is bound by debts to the demigods, sages and ancestors, and through execution of Vedic sacrifices, scriptural study and begetting of children, can become liberated from these debts. In other words, how can the devotee liberate himself from these three debts without performing his sva-dharma or ordained, prescribed duties? For all such purposes, where is there a gradation of the performance of one’s own religious path seen other than in the Vedas?

The scriptures mention (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.84.39):

ऋणैस् त्रिभिर् द्विजो जातो देवर्षि-पितेणां प्रभो
यज्ञाध्ययन-पुत्रैस् तान्य् अनिस्तीर्य त्यजन् पतेत्

ṛṇais tribhir dvijo jāto devarṣi-piteṇāṃ prabho
yajñādhyayana-putrais tāny anistīrya tyajan patet

“O Prabhu, being bound by the three debts to the demigods, sages and forefathers, the twice-born brāhmaṇa accepts birth. However, by not being freed from these debts by yajña, Vedic study and begetting children, he plunges downwards into hellish conditions.”

This is verifiable by the words of the sages mentioned in the Tenth Canto that due to neglect of the rules and regulations there is fear from Yama. So, what is the way of freedom from this fear? Therefore, it is said that devotees, despite transgressing the path of the Vedas, always remain fearless due to the potency of hari-bhakti, that is, due to the potency of wholehearted devotion to Śrī Hari they always remain fearless. Later a detailed analysis will be considered, although this topic has been mentioned previously.

In fact, devotees, due to slackness and negligence owing to prevalent things such as curses, harassment and so on, always spontaneously call out for desirable association. In other words, bhakti innately possesses great potency, thus by accepting her shelter jñāna and karma has no authority. Therefore, despite not following their prescribed sva-dharma, they do not fall down.

In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.20.9) Śrī Bhagavān personally says:

तावत् कर्माणि कुर्वीत न निर्विद्येत यावता
मत्-कथा-श्रवनादौ वा श्रद्धा यावन् न जायते

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravanādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate

“As long as detachment from sense objects does not appear or faith in My transcendental birth, qualities and pastimes does not arise, the execution of daily, conditional activities will have to be performed. In other words, previous to the awakening of faith (sraddhā) the power of karma is there: however, after the rise of faith, the delegate is bhakti alone, not karma.”

In Śrī Gītā (18.66) Śrī Bhagavān says:

सर्व-धर्मान् परित्यज माम् एकं शरणं व्रज
अहं त्वं सर्व-पापेभ्यो मोक्षयिश्यामि मा शुचः

sarva-dharmān parityaja mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja
ahaṃ tvaṃ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiśyāmi mā śucaḥ

“Completely abandon all bodily and mental dharma, such as societal castes and rigid prescribed duties, and just fully surrender to Me alone (in Vraja). I shall absolve you from all reactions to your sins. Do not grieve.”

In the First Canto (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.5.17) Śrī Nārada says:

त्वक्त्वा स्व-धर्मं चरणाम्बुजं हरेर् भजन्न् अपक्वो’थ पतेत् ततो यदि
यत्र क्व वाभद्रम् अभूद् अमुष्य किं को वार्थ आप्तो’भजतां स्व-धर्मतः

tvaktvā sva-dharmaṃ caraṇāmbujaṃ harer bhajann apakvo’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṃ ko vārtha āpto’bhajatāṃ sva-dharmataḥ

“That person who renounces his own prescribed duties, while serving the lotus feet of Śrī Hari, and leaves his body, or in an immature stage gives up the path, never obtains inauspiciousness. On the other hand, not performing bhakti to Śrī Hari, due to following one’s own prescribed duties, has any person ever been successful? In other words, no one has.”

In this way, speaking about the fearlessness of devotees, he points out their desirelessness. The word nānyat (not anywhere else) affirms they do not hanker even for the desire to obtain the same form as Śrī Bhagavān (sārūpya). Furthermore, the happiness of attaining such enjoyable places as Brahmaloka and the freedom from pains such as nirvāṇa are considered insignificant objectives without devotion, considering them as detrimental as a sojourn in hell. Devotees do not consider the happiness of the celestial plane, the happiness of liberation or the path to hell as especially relishable, nor do they consider them comparable to bhakti.

Śrī Śiva also has said (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 6.17.28):

नारायण-पराः सर्वे न कुतश्चन बिभ्यति
स्वर्गापवर्ग-नरकेष्व् अपि तुल्यार्थ-दर्शिणः

nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśiṇaḥ

“Devotees of Nārāyaṇa never become fearful, perceiving the goal of celestial plane (svarga), liberation (apavarga) and hellish plane (naraka) to be relatively the same.”

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