Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)

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

The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 1.4.116, 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 1.4.116 contained in Chapter 4—Bhakta (the devotee)—of Part one (prathama-khanda).

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.4.116:

कृष्ण-प्रेमाग्नि-दन्दह्यमानान्तःकरणस्य हि ।
क्षुद्-अग्नि-विकलस्येव वासः स्रक्-चन्दनादयः ॥ ११६ ॥

kṛṣṇa-premāgni-dandahyamānāntaḥkaraṇasya hi |
kṣud-agni-vikalasyeva vāsaḥ srak-candanādayaḥ || 116 ||

Such objects as fine cloth, garlands and sandalwood are unable to give happiness to a person suffering from hunger, similarly all these objects also are unable to give happiness to the heart of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who is encircled by the ring of fire of śrī kṛṣṇa-prema.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Nevertheless, all these objects are unable to provide happiness to the heart of Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja in any possible way. Why? To show the main reason he first mentions the offerings to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, later on he explains the speciality of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.

Simply by the touch of that prema he has towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa only, countless types of enormous faults are automatically destroyed. Therefore, that prema is compared to a ring of fire. That same prema creates pain in the heart of the loving devotee at the time of separation, and even at the time of meeting, due to the anxiety of future separation, that happiness disappears. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema is always like the flames of a fire, that is, prema is the ultimate limits of highest bliss, so its effect is also like fire which is naturally hot. In other words, one’s heart also becomes inflamed like fire in whose heart this bliss of prema arises.

The evidence is given in the description of the autumn season in the Tenth Canto (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.20.45):

आश्लिष्य सम-शितोष्नम् प्रसुऊअ-वन-मारुतम्
जनास् तापं जहुर् गोप्यो न कृष्ण-हृत-चेतसः

āśliṣya sama-śitoṣnam prasuūa-vana-mārutam
janās tāpaṃ jahur gopyo na kṛṣṇa-hṛta-cetasaḥ

Except for the gopīs, whose hearts had been stolen by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, people could forget their suffering by embracing the wind coming from the flower-filled forest. This wind was neither hot nor cold.

The purport is that by the embrace of the wind coming from the flower-filled forest in the autumn season, the suffering of everyone was pacified, but the suffering of the gopīs increased even more. Why? Those whose hearts were stolen by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs, being burnt excessively in the fire of kṛṣṇa-prema, became full of intense pain. By the wind coming from the flower-filled forest in the autumn season, the fire of their prema became even more inflamed. (Here, those autumn pastimes are not described.)

The examples of giving things such as cloth, garlands, and sandalwood paste cannot create happiness for a person suffering from hunger. Just as fire in the form of hunger dries up all the elements in the body and agitates it, so clothes and other objects such as sandalwood paste and garlands cannot give happiness to a hungry person, but are painful to him. By the word ādi—sons and wife are to be understood. If a person who is suffering from hunger receives food and nourishment, only the fire in his stomach is pacified. Similarly, the objects of sense enjoyment cannot make a person burning in the fire from śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema happy, but if that person achieves Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then he receives peace from the flames of the fire of separation and becomes happy. This is indicated by this example. Rather, this example in the lack of the ability to produce affection is only partially acceptable.

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