Verse 1.5.22-23

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.5.22-23:

तपो-जप-ज्ञान-परा मुनयो येऽर्थ-साधकाः ।
विश्वामित्रो गौतमश् च वशिष्ठोऽपि तथापरे ॥ २२ ॥
तं कुरुक्षेत्र-यात्रायां गत्वा कृष्ण-प्रसादतः ।
भक्तिं तं प्रार्थ्यतां प्राप्याभवंस् तद्-भक्ति-तत्पराः ॥ २३ ॥

tapo-japa-jñāna-parā munayo ye'rtha-sādhakāḥ |
viśvāmitro gautamaś ca vaśiṣṭho'pi tathāpare || 22 ||
taṃ kurukṣetra-yātrāyāṃ gatvā kṛṣṇa-prasādataḥ |
bhaktiṃ taṃ prārthyatāṃ prāpyābhavaṃs tad-bhakti-tatparāḥ || 23 ||

Though Viśvāmitra was intent on performing penance and austerities (tapa);Gautama intent on silent meditation of mantras (japa);Vaṣiṣṭha intent on the pursuit of knowledge (jñāna); as well as other munis who were practitioners of dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa—at the time of pilgrimage to Kurukṣetra, all prayed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa for bhakti and ultimately obtained that dedication to bhakti by the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

With these two verses, beginning with tapa, Śrī Nārada now explains how sages obtained the bhakti of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Tapa-niṣṭha Viśvāmitra, japa-niṣṭha Gautama, jñāna-niṣṭha Vaṣiṣṭha and other munis, despite initially being practitioners of dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa, made pilgrimages to Kurukṣetra. There they first prayed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa for bhakti and having received that bhakti they prayed for, they remained fully engaged in their respective devotional services in the end.

In this connection the Tenth Canto (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.84.26) has stated:

तस्याद्य ते ददृशिमाङ्घ्रिम् अघौघ-मर्ष तीर्थास्पदं हृदि कृतं सु-विपक्व-योगैः
उत्सिक्त-भक्त्य्-उपहताशय जीव-कोशा आपुर् भवद्-गतिम् अथानुगृहान भक्तान्

tasyādya te dadṛśimāṅghrim aghaugha-marṣa tīrthāspadaṃ hṛdi kṛtaṃ su-vipakva-yogaiḥ
utsikta-bhakty-upahatāśaya jīva-kośā āpur bhavad-gatim athānugṛhāna bhaktān

“O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, today we have had the darśana of your lotus feet! These lotus feet destroy all types of sins. They are the source of the holy waters of the River Ganges. The yogīs who have obtained perfection in yoga also meditate upon them within the heart. We have directly seen those holy feet today. Please grant us devotional service and bestow your mercy upon us. Only the people whose jīvakoṣa (imprisonment from false ego) in the form of vāsanā (material desires) has been destroyed by bhakti endowed with tattva-jñāna (knowledge of the truth), perform the devotional service of Your transcendental lotus feet.”

In the commentary to this verse Śrīdhara Swāmī expounded:

“Fully matured yogīs who have attained the topmost perfection meditate on those lotus feet within the heart. However, they cannot obtain the direct darśana of those feet. Those lotus feet destroy all sin; they are the shelter of the holy pilgrimage named Gaṅgā. O Prabhu, we directly viewed those same lotus feet as the result of many pious activities. Now, please show us mercy by making us your devotees.”

What is the need of devotional service? You should perform chanting and austerities as before. In response the sages say, “O Prabhu, by having the darśana of your lotus feet bhakti has arisen in our hearts, and due to this, our souls’ imprisonment from the false ego in the form of material desires has been vanquished. Therefore, we desire to obtain Your beautiful lotus feet—we do not want any other destination!”