Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)

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

The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 2.1.194-195, 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 2.1.194-195 contained in Chapter 1—Vairagya (renunciation)—of Part two (prathama-khanda).

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.194-195:

यदास्य दर्शनोत्कण्ठा व्रज-भूमेर् अभूत्तराम् ।
तदा तु श्री-जगन्नाथ-महिम्ना स्फुरति स्म मे ॥ १९४ ॥
तत्-क्षेत्रोपवन-श्रेनि-वृन्दारण्यतयार्णवः ।
यमुनात्वेन नीलाद्रि-भागो गोवर्धनात्मना ॥ १९५ ॥

yadāsya darśanotkaṇṭhā vraja-bhūmer abhūttarām |
tadā tu śrī-jagannātha-mahimnā sphurati sma me || 194 ||
tat-kṣetropavana-śreni-vṛndāraṇyatayārṇavaḥ |
yamunātvena nīlādri-bhāgo govardhanātmanā || 195 ||

yadā–when; asyāḥ–of that; darśana–for the sight; utkaṇṭhā–eagerness; vraja-bhūmeḥ–land of Vraja; abhūt–there was; tarām–a great; tadā–then; tu–indeed; śrī-jagannātha–of Śrī Jagannātha; mahimnā–by the glory; sphurati sma–there was a vision; me–to me; tat-kṣetra–of that land (of Jagannātha); upavana–gardens; śreṇi–the various; vṛndāraṇyatayā–as the forests of Vṛndāvana; arṇavaḥ–ocean; yamunātvena–as Yamunā; nīlādri–of Nīlādri; bhāgaḥ–the area; govardhana-ātmanā–as the embodiment of Govardhana.

Whenever I felt a great eagerness to see the land of Vraja, then by Śrī Jagannātha’s glorious grace, the gardens of Jagannātha-purī would appear to my vision as Vṛndāvana, the ocean as Śrī Yamunā, and the slopes of Nīlādri (Caṭaka-parvata and other places) as those of Govardhana.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Now, narrating the benefit of chanting the mantra, Śrī Gopa-kumāra first describes the extraordinary mercy of Śrī Jagannātha-deva in two verses, beginning here with yadāsyā. He says, “Whenever I developed intense eagerness to see Vraja-bhūmi, then, due to the divine excellence of Śrī Jagannātha-deva, the sight of the gardens in the sacred abode of Śrī Jagannātha Purī inspired memories of Śrī Vṛndāvana. That is, the gardens appeared as Vṛndāvana to me.” The brāhmaṇa might ask, “What forms did the different places take?” In response, Gopa-kumāra speaks the verse beginning with tat. He says, “By Śrī Jagannātha-deva’s mercy, the groves and gardens of His holy abode of Śrī Kṣetra appeared like Vṛndāvana; the salt ocean appeared like the Yamunā River; and a portion of Nilādri Mountain–namely Caṭaka-parvata, the big sand dune located west of Śrī Jagannātha-deva’s mandira–appeared like Govardhana Hill. In this way, my grief from not seeing the land of Vraja would vanish. That sadness could not hinder my happiness.”

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