Verse 2.3.168

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.168:

विचित्र-लीला-रस-सागरस्य प्रभोर् विचित्रात् स्फुरितात् प्रसादात् ।
विचित्र-सङ्कीर्तन-माधुरी सा न तु स्व-यत्नाद् इति साधु सिध्येत् ॥ १६८ ॥

vicitra-līlā-rasa-sāgarasya prabhor vicitrāt sphuritāt prasādāt |
vicitra-saṅkīrtana-mādhurī sā na tu sva-yatnād iti sādhu sidhyet || 168 ||

vicitra–wonderful; līlā–of pastimes; rasa–of ambrosial; sāgarasya–of an ocean; prabhoḥ–of the Master; vicitrāt–astonishing; sphuritāt–manifested; prasādāt–from the mercy; vicitra–amazing; saṅkīrtana–of congregational chanting; mādhurī–sweetness; sā–that; na–not; tu–indeed; sva-yatnāt–from one’s own endeavor; iti–thus; sādhu–properly; sidhyet–it can be achieved.

Wonderful varieties of sweet saṅkīrtana manifest happiness through the amazing grace of the Lord, who is an ocean of wonderful varieties of ambrosial pastimes. By one’s own endeavors one can never achieve this happiness.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Śrī Gopa-kumāra might question, “When one performs nāma-saṅkīrtana in public, there is the possibility of running into obstacles–opposition from a skeptical audience, the defect of receiving worship from favorable people, and being hard-pressed due to bodily weakness. However, there are no such dangers in effortless performance of solitary meditation. Therefore, what is the purpose of loud kīrtana?”

Anticipating this doubt, the Vaikuṇṭha associates speak this verse beginning with vicitra. They say, “The wonderful and varied sweetness of saṅkīrtana manifests through the extraordinary mercy of the Lord, who is an ocean of astonishing varieties of ambrosial pastimes. The pleasure of this sweetness cannot be achieved by one’s own efforts or strength. No faults or obstacles can block that which is obtained by the mercy of Bhagavān. In other words, nothing can block the sweet happiness of saṅkīrtana, which is obtained only by Bhagavān’s mercy. This holds true not only for nāma-saṅkīrtana, but for all the nine processes of bhakti as well.”