Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)

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

The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 2.4.163, 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 2.4.163 contained in Chapter 4—Vaikuntha (the spiritual world)—of Part two (prathama-khanda).

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.163:

एको वैकुण्ठ-नाथोऽयं श्री-कृष्णस् तत्र तत्र हि ।
तत्-तत्-सेवक-हर्षाय तत्-तद्-रूपादिना वसेत् ॥ १६३ ॥

eko vaikuṇṭha-nātho'yaṃ śrī-kṛṣṇas tatra tatra hi |
tat-tat-sevaka-harṣāya tat-tad-rūpādinā vaset || 163 ||

ekaḥ–one; vaikuṇṭha–of the land free from anxiety; nāthaḥ–Lord; ayam–He; śrī-kṛṣṇaḥ–Śrī Kṛṣṇa; tatra tatra–wherever; hi–certainly; tat-tat-sevaka–of His devotees; harṣāya–for the pleasure; tat-tad-rūpa–His respective forms; ādinā–and so forth; vaset–He may reside.

The one Vaikuṇṭha-nātha Śrī Kṛṣṇa resides in separate forms in different places to give pleasure to His servants.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

If one particular form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is pleased, then all His forms are pleased. Nārada speaks this verse beginning with eka to explain this. He says, “The same Vaikuṇṭha-nātha Śrī Kṛṣṇa resides in many places to please His servants, such as Nārada and others. Adorned by ornaments and accompanied by His eternal pastime entourage, He resides in Badarikāśrama in the forms of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, the sons of Dharma.”

In this way, the special glories of Vaikuṇṭha-nātha have been described. Śrī Goloka-nātha and Śrī Vaikuṇṭha-nātha are both sources of incarnations (avatārīs) and are therefore nondifferent. In this sense of nondifference, Nārada uses the name Śrī Kṛṣṇa here in the place of Śrī Vaikuṇṭha-nātha, foreshadowing that further on he will describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories to be the greatest.

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