Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)

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

The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 2.4.166, 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 2.4.166 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 2.4.166:

पत्नी-सहस्रैर् युगपत् प्रणीतं द्रव्यं स भुङ्क्ते भगवान् यदैकः ।
पश्यन्ति तान्य् अत्र यथा प्रतिस्वम् आदौ ममादत्ता तद् एव मेऽत्ति ॥ १६६ ॥

patnī-sahasrair yugapat praṇītaṃ dravyaṃ sa bhuṅkte bhagavān yadaikaḥ |
paśyanti tāny atra yathā pratisvam ādau mamādattā tad eva me'tti || 166 ||

patnī–of wives; sahasraiḥ–with thousands; yugapat–simultaneously; praṇītam–offered; dravyam–an item; saḥ–He; bhuṅkte–enjoys; bhagavān–the Lord; yadā–when; ekaḥ–one; paśyanti–they see; tāni–them; atra–here; yathā–as; prati-svam–own; ādau–first; mama–from me; ādatta–has taken; tat–that; eva–indeed; me–my; atti–He eats.

When the one Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa simultaneously enjoys the food preparations offered to Him by His thousands of wives, every wife feels, “Prabhu is accepting my offering first.” In this way, every one of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved consorts sees the Lord separately enjoying only her preparations.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

In this verse beginning with patnī, Śrī Nārada demonstrates the influence of the inconceivable potency by citing the example of Śrī Bhagavān’s loving behavior with His beloved consorts.

He says, “Although Śrī Rādhā and the other beautiful Vraja damsels, or Śrī Rukmiṇī and the thousands of other queens, all offer food preparations to Bhagavān at the same time, still Śrī Kṛṣṇa eats all those preparations simultaneously while thousands of His beloveds watch the Lord’s bhojana-līlā, His pastime of eating. What do they see? Every beloved feels, ‘Aho! I am so fortunate that my Lord is eating my offering first.’” In this verse, the word yathā indicates that Bhagavān cannot behave in any illusory way. Being expert in expanding His special love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa acts affectionately with all of them. Actually, this is not so unusual because His very goal is to shower His affection on all. Therefore, such loving behavior can never be māyika, or unreal.

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