Verse 1.11.71

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.11.71:

কৃষ্ণ-রসে পরম-বিহ্বল মহাশয একান্ত কৃষ্ণের প্রিয অতি-দযা-ময ॥ ৭১ ॥

कृष्ण-रसे परम-विह्वल महाशय एकान्त कृष्णेर प्रिय अति-दया-मय ॥ ७१ ॥

kṛṣṇa-rase parama-vihvala mahāśaya ekānta kṛṣṇera priya ati-dayā-maya || 71 ||

krsna-rase parama-vihvala mahasaya ekanta krsnera priya ati-daya-maya (71)

English translation:

(71) He was overwhelmed with love for Kṛṣṇa. He was most merciful and dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

In the consideration of worshipable objects, Kṛṣṇa is the topmost. Kṛṣṇa is the object of five kinds of rasas, Śrī Nārāyaṇa is the object of two and half rasas, and impersonal Brahman is the object of only śānta-rasa. But this latter rasa, śānta-rasa, is often not counted amongst the rasas. The impersonal spiritual abode of Brahman, though situated on the other side of the Virajā, is devoid of the conceptions of servant and the served. On this side of the Virajā is Devī-dhāma, wherein the material sky is situated. Mundane perishable objects are situated in this material sky. In

the spiritual abode of spiritual variegatedness and spiritual characteristics, the conceptions of servant and served are present, but in this temporary material world the conceptions of servant and served are perverted. Relationships with Kṛṣṇa in the five rasas are generally extremely rare in the material world. As far as the supreme excellence of rasas is concerned, though there is some similarity between material rasas and Vaikuṇṭha rasas, material rasas are actually abominable reflections of spiritual rasas. That is why the rasas of this material world are known as virasa, or disgusting. In the consideration of the ālambana, or support, of rasas in the spiritual world, the viṣaya, or object, is one nondual substance and the āśraya, or subjects, are many. But in the material world we see the deviation that the objects are many and the subjects are many. In the spiritual world, the Absolute Truth, Vrajendra- nandana, is the only object and Baladeva is the manifestation of that object. Baladeva’s four manifestations, the catur-vyūha, are situated in Mahā-Vaikuṇṭha. Because the objects of the material world are infected with the modes of material nature, they are subjected to the agitation of time. From the viewpoint of subjects, the controlling spirit found in the objects of abodes such as Kailāsa contain material pride. In other words a connection with the three modes of material nature is found. Such pollution is not possible in the Absolute Truth, Lord Viṣṇu, of the spiritual world. In the material world, the impermanence of rasas and the impermanence of the subjects and objects are abominable and contrary to the principles of Vaikuṇṭha rasas. Under the subordination of Śrī Mādhavendra Purīpāda, Śrī Īśvara Purī was expert in relishing transcendental rasas in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The service attitude of Īśvara Purī fully blossomed due to the austerity of Śrī Mādhavendra and his eagerness for achieving Kṛṣṇa, therefore he received the direct mercy of Gaurasundara, who is nondifferent from Vrajendra-nandana. Śrī Īśvara Purī was completely overwhelmed with love for Kṛṣṇa. In other words, mundane external feelings could not disturb his loving service. Because he was situated as the servant of the spiritual master, he was dear to

Kṛṣṇa, very dear, therefore he was equally merciful to all living entities. The prime example of mercy is to awaken one’s devotion to Kṛṣṇa, as this is the eternal propensity of the soul.