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Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)

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

The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 1.7.84, 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 1.7.84 contained in Chapter 7—Purna (pinnacle of excellent devotees)—of Part one (prathama-khanda).

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.7.84:

तास्व् एतस्� हि धर्म-कर्म-सु�-पौत्रागा�-कृत्यादिषु व्यग्राभ्योऽस्मद� अथादरै� पतितया सेवा-करीभ्योऽधिक� �
युक्तो भा�-वर� � मत्स�-पद� चोद्वा�-भाग्भ्यो भवेत� संश्लाघ्योऽथ � यत� प्रभोः प्रि�-जनाधीनत्व-माहात्म्�-कृत् � ८४ �

tāsv etasya hi dharma-karma-suta-pautrāgāra-kṛtyādiṣu vyagrābhyo'smad athādarai� patitayā sevā-karībhyo'dhika� |
yukto 屹-varo na matsara-pada� codvāha-bhāgbhyo bhavet saṃślāghyo'tha ca yat prabho� priya-janādhīnatva-māhātmya-kṛt || 84 ||

It is befitting that Śrī ṛṣṇa displays more love towards the DZī than to us, because we are the married wives of our lord and master, and are always engaged in religious rites, fruitive acts like begetting sons and grandsons, performing household affairs and so forth. Moreover, we serve our Lord out of reverential respect towards a husband. However, the DZī serve the Lord with a pure heart without any desires for previously mentioned piety or fruitive acts.

Therefore, it is reasonable that Śrī ṛṣṇa’s sentiments for the DZī must be greater and superior to ours. Still, this sentiment of the DZī is not the object of our envy; rather, it is worthy of our glorification, because only such sentiment is dear to our Lord. It proves the glories of the Lord, concerning His acceptance of the subjugation by His beloved devotees.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

"Therefore, it is befitting that Śrī ṛṣṇa’s sentiment towards the DZī is superior in comparison to ours. The reason for this is that, being the married wives of Śrī ṛṣṇa, we busily engage in such activities like pious and fruitive acts. We serve the Supreme Lord with the reverence of pati-, the feeling that He is our husband, because we accepted Him through the injunctions of marriage."

In this way, Śrī ܰ쳾ṇ�-ī exhibited the contrast between their sentiments and the mood of the DZī. Just as the DZī are free from any mundane (laukika) or otherworldly goals (para-laukika) and practices to achieve them, we are busy with the same goals and means. The DZī serve Śrī ṛṣṇa with the purest, topmost prema through the indescribable, enjoyable pastimes such as , and we serve Him with the reverencial mood that He is our husband. That service performed is also not with the purest, topmost prema.

Here, the topic spoken of is the supremely pure love (śܻ󲹱𳾲) of the DZī. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when Śrī ṛṣṇa comes near the house of the DZī, while hiding in a secluded place, He gives out an indicatory sound (ṅkپ첹). Then the DZī, after hearing that ṅkپ첹, get up from their beds and out of fear of their mothers-in-law and others, without making any sound, slowly open the doors and step out of the house to meet Śrī ṛṣṇa, granting Him pleasure by tight embraces, tender caresses and so on. Sometimes in the daytime Śrī ṛṣṇa proceeds for a tryst to a veiled grove in the forest on the shore of ۲ܲ, and there arranges a bed of soft flowerbuds, awaiting the DZī while glancing towards the path of their arrival. Hearing the sound of falling, dry leaves, He becomes alarmed with suspicions of their approach.

The DZī too, on the pretext of collecting water from the ۲ܲ, come out of their houses to meet Śrī ṛṣṇa in the veiled groves. Furthermore, sometimes in the evening time, upon receiving the signal of the sound of Śrī ṛṣṇa’s flute, they become maddened when they go for the tryst and their clothes sag down. Their braids come loose, and adorned with their ornaments in a wrong fashion, they speedily come near Śrī ṛṣṇa. Nevertheless, 첹-ś󲹰, the crest-jewel of the connoisseur of mellows, Śrī ṛṣṇa, displays the tendency to cloak His desires like a cheater. He exhibits His avahittha or concealment, by hiding His sentiments, and exhibiting his cleverness of speech like a cunning fellow. At that time the DZī, disheartened by great distress, humbly and with polite words pray for their desired object, that is, openly begging for amorous enjoyment (ܰٲ-ī岹). Later on when Śrī ṛṣṇa gives up His camouflage, they consider it as some teasing pastime, and they become extremely pleased and seize His yellow garment, forcibly taking Him to a secluded grove to please Him in many ways.

The DZī spontaneously serve Śrī ṛṣṇa in so many ways through the practice of their paramour mood. However, ‘we marry Him according to scriptural injunctions and serve Him according to the ṛhٳ󲹻󲹰 that depends on loka-dharma, or social propriety’—here, the above-mentioned of the DZī is not the object of our envy. It is not appropriate for us to envy them, just as it is improper for a lowclass person to rival a high-class person, just as the the maidservants� sentiment of rivalry with ī is not appropriate. This perfect displays the glories of our Lord’s quality to be under the control of His devotees. On the other hand, they are the beloved devotees of our Lord and master; therefore, they are further increasing His glories by His subjugation by others. Thus, due to the free exhibition of these sentiments, even beautiful women like me can also aspire to achieve it—this is the confidential mood of the words of Śrī ܰ쳾ṇ�-ī.

Factually, queens such as Śrī ܰ쳾ṇ� have no attachment for matters of mundane religiosity or fruitive activities. Even if they have a little attachment in those matters, still all those objects are acceptable as helpful in serving 󲹲. Therefore, there is no defect in that, but it culminates in a magnanimous quality by becoming the cause for variegated devotional service. However, Śrī ܰ쳾ṇ�-ī could not achieve the good fortune of devotional service like the DZī, or she is speaking with such hints out of her natural humilty.

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