Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja | 2005 | 440,179 words | ISBN-13: 9781935428329
The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 2.2.38, 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 2.2.38 contained in Chapter 2—Jnana (knowledge)—of Part two (prathama-khanda).
Verse 2.2.38
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.2.38:
अह� चाभिनव� विष्णु-सेवानन्द-हृतान्तर� �
� जाने तान् अथ स्वीयै� प्रेरितस� तैर् अपूजयम� � ३८ �aha� cābhinavo ṣṇ-nanda-hṛtara� |
na Ա atha īⲹ� preritas tair ūᲹⲹ || 38 ||aham–I; ca–aԻ; Բ�–very new; ṣṇ–to Śrī վṣṇ; –s; ԲԻ岹–by bliss; ṛt–cٳܰ; Գٲ�–h; na–ndz; Ա–I know; –t; atha–t; īⲹ�–by my own (preceptors); ٲ�–eԳdzܰ; ٲ�–by them; ūᲹⲹ–I worshiped.
I was new there and was always immersed in the bliss of serving Śrī վṣṇ, so I did not know proper etiquette. But upon being directed by Guru ṛh貹پ and my other superiors, I duly worshiped those ṣi.
Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda
(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)
The ṇa might ask, “Considering that you had been invested with the post of Indra, was it not your duty to be the first to worship those guests?�
In reply, Śrī Gopa-ܳ speaks this verse beginning with aham. He says, “I had no idea who those great sages were. I was astonished to see them and wondered, ‘Are these some special demigods or celestial sages from Svarga? Or perhaps they hail from another realm.� They had just arrived, and I could not ascertain anything about their identity. Although I had resided in Svarga for one full year, I was continuously engaged in serving Śrī վṣṇ and never paid a moment’s attention to anything else.�
The ṇa might then argue, “Living beings become omniscient by the potency of serving Śrī վṣṇ. How did you not know anything about the arrival of those great sages?�
Gopa-ܳ explains, “O ṇa, by dint of serving , one automatically receives all powers, including omniscience, but by the strength of the blessings of Śrī Gurudeva, I was not affected by any of the mystic perfections, which are adverse to bhakti. Especially in regard to the mystic potency of omniscience, had I known everything, then all knowledge of the true nature of Maharloka and other realms would have become manifest in my heart. If in this state I had gone to Maharloka, I would not have felt astonishment upon seeing the glories of that abode, nor would I have experienced the perfect bliss I felt upon going there. Therefore, all those potencies remained covered by the grace of Śrī Guru.� These ideas will be expressed by Śrī 岹 at the end of the Fifth Chapter.
Śrī Gopa-ܳ concludes, “Instructed by the guru of the demigods, Śrī ṛh貹پ, I worshiped those ṣi in a manner befitting their position.�