Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī ѲᲹ | 2005 | 440,179 words | ISBN-13: 9781935428329
The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 2.2.201, 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 2.2.201 contained in Chapter 2—Jnana (knowledge)—of Part two (prathama-khanda).
Verse 2.2.201
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.2.201:
सर्वथा प्रतियोगित्व� यत� साधुत्वासुरत्वयो� �
तत� साधनेष� साध्ये � वैपरीत्यं किलोचितम� � २०� �ٳ pratiyogitva� yat sādhutvāsuratvayo� |
tat sādhaneṣu ca vaiparītya� kilocitam || 201 ||ٳ–in every respect; prati-yogitvam–are opposite; yat–w; ܳٱ–the divine nature; ܰٱ�–the demonic nature; tat sādhaneṣu–in their practices; –in the goal; ca–a; 貹īٲⲹ–the reverse; kila–iԻ; ucitam–sܾٲ.
Devotees and demons are in every respect the antithesis of one another in nature. So they must certainly also be opposite in their goals and the means of achieving those goals.
Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda
(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)
The پ-śٰ say, “Saintly persons and demoniac persons are the antithesis of one another in terms of behavior, character, and countless other ways. It follows, then, that their goals (ⲹ) and practices to attain those goals (Բ) will certainly be opposite. The Բ of saintly persons is exclusively to worship the lotus feet of Śrī , whereas the Բ of the demons is to contemplate the soul’s nondifference from Brahman (advaita ٳ-ٲٳٱ-ñԲ). The only goal of saintly personalities is prema-bhakti (loving devotional service), and the only goal of demons is mukti (liberation).
“Some people equate the outcome of devotion with that of maintaining a mood of enmity toward the Lord.
For example, in Śrīmad 岵ٲ (10.87.23) the Śܳپ offer prayers, saying:
निभृ�-मरुन�-मन�-’क्ष-दृ�-यो�-युजो हृदि यन� मुनय उपासते तद� अरयो’प� ययुः स्मरणात्
स्त्रि� उरगेन्द्�-भो�-भु�-दण्ड-विषक्त-धियो वयम् अप� ते समाः सम-दृशो’ङ्घ्र�-सरोज-सुधा�nibhṛta-marun-mano-’kṣa-dṛḍha-yoga-yujo hṛdi yan munaya upāsate tad arayo’pi yayu� smaraṇāt
striya uragendra-bhoga-bhuja-daṇḍa-viṣakta-dhiyo vayam api te samā� sama-dṛśo’ṅghri-saroja-sudhā�O , controlling their life-air (ṇa), mind, and senses, great sages become impenetrably fixed in yoga and are able to hold the Absolute Truth in their hearts. But even demons who are envious of You are able to reach that same Truth by the power of thinking of You. The young damsels of Vraja are attracted to Your two long arms that resemble the body of the king of serpents, and they relish the sweet nectar of Your lotus feet. Therefore, we, the presiding goddesses of the Śܳپ, have become followers of those damsels, and, having attained the bodies of DZī, we also relish the nectar of Your lotus feet.
�Śī-岵ٲ (7.1.30) also states:
कामाद् द्वेषाद् भयात� स्नेहाद् यथ� भक्त्येश्वरे मन�
आवेश्य तद�-अघ� हित्वा बहवस� तद�-गतिं गताःkāmād dveṣād bhayāt snehād yathā bhaktyeśvare mana�
āveśya tad-agha� hitvā bahavas tad-gati� gatā�Both by absorbing their minds in the Lord with lust, envy, and fear; and also by absorbing their minds in the Lord with appropriate devotion, many people have become free from sins such as lust and have attained .
“The significance of this example is that those who envy as well as those who are devoted to Him are absorbed in thinking about the Lord, and as a result they both become freed from the cycle of repeated birth and death. Therefore, the example reveals a type of similarity. It may also be said that remembrance of the Lord, vision of Him, and experience of His mercy and other qualities are extremely powerful. The example above serves to celebrate the potency of these interactions.
“Further, in Śī-岵ٲ (7.1.27), Śrī 岹 states:
यथ� वैरानुबन्धेन मर्त्यस् तन�-मयताम् इयात�
� तथ� भक्त�-योगे� इत� मे निश्चिता मतिःyathā vairānubandhena martyas tan-mayatām iyāt
na tathā bhakti-yogena iti me niścitā mati�By bhakti-yoga, one does not achieve the same absorption in that mere mortals achieve through enmity. This is my firm conviction.
“Here, it is enmity that is being praised. This statement of Śrī 岹 can be understood as a way of expression arising from the boldness and confidence of his deep love that naturally arises from the satisfaction he experiences by relishing bhakti-rasa, the mellow of pure love. Śrī 岹 is the preceptor of mischief-makers who are greedy to taste bhakti-rasa. Otherwise, how is it be possible that he could utter such words right in front of Śrī ṛṣṇa in the assembly of that 岵ٲ devotee, Śrī ۳ܻṣṭ ѲᲹ?
“Another understanding is that Śrī 岹’s statement–that one can become absorbed in Śrī through enmity–is intended to ridicule ⲹ-ǰṣa, or merging into the existence of the Lord. The result of hostility to the Lord is derided because there is nothing as worthless and base as merging into Brahman (brahma-ⲹ).�