Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org
Song Lyrics: Namamisvaram Saccidananda
Rupam (Sri Damodarastakam)
Purport Author: Sanatana Goswami
VERSE 1:
1)
Bowing before Sri Damodara-isvara, who is accompanied by Sri Radha, I now
commence my purport of Damodarastaka entitled Dig-Darsini.
In
the beginning of the mula-shloka, the very first intention is expressed by the
word namami - "I bow down". Obeisances are thus offered with love and
devotion before commencing the description of the Lord's specific
characteristics of excellence that are exhibited by His tattva, rupa, lila, guna and so forth. Also mentioned is the essence of
His own divine supremacy as the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested in
Gokula, and also His distinctive features as the origin of all. Furthermore,
the word namami is indicative of an auspicious invocation (mangalartham). At
the start of all functions it is customary to offer respects to isvara which
expresses and attitude of devotional service unto the Lord. For this reason,
obeisances are offered first unto the Lord in this verse.
(Now
the commentator, Sri Srila Sanatana Goswami examines tattva-visesa or the
excellence of the Lord's truth:) Obeisances
unto whom? Unto Ishvara, the supreme controller.
Namely - He who is (1) sarva-shaktimanta (endowed with all potencies), (2)
jagateka-natha (the only Lord of the universe) and (3) nija-prabhu (my own
Master). In the first instance He is addressed as such in order to obtain the
power of shakti needed to offer the prayer, in the second instance, He is
addressed as such to indicate that He is the one and only Lord Who is
praiseworthy; in the final instance, He is addressed as such to signify the
specific nature of bhakti or devotion. How is He manifest? As
sac-cid-ananda-rupam or a form composed of compressed clouds of eternity,
knowledge and bliss. This is the statement of His supreme sovereignty in
regards to His tattva-visesa attribute or excellence of truth.
(Now
rupa-visesa, the excellence of His beauty is described:)
His distinct excellence of beauty is illustrated as follows: lasanti (the
swinging of His earrings) was manifested when He ran away in fear of Sri
Yasoda; or also, His earrings sport upon His cheeks as a result of His
continuously playing in the transcendental pastimes of childhood. Thus, His
divinely splendrous face is especially portrayed. Or also, yet another meaning
of lasat-kundalam is - due to the maha-saubhagya or great fortune of personally
kissing His divine cheeks, these earrings have attained a position of
superexcellence above all His other ornaments. And this superexcellence also
indicates the fortune of the other ornaments adorning His various limbs.
Furthermore, lasanti indicates that these earrings are glistening because they
are enriched with the splendrous effulgence of the Lord's bodily complexion;
therefore Krsna's body is the ornament of His ornaments. This is the meaning.
Consequently, it is stated by the gopis in the Tenth Canto (Bhagavatam
10.29.40):
"O
Sri Krsna! By seeing Your beauty, which attracts the three worlds, these cows,
birds, trees and deer are all experiencing their hairs standing on end!"
("What is the wonder, then, if we are also bewildered?")
In
the Third Canto (Bhagavatam 3.2.12), it is also stated by Sri Uddhava to Vidura
regarding Sri Krsna's beauty:
"Sri
Krsna's beauty is so enchanting that it even astonishes Himself: that beauty
represents the supreme zenith of great opulence, so much so that He is actually
the ornament of His ornaments."
Now
the parivara-visesa or attributes of His family portray His unique excellence.
The word gokule indicates that place where gopas, gopis, cow, calves and so
forth reside. The word bhrajamanam indicates a particularly befitting place
wherein He can manifest an excellence that surpasses that of previous lilas. Moreover, He is splendrous because only in Gokula
does He manifest His svabhavika-sobha, or most natural characteristics of
brilliance. It is stated in the Tenth Canto (Bhagavatam 10.32.14):
"(Bhagavan
Sri Krsna, Who sits upon the asana formed in the lotus-like hearts of the
siddha-yogis...) Manifesting a body that is the abode of all the splendour of
the three worlds, He sat upon the asana presented by the gopis, was worshipped
by them, and thereby radiated even more splendour."
His
excellence of lila-visesa, or attributes of His pastimes, are
stated in the last two lines of the verse. The word Yasoda indicates Yasodaya,
or "From His mother Yasoda". Bhiya indicates the fear of being
punished for His offense of breaking the yoghurt pots, stealing fresh butter
and so forth. Ulukhalat denotes "from the mortar" - in order to steal
the fresh butter suspended from the rafters, He took a large wooden grinding
mortar that was kept in the same storeroom, turned it on end, and climbed up on
it; but (spotting His mother coming into the room with a stick in her hand) He
immediately gets down again. Dhavamanam - He speedily runs away. In this
regardd, if one desires to know the particulars of this pastime, it can be
found in the Tenth Canto (Bhagavatam 10.9.8-9) thus:
"Then
Sri Krsna turned the grinding mortar on end, climbed up on it and began
distributing the fresh butter hanging from the rafters to the monkeys as freely
as He liked. Due to knowledge of His own mischievous thievery, His eyes
fearfully darted this way and that. Mother Yasoda saw Him doing this and slowly
crept up from behind to catch Him; but He noticed Her
coming with a stick in her hand, and He quickly got down from the mortar and
started running away, just like a person stricken with fear. Even though highly
advanced yogis are enabled by the strength of their penances to merge their
minds with brahma, still they cannot get a glimpse of this scene - of
Yasoda-devi chasing her son Krsna from behind while attempting to catch
Him."
Then,
tato-drutya - she ran very swiftly. Due to the samasa conjunction, these two
words become one. Gopya - by Sri Yasoda, para amrstam -
catching hold of His back. Herre the words atyanta tato drutya (running
behind Krsna very swiftly) imply the saundarya-visesa (excellence of beauty) of
Yasoda's full breasts, broad hips and so on, as well as the particulars of her
affection for her son. The loving use of the word gopya connotes the grand
fortune that came upon the gopa caste (by Krsna preferring to appear among
them). By the word paramrishtam (caught by His back), the unique attribute of
superexcellent affection that Bhagavan Sri Krsna feels for Yasoda-mata
(sneha-visesa) is intimated. In this regard also, one may search out the
following verse from the Tenth Canto (Bhagavatam 10.9.10):
"While
chasing after Krsna, the slim waisted Yasoda's broad hips caused her pace to
slow down. From running quickly, the flowers had come loose from her hair and
were falling after her, but she still continued to pursue Him. In this fashion,
after chasing and chasing Him, she finally caught Him from behind."
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the first shloka of Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 2:
After
this, Krsna's lila-visesa (excellence of pastimes) is mentioned, as confirmed
in the Bhagavatam (10.9.11) thus:
"(Mata
Yasoda saw that) The mischievous child then cried and cried while rubbing His
eyes with His hands, thereby smearing the dark eye-lining cosmetics from them.
(Krsna saw the stick in her hands, and) His eyes became overwhelmed with
fright. In this condition, Yasoda seized His hand and proceeded to chastise Him
in order to instil fear in Him."
The
details of this pastime are now spoken of in the second verse beginning with
rudantam. Seeing the whipping stick in His mother's hand, and apprehending
being struck with it, He behaved as if terrified so that she would see His
distress and think "He is afraid of being punished". He hoped that by
her seeing this attitude of His, she would not hit Him with the stick. Thinking
in this way (that He would be spared punishment), therefore karambhoja-yugmena
netra-yugmam mrjantam - He rubbed both eyes again and again with both of His
lotus-like hands at the same time. This is a natural characteristic of
balya-lila, and indeed the normal habit of small children.
Or
else, karambhoja-yugmena netra-yugmam mrjantam may also indicate that by the
influence of His fright, many tears were actually forming in His eyes;
therefore He rubbed them again and again in order to make the tears fall out.
Or furthermore, He rubbed His eyes again and again in order to wipe away the tears
that were falling again and again; this is yet another meaning. Now
satanka-netram - dreading His mother's punishment, Hiss eyes expressed how much
He was terrified in His mind. Or else, it refers to His glancing this way and
that in extreme fear. In this regard also, He tries to avoid being punished;
thus another confidential pastime is disclosed.
Moreover,
muhuh svasena - due to His crying and sobbing again and again, kampat -
trembling, tri-rekhanka - marked with three lines just like a conchshell,
kanthe stitham graivam - all His neck ornaments like pearl necklaces and so
forth - He who appears this way. Damodaram - Whose belly is tied with a rope. He is described thus in the Bhagavatam (10.9.14):
"Just
as an ordinary mother binds her naughty son, Yasoda Mata considered Sri Krsna
to be her own ordinary child and tied Him to the grinding mortar with a
rope."
In
stating that knots were tied on the rope both to His belly and to the mortar,
this indicates the particulars of Sri Krsna's excellence called bhakta-vasyata,
or His quality of coming under the control of His devotees. Bhaktyaiva baddham
- this refers to He Who responds only to bhakti in the following two ways: from
His mother's viewpoint, He is bound by the loving parental devotion she feels
for her son; from His viewpoint, He is bound by His mother's devotion in the
form of bhakta-vasyata. Baddham - He willingly accepted the binding, although
no rope had the power to bind Him. Thus mother Yasoda eventually collected all
the ropes in her household, but upon tying them together the length still came
out two fingers too short to fit around His waist. This is described in the
following shlokas from the Bhagavatam (10.9.15-17):
"While
tying up the naughty child, the rope came out two fingers short, so Yasoda Mata
tied another length to it. This rope also came out two fingers short, so she
tied yet another length to that one; but no matter how many ropes she added, it
always ended up too short. Thus she was unable to bind Him, even by combining
all the ropes in the house. (Then her gopi friends began to smile and she
herself also smiled and laughed in astonishment)."
Of
furthermore, the reason for this characteristic of the rope around His waist
is: bhaktyaiva baddham - He can be bound only by devotion and nothing else. By
this He becomes controlled. Such is certainly the conclusion of the
afore-mentioned description. In this connection, it is further stated in the
Bhagavatam (10.9.18-21):
"While
attempting to bind Krsna) Yasoda became fatigued from tying so many ropes
together again and again, and she perspired as the flower garlands in her hair
fell loose. Then the young child Sri Krsna saw her weariness and mercifully
consented to being tied up. O Maharaja Pariksit! Although He controls the
entire universe along with its highly qualified demigods, the supreme
independent Hari thus displayed how He comes under the control of His devotees.
Therefore this gopi Yasoda Mata received such a great benediction from He Who
awards liberation - a favour not granted to Lord Brahma, Mahesvara or even
Laksmi Devi herself, who sports as half the body of all the Lord's
incarnations. Bhagavan Gopika-suta, the Supreme Lord appearing as the son of a
cowherd woman, is thus readily available for His devotees, yet remains far away
from those absorbed in the bodily concept of the eight fold yoga practices as
well as those focusing on visions of the Self through intellectual
pursuits." (In other words, the tapasvis and the jnanis embark on a very
difficult path of spiritual searching, but - being completely unable to attain
Bhagavan - at best can end up realising only a minute fraction of Lord Krsna's
true glory".
These
verses from the Bhagavatam indicate direct proof of all such conclusions.
Elsewhere in the Bhagavatam it is stated (10.10.25):
"Because
Devarsi Narada is My dear devotee, and because these
two boys are the sons of My devotee Kuvera, I will deliver them in order to
fulfil the words previously spoken by Mahatma Narada."
The
purport of these words spoken by Sri Krsna is that He totally depends on the
devotion of Sri Narada; (being pleased with Narada's bhakti) Krsna therefore
dragged the grinding mortar and broke down the two trees in which the cursed
brothers stood. This is why the Lord performs these and indeed all other
pastimes (-because of the devotion of His devotees).
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the second shloka of Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 3:
Now
the excellences of His guna-visesa (attributes of His qualities) are expressed
in this verse beginning with the word iti. It depicts the reason for His coming
under the sway of His devotees. And furthermore, iti means "by this
Damodara-lila"; it also connotes idrsibhis ca - "by all Sri Krsna's
supremely enchanting childhood pastimes like the Damodara-lila." The word
svasya indicates His own uncommonly divine pastimes - lilabhih - by all His
sportive pastimes (He drowns all the living beings of Gokula in ecstasy). This
is confirmed by many statements of the Bhagavatam such as the following
(10.11.7-8):
"'If
you dance, then we will give you a sweet' - by these words, or by clapping
their hands, the elder gopis sometimes induced Sri Krsna to dance. Thus
Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, danced just like an ordinary child.
Sometimes they made Him sing, and He therefore sang just like a bewildered
innocent boy. In this way, He came under the control of the cowherd women
exactly like a wooden puppet on strings. Sometimes His relatives would order
Him to bring their shoes, chair or measuring pot; but if He was unable to lift
the article called for, He would grasp it firmly and, just to please His dear
relatives, flap His elbows again and again to demonstrate His childish
strength."
On
the basis of these conclusions of the Bhagavatam, it is further stated -
sva-ghosam means all the living beings dwelling in Gokula - ananda-kunde
nimajjantam - He immersed them in a deep pool brimming with liquid bliss mellows (ananda-rasa-maya-gabhira-jala). Therefore it is
declared in the Bhagavatam verse quoted above: svanam pritim samudvahan - by
these actions, He stimulated the ccomplete love of His own dearmost relatives
(priti). And furthermore, the word ghosah additionally means "the loud proclamation
of His glories." Similarly, the word sva also connotes either svasya or
svanam - that either His own glory or the glory of the
gopas and gopis is proclaimed by these pastimes. In this mood He personally
drowned them all in pools of bliss (ananda-kunde nimajjantam) - and they
experienced a very special excellence of supreme happiness (parama-sukha).
And
furthermore, it is especially noted that - tadiyesita-jnesu - unto those who
are attached to knowleedge of the Lord's majestic opulence (aisvarya), and who
worship Him accordingly, He declares bhaktair jitatvam - only in front of His
own pure devotees does He become totally submissive, being conquered by their
loving devotion; akhyapayantam - He has fully displaced this quality for all to
see. The meaning is - "I willingly become submissive to the control of My servants who are attached to bhakti, but I will never
submit Myself to those fond of jnana." This is confirmed in the Bhagavatam
(10.11.9) thus:
"Bhagavan
Sri Krsna has proclaimed to the bhaktas of the universe who are fond of
aisvarya-jnana that He is fully submissive only to His own pure devotees."
The
meaning of this Bhagavatam verse is - the word tad-vidam indicates devotees who
are attached to bhagavad-aisvarya-jnana. Or yet another meaning is - tadiyanam
suggests that He displays this quality (of submission to His devotees) only in
front of those who are already aware of the prabhava or power of His most dear,
favourite devotees; He does not exhibit this feature to others. The reason for
such behaviour is - those who are unaware of the special glories of the
Vaisnavas, and those who cultivate kevala-jnana (impersonal knowledge) are
unqualified to be presented with a display of the supremely confidential truth
regarding devotion and the glories of devotion. In this mood, a further meaning
of tad-vidam (from the Bhagavatam verse 10.11.9 quoted above) is - this word
reveals bhrtya-vasyata-vidam, or those who are unaware of Sri Krsna's quality
of submitting to His devotees. Now (in Damodarastakam) the word prematah
denotes "with an excellence of love and devotion"; satavrtti means
hundreds and hundreds of times; tam - unto that isvara - punah vande - I
repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances. Therefore the only thing worshipful
for me is to offer my obeisances unto the superexcellence of the process of
bhakti, which brings the Supreme Lord under the control of His devotees. Such a
condition can never come about through aisvarya-jnana, or knowledge of His
divine majesty. This alone is the mood of the devotee offering this specific
prayer.
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the third shloka of Sri Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 4:
In
this way, continuing the description of the Lord's particular excellences, the
prayer progresses with a request that mentions one's cherished desires. This is
presented in two verses (4 and 5), starting with the word varam. The word deva
means "O supremely effulgent one!" Or it also implies "O Lord
engaged in superexcellent sweet sports!" The word iha means "here in
Vrindavana" -varesad - from You, Who can bestow any benediction - varam na vrne - I do not seek any boon. Specifically,, I do not
pray for moksha, the fourth purushartha or goal of human life (to achieve
freedom from material contact by merging into the brahman effulgence); nor do I
pray for mokshaya-avadhim, the highest supreme zenith of liberation in the form
of eternally living in Sri Vaikuntha-loka, where the excellence of life is the
nature of thickly condensed happiness; nor do I pray for anyan ca - other
things such as the nine methods of devotional service headed by shravana
(hearing, chanting, etc.) - I do not desire the boons that may be obtained by
any of these processes. Furthermore - even if You want to give them to me, and
additionally - even if others consider such things to be very appealing - iha,
here in Vrindavana I do not have the slightest desire for them. This word iha
can also be used in relation to the statements of the rest of the verse. It is
naturally understood that the three benedictions referred to - moksha
(liberation), mokshavadhi (the highest zenith of liberation) and anya (other things) - all reflect an ascending level of
superiority, each being greater than the last. In this regard, the superiority
of Vaikuntha to impersonal liberation is clearly described in my (Srila
Sanatana Goswami's) Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara Khanda 1.14-15. And the
superiority of the nine process of devotion (headed by sravana) to
Vaikuntha-loka is described in the Bhagavatam (3.15.49) thus:
"(The
four kumaras headed by Sanat, after cursing the disrespectful devotees named
Jaya and Vijaya, said to Lord Visnu Who had just appeared:)
Oh Lord, we pray that you let us be born in any hellish condition of life, as
long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your
transcendental qualities."
By
these words, it becomes evident that the nine processes of devotion beginning
with shravana can be perfected even while living in hell - wherever one is, and
in whatever condition of life, one thereby experiences the perfection of living
in the eternal abode of Vaikuntha.
This
being the case, then what boon does one want from the Lord? The answer is given
in this fourth verse of Damodarastakam: he natha! - iha
idam te vapur gopala-balam - O Lord! This form of Yours
as a cowherd child in Vrindavana - sada me
Still
- (even if Krsna were to personallly address the devotee and offer:) "O he! The
above-mentioned three kinds of boons beginning with moksha are not ordinary;
they are most desirous, and anyone would immediately accept them...would you
accept them?" The answer is given herein - kim
anyaih - "What is the use of all these thhings? They have no value to
me." This is the meaning. The reason behind this attitude is - Sri Krsna
is composed of all the bliss in the universe, so if He is attained then
everything else is automatically and perfectly attained. But if one cannot
attain Krsna, then the imperfection perceived in the absence of the desired
goal especially creates a grand distaste and lamentable misery at the mere
thought of attaining something of lesser value. Therefore it is said here that
other boons are useless - kim anyaih - "What good
are they?" This is the mood.
Or
else, the words kim anyaih show yet another meaning.
(Again the Lord may ask) "Even though you do not pray for the boons
beginning with moksham, would you care then for the boon of directly seeing and
conversing with My supremely worshipable four-armed form (of Sri Narayana and
other aisvarya-maya-murtis)?" The answer remains the same - kim anyaih -
"Other boons are useless to me.&" The intention behind this is -
"If Your divine form of a cowherd child (which is the crest-jewel of all
splendours) would always be manifest in my heart, then I would feel very, very
pleased; nothing short of that would satisfy me." This is the mood.
For
further details regarding the glories of antar-darsana (seeing the Lord within
the heart), please see Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara-Khanda 2.86-96. Therein the
sage Sri Pippalayana on the planet Tapoloka has explained all these principles
very elaborately. Now the Damodarastaka prayer offered by Satyavrata Muni
similarly demonstrates that the longing for inner darsana is the best goal of
all - from this prayer all these things can be clearly understood.
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the fourth shloka of Sri Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 5:
And
furthermore, the longing to see Your sri-mukha, Your
divine lotus face that is parama-manohara (supremely enchanting) is stated in
this verse beginning with idam te. Sometime while one is meditating deeply
within and perceives such indescribable beauty and splendour - that is what is
revealed in this verse. His face is praphulla-kamalakara 0 it resembles a
fully-blossomed lotus flower; nikhila-santapa-hari - His face is the remover of
all kinds of distress; and paramananda-rasa-maya - and it is pervaded with the
supreme mmellows of pure bliss. That lotus face - manasi muhur-avirastam - may
it be revealed again and again within my mind.
What
does that lotus face look like? It is surrounded (vrtam) by curling hair
(kuntala) that is very dark blue (avyakta-nila), glossy (snigdha) and tinged
with red (rakta). The word vrtam suggests that just as a lotus flower is
surrounded with hovering honeybees, similarly the Lord's lotus face is
encircled with curly locks that bounce around whenever He moves. The word gopya
("by the gopi") indicates that His face is kissed again and again by
either Sri Yasoda or by Sri Radha. The word muhuh (again and again) is relative
to this word gopya, and it reads properly exactly where it is in the verse.
This being the case, may that divine lotus face - muhus-cumbitam - kissed
repeatedly by the supremely foortunate gopi-mama manasi - in my mind -
avirastam - may it manifest even once. This is thhe meaning.
Or
else - the word sada (always) found in the previous verse carries over to is
definitive conclusion in the present verse, thereby indicating "may it
always manifest" - this intention can also be accepted. Finally, that
lotus face is especially described thus - bimba-vad-raktadharam - He Whose lips are cherry red like the bimba fruit. (If that
form is manifest within my mind, I will be fully satisfied). Therefore it is
said about laksa-labhaih, the attainment of millions and millions of other
types of benedictions - alam - they are of no use to me whatsoever. This is the
meaning. This is most definitely the message that is conveyed by the fifth
verse.
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the fifth shloka of Sri Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 6:
Now,
by the potency of prayer, feelings of spontaneous love arise and one especially
craves to have the direct vision of the Lord. In this regard, when referring to
topics about saksat-darsana or direct vision of the Lord, only sri
nama-sankirtana is the parama sadhana or supreme method for this attainment.
After fixing His beauty in the mind, one then offers sorrowful prayers by way
of sri nama-kirtana, as in this verse beginning with namo. In the text of a
mula-shloka such as this sixth verse, usually the word tubhyam ("unto
You") would be found in order to complete the sense of the prayer; but in
this case, the excitement of prema causes the reciter to neglect all feelings
of awe or reverence. Therefore, in the mood of being in the personal presence
of the Lord, the word tubhyam is neglected.
He
prabho - means he madiya isvara, O my controller! (Offering You
my obeisances, I beg) prasida - this word indicates prasadam, or be pleased with me and
show Your mercy. (The reason for praying is) I am duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam -
immersed in the ocean of misery. Speccifically, the word duhkha (pain, misery, distress) indicates either the agony of repeated birth and
death in the samsarika material world, or else the torment of not seeing You
(resulting in feelings of ocean-like infinite desolation). Jalam - (meaning
net, illusion, deception), and abdhih (ocean) denotes the extreme vastness -
(By the force of my own karma) I am thus magnam (submerged). (I am tortured by
all these harsh afflictions); therefore I am ati-dinam - very distressed.
Or
else, another meaning of the word ati-dinam is - I am completely bereft of the
association of saintly persons, and consequently without their assistance I am
extremely fallen. Or else, yet another meaning is - (due to not seeing >You) I am just like a living dead man. In this regard, I am
also ajnam - I am particularly ignorant about how to resolve this problem. Then
krpaya drsti-vrstya - showing Your own mercy, please
shower me with Your nectar-laden glances - anugrhana - thereby uplifting me and
once more enthusing me with life. This alone is the purport of the prayer. Then aksi-drsyo-edhi - please become visible before my eyes.
Prayers
are usually made according to the sequence in which this one is prayed; as such
it is not appropriate in this case to first mentioned
the boon that is being requested, due to its nature of being the topmost of
rarely attained benedictions.
The
glory of attaining the direct vision of the Lord (saksat-darsana) within the
mind is explained very logically by the personal associates of the Lord (sri bhagavat parsada) in the Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Uttara
Khanda 3.179-182. From this passage one may gain specific knowledge of these
topics.
(Now
the devotional kirtana of the Lord's names, used to address Him at the
beginning of the mula-shloka, will be explained:) In
this sixth verse the word deva indicates he divya rupa - O Lord of divine
beauty! This beauty is the cause for desiring His darsana. The address of
damodara intimates specifically that He is glorified for His excellence of
bhakta-vatsalya, or affection for His devotees (up to the point of allowing
them to bind Him around the waist). Therefore I will be qualified only by
bhakti to see Him with my own eyes. He Who has no end
(Whose mercy has no limits) is addressed as ananta. Therefore He will certainly
shower His glance of mercy and thus favour me. The address prabhu connotes he
acintya-ananta-adbhuta-maha-sakti-yukta - O You Who are endowed with inconceivable,
limitless, astonishingly grand potency! Therefore You Who cannot be perceived
by the senses can only become visible to my eyes by dint of this same
inconceivable sakti of Yours. Addressing Him as isa
suggests - he parama-svatantra - O You Who are
supremely independent! In showing Your favour even to
unfit souls, You are dependent on no one else. And moreover, the address visnu
means he sarva-vyapaka - O You Who are all-pervading!
Furthermore, it means - O You Who are fond of entering
into Vrindavana's secluded caves and bower-cottages! Praying like this
indicates that it is not difficult for Him to come before one's eyes; He does
not have to labour hard to come from a distance.
(Some
additional interpretations of the above-mentioned forms of address are now given:) Or else, he ananta means that He is aparicchinna or
continuously existent without interval or separation. The address of visnu
means He is sarva-vyapin or living everywhere. Therefore, he damodara proclaims
Him thus - under the sway of His own parama-vatsalya-visesa or supremely
affectionate attribute, there is absolutely nothing that He cannot do. The
purport of the other words used for addressing Him may also be understood in
terms of these expanded indications.
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the sixth shloka of Sri Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 7:
In
this way, by the attributes of pure ecstatic love (prema-visesa) one becomes
infused with supreme longing and prays for direct audience with the Lord
(saksat-darsana). From the attributes of that prayerful longing arises ecstatic loving service (prema-bhakti), which
demonstrates the supreme rarity of saksat-darsana. This prema-bhakti is verily
the only means for attaining His darsana; first establishing this as a fact,
prayer is then offered to Him. Or else - if one does receive His vision but
once, the mind is unsatisfied, and (due to not seeing Him the very next second)
the agony of separation sets in. Holding an apprehension like this, which
perpetually brings the Lord under one's sway, is a feature of prema-bhakti -
which is the one and only means of maintaining such a condition. This being
declared the case, then how could it possibly be
accomplished by such an utmost offender like me? The answer to this concern is
that Sri Bhagavan's quality of bhakta-vatsalya (affection for His devotees)
makes the impossible quite possible. In order to resolve this for certain, the
proposal of moksha is again rejected here in the seventh verse beginning with
kuveratmajau, where the prayer is made purely for attaining prema-bhakti.
The
words baddha-murtya indicate that His sri vigraha
(divine bodily form) was bound with ropes tied to the grinding mortar by Sri
Yasoda; by that sri vigraha (He liberated the two sons of Kuvera). Thus by His
dragging the mortar between (the two trees known as yamalarjuna) Bhagavan
personally demonstrates the supreme fortune that comes in the form of
saksat-darsana (seeing His form), personally touching His form, and so forth,
which are integral attributes of His supremely beautiful pastimes. (Even though
He Himself was tied up, now it is described how he liberated Nalakuvara and Manigriva:) The word mocitau denotes that they were
liberated not just from the curse of Sri Narada, but from samsara (the material
world) as well; they were not awarded with kevalam or impersonal liberation of
merging into His all-pervading effulgence, but it is definitely stated that
they were gifted with prema-bhakti. These two boys are described as
bhakti-bhajau - they took shelter of bhakti as the supreme goal. Those who
cannot give up the shelter of devotion in any way, shape or form are called
bhakti -bhajam. (Krsna personally transformed them in this way). Thus it is the
intention of the author to specifically declare that not only were they
liberated, but that they were also awarded with prema-bhakti. In this regard,
the Lord has declared to these two boys in the Bhagavatam (10.10.42):
"The
sprout of prema for Me, which was your most supremely
cherished goal, has now fully arisen in both of you. From this ecstatic mood,
you will never take birth in the material world again."
(Srila
Sanatana Goswami has elucidated upon this verse in his own commentary on the
Bhagavatam). The purport is - The word vam ("You two") indicates that
Lord Krsna was addressing the two boys thusly: "The most desire thing you
have prayed for is parama-bhava and you both have fully developed this prema
for Me. Therefore you will never again experience
bhava, the repeated birth and death in the material world, nor will you feel
the misery of samsara even while living here."
Then,
he damodara! tatha - just like that - svakam - the exclusive shelter (ashraya)
of Your own lotus feet, or else - the exclusive objective (vishaya) of such a
beautiful form as Yours; namely prema-bhakti - me - unto me - prayaccha -
please bestow it unto me in the most lavish way. (yaccha
means "please give" and the prefix pra indicates prakarshena or
"with profusion or intensity").
Verily,
it is just like Lord Sri Krsna is saying, "O he! Why are you so
enthusiastic for prema-bhakti? Just accept liberation like the two sons of
Kuvera, whereby the miseries of birth and death in the material world are
finished." To that, the answer remains the same - neti - no, thank you.
Other than iha, this goal named prema-bhakti - na mokshe graho me
Or
else, the phrase he damodara! prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha means - this
Bhagavan's belly is bound with ropes, so from Him one prays for prema-bhakti in
order to perpetually bind His belly; the eagerness for this reciprocation makes
it actually possible. Apprehending such, the prayer continues (na mokshe grahah, etc.), wherein the alarmed devotee offers
- "Do I not have eagerness for You tto become liberated from the ropes?"
The purport is: "Yes, I certainly care." This is precisely the
meaning. But all I want from You (in Your bound up
form) is that You bestow my most cherished benediction of prema bhakti.
Or
else, yet another meaning is - the word iha indicates "please bestow
prema-bhakti here in Vrindavana" - this intention also follows. To
interpret further,, one prays thus because Sri Vrindavana is the exclusive
agent for the arising of prema-bhakti's unique happiness, also, only in
Vrindavana Sri Krsna especially appears; also, the attributes of His
sakshat-darsana are found there in that form) with His belly bound); and
further, one prays for perpetual residence in Vrindavana because only there
does Sri Bhagavan desire to especially manifest as the enjoyer of the forest -
Vrindavana-Vihari. All this is additionally evidence. Further details of these
topics could be ascertained as we have been doing herein.
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the seventh shloka of Sri Sri
Damodarastakam.
VERSE 8:
Now
at the conclusion of the prayer, in order to summarize the presentation of
topics that are being prayed for, and also to arouse the attributes of bhakti,
obeisances are given separately unto Bhagavan's unique binding,, bodily limbs,
associates, and so on in the verse beginning with namas te 'stu. It is stated te damne namo 'stu - I bow to the maha-pasha, the
magnificent rope that binds Your belly. What is this grand rope like? It is
sphurantya dipte dhama - the source or shelter of a
splendrous effulgence. In this regard, it is suggested by the author
that such a maha-pasha is the very abode of the (endlessly radiant)
concentrated brahma-teja, or all-pervading brahman
effulgence.
After
that, tvadiyaya udaraya namo 'stu - I bow to Your
belly. The reason for this is because while bound with ropes, You especially manifest the beauty and other qualities of
Your belly as well as the glorious characteristics of vatsalya-lila and other
pastimes. What is that belly like? It is stated vishvasya dhama - that belly is
the support for all thee universes in creation, including all the stationary
and moving beings contained therein. From the lotus navel on His abdomen has
sprouted a gigantic lotus flower that sustains the fourteen worlds.
Additionally, (during His childhood pastimes in Vrindavana) He bodily displayed
the vishva-rupa or universal form to His mother on two occasions. This is
another indication. Therefore, in such a pastime of binding Him by the waist,
mother Yasoda bound up the whole universe, indeed, she brought the entire
creation under her control. This is the proclamation.
It
is never possible to factually bind the (all-pervading, limitlessly potent)
Lord, Who is Isha (the supreme controller), but He willingly accepts binding as
an attribute of His superexcellent affection for His devotees
(bhakta-vatsalya-visesa). And by that acceptance of binding we are informed
that such pastimes are imperceptible to all the logic and reasoning available
within all the material universes. This is an intimation of His aisvarya-visesa
or attributes of majesty.
The
reason for offering obeisances first unto the rope (dama) and then unto the
Lord's belly (udara) is - because the rope is situated upon His belly. Or
furthermore, to indicate the ascending superiority in the significance of
different things, (respects are first offered to the rope, then to His belly).
Now,
namo radhikayai - obeisances are offered unto His beloved, Bhagavati Sri
Radhika. This is done in order to show that the mercy of His beloved enables
one to fully attain the desire objective - including objectives that are even
beyond the range of desire. By offering obeisances unto Sri Radhika, it is
implied that obeisances are also being offered unto all the gopis. Or else,
since Sri Radhika is the foremost of them all, obeisances are offered only unto
Her.
The
word radhika is used here to denote the attributes and excellence of one who is
always engaged in Sri Bhagavan's aradhana or worship (arranging only for His
pleasure); this is the purpose of using Her specific
name "Radhika" in this text. Therefore - tvadiya-priyayaih -
obeisances unto Your beloved. Or else, this name
"Radhika" indicates rudhi (in grammatical terms, it is capable of conveying
a meaning not supported by derivation). Therefore, regardless of Her aradhana or worship of You, She is still Your eternally
dearmost beloved (nitya-priya). In this connection also, the word tvadiya
indicates that not only is She dear to Yourself, but
to all Your other devotees as well; what more, then, could be said about how
dear She is to You? Additionally, this statement implies that You are also Her nitya-priya (eternally dear beloved). By such the excellence of Sri Radhika's love for Sri Krsna
(prema-visesa) is suggested. This the words
priyayaih namah in this verse can either mean - my obeisances unto You,
Radhika's beloved; or, my obeisances unto Radhika, Your beloved. Whoever is
beloved to You, such a person is certainly worshipable
for the entire universe. Therefore, since Radhika is Your
own dearmost beloved, namo 'stu - I bow before Her.
And
finally at the conclusion of the prayer, the author desires to describe the
supreme superexcellence of the rasa-lila and other transcendental pastimes that
Lord Sri Krsna performs with Sri Radhika, but since these are the topmost of
confidential topics, they are not mentioned directly. The logic of madhurena
samapayet - "all undertakings should be completed sweetly" - applies
here. Therefore such confidential pastimes are referred to only by a mere dint
as they are offered obeisances with the words namo 'nanta-lilaya (obeisances
unto Your limitless pastimes).
The
word devaya indicates that obeisances are offered unto Bhagavan Who is lokottara - supernatural, divine, transcendental.
With this it is intimated that by Damodara Krsna's divinely supernatural
quality, then all the lilas performed by Him are also
similarly transcendental. Or else, it could also be interpreted to mean - my
obeisances unto You Who are continuously engaged in pastimes along with Sri
Radhika. Therefore, ananta-lilaya tubhyam namah - I offer my respectful
obeisances unto You Who are thus performing limitless pastimes. By the words
ananta-lila, it is suggested to include all the pastimes associated with the
realm of Gokula Vrindavana. I offer my obeisances unto all those lilas, such a mood is most certainly expressed in this
verse.
Thus
ends Sanatana Goswami's Dig-Darsini-Tika on the eighth shloka of Sri Sri
Damodarastakam.