Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)
by 艢r墨 艢r墨mad Bhaktived膩nta N膩r膩yana Gosv膩m墨 Mah膩r膩ja | 2005 | 440,179 words | ISBN-13: 9781935428329
The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 1.4.20, 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 1.4.20 contained in Chapter 4鈥擝hakta (the devotee)鈥攐f Part one (prathama-khanda).
Verse 1.4.20
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.4.20:
啶灌え啷傕ぎ啶︵-啶嗋う啶苦さ啶む 啶むじ啷嵿く 啶曕ぞ啶た 啶膏啶掂ぞ 啶曕啶むぞ啶膏啶むた 啶� 啷�
啶ぐ啶� 啶掂た啶樴啶ㄠぞ啶曕啶侧 啶氞た啶む啶む 啶膏啶ぐ啶｀ 啶曕啶班た啶い啷� 啶く啶� 啷� 啷ㄠウ 啷�丑补苍奴尘补诲-腻诲颈vat tasya k膩pi 蝉别惫腻 k峁泃膩sti na |
para峁� vighn膩kule citte 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺峁� kriyate may膩 || 20 ||I have never had the service of 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 the way 艢r墨 贬补苍耻尘腻苍 and others serve. Directly faced by difficult dilemmas, I simply remembered my Prabhu.
Commentary: Dig-dar艣in墨-峁玨膩 with Bh膩v膩nuv膩da
(By 艢r墨la San膩tana Gosv膩m墨 himself including a deep purport of that commentary)
One may say that being among the sevakas or servants is the mercy of 艢r墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺, hence, a bhakta is in the service of 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍, culminating in the symptoms of mercy of 碍峁涐梗峁嘺. Therefore, he speaks this verse beginning with 丑补苍奴尘补诲-腻诲颈. 鈥淭he way devotees like 艢r墨 贬补苍耻尘腻苍 served 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍, I have never performed service like that. I simply remembered Him.鈥�
Here, using the expression 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺峁� kriyate in the present tense indicates that 鈥渁lthough I was merely engaged in remembrance, still I achieved steady faith (苍颈峁ａ弓丑补).鈥� Now, the question may arise whether by the word 蝉别惫腻 the abhideya or practice is understood and amongst that nine-fold practice 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺 is the chief. Among all the senses, mind is superior and to offer the mind at the feet of 艢r墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺 is 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺m, therefore remembrance is the best. Due to the superiority of 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺m you are also a unique devotee of 艢r墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺 and special recipient of His mercy. In reply to this, he is saying, 鈥淚 simply do 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺 of 艢r墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺, being overwhelmed or subordinate to such things as indifference (laya) and bewilderment (惫颈办峁辫补). Therefore, due to my heart being always overwhelmed by such difficult dilemmas, my 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺 is also not perfectly realized.鈥�
Or else, the natural occupation of the mind is 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺, and for a mind that always comes under such obstacles as indifference and bewilderment, even 蝉尘补谤补峁嘺 is not the main one. In this connection, in the 艣r墨 goloka-尘腻丑腻迟尘测补 section of this book (Second Canto), this logical line of argument will be further elucidated upon.