Sri Priti-Sandarbha
BY: SUN STAFF
Srila Jiva Goswami
Jul 13, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Priti-sandarbha
Volume One
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 110 (Part Two)
The Supreme (word describes true peace in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.19.36):
shamo man-nishthata buddheh
"True peace is attained when one faithfully rests his intelligence in Me."
In these words the Supreme Lord criticizes material pleasures, which bring horrible results. Even the ordinary people of this world eventually come to hate material pleasures. Criticizing material so-called pleasures and praising the rasas of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Narada explains in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.10-11):
na yad-vacash citra-padam harer yasho
jagat-pavitram pragrinita karhicit
tad vayasam tirtham ushanti manasa
na yatra hamsa niramanty ushik-kshayah
"Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.*
tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin prati-shlokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yasho 'nkitani yat
shrinvanti gayanti grinanti sadhavah
"On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc. of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung, and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."*
The material rasas are also rejected by Queen Rukmini, who says in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.60.45):
tvak-shmashru-roma-nakha-kesha-pinaddham antar
mamsasthi-rakta-kriimi-vit-kapha-pitta-vatam
jivac-chavam bhajati kanta-matir vimudha
ya te padabja-makarandam ajighrati stri
"A woman who fails to relish the fragrance of the honey of Your lotus feet becomes totally befooled, and thus she accepts as her husband or lover a living corpse covered with skin, whiskers, nails, head-hair, and body hair, and filled with flesh, bones, blood, parasites, feces, mucus, bile, and air."*
Therefore one should not place his faith in the material rasas, for the material rasas always lead to a situation filled with horrors. The rasas of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, on the other hand, lead to liberation from the material world. If the material rasas lead only to distress and the spiritual rasas lead to liberation, why then do the foolish people not relish the spiritual rasas? The answer is given in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.1.4):
nivritta-tarshair upagiyamanat. . .
"Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the parampara system. That is, it is conveyed from spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?"*
The sweetness of the spiritual rasas is described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.21.19):
aspandanam gati-matam pulakas tarunam. . .
"When Lord Krishna plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble in ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful."***
The spiritual rasas of association with Lord Krishna brought the devotees back to life. This is described in the following words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.17.15):
krishnam sametya labdheha
asan shushka naga api
"Having regained their vital functions, Yashoda, Rohini, Nanda and all the other cowherd women and men went up to Krishna. O descendant of Kuru, even the dried-up trees came back to life."***
The Purana Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches the rasas of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed by the following words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.3):
nigama-kalpa-taroh. . .
"O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls."*
This verse means: "O auspicious souls learned in the rasas of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in your hearts please relish the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is the sweet fruit of desire tree of the Vedas, a tree with many branches and sub-branches that bear all fruits, a tree that has come to this earth from the spiritual world of Vaikuntha." Here the word "aho" is misused to hint that Srimad-Bhagavatam enables one to attain what is otherwise unattainable. The scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam is described here with the word "rasa" because it is sweet with the spiritual rasas. It is called Bhagavatam because it describes the rasas of love for Bhagavan (the Supreme Personality of Godhead). That Srimad-Bhagavatam is filled with the rasas of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in these words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7):
yasyam vai shruyamanayam. . .
"Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature (Srimad-Bhagavatam), the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness."*
The word "rasa" is used in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in these words of Taittiriya Upanisad (2.7.1):
raso vai sah. rasam hy evayam labdhvanandi-bhavati.
"When one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure (rasa), Krishna, he actually becomes transcendentally blissful."*
In Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.3 the word "rasikah" shows that the sages who attained perfection in ancient times as well as the sages who attained perfection in recent times knew the truth of the rasas. The word "galitam" shows that the fruit here is perfectly ripe and sweet. Here it is seen that because it has come from the tree of the scriptures, this fruit is very sweet and delicious. "Rasam" here shows that this fruit has neither skin nor pit. It has no defect in any way. The words "bhagavatam nigamasya" here show that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the best of all the sacred fruits of the tree of the scriptures. This is so because it teaches the highest goal of life. Even though the nectar of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is naturally very excellent, it is made even more excellent in Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is shown here by the word "shuka". Although the fruit of Srimad-Bhagavatam is very wonderful because it has fallen from the kalpa-vriksha tree of the scriptures, it is made even more sweet and nectarean because it is touched by the mouth of Srila Shukadeva Gosvami. When it touches Srila Sukadeva Gosvami's mouth, that fruit becoems sweeter. When they come from the mouth of a great devotee, descriptions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead become sweeter. How much more is this true when such descriptions come from the mouth of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, the king of all great devotees? By tasting the nectar of Srimad-Bhagavatam one will never become satiated. His desire to taste it will never become diminished. Therefore, even after attaining liberation (alayam), one should drink (pibata) the nectar of Srimad-Bhagavatam. That even liberated souls are attracted to Srimad-Bhagavatam is confirmed by Srila Shukadeva Gosvami in the following words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.9):
parinishthito 'pi. . .
"O saintly king, I was perfectly situated in transcendence, yet I was still attracted by the delineation of the pastimes of the Lord, who is described by enlightened verses."*
The sweetness of other things fades in the course of time. The sweetness of Srimad-Bhagavatam is not like that. It does not fade. The rasas of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead are of two kinds: 1. prity-upayukta and 2. priti-parinama. These are described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.14-15):
katha imas te kathita mahiyasam
vitatya lokeshu yashah pareyusham
vijnana-vairagya-vivakshaya vibho
vaco-vibhutir na tu paramarthyam
"O mighty Pariksit, I have related to you the narrations of all these great kings, who spread their fame throughout the world and then departed. My real purpose was to teach transcendental knowledge and renunciation. Stories of kings lend power and opulence to these narrations but do not in themselves constitute the ultimate aspect of knowledge.***
yas tuttama-shloka-gunanuvadah
sangiyate 'bhikshnam amangala-ghnah
tam eva nityam shrinuyad abhikshnam
krishne 'malam bhaktim abhipsamanah
"The person who desires pure devotional service to Lord Krishna should hear the narrations of Lord Uttamashloka's glorious qualities, the constant chanting of which destroys everything inauspicious. The devotee should engage in such listening in regular daily assemblies and should also continue his hearing throughout the day."***
After describing the rasas in a general way, Srila Shukadeva Gosvami describes them in more detail in the word “amrita". "Amrita" here refers to the nectar of the Lord's pastimes, nectar described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.11):
hari-lila-katha-vrata-
mritanandita-sat-suram
"Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of nectarean accounts of Lord Krishna's pastimes, which give ecstasy to the saintly devotees and demigods."
That narrations of Lord's pastimes are sweet is confirmed by these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.4.40):
lila-katha-rasa-nishevanam. . .
"Narrations of lord Krishna's pastimes are sweet like nectar."
In the word "sat-suram" from Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.11, the word "sat" refers to the atmarama transcendentalists situated in Brahman realization, who are referred to by the word "satam" in Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.12.11, and the word "suram" refers to the devotees who taste only the nectar of devotional service to the Lord. In Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.3 the word "amrta-drava" means “the sweetest nectar of the Lord's pastimes". The following explanation may be given: Although the nectar of love (pritimaya-rasa) for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the sweetest of all nectars (sreyah), various levels of that nectar be certainly be distinguished. The taste of the nectar of the rasas, as described in the word "pibata" is of two kinds, the first of which is the rasas tasted by the Lord's personal associates who personally participate in the Supreme Lord's pastimes. This perception of the rasas is the best, because it is direct and confidential (antaranga). The other perception of the rasas is tasted by all others. It is indirect and not confidential (bahiranga). These two levels of the perception of the nectar of the rasas are both described here by the single word "pibata". This nectar is like a river flowing from the mouth of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. That Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the sweetest nectar of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is confirmed by these words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.15):
sarva-vedanta-saram hi. . .
. . .tad-rasamrita-triptasya. . .
"Srimad-Bhagavatam is declared to be the essence of all Vedanta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its nectarean mellow will never be attracted by any other literature."***
In His commentary Srila Sridhara Svami defines the word “bhavukah" in this way:
"'Bhavukah' here means `they who are expert at meditating on the nectar rasas'."
This meditation is described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.19):
smaran mukundanghry-upaguhanam punar
vidhatum icchen na rasa-graho janah
"A person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again."*
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.3 quoted in this anuccheda was spoken by Srila Vedavyasa.
Return to Anuccheda 110 (Part One)
