Sri Priti-Sandarbha
BY: SUN STAFF
Srila Jiva Goswami
Aug 30, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Priti-sandarbha
Volume One
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 198
The next verse declares (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 5.19.8):
suro 'suro vapy atha vanaro narah
sarvatmana yah sukritajnam uttamam
bhajeta ramam manujakritim harim
ya uttaran anayat kosalan divam iti
"Therefore, whether one is a demigod or a demon, a man or a creature other than man, such as a beast or bird, everyone should worship Lord Ramacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears on this earth just like a human being. There is no need of great austerities or penances to worship the Lord, for Me accepts even a small service offered by His devotee. Thus He is satisfied, and as soon as He is satisfied, the devotee is successful. Indeed, Lord Shri Ramacandra brought all the devotees of Ayodhya back home, back to Godhead [Vaikunöha]."*
The previous verse described devotion to the Lord's humanlike transcendental form, devotion based on knowledge of the Lord's true nature and status. This verse describes devotion based on perception of the Lord's sweetness. In that situation the devotee worships the humanlike form of the Lord (manujakritim harim). Here the word "ramam" means "the form of Lord Rama, not the form of Kapila or any other form of the Lord". Here "uttamam" means "whose transcendental qualities have no equal ro superior", and "sukritajnam" means "He who is pleased by even a small quantity of devotional service". This verse was spoken by Shri Hanuman.
Anuccheda 199
It is said in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.23.29-32):
maivam vibho 'rhati. . .
"The wives of the brahmanas replied: O almighty one, please do not speak such cruel words. Rather, You should fulfill Your promise that You always reciprocate with Your devotees in kind. Now that we have attained Your lotus feet, we simply wish to remain here in the forest so we may carry upon our heads the garlands of tulasi leaves You may neglectfully kick away with Your lotus feet. We are ready to give up all material relationships."*
It is again said in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.29.30):
preshöho bhavams tanu-bhritam kila bandhur atma
"Our dear Krishna, as an expert in religion You have advised us that the proper religious duty for women is to faithfuIly serve their husbands, children and other relatives. We agree that this principle is valid, but actually this service should be rendered to You. After all, O Lord, You are the dearmost friend of all embodied souls. You are their most intimate relative and indeed their very Self."***
Because they are filled with jokes and puns, these verses are very glorious and show perfectly compatible cominations of the rasas.
Sometimes in a secondary way the rasas may be incompatibe and in the primary way the rasas are compatible. This is seen in the following words of Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.60.45):
tvak-shmashru-roma-nakha-kesha. . .
"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."***
These words were spoken by Shri Rukmini. Here, although the presence of bibhatsa-reasa (horror) is incompatible, that incompatibility is eclipsed by Rukimini-devi's praise of her beloved husband, Lord Krishna. Therefore the result is glorious and in the final result the rasas are considered compatible. It is also said in Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.10.30):
etah param stritvam apastapeshalam
nirasta-shaucam bata sadhu kurvate
yasam grihat pushkara-locanah patir
na jatv apaity ahritibhir hridi sprishan
"All these women auspiciously glorified their lives despite their being without individuality and without purity. Their husband, the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead, never left them alone at home. He always pleased their hearts by making valuable presentations."*
In this verse the word "stritvam" mweans “birth as a woman". Shri Rukmini and the other queens came from different classes of society. The word "apastapeshalam" here describes their situation. These words do not describe Shri Rukimini and the other queens born in higher classes. The other queens, born as lower-class women, may have had some faults, but by glorifying Lord Krishna they all became supremely purified. That is the way they became saintly, free of faults, and decorated with all virtues. Then this verses explains that Lord Krishna, giving apopropriate gifts to His beloved queens, touched their hearts. At heart attached to them, Lord Krishna did not leave their homes. As in a previous example the presence of bibhatsa-rasas gave a superficial appearance of rasabhasa that in in the end was not atb all present, so in this verse any appearance of rasabhasa is not real. There is no rasabhasa in this verse. This verse was spoken by the ladies in Hastinapura, the city of the Kauravas.
Return to Anuccheda 195-197
