Text Three itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam punah prematas tam satavrtti vande Translation Those superexcellent pastimes of Lord Krishnas babyhood drowned the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy. To the devotees who are attracted only to His majestic aspect of Narayana in Vaikuntha, the Lord herein reveals: I am conquered and overwhelmed by pure loving devotion. To the Supreme Lord, Damodara, my obeisances hundreds and hundreds of times. Commentary by Srila Sanatana Goswami Now the excellences of His guna-vishesha (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 Krishnas 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 Krishna 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 complete 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 knowledge of the Lords 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 Krishna 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 Krishnas quality of submitting to His devotees. Now (in Damodarashtakam) 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 Goswamis Dig-Darshini-Tika on the third shloka of Sri Sri Damodara Astakam
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 05:12:54 +0000
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