Rasikānanda's 'Bhāgavatāṣṭakam' verse 1

Ancient manuscript of 'Bhāgavatāṣṭakam' preserved in Gopivallabhpur

Today we celebrate the appearance of Śrīla Rasikānanda Murāri, one of the greatest preachers the world has ever seen and one of the most amazing personalities in the Gauḍīya samprādaya. Together with his guru, Śrī Śyāmānanda Prabhu, Rasika opened around 3, 500 temples during his constant preaching tours in Odisha, West Bengal and North India. He not only initiated thousands of common people, but also converted Muslims, robbers, murderers, piśācīs (witches), and even wild animals like the elephant Gopāla dāsa. Besides ‘Śyāmānanda-śatakam’, which became well known by the commentary Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa wrote on it, the only Sanskrit work of Śrī Rasikānanda known to us is the ‘Bhāgavatāṣṭakam’, in which he sings the glories of the Lord’s devotees. Śrī Bhajanānandadeva Gosvāmī belonged to the fourth generation of Rasikānanda’s descendants and was one of the mahantas in Gopivallabhpur in the 18th century during Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s life time. His only known composition is a scholarly commentary of the ‘Bhāgavatāṣṭakam’, which is here presented in English.

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TEXT 1

श्रीगोविन्दपदारविन्दमधुपानस्याभिलाषोज्झितान्

पूर्णप्रेमरसोत्सवोज्ज्वलमनोवृत्तिप्रसन्नाननान् ।

शश्वत्कृष्णकथामहामृतपयोराशौ मुदा खेलतो

वन्दे भागवतानिमाननुलवं मूर्ध्ना निपत्य क्षितौ ॥ १ ॥

śrī-govinda-padāravinda-madhu-pānasyābhilāṣojjhitān

pūrṇa-prema-rasotsavojjvala-mano-vṛtti-prasannānanān |

śaśvat kṛṣṇa-kathā-mahāmṛta-payo-rāśau mudā khelato

vande bhāgavatān imān anulavaṁ mūrdhnā nipatya kṣitau || 1 ||

Forsaking all desires other than drinking the honey from the lotus feet of Śrī Govinda, in great bliss they constantly amuse themselves in the vast ocean of the nectarean topics of Kṛṣṇa with satisfaction in their faces due to the blazing thoughts produced by the happiness of relishing full love for Him. Bowing my head on the ground, I respectfully glorify these great devotees of the Lord at every moment.

               

नुमः कृष्णभक्तान् मुदा तत्र रक्तान् सदानन्दयुक्तानतो नित्यमुक्तान् ।

प्रभोः पादभक्तिं गृहादेर्विरक्तिं लभन्ते ह्यशेषात् प्रसादेन येषाम् ॥

अथ सोऽयं श्रीमद्धरिगुरुभागवतैकनिष्ठः श्रीमद्रसिकानन्ददेवगोस्वामी शतकेनैव श्रीमद्गुरुदेवं वर्णयित्वाधुना सतां प्रसङ्गान् मम वीर्यसंविदो भवन्ति हृत्कर्णरसायनाः कथाः । तज्जोषणादाश्वपवर्गवर्त्मनि श्रद्धा रतिर्भक्तिरनुक्रमिष्यति (श्रीमद्भागवतम्, ३.२५.२५) इति तृतीये श्रीकपिलदेवोक्त्यनुसारेण श्रीभागवतप्रसङ्गे माहात्म्यविशेषमवलोकयंस्तल्लब्धये श्रीभागवतानभिवादयति — श्रीगोविन्देत्यादिना । इमान् प्रत्यक्षतया स्थितान् भागवतान् श्रीभगवद्भक्तान् । अनुलवं प्रतिक्षणं वीप्सायामव्ययीभावः । क्षितौ पृथिव्यां नित्यं निपत्य पतित्वा दण्डवदिति शेषः । मूर्ध्ना शिरसा वन्दे अभिवादयाम्यहमिति शेषः । मूर्ध्नेत्युपलक्षणं पादाद्यष्टाङ्गैरित्यर्थः । पद्भ्यां दोर्भ्यां च जानूभ्यामुरसा शिरसा दृशा । मनसा वचसा चेति प्रणामोऽष्टाङ्ग ईरित इति तल्लक्षणात् । यद्वा शिरस्तु तस्योभयलिङ्गमानमेत् (श्रीमद्भागवतम्, १०.८०.४) इति दशमे श्रीशौनकोक्तरीत्या शिरसा तद्वन्दनेनैव मम शिरसः प्रशस्तशिरसत्वं स्यादिति भावः । कीदृशानित्यापेक्षायां विशेषणान्याह – श्रिया शोभया वेषरचनया वा उपलक्षितो यो गोविन्दः श्रीव्रजेन्द्रात्मजस्तस्य पदे अरन्विन्दे इवेति लुप्तोपमा दर्शिता । उपमितं व्याघ्रादिभिः सामान्याप्रयोगे इति पाणिनिस्मृतेः  । तत्र मधुप इव मधुपास्तान् । श्रीर्वेषरचना शोभेत्याद्यनेकार्थध्वनिमञ्जरी । श्रीगोविन्दस्य व्रजेन्द्रात्मजत्वे किं प्रमाणम् । नन्दपत्न्यां यशोदायां मिथुनं समजायत । गोविन्दाख्यः पुमान् कन्या साम्बिका मथुरां गता ।  वसुदेवसमानीतो वासुदेवोऽखिलात्मनि । लिल्ये नन्दसुते राजन् घने सौदामिनी यथेति श्रीयामलवचनम् । नन्दगोपगृहे जाता यशोदागर्भसम्भवा (मार्कण्डेयपुराणम्, ९१.३९) इत्यादिपुराणवचनम् । नन्दपत्नी यशोदा च जातं परमबुध्यत (श्रीमद्भागवतम्, १०.३.५३) इति दशमे श्रीशुकवचनम् । परं परमेश्वरमिति तदर्थः । परं धीमहीत्यत्र श्रीस्वामिव्याख्यानात् । नन्दस्त्वात्मज उत्पन्ने जाताह्लादो महामनाः (श्रीमद्भागवतम्, १०.५.१) इति, अदृश्यतानुजा विष्णोः (श्रीमद्भागवतम्, १०.४.९) इत्यादिकमपि श्रीशुकवचनमित्याद्यपि बहुतरं ज्ञेयम् । एतेनास्य गौणपुत्रत्वं निरस्तम् । पुनः कीदृशान् । अन्ये सद्धर्मव्यतिरिक्ता येऽभिलाषास्तैरुज्झितास्त्यक्ताः,  तत्रैवोज्झिता यैरिति वा ।  उक्तं च श्रीभागवतारम्भे श्रीभगवद्व्यासपादैः –  धर्मप्रोज्झितकैतवोऽत्र परमो निर्मत्सराणां सताम् (श्रीमद्भागवतम्, १.१.२) इत्यादि । पूर्णो यः प्रेमा स एव रस आस्वादजनकत्वात् । रस आस्वादने धातुः । तेन य उत्सव आनन्दस्तेनोज्ज्वला देदीप्यमाना या मनोवृत्तिस्तया प्रसन्नानि परितुष्टान्युत्फुल्लानीति यावत्तथा भृतानि मुखानि येषां तान् । हर्षः प्रमोदः प्रमदो मुत्तोषानन्द उत्सव इति धनञ्जयः । उज्ज्वलो दीप्तशृङ्गारविशदेषु विकाशिनीति, प्रसन्ना स्त्री सुरायां स्यादच्छसन्तुष्टयोस्त्रिष्विति मेदिनी । शश्वन्निरन्तरं या कृष्णकथा सैव महामृतपयोराशिः श्रेष्ठसुधासिन्धुस्तस्मिन् । मुदानन्देन खेलन्ति विहरन्तीति खेलन्तस्तान् । खेल्धातोः शतरि रूपम् । मुहुः पुनः पुनः शश्वदित्यमरः । वन्दे इत्यादिचतुर्थपादः सप्तस्वेवानुवर्त्यः । अष्टकरीतिरियमिति महाकविप्रयोगसिद्धेः । अष्टकेऽस्मिन् शार्दूलविक्रीडितं छन्दः, सूर्यैश्वैर्मसजस्तताः सगुरवः शार्दूलविक्रीडितमिति तल्लक्षणात् ॥ १ ॥

Commentary

numaḥ kṛṣṇa-bhaktān mudā tatra raktān

sad-ānanda-yuktān ato nitya-muktān

prabhoḥ pāda-bhaktiṁ gṛhāder viraktiṁ

labhante hy aśeṣāt prasādena yeṣām

We gladly glorify Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotees, who are very attached to Him and therefore always liberated and full of eternal bliss. By their mercy the entangled souls attain devotion to the Lord’s feet and complete detachment from all worldly things such as home, family, etc.

After describing the glories of his gurudeva in the book Śyāmānanda-śatakam, the very same Śrī Rasikānandadeva Gosvāmī, who has exclusive devotion for Lord Hari, guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, now glorifies the great devotees of the Lord in order to obtain their association. He does so reflecting upon the special glories of the association of great Vaiṣṇavas according to the words of Śrī Kapiladeva:

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido

bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ

taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani

śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati

“In the association of pure devotees, discussion of My pastimes is very pleasing to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge of My heroic activities, one quickly attains faith, attachment and devotion for Me, the personified path to liberation.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 3.25.25)

By saying ‘these’ (imān) great devotees (bhāgavatān), the author means that he directly sees such devotees present before him. The word anulavam here is an indeclinable in the sense of repetition, moment after moment. “Having bowed (nipatya) my head (mūrdhnā) on the ground (kṣitau) like a rod, I always glorify these devotees” – this is the rest of the sentence. By the word ‘head’ it is implied eight limbs, as described:

dorbhyāṁ padbhyāṁ ca jānubhyām urasā śirasā dṛśā

manasā vacasā ceti praṇāmo’ṣṭāṅga īritaḥ

     “One should bow down with arms, feet, knees, chest, head, eyes, mind and words. This is called bowing down with eight limbs of the body.”[1]

Or else, the author means that “by offering obeisances to the devotees, my head can be praised as a real head,” as in the manner spoken by the sage Śaunaka: śiras tu tasyobhaya-liṅgam ānamet, “A real head is one that bows down to the Supreme Lord in all His moving and non-moving manifestations.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.80.4)

If someone asks what these devotees are like, the author gives the following adjectives. Govinda, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is characterized by His beauty (śrī) or dressing style. His feet are like lotus flowers – this demonstrates comparison here, which was omitted in accordance with Pāṇini’s sūtra 2.1.56: “A word denoting a subject of comparison is compounded with subsequent words like vyāghra (tiger), etc., these being the standard of comparison, but words expressing common characteristics should not be employed here.” Devotees drink the honey from His lotus feet just like bees (madhupa). According to the lexicon Anekārtha-dhvani-mañjarī, the word śrī is a synonym of the words veṣa-racanā (dressing style), śobhā (beauty), etc.

What is the evidence that Śrī-Govinda is the son of Nanda Mahārāja, the king of Vraja? The Śrī-Yāmala-tantra states:

nanda-patnyāṁ yaśodāyāṁ mithunaṁ samajāyata

govindākhyaḥ pumān kanyā sāmbikā mathurāṁ gatā

vasudeva-samānīto vāsudevo’khilātmani

lilye nanda-sute rājan ghane saudāminī yathā

“A couple was born from Yaśodā, the wife of Nanda Mahārāja. The boy is called Govinda, and the girl, Ambikā. O King, she was taken to Mathurā and Lord Vāsudeva[2] was brought to Gokula by Vasudeva, and merged with the son of Nanda Mahārāja, the soul of all, just like lightning in a cloud.”

This is confirmed in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, 91.39:

nanda-gopa-gṛhe jātā yaśodā-garbha-sambhavā

Devī said: “I will appear in the womb of Yaśodā and be born in the house of Nanda, the king of the cowherds.”

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.3.53, it is said:

nanda-patnī yaśodā ca jātaṁ param abudhyata

“Yaśodā, the wife of Nanda Mahārāja, could not understand that the Supreme Lord had been born to her.”

Here the word param means the Supreme Lord, for this is how Śrīdhara Svāmī explains it in his commentary to the first verse of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are several other verses which should be understood in this connection:

nandas tv ātmaja utpanne jātāhlādo mahā-manāḥ

“When Kṛṣṇa was born as his son, the magnanimous Nanda became very jubilant.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.5.1)

adṛśyatānujā viṣṇoḥ sāyudhāṣṭa-mahā-bhujā

“Kaṁsa then saw Devī, the younger sister of Lord Viṣṇu, with eight arms equipped with weapons.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.4.9)

These statements refute the idea that Lord Kṛṣṇa is only figuratively the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

Again, what are these devotees like? They have given up (ujjhitāḥ) all desires (abhilāṣa) besides the eternal religious principles, or in other words, all their desires are dedicated at the Lord’s lotus feet. As it is said by Śrīla Vyāsadeva in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ

“Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those saintly persons who are free from envy.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 1.1.2)

When love is fully developed (pūrṇaḥ), it becomes rasa itself because it produces taste. Rasa is the primary substance of taste. This taste creates happiness (utsava), which produces blazing (ujjvala) thoughts (mano-vṛtti). Such thoughts make the devotees’ faces (ānana) appear full of satisfaction (prasanna) as if blossomed. According to Dhanañjaya’s lexicon, the words harṣa, pramoda, pramada, mud, toṣa, ānanda, and utsava are all synonyms of happiness. According to the Medinī dictionary, the word ujjvala is used for intense love, bright objects, and light. Therein it is also said that the feminine word prasannā means liquor, clearness, and satisfaction. The topics (kathā) of Lord Kṛṣṇa are an excellent ocean (payo-rāśau) of nectar (āmṛta) in which devotees constantly (śaśvat) amuse (khelataḥ) themselves in great bliss (mudā). Here the verbal root khel (to sport/amuse oneself) is employed in a present participle. According to the Amara-kośa, the word śaśvat means constantly, again and again. The fourth line starting with the word vande is repeated in the next seven verses. This style of aṣṭaka (poem in eight verses) is demonstrated by the great poets, as we see its employment in their works. All these eight verses were written in the Śārdūlavikrīḍita metre (19 syllables), which has one magaṇa, one sagaṇa, one jagaṇa, one sagaṇa and two tagaṇas.[3] It ends with a heavy syllable and has pauses after the twelfth syllable and the seventh syllable after that.

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[1] This verse is quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, 8.361.

[2] Four handed Nārāyaṇa had appeared as the son of Devakī at that moment.

[3]  sūryāśvair ma-sa-jastatāḥ saguravaḥ śārdūlavikrīḍitam (Vṛtta-ratnākara, 3.19). In Sanskrit prosody, these are different classes of combined light and heavy syllables.