Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on the eleventh verse of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
The following is a translation of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s poetic Bengali translation, Bhāṣā, and Bengali prose commentary, Anuvṛtti, on Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
These texts were published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan, in Volume 2, Issue 11, 10 June 1957, Volume 2, Issue 12, 12 July 1957, and Volume 3, Issue 1, 12 August 1957. In combination with Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s Pīyūṣa-varṣiṇī-vṛtti, they were also published as a book from Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh by Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj in 1970.
“The Upadeśāmṛta of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī is also extremely good for us.”
—Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj,
Affectionate Guidance
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta Verse Eleven
কৃষ্ণস্যোচ্চৈঃ প্রণয়বসতিঃ প্রেয়সীভ্যোঽপি রাধা-
কুণ্ডং চাস্যা মুনিভিরভিতস্তাদৃগেব ব্যধায়ি ।
যৎ প্রেষ্ঠ্যৈরপালমসুলভং কিং পুনর্ভক্তিভাজাং
তৎ প্রেমেদং সকৃদপি সরঃ স্নাতুরাবিষ্করোতি ॥১১॥
kṛṣṇasyochchaiḥ praṇaya-vasatiḥ preyāsibhyo ’pi rādhā
kuṇḍaṁ chāsyā munibhir abhitas tādṛg eva vyadhāyi
yat preṣṭhair apy alam asulabhaṁ kiṁ punar bhakti-bhājāṁ
tat premedaṁ sakṛd api sarāḥ snātur āviṣkaroti [11]
rādhā–Śrīmatī Rādhikā [is] uchchaiḥ–the highest kṛṣṇasya praṇaya-vasatiḥ–recipient of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s love; [She] preyāsibhyaḥ api tathā–is a recipient of more affection than even all of Kṛṣṇa’s other lovers. asyā–Śrīmatī’s kuṇḍam–pond vyadhāyi–is described in the scriptures cha munibhiḥ abhitaḥ–by all the sages [to be] in all respects tādṛg eva–supreme like Śrīmatī Herself. idam sarāḥ–This pond, Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa, āviṣkaroti–gives snātuḥ–one who bathes [in it] with devotion sakṛd api–even once yat tat prema–divine love that [is] alam asulabham–very difficult to attain preṣṭhaiḥ api– even for Nārad and others who are dear to Kṛṣṇa, kim punaḥ bhakti-bhājām–not to mention for practitioners of devotion.
rādhā–Śrī Rādhā [is] uchchaiḥ–a higher vasatiḥ–object kṛṣṇasya–of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s praṇaya–love [than] api–even [Kṛṣṇa’s other] preyāsibhyaḥ–lovers, cha–and asyā–Her kuṇḍam–lake eva–also vyadhāyi–has been established tādṛg–as such abhitaḥ–in all respects munibhiḥ–by all the sages. idam–This sarāḥ–lake āviṣkaroti–bestows snātuḥ–upon those who bathe [in it] api–even sakṛd–once prema–divine love yat tat–that [is] alam–already asulabham–difficult to attain api–even preṣṭhaiḥ–for those who are dear [to Kṛṣṇa], kim–what punaḥ–more bhājām–for practitioners bhakti–of devotion.
Śrī Rādhā is the highest object of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s love, above all His other lovers, and Her kuṇḍa has also been established as such in all respects by the sages. This kuṇḍa bestows upon those who bathe within it only once divine love that is extremely difficult even for those who are dear to Kṛṣṇa to attain, let alone for practitioners of devotion.
Bhāṣā
শ্রীমতী রাধিকা কৃষ্ণকান্তা-শিরোমণি ।
কৃষ্ণপ্রিয় মধ্যে তাঁর সম নাহি ধনী ॥১॥
śrīmatī rādhikā kṛṣṇa-kāntā-śiromaṇi
kṛṣṇa-priya madhye tā̐ra sama nāhi dhanī [1]
śrīmatī rādhikā–Śrīmatī Rādhikā [is] śiromaṇi–the crown jewel kṛṣṇa–of Kṛṣṇa’s kāntā–lovers. madhye–Amongst [all who are] priya–dear kṛṣṇa–to Kṛṣṇa, nāhi–there is no dhanī–fortunate person sama– equal tā̐ra–to Her. [1]
Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the crown jewel of Kṛṣṇa’s lovers. Amongst all who are dear to Kṛṣṇa, there is no one as fortunate as Her.
মুনিগণ শাস্ত্রে রাধাকুণ্ডের বর্ণনে ।
গান্ধর্ব্বিকা-তুল্য কুণ্ড করয়ে গণনে ॥২॥
muni-gaṇa śāstre rādhā-kuṇḍera varṇane
gāndharvikā tulya kuṇḍa karaye gaṇane [2]
[In their] varṇane–descriptions rādhā-kuṇḍera–of Rādhā Kuṇḍa śāstre–in the scriptures, muni-gaṇa–the sages gaṇane karaye–have ascertained [that] kuṇḍa–Rādhā Kuṇḍa [is] tulya–equal gāndharvikā–to Rādhā, the best of dancers. [2]
In their descriptions of Rādhā Kuṇḍa in the scriptures, the sages have ascertained that Rādhā Kuṇḍa is equal to Rādhā Herself.
নারাদাদি প্রিয়বর্গে যে প্রেম দুর্ল্লভ ।
অন্য সাধকেতে তাহা কভু না সুলভ ॥৩॥
nāradādi priya-varge ye prema durlabha
anya sādhakere tāhā kabhu nā sulabha [3]
prema–Divine love tāhā ye–that [is] durlabha–difficult to attain nāradādi varge–for Nārad and others [who are] priya–dear [to the Lord is] kabhu nā–never sulabha–easy to attain [for] anya–other sādhakere–practitioners. [3]
Divine love that is very difficult to attain for Nārad and others who are dear to the Lord is never easy to attain for other practitioners.
কিন্তু রাধাকুণ্ডে স্নান যেই জন করে ।
মধুর রসেতে তাঁর স্নানে সিদ্ধি ধরে ॥৪॥
kintu rādhā-kuṇḍe snāna yei jana kare
madhura-rasete tā̐ra snāne siddhi dhare [4]
jana–Persons yei–who snāna kare–bathe rādhā-kuṇḍe–in Rādhā Kuṇḍa, kintu–however, dhare–attain [through] tā̐ra–their snāne–bath, siddhi–perfection madhura-rasete– [in] paramour love. [4]
Those who bathe in Rādhā Kuṇḍa, however, attain perfection in madhura-rasa.
অপ্রাকৃত‑ভাবে সদা যুগল‑সেবন ।
রাধাপাদপদ্ম লভে সেই হরিজন ॥৫॥
aprākṛta-bhāve sadā yugala-sevana
rādhā-pada-padma labhe sei hari-jana [5]
sei–Such hari-jana–devotees labhe–attain [in] aprākṛta–supramundane bhāve–form [the] sadā–eternal sevana–service yugala–of the Divine Couple [and] padma–the lotus pada–feet rādhā–of Śrī Rādhā. [5]
Such devotees attain the eternal, supramundane service of the Divine Couple and the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā.
শ্রীবার্ষভানবী কবে দায়িতদাসেরে ।
কুণ্ডতীরে স্নান দিবে নিজজন করে ॥৬॥
śrī-vārṣabhānavī kabe dayita-dāsere
kuṇḍa-tīre snāna dibe nija-jana kare [6]
kabe–When [will] śrī-vārṣabhānavī–the daughter of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu dibe–allow dayita-dāsere–Dayita Dās snāna–to bathe tīre–on the bank [of Her] kuṇḍa–lake [and] kare–make [him] jana–a person [of Her] nija–own? [6]
When will Śrī Vārṣabhānavī allow Dayita Dās to bathe on the bank of Her kuṇḍa and accept him as one of Her own?
‘উপদেশামৃত‑ভাষা’ করিলে দুর্জ্জন ।
পাঠকালে হরিজন করিহ শোধন ॥৭॥
upadeśāmṛta-bhāṣā karila durjana
pāṭha-kāle hari-jana kariha śodhana [7]
[A] durjana–fallen soul karila–has composed [this] bhāṣā–explanation upadeśāmṛta–of the Upadeśāmṛta. [May] hari-jana–the devotees śodhana kariha–correct [it] kāle–at the time [of its] pāṭha–recitation. [7]
A fallen soul has composed this explanation of the Upadeśāmṛta. May the devotees correct it as they recite it.
‘উপদেশামৃত’ ধরি’ রূপানুগ‑ভাবে ।
জীবন যাপিলে কৃষ্ণকৃপা সেই পাবে ॥৮॥
upadeśāmṛta dhari’ rūpānuga-bhāve
jīvana yāpile kṛṣṇa-kṛpā sei pābe [8]
yāpile–If souls spend [their] jīvana–life bhāve–as anuga–followers rūpa–of Śrī Rūpa dhari’–following upadeśāmṛta–the Upadeśāmṛta, sei–they pābe–will attain kṛṣṇa–Kṛṣṇa’s kṛpā–mercy. [8]
Souls who follow the Upadeśāmṛta and spend their lives as followers of Śrī Rūpa will attain Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
সত্য, ত্রেতা, দ্বাপরের যে সকল ভক্ত ।
কৃষ্ণকৃপা লভিয়াছে গৃহস্থ বিরক্ত ॥৯॥
ভাবীকালে বর্ত্তমানে ভক্তের সমাজ ।
সকলের পদরজঃ যাচে দীন আজ ॥১০॥
satya tretā dvāpare ye sakala bhakta
kṛṣṇa-kṛpā labhiyāchhe gṛhastha virakta [9]
bhāvi-kāle vartamāne bhaktera samāja
sakalera pada-rajaḥ yāche dīna āja [10]
āja–Today, [this] dīna–fallen [soul] yāche–prays pada-rajaḥ–for the foot-dust sakalera–of the whole samāja–society bhaktera–of devotees: [those] vartamāne–of the present, [those] bhāvi-kāle–of the future, [and] ye sakala–all the bhakta–devotees, [both] gṛhastha–householders [and] virakta–renunciants, [who] labhiyāchhe–attained kṛṣṇa–Kṛṣṇa’s kṛpā–mercy [in the Age of] satya–Satya, tretā–Tretā, [and] dvāpare–Dvāpar. [9–10]
Today, this fallen soul prays for the foot-dust of all the devotees: all the devotees of the present, all devotees of the future, and all the devotees, both the householders and renunciants, who attained Kṛṣṇa’s mercy in the Ages of Satya, Tretā, and Dvāpar.
ভকতিবিনোদ‑প্রভু-অনুগ যে জন ।
দয়িতদাসের তাঁর পদে নিবেদন ॥১১॥
“দয়া করি’ দোষ হরি’ বল হরি হরি ।
‘উপদেশামৃত’-বারি শিরোপরি ধরি’” ॥১২॥
bhakati-vinoda-prabhu-anuga ye jana
dayita-dāsera tā̐ra pade nivedana [11]
“dayā kari’ doṣa hari’ bala hari hari
‘upadeśāmṛta’-vāri śiropari dhari’” [12]
nivedana–The prayer dayita-dāsera–of Dayita Dās pade–at the feet tā̐ra ye jana–of anyone who [is] anuga–a follower bhakati-vinoda-prabhu–of Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur [is:] “dayā kari’–“Be kind, hari’–do away [with] doṣa–vices, [and] bala–chant harh hari–‘Hari! Hari!’, dhari’–holding vāri–the water ‘upadeśāmṛta’–of the Upadeśāmṛta upari–atop [your] śira”–head.” [11–12]
Dayita Dās prays at the feet of anyone who is follower of Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur: “Be kind, do away with vices, and chant the Lord’s Name, holding the water of the Upadeśāmṛta atop your head.”
Anuvṛtti
The greatest recipient of Kṛṣṇa’s love and the crown jewel of His lovers is Śrīmatī Rādhikā. In the scriptures, the sages have described Her kuṇḍa as supreme and comparable to Śrīmatī Herself. Those who once bathe in Rādhā Kuṇḍa develop divine love that is not easy to attain for even Nārad and other dear devotees of the Lord, let alone for practitioners of devotion. Supramundane residence at Rādhā Kuṇḍa, which is filled with divine love, and a supramundane bath in Rādhā Kuṇḍa, in which the nectar of divine love overflows, mean that souls become detached from the desire to enjoy matter and, while rendering service within the heart for the remainder of their life and in their afterlife in earnest submission to Śrī Rādhikā, directly engage in their eternal service in their supramundane eternal body; those who thus bathe in Rādhā Kuṇḍa attain the highest auspiciousness. Their fortune is difficult to attain for even Nārad and other devotees. What to speak of materialists, bathing in Rādhā Kuṇḍa is difficult to attain for even devotees sheltered in dāsya‑, sakhya‑, and vātsalya-rasa. What more can I say about a supramundane bath in Rādhā Kuṇḍa? Those who perform such a bath even attain the fortune of becoming a maintained maidservant of Śrī Vārṣabhānavī.
Reference
Read Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on Śrī Upadeśāmṛta: verses one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten.