L1invocation
tvat-sākṣātkaraṇāhlāda-viśuddhābdhi-sthitasya me |
tvat-sākṣātkaraṇa-seeing you directly, face to face tvat = you; sākṣātkaraṇa = direct sight, realization in personआपका साक्षात्कार, अर्थात् आपको प्रत्यक्ष देखना-अनुभव करना
-āhlāda-the joy, the delight (of that seeing)उससे उत्पन्न आह्लाद (आनन्द)
-viśuddha-perfectly pure, without any admixtureजो अत्यन्त विशुद्ध है
-abdhi-the ocean (made of that pure joy)ऐसा समुद्र
-sthitasyaof one who is settled, who is plunged (in that ocean) genitive, agreeing with meजो उस (समुद्र) में स्थित है, ऐसे
mefor me, in my case genitiveमुझको (षष्ठी) — ऐसे मुझको
tvat-sākṣātkaraṇa-āhlāda-viśuddha-abdhi-sthitasya — of one settled in the perfectly pure ocean of the joy of seeing you face to face; me — for me
tvat-sākṣātkaraṇa — आपके साक्षात्कार से; āhlāda — जो आह्लाद होता है; viśuddha — अत्यन्त विशुद्ध; abdhi — समुद्र; sthitasya — उसमें स्थित; me — ऐसे मुझको
This is one long description of the speaker. There is an ocean, and it is made of the joy of seeing you face to face. That ocean is perfectly pure. I am the one settled deep in it. So the whole line means: for me, who am plunged in the perfectly pure ocean of the joy of seeing you directly. The sentence is left hanging here; what happens to such a person comes in the next line.
आपको प्रत्यक्ष देखने से जो आह्लाद होता है, वह एक अत्यन्त विशुद्ध समुद्र है। उस समुद्र में स्थित मुझको —
sākṣātkaraṇa: literally 'making-present-to-the-eyes' — direct, face-to-face seeing of the Lord, as opposed to mere inference or scriptural report.
साक्षात्करण का अर्थ है भगवान् को आँखों के सम्मुख प्रत्यक्ष रूप में देखना — अनुमान या शास्त्र-श्रवण मात्र नहीं, अपितु मुख-सम्मुख साक्षात् दर्शन।
L2conclusion
sukhāni goṣpadāyante brāhmāṇy api jagad-guro ||
sukhānithe pleasures, the joys nominative plural, the subject(अनेक) सुख — यही कर्ता है
goṣpadāyanteshrink to a cow's hoof-print — a tiny puddle you step over without a thought denominative verb, 'they behave like a goṣpada'गोष्पद (गाय के खुर से बने छोटे गड्ढे) के समान आचरण करते हैं — अर्थात् तुच्छ हो जाते हैं
brāhmāṇithe ones that belong to Brahman, the joys of realizing Brahman nom. pl. neuter, agreeing with sukhāniब्रह्म-सम्बन्धी (सुख)
apieven — even these highest joys, not just ordinary onesभी
jagad-guroO guru of the whole world vocative, addressing the Lordहे जगद्गुरु! (भगवान् को सम्बोधन)
jagad-guro — O guru of the world; brāhmāṇi api sukhāni — even the pleasures that belong to Brahman; goṣpadāyante — shrink to a cow's hoof-print
jagad-guro — हे जगद्गुरु; brāhmāṇi api sukhāni — ब्रह्म-सम्बन्धी सुख भी; goṣpadāyante — गोष्पद के समान तुच्छ प्रतीत होते हैं
Now the sentence finishes. A goṣpada is the little print a cow's hoof leaves in the ground — it holds only a splash of water, so tiny you cross it without noticing. For one plunged in the ocean of joy at seeing you directly, the pleasures shrink to just that: a puddle in a hoof-print. And not only ordinary pleasures — even the pleasures of realizing Brahman, the highest joy the impersonalist knows, become that small. That is the force of 'even' (api). He caps it with a vocative: O guru of the world. So the teaching is: face-to-face love of the Lord makes even Brahman-bliss look trivial.
हे जगद्गुरु! (ऐसे मुझको) ब्रह्म-सम्बन्धी सुख भी गोष्पद (गाय के खुर-चिह्न में भरे जल) के समान तुच्छ प्रतीत होते हैं।
goṣpada: literally a cow's hoof-print; proverbial in Sanskrit for something so small it is crossed effortlessly. The denominative goṣpadāyante says the joys 'turn into / act like' such a puddle — the vast ocean of Brahman-bliss dwindles to a step-over. brāhmāṇi here means 'of Brahman' (the joys of Brahman-realization), which the commentators are careful to distinguish from 'of Brahmā' the creator-god.
गोष्पद का शाब्दिक अर्थ है गाय के खुर से बना छोटा-सा गड्ढा — संस्कृत में किसी अत्यन्त तुच्छ, अनायास लाँघ लेने योग्य वस्तु का प्रसिद्ध दृष्टान्त। 'गोष्पदायन्ते' यह नामधातु कहता है कि वे सुख मानो ऐसे छोटे-से जल-गड्ढे-सा आचरण करते हैं — ब्रह्मानन्द का विशाल समुद्र एक पग में लाँघने योग्य रह जाता है। यहाँ 'ब्राह्माणि' का अर्थ है 'ब्रह्म-सम्बन्धी' (ब्रह्म-साक्षात्कार के सुख), जिसे टीकाकार सृष्टिकर्ता ब्रह्मा से सावधानीपूर्वक पृथक् रखते हैं।
Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī
s1definition
brāhmāṇīty atra pārameṣṭhyānīti tu na vyākhyeyam |
brāhmāṇithe word "brāhmāṇi" (the "pleasures of Brahman" in the verse) neut. pl., the word taken up for comment'ब्राह्माणि' पद
itithis word — i.e. quoting the term to be explained iti marking the cited wordऐसा जो (श्लोक में) कहा गया
atrahere, in this verseयहाँ (इस श्लोक में)
pārameṣṭhyānias "belonging to Brahmā" (Brahmā = Parameṣṭhin, the demigod on the highest throne)'पारमेष्ठ्यानि' अर्थात् परमेष्ठी (ब्रह्मा) से सम्बन्धित
itiin this sense — i.e. taken this way iti marking the rejected readingइस रूप में
tubut, rather tu, contrastiveपरन्तु
na vyākhyeyamshould not be explained gerundive of vyā-khyā, with naव्याख्या नहीं करनी चाहिए
atra — here in the verse; brāhmāṇi iti — the word "brāhmāṇi"; pārameṣṭhyāni iti tu — but as "belonging to Brahmā"; na vyākhyeyam — should not be explained.
brāhmāṇi iti atra — यहाँ 'ब्राह्माणि' पद की; pārameṣṭhyāni iti tu — परन्तु 'पारमेष्ठ्यानि' इस रूप में; na vyākhyeyam — व्याख्या न की जाए
Take the word "brāhmāṇi" in this verse. It should not be read as "belonging to Brahmā." So the "pleasures" spoken of are not Brahmā's pleasures. Jīva is closing off one wrong way of construing the word before he gives the right one.
यहाँ 'ब्राह्माणि' पद की व्याख्या 'पारमेष्ठ्यानि' (परमेष्ठी अर्थात् ब्रह्मा से सम्बन्धित) के रूप में नहीं करनी चाहिए।
pārameṣṭhya: from Parameṣṭhin, a title of Brahmā ("the one on the highest seat"). Here it names the rejected reading — that brāhmāṇi means "pertaining to the demigod Brahmā" — as against the correct reading, "pertaining to Brahman," the supreme spirit.
पारमेष्ठ्य शब्द 'परमेष्ठी' से बना है, जो ब्रह्मा का एक नाम है (जो सर्वोच्च आसन पर स्थित है)। यहाँ यह उस अस्वीकृत अर्थ को इंगित करता है कि 'ब्राह्माणि' का तात्पर्य 'ब्रह्मा देव-सम्बन्धी' है — इसके विपरीत सही अर्थ है 'ब्रह्म-सम्बन्धी', अर्थात् परम चैतन्य ब्रह्म।
s2reply
para-brahmānandenaiva tasya tāratamyaṁ śrī-bhāgavatādiṣu prasiddham iti |
para-brahmānandenaagainst the bliss of the supreme Brahman — i.e. it is measured by that bliss instrumental of standard/meansपर-ब्रह्म के आनन्द के द्वारा (उसी को मानदण्ड बनाकर)
evaonly, and by nothing else eva, restrictiveही (केवल उसी से)
tasyaof it — i.e. of the pleasure spoken of in the verse genitive, "its"उस (सुख) का
tāratamyamits ranking, where it stands on the scale of pleasuresतारतम्य (न्यूनाधिक का क्रम)
śrī-bhāgavatādiṣuin the Śrī Bhāgavata and other scriptures locative, "in"श्रीभागवत आदि (ग्रन्थों) में
prasiddhamis well known, is the settled teachingप्रसिद्ध है
iti— so runs the reasoning iti closing the ground givenइस प्रकार (यही कारण है)
tasya tāratamyam — the ranking of that pleasure; para-brahma-ānandena eva — only against the bliss of the supreme Brahman; śrī-bhāgavata-ādiṣu prasiddham — is well known in the Bhāgavata and elsewhere; iti — such is the ground.
para-brahmānandena eva — पर-ब्रह्म के आनन्द के द्वारा ही; tasya tāratamyam — उसका तारतम्य; śrī-bhāgavatādiṣu prasiddham — श्रीभागवत आदि में प्रसिद्ध है; iti — इस कारण
Here is why brāhmāṇi cannot mean Brahmā's pleasures. The Bhāgavata and other scriptures rank this pleasure only against the bliss of the supreme Brahman — never against Brahmā's enjoyment. So the word must point to Brahman, the supreme spirit, not to the demigod Brahmā. The scale itself fixes the meaning.
क्योंकि (सुखों का) तारतम्य पर-ब्रह्म के आनन्द के द्वारा ही श्रीभागवत आदि ग्रन्थों में प्रसिद्ध है — इसलिए वैसी व्याख्या ठीक नहीं।
brahman: in Vedānta, the one infinite reality; realizing it is the impersonalist's highest bliss. Here that very Brahman-bliss is the "pleasure" the verse says the direct sight of the Lord shrinks to a puddle in a hoof-print. Do not confuse it with Brahmā, the created demigod.
ब्रह्म वेदान्त में एक अद्वितीय अनन्त सत्ता है, जिसका साक्षात्कार निर्विशेषवादी का परम आनन्द है। यहाँ वही ब्रह्मानन्द वह 'सुख' है, जिसे भगवान् के प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन के सम्मुख यह श्लोक गोष्पद-सा तुच्छ बताता है। इसे सृष्ट देवता ब्रह्मा से न मिलाएँ।
s3citation
tasyāravinda-nayanasya padāravinda ity-ādibhyaḥ ||
tasyaof him — of the Lord genitiveउस
aravinda-nayanasyathe lotus-eyed one genitive, describing "him"कमल-नयन (भगवान्) का
padāravindathe lotus feetचरण-कमल
iti-ādibhyaḥand the verses that begin like this — take it as proven from them ablative pl. of source, "from [the passages] beginning thus"इत्यादि (वचनों) के आधार पर
tasya aravinda-nayanasya padāravinda — "of him, the lotus-eyed one, the lotus feet…"; iti-ādibhyaḥ — from this verse and the ones that follow it.
tasya aravinda-nayanasya — उस कमल-नयन भगवान् के; padāravinda — चरण-कमल; iti-ādibhyaḥ — इत्यादि वचनों के आधार पर
As is clear from the verse beginning "of him, the lotus-eyed one, the lotus feet…" and from the verses that come after it. Jīva does not spell the passage out; he points to it as scriptural backing and leaves the rest to be filled in by the reader who knows the text.
"उस कमल-नयन भगवान् के चरण-कमल का..." इत्यादि (श्रीभागवत के) वचनों के आधार पर।
Why cited: cited (BhP 3.15.43) as scriptural authority that this bliss is ranked against the bliss of the supreme Brahman — grounding the reading of brāhmāṇi as "of Brahman," not "of Brahmā."
क्यों उद्धृत: इस प्रमाण (भा.पु. 3.15.43) को इसलिए उद्धृत किया गया है कि शास्त्र में यह सुख परब्रह्म के आनन्द के साथ तौला गया है — जिससे 'ब्राह्माणि' का 'ब्रह्म-सम्बन्धी' अर्थ सिद्ध होता है, 'ब्रह्मा-सम्बन्धी' नहीं।
Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1gloss
tvat-sākṣād iti tava sākṣātkārānanda-samudre sthitasya mama brāhmāṇi brahma-svarūpāṇy api sukhāni goṣpadāyante goṣpadam ivācaranti |
tvat-sākṣād itiHe takes up the verse's opening words, "tvat-sākṣāt…" ("seeing you face to face"), to explain them. pratīka — quoting the verse's first words to comment on them'त्वत्साक्षात्' इत्यादि (श्लोक के प्रथम शब्दों को उद्धृत कर)
tava sākṣātkāra-ānanda-samudrein the ocean of the joy of seeing you face to face tava genitive "of you"; samudre locative "in the ocean"आपके साक्षात्कार के आनन्द रूपी समुद्र में
sthitasya mamafor me, who am seated there genitive; unpacks the verse's sthitasya meस्थित मुझको (श्लोक के 'स्थितस्य मे' का विवरण)
brāhmāṇi brahma-svarūpāṇi apieven the joys that are of the very nature of Brahman — this is what "brāhmāṇi" means api "even"; brahma-svarūpāṇi glosses brāhmāṇi'ब्राह्माणि' अर्थात् ब्रह्म-स्वरूप (सुख) भी
sukhānithese pleasuresसुख
goṣpadāyantethey turn into a cow's hoof-printगोष्पद के समान आचरण करते हैं
goṣpadam iva ācarantithat is, they behave like a mere cow's hoof-print — a puddle you step across iva "like"; ācaranti "they act, behave" — unpacks the denominative goṣpadāyanteगाय के खुर-चिह्न (के जल) के समान आचरण करते हैं — यही 'गोष्पदायन्ते' का अर्थ है
tvat-sākṣād iti — he takes up the words "tvat-sākṣāt…"; tava sākṣātkāra-ānanda-samudre — in the ocean of the joy of seeing you face to face; sthitasya mama — for me, seated there; brāhmāṇi brahma-svarūpāṇi api sukhāni — even the pleasures that are of the very nature of Brahman; goṣpadāyante — turn into a cow's hoof-print; goṣpadam iva ācaranti — that is, they behave like a cow's hoof-print.
tvat-sākṣād iti — 'त्वत्साक्षात्' इत्यादि; tava sākṣātkāra-ānanda-samudre sthitasya mama — आपके साक्षात्कार के आनन्द रूपी समुद्र में स्थित मुझको; brāhmāṇi brahma-svarūpāṇi api sukhāni — ब्रह्म-स्वरूप सुख भी; goṣpadāyante goṣpadam iva ācaranti — गोष्पद के समान आचरण करते हैं
Viśvanātha takes up the verse's first words, "tvat-sākṣāt," and explains them. For me, seated in the ocean of the joy of seeing you face to face, even the joys of Brahman turn into a cow's hoof-print. He spells out two words here. "Brāhmāṇi" means the joys that are of the very nature of Brahman. And the odd verb goṣpadāyante means "they behave like a cow's hoof-print" — like a tiny puddle in a hoofmark that you step across without a thought.
'त्वत्साक्षात्' इत्यादि का अर्थ — आपके साक्षात्कार के आनन्द रूपी समुद्र में स्थित मुझको ब्रह्म-स्वरूप सुख भी गाय के खुर-चिह्न के जल के समान (तुच्छ) प्रतीत होते हैं। 'गोष्पदायन्ते' का तात्पर्य है — वे गोष्पद के समान आचरण करते हैं।
brahman: in Vedānta the one infinite reality, whose realization is the impersonalist's highest bliss. Here that very Brahman-joy is the "pleasure" that the direct sight of the Lord shrinks to a puddle.
ब्रह्म वेदान्त में एक अद्वितीय अनन्त सत्ता है, जिसका साक्षात्कार निर्विशेषवादी का परम आनन्द है। यहाँ वही ब्रह्मानन्द वह 'सुख' है, जिसे भगवान् के प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन के सम्मुख गोष्पद-सा तुच्छ बताया गया है।
s2gloss
brāhmāṇīty atra pārameṣṭhyānīti tu na vyākhyeyam |
brāhmāṇi iti atraas for the word "brāhmāṇi" here pratīka + atra "here, in this verse"'ब्राह्माणि' यह पद यहाँ (इस श्लोक में)
pārameṣṭhyāni iti tubut taking it to mean "belonging to Brahmā" (Pārameṣṭhi, the god on the highest seat) tu "but" — sets up the reading to be rejectedपरन्तु 'पारमेष्ठ्यानि' इस रूप में
na vyākhyeyamis not the way to explain it — do not construe it so gerundive of prohibition, "it should not be explained [thus]"व्याख्या नहीं करनी चाहिए
brāhmāṇi iti atra — as for "brāhmāṇi" here; pārameṣṭhyāni iti tu — but [to gloss it] as "belonging to Brahmā"; na vyākhyeyam — is not to be done.
brāhmāṇi iti atra — यहाँ 'ब्राह्माणि' पद की; pārameṣṭhyāni iti tu — परन्तु 'पारमेष्ठ्यानि' इस रूप में; na vyākhyeyam — व्याख्या न की जाए
Now a word of caution about "brāhmāṇi." Do not read it as "belonging to Brahmā" — that is, the enjoyments of the god Brahmā on his lofty seat. That is the wrong construal. It means the joys of Brahman, the Absolute, not the joys of the deity Brahmā.
यहाँ 'ब्राह्माणि' पद की व्याख्या 'पारमेष्ठ्यानि' के रूप में नहीं करनी चाहिए।
Two look-alikes are kept apart: brahman (neuter) is the Absolute; Brahmā / Pārameṣṭhi (masculine) is the created demigod on the highest seat. The verse's "brāhmāṇi" derives from the first, not the second.
दो सदृश शब्दों को यहाँ पृथक् रखा गया है: ब्रह्म (नपुंसकलिंग) परम अद्वितीय तत्त्व है; ब्रह्मा अथवा परमेष्ठी (पुंलिंग) सर्वोच्च आसन पर स्थित सृष्ट देवता है। श्लोक का 'ब्राह्माणि' पहले से व्युत्पन्न है, दूसरे से नहीं।
s3reply
para-brahmānandenaiva tasya tāratamyaṁ śrī-bhāgavatādiṣu prasiddham |
para-brahma-ānandena evabecause it is only against the joy of the supreme Brahman instrumental of comparison/standard; eva "only, precisely"पर-ब्रह्म के आनन्द के द्वारा ही (उसी को मानदण्ड बनाकर)
tasya tāratamyamthat its ranking — the higher-and-lower scale of these pleasures — is measured tasya genitive; tāratamyam "gradation, comparative ranking"उस (सुख) का तारतम्य (न्यूनाधिक का क्रम)
śrī-bhāgavata-ādiṣuin the Śrī Bhāgavata and other scriptures locative "in…"श्रीभागवत आदि (ग्रन्थों) में
prasiddhamthis is well established, it is the known teaching there why the first reading is right: the texts settle itप्रसिद्ध है
para-brahma-ānandena eva — only against the joy of the supreme Brahman; tasya tāratamyam — its gradation is reckoned; śrī-bhāgavata-ādiṣu — in the Śrī Bhāgavata and elsewhere; prasiddham — is well established.
para-brahma-ānandena eva — पर-ब्रह्म के आनन्द के द्वारा ही; tasya tāratamyam — उसका तारतम्य; śrī-bhāgavata-ādiṣu prasiddham — श्रीभागवत आदि में प्रसिद्ध है
Here is why the Brahman reading is the right one. The scriptures rank these pleasures only by measuring them against the joy of the supreme Brahman. The Śrī Bhāgavata and other texts settle this plainly. So "brāhmāṇi" must point to that Brahman-joy — the very joy that, next to the direct sight of the Lord, shrinks to a hoof-print.
क्योंकि उस (सुख) का तारतम्य पर-ब्रह्म के आनन्द के द्वारा ही श्रीभागवत आदि ग्रन्थों में प्रसिद्ध है।
s4citation
tasyāravinda-nayanasya padāravinda ity ādibhyaḥ ||
tasya aravinda-nayanasya"of him, the lotus-eyed one" opening words of the quoted verse; genitive "of him"'उस कमल-नयन (भगवान्) का' (उद्धृत श्लोक के प्रथम शब्द)
pada-aravinda"the lotus feet…" the quoted phrase breaks off here'चरण-कमल' (यहीं उद्धरण टूट जाता है)
iti ādibhyaḥand so on — from this verse and the ones that follow ablative of source, "on the strength of [these passages]"; ādi "et cetera"इत्यादि वचनों के आधार पर
tasya aravinda-nayanasya padāravinda — "of him, the lotus-eyed, the lotus feet…"; iti ādibhyaḥ — and from the verses that follow.
tasya aravinda-nayanasya — उस कमल-नयन भगवान् के; pada-aravinda — चरण-कमल; iti ādibhyaḥ — इत्यादि वचनों के आधार पर
And he backs this up with scripture: "of him, the lotus-eyed, the lotus feet…" — quoting the opening of a Bhāgavata verse and gesturing at the passages that follow it. He gives just the first words, trusting the reader to know the rest.
"उस कमल-नयन भगवान् के चरण-कमल का..." इत्यादि (श्रीभागवत के) वचनों के आधार पर।
Why cited: cited from Bhāgavata 3.15.43 as scriptural proof that the direct sight of the lotus-eyed Lord outweighs even Brahman-joy.
क्यों उद्धृत: इस श्लोक (भा.पु. 3.15.43) को शास्त्रीय प्रमाण-रूप में उद्धृत किया गया है कि कमल-नयन भगवान् का प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन ब्रह्मानन्द से भी अधिक भारी पड़ता है।