Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī
s1gloss
he īśvara ! duravagamaṁ yad ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavatas tattvaṁ brahmānandācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyam |
he īśvara !O Lord! (addressing him directly) vocativeहे ईश्वर!
duravagamaṁ yad ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavatas tattvaṁthe truth of the Lord — of himself, of your own self — which is hard to grasp unpacking duravagama-ātma-tattva; ātmanaḥ = svasya = bhagavataḥजो दुरवगम है — अर्थात् आत्मा का, अपना, भगवान् का तत्त्व
brahma-ānanda-ācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyamthat is, the real nature of your form, qualities, and pastimes, which outshine and cover over the bliss of impersonal Brahman defining what 'tattva' means here; ācchādaka = that which veils/eclipsesजो ब्रह्मानन्द को भी ढँक देने (आच्छादित करने) वाले रूप, गुण और लीला का यथार्थ स्वरूप है
he īśvara — O Lord; duravagamaṁ ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavatas tattvaṁ — the hard-to-grasp truth of the Lord's own self; brahma-ānanda-ācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyam — namely the true nature of his form, qualities and pastimes that eclipse the bliss of Brahman
he īśvara — हे ईश्वर; duravagamaṁ yad ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavatas tattvaṁ — जो दुरवगम है, आत्मा का अर्थात् अपना अर्थात् भगवान् का तत्त्व; brahma-ānanda-ācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyam — ब्रह्मानन्द को भी आच्छादित करने वाले रूप, गुण और लीला का यथार्थ स्वरूप
Jīva first fixes the address: 'O Lord!' Then he explains what 'the hard-to-grasp truth of yourself' means. The word 'ātma' here means the Lord's own self. And 'his truth' means the real nature of his form, his qualities, and his pastimes. These are so full of sweetness that they outshine and even cover over the bliss of impersonal Brahman.
हे ईश्वर! 'दुरवगम आत्म-तत्त्व' का अर्थ है — जिसे जानना कठिन है, वह आपका अपना तत्त्व। यह तत्त्व वही है — आपके वे रूप, गुण और लीलाएँ, जिनका यथार्थ स्वरूप ब्रह्मानन्द को भी ढँक देता है।
brahma-ānanda: the bliss of merging in formless Brahman, prized as the highest by the monist schools; here it is named only to say the Lord's personal sweetness eclipses it.
ब्रह्मानन्द — निराकार ब्रह्म में लीन होने का आनन्द, जिसे अद्वैतवादी सर्वोच्च मानते हैं; यहाँ इसका नाम केवल यह कहने के लिए है कि भगवान् की व्यक्तिगत माधुरी इसे भी ढँक देती है।
s2gloss
tasya nigamāya nigamanāya jñāpanāya āttā prapañca ānītā tanuḥ śrī-vigraho yena tasya, tava caritam eva mahāmṛtābdhis tatra yaḥ parivarto muhuḥ parivṛttya plavanaṁ, tena pariśramaṇā varjita-saṁsāra-śramās te kecid virala-pracārā apavargam api necchanti |
tasya nigamāya nigamanāya jñāpanāyafor the making-known of that [truth] — that is, for teaching it, for revealing it glossing 'nigama' with two plainer synonymsउस तत्त्व के निगम — अर्थात् निगमन (प्रतिपादन), जनाने (ज्ञापन) — के लिए
āttā prapañca ānītā tanuḥ śrī-vigraho yena tasyaby whom a body — a beautiful divine form — has been taken, brought forth into the visible world; [this describes] him unpacking ātta-tanoḥ; prapañce ānītā = brought into the manifest realmजिसने प्रपञ्च (प्रकट जगत्) में लाया गया शरीर, अर्थात् श्री-विग्रह धारण किया, ऐसे आपके
tava caritam eva mahā-amṛta-abdhiḥyour deeds themselves are the great ocean of nectar eva = 'themselves', identifying carita with the oceanआपके चरित्र ही महान अमृत-समुद्र हैं
tatra yaḥ parivarto muhuḥ parivṛttya plavanaṁin that ocean, the 'turning about' means swimming by plunging in again and again glossing parivarta = repeated immersion; muhuḥ = again and againउसमें जो परिवर्त है — अर्थात् बार-बार घूमकर तैरना (डुबकी लगाना)
tena pariśramaṇā varjita-saṁsāra-śramāḥby that [swimming], their weariness is such that the exhaustion of worldly life has been thrown off instrumental of means; pariśramaṇa here = removal of fatigueउस (डुबकी) के द्वारा जिनका संसार का श्रम दूर हो गया है
te kecid virala-pracārāḥthose 'some' are the rare ones, few and far between glossing kecid = virala-pracāra, rarely met withवे कोई-कोई विरले (जिनका मिलना दुर्लभ है)
apavargam api na icchantido not want even liberation api = 'even'; icchanti glosses parilaṣantiमोक्ष को भी नहीं चाहते
tasya nigamāya = jñāpanāya — for making that truth known; āttā tanuḥ yena tasya — he by whom a divine form has been brought into the world; tava caritam eva mahā-amṛta-abdhiḥ — your pastimes are the great nectar-ocean; tatra parivartaḥ = muhuḥ plavanaṁ — immersion there is plunging again and again; tena varjita-saṁsāra-śramāḥ — by that, their saṁsāra-weariness is cast off; te kecid virala-pracārāḥ — those rare few; apavargam api na icchanti — do not want even liberation
tasya nigamāya nigamanāya jñāpanāya — उस तत्त्व के प्रतिपादन, जनाने के लिए; āttā prapañca ānītā tanuḥ śrī-vigraho yena tasya — जिसने प्रपञ्च में प्रकट श्री-विग्रह धारण किया ऐसे; tava caritam eva mahā-amṛta-abdhiḥ — आपके चरित्र ही महान अमृत-समुद्र हैं; tatra yaḥ parivarto muhuḥ parivṛttya plavanaṁ — उसमें जो बार-बार घूमकर तैरना (परिवर्त) है; tena pariśramaṇā varjita-saṁsāra-śramāḥ — उसके द्वारा जिनका संसार-श्रम मिट गया; te kecid virala-pracārāḥ — वे कुछ विरले लोग; apavargam api na icchanti — मोक्ष को भी नहीं चाहते
Now Jīva works through the rest of the line. 'To make it known' means to teach it, to reveal it. To do that, the Lord brings a beautiful divine form into the visible world; that is what 'having taken a body' means. Then he identifies the ocean: your pastimes themselves are the great ocean of nectar. 'Turning about' in that ocean means swimming in it by plunging again and again. By that swimming, these people throw off all the weariness of worldly life. 'Some' means the rare ones, seldom met. And they do not want even liberation.
उस तत्त्व को जनाने और समझाने के लिए आपने प्रपञ्च में प्रकट होकर श्री-विग्रह धारण किया। आपके चरित्र ही महान अमृत-समुद्र हैं। उसमें बार-बार घूमकर तैरना ही 'परिवर्त' है। इसी डुबकी के द्वारा जिनका संसार-श्रम मिट गया है, ऐसे कुछ विरले लोग मोक्ष को भी नहीं चाहते।
s3gloss
kīdṛśās te ? tatrāhuḥ—te caraṇa-sarojayor haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsākhyānāṁ yāni kulāni śiṣyopaśiṣya-paramparās teṣāṁ saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ, tan-mate prathamata eva pravartās te’pi |
kīdṛśās te ?what are they like? (setting up the next description) rhetorical question introducing the answerवे कैसे हैं?
tatrāhuḥ—to that he replies — signals the answer followsइस पर कहते हैं—
te caraṇa-sarojayoḥ haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa-ākhyānāṁat your two lotus feet, the swans — meaning the great devotees called 'paramahaṁsas of the Bhāgavata' identifying the haṁsas as the topmost devoteesआपके चरण-कमलों के हंस, अर्थात् भागवत-परमहंस कहलाने वाले (श्रेष्ठ भक्त)
yāni kulāni śiṣya-upaśiṣya-paramparāḥ teṣāṁand the 'flocks' are their lineages — the successions of disciples and disciples' disciples — of those [swans] glossing kula as the disciplic linesजो कुल हैं — अर्थात् शिष्य-प्रशिष्य की परम्पराएँ — उनके
saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥby keeping their company, they have given up home instrumental of means; visṛṣṭa = abandonedसंग के द्वारा जिन्होंने घर त्याग दिया है
tan-mate prathamata eva pravartāḥ te'piand even they [the disciples] are, from the very start, active in the view of those [paramahaṁsas] api = 'even'; following the masters' teaching from the outsetउनके मत में आरम्भ से ही प्रवृत्त हुए, वे भी
kīdṛśās te — what are they like?; tatra āhuḥ — he answers; caraṇa-sarojayoḥ haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa-ākhyānāṁ — the swans at the two lotus feet, called Bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas; yāni kulāni = śiṣya-upaśiṣya-paramparāḥ teṣāṁ — whose flocks are the lineages of disciples and grand-disciples; saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ — who by their company have abandoned home; tan-mate prathamataḥ eva pravartāḥ te'pi — and even these are, from the outset, established in their masters' view
kīdṛśās te — वे कैसे हैं; tatrāhuḥ — इस पर कहते हैं; te caraṇa-sarojayoḥ haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa-ākhyānāṁ — आपके चरण-कमलों के हंस अर्थात् भागवत-परमहंस कहलाने वाले; yāni kulāni śiṣya-upaśiṣya-paramparāḥ teṣāṁ — जो कुल अर्थात् शिष्य-प्रशिष्य की परम्पराएँ उनके; saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ — संग से जिन्होंने घर त्याग दिया; tan-mate prathamata eva pravartāḥ te'pi — उनके मत में आरम्भ से ही लगे हुए, वे भी
Jīva asks: what are these rare people like? He answers by decoding the last word. The 'swans' at your lotus feet are the greatest devotees, the ones called paramahaṁsas of the Bhāgavata. The 'flocks' of swans are their lineages — the lines of disciples and disciples' disciples. By keeping company with these lineages, these people have given up home. And even the disciples, from the very beginning, follow the view of their paramahaṁsa masters.
वे कैसे हैं? इस पर कहते हैं — आपके चरण-कमलों के हंस, अर्थात् भागवत-परमहंस कहलाने वाले श्रेष्ठ भक्त; उनके जो कुल हैं, अर्थात् शिष्य-प्रशिष्य की परम्पराएँ — उनके संग से जिन्होंने घर त्याग दिया है, और आरम्भ से ही उनके मत में लगे हुए हैं, वे भी (मोक्ष नहीं चाहते)।
paramahaṁsa: the highest grade of renunciant, 'supreme swan'; here it names the perfected devotees whose company leads one to leave home.
परमहंस — संन्यासियों की सर्वोच्च कोटि, 'श्रेष्ठ हंस'; यहाँ यह उन सिद्ध भक्तों का नाम है जिनके संग से मनुष्य घर छोड़ देता है।
s4conclusion
āsatāṁ tāvat te haṁsāḥ, tat-kulāni cety arthaḥ ||
āsatāṁ tāvat te haṁsāḥlet those swans [the paramahaṁsas] themselves stand aside for the moment āsatāṁ = 'let them be set aside'; conceding the greater case to make the smallerवे हंस तो एक ओर रहें (उनकी बात तो दूर ही रही)
tat-kulāni caand their flocks [the disciplic lines] too — [even keeping their company is enough] ca = 'and'; extending the point to the lineagesऔर उनके कुल भी
iti arthaḥthis is the meaning closing formulaऐसा अर्थ है
āsatāṁ tāvat te haṁsāḥ — let the swans themselves stand aside for now; tat-kulāni ca — and their flocks as well; iti arthaḥ — such is the meaning
āsatāṁ tāvat te haṁsāḥ — वे हंस तो एक ओर रहें; tat-kulāni ca — और उनके कुल भी; iti arthaḥ — ऐसा अर्थ है
Jīva closes with the force of the point. Never mind the great swans themselves — of course their company frees a person. Even the company of just their flocks, their disciplic lines, is enough to make someone give up home. That is the meaning. He grants the lesser case to make the point stronger.
वे हंस तो एक ओर रहें, उनकी बात तो दूर ही रही; और उनके कुल भी (वैसे ही हैं) — यही तात्पर्य है।
Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1gloss
he īśvara ! duravagamaṁ yad ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavat-tattvaṁ brahmānandācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyam |
he īśvara !O Lord! (addressing him directly) vocativeहे ईश्वर!
duravagamaṁ yad ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavat-tattvaṁthe truth of the Lord — of himself, your own self — which is hard to grasp unpacking duravagama-ātma-tattva; note 'bhagavat-tattvaṁ' (Viśvanātha's slight wording)जो दुरवगम है — अर्थात् आत्मा का, अपना, भगवत्-तत्त्व
brahma-ānanda-ācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyamthat is, the real nature of your form, qualities, and pastimes, which outshine and cover over the bliss of impersonal Brahman same defining gloss of 'tattva' as Jīvaजो ब्रह्मानन्द को भी ढँक देने वाले रूप, गुण और लीला का यथार्थ स्वरूप है
he īśvara — O Lord; duravagamaṁ ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavat-tattvaṁ — the hard-to-grasp truth of the Lord's own self; brahma-ānanda-ācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyam — namely the true nature of his form, qualities and pastimes that eclipse the bliss of Brahman
he īśvara — हे ईश्वर; duravagamaṁ yad ātmanaḥ svasya bhagavat-tattvaṁ — जो दुरवगम है, आत्मा का अर्थात् अपना भगवत्-तत्त्व; brahma-ānanda-ācchādaka-rūpa-guṇa-līlā-yāthārthyam — ब्रह्मानन्द को भी आच्छादित करने वाले रूप, गुण और लीला का यथार्थ स्वरूप
Viśvanātha opens exactly as Jīva does. 'O Lord!' Then: the hard-to-grasp 'truth of yourself' means the truth of the Lord's own self. And that truth is the real nature of your form, your qualities, and your pastimes — a sweetness that outshines and covers over the bliss of impersonal Brahman.
हे ईश्वर! 'दुरवगम आत्म-तत्त्व' — जिसे जानना कठिन है, वह आपका अपना भगवत्-तत्त्व। यह वही है — ब्रह्मानन्द को भी ढँक देने वाले आपके रूप, गुण और लीला का यथार्थ स्वरूप।
The wording tracks Jīva's almost word for word; Viśvanātha writes 'bhagavat-tattvaṁ' where Jīva has 'bhagavatas tattvaṁ' — the same sense, the Lord's own truth.
यहाँ का शब्द-विन्यास जीव के लगभग शब्दशः अनुसरण करता है; जहाँ जीव 'भगवतस्तत्त्वं' लिखते हैं वहाँ विश्वनाथ 'भगवत्-तत्त्वं' लिखते हैं — अर्थ वही है, भगवान् का अपना तत्त्व।
s2gloss
tasya nigamāya jñāpanāyāttā prapañca ānītā tanuḥ śrī-vigraho yena tasya tava caritam eva mahāmṛtābdhis tatra yaḥ parivarto muhuḥ parivṛttya plavanaṁ tena pariśramaṇā varjita-saṁsāra-śramās te kecid virala-pracārā apavargam api necchanti |
tasya nigamāya jñāpanāyafor the making-known of that [truth] — that is, for revealing it glossing 'nigama' as jñāpana; Viśvanātha drops Jīva's extra synonym 'nigamana'उस तत्त्व के निगम — अर्थात् ज्ञापन (जनाने) — के लिए
āttā prapañca ānītā tanuḥ śrī-vigraho yena tasyaby whom a body — a beautiful divine form — has been taken, brought into the visible world; [this describes] him unpacking ātta-tanoḥजिसने प्रपञ्च में लाया गया शरीर, अर्थात् श्री-विग्रह धारण किया, ऐसे आपके
tava caritam eva mahā-amṛta-abdhiḥyour deeds themselves are the great ocean of nectar eva = 'themselves'आपके चरित्र ही महान अमृत-समुद्र हैं
tatra yaḥ parivarto muhuḥ parivṛttya plavanaṁin that ocean, the 'turning about' means swimming by plunging in again and again parivarta = repeated immersion; muhuḥ = again and againउसमें जो परिवर्त है — बार-बार घूमकर तैरना
tena pariśramaṇā varjita-saṁsāra-śramāḥby that [swimming], their weariness is such that the exhaustion of worldly life has been cast off instrumental of meansउसके द्वारा जिनका संसार-श्रम मिट गया है
te kecid virala-pracārāḥthose 'some' are the rare ones, seldom met kecid = virala-pracāraवे कोई-कोई विरले
apavargam api na icchantido not want even liberation api = 'even'; icchanti glosses parilaṣantiमोक्ष को भी नहीं चाहते
tasya nigamāya = jñāpanāya — for making that truth known; āttā tanuḥ yena tasya — he by whom a divine form has been brought into the world; tava caritam eva mahā-amṛta-abdhiḥ — your pastimes are the great nectar-ocean; tatra parivartaḥ = muhuḥ plavanaṁ — immersion there is plunging again and again; tena varjita-saṁsāra-śramāḥ — by that, saṁsāra-weariness is cast off; te kecid virala-pracārāḥ — those rare few; apavargam api na icchanti — do not want even liberation
tasya nigamāya jñāpanāya — उस तत्त्व को जनाने के लिए; āttā prapañca ānītā tanuḥ śrī-vigraho yena tasya — जिसने प्रपञ्च में प्रकट श्री-विग्रह धारण किया ऐसे; tava caritam eva mahā-amṛta-abdhiḥ — आपके चरित्र ही महान अमृत-समुद्र हैं; tatra yaḥ parivarto muhuḥ parivṛttya plavanaṁ — उसमें जो बार-बार घूमकर तैरना है; tena pariśramaṇā varjita-saṁsāra-śramāḥ — उसके द्वारा जिनका संसार-श्रम मिट गया; te kecid virala-pracārāḥ — वे कुछ विरले; apavargam api na icchanti — मोक्ष को भी नहीं चाहते
Viśvanātha decodes the same line, very close to Jīva. 'To make it known' means to reveal it. To do that the Lord brings a beautiful divine form into the visible world; that is 'having taken a body.' Your pastimes themselves are the great ocean of nectar. 'Turning about' in it means plunging in again and again. By that swimming these people cast off all the weariness of worldly life. 'Some' means the rare ones, seldom met. And they do not want even liberation.
उस तत्त्व को जनाने के लिए आपने प्रपञ्च में प्रकट होकर श्री-विग्रह धारण किया। आपके चरित्र ही महान अमृत-समुद्र हैं। उसमें बार-बार घूमकर तैरना ही 'परिवर्त' है। इसके द्वारा जिनका संसार-श्रम मिट गया, ऐसे कुछ विरले लोग मोक्ष को भी नहीं चाहते।
s3gloss
kīdṛśās te ? tatrāhuḥ—te tava caraṇa-sarojayor haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānāṁ yāni kulāni śiṣyopaśiṣya-paramparās teṣāṁ saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ ||
kīdṛśās te ?what are they like? (setting up the description) rhetorical questionवे कैसे हैं?
tatrāhuḥ—to that he replies — signals the answerइस पर कहते हैं—
te tava caraṇa-sarojayoḥ haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānāṁat your two lotus feet, the swans — meaning the Bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas, the great devotees identifying the haṁsas; Viśvanātha writes 'paramahaṁsānāṁ' where Jīva added '-ākhyānāṁ' (called)आपके चरण-कमलों के हंस, अर्थात् भागवत-परमहंसों के
yāni kulāni śiṣya-upaśiṣya-paramparāḥ teṣāṁand the 'flocks' are their lineages — the successions of disciples and disciples' disciples glossing kula as the disciplic linesजो कुल हैं — अर्थात् शिष्य-प्रशिष्य की परम्पराएँ — उनके
saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥby keeping their company, they have given up home instrumental of means; visṛṣṭa = abandonedसंग के द्वारा जिन्होंने घर त्याग दिया है
kīdṛśās te — what are they like?; tatra āhuḥ — he answers; tava caraṇa-sarojayoḥ haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānāṁ — the swans at your two lotus feet, the Bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas; yāni kulāni = śiṣya-upaśiṣya-paramparāḥ teṣāṁ — whose flocks are the lineages of disciples and grand-disciples; saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ — who by their company have abandoned home
kīdṛśās te — वे कैसे हैं; tatrāhuḥ — इस पर कहते हैं; te tava caraṇa-sarojayoḥ haṁsānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānāṁ — आपके चरण-कमलों के हंस अर्थात् भागवत-परमहंसों के; yāni kulāni śiṣya-upaśiṣya-paramparāḥ teṣāṁ — जो कुल अर्थात् शिष्य-प्रशिष्य की परम्पराएँ उनके; saṅgena visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ — संग से जिन्होंने घर त्याग दिया
Viśvanātha asks: what are these people like? He answers by decoding the last word, as Jīva did. The 'swans' at your lotus feet are the Bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas, the greatest devotees. The 'flocks' are their lineages — the lines of disciples and disciples' disciples. By keeping company with them, these people have given up home. Unlike Jīva, Viśvanātha stops here; he does not add the closing 'never mind the swans themselves.'
वे कैसे हैं? इस पर कहते हैं — आपके चरण-कमलों के हंस, अर्थात् भागवत-परमहंसों के जो कुल हैं, शिष्य-प्रशिष्य की परम्पराएँ — उनके संग से जिन्होंने घर त्याग दिया है।
paramahaṁsa: 'supreme swan,' the highest grade of renunciant; here the perfected devotees whose company leads one to leave home behind.
परमहंस — 'श्रेष्ठ हंस', संन्यासियों की सर्वोच्च कोटि; यहाँ वे सिद्ध भक्त जिनके संग से मनुष्य घर-बार पीछे छोड़ देता है।