L1definition
māhātmya-jñāna-yuktas tu sudṛḍhaḥ sarvato’dhikaḥ |
māhātmya-jñāna-yuktaḥjoined with the knowledge of God's greatness — the devotee knows whom he loves nom. sg., first defining mark of sneha (named in L2)जो माहात्म्य-ज्ञान से युक्त है — अर्थात् प्रिय की महानता के ज्ञान के साथ रहता है
tuand further, this being the point that marks it off specifying particleपरन्तु (यह भाव पूर्ववर्ती से विशेष है)
sudṛḍhaḥfirm — it holds fast and does not waver nom. sg., second defining markअत्यन्त दृढ़ है
sarvataḥ-adhikaḥgreater than everything — it stands above every other good nom. sg., third defining markसबसे बढ़कर है
snehaḥ [supplied from L2] — affection that is: māhātmya-jñāna-yuktaḥ — joined with knowledge of God's greatness; tu — and moreover; sudṛḍhaḥ — firm; sarvataḥ-adhikaḥ — greater than everything.
māhātmya-jñāna-yuktaḥ — माहात्म्य-ज्ञान से युक्त; tu — परन्तु (विशेषतः); sudṛḍhaḥ — अत्यन्त दृढ़; sarvataḥ-adhikaḥ — सबसे अधिक।
This line lists the marks of the affection it is about to name. First, it is joined with knowledge of God's greatness — the lover knows who the Lord is. Second, it is firm; it holds fast. Third, it is greater than everything else. The particle tu marks these off as the very features that qualify it. (The word it describes, sneha, comes in the next line.)
जो भाव माहात्म्य के ज्ञान से युक्त हो, अत्यन्त दृढ़ हो, और सबसे बढ़कर हो —
L2definition
sneho bhaktir iti proktas tayā sārṣṭyādinānyathā ||
snehaḥsuch affection — the sneha carrying the three marks just given nom. sg., the subject being definedस्नेह — यही परिभाषित किया जाने वाला विषय है
bhaktiḥis bhakti (loving devotion) nom. sg., predicateभक्ति है — यही विधेय है
iti proktaḥis exactly what has been declared — this is the settled name for it iti closes the definition; proktaḥ agrees with snehaḥइस प्रकार कहा गया है (यहीं परिभाषा पूरी होती है)
tayāby that bhakti — the affection just defined instr. sg. fem., means/causeउस (भक्ति) के द्वारा
sārṣṭi-ādinācome sārṣṭi and the rest — the kinds of liberation, equal opulence with the Lord and so on instr. sg.; the four forms of muktiसार्ष्टि आदि (मुक्ति के रूप) प्राप्त होते हैं
anyathāotherwise not — without that bhakti, they do not come adv., the negative counterpartअन्यथा (इसके विपरीत — उसके बिना नहीं)
snehaḥ — such affection [with the three marks of L1]; bhaktiḥ iti proktaḥ — is declared to be bhakti; tayā — by that bhakti; sārṣṭi-ādinā [muktiḥ bhavati] — [liberation] beginning with sārṣṭi comes about; anyathā [na] — otherwise not.
snehaḥ — स्नेह; bhaktiḥ — भक्ति; iti proktaḥ — ऐसा कहा गया; tayā — उस भक्ति के द्वारा; sārṣṭi-ādinā — सार्ष्टि आदि से; anyathā — अन्यथा।
Now the affection is named. Affection carrying those three marks is declared to be bhakti — that is the settled name for it. And by that bhakti come sārṣṭi and the rest — equal opulence with the Lord and the other forms of liberation. Otherwise, they do not come. So the verse both defines bhakti and states what it yields: liberation follows from this affection, and only from it.
ऐसे भाव को स्नेह कहा गया है, और वही भक्ति है। उस भक्ति के द्वारा सार्ष्टि आदि प्राप्त होते हैं — अन्यथा नहीं।
sārṣṭi (home meaning: sharing the Lord's opulence/majesty): here it heads the standard list of the forms of mukti — sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya, sārūpya — the 'sārṣṭi and the rest' that bhakti brings in its train.
सार्ष्टि का मूल अर्थ है — भगवान् के ऐश्वर्य में समान भागीदारी। यहाँ यह मुक्ति के चार रूपों की परिचित सूची का मुखिया है — सालोक्य, सार्ष्टि, सामीप्य, सारूप्य — वही 'सार्ष्टि आदि', जिन्हें भक्ति अपने साथ ले आती है।
Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī
s1other
na vyākhyātam |
nanot — he does not do it negationनहीं
vyākhyātamexplained — no comment is given on the verse past passive participle, nom. sg. neut., of vi-ā-khyā 'to expound, comment on'व्याख्या किया गया
na — not; vyākhyātam — explained (this verse is left without any comment).
na — नहीं; vyākhyātam — व्याख्या किया गया।
Śrī Jīva writes only: 'Not explained.' He passes over this verse and gives no comment on it. His whole note here is that he offers nothing further.
(इस श्लोक की) व्याख्या नहीं की गई।
vyākhyāta: home sense in commentarial usage — a passage that has been expounded or glossed; here, negated, it is Jīva's own shorthand that he leaves the verse unglossed and moves on.
'व्याख्यात' का टीका-प्रयोग में अर्थ है — वह पद्य जिसकी व्याख्या या टीका की जा चुकी हो। यहाँ निषेध के साथ यह जीव गोस्वामी का अपना संक्षिप्त संकेत है कि वे इस श्लोक को बिना व्याख्या किए आगे बढ़ जाते हैं।
Mukunda-dāsa Gosvāmī
s1gloss
snehaḥ sāndrātmā bhāvaḥ |
snehaḥthe word 'sneha' (affection) in the verse the lemma being explained
sāndra-ātmāmeans the kind whose very nature is thick, concentrated bahuvrīhi describing bhāvaḥ
bhāvaḥit is a feeling, an inner state of love
snehaḥ — the word 'sneha'; sāndra-ātmā bhāvaḥ — [means] a feeling whose nature is thick and concentrated
Here Mukunda glosses the word 'sneha' from the verse. Sneha is a bhāva, an inner state of love. And it is the thick, concentrated kind of that feeling. So 'sneha' does not mean ordinary fondness; it means love that has grown dense.
bhāva: broadly any mental state or emotion; here specifically the settled inner state of loving devotion. sneha here is that bhāva in its concentrated, thickened form.
s2gloss
bhaktiḥ prema-rūpā |
bhaktiḥthe word 'bhakti' (devotion) in the verse the lemma being explained
prema-rūpāmeans the kind that takes the form of prema (mature love) bahuvrīhi: 'having prema as its form'
bhaktiḥ — the word 'bhakti'; prema-rūpā — [means devotion] whose very form is prema
Now he glosses the word 'bhakti' from the verse. The bhakti meant here is the kind whose form is prema. So it is not devotion in general. It is devotion that has ripened into prema, full love.
prema: mature, fully ripened love. Mukunda is narrowing 'bhakti' to that highest stage, not devotion at large.
s3gloss
sudṛḍha iti mamatayā baddha-mūlaḥ |
sudṛḍhaḥ itias for the word 'sudṛḍha' (firm) in the verse iti marks the lemma being taken up
mamatayāit is firm because of a sense of 'he is mine' instrumental of cause/means
baddha-mūlaḥso that its roots are tied down fast bahuvrīhi: 'whose root is bound'
sudṛḍhaḥ iti — the word 'firm'; mamatayā — through the sense 'he is mine'; baddha-mūlaḥ — [means] rooted fast, its root tied down
He now takes up the word 'sudṛḍha,' firm, from the verse. Why is this love firm? Because of mamatā, the feeling 'Kṛṣṇa is mine.' That sense of ownership ties the love down at the root. So 'firm' means love whose roots are held fast by mamatā.
mamatā: the sense of 'mine-ness,' claiming Kṛṣṇa as one's own. Here it is what anchors the love and makes it firm.
s4gloss
sarvato’dhikaś cittasya samyaṅ-māsṛṇya-hetutvāt sarva-śreyobhyaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ |
sarvataḥ-adhikaḥas for 'greater than everything' in the verse the lemma being explained
cittasyaof the heart, the mind genitive, object of the softening
samyak-māsṛṇya-hetutvātbecause it is the cause of the complete softening [of the heart] ablative of reason
sarva-śreyobhyaḥthan all [other] good things, all blessings ablative of comparison
śreṣṭhaḥit is the very best
sarvataḥ-adhikaḥ — 'greater than everything'; cittasya samyak-māsṛṇya-hetutvāt — because it fully melts the heart; sarva-śreyobhyaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ — [it is] the best of all blessings
He now explains 'sarvato'dhika,' greater than everything, from the verse. Why is this love greater than everything? Because it is what completely softens, melts, the heart. Nothing else does that so fully. So among all good things, all blessings, this love is the very best.
māsṛṇya: softness, a melting or tenderness of the heart. The claim is that this love alone brings that full melting, which is why it outranks every other good.
s5gloss
tayā prema-svarūpayā bhaktyā |
tayāas for 'by that' in the verse instrumental fem. — the lemma being explained
prema-svarūpayāit means: by the one whose own nature is prema instrumental, agreeing with bhaktyā
bhaktyānamely, by that bhakti instrumental of means
tayā — 'by that'; prema-svarūpayā bhaktyā — [means] by that bhakti whose very nature is prema
Now he glosses 'tayā,' by that, from the verse. What does 'that' point back to? To bhakti. And not just any bhakti, but the bhakti whose own nature is prema. So 'by that' means 'by that prema-natured devotion' just described.
svarūpa: a thing's own essential nature. Here it fixes which bhakti 'that' refers to: the one that is prema in essence.
s6gloss
sārṣṭhyādi-caturdhā prema-sevottarā muktiḥ |
sārṣṭhya-ādi-caturdhāthe 'sārṣṭi and the rest' of the verse, that is, the fourfold [liberation] the lemma; caturdhā = 'in four kinds'
prema-sevā-uttarāthe kind that has loving service as what comes after it, its crown and outcome bahuvrīhi: 'whose sequel is prema-service'
muktiḥsuch is the liberation [that bhakti grants]
sārṣṭhya-ādi-caturdhā — 'sārṣṭi and the rest,' the four kinds; prema-sevā-uttarā muktiḥ — [is] the liberation whose sequel is loving service
He now explains 'sārṣṭyādi,' sārṣṭi and the rest, from the verse. This names the fourfold liberation. But the point is which kind of liberation bhakti gives: the kind that leads on to prema-sevā, loving service of the Lord. So the liberation here is one crowned by devotional service, not liberation for its own sake.
sārṣṭi: sharing the Lord's opulence, one of the classic four forms of mukti. mukti/liberation is the home term for release from saṁsāra; here it is admitted only in the form that flowers into loving service.
s7gloss
nānyathā sukhaiśvarottarā sā na ||
na anyathāas for 'not otherwise' in the verse the lemma being explained
sukha-aiśvara-uttarāthe kind aimed at sense-pleasure and lordship as its upshot bahuvrīhi: 'whose sequel is pleasure and power'
sā nathat [liberation] is not [what bhakti grants] eva/emphatic denial
na anyathā — 'not otherwise'; sukha-aiśvara-uttarā sā na — that [liberation] aimed at pleasure and lordship is not [it]
Finally he glosses 'nānyathā,' not otherwise, from the verse. This rules out the wrong kind of liberation. There is a mukti aimed at sense-pleasure and at lordship, at enjoying power. That is not the liberation bhakti gives. So 'not otherwise' means: only the service-crowned liberation, never the pleasure-and-power kind.
aiśvarya: lordship, majestic power. Here Mukunda excludes the mukti sought for personal enjoyment and mastery, contrasting it with the prema-service liberation of the previous line.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1avataranika
atra pāñcarātrika-padya-dvayaṁ māhātmya-jñāna-sad-bhāvāsad-bhāvāṁśa eva jñeyam |
atrahere — in this pair of versesयहाँ (इस प्रसंग में)
pāñcarātrika-padya-dvayamthe two verses drawn from the Pañcarātra nom. sg. neut. — subjectपाञ्चरात्र के दो पद्य — यही विषय हैं
māhātmya-jñāna-sad-bhāva-asad-bhāva-aṁśaḥjust the part about whether knowledge of his greatness is present or absent compound: māhātmya-jñāna = knowledge of greatness; sad-bhāva = its presence; asad-bhāva = its absence; aṁśa = the aspect/portionमाहात्म्य-ज्ञान के सद्भाव (होने) और असद्भाव (न होने) के अंश के रूप में
evaonly precisely this, and nothing moreही
jñeyamshould be understood as gerundiveजानना चाहिए
atra — here; pāñcarātrika-padya-dvayam — the two Pañcarātra verses; māhātmya-jñāna-sad-bhāva-asad-bhāva-aṁśaḥ eva — only in the aspect of the presence or absence of knowledge of greatness; jñeyam — are to be understood.
atra — यहाँ; pāñcarātrika-padya-dvayam — पाञ्चरात्र के दो पद्य; māhātmya-jñāna-sad-bhāva-asad-bhāva-aṁśaḥ — माहात्म्य-ज्ञान के सद्भाव और असद्भाव के अंश रूप में; eva — ही; jñeyam — जानना चाहिए।
Viśvanātha sets up how to read the two Pañcarātra verses. Take them, he says, as being about one thing only: whether or not knowledge of the Lord's greatness (māhātmya-jñāna) is present. The whole point of the verse-pair is that single contrast — greatness known versus greatness not known. Read them just for that aspect, nothing wider.
यहाँ पाञ्चरात्र के दो पद्यों को माहात्म्य-ज्ञान के सद्भाव और असद्भाव के अंश के रूप में ही समझना चाहिए।
s2definition
māhātmya-jñānaṁ ca īśvaro’yam iti jñāna-janyaḥ sakhyādi-bhāva-saṅkocaka-sambhrama-viśeṣaḥ |
māhātmya-jñānamand now, knowledge of his greatness — what it is nom. sg. — subjectमाहात्म्य-ज्ञान — यही विषय है
caand (taking up the term just named)और
īśvaraḥ ayam itithe thought 'this one is the Lord' iti marks the content of the knowledge'यह ईश्वर है' — इस प्रकार के (ज्ञान का)
jñāna-janyaḥarising from that recognition born-of; the sambhrama is produced by the jñānaउस ज्ञान से उत्पन्न होने वाला
sakhya-ādi-bhāva-saṅkocakawhich cramps the moods of friendship and the rest sakhya-ādi = friendship etc.; saṅkocaka = that which contracts/inhibitsसख्य आदि भावों को संकुचित करने वाला
sambhrama-viśeṣaḥis a particular kind of awe nom. sg. — predicate; sambhrama = reverent awe/deferenceएक विशेष सम्भ्रम (आदरयुक्त संकोच) है — यही विधेय है
māhātmya-jñānam ca — and knowledge of greatness; īśvaraḥ ayam iti jñāna-janyaḥ — born from the recognition 'this is the Lord'; sakhya-ādi-bhāva-saṅkocaka — cramping the moods of friendship and so on; sambhrama-viśeṣaḥ — is a particular kind of awe.
māhātmya-jñānam — माहात्म्य-ज्ञान; ca — और; īśvaraḥ ayam iti — 'यह ईश्वर है' इस प्रकार के ज्ञान से; jñāna-janyaḥ — उससे उत्पन्न; sakhya-ādi-bhāva-saṅkocaka — सख्य आदि भावों को संकुचित करने वाला; sambhrama-viśeṣaḥ — एक विशेष सम्भ्रम।
Now he defines the key term. What is 'knowledge of greatness'? It is a particular kind of awe (sambhrama). This awe is born from one thought: 'this person is the Lord.' And its effect is that it cramps the intimate moods — friendship (sakhya) and the rest. Once you know someone is God, you cannot slap him on the back as a friend; the awe holds the intimacy back. That inhibiting awe is what the verse means by māhātmya-jñāna.
और माहात्म्य-ज्ञान वह विशेष सम्भ्रम है जो 'यह ईश्वर है' इस ज्ञान से उत्पन्न होता है और सख्य आदि भावों को संकुचित कर देता है।
sambhrama in ordinary Sanskrit is 'flurry, hurry, agitation, confusion'; in the technical bhakti vocabulary here it is the reverent flutter of awe before a superior — the deference that makes you stand up straight rather than lounge — which is precisely what dampens easy friendship.
'सम्भ्रम' का साधारण संस्कृत में अर्थ है — हड़बड़ी, घबराहट, व्याकुलता। परन्तु यहाँ की तकनीकी भक्ति-शब्दावली में यह किसी बड़े के सामने आदर से भरा हुआ संकोच है — वह झिझक जो व्यक्ति को सहज होकर बैठने के बजाय सावधान खड़ा कर देती है — और यही सहज सख्य को दबा देता है।
s3conclusion
ata eva rāgānugānam aiśvarya-jñāna-sattve’pi tan na sakhyādi-bhāva-saṅkocakam iti jñeyam |
ata evafor exactly this reason because awe is what cramps intimacy — following from s2इसीलिए
rāgānugānamin the case of the rāgānuga devotees gen. pl. — 'for those who follow spontaneous love'रागानुगा भक्तों के लिए
aiśvarya-jñāna-sattve apieven when awareness of his majesty is present locative absolute: when… is present; api = evenऐश्वर्य-ज्ञान के रहने पर भी
tatthat awareness of majesty refers back to aiśvarya-jñānaवह (ऐश्वर्य-ज्ञान)
na sakhya-ādi-bhāva-saṅkocakamdoes not cramp the moods of friendship and the restसख्य आदि भावों को संकुचित नहीं करता
itithis point — (marks the conclusion to be grasped)ऐसा
jñeyamshould be understood gerundiveजानना चाहिए
ata eva — for this very reason; rāgānugānam — for the rāgānuga devotees; aiśvarya-jñāna-sattve api — even when knowledge of majesty is present; tat na sakhya-ādi-bhāva-saṅkocakam — that does not cramp the moods of friendship and so on; iti jñeyam — this is to be understood.
ata eva — इसीलिए; rāgānugānam — रागानुगा भक्तों के लिए; aiśvarya-jñāna-sattve api — ऐश्वर्य-ज्ञान के रहने पर भी; tat — वह; na sakhya-ādi-bhāva-saṅkocakam — सख्य आदि भावों को संकुचित नहीं करता; iti — ऐसा; jñeyam — जानना चाहिए।
Here is the payoff. The awe cramps intimacy only when it takes over the heart. So for the rāgānuga devotees — those who follow the spontaneous love of Vraja — something different happens. Even when they do know his majesty, that knowledge does not cramp their friendship or their other intimate moods. The love simply overrides the awe. Understand it this way: majesty-awareness and unbroken intimacy can coexist in them.
इसीलिए रागानुगा भक्तों के लिए ऐश्वर्य-ज्ञान के रहने पर भी वह सख्य आदि भावों को संकुचित नहीं करता — ऐसा जानना चाहिए।
aiśvarya here is 'majesty, godly power/opulence' — the awareness that he is the almighty Lord; in the Gauḍīya scheme it is the opposite pole to mādhurya (sweet intimacy), and the point is that for rāgānugas even a present aiśvarya-jñāna fails to suppress the mādhurya.
यहाँ 'ऐश्वर्य' का अर्थ है — भगवान् की महिमा, प्रभुता और शक्ति; अर्थात् यह बोध कि वह सर्वशक्तिमान् प्रभु है। गौड़ीय विचार में यह माधुर्य (मधुर घनिष्ठता) का विरोधी छोर है, और यहाँ का तात्पर्य यह है कि रागानुगा भक्तों में उपस्थित ऐश्वर्य-ज्ञान भी माधुर्य को दबा नहीं पाता।
s4gloss
māhātmya-jñāna-yukto’tha ca sarvato’dhika-sneho bhaktir ucyate |
māhātmya-jñāna-yuktaḥjoined with knowledge of his greatness quoting the mūla's wordमाहात्म्य-ज्ञान से युक्त (मूल का शब्द उद्धृत करते हुए)
atha caand moreover linking to the next qualifierऔर फिर (अगले विशेषण से जोड़ते हुए)
sarvataḥ-adhika-snehaḥaffection that surpasses everything else sarvataḥ-adhika = greater than all; sneha = deep affectionसबसे बढ़कर जो स्नेह है
bhaktiḥis bhakti (devotion) nom. sg. — predicateभक्ति है — यही विधेय है
ucyateis what is called passive: 'is termed'कहलाती है
māhātmya-jñāna-yuktaḥ — joined with knowledge of greatness; atha ca — and further; sarvataḥ-adhika-snehaḥ — affection surpassing everything; bhaktiḥ ucyate — is called bhakti.
māhātmya-jñāna-yuktaḥ — माहात्म्य-ज्ञान से युक्त; atha ca — और फिर; sarvataḥ-adhika-snehaḥ — सबसे बढ़कर स्नेह; bhaktiḥ — भक्ति; ucyate — कहलाती है।
Now he reads the verse's own words back plainly. Affection (sneha) that carries knowledge of his greatness, and that on top of this surpasses every other attachment — that is what gets called bhakti here. Two marks together: it knows he is great, and it outweighs all rival loves. Where both hold, the verse names it bhakti.
माहात्म्य-ज्ञान से युक्त और सबसे बढ़कर जो स्नेह है, वही भक्ति कहलाती है।
s5gloss
tayā bhaktyā ||
tayā'by that' — glossing the verse's word instr. sg. fem., picked up from the mūlaउस (भक्ति) के द्वारा
bhaktyāmeans: by that bhakti instr. sg. — the antecedent of tayā suppliedभक्ति के द्वारा — यही 'तया' का अध्याहार है
tayā — 'by that'; bhaktyā — [means] by that bhakti.
tayā — उसके द्वारा; bhaktyā — भक्ति के द्वारा (यही 'तया' का अभिप्रेत अर्थ है)।
A one-word gloss. The verse says 'by that' (tayā). Viśvanātha simply supplies what it points to: 'by that' means by that bhakti — the very devotion he has just defined. So the results the verse goes on to name follow from this bhakti.
'तया' का अर्थ है — उस भक्ति के द्वारा।