Jagat

Anuccheda 270 The Importance of Kīrtana in Kaliyuga इयं च कीर्तनाख्या भक्तिर्भगवतो द्रव्यजातिगुणक्रियाभिर्दीनजनैकविषयापारकरुणामयीति श्रुतिपुराणादिविश्रुतिः। कलौ च दीनत्वं, यथा ब्रह्मवैवर्ते— This devotion to Bhagavān in the form of kīrtana is unlimitedly merciful to those wretched living beings deprived of wealth, prestigious birth, admirable qualifications and praiseworthy accomplishments. This is understood from the Vedas and the Purāṇas. Wretchedness is a natural condition in kali-yuga , as stated in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa : अतः कलौ तपोयोगविद्यायाज्ञादिकाः क्रियाः। साङ्गाः भवन्ति न कृताः कुशलैरपि देहिभिः॥ इति। Therefore in the kali-yuga , activities such as penance, yoga, study of the Vedas and sacrifices, cannot be properly performed, even by those who are highly competent. अत एव कलौ स्वभावत एवातिदीनेषु लोकेष्वाविर्भूय तान् अनायासेनैव तत्तद्युगगतमहासाधनानां सर्वमेव फलं ददाना सा कृतार्थयति। यत एव तयैव कलौ भगवतो विशेषतश्च सन्तोषो भवति। Therefore saṅkīrtana , appearin...

The section on different kinds of kirtan moves now from Harinam to other varieties of glorification. The  kirtan section continues up to 274. Anuccheda 266 Singing About Bhagavān's Form अथ श्रीरूपकीर्तनम् (भा. ११.३०.३)— प्रत्याक्रष्टुं नयनमबला… इत्यादौ— यच्छ्रीर्वाचां जनयति रतिं कीर्त्यमाना कवीनाम्॥ इति। Now we will describe the practice of singing about the forms of Bhagavān, as King Parīkṣit said to the sage Śuka: Young women are unable to withdraw their vision from the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their eyes transfixed on it. When that form becomes established in the hearts of the sages, entering through the pathway of the ears, it never moves from there. When the splendor of Bhagavān’s form is glorified, it creates attraction for the poets speech, and so too brings about their fame. When the warriors on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra gave up their lives beholding that same form of Kṛṣṇa, who was seated upon the chariot of Arjuna, they attained liberation by ...

īśo’pi yasya mahimāmṛtavārirāśeḥ pāraṁ prayātumanalambata tatra ke’nye kintv alpam apy ahamatipraṇayād vigāhya syāṁ dhanyadhanya iti me samupakramo’yam Even God Himself could never cross the ocean of the Dham's divine grandeur, who else would even dare to try it? But, overcome by love intense, thinking fortune is there if I just dive, I undertake this daunting task. Commentary This statement of humility is not displaced. Sometimes we look at the works of prolific authors like Prabodhananda with amazement. Of course there are secular authors who produce great amounts of material through their habits of hard work and out of necessity. If they are gifted with great talent, then they can write literary marvels that stand the test of time. But the devotee who wants to glorify the Lord faces a daunting task. How to communicate that which is beyond the power of speech to describe? yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha . Kaviraj Goswami similarly shows the same ...