VMA 1.100 : O Mother! You will not neglect me


The Divine Mother in Sri Krishna's Land.

sakṛd api yadi dṛṣṭā hanta vṛndāṭavi tvaṁ
sakṛd api yadi rādhā-kṛṣṇa-nāmābhyadhāyi |
sakṛd api yadi bhaktyā sannatās tvat-prapannā
dhruvam ahaha tadā māmamba nopekṣitāsi ||
If I have even once
beheld you, O Vrindavan forest!
If I have even once
uttered the names of Radha and Krishna;
>If I even once bowed to you with devotion
and surrendered myself to you,
then it is most certain, O Mother,
that you will not neglect me.

Commentary

Prabodhananda comes to the end of the first century, again calling out to Vrindavan as his mother, assuring us that Vrindavan will never abandon those she has adopted. How does she adopt you as her own and give you shelter?
  • The first thing is to just have seen her.
  • The second is to chant Radha and Krishna's names.
  • The third is to feel reverence for and to surrender to the Dham in prayer.
Do this and Vrindavan will, like a mother, never neglect you.

Thus ends the first century of Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta.


kvāsau rādhā nigama-padavī-dūragā kutra cāsau
kṛṣṇas tasyāḥ kuca-mukulayor antaraikānta-vāsaḥ |
kvāhaṁ tucchaḥ paramam adhamaḥ prāṇy aho garha-karmā
yat tan nāma sphurati mahimā hy eṣa vṛndāvanasya ||261||

How great is Radha,
whose glories are so far beyond the Vedas!
And how glorious is Krishna,
whose single abode is in the space between her breasts!
And how low am I, alas!
such a fallen creature addicted to sinful life!
If their names manifest on my lips,
it is only due to the glory of this land of Vrindavan. (RRSN 261)

vṛndāni sarva-mahatām apahāya dūrāt
vṛndāṭavīm anusara praṇayena cetaḥ |
sat-tāraṇī-kṛta-subhāva-sudhā-rasaughaṁ
rādhābhidhānam iha divya-nidhānam asti ||

O mind! Abandon all the greats from afar and follow [the path to] Vrindavan with love. There is in Vrindavan a divine treasure named Radha (or, the name "Radha" itself) which is an ocean of ambrosial nectar of the greatest love (mahā-bhāva) by which those who are devoted to truth (sat) will be delivered (tāraṇī-kṛta) (RRSN 9)

iti śrī-śrī-prabodhānanda-sarasvatī-gosvāmi-pāda-viracite
śrī-śrī-vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛte
prathamaṁ śatakam
||1||

Comments

Prem Prakash said…
Jagadanandaji,
These posts have been wonderful. Overwhelmingly beautiful. I read a post, think of offering a comment, then while I am compiling my thoughts, a new post is presented. Such bounty. Please keep them coming.

Thank you so very much.
Monday, 08 October, 2018
Jagadananda Das said…
Prema, your support has been of inestimable importance to me. I cannot tell you how nice it is to get positive feedback. Radhe Shyam.
Tuesday, 09 October, 2018
Prem Prakash said…
There's a saying in politics that goes something like, "One letter = 100 votes." I have a hunch that my singular email is likelt representative of a lot of other's sentiments.
Friday, 12 October, 2018
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O Mind! Meditate on Radha's Breasts

Image
Flickr As I go through the dāna-līlā episode of Chandi Das's Śrī Kṛṣṇa Kīrtana , there are many songs in which Krishna describes Radha's beauty, and a regular feature of that includes descriptions of her breasts. In fact, breasts are a subject that is prominent in all Sanskrit poetry, and is even standard in prayers to goddesses. There does not seem to have been any inhibition in talking about breasts in the ancient Indian culture, even though I dare say, there is more of one in the modern society, in spite of Bollywood. There is, however, an apparent restriction in talking about genitals, male or female, in the so-called erotic poetry of India--Sanskrit or vernacular--even when lovemaking etc., is described. Such descriptions would automatically fall into some other genre. In Radha and Krishna descriptions, I cannot recall ever seeing or hearing a passage that mentioned genitals or overt sexual activity. It is nearly always spoken of somewhat euphemistically. I remember
Read more

Swami Vishwananda's Bhakti Marga and Parampara

Image
It has been a little strange here at Jiva these past few days. Swami Vishwananda is here with his troupe of disciples, of whom there are a goodly number, perhaps 80 or so. When I arrived in Vrindavan already a couple of weeks back, almost the first thing I noticed at the corner of Mathura Road and the Parikrama Marg was a big billboard with Swami Vishwananda’s charming smile and glowing tilak staring charismatically out at the world and announcing that he would be giving darshan on March 8 at the Jiva Institute. Below him, in a smaller frame was Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji, who besides being his host will be speaking on the Bhāgavatam at the darshan event. This is not the first time that Vishwananda and his group have been at Jiva. Satyanarayana Dasaji calls Vishwananda a friend, and indeed the relations between the two are very cordial. Vishwananda's group is mostly young and enthusiastic, predominantly European (German and points east), who are very enthusiastic about
Read more

Erotic sculptures on Jagannath temple

Image
This was written on the basis of Sundarananda Vidyavinode's Sri Kshetra and intended for a devotee audience, as it was done on a commission by disciples of Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaj. It has never been published. I decided to put this on line since there was a discussion on Facebook on the subject and I thought I would revisit what I wrote here nearly twenty years ago. This is from chapter ten on temple renovations. Please note that I have removed the images that I had found of some of the sculptures. I have been blocked from posting links to this blog on Facebook for some infringement of its "community standards". The only thing I can think of on this blog that might have offended some prudish person in cyberspace is this. I do not have much hope for redemption as it has been over six months since my ban is "under review" and there has been no sign of action. Needless to say, I find this heavy-handed action on the part of Facebook dangerously authoritar
Read more