Priti Sandarbha 6 : Bhagavan is the Purushartha-murti: The embodiment of the purusharthas

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Anuccheda 6

Direct Realization of Bhagavān Is the Real Puruṣārtha


tathā—
satyāśiṣo hi bhagavaṁs tava pāda-padmam
āśīs tathānubhajataḥ puruṣārtha-mūrteḥ |
apy evam arya bhagavān paripāti dīnān
vāśreva vatsakam anugraha-kātaro’smān || [bhā.pu. 4.9.17]

Similarly Dhruva spoke to Bhagavān:

O Bhagavān, You are the embodiment of the ultimate goal. Compared with other boons, only Your feet are a true blessing for those who always worship them in that way. Yet, just as a cow that has recently calved nourishes and protects its calf, You foster even lowly devotees like us, being impatient to shower Your grace on them. (SB 4.9.17)

ṭīkā ca—he bhagavan ! puruṣārthaḥ paramānandaḥ sa eva mūrtir yasya, tasya tava pāda-padmam āśiṣo rājyādeḥ sakāśāt satyā āśīḥ paramārtha-phalam | hi niścitam | kasya, tathā tena prakāreṇa tvam eva puruṣārtha ity evaṁ niṣkāmatayā anubhajataḥ | yadyapy evaṁ, tathāpi he arya ! he svāmin ! dīnān sakāmān apy asmān ity-ādikā |

Svāmī also comments: "O Bhagavān! The ultimate goal of life (puruṣārtha), which is supreme bliss, is itself your form. Your lotus feet are the real blessing, which in comparison to other blessings like kingdom, etc., for they bestow the fruit of the ultimate goal of life. This is certain (hi). For whom? For those who are regularly worshipping You "in that way" (tathā), meaning without any motive due to considering You alone as the puruṣārtha. Although such is the case yet, O master (arya), [You protect] us who are lowly and full of desire." This is part of his commentary.

|| 4.9 || dhruvaḥ śrī-dhruva-priyam || 6 ||

Commentary by Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji

In the previous anuccheda Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī first explained the meaning of brahma-sākṣātkāra or brahma-sampatti, the wealth of realizing Brahman. He also established that in the state of brahma-sākṣātkāra, the jīva does not merge into Brahman or become absolutely one with It. Then by referring to the dialogue between Jaḍa Bharata and King Rahūgaṇa he concluded that the real puruṣārtha is bhagavat-sākṣātkāra and not the realization of Brahman. To fortify his conclusion, he refers to the prayers of Dhruva to Viṣṇu who appeared before him after being pleased with his devotion.

Dhruva was a boy of just five and half years of age and was not educated. He wished to recite prayers to Viṣṇu but did not have the ability to do it. Seeing this Viṣṇu touched his cheek with His conch. This infused Dhruva with wisdom. The significance of this incident is that the prayers of Dhruva are not his compositions but are the blessings of Viṣṇu. Thus they are authoritative like the Vedas. In this verse, Dhruva refers to Bhagavān as the embodiment of all the goals of life, puruṣārtha-mūrtiḥ. This word has never been used for Brahman in any other scripture.

Dhruva here refers to himself as having desires because he first approached Viṣṇu with the desire to have a kingdom greater than that of even Brahmā and only later, after being purified by the grace of his guru Nārada and the performance of austerities, could he understand that Bhagavān Himself is the ultimate boon. The same idea is beautifully expressed in Dhruva's prayers as given in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya:

sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito'haṁ
tvāṁ prāptavān deva-munīndra-guhyam
kācaṁ vicinvann api divya-ratnaṁ
svāmin kṛtārtho smi varaṁ na yāce

O my Lord, I took up the practice of penance and austerities out of a wish to become a great ruler. Now that I have attained you, who remain hidden to even great demigods, saintly persons and kings, I feel like someone who had been searching for fragments of glass but has found instead a most valuable jewel. I am now so fulfilled that there is no boon left for me to seek. (HBS 7.28).

—o)0(o—

Twelve verses from 6-17, so 17 is the last of the series. Of these, the following three are quoted in Bhagavat Sandarbha.

SB 4.9.10 (BhagS 32, 74)
SB 4.9.13 (BhagS 38)
SB 4.9.16 (BhagS 10)

|| 4.9.2 ||

sa vai dhiyā yoga-vipāka-tīvrayā
hṛt-padma-kośe sphuritaṁ taḍit-prabham |
tirohitaṁ sahasaivopalakṣya
bahiḥ-sthitaṁ tad-avasthaṁ dadarśa ||

As his intelligence reached a tremendous force as a result of the maturing of his yoga practice, he suddenly saw Bhagavan's form appear in the lotus of his heart like a bolt of lightning, and then like lightning it disappeared. Then he suddenly noticed that he was standing before him, appearing externally.

This will be relevant in the next anuccheda.

|| 4.9.4 ||

sa taṁ vivakṣantam atad-vidaṁ harir
jñātvāsya sarvasya ca hṛdy avasthitaḥ |
kṛtāñjaliṁ brahma-mayena kambunā
pasparśa bālaṁ kṛpayā kapole ||4||

The Lord saw Dhruva standing with hands respectfully folded, wanting to speak but not knowing how. Being within the hearts of all creatures, He knew of his desire and so mercifully touched his cheek with His conchsell, which contains all the Vedas within it.

|| 4.9.10 || This is the most frequently quoted verse from this chapter.

yā nirvr̥tis tanu-bhr̥tāṁ tava pāda-padma-
dhyānād bhavaj-jana-kathā-śravaṇena vā syāt
sā brahmaṇi sva-mahimany api nātha mābhūt
kiṁ tv antakāsi-lulitāt patatāṁ vimānāt

O Lord, the bliss felt by embodied beings through meditating on Your lotus feet or from hearing about You from pure devotees cannot be had in the experience of Your Brahman effulgence, what to speak of the temporary pleasures found in the heavenly planets, which is ended by the separating sword of time. (4.9.10)

|| 4.9.13 ||

tiryaṅ-naga-dvija-sarīsṛpa-deva-daitya-
martyādibhiḥ paricitaṁ sad-asad-viśeṣam
rūpaṁ sthaviṣṭham aja te mahad-ādy-anekaṁ
nātaḥ paraṁ parama vedmi na yatra vādaḥ

O unborn Supreme Lord! I am able to know only this gross cosmic form that is full of animals, trees, mountains, birds, reptiles, gods, demons, human beings and so on, and composed of many elements, like the mahat, all intertwined in a chain of cause and effect. But until now, I did not know what lies beyond all this, wherein all controversies find resolution.

|| 4.9.16 ||

yasmin viruddha-gatayo hy aniśaṁ patanti
vidyādayo vividha-śaktaya ānupūrvyāt
tad brahma viśva-bhavam ekam anantam ādyam
ānanda-mātram avikāram ahaṁ prapadye

Varieties of mutually conflicting energies, such as knowledge and ignorance, are constantly arising within Your Brahman aspect, each in its turn. I take shelter of this Brahman, the ground of the universal creation: one, infinite, original, consisting of bliss alone, and changeless.

Which brings us to today's verse, 4.9.17.