Jagat

śrī-vṛndāraṇya-śobhāmṛta-laharīḥ samālokato vihvalā me dṛṣṭir vā bhātu vṛndāvana-mahima-sudhā-vāridhau majjatād dhīḥ | śrī-vṛndāraṇya-bhūmau luṭhatu mama tanur vihvalānanda-pūraiḥ śrī-vṛndāraṇya-sattveṣv ahaha tata ito daṇḍavan me natiḥ syāt || May my eyes become filled with anxious desire on seeing the waves of Vrindavan’s nectarean splendor! May my intelligence dive deeply into the ambrosial ocean of Vrindavan’s glories! May my body, imbued with joy and spiritual desire, roll in the dust of Vrindavan! And may I fall down in prostrated obeisances to all of Vrindavan’s creatures in every direction! (1.14) Commentary The prayer to have all the senses engaged in devotional actions is frequently seen throughout the Bhagavatam. As a matter of fact, this is the month of Karttik when the Damodar lila is remembered. There, the two sons of Kubera, whose sense of entitlement and privilege as the sons of the Lord of Wealth had led them to forget the basic niceties of civili...

śrī-vṛndāvana-vāsini sthira-care doṣān mama śrāvayed yo’sau kiṁ śatadhā chinatti nahi māṁ śastrair athāstraiḥ śitaiḥ | sarvādhīśitur eva jīvana-vane dveṣan ca mātraṁ cared ekasyāpi tṛṇasya ghora-narakāt taṁ kaḥ kadā voddharet || Do those who recount to me the flaws of the residents of Vrindavan, whether mobile or still, not realize that they cut me into a hundred pieces, as if with sharpened knives and arrows? If one should create enmity with even the tiniest blade of grass in this beloved abode of the Supreme Lord, there is no one, no one who could ever lift him out of the darkest reaches of hell. (1.13) Commentary One of the features of Prabodhananda Saraswati’s writing is that he does not mince words, and often says that people will suffer hellish existence if they commit offenses to the Holy Dham. If the creator god Lord Brahma himself prayed to become a blade of grass in Vrindavan, thereby showing the very purpose of the creation itself, then is not ...