Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu-Bindu
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s s Çré Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu-bindu ~ A DROP OF THE NECTAREAN OCEAN OF BHAKTI-RASA ~ s First Edition ~ April 1996 (2,000 copies) Second Edition ~ September 2006 (2,000 copies) Third Edition ~ August 2017 (1,000 copies) Printed at Spectrum Printing Press Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi (India) ISBN 978-1-63316-125-2 Library of Congress Control Number 2015938877 © 1996 Gaudiya Vedanta Publications. Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted, only the text (not the design, photos, art, etc.) of this book is licensed under the Creative Com- mons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.purebhakti.com/pluslicense or write to: [email protected] Cover painting and painting of Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura © Çyämaräëé däsé. Used with permission. Picture of Çré Çrémad Bhaktivedänta Svämé Mahäräja © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission. All rights reserved. www.krishna.com WWW.MYGVP.COM The printing of Çré Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu-bindu is financed by an endowment fund, established by the kind donation of Bhakti Projects, Inc. śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ by śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura translation into Hindi and commentary by śrī śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa gosvāmī Mahārāja GAUDIYA VEDANTA PUBLICATIONS vrindavan • new delhi • san francisco Cataloging in Publication Data--DK Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. <[email protected]> Bhaktivedänta Näräyaëa, 1921-2010, author. Çré Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu-bindu = A drop of the nectarean ocean of devotional mellows / composed by the crest-jewel of spiritual preceptors and guardian of the Çré Gauòéya sampradäya, Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura ; translation and commen- tary by Çré Çrémad Bhaktivedänta Näräyaëa Mahäräja. pages cm Reprint. Includes index. ISBN 9781633161252 1. Viçvanätha Cakravarté, approximately 1626-approximately 1708. Bhakti-rasämåtasindhu-bindu. 2. Bhakti. 3. Rasas. 4. Vaishnavism. I. Viçvanätha Cakravarté, approximately 1626-approximately 1708. Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu-bindu. II. Viçvanätha Cakravarté, approximately 1626-approximately 1708. Bhakti-rasämåta- sindhu-bindu. English. III. Title. IV. Title: Drop of the nectarean ocean of devotional mellows. DDC 294.592 23 Contents s s Introduction TO THE HINDI EDITION .................................................................. i Editors’ Preface TO THE THIRD ENGLISH EDITION ..................................................xv Maṅgalācaraṇam .....................................................................1 Text 1 Uttama-bhakti ..............................................................................3 Text 2 Three Types of Uttama-bhakti & Sādhana-bhakti .......................23 Text 3 Stages Leading to the Appearance of Prema................................31 Text 4 The Sixty-four Limbs of Bhajana ................................................47 Text 5 Sevā-aparādha ..........................................................................119 Text 6 The Severity of Nāma-aparādha ...............................................123 Text 7 Nāma-aparādha ........................................................................125 Text 8 Vaidhī-bhakti ...........................................................................127 Text 9 Rāgānuga-bhakti ......................................................................131 Text 10 Further Discussion on Rāgānuga-bhakti ...................................141 Text 11 Five Types of Rāgānuga-sādhana ..............................................145 Text 12 Bhāva-bhakti ............................................................................149 Text 13 Prema-bhakti ............................................................................161 Text 14 Overview of Bhakti-rasa ...........................................................165 Text 15 Description of Vyabhicāri-bhāvas .............................................187 Text 16 Gradation in the Manifestation of Bhāvas .................................195 Text 17 General Description of Sthāyibhāva .........................................203 Text 18 Śānta-rasa ................................................................................213 Text 19 Dāsya-rasa ...............................................................................219 Text 20 Sakhya-rasa ..............................................................................235 Text 21 Vātsalya-rasa ............................................................................243 Text 22 Mādhurya-rasa .........................................................................247 Text 23 Mixture of Bhāvas ....................................................................253 Text 24 Overview of Gauṇa-rasa ...........................................................255 Text 25 Compatible and Incompatible Rasas .........................................275 Text 26 Inclusion of Gauṇa-rasas within Mukhya-rasas .........................281 Text 27 Rasābhāsa ................................................................................283 Appendix 1 Structure Overview of the Book ...............................................289 Appendix 2 References to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu ......................................293 Verse Index ...........................................................................295 Introduction (TO THE HINDI EDITION) s s réla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura, the crown prince of illustrious teachers among the Gauòéya Vaiñëava äcäryas, is the author´ of this book. In this book there is a description of the nature of uttama-bhaktiS and its divisions, sädhana-bhakti, the stages in the development of prema, the limbs of bhajana, offences committed in the performance of devotional service (sevä-aparädha), offences against the holy name (näma-aparädha), vaidhé- and rägänuga- sädhana-bhakti, bhäva-bhakti, prema-bhakti and bhakti-rasa. Life history of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura appeared in a family of brähmaëas from the community of Räòhadeça in the district of Nadia, West Bengal. He was celebrated by the name Hari-vallabha. He had two older brothers named Rämabhadra and Raghunätha. In his childhood, he studied grammar in a village named Devagräma. After this he went to a village named Çaiyadäbäd in the district of Murçidäbäd where he studied the bhakti-çästras in the home of his guru. It was in Çaiyadäbäd that he wrote three books while still undergoing his studies. These three books are Çré Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu-bindu, Çré Ujjvala-nélamaëi-kiraëa and Çré Bhägavatämåta-kaëä. A short time later, he renounced his household life and went to Våndävana. There he wrote many books and commentaries. After the disappearance of Çréman Mahäprabhu and His eternal associates who had taken up residence in Vraja, the current of çuddha- bhakti was flowing by the influence of three great personalities: i Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu Çréniväsa Äcärya, Narottama Öhäkura and Çyämänanda Prabhu. Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura was fourth in the line of disciplic succession coming from Çréla Narottama Öhäkura. One disciple of Çréla Narottama Öhäkura was named Çré Gaìgä-näräyaëa Cakravarté Mahäçaya. He lived in Bälücara Gambhilä within the district of Murçidäbäd. He had no sons and only one daughter, whose name was Viñëupriyä. Çréla Narottama Öhäkura had another disciple named Rämakåñëa Bhaööäcärya from the brähmaëa community of Värendra, a rural community of West Bengal. The youngest son of Rämakåñëa Bhaööäcärya was named Kåñëa-caraëa. Çré Gaìgä-näräyaëa accepted Kåñëa-caraëa as an adopted son. The disciple of Çré Kåñëa-caraëa was Rädhä- ramaëa Cakravarté, who was the spiritual master of Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura. In his commentary on Çrémad-Bhägavatam entitled Särärtha- darçiné, at the beginning of the räsa-païcädhyäya, the five chapters describing Çré Kåñëa’s räsa-lélä, Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura has written the following verse: çré-räma-kåñëa-gaìgä-caraëän natvä gurün uru-premëaù çréla-narottama-nätha çré-gauräìga-prabhuà naumi In this çloka the name Çré Räma refers to the spiritual master of Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura, Çré Rädhä-ramaëa. The word Kåñëa refers to his grand-spiritual master, parama-gurudeva, Çré Kåñëa-caraëa. The name Gaìgä-caraëa refers to his great grand- spiritual master, parätpara-gurudeva, Çré Gaìgä-caraëa. The name Narottama refers to his great-great grand-spiritual master, parama-parätpara-gurudeva, Çréla Narottama Öhäkura, and the word nätha refers to the spiritual master of Çréla Narottama Öhäkura, Çré Lokanätha Gosvämé. In this way he is offering obeisances unto his guru-paramparä up to Çréman Mahäprabhu. The daughter of Çréniväsa Äcärya, Hemalatä Öhäkuräëé, was extremely learned and a great Vaiñëavé. She expelled an estranged ii Introduction disciple named Rüpa Kaviräja from the Gauòéya Vaiñëava community. Thereafter Rüpa Kaviräja was known as atibäòé in the Gauòéya Vaiñëava community. He established his own concocted doctrine, opposed to the Gauòéya Vaiñëava conclusions, that only a person in the renounced order of life could act as äcärya. He claimed that it was not possible for a householder to become a spiritual master. Completely disregarding the path of devotional rules and regulations (vidhi-märga), he propagated the path of spontaneous attraction (räga-märga) in an unrestrained and undisciplined manner. His opinion was that rägänuga-bhakti could be practised