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Translations of various devotional texts.

Gopi Bhava - from the Caitanya Caritamrita



Madhava - Sat, 27 Jul 2002 17:22:27 +0530
In the weeks to come, I'll be posting translations of several essential passages from our Gaudiya Granthas. The following excerpt is from the Ramananda Samvada.
Madhava - Sat, 27 Jul 2002 17:30:31 +0530
SRI CAITANYA-CARITAMRTA,
MADHYA-LILA, CHAPTER EIGHT


yat te sujAta-caraNAmburuhaM staneSu
bhItAH zanaiH priya dadhImahi karkazeSu
tenATavIm aTasi tad vyathate na kiM svit
kUrpAdibhir bhramati dhIr bhavad-AyuSAM naH || 219 ||

“O Priya, in anxiety for your tender lotus feet, we place them gently on our breasts. When you roam about in the rough forest paths with these feet, and when we do not know whether they are pinched by small stones and so forth or not, this casts the minds of us, for whom you are the elixir of life, into a whirlpool of unsteadiness.”

sei gopI-bhAvAmRte yAGra lobha haya
veda-dharma-loka tyaji se kRSNe bhajaya || 220 ||

One who becomes greedy for the nectar of gopi-bhava, giving up the realm of Vedic dharma, he engages in the bhajana of Sri Krishna.

rAgAnuga-mArge tAGre bhaje yei jana
sei-jana pAya vraje vrajendra-nandana || 221 ||

One who worships Sri Krishna on the path of following divine passion (rAgAnugA), he attains the son of the king of Vraja in Vraja-dhama.

vraja-lokera kona bhAva laJA yei bhaje
bhAva-yogya deha pAJA kRSNa pAya vraje || 222 ||

Whoever accepts the bhava of the residents of Vraja and engages in bhajana appropriate for that bhava, he receives a body suitable for it, and attains Sri Krishna in Vraja.

tAhAte dRSTAnta upaniSad zruti-gaNa
rAga-mArge bhaji pAila vrajendra-nandana || 223 ||

In this regard, we may observe the Upanisads and the Shrutis who engaged in bhajana on the raga-marga and attained the son of the king of Vraja.

nibhRta-marun-mano ’kSa-dRDha-yoga-yujo hRdi yan
munaya upAsate tad arayo ’pi yayuH smaraNAt
striya uragendra-bhoga-bhuja-daNDa-viSakta-dhiyo
vayam api te samAH sama-dRzo ’Gghri-saroja-sudhAH || 224 ||

“Controlling their life-airs, minds and senses, firm in the practice of yoga, the sages engaged in the worship within their hearts, attaining that which His enemies also attain. The minds of the ladies of Vraja, desiring to be embraced by His arms which are like the curved body of the king of serpents, were firmly attached to Him – we also desire to become like them, having an appearance similar to theirs, tasting the nectar of His lotus feet.”

sama-dRzaH-zabde kahe sei bhAve anugati
samAH-zabde kahe zrutira gopI-deha-prApti || 225 ||

The word “sama-dRzaH” means to follow in the wake of their emotion, and the word “samAH” means the Shrutis attained the bodies of gopis.

aGghri-padma-sudhA’ya kahe kRSNa-saGgAnanda
vidhi-mArge nA pAiye vraje kRSNa-candra || 226 ||

The words “aGghri-padma-sudhA” mean the bliss of intercourse with Krishna. On vidhi-marga, one does not attain Sri Krishnacandra in Vraja.

nAyaM sukhApo bhagavAn
dehinAM gopikA-sutaH
jJAninAM cAtma-bhUtAnAM
yathA bhakti-matAm iha || 227 ||

“This Bhagavan, the son of a gopika, is blissfully beheld by those with suitable devotional thoughts, in contrast to those who are absorbed in bodily matters, speculation and even those who are associates of Narayana.”

ataeva gopI-bhAva kari aGgIkAra
rAtri-dina cinte rAdhA-kRSNera vihAra || 228 ||

Therefore, adopting gopi-bhava, day and night one should contemplate on the pleasure sports of Radha and Krishna.

siddha-dehe cinti kare tAhAJi sevana
sakhI-bhAve pAya rAdhA-kRSNera caraNa || 229 ||

Meditating on oneself in one’s siddha-deha in these pastimes, serving with the bhava of a female friend, one attains the feet of Radha and Krishna.

gopI-Anugatya vinA aizvarya-jJAne
bhajileha nAhi pAya vrajendra-nandane || 230 ||

Without following the gopis, if one worships Him in awareness of His superhuman prowess, one does not attain the son of the king of Vraja.

tAhAte dRSTAnta lakSmI karila bhajana
tathApi nA pAila vraje vrajendra-nandana || 231 ||

The goddess of fortune is an example of this. Although she engaged in bhajana, still she did not attain the son of the king of Vraja in Vraja-dhama.
Attachment: cc_gopi_bhava.pdf