Chapter 4. Pratikulya-vivarjanam: Rejection of the Unfavourable

भगवद्भक्तयोर्भक्तेः प्रपत्तेः प्रतिकूलके ।
वर्ज्ज्यत्वे निश्चयः प्रातिकूल्यवर्ज्जनमुच्यते ॥१॥

bhagavad-bhaktayor bhakteḥ prapatteḥ pratikūlake
varjyatve niśchayaḥ prātikūlya-varjanam uchyate [1]

The principle to reject everything opposed to the service of the Lord and His devotee, and to similarly abstain from everything opposed to an attitude of surrender, is known as pratikulya-vivarjanam — rejection of the unfavourable.

प्रातिकूल्यवर्ज्जनसङ्कल्पादर्शः —

न धनं न जनं न सुन्दरीं कवितां वा जगदीश कामये ।
मम जन्मनि जन्मनीश्वरे भवताद्भक्तिरहैतुकी त्वयि ॥२॥
श्रीश्रीभगवतश्चैतन्यचन्द्रस्य

prātikūlya-varjana-saṅkalpādarśaḥ —

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi [2]

The ideal in the resolve to reject the unfavourable —

O Lord of the universe, I have no desire for wealth or worldly promotion, nor do I desire wife, family, and society, nor do I aspire for Vedic religiosity or mundane scholarship. The only aspiration in my heart is that in my every birth I may have unmotivated devotion to You.

 — the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra

अत्रापि तथैव —

नास्था धर्म्मे न वसुनिचये नैव कामोपभोगे
यद्यद्भव्यं भवतु भगवन्पूर्व्वकर्म्मानुरूपम् ।
एतत्प्रार्थ्यं मम बहुमतं जन्मजन्मान्तरेऽपि
त्वत्पादाम्भोरुहयुगगता निश्चला भक्तिरस्तु ॥३॥
श्रीकुलशेखरस्य

atrāpi tathaiva —

nāsthā dharme na vasu-nichaye naiva kāmopabhoge
yad yad bhavyaṁ bhavatu bhagavan pūrva-karmānurūpam
etat prārthyaṁ mama bahu-mataṁ janma-janmāntare ’pi
tvat pādāmbhoruha-yuga-gatā niśchalā bhaktir astu[3]

A similar expression of the same ideal —

O Lord, I have no faith in religiosity, economic development, or sense enjoyment. May all these things come to pass as they are ordained, according to my previous karma. But my earnest prayer is that birth after birth I may have unflinching devotion to Your lotus feet.

 — Sri Kulasekhar

हरिसम्बन्धहीनं सर्व्वमेव वर्ज्जनीयम् —

न यत्र वैकुण्ठकथा सुधापगा
न साधवो भागवतास्तदाश्रयाः ।
न यत्र यज्ञेशमखा महोत्सवाः
सुरेशलोकोऽपि न वै स सेव्यताम् ॥४॥
देवस्तुतौ

hari-sambandha-hīnaṁ sarvam eva varjanīyam —

na yatra vaikuṇṭha-kathā sudhāpagā
na sādhavo bhāgavatās tad āśrayāḥ
na yatra yajñeśa-makhā mahotsavāḥ
sureśa-loko ’pi na vai sa sevyatām [4]

Everything devoid of a relationship with Lord Hari should be rejected —

One should not reside wherever the river of nectarean tidings of Krishna does not flow, wherever Krishna’s surrendered devotees cannot be found, and wherever the grand festival of chanting Krishna’s Holy Name is not conducted — even if it is heaven.

 — prayers by the demigods

व्यवहारिकगुर्व्वादयोऽपि प्रतिकूलञ्चेद्वर्ज्जनीया एव —

गुरुर्न स स्यात्स्वजनो न स स्यात्
पिता न स स्याज्जननी न सा स्यात् ।
दैवं न तत्स्यान्न पतिश्च स स्यान्
न मोचयेद्यः समुपेतमृत्युम् ॥५॥
श्रीऋषभस्य

vyavahārika-gurvādayo ’pi pratikūlañ ched varjanīyā eva —

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś cha sa syān
na mochayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum [5]

When the traditional guru and guardians are found to be unfavourable, they too must surely be abandoned —

One who cannot save other souls from the world of impending death — that is, one who cannot teach the path of devotion — he cannot be a teacher, although he may be called ‘guru’; he cannot be a relative — he is not worthy of the designation; he cannot be a father — he is not qualified to beget a son; she cannot be a mother — she should not bear a child; he cannot be a god — the demigods who cannot deliver others from material bondage are not entitled to accept worship from human society; and he cannot be a husband — his hand is not fit to accept in marriage.

 — Sri Rsabhadev

सर्व्वेन्द्रियैरेव प्रतिकूलवर्ज्जने सङ्कल्पः —

मा द्राक्षं क्षीणपुण्यान्क्षणमपि भवतो भक्तिहीनान्पदाब्ज
मा श्रौषं श्राव्यबन्धं तव चरितमपास्यान्यदाख्यानजातम् ।
मा स्प्राक्षं माधव! त्वामपि भुवनपते! चेतसापह्नवानान्
मा भूवं त्वत्सपर्य्यापरिकररहितो जन्मजन्मान्तरेऽपि ॥६॥
श्रीकुलशेखरस्य

sarvendriyair eva pratikūla-varjane saṅkalpaḥ —

mā drākṣaṁ kṣīṇa-puṇyān kṣaṇam api bhavato bhakti-hīnān padābje
mā śrauṣaṁ śrāvya-bandhaṁ tava charitam-apāsyānyad-ākhyāna-jātam
mā sprākṣaṁ mādhava! tvām api bhuvana-pate! chetasāpahnavānān
mā bhūvaṁ tvat saparyā-parikara-rahito janma-janmāntare ’pi [6]

The resolve to reject everything unfavourable, by means of all the senses —

O Madhava, let me not see the unvirtuous persons who are devoid of devotion to Your lotus feet, and let me not hear the narratives which do not describe Your divine personality. O Lord of the universe, may I never have any contact with those bereft of faith in You, and moreover, lifetime after lifetime, may I never be without the company of Your associates who are devoted to Your loving service.

 — Sri Kulasekhar

व्यवहारिकादरणीयान्यपि तुच्छवत्त्याज्यानि —

त्वद्भक्तः सरितां पतिं चुलुकवत्खद्योतवद्भास्करं
मेरुं पश्यति लोष्ट्रवत्किमपरं भूमेः पतिं भृत्यवत् ।
चिन्तारत्नचयं शिलाशकलवत्कल्पद्रुमं काष्ठवत्
संसारं तृणराशिवत्किमपरं देहं निजं भारवत् ॥७॥
सर्व्वज्ञस्य

vyavahārikādaraṇīyāny api tuchchhavat tyājyāni —

tvad-bhaktaḥ saritāṁ patiṁ chulukavat khadyotavad bhāskaraṁ
meruṁ paśyati loṣṭravat kim aparaṁ bhūmeḥ patiṁ bhṛtyavat
chintā-ratnachayaṁ śilāśakalavat kalpadrumaṁ kāṣṭhavat
saṁsāraṁ tṛṇa-rāśivat kim-aparaṁ dehaṁ nijaṁ bhāravat [7]

One should also be indifferent towards commonly respected objects —

O Lord, Your devotee sees the ocean to be as insignificant as a palmful of water, the sun as a glow-worm, Mount Sumeru as a pebble, a king as a servant, wish-fulfilling gems as rocks, a desire-yielding tree as wood, worldly aspirations as straw, and he even sees his own body as a trifling weight to carry: he knows all objects unfavourable to devotion as trivia.

 — Sarvajna

हरिविमुखसङ्गफलस्यानुभूतिस्वरूपम् —

वरं हुतवहज्वालापञ्जरान्तर्व्यवस्थितिः।
न शौरिचिन्ताविमुखजनसंवासवैशसम् ॥८॥
कात्यायनस्य

hari-vimukha-saṅga-phalasyānubhūti-svarūpam —

varaṁ hutavaha-jvālā-pañjarāntar-vyavasthitiḥ
na śauri-chintā-vimukha-jana-saṁvāsa-vaiśasam [8]

A realisation of the result of associating with those who are averse to the Supreme Lord Hari —

One should endure the pain of being locked in a cage surrounded by blazing fire, rather than keep the distressing association of persons averse to Krishna consciousness.

 — Katyayan

अन्यदेवोपासकानां स्वरूपपरिचयः —

आलिङ्गनं वरं मन्ये व्यालव्याघ्रजलौकसाम्।
न सङ्गः शल्ययुक्तानां नानादेवैकसेविनाम् ॥९॥
केषाञ्चित्

anya-devopāsakānāṁ svarūpa-parichayaḥ —

āliṅganaṁ varaṁ manye vyāla-vyāghra-jalaukasām
na saṅgaḥ śalya-yuktānāṁ nānā-devaika-sevinām [9]

The actual position of the worshippers of ‘other gods’ —

Better to be embraced by a snake, a tiger, or a crocodile, than to suffer the agony of associating with persons who worship the various demigods.

 — revered votary

भक्तिबाधका दोषास्त्याज्याः —

अत्याहारः प्रयासश्च प्रजल्पो नियमाग्रहः।
जनसङ्गश्च लौल्यञ्च षड्भिर्भक्तिर्विनश्यति ॥१०॥
श्रीरूपपादानां

bhakti-bādhakā doṣās tyājyāḥ —

aty-āhāraḥ prayāsaś cha prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś cha laulyañ cha ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati[10]

 — Sri Rupa Goswami

Personal defects that obstruct devotion must be forsaken —

অত্যন্ত সংগ্রহে যার সদা চিত্ত ধায় ।
অত্যাহারী ভক্তিহীন সেই সংজ্ঞা পায় ॥

প্রাকৃত বস্তুর আশে ভোগে যার মন ।
প্রয়াসী তাহার নাম ভক্তিহীন জন ॥

কৃষ্ণকথা ছাড়ি জিহ্বা আন কথা কহে ।
প্রজল্পী তাহার নাম বৃথা বাক্য কহে ॥

ভজনেতে উদাসীন কর্ম্মেতে প্রবীণ ।
বহ্বারম্ভী সে নিয়মাগ্রহী অতি দীন ॥

কৃষ্ণভক্তসঙ্গ বিনা অন্যসঙ্গে রত ।
জনসঙ্গী কু-বিষয় বিলাসে বিব্রত ॥

নানাস্থানে ভ্রমে যেই নিজ স্বার্থতরে ।
লৌল্যপর ভক্তিহীন সংজ্ঞ দেয় নরে ॥

এই ছয় নহে কভু ভক্তি অধিকারী ।
ভক্তিহীন লক্ষ্যভ্রষ্ট বিষয়ী সংসারী ॥১০॥
(শ্রীল ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী ঠাকুর)

atyanta saṅgrahe yāra sadā chitta dhāya
atyāhārī bhakti-hīna sei saṁjñā pāya

prākṛta vastura āśe bhoge yāra mana
prayāsī tāhāra nāma bhakti-hīna jana

kṛṣṇa-kathā chhāḍi’ jihvā āna kathā kahe
prajalpī tāhāra nāma vṛthā vākya kahe

bhajanete udāsīna karmete pravīṇa
bahvārambhī se niyamāgrahī ati dīna

kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga vinā anya-saṅge rata
jana-saṅgī ku-viṣaya-vilāse vivrata

nānā-sthāne bhrame yei nija svārtha-tare
laulya-para bhakti-hīna saṁjña deya nare

ei chhaya nahe kabhu bhakti adhikārī
bhakti-hīna lakṣya-bhraṣṭa viṣayī saṁsārī

(i) For over-acquisition, one whose mind does always run:
avaricious non-devotee — he should thus be known.

(ii) One who hankers to exploit some object mundane:
non-devotee, over-endeavourer — as such he is known.

(iii) One whose tongue speaks all but holy talks of Krishna:
he is just a gossiper of insignificant banter.

(iv) Apathetic to devotion, skilled in exploitation:
so wretched — proud usurper of the higher devotee’s position.

(v) Associates with all except Lord Krishna’s pure devotees:
a mundane socialiser in the mud of fleeting fancies.

(vi) Who wanders hither and thither for his own selfish plan:
fickle-minded non-devotee — is known such a man.

In these six ways, never fit to render pure devotion:
bereft of love divine — fallen, materialistic person.

योषित्सङ्गस्य प्रातिकूल्यम् —

निष्किञ्चनस्य भगवद्भजनोन्मुखस्य
पारं परं जिगमिषोर्भवसागरस्य।
सन्दर्शनं विषयिणामथ योषितांश्च
हा हन्त हन्त विषभक्षणतोऽप्यसाधु ॥११॥
श्रीश्री भगवतश्चैतन्यचन्द्रस्य

yoṣit-saṅgasya prātikūlyam —

niṣkiñchanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya
sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁś cha
hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato ’py asādhu [11]

The severe adversity of female companionship —

Alas, for a renunciate who desires to completely cross over the ocean of mundanity and engage in the divine loving service of the Supreme Lord, to ogle a materialist and a woman is more wicked than drinking poison.

 — the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra

हरिविमुखस्य वंशादिष्वादरो भक्तिप्रतिकूलः —

धिग्जन्मनस्त्रिवृद्यत्तद्धिग्व्रतं धिग्बहुज्ञताम्।
धिक्कुलं धिक्क्रियादाक्ष्यं विमुखा ये त्वधोक्षजे ॥१२॥
याज्ञिकविप्राणां

hari-vimukhasya vaṁśādiṣv ādaro bhakti-pratikūlaḥ —

dhig janmanas tri-vṛd yat tad dhig vrataṁ dhig bahu jñatām
dhik kulaṁ dhik kriyā-dākṣyaṁ vimukhā ye tv adhokṣaje [12]

Esteem for elevated birth and culture of a person averse to Lord Hari is unfavourable for devotion —

Our three births (seminal, investiture with the sacred thread, and sacrificial [saukra, savitrya, and daiksya]) are condemned, our vow of chastity is condemned, our profuse knowledge of the scriptures is condemned, our lineage is condemned, and our proficiency in prescribed religious rites is condemned — all is lost, because we have become averse to the transcendental Supreme Lord.

 — sacrificial brahmans

जडे चिद्बुद्धिर्वर्ज्जनीया —

यस्यात्मबुद्धिः कुणपे त्रिधातुके
स्वधीः कलत्रादिषु भौम इज्यधीः।
यत्तीर्थबुद्धिः सलिले न कर्हिचिज्
जनेष्वभिज्ञेषु स एव गोखरः ॥१३॥
श्रीश्रीभागवतः

jaḍe chid-buddhir varjanīyā —

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijyadhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhichij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva gokharaḥ [13]

The mentality of considering mundane objects to be conscious elements is unfavourable —

One who considers his gross body to be himself, but does not identify himself with a devotee of the Lord; who considers wife, family, and associated paraphernalia to be his possessions, yet does not feel affection or attachment to a devotee of the Lord; who considers a graven image of earth or other substance to be God, yet does not conceive of the worshippable position of a devotee of the Lord; who considers some river or lake to be a holy place of pilgrimage, yet does not perceive a devotee of the Lord to be the abode of divinity incarnate — such a person is an ass among cows: a colossal fool.

 — the Supreme Personality of Godhead

चित्तत्त्वे जडबुद्धिर्जडाधीनबुद्धिर्वा अपराधत्वेन परिवर्ज्जनीया —

अर्च्च्ये विष्णौ शिलाधीर्गुरुषु नरमतिर्वैष्णवे जातिबुद्धिर्
विष्णोर्वा वैष्णवानां कलिमलमथने पादतीर्थेऽम्बुबुद्धिः।
श्रीविष्णोर्नाम्निमन्त्रे सकलकलुषहे शब्दसामान्यबुद्धिर्
विष्णौ सर्व्वेश्वरेशे तदितरसमधीर्यस्य वा नारकी सः ॥१४॥
श्रीव्यासपादानां

chit-tattve jaḍa-buddhir jaḍādhīna-buddhir vā aparādhatvena parivarjanīyā —

archye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir
viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ’mbu-buddhiḥ
śrī-viṣṇor-nāmni-mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabda-sāmānya-buddhir
viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ [14]

The offensive mentality of considering worshippable, conscious divine forms to be mundane or subordinate to mundanity must be totally abandoned —

Anyone who considers the worshippable Deity to be stone; who considers the Vaisnava Guru to be a mortal man; who considers a Vaisnava to be limited by the confines of caste, lineage, or creed; who considers the holy foot-wash of Lord Visnu or a Vaisnava to be ordinary water; who considers the Holy Name and mantra of Lord Visnu, which vanquish all sins, to be common sound vibration; and who considers the God of gods, Lord Visnu, to be merely on the level of the demigods — such a person is a diabolical devil.

 — Sri Vyasadev

तपः प्रभृतीनां प्रातिकूल्यम् —

रहूगणैतत्तपसा न याति
न चेज्यया निर्व्वपणाद्गृहाद्वा।
न च्छन्दसा नैव जलाग्निसूर्य्यै
विना महत्पादरजोऽभिषेकम् ॥१५॥
श्रीजडभरतस्य

tapaḥ prabhṛtīnāṁ prātikūlyam —

rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti
na chejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā
na chchhandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair
vinā mahat-pāda-rajo ’bhiṣekam [15]

The adversity of all attempts based on austerity and so on —

O Rahugan, without one’s head being adorned with the dust of the holy feet of a pure devotee, one can never attain devotion for the Supreme Lord by austerity, by Vedic worship and religiosity, by following the vow of monkhood, by following the religious duties of married life, by study and recitation of the Vedas, or by worshipping water, fire, or sun.

 — Sri Jad Bharat

अच्युतसम्बन्धहीनज्ञानकर्म्मादेरपि प्रातिकूल्यम् —

नैष्कर्म्म्यमप्यच्युतभाववर्ज्जितं
न शोभते ज्ञानमलं निरञ्जनम्।
कुतः पुनः शश्वदभद्रमीश्वरे
न चार्पितं कर्म्म यदप्यकारणम् ॥१६॥
श्रीनारदस्य

achyuta-sambandha-hīna-jñāna-karmāder api prātikūlyam —

naiṣkarmyam apy achyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ
na śobhate jñānam alaṁ nirañjanam
kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare
na chārpitaṁ karma yad apy akāraṇam [16]

The adversity of pursuits based on knowledge (jnan) and action (karma) devoid of any relationship with the Supreme Lord Hari —

When unadulterated knowledge that is devoid of action and its reactions is never becoming without a devotional relationship with the Infallible Lord, how then will action, which is ill-fated by nature, ever be exalted without being offered to the Almighty, even if it is utterly selfless?

 — Sri Narad

यमादियोगसाधनस्य वर्ज्जनीयता —

यमादिभिर्योगपथैः कामलोभहतो मुहुः।
मुकुन्दसेवया यद्वत्तथाद्धात्मा न शाम्यति ॥१७॥
श्रीनारदस्य

yamādi-yoga-sādhanasya varjanīyatā —

yamādibhir yoga-pathaiḥ kāma-lobha-hato muhuḥ
mukunda-sevayā yadvat tathāddhātmā na śāmyati [17]

The futility of sense control by yogic practise —

The agitated mind, repeatedly taken captive by its enemy in the form of depravity rooted in lust and greed, is directly mastered by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda. It can never be likewise checked or pacified by practising the eightfold yogic discipline, which is generally based on sensual and mental repression [yama, niyama, and so on].

 — Sri Narad

ब्रह्मसुखाग्रहः प्रतिकूल एव —

त्वत्साक्षात्करणाह्लादविशुद्धाब्धिस्थितस्य मे।
सुखानि गोष्पदायन्ते ब्राह्माण्यपि जगद्गुरो ॥१८॥
श्रीप्रह्लादस्य

brahma-sukhāgraḥ pratikūla eva —

tvat-sākṣāt karaṇāhlāda-viśuddhābdhi-sthitasya me
sukhāni goṣpadāyante brāhmāṇy api jagad-guro [18]

Eagerness to attain to the bliss of Brahma must be known as unfavourable to devotion —

O Guru of the universe, now that I can directly behold Your divine form, I reside within the ocean of pure ecstasy. And all other pleasures, including the bliss of merging with Brahma, appear as insignificant as the water in a cow’s hoofprint.

 — Sri Prahlad

मुक्तिस्पृहायाः प्रातिकूल्यम् —

भवबन्धच्छिदे तस्मै स्पृहयामि न मुक्तये।
भवान्प्रभुरहं दास इति यत्र विलुप्यते ॥१९॥
श्रीश्रीहनुमतः

mukti-spṛhāyāḥ prātikūlyam —

bhava-bandha-chchhide tasmai spṛhayāmi na muktaye
bhavān prabhur ahaṁ dāsa iti yatra vilupyate [19]

The aspiration for liberation is particularly unfavourable —

I have no aspiration for that liberation which is meant to sever material bondage, and in which the relationship, ‘You are master, and I, servant,’ is completely lost.

 — Sri Sri Hanuman

सायुज्यमुक्तिस्पृहा औद्धत्यमेव —

भक्तिः सेवा भगवतो मुक्तिस्तत्पदलङ्घनम्।
को मूढो दासतां प्राप्य प्राभवं पदमिच्छति ॥२०॥
शिरमौलिनां

sāyujya-mukti-spṛhā auddhatyam eva —

bhaktiḥ sevā bhagavato muktis tat pada-laṅghanam
ko mūḍho dāsatāṁ prāpya prābhavaṁ padam ichchhati [20]

The aspiration to become one with the Absolute is nothing more than arrogance —

Bhakti is the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and mukti is the overstepping of that service. Who is the fool that hankers for liberation’s throne, rejecting the servitorship of the Lord?

 — Siramauli

आत्यन्तिकलयस्पृहा विवेकहीनतैव —

हन्त चित्रीयते मित्र स्मृत्वा तान्मम मानसम्।
विवेकिनोऽपि ये कुर्य्युस्तृष्णामात्यन्तिके लये ॥२१॥
केषाञ्चित्

ātyantika-laya-spṛhā viveka-hīnataiva —

hanta chitrīyate mitra smṛtvā tān mama mānasam
vivekino ’pi ye kuryus tṛṣṇām ātyantike laye [21]

The astonishing indiscrimination in the aspiration for ultimate dissolution —

Alas, my friend, my heart is simply astonished when I think of all those discriminating persons who aspire for self-extinction in perpetual, indiscriminate absolution.

 — revered votary

मुक्तेर्भक्तिदास्यवाञ्छा भक्तेश्च तत्सङ्गान्मालिन्याशङ्का —

का त्वं मुक्तिरुपागतास्मि भवती कस्मादकस्मादिह
श्रीकृष्णस्मरणेन देव भवतो दासीपदं प्रापिता।
दूरे तिष्ठ मनागनागसि कथं कुर्य्यादनार्य्यं मयि
त्वन्नाम्ना निजनामचन्दनरसालेपस्य लोपो भवेत् ॥२२॥
कस्यचित्

mukter-bhakti-dāsya-vāñchhā bhakteś cha tat-saṅgān-mālinyāśaṅkā —

kā tvaṁ muktir upāgatāsmi bhavatī kasmād akasmād iha
śrī-kṛṣṇa-smaraṇena deva bhavato dāsī-padaṁ prāpitā
dūre tiṣṭha manāg anāgasi kathaṁ kuryād anāryaṁ mayi
tvan-nāmnā nija-nāma-chandana-rasālepasya lopo bhavet [22]

Liberation prays to become devotion’s maidservant, and devotion apprehends the impurity of liberation’s association —

‘Who are you?’

‘It is I, liberation (mukti).’

‘Why have you suddenly come here?

‘O lord, because you are always absorbed in thought of Sri Krishna, I have been promoted to the position of your maidservant.’

‘Just keep a little distance from me.’

‘Oh! Why are you so harsh upon an innocent person like me?’

‘By the mere mention of your name, the sandalwood paste or Gopi-chandan tilak that adorns my body, and which represents my reputation as a devotee of the Lord, will vanish altogether.’

 — votary

बहिर्म्मुखब्रह्मजन्मनोऽपि प्रतिकूलता —

तव दास्यसुखैकसङ्गिनां भवनेष्वस्त्वपि कीटजन्म मे।
इतरावसथेषु मा स्म भूदपि जन्म चतुर्म्मुखात्मना ॥२३॥
श्रीयामुनाचार्य्यस्य

bahirmukha-brahma-janmano ’pi pratikūlatā —

tava dāsya-sukhaika-saṅgināṁ
bhavaneṣv astv-api kīṭa-janma me
itarāv asatheṣu mā sma bhūd
api janma chaturmukhātmanā [23]

The adversity of being born as even Lord Brahma, but without Krishna consciousness —

বেদবিধি অনুসারে, কর্ম্ম করি’ এ সংসারে
জীব পুনঃ পুনঃ জন্ম পায় ।
পূর্ব্বকৃত কর্ম্মফলে, তোমার বা ইচ্ছাবলে
জন্ম যদি লভি পুনরায় ॥

তবে এক কথা মম, শুনহে পুরুষোত্তম
তব দাসসঙ্গীজন ঘরে ।
কীটজন্ম যদি হয়, তাহাতেও দয়াময়
রহিব হে সন্তুষ্ট অন্তরে ॥

তব দাসসঙ্গহীন, যে গৃহস্থ অর্ব্বাচীন
তার গৃহে চতুর্ম্মুখভূতি ।
না চাই কখন হরি, করদ্বয় জোড় করি’
করে তব কিঙ্কর মিনতি ॥২৩॥
(শ্রীল ভক্তিবিনোদ ঠাকুর)

veda-vidhi anusāre, karma kari’ e saṁsāre,
jīva punaḥ punaḥ janma pāya
pūrva-kṛta karma-phale, tomāra vā ichchhā-bale,
janma yadi labhi punarāya

tabe eka kathā mama, śuna he puruṣottama,
tava dāsa-saṅgī-jana ghare
kīṭa-janma yadi haya, tāhāteo dayāmaya,
rahiba he santuṣṭa antare

tava dāsa-saṅga-hīna, ye gṛhastha arvāchīna,
tāra gṛhe chaturmukha-bhūti
nā chāi kakhana hari, kara-dvaya joḍa kari’
kare tava kiṅkara minati

According to Vedic injunction
who acts out his worldly function
that soul takes birth again and again;
according to my previous action
or Your divine predilection
if another birth for me does remain:

then just one thing I have to say
O hear me Lord, if You may:
if within the home of your devotee
I may be born in an insect body
that cannot but be Your mercy
in my heart I’ll be ever happy.

Devoid of Your devotee’s company
in an ignorant non-devotee’s family
to be born as even Brahma, the creator:
for that, O Lord, I’ll never ask You
 — with folded hands now before You
this is the earnest prayer of Your servitor.

गौरभक्तिरसज्ञस्यान्यत्र चिद्रसेऽपि प्रातिकूल्यानुभूतिः —

वासो मे वरमस्तु घोरदहनज्वालावलीपञ्जरे
श्रीचैतन्यपदारविन्दविमुखैर्मा कुत्रचित्सङ्गमः।
वैकुण्ठादिपदं स्वयञ्च मिलितं नो मे मनो लिप्सते
पादाम्भोजरजश्छटा यदि मनाग्गौरस्य नो रस्यते ॥२४॥
श्रीप्रबोधानन्दपादानां

gaura-bhakti-rasajñasyānyatra chid-rase ’pi prātikūlyānubhūtiḥ —

vāso me varam astu ghora-dahana-jvālāvalī-pañjare
śrī-chaitanya-padāravinda-vimukhair mā kutrachit saṅgamaḥ
vaikuṇṭhādi-padaṁ svayañ cha militaṁ no me mano lipsate
pādāmbhoja-rajaś chhaṭā yadi manāg gaurasya no rasyate [24]

The pure devotee who knows the paramount, immaculate nectar of devotion for Sri Chaitanyadev distrusts all else, even to the point of considering the culture of other spiritual relationships to be opposition —

Let me remain within a cage of blazing fire, but never in the association of persons averse to the holy lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If I never get even the slightest taste of the nectar of a tiny particle of the pollen of the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga, my heart has no aspiration for a position in the great spiritual planets headed by Vaikuntha — even if it is mine for the taking.

 — Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati

ऐकान्तिकभक्तस्य क्षयावशिष्टदोषदर्शनाग्रहो वर्ज्जनीयः —

दृष्टैः स्वभावजनितैर्वपुषश्च दोषैर्
न प्राकृतत्वमिह भक्तजनस्य पश्येत्।
गङ्गाम्भसां न खलु बुद्बुदफेनपङ्कैर्
ब्रह्मद्रवत्वमपगच्छति नीरधर्म्मैः ॥२५॥
श्रीरूपपादानां

aikāntika-bhaktasya kṣayāvaśiṣṭa-doṣa-darśanāgraho varjanīyaḥ —

dṛṣṭaiḥ svabhāva-janitair vapuṣaś cha doṣair
na prākṛtatvam iha bhakta-janasya paśyet
gaṅgāmbhasāṁ na khalu bud-buda-phena-paṅkair
brahma-dravatvam apagachchhati nīra-dharmaiḥ [25]

 — Sri Rupa Goswami

The tendency to find the dying remnants of personal defects in an exclusive devotee must be abandoned —

স্বভাব জনিত আর বপুদোষে ক্ষণে ।
অনাদর নাহি কর শুদ্ধ ভক্তজনে ॥

পঙ্কাদি জলীয় দোষে কভু গঙ্গাজলে ।
চিন্ময়ত্ব লোপ নহে সর্ব্বশাস্ত্রে বলে ॥

অপ্রাকৃত ভক্তজন পাপ নাহি করে ।
অবশিষ্ট পাপ যায় কিছুদিন পরে ॥২৫॥
(শ্রীল ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী ঠাকুর)

svabhāva janita āra vapu-doṣe kṣaṇe
anādara nāhi kara śuddha bhakta-jane

paṅkādi jalīya doṣe kabhu gaṅgā-jale
chinmayatva lopa nahe sarva-śāstre bale

aprākṛta bhakta-jana pāpa nāhi kare
avaśiṣṭa pāpa yāya kichhu-dina pare

For defects in his nature, or defects in his body
one should never disrespect Lord Krishna’s pure devotee.

If mud, foam, and bubbles appear in Ganges water
it never loses divinity — so says the scripture.

The devotee of divinity — he does never sin
and if a remnant does remain, soon that too is gone.

परदोषानुशीलनं वर्ज्जनीयम् —

परस्वभावकर्म्माणि यः प्रशंसति निन्दति।
स आशु भ्रश्यते स्वार्थादसत्याभिनिवेशतः ॥२६॥
श्रीश्रीभागवतः

para-doṣānuśīlanaṁ varjanīyam —

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi yaḥ praśaṁsati nindati
sa āśu bhraśyate svārthād asatyābhiniveśataḥ [26]

The practise of finding faults in others must be abandoned —

To pointlessly judge others is a defect, and therefore such a practise must be abandoned. O Uddhava, you should neither praise nor abuse the nature and actions of others, because you will become preoccupied with falsehood and your best self-interest will be lost.

 — the Supreme Personality of Godhead

व्रजरसाश्रितानां भुक्तिमुक्तिस्पृहा तथा ऐश्वर्य्यमिश्रा वैकुण्ठपतिसेवापि त्याज्यत्वेन गण्याः —

असद्वार्त्तावेश्या विसृज मतिसर्व्वस्वहरणीः
कथा मुक्तिव्याघ्र्या न शृणु किल सर्व्वात्मगिलनीः।
अपि त्यक्त्वा लक्ष्मीपतिरतिमितो व्योमनयनीं
व्रजे राधाकृष्णौ स्वरतिमणिदौ त्वं भज मनः ॥२७॥
श्रीरघुनाथपादानां

vraja-rasāśritānāṁ bhukti-mukti-spṛhā tathā aiśvarya-miśrā vaikuṇṭha-pati-sevāpi tyājyatvena gaṇyāḥ —

asad-vārtā-veśyā visṛja mati-sarvasva-haraṇīḥ
kathā mukti-vyāghryā na śṛṇu kila sarvātma-gilanīḥ
api tyaktvā lakṣmī-pati-ratim ito vyoma-nayanīṁ
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇau sva-rati-maṇidau tvaṁ bhaja manaḥ [27]

 — Sri Raghunath Das Goswami

For the pure devotees who have taken refuge in the mellow of pure devotion in Vrndavan, even the reverential service of Lord Narayan in Vaikuntha is considered to be as adverse as the aspiration for worldly pleasure or liberation —

কৃষ্ণবার্ত্তা বিনা আন, ‘অসদ্বার্ত্তা’ বলি’ জান
সেই বেশ্যা অতি ভয়ঙ্করী ।
শ্রীকৃষ্ণবিষয় মতি, জীবের দুর্ল্লভ অতি
সেই বেশ্যা মতি লয় হরি ॥

শুন মন, বলি হে তোমায় ।
মুক্তি-নামে শার্দ্দুলিনী, তার কথা যদি শুনি
সর্ব্বাত্মসম্পত্তি গিলি’ খায় ॥

তদুভয় ত্যাগ কর, মুক্তিকথা পরিহর
লক্ষ্মীপতিরতি রাখ দূরে ।
সে রতি প্রবল হলে, পরব্যোমে দেয় ফেলে
নাহি দেয় বাস ব্রজপুরে ॥

ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ-রতি, অমূল্য ধনদ অতি
তাই তুমি ভজ চীরদিন ।
রূপ-রঘুনাথ-পায়, সেই রতি প্রার্থনায়
এ ভক্তিবিনোদ দীনহীন ॥২৭॥
(শ্রীল ভক্তিবিনোদ ঠাকুর)

kṛṣṇa-vārtā vinā āna, ‘asad-vārtā’ bali’ jāna,
sei veśyā ati bhayaṅkarī
śrī-kṛṣṇa-viṣaya mati, jīvera durlabha ati,
sei veśyā mati laya hari

śuna mana, bali he tomāya
mukti-nāme śārdulinī, tāra kathā yadi śuni,
sarvātma-sampatti gili’ khāya

tad ubhaya tyāga kara, mukti-kathā parihara,
lakṣmī-pati-rati rākha dūre
se rati prabala ha’le, paravyome deya phele,
nāhi deya vāsa vraja-pure

vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-rati, amūlya dhanada ati,
tāi tumi bhaja chīra-dina
rūpa-raghunātha-pāya, sei rati prārthanāya,
e bhaktivinoda dīna-hīna

Anything but Krishna’s message
know as falsehood such a passage
such a harlot is so very dangerous:
devotion to the Lord Sri Krishna
rarely gotten by the jiva —
that harlot steals away this consciousness.

O dear mind, please hear my prayer:
And if you hear the presentation
of the tigress liberation
all the soul’s good prospect she’ll devour.

Both temptations please abandon
and not to speak of liberation
curb attraction for the Lord Narayan;
by attraction to that plane
to Vaikuntha you’ll be hurled down —
denied the chance to live in Sri Vrndavan.

Love for Radha-Krishna in Vraja
bestows the most precious treasure;
adore Them in your heart eternally;
Rupa-Raghunath’s feet
for such devotion, does entreat
this Bhakti Vinod, bereft, in all humility.

इति श्रीप्रपन्नजीवनामृते

श्रीभक्तवचनामृतान्तर्गतः

प्रातिकूल्यविवर्ज्जनं नाम चतुर्थोऽध्यायः।

iti śrī-prapanna-jīvanāmṛte

śrī-bhakta-vachanāmṛtāntargataḥ

prātikūlya-vivarjanaṁ nāma chaturtho ’dhyāyaḥ

Thus ends the fourth chapter,

Rejection of the Unfavourable

from

Words of Nectar from the Devotees

in