воскресенье, 25 октября 2015 г.

Prema-Bhakti of Shree Dwaraka-Dhama Princesses and वैष्णवीं गतिम्


While reading the most beautiful Chapter of "Shreemad Bhagavatam" (Song 10, Chapter 90) I have stumbled upon expression "Paramam Gatim" in the Verse 10.90.25.

This Chapter is all about Prema-Vaichittya of Princesses of
Shree Dwaraka-Dhama. 

All Princesses in Shree Dwaraka are definitely Mukta-Jivas, that is being The Wife of Bhagavan Shree Krishna and Mukta means to have all the highest goals of life accomplished, so I was kind of riddled by this logical contradiction about Princesses of Shree Dwaraka achieving "paramam gatim".

G.V.Tagore (the translator of Motilal edition) had translated the Verse as: "It is by virtue of such Deep Constancy and Devotion to Lord Shree Krishna, the Lord of the masters of Yoga that The Consorts of Bhagavan Shree Krishna attained to The Supreme State of Moksha".

As you see the translation is literally right, but logically unfit as All The Princesses of Shree Dwaraka were already Muktas. 
This logical contradiction has been unraveled when I have turned to Tika of OM VishnuPad VishwaNatha Chakrawarti Thakur. 
It turned out, that in the manuscript OM VishnuPad VishwaNatha Chakrawarti Thakur relied on, phrase "VAISHNAVIM GATIM" had been used. 


Such change resolves all the logical problems: 


श्रीशुक उवाच इतीदृशेन भावेन कृष्णे योगेश्वरेश्वरे
क्रियमाणेन माधव्यो लेभिरे परमां {{{वैष्णवीं}}} गतिम्

shrIshuka uvAcha

itIdR^ishena bhAvena kR^iShNe yogeshvareshvare

kriyamANena mAdhavyo lebhire paramAM {{{vaiShNavIM}}} gatim

TRANSLATION: "Shree Shukadeva Goswami said: By thus speaking and acting with such ecstatic love for Lord Krsna, the master of all masters of mystic yoga, His loving wives attained the ultimate goal of life".

TIKA BY OM VISHNUPAD VISHWANATHA CHAKRAWARTI THAKUR (SHREE SARARTHA-DARSHINI):

"What goal was attained by these women who possessed such pure ecstatic love?" This verse answers.

[note: In Visvanatha Cakravartipada's edition of Bhagavatam, the last words in the verse are {{{vaiShNavIM}}} gatim, rather than  paramAM gatim (ultimate goal), therefore, he comments on the words vaiShNavIM gatim.] 

The supreme goal (paramAM gatim) attained by Shree Dwaraka Mahishis (महिषी - mahiSI - Queen or Princess) was not the liberation of the impersonal yogis, but they attained the supreme goal obtainable by Vaishnavas (vaiShNavIM gatim), namely Prema-Bhakti, Pure Loving Devotion. 

Indeed, since The Princesses were already imbued with Divine Love of God from the very beginning, They possessed transcendental bodies of eternity, knowledge and bliss, in which They fully relished the pleasure of associating with Bhagavan Shree Krishna in His most intimate pastimes. 

Having already tasted the blissful sweetness of Lord Krishna's sublime association, which far surpasses the taste of merging in Brahman, it would be impossible for These Exalted Girls to again obtain such fruits as liberation, the ultimate goal (paramAM gatim) mentioned in this verse.

Therefore, their attainment could only be More Intense Prema. The word vaiShNavIM can also mean "of Vishnu or of Krishna." 

Therefore, the phrase vaiShNavIM gatim means that the Shree Dwaraka Mahisis attained the position (gatim) of Bhagavan Shree Krishna. 

In other words, Their Prema matured into the ecstasy of madness in Pure Love (bhavonmada), just as the Gopis' Love did when Bhagavan Shree Krishna disappeared from Their Midst during the Rasa Dance.

At that time the Gopis experienced the full development of ecstatic madness in which They completely identified Themselves with Bhagavan Shree Krishna. 

Inquiring from the various creatures of the forest, the Gopis said - कृष्णोऽहं पश्यत गतिं (kR^iShNo.ahaM pashyata gatiM): 

"I am Krishna! Just see how gracefully I move!" ("Shreemad Bhagavatam", 10.30.19

In the same way, The Princesses of Shree Dwaraka attained the topmost goal (paramAM gatim) of becoming fully absorbed in Krishna after asking questions to the kurari (कुररी - kurarI - kind of bird, osprey) and others. 

Dwarakadhisha's Principal Princesses reached a level of Prema known as Anuraga, wherein the vilasa (flourishing transformations) of Their Ecstatic Love for Bhagavan Shree Krishna produced the Prema-Vaichittya symptoms They have exhibited here. 

The stage of Anuraga is described in "Shree Ujjvala-Nilamani" by OM VishnuPad Rupa Goswami Acharya".

Cited from "SARARTHA DARSHINI 
BY SHRILA VISHVANATHA 
CAKRAVARTI THAKURA", 
Tikas to 10th Skandha of 
"Shree Bhagavata-Purana", ENG, 
translated by Bhanu Swami, 2004 -