The Tonic of Sweet Surrender for Dedicated Souls

Prapanna-Jivanāmṛtam

The Tonic of Sweet Surrender for Dedicated Souls

तृतियोऽध्यायः

CHAPTER III

श्री भक्त वचनामृतम्

Śrī Bhakta-vacanāmṛtam

Soul-tonic-words from the bhaktas

continued...

Acceptance of what is favorable.

3.16

अप्राकृत रत्य् उदयश् च
aprākṛta raty udayaś ca

Transcendental attraction and attachment to Kṛṣṇa also dawns [from service to the devotees.] 

यत् तद् वदन्तु षास्त्राणि यत् तद् व्याख्यान्तु तार्किकः
जीवनं मम चैतन्य पादाम्बोज सुधैव तु

श्री प्रबोधानन्दपादानां

yat tad vadantu śāstrāṇi yat tad vyākhyāntu tārkikaḥ

jīvanaṁ mama caitanya pādāmboja sudhaiva tu

Śrī Prabodhānandapādānāṁ

Whatever the śāstras say and whatever is argued about their meaning,  I take the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya as my life and soul.

Śrī Prabodhānanda

[Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākura in his Caitanya Caritamṛta commentary describes Prabodhānanda Saraswati as a great Vaishnava devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu who wrote a number of books such as Caitanya-candāmṛta, Rādhā-rāsa-sudhā-nidhi, Saṅgīta-Mādhava, Vṛdnāvana-śātaka and Nabadwipa-śātaka.  Prabhodānanda Saraswati  was the uncle and spiritual master of Gopal Bhatta Goswāmi. (CC Adi 7.149, CC Madhya 17. 104).  Since Caitanya Mahāprabhu is both the Supreme Personality of Godhead as well as His devotee, Prabodhānanda feels confident he achieves the purport of all the śāstras, leaving aside arguments, merely by accepting the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya.]

3.17

साध्य-सेवा-सङ्कल्पः

sādhya-sevā-saṅkalpaḥ

[It is also favorable] to long for perfection in devotional practice.

भवन्तम् एवानुचरन् निरन्तरः

प्रशान्त निःशेष मनो रथान्तरः

कदाहम् ऐकान्तिक नित्य किङ्करः

प्रहर्षयिष्यामि सनाथ जिवितम्

श्री यामुनाचार्य्यस्य

bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ

praśānta niḥśeṣa mano rathāntaraḥ

kadāham aikāntika nitya kiṅkaraḥ

praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha jivitam

śrī yāmunācāryyasya

"When will I bloom in service as your devotee? Then my heart and mind will be peaceful. All my desires will be purified by your service."

This verse is found in Caitanya Caritamṛta Madhya lila 1.206

भवन्तम् एवानुचरन् निरन्तरः

प्रशान्त-निःशेष-मनो-रथान्तरः

कदाहम् ऐकान्तिक-नित्य-किङ्करः

प्रहर्षयिष्यामि सनाथ-जीवितम्

TEXT 206

bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ

praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ

kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ

praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha-jīvitam

SYNONYMS

bhavantam—You; eva—certainly; anucaran—serving; nirantaraḥ—always; praśānta—pacified; niḥśeṣa—all; manaḥ-ratha—desires; antaraḥ—other; kadā—when; aham—I; aikāntika—exclusive; nitya—eternal; kiṅkaraḥ—servant; praharṣayiṣyāmi—I shall become joyful; sa-nātha—with a fitting master; jīvitam—living.

TRANSLATION

“‘By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?’”

PURPORT

In His teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has declared every living entity to be an eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the constitutional position of all living entities. Just as a dog or servant is very much satisfied to get a competent, perfect master, or as a child is completely satisfied to possess a competent father, so the living entity is satisfied by completely engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord. He thereby knows that he has a competent master to save him from all kinds of danger. Unless the living entity comes to the guaranteed protection of the Supreme Lord, he is full of anxiety. This life of anxiety is called material existence. To be completely satisfied and devoid of anxiety, one must come to the position of eternally rendering service to the Supreme Lord. This verse is also from the Stotra-ratna (43), by Śrī Yāmunācārya.

In a lecture given in Los Angeles, California, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, "This is a prayer by Yāmunācārya. He's aspiring, bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ: "I shall always live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." 

Bhavantam. He's addressing the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, bhavantam. Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ. Nirantara means 'without any stop; continually.' "When I shall live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness without any stop?" Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ. Praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. Mana means 'mind.' We are on the chariot, and the mind is the driver and the senses are the horses. (ACBSP Lecture SB 01.15.31 - Los Angeles http://vanisource.org/wiki/731209_-_Lecture_SB_01.15.31_-_Los_Angeles)

[In another lecture on the same verse by Yamunācārya,  A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmi Prabhupāda elaborates widely on its meaning. ]

"This is very important verse. Śrī Yamunācārya says, "My dear Lord," bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ, "when I shall be fully engaged in Your service?" This is the process of being freed from all anxiety. Just like this child. This child is restless. He's going here, going there. But if the child is given some engagement, toy, which he likes, then she will remain there pacified and will not disturb anyone. That is natural. 

Similarly, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. So long we are not again linked up with His service, with His... So long we are not again reestablished in our lost relationship with Kṛṣṇa, we shall remain restless. That is our natural condition. Just like the child is crying, restless. But as soon as the mother takes the child on the lap, the child is immediately pacified. Why? Because the child wants that. She cannot express what she wants. She is crying. But she has no language to express, but she can express her feelings. As soon as she is on the lap of the mother, she understands, "Now I am fully satisfied." You can also understand. So even there is no language, there is a stage of satisfaction. That stage is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as one comes to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he'll be satisfied. And unless he comes to that stage, he'll always be disturbed, full of anxieties...

...So Yamunācārya is praying to the Lord, "My dear Lord, when I shall achieve that stage of life when I shall be fully engaged in Your service?" Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ. Nirantaraḥ means without any interval. In the material world, after working for some time, we want an interval for rest. But if you are actually engaged in spiritual activities, you won't like to be rested. You want to continue always = work, work, work. Rest will be disgusting. Of course, so long we have got this material body, we have to take rest, but this rest is also not required, because in the spiritual world there is no such fatigue. Everyone is always active. So that is perfectional stage. Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. And how one can be pacified fully? When he does not manufacture the fulfillment of desire. 

...You have to stop this manufacturing process, that "I shall be happy in this way." No. That is called free of anxieties. If you want to manufacture, that "I shall be happy in this way," that will also create another anxiety. That will create another anxiety. Therefore Yamunācārya says, praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. Mano-rathāntaraḥ, this particular word, is used = "mind, on the chariot of mind." In the material stage of life, we are being driven by the chariot of mind. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is stated, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [Bg. 18.61]. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. All living entities are traveling within this material world in different species of life, in different planets. Sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā: on the chariot given by the material energy. So that is mind.

So, so long we shall travel on the chariot of the mind, mano-ratha, then there is no question of our being freed from anxiety. Therefore we have to give up this chariot of mind. The chariot of mind will not give us satisfaction. We have to transcend the mental state, the intellectual state. The philosophers, they are intellectually trying to be happy. That also we have to transcend. We have [to] come to the spiritual platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ. And not only come to the spiritual platform, we must have spiritual engagement. 

That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have got engagement. 

We are not only satisfied that "I am spirit," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. 

No. 

There must be duties of the Brahman. The Brahman must be engaged. Otherwise... Because we want some work, because we are active... We are not just like stones. We cannot sit down. 

So there must be activities. Just study the nature of the child. He's always active, must be doing something. Maybe it is useless, but how can you stop the child's activities? That is not possible. Similarly, we are active. So simply by understanding that "I am spirit soul" will not help me. 

I must be active in the spiritual world. 

That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone is engaged in some activity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that will make him praśānta. Niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ. That stage of pacified condition of life can be attained, as it is stated by Yamunācārya, kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ. Aikāntika. Aikāntika means absolutely, without diverting my mind in any other thing; nitya-kiṅkaraḥ, eternally servant of God, eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. When I am convinced in that way, then I shall be happy. 

Kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ praharṣayiṣyāmi. 

Praharṣayiṣyāmi means "I shall be always jolly." How I shall be jolly? Sanātha-jīvitam: "Because I will [be] living under the protection of my Lord." 

(ACBSP 14 September 1969 https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/690914lelon/ )