Srimad Bhagavat, Canto 11, part 1

This is the last canto of the Bhagavat I studied with the commentaries of Sri Visvanath Cakravartipad, that are very summary in this Canto.

11.2.37 bhayaM dvitIyAbhinivezataH syAd IzAd apetasya viparyayo'smRtiH, is often quoted to show the jiva fell from the spiritual world, but the apeta, or turning away from God by the jIva is anAdi, beginningless and that also counts for fear bhaya. asmRti means, according to Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti, not forgetting Krishna, but the own spiritual nature. viparyaya means taking something for what it isn't, like identifying oneself with the body, which one is not.

11.3.22 the word sikset is in imperative case - one must learn and teach bhagavat dharma. A Guru should not just give diksa and then walk away, nor should the sisya just take diksa and then walk away.

11.3.48 labdhvAnugraha AcAryAt tena sandarzitAgamaH mahA-puruSam abhyarcen mUrtyAbhimatayAtmanaH “Having obtained the mercy of his guru, who reveals to the disciple the injunctions of Vedic scriptures, the devotee should worship the Supreme Lord in the particular personal form of the Lord the devotee finds most attractive.”

This clearly refutes the theory that one must just do any service the Lord orders one.

11.5.41 – Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - That (debt to the ancestors or devatAs) is not so for the devotee who has surrendered completely to Mukunda. It is just like a person who, on being accepted as the servant of the emperor of the earth, cannot be the servant of the ruler of one state.

11.7.20 Atmano gurur Atmaiva puruSasya vizeSataH yat pratyakSAnumAnAbhyAM zreyo `sAv anuvindate “An intelligent person, acting as his own guru, can achieve great benefit by perception and logic.”

Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika – One can attain benefit by sense perception to some degree and by reflection or inference to some degree.

11.7.39, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - The mind and speech will be agitated by food which is too oily, because of increase in laziness and semen.

11.8.20 , Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - The moth is destroyed by attraction to form. The bee is destroyed by attraction to smell. The elephant is destroyed by attraction to touch. The deer is destroyed by attraction to sound. The fish is destroyed by attraction to taste. It has been said:

kuraGga-mAtaGga-pataGga-bhRGga-mInA hatAH paJcabhir eva paJca

ekaH pramAdI sa kathaM na hanyate yaH sevate paJcabhir eva paJca

The deer, elephant, moth, bee and fish are destroyed by the five sense objects. How can an insane person who engages all senses in the five sense objects not be destroyed? Garuda Purana 1.115.21

11.9.31 na hy ekasmAd guror jJAnaM su-sthiraM syAt su-puSkalam brahmaitad advitIyaM vai gIyate bahudharSibhiH - "Although the Lord is one without a second, the sages have described him in many different ways. Therefore one may not be able to acquire firm and complete knowledge from one guru."

Gaudiya Vaishnavas are eka-guru vadis though - Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - “It is said mad abhijJaM guruM zAntam upAsIta: one should worship a peaceful guru who knows me (SB 11.10.5) and tasmAd guruM prapadyeta jijJAsuH zreya uttamam: the inquisitive person should surrener to the superior guru. (SB 11.3.21) From these statements it is understood that one should accept only one guru. Shwetaketu, Bhrigu and others did not accept many gurus. And true, I also have accepted one guru who gives instruction on mantra. But considering things which act as examples of what is favorable or unfavorable for performing worship, I have made those things my gurus. They are my siksa-gurus, teaching by negative or positive example. »

11.10.7 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - The son of Citraketu said:

yathA vastUni paNyAni hemAdIni tatas tataH

paryaTanti nareSv evaM jIvo yoniSu kartRSu

nityasyArthasya sambandho hy anityo dRzyate nRSu

yAvad yasya hi sambandho mamatvaM tAvad eva hi

Just as commodities and coins pass among many people, the jiva wanders into various wombs with various fathers and mothers. It is seen that the relationships of one object with many people are temporary. As long as the relationship lasts, one has possessiveness of the object. SB 6.16.6-7

But one should not lack possessiveness of guru and the Lord. Thus it is said one should have firm attachment to them (dridah-sauhridah).

11.11.4 ekasyaiva mamAMzasya jIvasyaiva mahA-mate bandho `syAvidyayAnAdir vidyayA ca tathetaraH – “O intelligent Uddhava! The bondage of the jIva, who is my one part or taTastha-zakti, by avidyA, is without beginning. By vidyA, he achieves liberation which has a beginning.”

This is clear and unmistakable. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - asya jIvasya avidyayA bandhaH sa ca karmaNo`nAdiH The jIva is bound by avidyA. AvidyA is beginningless because karma is beginningless.

Though Guru Purnima is sometimes called a karmi-or mayavadi festival, in his tika of 11.11.24 Visvanatha writes mat-svarUpa-sri guru-devArAdhana-divase ca, (Krishna says: ) «My worship means worshipping My swarup Sri Gurudeva, on the day of his worship. »

It can also refer to Gurudev’s birthday.

11.12.8 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika – “The cows attained me by vAtsalya-rasa. The mountains like Govardhana attained me with sakhya-rasa. The animals, the trees and shrubs, though unintelligent, snakes like Kaliya attained me with dAsya-rasa."

Sometimes it is said that the cows, mountains and trees are in shanta rasa, but this makes it clear there is no shanta rasa in Vraja at all. Cari bhava diye nacaimu tribhuvana – Mahaprabhu declares that he bestows four bhavas [excluding shanta rasa].