Śrīmad Bhāgavat, Canto 11, part 1

This is the last canto of the Bhāgavat I studied with the commentaries of Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda, that are very summary in this Canto.

11.2.37 bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo'smṛtiḥ, is often quoted to show the jīva fell from the spiritual world, but the apeta, or turning away from God by the jīva is anādi, beginningless, and that also counts for fear, bhaya. asmṛti means, according to Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda, not forgetting Kṛṣṇa, 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 śikṣet is in imperative case - one must learn and teach bhagavat dharma. A Guru should not just give dīkṣā and then walk away, nor should the śiṣya just take dīkṣā and then walk away.

11.3.48 labdhvānugraha ācāryāt tena sandarśitāgamaḥ mahā-puruṣam abhyarcen mūrtyābhimatayātmanaḥ “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 –  Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - That (debt to the ancestors or devatās) 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 ātmano gurur ātmaiva puruṣasya viśeṣataḥ yat pratyakṣānumānābhyāṁ śreyo`sāv anuvindate “An intelligent person, acting as his own Guru, can achieve great benefit by perception and logic.”

Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - One can attain benefit by sense perception to some degree and by reflection or inference to some degree.

11.7.39, Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - The mind and speech will be agitated by food which is too oily, because of increase in laziness and semen.

11.8.20,  Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - 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:

kuraṅga-mātaṅga-pataṅga-bhṛṅga-mīnā hatāḥ pañcabhir eva pañca

ekaḥ pramādī sa kathaṁ na hanyate yaḥ sevate pañcabhir eva pañca

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 Purāṇa 1.115.21

11.9.31 na hy ekasmād guror jñānaṁ su-sthiraṁ syāt su-puṣkalam brahmaitad advitīyaṁ vai gīyate bahudharṣibhiḥ - "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 Vaiṣṇavas are eka-guru vādīs though - Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - “It is said mad abhijñaṁ guruṁ śāntam upāsīta: one should worship a peaceful Guru who knows me (SB 11.10.5) and tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya 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. Śvetaketu, Bhṛgu 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 śikṣā-gurus, teaching by negative or positive example. »

11.10.7 Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - The son of Citraketu said:

yathā vastūni paṇyāni hemādīni tatas tataḥ

paryaṭanti nareṣv evaṁ jīvo yoniṣu kartṛṣu

nityasyārthasya sambandho hy anityo dṛśyate nṛṣu

yāvad yasya hi sambandho mamatvaṁ tāvad eva hi

"Just as commodities and coins pass among many people, the jīva 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 (dṛḍah-sauhṛdaḥ).

11.11.4 ekasyaiva mamāṁśasya jīvasyaiva mahā-mate bandho`syāvidyayānādir vidyayā ca tathetaraḥ – “O intelligent Uddhava! The bondage of the jīva, who is my one part or taṭastha-śakti, by avidyā, is without beginning. By vidyā, he achieves liberation which has a beginning.”

This is clear and unmistakable. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā - asya jīvasya avidyayā bandhaḥ sa ca karmaṇo`nādiḥ The jīva is bound by avidyā. avidyā is beginningless because karma is beginningless.

Though Guru Purnima is sometimes called a karmī-or māyāvādī-festival, in his ṭīkā of 11.11.24,  Viśvanātha writes mat-svarūpa-śrī guru-devārādhana-divase ca, (Kṛṣṇa says: ) «My worship means worshipping My swarup Śrī Gurudeva, on the day of his worship. »

It can also refer to Gurudev’s birthday.

11.12.8 Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda's ṭīkā -  “The cows attained me by vātsalya-rasa. The mountains like Govardhana attained me with sakhya-rasa. The animals, the trees and shrubs, though unintelligent, snakes like Kaliya attained me with dāsya-rasa."

Sometimes it is said that the cows, mountains and trees are in śānta rasa, but this makes it clear there is no śānta rasa in Vraja at all. cāri bhāva diye nācāimu tribhuvana – Mahāprabhu declares that he bestows four bhāvas [excluding śānta rasa].