Srimad Bhagavat, Canto 11, part 2

In this second installment of the 11th canto review we return briefly to verse 11.6.31, where Sri Jiva and Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti (inspired by ancient commentator Vamsidhara) interpret the word ‘ nAza’ to mean nigUdhAyAm dvArakAyAm praveza, that Krishna entered an invisible Dwarka Dham after disappearing from this world. This may hint at the prakaTAprakaTa state Sri Jiva tells us about (the station of Krishna and His associates in this material world in which He eternally revels outside of the view of anyone who is not on the level of bhava bhakti or higher)

11.13.8 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - “Those who have no knowledge enjoy material life. But even those who know that one can attain the ultimate goal by employing sattva, still enjoy material life. They enjoy just as a dog, though scolded, eats leftovers, just as a donkey though kicked, enjoys a female donkey, and just as the goat, though about to be killed, enjoys the grass.

11.13.35 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - “Will saMsAra recur because of inability to withdraw continuously from the state of duality while possessing a body?” Even if one observes the world in necessary daily actions, one will not be bewildered again by what one has given up, based on previous mistaken identity (avastu-buddhyA). However, until death of the body, remembrance, a shadow of saMsAra, will remain. deha-pAta-paryantaM smRtir iva smRtiH saMsAra-mAtreNAvabhAso bhaved

11.14.18 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - Though the devotee is distressed by (attached to) sense objects, he is not overcome. Because both verbs are in the present tense, it implies that even while being harassed by sense objects, he is not really harassed since bhakti is present. A person who is attacked by the weapons of an enemy cannot be defeated because of the presence of his bravery. Or, on the day that a powerful medicine is taken to prevent fever, though the fever still causes suffering, it is not a real cause of suffering, since the fever is in a state of being destroyed and will be completely destroyed the next day.

11.16.26 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - Shruti says ardho ha vA eSa Atmano yat patnI: half of his self is his wife. (BaudAyana shrauta-sutra 29.9.381.2)

11.17.22 Sridhar Swami and Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti comment - dvijas traivarnika - the three upper castes are dwijas.

11.17.27 The most famous acaryaM mAM vijAniyan sloka, glorifying the Guru as Bhagavan Himself, carries no tika at all by any acarya – most astonishing!

11.17.38 gRhaM vanaM vopavizet pravrajed vA dvijottamaH “A second born person (brahmacArI) becomes a householder, vAnaprastha or sannyAsI, in the case of a brAhmaNa”.

From this it’s clear that sannyAsa is only for Brahmins and it explains the almost unanimous falldown of low-caste or outcaste sannyasis.

Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - "One should not enter the Ashrams in a reverse order, and one should not be without Ashram, unless one is my devotee. If one is a devotee, then one does not have to follow the rules of Ashram. This will be explained later. If the devotee enters Ashrams in a different order, or has no Ashram, there is no fault.“

Still Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu banished Chota Haridas, who paid with his life for transgressing the law of the vairagi ashram, so one cannot just give up sannyas to marry.

11.17.51 yadRcchayopapannena - A householder should comfortably maintain his dependents either with money that comes of its own accord or with that gathered by honest execution of his duties.

11.19.7 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - "It is also well known that the relationship of the jIva with avidyA is without beginning, through the power of mAyA. One could argue that if the ignorance was without beginning it would mean this ignorant condition would be the svarUpa of the jIva, which could therefore not be removed even by jnAna. The jIva`s svarUpa would have to be destroyed to destroy avidyA. But the idea that liberation means destruction of the jIva`s svarUpa is not accepted by the authorities."

11.20.11 If one attains association with karma-mizra-bhaktas or jJAna-mizra-bhaktas, by that type of bhakti one attains zAnti-rati.

11.20.17 mayAnukUlena nabhasvateritaM Means pushed by the favorable wind of serving me

In his tika of 11.20.31, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti quotes Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu 3.1.15, anujjhita-mumukSA ye bhajante te tu tApasAH - The practitioners of austerity in bhakti are those who worship the Lord while practicing yukta-vairAgya without giving up the desire for liberation, since obstacles to bhakti are destroyed by attaining liberation.

11.21.15 Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - “Purification of mantra is described. Suitable knowledge from the mouth of the pure guru purifies a mantra.“ In other words, one must take diksa in person, not by sms, skype, youtube or e-mail.

11.21.23 phala-zrutir iyaM nqNAM na zreyo rocanaM param zreyo-vivakSayA proktaM yathA bhaiSajya-rocanam - The rewards promised in scripture are not the ultimate benefit for man but are merely enticements for liberating him. They are like promises of candy spoken to induce a child to take beneficial medicine.

Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti’s tika - “How can one fall from one’s interest from hearing results like Svarga in the Vedas?” The results described in the scriptures for performing karmas are not beneficial for man. Narada says: zreyas tvaM katamad rAjan karmaNAtmana Ihase duHkha-hAniH sukhAvAptiH zreyas tan neha ceSyate O King! What benefit do you want for yourself by doing these karmas? It is not possible to destroy suffering and attain happiness by performance of karma. SB 4.25.4 “One hears that the results of karma are eternal: let us then enjoy with the Apsaras.” This is only enticement. Wanting to liberate material people, by stating intermediate results (enjoyment), people develop a taste for doing karmas. Similarly a doctor entices a person to take medicine. The father says “If you drink the neem juice I will give you a sweet.” The child drinks the juice. However the goal is not to eat the sweet.