SB 11.2.42 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

भक्ति: परेशानुभवो विरक्ति- रन्यत्र चैष त्रिक एककाल: । प्रपद्यमानस्य यथाश्न‍त: स्यु- स्तुष्टि: पुष्टि: क्षुदपायोऽनुघासम् ॥ ४२ ॥

Verse text

bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo ’nu-ghāsam

Synonyms

bhaktiḥ — devotion ; para — īśa — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; anubhavaḥ — direct perception ; viraktiḥ — detachment ; anyatra — from everything else ; ca — and ; eṣaḥ — this ; trikaḥ — group of three ; eka — kālaḥ — simultaneously ; prapadyamānasya — for one in the process of taking shelter of the Supreme Lord ; yathā — in the same way as ; aśnataḥ — for one engaged in eating ; syuḥ — they occur ; tuṣṭiḥ — satisfaction ; puṣṭiḥ — nourishment ; kṣut — apāyaḥ — eradication of hunger ; anu — ghāsam — increasingly with each morsel .

Translation

Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things — these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things—these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, in the same way that pleasure, fullness of the stomach and relief from hunger are experienced simultaneously, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating. An example is given to show that even at the stage of sādhana, which gives great happiness, one achieves the result. When there is bhakti in the form of hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa, the supreme deity, there should be a sweet experience. At that time, there should also be an experience of detachment from material happiness. These three should arise at the same time for the person who worships Kṛṣṇa (prapadyamānasya). Similarly for a person who eats, there is happiness, nourishment and disappearance of hunger with each mouthful. When one takes a mouthful of rice, this happens. Just as a person who eats a little gets a little satisfaction, a little nourishment (fullness of stomach) and a little relief from hunger, so a person who worships the Lord a little with hearing and chanting gets a little experience of the Lord and a little detachment from material life. And just as a person who eats a lot gets full satisfaction, full nourishment and full relief from hunger, so a person who worships the Lord fully experiences the Lord fully and becomes completely detached from material life. But though it is impossible to keep eating, by more worship of the Lord one becomes more capable of worshipping. That is the difference.

Purport

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this analogy as follows: Bhakti, or devotion, may be compared to tuṣṭi (satisfaction) because they both take the form of pleasure. Pareśānubhava (experience of the Supreme Lord) and puṣṭi (nourishment) are analogous because both sustain one’s life. Finally, virakti (detachment) and kṣud-apāya (cessation of hunger) may be compared because both free one from further hankering so that one may experience śānti, or peace. A person who is eating not only becomes uninterested in other activities but increasingly becomes uninterested in the food itself, according to his satisfaction. On the other hand, according to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, although one who is experiencing the blissful Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, becomes uninterested in anything other than Kṛṣṇa, his attachment to Kṛṣṇa increases at every moment. Therefore it is to be understood that the transcendental beauty and qualities of the Supreme Lord are not material, since one never becomes satiated by relishing the bliss of the Supreme Lord. The word viraktiḥ is very significant in this verse. Virakti means “detachment,” whereas tyāga means “renunciation.” According to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the word renunciation can be used in a situation in which one considers giving up an enjoyable object. But by considering everything to be potential paraphernalia in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, as described in the previous verse, one need not give thought to renunciation, for one uses everything in the proper way in the service of the Lord. Yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. The very pleasant analogy of a good meal is given in this verse. A hungry man busily consuming a sumptuous plate of food is not interested in anything else happening around him. In fact, he considers any other topic or activity a disturbance to his concentration on the delicious meal. Similarly, as one advances in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one considers anything unrelated to the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa an obnoxious disturbance. Such concentrated love of Godhead has been described in the Second Canto of the Bhāgavatam by the words tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param ( Bhāg. 2.3.10 ). One should not make an artificial show of renouncing the material world; rather, one should systematically train the mind to see everything as an expansion of the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as a hungry materialistic man, upon seeing sumptuous food, immediately desires to put it in his mouth, an advanced devotee of Kṛṣṇa, upon seeing a material object, immediately becomes eager to use it for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Without the spontaneous hunger to engage everything in the service of Kṛṣṇa and to dive deeper and deeper into the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa, so-called realization of God or loose talk about so-called religious life is irrelevant to the actual experience of entering the kingdom of God. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the path of bhakti-yoga is so joyful and practical that even in the stage of sādhana-bhakti, in which one follows rules and regulations without an advanced understanding, one can perceive the ultimate result. As stated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī ( Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187): īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā girā nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate As soon as one surrenders to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa ( prapadyamānasya ), giving up all other activities ( viraktir anyatra ca ), one is immediately to be considered a liberated soul ( jīvan-muktaḥ ). The Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, is so merciful that when a living entity understands that the personality Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything and surrenders to the Lord, Kṛṣṇa personally takes charge of him and reveals to him within his heart that he is under the Lord’s full protection. Thus devotion, direct experience of the Personality of Godhead, and detachment from other objects become manifest even in the beginning stage of bhakti-yoga, since bhakti-yoga begins at the point of liberation. Other processes have as their final goal salvation or liberation, but according to Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) : sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ If one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa one is immediately liberated and thus begins his career as a transcendental devotee with complete confidence in the Lord’s protection.