Weekly Sanga

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 64 śrī-nārada uvāca satyam eva bhagavat-kṛpā-bhara- syāspadaṁ nirupamaṁ bhavān param yo hi nityam ahaho mahā-prabhoś citra-citra-bhajanāmṛtārṇavaḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Nārada said: Yes, you are the greatest recipient of the mercy of the Supreme Lord. No one can compare to you. Ah! You are always immersed in an ocean of ecstatic worship of the Lord, enjoying it as newer and newer at every moment.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 52 yadṛcchayā labdham api viṣṇor dāśārathes tu yaḥ naicchan mokṣaṁ vinā dāsyaṁ tasmai hanūmate namaḥ TRANSLATION “Although Hanumān obtained from the son of Daśaratha the boon of liberation without striving for it, he never wanted to accept liberation without the opportunity to serve. To that Hanumān I offer my obeisances.”

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 44 vairi-santarjako laṅkā- dāhako durga-bhañjakaḥ sītā-vārtā-haraḥ svāmi- gāḍhāliṅgana-gocaraḥ TRANSLATION He boldly threatened his enemies, burned Laṅkā, and destroyed its citadel. When he brought back news of Sītā, he received his master’s deep embrace.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 40 hanūmāṁs tu mahā-bhāgyas tat-sevā-sukham anvabhūt su-bahūni sahasrāṇi vatsarāṇām avighnakam TRANSLATION But Hanumān is much more fortunate. For many thousands of years he has enjoyed serving the Lord constantly, without obstruction.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 34 yasya śrī-bhagavat-prāptāv utkaṭecchā yato bhavet sa tatraiva labhetāmuṁ na tu vāso ’sya lābha-kṛt TRANSLATION Wherever one develops an intense desire to achieve the Supreme Lord, there one can obtain Him. But the Lord’s merely residing in a certain place does not grant one His association.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 34 yasya śrī-bhagavat-prāptāv utkaṭecchā yato bhavet sa tatraiva labhetāmuṁ na tu vāso ’sya lābha-kṛt TRANSLATION Wherever one develops an intense desire to achieve the Supreme Lord, there one can obtain Him. But the Lord’s merely residing in a certain place does not grant one His association.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 23 vicitra-sevā-dānaṁ hi hanūmat-prabhṛtiṣv iva prabhoḥ prasādo bhakteṣu mataḥ sadbhir na cetarat TRANSLATION The Lord truly gives His mercy, saintly authorities believe, when He grants the right to render various kinds of service, a blessing He gives to such devotees as Hanumān. Nothing else counts as His mercy.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 15 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca sva-ślāghā-sahanāśakto lajjāvanamitānanaḥ prahlādo nāradaṁ natvā gauravād avadac chanaiḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: Unable to tolerate hearing his own praise, Prahlāda lowered his face in embarrassment, bowed down before Nārada, and respectfully addressed him in a quiet voice.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 36 bhavatād bhavataḥ prasādato bhagavat-sneha-vijṛmbhitaḥ kila mama tan-mahimā tathāpy aṇur nava-bhakteṣu kṛpā-bharekṣayā TRANSLATION We can say that by your mercy the Supreme Lord developed some love for me and so I appear glorious. But my greatness is just like a tiny speck before the heaps of mercy the Lord bestows on His newer devotees.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 15 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca sva-ślāghā-sahanāśakto lajjāvanamitānanaḥ prahlādo nāradaṁ natvā gauravād avadac chanaiḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: Unable to tolerate hearing his own praise, Prahlāda lowered his face in embarrassment, bowed down before Nārada, and respectfully addressed him in a quiet voice.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 4 śrī-nārada uvāca dṛṣṭaś cirāt kṛṣṇa-kṛpā-bharasya pātraṁ bhavān me sa-phalaḥ śramo ’bhūt ā-bālyato yasya hi kṛṣṇa-bhaktir jātā viśuddhā na kuto ’pi yāsīt TRANSLATION Śrī Nārada said: Now, after so long, I have finally seen you — the true recipient of Kṛṣṇa’s full mercy! Now my efforts have borne fruit! From your very childhood you have been endowed with pure devotion for Kṛṣṇa. Such spontaneous love has never been seen anywhere before.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 4 Text 1 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca śrutvā mahāścaryam iveśa-bhāṣitaṁ prahlāda-sandarśana-jāta-kautukaḥ hṛd-yānataḥ śrī-sutale gato ’cirād dhāvan praviṣṭaḥ puram āsuraṁ muniḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: After the sage Nārada heard Lord Śiva’s words, which impressed him as most amazing, he was eager to see Prahlāda in person. He at once, therefore, traveled to Śrī Sutala by the path of the heart and entered running into the city of the demons.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 60 nāradāham idaṁ manye tādṛśānāṁ yataḥ sthitiḥ bhavet sa eva vaikuṇṭho loko nātra vicāraṇā TRANSLATION In my opinion, dear Nārada, anywhere such devotees are found is actually Vaikuṇṭha-loka. Arguing against this fact would be useless.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 50 yasmin mahā-mudāśrāntaṁ prabhoḥ saṅkīrtanādibhiḥ vicitrām antarā bhaktiṁ nāsty anyat prema-vāhinīm TRANSLATION In Vaikuṇṭha nothing exists but devotional service, rendered through saṅkīrtana and in many other forms. It goes on incessantly, with great enthusiasm, spreading the ecstasy of pure love.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 40 māṁ kim ārādhayed dāsaṁ kim etac cādiśet prabhuḥ svāgamaiḥ kalpitais tvaṁ ca janān mad-vimukhān kuru TRANSLATION Why would He worship me, His servant, and why would He order me, “Turn people away from Me by concocting your own versions of scripture”?

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 35 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca tato maheśvaro mātas trapāvanamitānanaḥ nāradaṁ bhagavad-bhaktam avadad vaiṣṇavāgraṇīḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: Dear mother, Lord Śiva was so embarrassed by hearing this that he lowered his face. Then that leader of the Vaiṣṇavas answered the great devotee Nārada.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 28 aho brahmādi-duṣprāpye aiśvarye saty apīdṛśe tat sarvaṁ sukham apy ātmyam anādṛtyāvadhūta-vat TRANSLATION Just see! Though you have power and opulence unobtainable by Brahmā and the other demigods, you disregard your material happiness and live like a holy madman.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 13 śrī-nārada uvāca satyam eva bhavān viṣṇor vaiṣṇavānāṁ ca durgamām nigūḍhāṁ mahima-śreṇīṁ vetti vijñāpayaty api TRANSLATION Śrī Nārada said: You certainly know the confidential, mysterious glories of Lord Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas. And you expertly explain those glories.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Text 12 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca sambhrānto ’tha munir hitvā kṛṣṇenaikyena tat-stutim sāparādham ivātmānaṁ manyamāno ’bravīc chanaiḥ TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: Upon hearing this, the sage Nārada was shocked. Thinking he had acted offensively, he at once stopped praising Lord Śiva’s nondifference from Kṛṣṇa and began to speak in a soft voice.

Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta Part 1 Chapter 3 Texts 1-4 śrī-parīkṣid uvāca bhagavantaṁ haraṁ tatra bhāvāviṣṭatayā hareḥ nṛtyantaṁ kīrtayantaṁ ca kṛta-saṅkarṣaṇārcanam bhṛśaṁ nandīśvarādīṁś ca ślāghamānaṁ nijānugān prītyā sa-jaya-śabdāni gīta-vādyāni tanvataḥ devīṁ comāṁ praśaṁsantaṁ kara-tālīṣu kovidām dūrād dṛṣṭvā munir hṛṣṭo ’namad vīṇāṁ ninādayan paramānugṛhīto ’si kṛṣṇasyeti muhur muhuḥ jagau sarvaṁ ca pitroktaṁ su-svaraṁ samakīrtayat TRANSLATION Śrī Parīkṣit said: Arriving in Śivaloka, from a distance the sage Nārada saw Lord Śiva, Śrī Hara, who had just finished his worship of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, Śrī Hari. Entranced in ecstatic love, Lord Śiva was dancing and loudly singing the glories of his Lord, while his associates played instrumental music and shouted “Jaya! Jaya!” With great affection he praised his assistants like Nandīśvara, as well as the goddess Umā, who was expertly clapping her hands. The sight of all this delighted Nārada. Vibrating his vīṇā and nodding his head to show respect, he called out s