Saving Nala's Relatives from Anala

The pastime of Nala and Damayanti is described in the Mahābhārata. It is also described beautifully in the Naiṣadhīya-caritam of the renowned poet Śrī Harṣa. The story goes that Damayanti was the princess of the kindgom of Vidarbha. King Nala from the Niṣādha kingdom got attracted to her, and they exchanged messages of love by making a bird (specifically, a swan) as their messenger. In this love story, Damayanti ended up obtaining Nala as her husband.​

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Some generations later, another princess of the same kingdom of Vidarbha yearned for the love of her life. This time, it was Rukmiṇī, yearning to obtain Krishna as her husband. The great Sanskrit poet Mahākavi Ḍhuṇḍhirāja Śāstrī (the parama-guru of Śrī Harisūri) composes a beautiful verse expressing the feelings of her heart:​

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मत्तातपूर्वजतनूभवया कयाचि-​

त्सम्प्रेष्य धन्यतमया द्विजमेव दूतम् ।​

लब्धो नलः पतिरतस्त्वनलो न वव्रे​

सोऽयं मया व्रियत ईश हरेऽविता त्वम् ॥ [वसन्ततिलकम्]​

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[Sing like brahma-saṁhitā]:​

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mat-tāta-pūrvaja-tanūbhavayā kayācit​

sampreṣya dhanyatamayā dvijam eva dūtam​

labdho nalaḥ patir atas tv analo na vavre​

so'yaṁ mayā vriyata īśa hare'vitā tvam​

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Translation: O Hari! A certain fortunate daughter of my paternal ancestors once sent a dvija (bird) as her messenger. By sending a dvija, that Damayanti obtained Nala (King Nala) as her husband. Since she obtained "Nala" as her husband, she never had to embrace any a-nala (any human besides Nala).​

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However, that same anala (fire, specifically fire of separation from you) is now coming to embrace me. I too am now sending a dvija (brāhmaṇa) as my messenger. O Lord! You alone are my protector now.​

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— Bhāgavata-vyañjanam (5.34) of Mahākavi Ḍhuṇḍhirāja Śāstrī. Translation by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 01-Oct-2021.​

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PS: The poet has played on two words. The first word is dvija (twice-born), which has two meanings here — (1) Bird , since all birds take birth twice - once as an egg and then by hatching out of it ; (2) Brāhmaṇa.​

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The second word is anala, which has two meanings — (1) Not Nala i.e. any human besides Nala ; (2) Fire.​

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One can read a short synopsis of the Nala-Damayanti pastime at : http://ritsin.com/story-nala-damyanti-love-unknown.../ _/\ò_

Fried and Flavoursome Devotional Seeds

 

सर्पिर्भृष्टतमा गुडक्वथिततामाप्ताश्च धाना यथा​

रस्यन्ते स्वयमेव बीजवदमूस्तन्वन्ति नान्यस्पृहाम् ।​

मन्मात्रस्पृहिणां मदीयभजनं नो तद्वदन्यस्पृहां​

किन्तु स्याद्रसनीयरूपमिति चेद्युष्माकमास्तां कथा ॥​ [शार्दूलविक्रीडितम्]

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[Sing like ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭakam]:

sarpir-bhṛṣṭa-tamā guḍa-kvathitatām āptāś ca dhānā yathā​

rasyante svayam eva bīja-vad amūs tanvanti nānya-spṛhām​

man-mātra-spṛhiṇāṁ madīya-bhajanaṁ no tadvad anya-spṛhāṁ​

kintu syād rasanīya-rūpam iti ced yuṣmākam āstāṁ kathā​

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Translation: Seeds that are deep-roasted in ghee and then fried in jaggery syrup become laden with great rasa (taste) in themselves. [Moreover, even if one plants them in the soil], such rasa-laden seeds never germinate into further seeds.​

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Similarly, for those who long exclusively for me, the desire-seeds of their loving bhakti towards me are so laden with rasa (devotional sweetness) that they never ever germinate into seeds of worldly desires in the soils of their hearts. What then to speak of you dear gopīs [who never ever desired anyone besides me even in your dreams]!​

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— Gopāla-campūḥ (Pūrva, 21st Pūraṇa) of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Translation by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 30-Sep-2021. _/\ò_

Krishna-līlā in one Verse

There is a verse titled 'Eka-ślokī bhāgavatam' (Bhāgavatam in one verse) published in the Kalyāṇa Magazine (Vol. 60, Page 131) published by Gītā Press, Gorakhpur. A screenshot of it is attached to this article. The verse is as follows (sing like ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭakam):​

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आदौ देवकिदेवगर्भजननं गोपीगृहे वर्धनं​

मायापूतनिजीविताघहरणं गोवर्धनोद्धारणम् ।​

कंसच्छेदनकौरवादिहननं कुन्तीसुतापालन-​

मेतद्भागवतं पुराणकथितं श्रीकृष्णलीलामृतम् ॥​

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ādau devaki-deva-garbha-jananaṁ gopī-gṛhe vardhanaṁ​

māyā-pūtani-jīvitāgha-haraṇaṁ govardhanoddhāraṇam​

kaṁsac-chedana-kauravādi-hananaṁ kuntī-sutāpālanam​

etad bhāgavataṁ purāṇa-kathitaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlāmṛtam​

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Approx Translation: In the beginning, the birth of Devaki's godly son ; then his growing up in the home of Yaśodā gopī ; then the removal of sins of the witch Pūtanā ; then the uplifting of Govardhana ; then the killing of Kaṁsa and Kauravas and then the complete protection of Kuntī's sons — this is the nectar of Krishna's pastimes spoken in the Purāṇa named Bhāgavatam. (End of Translation)​

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However, there are some technical issues with the verse. The term देवकि (devaki) with the short 'i' is never to be found in any Sanskrit work or lexicon. Also the term 'pūtani' ending with the short 'i' in the second line is not used in any Sanskrit literature for denoting the demoness Pūtanā. Sufficient to say, the verse has some technical issues, but is very sweet in its essential message.​

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Therefore, some modification of the verse is needed. With all respects to the author of the original verse, here is a modified version of the verse which maintains the flow of the tenth canto and very briefly describes Krishna-līlā in a single verse:​

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आदौ भूमिसुरावनाय जननं गोपीगृहे वर्धनं​

मायापूतनिकात्मतापहरणं गोवर्धनोत्थापनम् ।​

कंसच्छेदनमन्यदुष्टनृपभूभारस्य निःसारण-

मेतद्भागवते शुकप्रकथितं श्रीकृष्णलीलामृतम् ॥​

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ādau bhūmi-surāvanāya jananaṁ gopī-gṛhe vardhanaṁ​

māyā-pūtanikātmatāpa-haraṇaṁ govardhanotthāpanam​

kaṁsac-chedanam anya-duṣṭa-nṛpa-bhū-bhārasya niḥsāraṇam

etad bhāgavate śuka-prakathitaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlāmṛtam​

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Translation: In the beginning, the acceptance of birth for the sake of protecting the earth and the gods ; then growing up in Yaśodā-gopī's home ; then snatching away all the distresses of Pūtanā ; then lifting the Govardhana hill ; then the killing of Kaṁsa ; then removing the earthly burden consisting of other demoniac kings — this is the nectar of Krishna's pastimes described by Śukadeva Gosvāmī in the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam.​

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— 21 September 2021. Verse modification and Translation by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. _/\ò_

Gaṇeśa-caturthī and Śrī-Rādhikā's moon-like Face

Today is the fourth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhādrapada, also popularly known as Gaṇeśa-caturthī. This festival is celebrated with great fervor in the western part of India in the state of Maharashtra. There is a wonderful historical incident that took place on this day.​

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In 19th Century India, there lived a great scholar of the Sanskrit language and poetics in Maharashtra. His name was Śrī Acyutarāya Moḍaka, and he lived in the town of Nāsika. He was a Sanskrit poet par excellence and a connoisseur of traditional arts and music. His magnum-opus is named "Sāhitya-sāra", and it is one of the finest manuals of Sanskrit poetics of its time.​

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He was a devout worshipper of Śrī Gaṇeśa and Tryambakeśvara Mahādeva. One particular year, on the occasion of Gaṇeśa-caturthī, he composed the following verse:​

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bhādrasya śuklasya tithau caturthyāṁ​

śrī-rādhikāyā vadanaṁ vilokya​

sarve'pi vṛndāvana-vāsinas te​

cakruḥ svakīya-vrata-pāraṇāni​

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Translation: Seeing the face of Śrī Rādhikā on the fourth night of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhādra, all the Vraja-vāsīs [confused her face for the moon and] ended up breaking their respective Gaṇeśa-caturthī fasts.​

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Of course, there is no record in the Purāṇas of the Vraja-vāsīs ever keeping a fast on Gaṇeśa-caturthī. There is a mention of the cowherd men of Vraja keeping a fast on Śiva-rātri (Canto 10, Chapter 34), but there is no mention of any such fasting on Gaṇeśa-caturthī. This verse was clearly a result of the intelligent thought process of Śrī Acyuta-rāya.​

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In the same town of Nāsika, there lived another contemporary scholar of an unprecedented caliber. Besides being a great scholar and a connoisseur of Sanskrit poetics, he was also a mahā-bhāgavata devotee of Śrī Krishna. His name was Śrī Harisūri. When the news reached Śrī Harisūri that a verse glorifying Śrī Rādhikā's moon-like face had been composed by Śrī Acyuta-rāya, he wanted to hear that verse.​

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On hearing the verse however, Śrī Harisūri was disappointed to say the least. Firstly, he knew that the purāṇas do not describe the Vraja-vāsīs fasting on Gaṇeśa-caturthī. Secondly, he did not like the fact that Śrī Acyuta-rāya compared Śrī Rādhikā's face to the partial moon of the fourth night. Śrī Harisūri knew well that Śrī Rādhikā is — sampūrṇendu-mukhī (having a face like the brilliant full-moon).​

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Thus, even though Śrī Harisūri knew that pointing out mistakes and correcting the verse of a great scholar such as Śrī Acyuta-rāya could potentially draw his ire, he went ahead and sent a corrected version of the verse to Śrī Acyuta-rāya. Śrī Harisūri's verse was as follows:​

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vāso'ñcalācchādita-bhāla-deśaṁ​

saudhastha-rādhā-vadanaṁ vilokya​

sarve'pi vṛndāvana-vāsinas te​

cakruś caturthī-vrata-pāraṇāni​

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Translation: Śrī-Rādhā was standing on top of her mansion, and seeing her brilliant face covered with the end of her saree, all the Vraja-vāsīs [confused her partially covered face for the partial moon of the fourth night and] ended up breaking their respective Gaṇeśa-caturthī fasts.​

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In this way, he kept the essential message of the verse of Śrī Acyuta-rāya intact and also did not compromise on the fact that Śrī Rādhikā's face can only be compared to the full moon. Although this incident created a rift between the two scholars, Śrī Harisūri tried his best to restore normal relations with Śrī Acyuta-rāya. He would often bring prasāda of Tryambakeśvara Mahādeva to please Śrī Acyuta-rāya, and wanted good relations with one and all.​ _/\ò_

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— Article and Translations by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 11-September-2021.​

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PS: Śrī Harisūri later went ahead to compose his own magnum-opus named Bhakti-rasāyanam — a commentary of 4500+ verses on the tenth canto of Śrīmad-bhāgavatam. It was published by his son with great financial difficulty at the end of the 19th century. Śrī Acyuta-rāya's work on poetics was published by the Nirnaya Sagar Press in Mumbai in 1906. It has been digitized and can be viewed at the following link : https://bit.ly/3C5uEi1