Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.87.21
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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haṁsa-kula
—
with the community of swans
Compound: haṁsa (swan) + kula (community). Swans are the classical Vedic image of the discriminating sage. Gauḍīyas: paramahaṁsa-saṅga is irreplaceable — bhakti is transmitted only in such association (sat-saṅga as fifth limb of bhakti).
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apavargam
—
liberation
Mukti, mokṣa. The verse's revolutionary line: na parilaṣanti kecit apavargam api — some do not even desire liberation. Gauḍīyas: this is the verse that defines bhakti as superior to mukti (CC Madhya 19.149: mukti — sukha-laghu).
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saṅga
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because of association
From √sañj (to cling). The whole conversion in this verse turns on saṅga — association. Gauḍīyas: saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ (BG 2.62) becomes, inverted, saṅgāt sañjāyate bhaktiḥ — association with devotees is the only seed of pure devotion.
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visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ
—
whose homes are abandoned
Compound: visṛṣṭa (abandoned) + gṛha (home). The marker of full Vaiṣṇava renunciation. Gauḍīyas: vairāgya is automatic — when prema rises, gṛha falls away unforced. Not asceticism but redirected attachment.
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carita-mahā-amṛta-abdhi
—
in the vast ocean of nectar of pastimes
Compound: carita (pastimes) + mahā (vast) + amṛta (nectar) + abdhi (ocean). Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja's Caitanya-caritāmṛta takes its title from this very phrase — the carita-amṛta of Mahāprabhu's līlā.
Ritualistic brāhmaṇas ( smārtas ) and impersonalists (Māyāvādīs) always try to relegate the process of bhakti-yoga to a relative or minor role. They say that devotion to the Personality of Godhead is for sentimental persons who lack the maturity to observe strict rituals or pursue the rigorous culture of knowledge. In this verse, however, the personified Vedas most emphatically declare the superexcellence of devotional service, clearly identifying it with ātma-tattva, the science of the self that impersonalists so proudly claim as their own domain. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī here defines ātma-tattva as the confidential mystery of the Supreme Lord’s personal forms, qualities and pastimes. He also gives a second meaning for the phrase ātta-tanoḥ. Instead of meaning “who assumes various bodies,” the phrase can also mean “He who attracts everyone to His transcendental body.” The pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His various expansions and incarnations are an unfathomable ocean of enjoyment. When a person comes to the point of complete exhaustion in his materialistic pursuits — whether he has been searching after material success or some impersonal notion of spiritual annihilation — he can gain relief by submerging himself in this nectar. As Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains in his textbook on the science of bhakti-yoga, Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (rendered into English by Śrīla Prabhupāda as The Nectar of Devotion ), one who tastes even a single drop of this vast ocean will forever lose all desire for anything else. Giving an alternative interpretation of the word pariśramaṇāḥ, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments that although the devotees of the Lord become fatigued after repeatedly diving into the endless waves and undercurrents in the ocean of the Lord’s pleasure pastimes, these devotees never desire any happiness other than the Lord’s service, even the happiness of liberation. Rather, their very fatigue becomes pleasure for them, just as the fatigue produced by sex indulgence is pleasurable to those addicted to sex. The Supreme Lord’s pure devotees become enthused by hearing the charming narrations of His pastimes and feel impelled to dance, sing, shout out loud, kick their heels together, faint, sob and run about like madmen. Thus they become too absorbed in ecstasy to notice any bodily discomfort. Pure Vaiṣṇavas do not want even liberation, what to speak of other desirable goals, such as an exalted position as ruler of the heavenly planets. This degree of exclusive dedication is admittedly only rarely achieved in this world, as the śrutis speaking this verse indicate by the word kecit (“a few”). Not only do pure devotees abandon their hankering for future gain, but they also lose all their attraction for what they already possess — the common comforts of home and family life. The association of saintly Vaiṣṇavas — the disciplic succession of masters, disciples and granddisciples — becomes for them their real family, filled with swanlike personalities like Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. These great personalities always drink the sweet nectar of service to the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet. Many mantras of the Upaniṣads and other śrutis openly declare devotional service to be superior to liberation itself. In the words of the Nṛsiṁha-pūrva-tāpanī Upaniṣad, yaṁ sarve vedā namanti mumukṣavo brahma-vādinaś ca: “To Him all the Vedas, all seekers of liberation and all students of the Absolute Truth offer their obeisances.” Commenting on this mantra, Śrī Śaṅkarācārya admits, muktā api līlayā vigrahaṁ kṛtvā bhajanti: “Even liberated souls take pleasure in establishing the Supreme Lord’s Deity and worshiping Him.” The great rival of Ācārya Śaṅkara, Śrīla Madhvācārya Ānandatīrtha, cites his own favorite śruti-mantras in this regard, such as muktā hy etam upāsate, muktānām api bhaktir hi paramānanda-rūpiṇī: “Even those who are liberated worship Him, and even for them devotional service is the embodiment of supreme bliss”; and amṛtasya dhārā bahudhā dohamānaṁ/ caraṇaṁ no loke su-dhitāṁ dadhātu/ oṁ tat sat: “May His feet, which bountifully pour forth floods of nectar, bestow wisdom upon us who are living in this world.” In summary, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī prays: tvat-kathāmṛta-pāthodhau viharanto mahā-mudaḥ kurvanti kṛtinaḥ kecic catur-vargaṁ tṛṇopamam “Those rare, fortunate souls who derive great delight by sporting in the nectar ocean of topics about You consider the four great goals of life [religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation] to be no more important than a blade of grass.”
In order to emphasize the excellence of bhakti yoga whose object of worship is bhagavan, and what the upanisads are themselves indicating as the best process, they again glorify bhakti in four verses. "O Lord, the pastimes of your form which appears in the world to make known (nigamaya) your own form, qualities, pastimes powers and sweetness (atma tattvam), which cannot be understood by the jivas (duravagamam), are great oceans of nectar. Those rare devotees (kecit) who become tired by diving into and rising up repeatedly in these w hirlpools and waves, do not desire even the pleasure of liberation (apavargam), what to speak of the happiness of artha, dharma and kama. The fatigue of diving in and rising out of the waves of nectar is actually happiness. Just as young, materialistic persons who cannot tolerate labor consider the fatigue from sex life as the highest pleasure of all, so your devotees consider as the highest pleasure the fatigue with symptoms of singing, and dancing, shouting ,stumbling, fainting, getting up, crying, and running around, which arise from drinking the sweetness of narrations of your pastimes, and consider the happiness of Brahman like the happiness of animals chewing grass." Sridhar Swami says: "Those fortunate ones who blissfully play in the nectar ocean of your pastimes consider the four vargas like grass." They more specifically describe the cause of attaining happiness from you. "Being absorbed in tasting the sweetness of your lotus feet, by association with a group of greatest devotees (hamsa) they have given up the happiness from wife and children (grhah)." The srutis show the superiority of bhakti over mukti: Yat sarve deva namanti mumuksavo brahma vadinas ca Those brahma vadis desiring liberation worship he whom all the devas worship. Nrsimha Tapani upanisad, 2.4
Sankharacarya in his commentary on this statement of the Nrsmha Tapani has written: mukta api lilaya vigraham krtva bhagavantam bhajante The liberated souls make an image of the Lord for pastimes and worship bhagavan. Madhvacarya has quoted other srutis: Mukta hy etam upasate muktanam api bhakti hi paramananda rupini Even the liberated worship him. For the liberated souls, bhakti is the supreme bliss. Amrtasya dhara bahudha dohamanam caranam no loke sudhitam dadhatu om tat sat May the foot which yields abundant streams of nectar bestow blessings on us of this world. Taittiriya Brahmana 3.12.3.4
Hearing this and having their own bhāva stimulated, Upaniṣads situated at his feet directly describe his sweetness. O Lord, whose powers are the highest! Some rare souls do not at all desire liberation what to speak of other things. You have appeared in this world with your spiritual form in order that people experience your form, qualities and pastimes as they are, which are difficult to understand since they take place in Goloka or Vaikuṇṭha beyond everyone’s vision and mind. These rare souls immerse themselves in your topics which are like a great ocean of nectar, including the bliss of liberation and sālokya etc. while at the same time they obtain relief from the fatigue of saṁsāra. “Many people hear these topics, but they do not experience relief. What is the reason?” The secret is placed at the end of the verse. Swans related to lotuses in this world are compared to persons who have realized the highest truth (haṁsa) related to the Lord’s feet. These people have given up their houses by even one contact with a group of disciples of disciples (kula) of persons who are like swans relishing the sweetness of the Lord’s lotus feet, which derides the bliss of liberation. What to speak if having constant contact with such devotees. What to speak of meeting the disciples and what to speak of meeting the swan-like persons in person. The chief śrutis related to this point are as follows: oṁ caraṇaṁ pavitraṁ vitataṁ purāṇaṁ yena pūtas tarati duṣkṛtāni tena pavitreṇa śuddhena pūtā api pāpmānam arātiṁ tarema The sacred water that has washed the Lord's feet and that is famous from ancient times washes away all sins. Purified by that sacred water, we will escape the hostile world of birth and death, the home of sins. Mahā-nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad lokasya dvāram ārcayat pavitraṁ jyotiṣmat vibhrājamānaṁ mahas tad amṛtasya dhārā bahudhā dohamānaṁ caraṇaṁ loke sudhitāṁ dadhātu. The splendid and sacred stream of nectar that has washed the Lord feet is the door to the spiritual world. Running in many swelling streams, may it flood the world with nectar. Mahā-nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad The phrase amṛtasya dhārā bahudhā dohamānam is similar to carita-mahāmṛtābdhi. The verse gives understanding of the Lord by describing with devotion his feet, which represent his beautiful form. Other śrutis following in their footsteps say yaṁ sarve devā namanti mumukṣavo brahma-vādinaś ca: those who enjoy, those desiring liberation, and brahma-vādis offer him respects. (Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī Upaniṣad) The order of persons is with increasing excellence. Devatās enjoy, those desiring liberation give up enjoyment, and the brahma-ādis teach those desiring liberation. They are liberated. Brahma-vādi means one who reveals Brahman. Madhvācārya quotes the following śruti. Muktā api hy enam upāsate muktānām api bhaktir hi paramānanda-rūpinī: those who are libereated worship the Lord; bhakti gives the highest bliss to even liberated persons. (Sauparṇa śruti) Muktopasṛpya vyapdeśāt: liberated souls attain the Lord. (Brahma-sūtra 1.3.2)
Destroying saṁsāra was mentioned. Do the devotees worship the Lord to get liberation? No. They announce to the devotees your inconceivable nature (duravagamātma-tattva-nigamāya). Though you are one, you are many. Though you are without qualities, you have many astonishing qualities. Though you have four forms as caturvyūha, you are indivisible. Or they announce your inconceivable, blissful, sweet form, qualities and pastimes. You have appeared as Kṛṣṇa (ātta-tanoḥ). They reverse the material fatigue by the great sweet ocean of your pastimes. Destroying the fatigue of wandering in saṁsāra is a secondary result. The word api indicates that the four goals of artha, dharma, kāma and mokṣa are rejected. The devotees do not desire liberation (apavargam), even as a joke (parilaṣanti) since its happiness is insignificant, being merely the negation of suffering, and it obstructs bhakti-rasa. O capable Lord (īśvara). The devotees are of this nature by the power of bhakti to you. Or in order to whirl (parivartana) in the ocean of your pastimes, they renounce the house under the influence of devotees. They find pleasure in you alone. The swans at the lotus feet are the devotees dear to the Lord. By association they take liberation as useless. tulayāma lavenāpi na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya martyānāṁ kim utāśiṣaḥ We do not compare attainment of Svarga or liberation to even a moment’s association with a devotee, what to speak of comparing it to the enjoyments of this life. SB 6.30.34
- Where am I near the ocean but not yet diving?
- What 'fortune' would I claim today if I just got in the water?
Some rare souls dive into the ocean of Your pastimes and never wish to come up for the air of liberation. Like swans who refuse the empty lake of mukti and crowd around the lotus of Your feet, they leave home, family, and even the heaven of merging-into-Brahman behind.
Rūpa, Sanātana, Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, Raghunātha dāsa — all left palaces, ministerial posts, or vast inheritance to live as mendicants in Vṛndāvana, eating only what was begged, sleeping under different trees each night, recovering the lost sites of Kṛṣṇa's līlā.
They are the historical demonstration of this verse: rare souls indifferent even to mukti, abandoning gṛha because the swan-flock at the lotus feet was sweeter. Gauḍīyas read the verse as their charter.
My note
Source: vedabase.io