MALECCHAKRANTESU DESHU, PAPAIKANILAYESU CHA,
SATPIDA VYAGRALOKESU, KRUSHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (2)
All the holy land (the kuruksetra and the gangetic provinces, etc.) have been overshadowed by heterodox people and have become the hotbed of only sinful acts and the people have lost their patience seeing the sufferings of the noble persons. Hence may Lord Shree Krishna be refuge for me.
What is the sense in seeking refuge (of the Lord) if holy places like the Gangetic region, etc. can favor one with all the cherished accomplishments. If such a doubt arises, Shree Madacharya Charan affirms in the following couplet the ineffectiveness of matter (holy places), one of the six components of the divine duty.
GANGADITIRTHAVARYESU, DUSTEREVAVRUTESVIHA,
TIROHITADHIDAIVESU, KRUSHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (3)
In this Dark Age wicked people have swarmed the very best holy places like the gangs, etc., and this has led to the disappearance of their concrete divine from. In such a period, let only Shree Krishna be my refuge. Since the wicked people have overshadowed the jprominent holy Gangetic provinces, etc., hence these holy places have lost the inherent power of fulfilling the cherished objects.
The VAYU PURANA reads like this:
“The persons lacking in deference and who are peccant and atheistic and who have not freed themselves from the scepsis and who still look for the reason of their (holy places’) sacredness, can’t enjoy this celestial fruit thereof”.
The holy places are invested with the power of driving away all the defects or sins. Hence just as the fire incinerates every thing, why doesn’t then, in the same way, the power of holy place eliminate the wickedness?
As a solution to such a doubt it is enjoined upon that the divine from of the godly holy place has vanished due to the profusion of wicked persons. Hence may Shree Krishna alone be my refuge!
If the observers of divine duty are righteous people, this naturally leads to the fulfillment of all supernal achievements, what need then are there for any refuge at all? On being assaulted by such a doubt, Shrimad Vallabhacharya stresses the failure of the doer in the couplet that follows.
AHAMKARE VIMUDHESU, SATSU PAPANUVARTISU,
LABHPUJARTHA YATNESHU KRUSHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (4)
The sapient or the savants have attained grave imbecility because of vanity. Despite the total lack of knowledge about the means of their own redemption, they suffer from egotism averring them selves and because of this conceit make light of others and follow the path full of vice. They remain damn busy in feathering their own nests and in having themselves felicitated by the public at large for self glorification, that is, they undertake a seemingly other-worldly activity also for the sake of one’s benefit (eaming wealth, etc.) hence may Lord Shree Krishna alone be my refuge.
Why should (Lord Shree Krishna’s) refuge be at all sought when the scriptural books lay down that the other divine incantations could bestow the desired fruit? In the face of such an apprehension Shrimad Vallabhacharya proves the futility of the ceremonial incantations or divine formulae and lay stress on the ‘resort’ as is explicit in the following couplet.
APARIJNANA NASTESHU, MANTRESVAVRATA YOGISU,
TIROHITARTHADEVESU, KRISHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (5)
The ceremonial formulae have almost become ineffective in the absence of full knowledge thereof, without the conjunction of fast, etc. and because of their implication and ruling spirits vanishing. Under such a situation may Lord Shree Krishna alone be my savior. The vaidic or occult formulae have altogether been rendered futile due to ignorance about the form of the deity, the import of incantations and their outcome, that’s, they have lost their power of fruit-bearing. Under divine patronage even the imperfect becomes perfect. Hence Lord Shree Krishna’s resort has been prayed for. Lord Shree Krishna is not under the controlling power of any divine incantations. He is beyond that. One the contrary, the powers of divine incantations or formulae are under the dominance of Lord Shree Krishna.
The philosophical scriptures like MIMAMSADI, etc. can ascertain or assess the import of divine incantations. Hence the Action will lead to fruition of desires. How then is there the necessity of seeking refuge?
For the elimination of such an apprehension, Shrimad Vallabhacharya commands that even the Action has become sterile. Hence resort of Lord Shree Krishna alone must be sought.
NANAVADA VINASTESU, SARVAKARMA VRATADISU,
PASANDAIKA PRAYATNESU, KRIAHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (6)
All the Action and fasts, etc. have vanished due to diverse dogmatic beliefs. Action, the sixth indispensable component of divine duty has become in fructuous. Whatever action in this direction is being performed or pursued is a sheer hypocrisy. Hence may Lord Shree Krishna only be my refuge.
Various sectarian paths have come into existence regarding actions and fasts. The persons interpret the procedure of action in their own different ways. The same applies to fasts, etc. the ignorant people cannot tell the right from the wrong. All the action and fasts have, therefore, become contaminated. Efforts are being made for the sake of hypocrisy; hence let Lord Shree Krishna alone be my resort. The sovereign message of religious scripture Shrimadbhagvat is:
Whoever- the divinities, the demins, the humans, the yakshas (a class of my thological demigods) and Gandharvas (my thological community of celestial musicians and singers) worship the Lord’s feet, intimately attain supreme bliss. Hence only God is adorable.
When the observance of divine duty has purified the heart and made it free of base feelings and emotions and driven away the defects, then and then only the greatness to glory of God and his divine from are known and then only the seeking of his refuge is proper. One shouldn’t strive to seek refuge while the heart is laden with sins, because both the ascetics meditating over God in the hand and the wicked souls on the other are poles apart. If such a doubt arises, it is commanded in the ensuing couplet.
AJAMIADIDOSHANAM NASHAKONUBHAVE STHITAH,
JNAPITAKHILAMAHATMYAH, KRISHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (7)
It is command experience that God has destroyed the sins of sinners like Ajamil, etc. because of mere taking his name unwittingly. Thus the Lord himself has revealed such a total glorification. Hence only Lord Shree Krishna is my protector.
It’s enshrined in the Vedas (holy scriptures) that Lord is not attainable through religious discourses. He is attainable only to those whom he himself owns or acknowledges. The Gita (another grate Indian scripture) professes that Lord can be attainted only through exclusive devotion. Hence he (God) is a accessible through devotion even to the sinners when he admits them (sinners) and when the devotees of the Lord do them favor. All the supernal achievements will naturally come to those when they seek his (God’s) refuge though a saintly soul. By mere pronouncing ‘NARAYAN’, his son’s name unconsciously when a sinner like Ajamil was blessed with hearing the divine word of the angels and consequently with supreme fruit, how then is there any doubt about the vanishing of the sins of those devotees who rationally seek his (the Lord’s) refuge? Hence one should have the shelter of God alone for the elimination of sins even when one (the individual soul) so thoroughly debased. Nothing other than his refuge is cherish able.
Even under the path of Action God is attained through BRAHMA YAJMA, what then is so special about securing the shelter of Lord Shree Krishna alone that devotees are exhorted to pray to him (Shree Krishna) alone.
For the removal of such a doubt it has been enjoined upon in the ensuing couplet.
PRAKRUTAH SAKALA DEVA, GAMITANANDAKAM BRAH,
PURNANANDO HARISTASMAT KRISHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (8)
All the gods are subject to God’s play. As such the bliss of AKSAR BRAHMA has also its limits. Shree Krishna alone supreme bliss. Hence may Lord Shree Krishna alone be my shelter.
All the Gods including Lord Brahma, etc. are under the subjugation of the Lord’s illusive power and the pleasure of AKSAR BRAHMA, too, is not without bounds. Hence may Lord Shree Krishna, the source of boundless supernal bliss and the eliminator of all the distresses of his devotees, be my defender.
Since the Gods are subject to nature’s attributes, hence the deliverance achieved through them is also within the bounds of these attributes. The Gita (a religious scripture) also states about the return (of the soul) to this world having enjoyed the fruits of the Brahma lok. As such the pleasures so emanating are also short lived. Under the path of Knowledge even when the self gets merged with Aksar Brahma, the pleasure (of such a merger) is also circumscribed. Shree Krishna is the culmination of perfect celestial bliss and is the bestowed of salvation, not confined by any attributes, his (Lord Shree Krishna’s) refuge is cherish able.
VIVEKADHAIRYA BHAKTYADIRAHITASYA VISESTAH,
PAPASAKTASYA DINASYA, KRISHNA EVA GATIRMAMA. (9)
Devoid of prudence, patience and devotion, particularly indulged in sinful acts and distressed as I am, may lord Shree Krishna alone be my shelter. Whatever has been revealed hereinbefore, has been expressed taking into account the form of the individual soul, Shrimadacharya Charan commands: ‘The devotee should not pray for anything, as everything happens as the Lord wills. Such an affirmation is called prudence. One should try to solve the painful situation born of obstacles to devotion. Rather bearing all the three categories of affliction-the corporal, sensual and mental, and the corporal, sensual and mental, and the fatal and divine-is patience. The devotions based on means are called aural, etc. in the original text the word ‘etcetera’ exists. Other auspicious acts, too, have not been performed. I am totally bereft of means. I am completely engrossed in sins, that is, I take recourse to undesirable means and am at the same time a destitute. Let Lord Shree Krishna alone is my prop.
Here Shree Madacharya Charan himself has uttered words like:
‘VIVEKA DHAIRYA BHAKTYADI RAHITASYA’.
Such epithets can’t apply to him. If such a doubt arises, the solution can be found from in words used in the Vedas (ancient scriptures):
“I seek refuge of my spiritual teacher with folded hands”
“I bow to……………………….”
“May good luck smiles upon me”
Just as these sentences have been expressed of behalf of parishioners, so also Shree Acharya Charan as well enunciated the above words on behalf of his devotees, so that the devotees may use them for their prayer to God.
How can even God’s shelter bless one, who altogether bereft of means with cherished accomplishments as God grants fruit to the individual soul according to the latter’s action? Forsaking all means may displease Gods and they in turn will create impediments.
About such a doubt it has been exhorted (in the couplet that follows).
SARAVASAMARTHYASAHITAH, SARVATRAIVA KHILARTHA KRT,
SHANASTHASAMUDDHARAM, KRISHNAM VIJMAPAYAMYAHAM. (10)
Lord Shree Krishna is equipped with all supernal powers and has the capacity to fulfill all the cherished desires at all the places. Hence I pray to Lord Shree Krishna for the comprehensive redemption of individual soul, seeking his shelter. God is ommipotent. He can, therefore, accomplish everything with his power. It is Lord Shree Krishna alone who fulfils all the cherished desires at all places, of all classes of individuals, in all stages of life and in all actions, etc. hence he will certainly grant fruit to those who have sought his refuge, as in Gita (a religious scripture) it is his vow:
YE YATHA MAA PRAPADYANTE TASTATHAIVA BHAJAMYAHAM
‘In whatsoever way a man approaches me, even so I seek him.’
It is the excellence of the divine of the divine refuge that God protects in every way the one who has sought refuge in him. Hence one should humbly consign oneself to divine refuge. It has been enshrined in the Shruti:
‘The creatures has ten vitalities, the soul being the eleventh.’
Hence like the vital air all the ten couplets mentioned so far are all- \accomplishing. It (Krishnashray) comprises eleven couplets in all. The aforementioned ten couplets symbolize ten vital airs and likewise have the capacity to fulfill all. The eleventh couplet typifies soul and contains the celesta fruit. Just as the soul is indestructible, so also is the fruit to be mentioned in the eleventh couplet. Shrimad Vallabhacharya reveals the fruit symbolizing soul in the eleventh couplet.
KRUSHNASHRAYAMIDAM STOTRAM YA PATHET KRUSHNA SANNIDHAU,
TASYASHRAYO BHAVET KRUSHNA, ITI SHREEVALLABHOBRAIT. (11)
Whoever recites this ‘Krishnashray’ hymn in the proximity of Lord Shree Krishna, he (Lord Shree Krishna) becomes his savior. So exhorts Shrimad Vallabhacharya This psalm is the real representation of Shree Krishna’s resort. No other hymn can match it. Hence recitation of this psalm only leads to the affirmation or strengthening of Grace (of God). The power of Shree Vallabhcharya’s world is the sole cause of achieving Lord’s favor, because God becomes gracious and grants his refuge to the devotees without expecting any means only by being propelled by Shrimad Vallabhcharya’s words. Shrimadacharya is evidently God’s countenance itself and knows the form of the Lord in real sense and has been made manifest by the Lord for the redemption of divine souls. God will shower his grace or favor through his (Shree Vallabh’s) words. To express this Shree Madacharya has inscribed his name in the original couplet. Hence one needn’t be at all skeptical about here blow is given a table of diacritical marks used in printing to indicate different sounds of the particular letters on or below which they have been applied. It will serve as an aid to the reader to comprehend the correct pronunciation. Needless to say that the transliteration of the original Sanskrit words, too, have been covered to the maximum by these marks. The letters marked with diacritical marks may be pronounced in the light of the model words given against the Hindi Alphabets and English sounds.