Gita Govinda -Jayadeva 4

Gita Govinda -Shri Jayadeva Gosvami

INTRODUCTION

käma, prema—dõhäkära vibhinna lakñaëa lauha ära hema yaiche svarüpe-vilakñaëa ätmendriya-préti-väïchä—täre bali ‘käma’ kåñëendriya-préti-icchä dhare ‘prema’ näma kämera tätparya—nija-sambhoga kevala kåñëa-sukha-tätparya—prema mahä-bala The characteristics of worldly lust and transcendental love are completely different. If mundane lust is likened to iron then spiritual love can be likened to gold. The desire to give satisfaction to one’s own senses is called lust. However, the desire to satisfy the senses of ShriKṛṣṇa is called pure love or prema. The goal of lust is one’s own enjoyment, whereas the purpose of love is to please ShriKṛṣṇa. Such prema is immensely powerful. How many people can understand the depth of Shrila Kṛṣṇadäsa Kaviräja’s words? Those who are continuously absorbed in gratifying their senses are especially disqualified. For them, the supramundane loving pastimes of ShriRädhä-Kṛṣṇa are nothing but the play of lusty desires. If they could love someone to the point of completely abandoning all social customs, Vedic religious injunctions and bodily connections, as Shri Rädhikä and her friends have done, then one day they might also have some idea about the principles underlying these pastimes. Only after making such a sacrifice is it possible to understand that unselfish prema can be expressed only by those who do not cherish even the slightest ambition for their own happiness. The Vaiñëava poets take up their pens simply for the sake of instructing us about the glories of self-effacing, transcendental love. The lion amongst poets, Shri Jayadeva, has also taken up his pen to show how the Absolute Reality Shri Kṛṣṇa is controlled by unmotivated prema. He is always ready to fall at the feet of any devotee in whom he detects even the fragrance of such affection and humbly request, dehi päda-pallavam udäram – “Mercifully bestow upon me the soft petals of your lotus feet.”