Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on the seventh verse of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
The following is a translation of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s poetic Bengali translation, Bhāṣā, and Bengali prose commentary, Anuvṛtti, on Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
These texts were published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan, in Volume 2, Issue 11, 10 June 1957, Volume 2, Issue 12, 12 July 1957, and Volume 3, Issue 1, 12 August 1957. In combination with Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s Pīyūṣa-varṣiṇī-vṛtti, they were also published as a book from Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh by Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj in 1970.
“The Upadeśāmṛta of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī is also extremely good for us.”
—Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj,
Affectionate Guidance
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta Verse Seven
স্যাৎ কৃষ্ণনাম‑চরিতাদি-সিতাপ্যবিদ্যা-
পিত্তোপতপ্ত‑রসনস্য ন রোচিকা নু ।
কিন্ত্বাদরাদনুদিনং খলু সৈব জষ্টা
স্বাদ্বী ক্রমাদ্ভবতি তদ্গদমূলহন্ত্রী ॥৭॥
syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-charitādi-sitāpy avidyā-
pittopatapta-rasanasya na rochikā nu
kintv ādarād anudinaṁ khalu saiva juṣṭā
svādvī kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantrī [7]
nu–Alas! api–Even sitā–the sugar candy kṛṣṇa–of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nāma–Name, charita–Pastimes, ādi–and so on, na syāt–does not become rochikā–relishable rasanasya–to a tongue [that is] upatapta– afflicted pitta–by the jaundice avidyā–of ignorance. khalu–Certainly, kintu–however, [when] saḥ eva–it [is] anudinam–constantly juṣṭā–honoured ādarāt–with faith, [then] kramāt–gradually bhavati–this candy becomes svādvī–relishable [and] hantrī–the remover mūla–of the root tad-gada–of the disease. [7]
Alas! The sugar candy of Kṛṣṇa’s Name, Pastimes, and so forth is not relishable to a tongue severely afflicted by the jaundice of ignorance. Certainly, however, when it is constantly honoured with faith, this candy gradually becomes relishable and eradicates the disease.
Bhāṣa
কৃষ্ণনাম‑রূপ‑গুণ‑লীলা চতুষ্টয় ।
উপমা মিশ্রির সহ স্বাদ তুল্য হয় ॥১॥
kṛṣṇa-nāma-rūpa-guṇa-līlā chatuṣṭaya
upamā miśrira saha svāda tulya haya [1]
kṛṣṇa–Kṛṣṇa’s nāma–Name, rūpa–Form, guṇa–Qualities, [and] līlā–Pastimes— [these] chatuṣṭaya–four haya–are tulya–comparable, upamā–by analogy, saha–to svāda–the taste miśrira–of sugar candy. [1]
Kṛṣṇa’s Name, Form, Qualities, and Pastimes are comparable, by analogy, to the taste of sugar candy.
অবিদ্যা পিত্তের তুল্য, তাতে জিহ্বা তপ্ত ।
জিহ্বার আস্বাদ‑শক্তি তপ্ত‑হেতু সুপ্ত ॥২॥
avidyā pittera tulya, tāte jihvā tapta
jihvāra āsvāda-śakti tapta-hetu supta [2]
avidyā–Ignorance [is] tulya–comparable pittera–to jaundice tāte–by which jihvā–the tongue [is] tapta–infected. hetu–Because tapta–of [that] infection, jihvāra–the tongue’s śakti–power āsvāda–to taste [goes] supta–dormant. [2]
Ignorance is comparable to jaundice, which infects the tongue. Because of this infection, the tongue’s power to taste goes dormant.
অপ্রাকৃত‑জ্ঞানে যদি লও সেই নাম ।
নিরন্তর নাম লৈলে ছাড়ে পীড়াধাম ॥৩॥
aprākṛta-jñāne yadi lao sei nāma
nirantara nāma laile chhāḍe pīḍā-dhāma [3]
yadi–If lao–you take sei–the nāma–Name jñāne–with the understanding [that the Name is] aprākṛta–supramundane, [and] laile–if you take nāma–the Name nirantara–constantly, [then] dhāma–the cause pīḍā–of this disease (ignorance) chhāḍe–leaves. [3]
If you chant the Name with the understanding that the Name is supramundane, and you chant the Name constantly, then the cause of this disease, ignorance, will vanish.
নাম‑মিশ্রি ক্রমে ক্রমে বাসনা শমিয়া ।
নামে রুচি করাইবে কল্যাণ আনিয়া ॥৪॥
nāma-miśri krame krame vāsanā śamiyā
nāme ruchi karāibe kalyāṇa āniyā [4]
miśri–The sugar candy nāma–of the Name [will] krame krame–gradually śamiyā–pacify [your] vāsanā–desires, ruchi karāibe–cause [you] to taste nāme–the Name, [and] āniyā–bring [you all] kalyāṇa–good fortune. [4]
The sugar candy of the Name will gradually pacify your desires, give you taste for the Name, and bring you all good fortune.
Anuvṛtti
Kṛṣṇa’s Name, Pastimes, and so forth are comparable to sugar candy, and ignorance is comparable to jaundice. As even very sweet sugar candy is not tasty to a tongue afflicted with jaundice, so even the very sweet, tasty sugar candy of Kṛṣṇa’s Name, Pastimes, and so forth are not pleasing to a soul who has been enveloped in beginning-less ignorance as a result of aversion to Kṛṣṇa. If, however, the sugar candy of Kṛṣṇa’s Name, Pastimes, and so forth is honoured constantly with faith, then gradually this sugar candy becomes increasingly tasty and the disease of material enjoyment—desire that is averse to Kṛṣṇa—goes away.
tach ched deha-draviṇa-janatā-lobha-pāṣaṇḍa-madhye
nikṣiptaṁ syān na phala-janakaṁ śīghram evātra vipra
(Śrī Padma-purāṇa)
[“O brāhmaṇ, if the Name is used for the body, wealth, prestige, greed, or evil, then the Name does not produce any quick results.”]
Controlled by ignorance and thus attributing great importance to the body, wealth, prestige, attachment, and the misconception that the Lord and His absence—māyā—are nondifferent, souls are unable to understand their own true self. By the power of Kṛṣṇa’s Name, the soul’s pride produced by ignorance disappears like fog, and then service to Kṛṣṇa become pleasurable.
Reference
Read Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on Śrī Upadeśāmṛta: verses one, two, three, four, five, and six.