Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on the ninth 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 Nine
বৈকুণ্ঠাজ্জনিতো বরা মধুপুরী তত্রাপি রাসোৎসবাদ্-
বৃন্দারণ্যমুদারপাণি-রমণাত্তত্রাপি গোবর্দ্ধনঃ ।
রাধাকুণ্ডমিহাপি গোকুলপতেঃ প্রেমামৃতাপ্লাবনাৎ
কুর্য্যাদস্য বিরাজতো গিরিতটে সেবাং বিবেকী ন কঃ ॥৯॥
vaikuṇṭhāj janito varā madhu-purī tatrāpi rāsotsavād-
vṛndāraṇyam udāra-pāṇi-ramaṇāt tatrāpi govardhanaḥ
rādhā-kuṇḍam ihāpi gokula-pateḥ premāmṛtāplāvanāt
kuryād asya virājato giri-taṭe sevāṁ vivekī na kaḥ [9]
madhu-purī–Māthura, [where Kṛṣṇa was] janitaḥ–born, [is] varā–higher vaikuṇṭhāj–than Vaikuṇṭha. tatra api–Therein, vṛndāraṇyam–Vṛndāvan [is higher] rāsotsavāt–because of the Rāsa Dance. tatra api–Therein, govardhanaḥ–Govardhan [is higher] ramaṇāt–because of the amorous play [of He who has] udāra–liberal pāṇi–hands. ihā api–Herein, rādhā-kuṇḍam–Rādhā Kuṇḍa [is highest] āplāvanāt–because of the flood amṛta–of the nectar pateḥ–of the Lord gokula–of Goloka’s prema–divine love. kaḥ–What vivekī–wise soul na kuryāt–would not perform sevām–service asya–for it [Rādhā Kuṇḍa], virājataḥ–situated taṭe–at the base [of] giri–Govardhan? [9]
Above Vaikuṇṭha is Mathurā, where Kṛṣṇa took birth. Above Mathurā is Vṛndāvan, where Kṛṣṇa enjoys the Rāsa Dance. Above Vṛndāvan is Govardhan, where Kṛṣṇa plays amorously. And above Govardhan is Rādhā Kuṇḍa, where the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s divine love overflows. What wise soul would not serve Rādhā Kuṇḍa at the base of Govardhan Hill?
Bhāṣā
বৈকুণ্ঠ হইতে শ্রেষ্ঠা ‘মথুরা’ নগরী ।
জনম লভিলা যথা কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র হরি ॥১॥
vaikuṇṭha ha-ite śreṣṭhā mathurā nagarī
janama labhilā yathā kṛṣṇachandra hari [1]
śreṣṭhā–Higher ha-ite–than vaikuṇṭha–Vaikuṇṭha [is] nagarī–the city mathurā–of Mathurā, yathā–where hari–the Lord, kṛṣṇachandra–the moon-like Śrī Kṛṣṇa, janama labhilā–took birth. [1]
Higher than Vaikuṇṭha is the city of Mathurā, where the moon-like Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa took birth.
মথুরা হইতে শ্রেষ্ঠ ‘বৃন্দাবন’-ধাম ।
যথা সাধিয়াছে হরি রাসোৎসব‑কাম ॥২॥
mathurā ha-ite śreṣṭha vṛndāvana dhāma
yathā sādhiyāchhe hari rāsotasava-kāma [2]
śreṣṭhā–Higher ha-ite–than mathurā–Mathurā [is] dhāma–the abode vṛndāvana–of Vṛndāvan, yathā–where hari–the Lord sādhiyāchhe–fulfilled [His] kāma–desire rāsotasava–for the Rāsa Dance. [2]
Higher than Mathurā is the land of Vṛndāvan, where the Lord fulfilled His desire for the Rāsa Dance.
বৃন্দাবন হইতে শ্রেষ্ঠ ‘গোবর্দ্ধন‑শৈল’ ।
গিরিধারী-গান্ধর্ব্বিকা যথা ক্রীড়া কৈল ॥৩॥
vṛndāvana ha-ite śreṣṭha govardhana-śaila
giridhārī-gāndharvikā yathā krīḍā kaila [3]
śreṣṭhā–Higher ha-ite–than vṛndāvana–Vṛndāvan [is] śaila–the mountain govardhana–Govardhan, yathā–where gāndharvikā–Rādhā, the best of dancers, [and] giridhārī–Kṛṣṇa, the lifter of Govardhan, krīḍā kaila–play [together]. [3]
Higher than Vṛndāvan is Govardhan Hill, where Rādhā, the best of dancers, and Kṛṣṇa, the lifter of Govardhan, play together.
গোবর্দ্ধন হৈতে শ্রেষ্ঠ ‘রাধাকুণ্ড‑তট’ ।
প্রেমামৃতে ভাসাইল গোকুল‑লম্পট ॥৪॥
govardhana haite śreṣṭha rādhā-kuṇḍa-taṭa
premāmṛte bhāsāila gokula-lampaṭa [4]
śreṣṭhā–Higher ha-ite–than govardhana–Govardhan [is] taṭa–the bank rādhā-kuṇḍa–of Rādhā Kuṇḍa, [where] lampaṭa–the debauchee gokula–of Gokula [makes] amṛte–the nectar prema–of divine love bhāsāila–overflow. [4]
Higher than Govardhan is the bank of Rādhā Kuṇḍa, where the debauchee of Gokula makes the nectar of divine love overflow.
গোবর্দ্ধন –গিরিতট রাধাকুণ্ড ছাড়ি’ ।
অন্যত্র যে করে নিজ কুঞ্জ—পুষ্পবাড়ী ॥৫॥
নির্ব্বোধ তাহার সম কেহ নাহি আর ।
কুণ্ড‑তীর সর্ব্বোত্তম স্থান—প্রেমাধার ॥৬॥
govardhana giri-taṭa rādhā-kuṇḍa chhāḍi’
anyatra ye kare nija kuñja puṣpa-bāḍī [5]
nirbodha tāhāra sama keha nāhi āra
kuṇḍa-tīra sarvottama sthāna premādhāra [6]
āra keha nāhi–There is no one sama–as nirbodha–foolish [as] tāhāra–someone ye–who chhāḍi’–leaves rādhā-kuṇḍa–Rādhā Kuṇḍa taṭa–at the base govardhana–of Govardhan giri–Hill [and] puṣpa-bāḍī kare–makes a tent of flowers [in their] nija–own kuñja–grove anyatra–elsewhere. tīra–The bank kuṇḍa–of Rādhā Kuṇḍa [is] uttama–the highest sarva–of all sthāna–places [and] ādhāra–the treasury prema–of divine love. [5–6]
There is no one as foolish as someone who leaves Rādhā Kuṇḍa at the base of Govardhan Hill and makes a tent of flowers in their own grove elsewhere. The bank of Rādhā Kuṇḍa is the highest of all places and the treasury of divine love.
Anuvṛtti
Vaikuṇṭha, which situated in the spiritual sky, is higher than all other abodes. The district of Mathurā is higher than Vaikuṇṭha because the Lord took birth there. Vṛndāvan, the place of Kṛṣṇa’s Rāsa Dance, is higher than Mathurā. Govardhan, the place of the Lord’s spontaneous play, is higher than Vṛndāvan. Rādhā Kuṇḍa, where the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s divine love completely overflows, is higher than Govardhan. What wise and sincere devotee would reject service at Śrī Rādhā Kuṇḍa, situated at the base of Govardhan Hill, and attend to any other service? Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s extremely intimate devotee, Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu, has instructed that service at Rādhā Kuṇḍa is the highest mood in the heart of Śrī Gaurahari and the ultimate culmination of service. For Vaiṣṇavas in the school of Śrī Nimbārka and even devotees situated in madhura-rasa who are devoid of devotion to Gaura, this service is completely inconceivable and unattainable.
Reference
Read Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on Śrī Upadeśāmṛta: verses one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight.