SpiritualŚrī Jīva Gosvāmī
Text 1
अध्यायशतसम्पन्ना भगवद्ब्रह्मसंहिता ।
कृष्णोपनिषदां सारैः सञ्चिता ब्रह्मणोदिता ॥
adhyāya-śata-sampannā bhagavad-brahma-saṁhitā
kṛṣṇopaniṣadāṁ sāraiḥ sañcitā brahmaṇoditā
“The divine Brahma-saṁhitā, complete in one hundred chapters, was spoken by Brahmā and compiled from the essential teachings of the Kṛṣṇa Upaniṣads.”
Text 2
यद्यपि नानापाठान् नानार्थान् स्मरन्ति नानार्थास्ते ।
तदपि च सत्पथलब्धा एवास्माभिस्त्वमी प्रमिताः ॥
yadyapi nānā-pāṭhān nānārthān smaranti nānārthās te
tad api ca sat-patha-labdhā evāsmābhis tv amī pramitāḥ
“Although scholars of differing views preserve various readings and interpretations, we have accepted as authoritative only these readings, received through the authentic tradition.”
Text 3
सनातनसमो यस्य ज्यायान् श्रीमान् सनातनः ।
श्रीवल्लभोऽनुजः सोऽसौ श्रीरूपो जीवसद्गतिः ॥
sanātana-samo yasya jyāyān śrīmān sanātanaḥ
śrī-vallabho ’nujaḥ so ’sau śrī-rūpo jīva-sad-gatiḥ
That illustrious Śrī Rūpa, whose elder brother is Śrīmān Sanātana, equal to the eternal Lord1, and whose younger brother is Śrī Vallabha, is Jīva’s true refuge.2
Text 4
इति श्रीब्रह्मसंहितायां मूलसूत्राख्यः पञ्चमोऽध्यायः ।
श्रीकृष्णप्रीतये भवतादिति करुणामयमनिशं कृष्णं नमामि ॥
iti śrī-brahma-saṁhitāyāṁ mūla-sūtrākhyaḥ pañcamo ’dhyāyaḥ.
śrī-kṛṣṇa-prītaye bhavatād iti karuṇāmayam aniśaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ namāmi
Thus ends the Fifth Chapter of the Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā, known as the Mūla-sūtra. May this work be pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. I ceaselessly bow to merciful Kṛṣṇa.3
Notes
- Sanātana-samaḥ is a conventional expression of praise and also contains a play upon the name Sanātana. It compares Sanātana, the devotee, with Sanātana, the Eternal Lord, by indicating that Sanātana Gosvāmī reflects the Lord’s exalted qualities. It does not imply ontological equality between the jīva and Bhagavān. ↩
- Jīva-sad-gatiḥ contains another play on words. It literally means “the true refuge or destination of Jīva.” The phrase affectionately identifies Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī as Jīva Gosvāmī’s true refuge, while also allowing the broader meaning that he is the true refuge and destination of all jīvas. ↩
- Mūla-sūtra literally means “the foundational” or “root aphoristic text.” A sūtra is an aphorism, a concise formulation in which extensive meaning is compressed into few words. At the beginning of his commentary, Jīva Gosvāmī explains that although the Brahma-saṁhitā originally comprised one hundred chapters, this Fifth Chapter, because it is in sūtra form, encompasses the essential content of the entire work. The designation Mūla-sūtra thus identifies it as the condensed foundational text of the complete Saṁhitā. ↩