­SRI SANMODANA BHASYAM

Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Excerpts

The word bhava indicates the jiva's forcible subjection to
repeated births in this world.   Bhava is a continuous cycle of
birth and death called mahadavagni (blazing fire), a raging
conflagration that cannot be extinguished by any means other than the congregational chanting of Krsna's holy name. 

    A question may arise at this point:  when one is at last
enlightened about his svadharma or eternal function as a liber­ated
soul, does he then cease chanting Krsna's holy name?  The
answer is no; the stoppage of chanting never occurs, because
chanting God's name is verily the soul's sva-dharma. The phrase
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitarana confirms this by specifically
conveying the sense of the eternal activity of the spirit soul in
his original spiritual condition.

     Jivas who are enslaved by maya prefer to enjoy material
life, and this desire perpetuates their bondage to the cycle of
birth and death.  This the root cause of the threefold miseries.
But when the spirit soul becomes disgusted with material
enjoyment and re-dedicates his time and energy to Lord Krsna's
loving service, he reaps the greatest benefit. This benefit is
compared to a the cluster of pristine white lotuses, for just as
the moon's soothing rays  cause the white lotuses to blossom, the
rasaladen rays of the chanting of the holy name stirs the en­folded
petals of the lotus of the jiva's good fortune, causing it
to open.

    As it is said, "devotion gives birth to devotion": the
sincere and faithful devotee must therefore follow the principles
of elementary bhakti by regularly hearing and chanting the holy
name until the first light of pure devotion begins to dawn in the
heart. The closed lotus flower touched by the moon's rays
awakens in full bloom, and similarly, when the congregational
chanting of the holy name spreads the rays of bhava (the essence
of hladini) and impregnates the soul's heart, rati (conjugal love
for Sri Krsna) then lights up his consciousness, bestowing the
highest benediction.  This is what is meant by the "rays of the
benediction moon."