Thursday, May 25, 2017

Vaiṣṇava-dress, part 3


Inspired by the excellent blog of Panditji Śrī Satya-nārāyanjī, I added a paragraph to my paper on Vaiṣṇava-dress on my website (it is at the end). I will post it here too.

KṚṢṆA IS PLEASED WITH SĀDHU-DRESS –
In Śrīmad-bhāgavata (10.14.35) Lord Brahmā prays to Lord Kṛṣṇa – sad-veṣād iva pūtanāpi sakulā tvām eva devāpitā – “O Lord, although the witch Pūtanā came to kill You, she and her whole family were redeemed by You and attained You just because of her sad-veṣa, her dressing like a saint.”

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments: satāṁ sad bhāva yuktānām vrajavāsiviśeṣāṇām dhātrī janānāṁ veśāt lebhe gatiṁ dhātryucitaṁ - “She wore the dress of the saints, those with true bhāva, the nurse of the specific Vrajavāsī style and thus attained the destination of the nurses (as an eternal, liberated associate of Kṛṣṇa).”

Śrīla Śrīdhara Swāmī comments: sad-veṣād iva satāṁ bhaktānāṁ yo veṣas tad-anukaraṇa-mātreṇa pāpiṣṭhā pūtanāpi tvām evāpitā prāpitā – “Simply by imitating the dress of the saints, of the devotees, even the sinful Pūtanā attained You (Kṛṣṇa).”

Then what to speak of those who dress like devotees to actually please Kṛṣṇa?

This blog is a sequel to the first two 'Vaiṣṇava-dress' blogs, here and here, posted in March, 2012.