A Sweet Ending

By: Mahanidhi Swami

Madhurena samaapayet is one rule of poetic composition practiced by Vaisnava authors, which means that a literary work should conclude in a mood of special sweetness. Simply said, the Sanskrit term madhurena samapayet means, “One should end on a sweet note.” Srila Prabhupada put it this way, “Everything ends well in transcendental bliss!”

Following this poetic maxim, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami concludes the Tento Canto narration of Sri Krishna’s pastimes (Cp.90) by describing Krishna’s blissful water sports with His beautiful queens in the lotus-filled water pools in Dvaraka.

To conclude the 12^th Canto and the 18,000 verses of the complete Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami wrote a very, very important verse. Since this is the last verse of his entire literary work, certainly Srila Sukadeva Gosvami would “conclude everything on a sweet note”,madhurena samapayet. And he does!

The concluding verse of the entire work contains all the unlimited sweetness of Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s form, qualities and pastimes, which are so beautifully depicted and personally manifest on every page of the Srimad Bhagavatam. This most glorious and uniquely pure Purana ends with the following sloka glorifying the supreme, unlimited power of Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s Holy Name, which compresses within it the power of unlimited majesty and the enchantment of ultimate sweetness:

nama-sankirtanam yasya, sarva-papa pranasanam

pranamo duhkha-samanas, tam namami harim param

“Performing Nama Sankirtana, or congregational chanting of the Holy Name of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, completely destroys all kinds of sins (prarabdha, aparabdha, kutam, bijam), and subdues all miseries. Thus I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Sri Lord Hari.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.23)

To conclude his most amazing and revelatory commentary on the entire Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada says, “I offer respects to Govardhana, the best of the Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s servants. Lastly, I offer repeated respects to Radha Kunda and Krishna Kunda!”

Indeed, this is the ultimate in madhuram samapayet!

As the Srimad Bhagavatam concludes on a sweet note about the Holy Name, we pray that all the devotees will conclude their lives of loving service on the sweet notes of Sri Krishna’s Holy Names,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

The Skanda Purana (HBV 11.234) proclaims the stupendous sweetness of Sri Krishna Nama:

madhura madhuram etan, mangalam mangalanam

sakala nigama valli sat, phalam cit svarupam

sakrd api parigitam, sraddhaya helaya va

bhrgu vara! nara-matram tarayet krishna nama

O Bhrguvara! Sri Krishna Nama is the sweetest of all sweet things and the most auspicious of all that is auspicious. Bhagavan Sri Krishna is the fully-ripened fruit of the flourishing creeper of the Vedas, and the embodiment of divine knowledge. If someone chants Sri Krishna’s Holy Name only once, be it with faith or contempt, he is immediately delivered from the ocean of birth and death!

Sri Harinama Sankirtana ki jai!

Namacharya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jai!

Kali-yuga Patita Pavana Sona Avatara Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu ki jai!

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!