The Antaḥkaraṇa Prabodha Grantha is the final work among the sixteen texts composed by Śrī Mahāprabhu before he accepted sannyāsa. According to the Vallabha Digvijaya, authored by Śrī Yadunāthaji, after accepting sannyāsa, Śrī Mahāprabhu remained on earth for 39 days. This sannyāsa was undertaken to fulfill the third divine command (Bhagavadājñā) described in this text. Therefore, it is believed that this text was composed around Vaiśākha Kṛṣṇa Saptamī in the year Vikram Samvat 1587, approximately 39 days before Āṣāḍha Śukla Dvitīyā.

In the face of India’s dire circumstances at the time, Śrī Mahāprabhu carried the torch of Vaiṣṇava dharma and culture with unwavering enthusiasm, dedication, and resolve. He tirelessly worked to illuminate every corner of the nation. Śrī Mahāprabhu filled the hearts of all, regardless of caste, class, gender, or nationality, with the nectar of puṣṭi bhakti (nourishing devotion). He wandered through dense forests, indifferent to rain, heat, or cold, and instilled faith in the hearts of people in towns and villages ravaged by foreign invaders.

Śrī Mahāprabhu’s Grandson, Śrī Gokulnāthaji, on Antahkarana Prabodhah

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, consisting of twelve skandhas (cantos), is the manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. To reveal the essence of the Bhāgavata’s teachings, Śrī Mahāprabhu appeared as the embodiment of Agni, the lord of speech. This mystery was revealed by Śrī Mahāprabhu himself at the beginning of the Subodhinī commentary on the Bhāgavata.

After completing the commentary on the Daśama Skandha, Śrī Mahāprabhu proceeded to write commentaries on the remaining skandhas as per his preordained plan.

In accordance with his vow to establish the unity of the seven meanings of the Bhāgavata, he had already written commentaries on śāstrārtha, skandhārtha, prakaraṇārtha, and adhyayārtha in the Bhāgavata Nibandha.

Similarly, he had also written commentaries on vākyārtha, padārtha, and akṣarārtha in the first Sūkṣmaṭīkā. To reveal deeper mysteries, he then composed the second ṭīkā, the Subodhinī.

This was a monumental work, written over an extended period. However, it was not the divine will for Śrī Mahāprabhu to remain on earth for so long. Hence, he was commanded to quickly complete the Subodhinī on the Daśama Skandha, which he did. Thereafter, it was not the divine will for him to continue writing commentaries on the remaining skandhas in the same style.

When the command to stop writing the Subodhinī was given at Gaṅgāsāgara and Madhuvana, Śrī Mahāprabhu, like the gopīs of the Rāsapañcādhyāyī, wished to defy the command. Just as the gopīs, upon hearing the sound of the flute, reached Śrī Kṛṣṇa and refused to return home despite His command, Śrī Mahāprabhu also did not stop writing. However, there was a significant difference between these two acts of defiance. While the gopīs defied the divine command for the sake of enjoying the bliss of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s presence, Śrī Mahāprabhu defied the command while enduring the pain of separation from the Lord for the sake of serving His name.

Consequently, the Sūkṣmaṭīkā was concealed. After receiving the divine command to write the commentary on the Daśama Skandha and abandoning the commentaries on the fourth to ninth skandhas, Śrī Mahāprabhu resumed writing the commentaries on the remaining skandhas.

However, his scribe, Śrī Mādhava Bhaṭṭa Kāśmīrī, was struck by an arrow from a hunter. All these adversities were merely indicators of the divine will. It was then that the third divine command was issued—the command to relinquish his body, homeland, and worldly existence (loka). This third command made the divine insistence clear. Śrī Mahāprabhu, therefore, restrained his insistent mind, submitting it to the divine will.

Śrī Mahāprabhu’s Message to His Inner Self

O my inner self! Listen carefully. There is no entity superior to or purer than Śrī Kṛṣṇa, nor can there ever be. The defiance of the two divine commands for the sake of completing the Subodhinī commentary was due to the insistence of my inner self. If the inner self can be brought under the control of the divine will, then all other tendencies and impulses of the body and senses can also be controlled.

The ultimate purpose of the Bhāgavata commentary was to instill attachment to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form. However, this was not a problem for Śrī Mahāprabhu but for other puṣṭi jīvas. Revealing the true meaning of the Bhāgavata would benefit these souls, enabling them to understand the profound mysteries of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s puṣṭi līlā (nourishing pastimes) and become attached to Him.

As for Śrī Mahāprabhu, he had to engage in the contemplation, interpretation, and exposition of both the worldly and transcendental languages of the Bhāgavata. His mission was not limited to merely contemplating or discoursing on the divine pastimes. Out of a selfless desire to uplift countless puṣṭi jīvas, Śrī Mahāprabhu willingly endured separation from the Lord.

The commentary completed so far is sufficient to guide puṣṭi jīvas on the path of puṣṭi bhakti. No further altruism is needed. In the Sarvanirṇaya Nibandha, Śrī Mahāprabhu himself declared that during the opportunity to serve the Lord, one should renounce all other duties, even altruistic ones, if they hinder divine service.

One should quickly abandon anything that opposes this. The hierarchy of duties should be carefully considered…. Altruism and other virtues, if they obstruct worship, should not be performed.

Therefore, after self-surrender, no duty other than serving the Lord remains for a puṣṭi jīva.

Śrī Mahāprabhu explains that before self-surrender, the condition of puṣṭi jīvas is like that of a beautiful woman born in an humble household. However, after self-surrender, their condition becomes as honorable as that of the same woman if she were to win the heart of a king and become his queen. Such extraordinary honor may sometimes lead to pride, and pride may lead to humiliation. However, reflecting on their former lowly state, the puṣṭi jīva will not regret even a slight humiliation in their honored state. After all, even if the king humiliates the queen, she is still respected in the world.

Similarly, if a puṣṭi jīva is humiliated for defying a divine command due to a sense of maturity, they should reflect on their former state of non-surrender. What concern does a puṣṭi jīva who has completely surrendered have for honor or dishonor? Their only duty lies in following the divine command.

The Puṣṭi Sṛṣṭi was manifested by the Lord for the sake of serving His own form. The Lord is the embodiment of truth and resolve. Therefore, it is the primary duty of a puṣṭi jīva to uphold the divine command. Otherwise, the possibility of betraying the Lord arises. Whether sooner or later, the Lord will bestow upon us the fruits He desires. Therefore, without worrying about delays, our duty is to obey our Lord’s command.

The first two divine commands, received at Gaṅgāsāgara and Madhuvana, were not fulfilled. Now, the third command—to relinquish the body, homeland, and worldly existence — has been issued. This command must be obeyed. However, there is no room for regret. When we are servants, and when everything we have is surrendered to our Lord, how can there be regret in relinquishing the body and homeland as per His command?

Our Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, even if angered, will not become merciless like a worldly master. His every command is for our ultimate good and supreme happiness. Therefore, having surrendered everything to our Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa with devotion, what else remains to be done? We should feel fulfilled in obeying His command and remain happy.

Sometimes, even after a married daughter comes of age, her father is reluctant to send her to her husband’s home. Does such affection or attachment benefit or harm the daughter? What meaning remains in kanyādāna (giving away the daughter) if she is not sent to her rightful husband? How can a husband be satisfied with a wife who remains in her father’s home?

Similarly, how can such attachment to the body please the body’s master, Śrī Kṛṣṇa? How can it satisfy Him? Therefore, we should reflect on what our condition would have been like had we not surrendered ourselves, like other worldly people.

The sudden relinquishment of the body may seem impossible. However, we should contemplate the form of Śrī Hari, the remover of all suffering, who bestows the bliss of eternal union in His eternal pastimes. If He desires to grant such bliss, how can there be suffering? Therefore, there is no need for any kind of attachment. Whether the Lord becomes angry like a worldly master, delays in bestowing fruits, or whether the puṣṭi jīvas are uplifted by relinquishing the body and homeland, or whether the Subodhinī commentary on the Śrīmad Bhāgavata remains incomplete — all these concerns are irrelevant.

By compiling Antahkarana Prabodhah as an awakening of the inner self, Śrī Mahāprabhu has revealed that, through the guise of instructing his own inner self, he is addressing and enlightening the inner selves of all puṣṭi jīvas who may be more attracted to other spiritual or divine goals and duties than to serving the Lord.

That is, if the Bhāgavata discourse is ultimately an aspect of serving the Lord, then it is the best option; otherwise, it is only a secondary or alternative option. In this way, Śrī Mahāprabhu, in this text, provides a method for purifying the inner self, which is an integral part of service, by inspiring it to develop an exclusive inclination towards serving the Lord.