तन्निशम्याथ मुनयो विस्मिता मुक्तसंशयाः ।
भूयांसं श्रद्दधुर्विष्णुं यतः शान्तिर्यतोऽभयम् ॥
धर्मः साक्षाद्यतो ज्ञानं वैराग्यं च तदन्वितम् ।
ऐश्वर्यं चाष्टधा यस्माद्यशश्चात्ममलापहम् ॥
मुनीनां न्यस्तदण्डानां शान्तानां समचेतसाम् ।
अकिञ्चनानां साधूनां यमाहुः परमां गतिम् ॥
सत्त्वं यस्य प्रिया मूर्तिर्ब्राह्मणास्त्विष्टदेवताः ।
भजन्त्यनाशिषः शान्ता यं वा निपुणबुद्धयः ॥
tan niśamyātha munayo vismitā mukta-saṁśayāḥ |
bhūyāṁsaṁ śraddadhur viṣṇuṁ yataḥ śāntir yato’bhayam ||
dharmaḥ sākṣād yato jñānaṁ vairāgyaṁ ca tad-anvitam |
aiśvaryaṁ cāṣṭadhā yasmād yaśaś cātma-malāpaham ||
munīnāṁ nyasta-daṇḍānāṁ śāntānāṁ sama-cetasām |
akiñcanānāṁ sādhūnāṁ yam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim ||
sattvaṁ yasya priyā mūrtir brāhmaṇās tv iṣṭa-devatāḥ |
bhajanty anāśiṣaḥ śāntā yaṁ vā nipuṇa-buddhayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.89.14–17)
“Then, hearing that [i.e., Bhṛgu’s account of his meetings with Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu], the sages became amazed, freed from doubt, and possessed of immense śraddhā in Viṣṇu, from whom comes peace; from whom comes fearlessness; from whom comes direct dharma, [direct] knowledge (jñāna), and non-attachment (vairāgya) following that; from whom comes eightfold metaphysical power, glory, and removal of the impurities in the psyche; whom they [i.e., the wise] call the ultimate refuge of the sages, of those who have laid down the staff, of the tranquil, and of the equanimous—the divested, the sādhus; whose dear form is Existence [i.e., Brahman]; [whose] iṣṭa-devatās are the brāhmaṇas; and whom those who are desireless, tranquil, and of sharp intellect worship.”
Commentary
Śrī Jīvapāda comments that “direct dharma” (sākṣād dharma) refers to Bhagavad-dharma and that the term “direct” (sākṣāt) also refers to “knowledge” (jñānam), meaning that the “knowledge” (jñānam) spoken of in the verse under discussion is that of experience (anubhava) of Śrī Bhagavān (sākṣāt-padasya sarvair apy anvayaḥ, tena sākṣāj jñānaṁ Śrī-Bhagavad-anubhavaḥ). He further explains that “non-attachment following that” (vairāgyaṁ ca tad-anvitam) refers to the non-attachment that emerges from experience of Śrī Bhagavān with prema as mentioned in SB 11.2.43, and not to the four types of dry non-attachment (śuṣka-vairāgya) mentioned by Śrī Svāmīpāda in his commentary SB 10.89.15 (tad-anvitaṁ ‘trika eka-kālaḥ bhaktir viraktir Bhagavat-prabodhaḥ’ ity ekādaśokta-rītyā saprema-tad-anubhavānvitam eva, na tu śuṣkaṁ caturvidham iti pāṭhas tair vyākhyātaḥ). Śrī Svāmīpāda’s commentary, that is, the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on SB 10.89.15, is as follows:
vairāgyaṁ ca catur-vidham iti pāṭhe tac cātur-vidhyam evaṁ draṣṭavyam | viṣayāṁs tyaktum aśaknuvato’pi sammānecchā-tyāga ādyaṁ vairāgyam | tato viṣayāṇāṁ madhye lavaṇādi-vyatirekeṇāpi vṛttir dvitīyam | tathā vṛttāv api manasi rāga-śaithilyena bāhyendriyair eva viṣaya-sevanaṁ tṛtīyam | tatrāpy audāsīnyaṁ caturtham | yathāhuḥ—‘vairāgyam ādyaṁ yatamāna-saṁjñaṁ kvacid virāgo vyatireka-saṁjñam | ekendriyākhyaṁ hṛdi rāga-saukṣmyaṁ tasyāpy abhāvas tu vaśīkṛtākhyam || iti |
“Non-attachment (vairāgya), furthermore, is of four types. Thus, in the reading, that being fourfold accordingly is to be seen. (1) Relinquishing the desire for honor on the part of one who is unable to relinquish objects of the senses is non-attachment (vairāgya) of the first type. (2) Then, living even with the exclusion of salt and the like among the objects of the senses is the second [type of non-attachment (vairāgya)]. (3) Perceiving objects of the senses only with the external senses as a result of a slacking of attachment (rāga) in the mind even while living this way [i.e., as was mentioned in the previous stage, wherein one even lives without salt and the like] is the third [type of non-attachment (vairāgya)]. (4) Indifference even in that regard is the fourth [type of non-attachment (vairāgya)], as they say [in the following verse], ‘That known as restrained pride (yatamāna-saṁjña) is non-attachment (vairāgya) of the first type. Non-attachment anywhere [i.e., even in regard to things like salt] is that known as exclusion (vyatireka-saṁjña) [i.e., the second type]. A [residual presence of a] minuteness of attachment (rāga) in the heart is known as that wherein the senses are prominent (ekendriya-saṁjña) [i.e., the third type in which the senses are controlled but some minute attachment remains in the mind], whereas the absence of even that [i.e., of any residual minuteness of attachment (rāga) in the mind] is that known as controlled (vaśīkṛta-saṁjña) [i.e., the fourth type of non-attachment (vairāgya), that is, complete non-attachment].’”
These four types of non-attachment (vairāgya) mentioned by Śrī Svāmīpāda, which Śrī Jīvapāda describes as dry non-attachment (śuṣka-vairāgya), are explained by Śrī Jīvapāda in his commentary as follows:
tatra yatamāna-saṁjñam iti yataḥ saṁyato mānaḥ sammānecchā yatrety arthaḥ | kvacid iti lavaṇādau virāgo nāma vyatireka-saṁjñaṁ vairāgyam ity anvayaḥ | eketi—ekāni mukhī-kṛtāni indriyāṇi yasmin tat | rāga-saukṣmyaṁ rāgasyālpatayāvasānam iti jñeyam | yad vā bhakty-eka-rāgataś caturvarga-tyāgena caturvidham |
“In that regard [i.e., in regard to the mention of vairāgya], [the mention of] ‘that known as restrained pride’ (yatamāna-saṁjña) refers to [that] in which pride (māna), that is, desire for honor, is restrained, that is, controlled. Non-attachment ‘anywhere’ (kvacid) that is, in regard [even] to salt and the like, is the non-attachment (vairāgya) called ‘that known as exclusion’ (vyatireka-saṁjña). [The third type of non-attachment (vairāgya), known as ekendriya-saṁjña, refers to] That in which the senses are prominent (eka). A minuteness of attachment (rāga), that is, a limit, because of attachment’s being meager, is to be understood [to be present in this third type of non-attachment (vairāgya), in contrast to the fourth type, where even a minuteness of attachment (rāga) does not remain in the mind]. Alternately [i.e., apart from this construal of the mention of non-attachment (vairāgya) in the verse under discussion to refer to the aforementioned dry non-attachment (śuṣka-vairāgya) of four types, a [alternate type of] fourfold [form of non-attachment (vairāgya)] is [referred to in SB 10.89.15] by way of relinquishment of the caturvarga [viz., dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa] out of attachment solely to bhakti [i.e., alternately, the non-attachment (vairāgya) mentioned in the verse can be considered to be fourfold because it consists of non-attachment towards any of the four conventional puruṣārthas, viz., dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa].”
Śrī Jīvapāda also offers an insightful explanation in regard to the description of Śrī Bhagavān in SB 10.89.16 of being “whom they [i.e., the wise] call the ultimate refuge of the sages, of those who have laid down the staff, of the tranquil, and of the equanimous—the divested, the sādhus” (munīnāṁ nyasta-daṇḍānāṁ śāntānāṁ sama-cetasām akiñcanānāṁ sādhūnāṁ yam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim):
prathamato mananaśīlānāṁ, tato bhagavac-cintanārthaṁ parityakta-mahādoṣātmaka-bhūta-dveṣāṇāṁ, tato bhagavac-cittatayā yadṛcchā-lābha-tuṣṭānāṁ, tato bhagavad-eka-spṛhitvenānyatra svargāpavarga-narakeṣu tulya-darśinām ata eva bhagavantaṁ vinānyatra mamatā-śūnyānām ata eva projjhita-kaitavānām iti krameṇārthaḥ |
“[Śrī Bhagavān is the ultimate refuge] Firstly of those practicing contemplation [viz., ‘the sages’ (munīnāṁ)], then of those who have completely relinquished enmity towards [all] living beings, which is constituted of a severe fault, for the sake of meditation upon Bhagavān [i.e., ‘those who have laid down the staff’ (nyasta-daṇḍānāṁ)], then of those who are satisfied with that which is attained of its own accord as a result of being of mind upon Bhagavān [i.e., ‘the tranquil’ (śāntānāṁ)], and then of those of equal vision elsewhere in regard to Svarga, apavarga [i.e., mokṣa], and Naraka as as result of being possessed of desire solely for Bhagavān [i.e., ‘the equanimous’ (sama-cetasām), who are thus free from my-ness (mamatā) elsewhere apart from Bhagavān [i.e., ‘the divested’ (akiñcanānāṁ)], and thus they by whom deceit has been utterly rejected [i.e., ‘the sādhus’ (sādhūnāṁ)]. This is the meaning as per the order [mentioned in the verse].”