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- Read on →: rājovāca maharṣa etad vaicitryaṁ lokasya katham iti
rājovāca
maharṣa etad vaicitryaṁ lokasya katham iti |
ṛṣir uvāca
tri-guṇatvāt kartuḥ śraddhayā karma-gatayaḥ pṛthag-vidhāḥ sarvā eva sarvasya tāratamyena bhavanti |
athedānīṁ pratiṣiddha-lakṣaṇasyādharmasya tathaiva kartuḥ śraddhāyā vaisādṛśyāt karma-phalaṁ visadṛśaṁ bhavati, yā hy anādy-avidyayā kṛta-kāmānāṁ tat-pariṇāma-lakṣaṇāḥ sṛtayaḥ sahasraśaḥ pravṛttāḥ, tāsāṁ prācuryeṇānuvarṇayiṣyāmaḥ |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.26.1–3)“The king said: ‘O great seer, why does the world have this variegatedness?’
“The seer said, ‘The destinations [reached by way] of actions are of different types in accord with the conviction (śraddhā) of the agent [of the actions] on account of [agents and their conviction’s] being constituted of the three guṇas. Indeed they all [i.e., the various destinations reached by way of actions] occur for all [agents] in a gradation. Thus, in this case in exactly the way [as a dissimilar result occurs for agents of dharma on account of a dissimilarity in their convictions (śraddhās)], a dissimilar result of an action occurs on account of the dissimilarity in the conviction (śraddhā) of an agent of adharma, the nature of which is a prohibition [in the śāstra]. I will describe extensively the thousands of determined destinations, the natures of which are transformations of [worldly] desires, for those who have acted upon those [worldly desires] as a result of beginningless (anādi) ignorance (avidyā).” - Read on →: yathā ca tatra tat-kālaṁ bhakter yogyaṁ na sat-phalam
yathā ca tatra tat-kālaṁ bhakter yogyaṁ na sat-phalam |
sañjātam iti tac chuddha-bhaktimadbhir vinindyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.222)“Furthermore, since the real result befitting of bhakti is not produced at that time in that case [i.e., in an instance of desirous (sakāma) bhakti], that is condemned by those endowed with pure bhakti.”
- Read on →: te’pi nūnaṁ na tāṁ pūjāṁ tyajeyur yadi sarvathā
te’pi nūnaṁ na tāṁ pūjāṁ tyajeyur yadi sarvathā |
tadā tan-niṣṭhayā citte śodhite guṇa-darśinām ||
kṛpayā kṛṣṇa-bhaktānāṁ prakṣīṇāśeṣa-dūṣaṇāḥ |
kālena kiyatā te’pi bhavanti paramottamāḥ ||
yathā sakāma-bhaktā hi bhuktvā tat-kāmitaṁ phalam |
kāle bhakti-prabhāvena yogyaṁ vindanti tat-phalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.219–221)“If even they [who perform worship in the manner aforesaid in BB 2.4.213–15, that is, in SB 11.2.47, 3.29.21–24, and 7.9.11] shall assuredly not forsake [even] that [manner of] worship under any circumstance, then when [their] minds are purified by [their] fixity in that [i.e., in such inapt worship] and they have all their faults destroyed by the grace of bhaktas of Kṛṣṇa, who are observers of qualities [in them rather than faults], they too after some time become most excellent, just as desirous (sakāma) bhaktas enjoy that desired result [which they performed bhakti with a desire to attain, viz., insignificant enjoyment of objects of the senses and the like] and in time by the power of bhakti attain that result which is befitting [of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān and beyond even what one can desire, as alluded to in BB 2.4.216–217, viz., the result of attaining prema, entrance in Śrī Bhagavān’s abode, and the privilege of meeting, sporting, and so forth with him there in the spirit of prema].”
- Read on →: tāni tāni purāṇādi-vacanāny akhilāny api
tāni tāni purāṇādi-vacanāny akhilāny api |
tat-tad-viṣayakāny eva manyasva na tu sarvataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.218)“You should also consider all those particular statements from the Purāṇas and elsewhere to be related to them in particular [i.e., to those who engage in worship of an image in the aforementioned inapt manner], and not rather, to everyone [i.e., all worshipers of an image of Bhagavān].”
- Read on →: yadyapy aśeṣa-sat-karma-phalato’dhikam uttamam
yadyapy aśeṣa-sat-karma-phalato’dhikam uttamam |
teṣām api phalaty eva tat-pūjā-phalam ātmanā ||
tathāpi bhagavad-bhakti-yogyaṁ na jāyate phalam |
iti sādhu-varais tat tat tatra tatra vinindyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.216–217)“A result even of that worship on their part, which is superior to the result of all [varieties] of right action [on the path of karma] and excellent, certainly ensues of its own accord. Still, the result in keeping with bhakti to Bhagavān does not manifest [i.e., they do not attain prema for Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet, thereby attain his domain (loka), and thereby attain the ultimate result in keeping with performance of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān, viz., forever meeting, sporting, and so forth with Śrī Bhagavān in his domain in the spirit of prema]. Thus, those two [i.e., (1) the worship of the manner described in BB 2.4.213–15, that is, in SB 11.2.47, 3.29.21–24, and 7.9.11, and (2) its result] here and there [i.e., in the Purānas and elsewhere] is condemned by the best of sādhus [i.e., those who are one-pointed upon Bhagavān, that is, those who aspire for the ultimate result of bhakti to him].”
- Read on →: ye tu tat-pratimāṁ nūtnām adhiṣṭhānāṁ harer iti
ye tu tat-pratimāṁ nūtnām adhiṣṭhānāṁ harer iti |
bheda-dṛṣṭyātha śailādi-buddhyā sampūjayanti hi ||
na mānayanti tad-bhaktān sarva-bhūtāvamāninaḥ |
pūjā-garveṇa vedājñāṁ atikramanti ca prabhoḥ ||
ta eva sarva-bhaktebhyo nyūnās te manda-buddhayaḥ |
pūjā-phalaṁ na vindanti ta eva hi yathoditam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.213–215)“Those specifically, however, (1) who worship a new image of him with thought of [the image] being stonen and so on and thus with a vision of distinction, ‘This is a dwelling place of Hari [i.e., this is not Hari himself but rather a separate object, a mere image made of stone or another material, in which we are imagining him to be is present],’ (2) [who] do not honor his bhaktas, (3) [who] are disrespectful towards all living beings, and (4) [who] transgress Prabhu’s order in the form of the Vedas out of pride in [their aforesaid] worship, are the least of all bhaktas. They are of meager intelligence since they certainly do not attain the result of worship as [it is] described [in the śāstra].”