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ko’ti-prayāso’sura-bālakā harer
upāsane sve hṛdi chidravat sataḥ |
svasyātmanaḥ sakhyur aśeṣa-dehināṁ
sāmānyataḥ kiṁ viṣayopapādanaiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.7.38)
[Translated according to Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary:] “O boys of the asuras, what great exertion [i.e., difficulty] is there in worship of Hari, he who is present like space in one’s heart and is the inherent self and common friend of all embodied beings? [Therefore,] What [is the use] of accumulating objects of the senses?”
Read on →: ko’ti-prayāso’sura-bālakā harer
jñānī guruś ca balavān bhavābdheḥ śiṣyam uddharet
guruḥ svayam asiddhaś ca durbalaḥ katham uddharet
(Nārada Pañcarātra 1.10.19)
“A guru, who is knowledgable and strong, delivers a disciple from the ocean of material existence. How can a guru who is not realized (asiddha) and weak deliver [a disciple]?”
Read on →: jñānī guruś ca balavān bhavābdheḥ śiṣyam uddharet
bādhyamāno’pi mad-bhakto viṣayair ajitendriyaḥ |
prāyaḥ pragalbhayā bhaktyā viṣayair nābhibhūyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.18; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.552; Bhakti Sandarbha: 115)
“Although obstructed [i.e., attracted] by objects of the senses (viṣayas), a bhakta of mine who has not [yet] conquered the senses is generally not overwhelmed by objects of the senses (viṣayas) by virtue of vigorous bhakti [i.e., by virtue of bhakti, which possesses the capability to overcome the influence of residual affinities (vāsanās) for varieties of sensory experience].”
Read on →: bādhyamāno’pi mad-bhakto viṣayair ajitendriyaḥ
sat-saṅga eva tat-sāmmukhye dvāram ity uktam | te ca santas tat-sammukhā evātra gṛhyante, na tu vaidikācāra-mātra-parā anupayogitvāt |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 186)
“It has been said that sat-saṅga is the only gateway to intentness upon Tat [i.e., the Supreme Entity (Para-tattva)]. And in this regard only those who are intent upon Tat are accepted as the sat, and not, rather, those who are merely adherent to Vedic conduct because of [those mere adherent to conduct’s] being unsuitable [i.e., intentness upon Tat is the primary characteristic of sādhutva (being a sādhu), and because those who lack this characteristic, regardless of whether they are formally adherent to Vedic conduct or not, are not sādhus in the true sense, their association is unsuitable for those seeking intentness upon Tat because it will not give rise to such intentness].”
Read on →: sat-saṅga eva tat-sāmmukhye dvāram ity uktam
kṛpāra samudra—dīna-hīne dayāmaya |
kṛṣṇa-kṛpā vinā kona sukha nāhi haya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.17.75)
“Kṛṣṇa is an ocean of grace and is [especially] gracious to the humble and lowly. Without Kṛṣṇa’s grace, no happiness comes to be.”
Read on →: kṛpāra samudra—dīna-hīne dayāmaya
yadā parānanda-guro bhavat-pade
padaṁ mano me bhagaval labheta |
tadā nirastākhila-sādhana-śramaḥ
śrayeya saukhyaṁ bhavataḥ kṛpātaḥ ||
(Excerpted from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.33)
“O illustrious, supremely blissful guru, when my mind is able to attain a place at your feet, then all the labor of sādhana will be dispelled and I will be able to attain [complete] happiness by your grace.”
Read on →: yadā parānanda-guro bhavat-pade