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- Read on →: uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata
uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata |
kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā
durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.3.14)“Arise! Awake! Find the exalted ones and learn. The wise say the path is sharp as a razor’s edge, difficult to traverse, and arduous.”
- Read on →: athāsya tad-veśyā-vaktrāc chrī-rādhāyāḥ śrī-kṛṣṇānurāgādi-śravaṇa-jāta-lobhatvād rāgānugā-mārgeṇaiva bhajanam
athāsya tad-veśyā-vaktrāc chrī-rādhāyāḥ śrī-kṛṣṇānurāgādi-śravaṇa-jāta-lobhatvād rāgānugā-mārgeṇaiva bhajanam | tatra rāgānugā-mārge’nutpanna-rati-sādhaka-bhaktair api svepsita-siddha-dehaṁ manasi parikalpya bhagavat-sevādikaṁ kriyate | jāta-ratīnāṁ tu svayam eva tad-deha-sphūrtiḥ | asya tūtpannā madhura-jātīyā ratiḥ krameṇānurāga-daśāṁ prāptāsti, atas tad-deha-sphūrtiḥ sadaiva |
(Sāraṅga-raṅgadā-ṭīkā on Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta: 2)“His [i.e., Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s] bhajana was based solely on the rāgānugā-mārga because of his intense desirousness (lobhatva) produced by hearing about Śrī Rādhā’s anurāga and so forth for Śrī Kṛṣṇa from the mouth of the courtesan [i.e., Cintāmaṇi]. There in rāgānugā-mārga, even by sādhaka-bhaktas in whom rati has not [yet] manifested, service and so forth to Bhagavān is performed by meditating in the mind upon one’s desired siddha-deha. For those in whom rati has manifested, however, manifestation (sphūrti) of that deha [i.e., the siddha-deha] occurs of its own accord [i.e., without requiring any specific effort from the sādhaka to meditate upon it]. His [i.e., Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s] manifest rati of the madhura-type, however, gradually attained the stage of anurāga [even though this is normally impossible for anyone within saṁsāra apart from those who participate directly in Bhagavān’s prakaṭa-līlā], and thus manifestation of that deha [i.e., the siddha-deha] became constant [in his mind].”
- Read on →: apakāra-daśāyām apy upakurvanti sādhavaḥ
apakāra-daśāyām apy upakurvanti sādhavaḥ |
chindantam api vṛkṣaḥ sva-chāyayā kiṁ na rakṣati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1876)“Even in a condition of [receiving] harm, sādhus help [those who harm them]. Does a tree even while being chopped down not offer protection [to those who are cutting it] with its own shade?”