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Read on →: kṛṣṇehitānām akhilottamaṁ yas
kṛṣṇehitānām akhilottamaṁ yas
tarkaiḥ prakarṣaṁ tanute sa dhanyaḥ |
teṣāṁ darākārṇana-mātrato yaḥ
syāt prema-pūrṇas tam ahaṁ namāmi ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.139)“One who disseminates the supereminent among all of Kṛṣṇa’s activities with rationale is blessed [i.e., highly fortunate, or, highly praiseworthy]. To someone who can become filled with prema as a result just of hearing of them a little [i.e., without even requiring deliberation based on rationale], I offer obeisance [i.e., such a person is most worshipable].”
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Read on →: yadyapi śrī-bhāgavata-mate pañcarātrādivad arcana
yadyapi śrī-bhāgavata-mate pañcarātrādivad arcana-mārgasyāvaśyakatvaṁ nāsti tad vināpi śaraṇāpatty-ādīnām ekatareṇāpi puruṣārtha-siddher abhihitatvāt, tathāpi śrī-nāradādi-vartmānusaradbhiḥ śrī-bhagavatā saha sambandha-viśeṣaṁ dīkṣā-vidhānena śrī-guru-caraṇa-sampāditaṁ cikīrṣadbhiḥ kṛtāyāṁ dīkṣāyām arcanam avaśyaṁ kriyetaiva | ‘divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṅkṣayam | tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ || ato guruṁ praṇamyaivaṁ sarvasvaṁ vinivedya ca | gṛhṇīyād vaiṣṇavaṁ mantraṁ dīkṣā-pūrvaṁ vidhānataḥ ||’ ity āgamāt | divyaṁ jñānaṁ hy atra śrīmati mantre bhagavat-svarūpa-jñānaṁ, tena bhagavatā sambandha-viśeṣa-jñānaṁ ca | yathā pādmottara-khaṇḍādāv aṣṭākṣarādikam adhikṛtya vivṛtam asti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 283)“Although in the view of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam there is no necessity of the path of arcana [i.e., ritual worship] based on the Pañcarātra and other such texts because of attainment of the puruṣārthas even by means of any one [limb of bhakti] among [the limbs of bhakti such as] śaraṇāgati and so forth even without that [i.e., even without performing arcana] being declared [i.e., affirmed to occur], still arcana necessarily should be performed after acceptance of dīkṣa by those following the path of Nārada and others who desire to form a specific relationship with Śrī Bhagavān that is established by the feet of the blessed guru by means of the rite of dīkṣā, as per the [following statements in the] Āgamas, ‘Because it can grant divine knowledge and completely destroy sin, it is called dīkṣā by preceptors learned in the truth. Therefore, offering obeisance in this way to the guru and offering [him] one’s all, one should accept a Vaiṣṇava mantra and the rite of dīkṣā according to rule.’ ‘Divine knowledge’ here refers to knowledge of the identity of Bhagavān in the blessed mantra, and therewith knowledge of a specific relationship with Bhagavān, as is explained in regard to the eighteen-syllable mantra in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of Padma Purāṇa and elsewhere.”
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Read on →: nanu bhagavan-nāmātmakā eva mantrāḥ
nanu bhagavan-nāmātmakā eva mantrāḥ | tatra viśeṣeṇa namaḥ-śabdādy-alaṅkṛtāḥ śrī-bhagavatā śrīmad-ṛṣibhiś cāhita-śakti-viśeṣāḥ, śrī-bhagavatā samam ātma-sambandha-viśeṣa-pratipādakāś ca | tatra kevalāni śrī-bhagavan-nāmāny api nirapekṣāṇy eva parama-puruṣārtha-phala-paryanta-dāna-samarthāni | tato mantreṣu nāmato’py adhika-sāmarthye labdhe kathaṁ dīkṣādy-apekṣā? ucyate—yadyapi svarūpato nāsti, tathāpi prāyaḥ svabhāvato dehādi-sambandhena kadartha-śīlānāṁ vikṣipta-cittānāṁ janānāṁ tat-tat-saṁkocīkaraṇāya śrīmad-ṛṣi-prabhṛtibhir atrārcana-mārge kvacit kvacit kācit kācin maryādā sthāpitāsti | tatas tad-ullaṅghane śāstraṁ prāyaścittam udbhāvayati | tata ubhayam api nāsamañjasam iti tatra tat-tad-apekṣā nāsti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 284)“[A question is raised:] ‘Well, mantras are certainly comprised of Bhagavān’s names, with the distinction therein [i.e., between mantras and Bhagavān’s names being] that they [i.e., mantras] are ornamented with the word “obeisance” (namaḥ) and so forth, are imbued with special potency (śakti) by Śrī Bhagavān and blessed seers (ṛṣis), and are establishers of a special relationship of the self with Śrī Bhagavān. In this regard, even Śrī Bhagavān’s names alone [i.e., his names not in conjunction with the ornamental words, special potency, and so forth found in mantras] are verily independent and capable of bestowing results including [even] the supreme puruṣārtha. So, why is there a dependence upon dīkṣā and so forth in regard to mantras, which are possessed of greater capability than even the name?’ It is said [in response to this question] that although there is none [i.e., no such dependence of mantras upon dīkṣā and so forth] in relation to [the] essential nature [of mantras], still here on the path of arcana there is in certain respects some type of protocol established by the blessed seers (ṛṣis) and others for persons naturally possessed of aimless [alt., troublesome] behavior and a distracted mind on account of relation with the body and so forth for the sake of curbing these [i.e., such unfavorable physical and mental behavior]. Thus, śāstra prescribes atonement in the case of transgression of this [i.e., of the established protocol in relation to arcana]. Thus, neither is unreasonable [i.e., thus mantras being non-dependent upon dīkṣā by virtue of their essential nature is reasonable, and their requiring dīkṣā for the purpose of efficiently curbing the unfavorable physical and mental behavior of human beings is also reasonable], and in this way therein [i.e., in regard to names of Bhagavān and mantras comprised of names of Bhagavān] there is no dependence [fundamentally] of either of them [upon dīkṣā].”
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Read on →: yadyapi śaraṇāpattyaiva sarvaṁ sidhyati
yadyapi śaraṇāpattyaiva sarvaṁ sidhyati, ‘śaraṇaṁ taṁ prapannā ye dhyāna-yoga-vivarjitāḥ | te vai mṛtyum atikramya yānti tad vaiṣṇavaṁ padam ||’ iti gāruḍāt, tathāpi vaiśiṣṭya-lipsuḥ śaktaś cet tato bhagavac-chāstropadeṣṭṝṇāṁ bhagavan-mantropadeṣṭṝṇāṁ vā śrī-guru-caraṇānāṁ nityam eva viśeṣataḥ sevāṁ kuryāt | tat-prasādo hi sva-sva-nānā-pratīkāra-dustyajānartha-hānau parama-bhagavat-prasāda-siddhau ca mūlam |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 237)“Although everything is accomplished just by śaraṇāgati, as per [this statement in] Garuḍa Purāṇa, ‘Those who have forsaken meditation and yoga and taken shelter in him [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] certainly overcome death and reach that abode of Viṣṇu,’ still if one is desirous of specificity [i.e., a specific form of prema and relationship with a specific form of Śrī Bhagavān] and able [to pursue such], then one should perform service fixedly and specifically of the feet of a blessed guru who is a teacher of śāstras related to Bhagavān or a teacher of a mantra related to Bhagavān, since his grace is the root cause of the removal of defilements (anarthas) that are difficult to give up by various counter-measures of one’s own and of the attainment of the supreme grace of Bhagavān.”