अर्चायामेव हरये पूजां य: श्रद्धयेहते ।
न तद्भक्तेषु चान्येषु स भक्त: प्राकृत: स्मृत: ॥
arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ ya śraddhayehate |
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.47; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.26, 10.76; Bhakti Sandarbha: 190; Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.74)
“One who for Hari performs pūjā with śraddhā only of the Deity and not of his bhaktas or others is considered a beginning bhakta.”
Commentary
arcāyāṁ pratimāyāṁ pūjām īhate karoti, na tad-bhakteṣv anyeṣu ca sutarāṁ na karoti | prākṛtaḥ prakṛti-prārambhaḥ, adhunaiva prārabdha-bhaktiḥ, śanair uttamo bhaviṣyatīty arthaḥ |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“One performs (īhate) pūjā [only] of the Deity (arcāyām) [of Hari]; one does not perform [pūjā] of his [i.e., Hari’s] bhaktas, and, consequently, not of anyone else either. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, [he is] one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now but will gradually become advanced (uttama).”
arcāyāṁ pratimāyāṁ pūjām īhate karoti, na tad-bhakteṣv anyeṣu ca sutarāṁ na karoti | prākṛtaḥ prakṛti-prārambhaḥ, adhunaiva prārabdha-bhaktiḥ, śanair uttamo bhaviṣyatīty arthaḥ | arcāyām ity anena ca tasya tatrārcā-buddhy-apagama-sūcanāt pūjye viṣṇau śilā-dhīḥ ity-ādi vacana-prāmāṇyena doṣa-viśeṣāpattes tathā vaiṣṇavāsammānanāc ca kaniṣṭhatvaṁ darśitam | yad vā, arcāyām iti nimitta-saptamī | pūjārtham eva hareḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayā karoti, tathā anyeṣu ca devatāntareṣu bhaktaḥ | na ca tad-bhakteṣu vaiṣṇaveṣu bhaktaḥ, sa prākṛtaḥ kaniṣṭho bhāgavata ity arthaḥ | so’pi bhagavat-pūjā-pravṛttyā kālenottamo bhavatīti jñeyam | asya ca devottamādi-jñānenaiva | kiṁ vā, hareḥ pūjanenaiva lokeṣu nija-pūjā syād ity anena tat-pūjāyāṁ pravṛtter jñānitvaṁ gamayati |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.26)
“One performs (īhate) pūjā [only] of the Deity (arcāyām); one does not perform [pūjā] of his bhaktas, and, consequently, not of anyone else either. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, [he is] one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now but will gradually become advanced (uttama). Because of the occurrence of a particular fault [in him] as per the authoritativeness of the statement, ‘[One who has] The notion of a stone in relation to a Deity of Viṣṇu … [the idea of a man in relation to gurus, the notion of a caste in relation to a Vaiṣṇava, [and] the notion of water in relation to the sacred foot-wash of Viṣṇu or the Vaiṣṇavas, which is a destroyer the contamination of Kali, … is destined for Nāraka],’ [the fault in him being ascertained] based on the indication of the disappearance of his [i.e., such a bhāgavata’s] conception of the deity there [i.e., in the Vaiṣṇava and elsewhere] by means of [the mention in the verse of] arcāyām [i.e., by means of specific mention of such a bhāgavata offering worship only to a Deity of Hari and not to the the presence of Hari within the hearts of Vaiṣṇavas or within others], as well as because of disrespect of Vaiṣṇavas [which ensues from neglecting to honor the presence of Bhagavān within them], neophyteness is shown [in this verse, viz., SB 11.2.47]. Alternately, [the word] arcāyām is in the seventh case in the sense of a cause. [In this case, the meaning is as follows:] One [who] performs pūjā of Hari with śraddhā only for the sake of pūjā and is also a bhakta [i.e., worshiper] of others, that is, other devatās, yet is not a bhakta of his bhaktas, that is, of Vaiṣṇavas, is a beginning, that is, a neophyte, bhāgavata. This is the meaning. He too in time by means of engaging in pūjā of Bhagavān becomes advanced (uttama). This is to be understood. Solely because of knowledge of his [i.e., Hari’s] supremacy among the devas, or, because one‘s own worship among people [i.e., because receiving worship from people in general] shall come about only by [oneself engaging in] worship of Hari, one becomes a knower of engagement in worship of him [i.e., one learns and engages in worship of Hari].”
atha bhagavad-dharmācaraṇa-rūpeṇa kāyikena kiñcin mānasena ca liṅgena kaniṣṭhaṁ lakṣayati—arcāyām eva haraye … | arcāyāṁ pratimāyām eva, na tad-bhakteṣu, anyeṣu ca sutarāṁ na, bhagavat-premābhāvad bhakta-māhātmya-jñānābhāvāt sarvādara-lakṣaṇa-bhakta-guṇānudayāc ca | sa prākṛtaḥ prakṛtiḥ prārambho’dhunaiva prārabdha-bhaktir ity arthaḥ | iyaṁ ca śraddhā na śāstrārthāvadhāraṇa-jātā | ‘yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ | yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu … ’ ity-ādi śāstrājñānāt | tasmāl loka-paramparā-prāptaiveti pūrvavat | ataś cājāta-premā śāstrīya-śraddhā-yuktaḥ sādhakas tu mukhyo kaniṣṭho jñeyaḥ |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā; Bhakti Sandarbha: 190)
“Now he [i.e., Śrī Havi Yogendra] defines a neophyte (kaniṣṭha) [bhāgavata] with a bodily characteristic in the form of performance of Bhagavad-dharma and to some extent a mental [characteristic as well]: arcāyām eva Haraye … [i.e., he speaks SB 11.2.47]. [One performs pūjā] Only of the Deity (arcāyām), not of his bhaktas, and, consequently, not of anyone else either, because of a lack of prema for Bhagavān, a lack of knowledge of the greatness of bhaktas, and a lack [in oneself] of the quality of a bhakta in the form of respect for everyone. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, [he is] one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now. This śraddhā [i.e., the śraddhā mentioned in this verse with which this beginning bhakta performs pūjā], furthermore, is not born of ascertainment of the meaning of śāstra because of [such a beginning bhakta’s] not understanding the śāstra [wherein it is stated in SB 10.84.13], ‘One who has a notion of self in relation to a corpse made of the three elements (dhātus) [viz., mucus, bile, and air], a concept of ‘own’ in relation to a wife and so forth, a concept of worshipability in relation to earth, a sense of a tīrtha in relation to water, but never [any of these, viz., a sense of self, belonging, worshipability, or source of purification] in relation to realized persons [i.e., persons who have experience of Śrī Bhagavān] … [is indeed a donkey for cows].’ Therefore, it [i.e., the śraddhā of a beginning bhakta] is only [that] attained from folk tradition (loka-paramparā) as [described] previously, and thus, a sādhaka possessed of śāstrīya-śraddhā in whom prema has not manifested is certainly to be known as the primary neophyte (kaniṣṭha) [rather than the neophyte described here who lacks śāstrīya-śraddhā].”
arcāyāṁ pratimāyāṁ, haraye hariṁ prīṇayituṁ, na tad-bhakteṣv api anyeṣu ca sutarāṁ na, karoti | prākṛtaḥ prakṛti-prārambhaḥ, adhunaiva prārabdha-bhaktiḥ, śanair uttamo bhaviṣyatīty arthaḥ iti śrī-svāmi-caraṇāḥ | tad eva tribhir yad dharmo yādṛśa iti praśnasyottaram uktam |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Śrī Svāmīcaraṇa [i.e., Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has commented]: ‘One performs [pūjā] of the Deity (arcāyām) for Hari, that is, to please Hari, but not even of his bhaktas, and, consequently, not of anyone else either. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, [he is] one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now but will gradually become advanced (uttama).’ Verily, therefore, the answer to the question [raised in SB 11.2.44], ‘Please say of what nature and of what type [are bhāgavatas dear to Bhagavān]’ has been stated in the three [verses, viz., SB 11.2.45–47].”