अर्चायामेव हरये पूजां य: श्रद्धयेहते ।
न तद्भक्तेषु चान्येषु स भक्त: प्राकृत: स्मृत: ॥
arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ 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 a deity and not of his bhaktas or of 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 a deity (arcāyām), that is, an image [of Hari]; one does not perform [pūjā] of his [i.e., Hari’s] bhaktas, and thus not of anyone else. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now. Gradually, he will 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 a deity (arcāyām), that is, an image [of Hari]; one does not perform [pūjā] of his [i.e., Hari’s] bhaktas, and thus not of anyone else. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now. Gradually, he will 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 performing worship only of a deity of Hari and not of Hari as he is present within the hearts of Vaiṣṇavas and others], as well as because of disrespect of Vaiṣṇavas [which ensues from neglecting to honor the presence of Hari 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 [his] knowledge of the Supreme One [viz., Hari] among the devas and so forth [i.e., and other forms of knowledge that are essential features of the path of bhakti], or, solely because [his performing] worship of Hari, his own worship among the people shall come about [i.e., such a beginning bhakta will also be worshiped by people in general as result of his proper knowledge of Bhagavān and his worship of Bhagavān]—hereby one attains knowership of the impetus of his worship [of Bhagavān, i.e., when the seventh case declension used in the verse is interpreted to indicate causation then the sense becomes that a beginning bhakta performs worship not of bhaktas or others but only of a deity of Bhagavān because such a bhakta has the understanding that if he himself will perform worship of a deity of Bhagavān then he will also receive worship from people in general who will honor his worship of Bhagavān and his knowledge of Bhagavān’s being the foremost among all the devas].”
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 a deity (arcāyām), that is, an image [of Hari]; one does not perform [pūjā] of his [i.e., Hari’s] bhaktas, and thus not of anyone else because of a lack of prema for Bhagavān, a lack of knowledge of the greatness of bhaktas, and a lack of the quality of a bhakta [in oneself] in the form of respect for everyone. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that 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 the beginning bhakta mentioned in this verse] 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 beginner (kaniṣṭha) [rather than the beginner described here in this verse 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]: ‘For Hari, that is, to please Hari, [one performs (īhate) pūjā only] Of a deity (arcāyām), that is, an image; one does not perform [pūjā] even of his [i.e., Hari’s] bhaktas, and thus not of anyone else. He is beginning (prākṛtaḥ), that is, one in whom the fundamental form is beginning, meaning, one in whom bhakti is beginning just now. Gradually, he will 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 three [verses, viz., SB 11.2.45–47].”