अस्मिंल्लोके वर्तमानः स्वधर्मस्थोऽनघः शुचिः ।
ज्ञानं विशुद्धमाप्नोति मद्भक्तिं वा यदृच्छया ॥
asmil̐ loke vartamānaḥ svadharmastho’naghaḥ śuciḥ |
jñānaṁ viśuddham āpnoti mad-bhaktiṁ vā yadṛcchayā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.20.11)
“While existing in this world, one who is situated in one’s own dharma, sinless, and pure attains pure jñāna, or, bhakti to me independently.”
Commentary
kintv asmin loke asminn eva dehe, anagho niṣiddha-parityāgī | ataḥ śucir nivṛtta-rāgādi-malaḥ | yadṛcchayeti kevala-jñānād api bhakter durlabhatāṁ dyotayati |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“But, ‘in this world,’ that is, in this particular body, one who is ‘sinless’ (anaghaḥ), that is, a forsaker of the forbidden, and thus ‘pure’ (śuciḥ), that is, retracted from the contamination of attachment (rāga) and so forth, [attains pure jñāna, or, bhakti to me independently]. ‘Independently’ (yadṛcchayā) illuminates bhakti’s being difficult to attain even more so than pure jñāna.”
yadṛcchayeti pūrvavad bhakta-saṅga-tat-kṛpā-lakṣaṇaṁ bhāgyaṁ bodhitam |
(Excerpt from Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā; Bhakti Sandarbha: 174)
“As previously [was explained in the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on SB 11.20.8 and in Bhakti Sabdarbha (171)], by [the word] ‘independently’ (yadṛcchayā), the fortune in the form of [attaining] the association of a bhakta and his grace is indicated.”
yadṛcchayā kenāpi parama-svatantra-bhagavad-bhakta-saṅga-tat-kṛpā-jāta-maṅgalodayena |
(Excerpt from Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.30.8; Bhakti Sandarbha: 171)
“‘Independently’ (yadṛcchayā) means by the appearance, somehow or other, of the good fortune born of the association of a supremely independent bhakta of Bhagavān and his [i.e., such a bhakta’s] grace.”
tarhy ayaṁ karmī kiṁ prāpnoty ata āha—asminn eva martya-loke sthitaḥ | svadharmastha iti niṣkāma-karma-karaṇāt, anagha iti niṣpāpatvāc ca | śuciḥ śuddhāntaḥkaraṇaḥ san viśuddhaṁ jñānam āpnoti jñānān mokṣaṁ ca | yadṛcchayeti—yadi ca yādṛcchika-śuddha-bhakta-saṅga-lābhas tadā mad-bhaktiṁ ca kevalām, tayā ca premāṇaṁ prāpnoti | yadi ca karma-miśra-jñāna-miśra-bhaktimat-sādhu-saṅga-lābhas tadā tataḥ prāptayā karma-miśrayā jñāna-miśrayā ca pradhānībhūtayā bhaktyā antataḥ śānti-ratiṁ prāpnoti |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“[The question may arise:] ‘Then, what does this karmī attain?’ Thus, he [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] says one who is situated here specifically, that is, in the mortal plane, ‘situated in one’s own dharma’ (svadharmasthaḥ) because of performing desireless (niṣkāma) karma, ‘sinless’ (anaghaḥ) because of being free from sin, and ‘pure,’ that is, of pure psyche (antaḥkaraṇa), attains pure jñāna, and, because of [that pure] jñāna, [attains] mokṣa [as well]. Regarding [the word] ‘independently’ (yadṛcchayā), if attainment of the independent (yādṛcchika) association of a pure bhakta also occurs, then one attains pure (kevala) bhakti to me, and by that, prema [-bhakti as well]. And if attainment of the association of a sādhu possessed of bhakti mixed with karma or mixed jñāna occurs, then by means of that bhakti predominantly mixed with karma or mixed jñāna attained from there [i.e., from such association] one ultimately attains śānti-rati.”
nanu ca—‘asmin loke vartamānaḥ svadharmastho’naghaḥ śuciḥ | jñānaṁ viśuddham āpnoti mad-bhaktiṁ ca yadṛcchayā ||’ iti śrī-bhagavad-ukter niṣkāmaḥ karma-yoga eva bhakter hetur asti, tat kathaṁ bhaktir ahaitukīty ucyate | satyam | tatra karma-yogasya jñāna-janakatvam iva na sākṣāt bhakti-janakatvaṁ vyākhyātuṁ śakyaṁ madhye yadṛcchayeti padopādānāt | tataś ca tatra puṁsi bhakter yadṛcchā svairitā yadi syād daivād anya-nirapekṣa eva śuddha-bhakteḥ praveśaḥ syāt, tadā tām api sa prāpnotīti tatrārthaḥ | yadṛcchā svairitety abhidhānāt kaṣṭa-kalpanayā vyākhyānantare bhakteḥ sva-prakāśatvaṁ na siddhed iti tad anādṛtam ity ato niṣkāmo’pi karma-yogo na bhakter hetur iti … |
(Excerpt from Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.8)
“[A question is raised:] ‘Well, also as per the statement of Śrī Bhagavān [in SB 11.20.11], “While existing in this world, one who is situated in one’s own dharma, sinless, and pure attains pure jñāna, or, bhakti to me independently,” desireless (niṣkāma) karma-yoga alone is the cause of bhakti. So, how is bhakti said to be ‘causeless’ (ahaitukī)?’
“[In response it should be said:] True [i.e., desireless (niṣkāma) karma-yoga can be considered a cause of bhakti in one sense], [but] in that regard it is not possible to declare karma-yoga’s being the cause of bhakti on its own [i.e., desireless (niṣkāma) karma-yoga is not on its own a cause of bhakti] as in the case of [its] being a cause of jñāna [on its own] because of the mention of the word ‘independently’ (yadṛcchayā) inside [the verse, i.e., the mention of the word ‘independently’ (yadṛcchayā) precludes the conclusion that karma-yoga can be considered an outright cause of bhakti]. Furthermore in this regard, if bhakti’s independence (yadṛcchā), that is, self-will (svairitā), shall occur in relation to a person, that is, [if] pure bhakti’s entrance [into a person] shall occur entirely without dependence on anything else [i.e., any other form of sādhana, such as karma or jñāna] as a result of destiny (daiva) [i.e., as a result of the inscrutable unfolding of eternal existence], then one attains that [i.e., bhakti] too. This is the meaning in this regard. Because ‘independence’ (yadṛcchā) means ‘self-will’ (svaritā) according to the dictionary, in the case of any alternate explanation by means of [formulating some] troublesome interpretation, bhakti’s being self-manifest will not be established. Thus, that [i.e., the formation of any interpretation other than the one state above] is disregarded, and thus, even desireless (niṣkāma) karma-yoga is not [to be considered] a cause of bhakti.”