बाध्यमानोऽपि मद्भक्तो विषयैरजितेन्द्रियः ।
प्रायः प्रगल्भया भक्त्या विषयैर्नाभिभूयते ॥
bādhyamāno’pi mad-bhakto viṣayair ajitendriyaḥ |
prāyaḥ pragalbhayā bhaktyā viṣayair nābhibhūyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.18; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.552; Bhakti Sandarbha: 115)
“Although obstructed [i.e., attracted] by objects of the senses (viṣayas), a bhakta of mine who has not [yet] conquered the senses is generally not overwhelmed by objects of the senses (viṣayas) by virtue of vigorous bhakti [i.e., by virtue of bhakti, which possesses the capability to overcome the influence of residual affinities (vāsanās) for varieties of sensory experience].”
Commentary
viṣaya-bhoge’pi tad-doṣa-nivārakatvam ekadaśa-skande tatraiva bādhyamāno’pi … | viṣayair bādhyamāna ākṛṣyamāṇo’pi | ataḥ prāyo’jitendriyaḥ | pragalbhayā samarthayā | parama-pada-pradāna-śaktāyā api bhakter viṣayābhibhavato rakṣaṇaṁ katarat prayojanam iti bhāvāh |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.552)
“Bhakti’s being a remover even of the fault of enjoyment of the objects of the senses (viṣaya) [is described] there too in the Eleventh Canto: bādhyamāno’pi …. Although obstructed, that is, attracted [by objects of the senses (viṣayas)] and thus generally of unconquered senses, [a bhakta of mine is not overwhelmed by objects of the senses] by virtue of vigorous, that is, capable, bhakti. Bhakti even has the power to bestow the supreme abode, so what need is there for [it to perform the function of] protecting one being overwhelmed by the objects of the senses? This is the purport.”
prāyo nābhibhūyate, tad-bādhāyāṁ śrī-bhagavati sva-dainya-nivedana-sparśāt | yataḥ pragalbhayā samartha-prabhāvayā bhaktyā śaraṇāgati-mātrātmikayā |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“[A bhakta of mine] Is generally not overwhelmed [by objects of the senses] even when obstructed by them, because of the touch of his expressions of humility (dainya) upon Śrī Bhagavān by virtue of vigorous, that is, capably powerful, bhakti constituted only of śaraṇāgati [i.e., when one is a śarānāgata, one will respond to obstructions from the objects of the senses with humility (dainya), and one’s expressions of such humility will touch Śrī Bhagavān’s heart, thereby converting such obstructions into further impetuses for, and expressions of, bhakti; such bhakti is thus vigorous, that is, capable of carrying one through and beyond the unfavorable influences of the objects of the senses and one’s residual affinities (vāsanās) for varieties of experiences thereof].”
āstāṁ tāvad utpanna-bhāva-bhakta-kathā, yato bhaktau prathama-vartamāno’pi bhaktaḥ kṛtārtha evety āha—bādhyamāna iti | prāyaḥ pragalbhayā prāyeṇaiva prabalībhavantyā, kiṁ punaḥ pragalbhayā | … kiṁ cātra viṣayair bādhyamāno’pi viṣayair nābhibhūyata ity ubhayatrāpi vartamāna-nirdeśāt viṣaya-bādhyatva-daśāyām api viṣayābādhyatvaṁ bhakti-sadbhāvāt, yathā vairi-kṛta-kiñcic-chastrāghātaṁ prāptasyāpi na parābhaviṣṇutā śaurya-sadbhāvād iti | yathā vā, pīta-jvaraghna-mahauṣadhasya tad-divase āyāto’pi jvaro bādhako’py abādhaka eva tasya vinaśyad-avasthatvāt dināntare ca samyaṅ naṣṭībhāvitvāc ca |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Let us leave aside mention specifically of a bhakta in whom bhāva has manifest, since a bhakta is verily successful even while present in the first [stage] of bhakti [i.e., even in the stage of sādhana before the stage of bhāva-bhakti]. Thus this verse is spoken (bādhyamāno’pi …). … “Generally vigorous bhakti” (prāyaḥ pragalbhayā) means only generally possessed of strength, so what’s more of [bhakti which is completely] vigorous [i.e., bhakti which is not only generally possessed of the strength to overcome the influence of objects of the senses but rather fully and continually possessed of the power to do so; it will undoubtedly will lead one to the highest attainment]. … Furthermore, in regard to, ‘Although obstructed by objects of the senses (viṣayas), a bhakta of mine is not overwhelmed by objects of the senses (viṣayas)’—because of the designation of the present tense in both [verbs mentioned in the verse] as well, even in the condition of being obstructed by objects of the senses, non-obstruction by objects of senses occurs by virtue of the presence of bhakti, just as even someone who has sustained some weapon wounds inflicted by enemies is not defeated by virtue of the presence [i.e., existence] of [one’s] bravery. Alternately, on the day of [taking] medicine to cure yellow fever, although the fever is present, and although one is obstructed [i.e., disturbed, by it], one is actually unobstructed [by it] because of it [now] being in the state of being subject to destruction [since one has taken the medicine to cure it], and because of its being certain to be fully destroyed on the following day [since sufficient time will have elapsed by then for the effect of the medicine to take place].”
Note: The word “generally” (prāyaḥ) is read in the commentaries on this verse to refer either to a bhakta’s “not becoming overwhelmed” (na abhibhūyate), to a bhakta’s being of unconquered senses (ajitendriya), or to bhakti’s being vigorous (pragalbhā), that is, capable of overcoming the influence of objects of the senses.