भक्तिः परेशानुभवो विरक्ति-
रन्यत्र चैष त्रिक एककालः ।
प्रपद्यमानस्य यथाश्नतः स्यु-
स्तुष्टिः पुष्टिः क्षुदपायोऽनुघासम् ॥
इत्यच्युताङ्घ्रि भजतोऽनुवृत्त्या
भक्तिर्विरक्तिर्भगवत्प्रबोध: ।
भवन्ति वै भागवतस्य राजं-
स्तत: परां शान्तिमुपैति साक्षात् ॥
bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir
anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ |
prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo’nughāsam ||
ity acyutāṅghriṁ bhajato’nuvṛttyā
bhaktir viraktir bhagavat-prabodhaḥ |
bhavanti vai bhāgavatasya rājaṁs
tataḥ parāṁ śāntim upaiti sākṣāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.42–43; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 262, 340; Prīti Sandarbha: 1)
“Bhakti, experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from all else—this triad shall occur at one time for one who has taken shelter just as satisfaction, nourishment, and relief from hunger shall for one who eats with each mouthful. Thus, O King, bhakti, detachment, and understanding of Bhagavān occur for a bhāgavata [i.e., a bhakta] engaged in bhajana continuously to the feet of Acyuta, and thereafter one attains complete peace directly.”
Commentary
nanv iyam ārūḍha-yogānām api bahubhir janmabhir durlabhā gatiḥ kathaṁ nāma-kīrtana-mātreṇaikasminn eva janmani bhaved ity āśaṅkya sa-dṛṣṭāntam āha—bhaktir iti | prapadyamānasya hariṁ bhajataḥ puṁso bhaktiḥ prema-lakṣaṇā, pareśānubhavaḥ premāspada-bhagavad-rūpa-sphūrtiḥ, tayā nirvṛttasya tato’nyatra gṛhādiṣu viraktir ity eṣa trika eka-kālo bhajana-sama-kāla eva syāt, upalakṣaṇam etat | prati-siktham api yathā syus tadvat | evam ekaikasmin bhajane kiñcit premādi-trike jāyamāne’nuvṛttyā bhajataḥ parama-premādi jāyate | bahu-grāsa-bhojina iva parama-tuṣṭy-ādi | tataś ca bhagavat-prasādena kṛtārtho bhavatīty āha—ity acyutāṅghrim iti |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā; cited in Bhakti Sanarbha: 340)
“In expectation of [the question,] ‘Well, how can this destination (gati) difficult to attain even for ascended yogīs over the course of many births come about in just one birth just by chanting of the name [of Bhagavān]?‘ he [i.e., the sage Kavi] speaks with an illustration: bhaktiḥ … [i.e., he speaks SB 11.2.42]. ‘For one who has taken shelter’ (prapadyamānasya), that is, for a person engaged in bhajana to Hari, (1) bhakti the characteristic of which is prema, (2) ‘experience of the Supreme Lord’ (Pareśānubhavaḥ), that is, manifestation (sphūrti) of the form of Bhagavān, the object of prema, and then, for one satisfied by that [experience], (3) detachment (viraktiḥ) from all else (anyatra), that is, household life and so forth—this triad shall occur ‘at one time’ (eka-kālaḥ), that is, right at the same time as the bhajana, just as ‘satisfaction’ (tuṣṭi), that is, happiness, ‘nourishment’ (puṣṭi), that is, filling of the belly, and ‘relief from hunger’ (kṣuṇ-nivṛtti) shall occur with each mouthful [for one who eats]. This [i.e., the aforementioned description of the experience of someone who eats] is a metaphorical expression (upalakṣaṇa): as that [i.e., satisfaction, nourishment, and the relief of hunger] shall occur even with every mouthful [of food that is eaten], so, in this way, the triad of prema and so forth manifest to some extent with each individual act of bhajana, and paramount prema and so forth manifest for one engaged in bhajana with continuity, just as complete satisfaction and so forth do for one who eats numerous mouthfuls [of food]. Thereafter, furthermore, by the grace of Bhagavān, one becomes successful. Thus, he [i.e., the sage Kavi] speaks this [next verse] (ity Acyutāṅghrim …).”
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmīpāda cites this commentary of Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda in Bhakti Sandarbha (340) and then further comments:
tam evaṁ kramam eva saṅkṣipya sa-dṛṣṭāntam āha—bhaktiḥ … | … śāntiṁ kṛtārthatvam, sākṣād antar bahiś ca prakaṭita-parama-puruṣārthatvād avyavadhānenaivety arthaḥ | pūrva-padye bhakty-ādīnāṁ tuṣṭy-ādayaḥ krameṇaiva dṛṣṭāntā jñeyāḥ—uttaratrāpy etat-krameṇa bhakti-tuṣṭyoḥ sukhaika-rūpatvāt, puṣṭy-anubhavayor ātma-bharaṇaika-rūpatvāt, kṣud-apāya-viraktyoḥ śānty-eka-rūpatvāt | yadyapi bhuktavato’nne’pi vaitṛṣṇyaṁ jāyate, bhagavad-anubhavinas tu viṣayāntara eveti vaidharmyam, tathāpi vastv-antara-vaitṛṣṇyāṁśa eva dṛṣṭānto gamya iti |
(Excerpted from Bhakti Sandarbha: 340)
“He [i.e. the sage Kavi] in this way summarizes and describes with an illustration that order [i.e., the steps in the accomplishment of the sādhana of pure (śuddha) bhakti]: bhaktiḥ … [i.e., he speaks SB 11.2.42–43]. … ‘Peace’ (śāntim) means successfulness [i.e., the highest good (ātyantikaṁ kṣemam) as per the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā], and ‘directly’ (sākṣāt) means without any discontinuity at all because of the supreme puruṣārtha being manifested internally and externally [to the person engaged in bhajana]. Satisfaction and so forth, the illustrations, in exact order, of bhakti and so forth in the prior verse [i.e., the satisfaction (tuṣṭi), nourishment (puṣṭi), and relief from hunger (kṣud-apāyaḥ) mentioned in SB 11.2.42 to illustrate, respectively and consecutively, prema-bhakti, experience of the Supreme Lord (Pareśānubhavaḥ, and detachment from all else (virakti)] are to be understood in the latter [verse, i.e., SB 11.2.43] as well in this [same] order because of bhakti and satisfaction (tuṣṭi) [both] being only a form of happiness, because of nourishment (puṣṭi) and experience (anubhava—prabodha) [both] being only a form of filling [alt., fulfilling] the self, and because of relief from hunger (kṣud-apāyaḥ) and detachment (virakti) [both] being only a form of peace. Although indifference [alt., the absence of desire] arises in regard to food for one who has eaten, whereas it arises towards other objects for one who has experience of Bhagavān, and thus there is a dissimilarity [between the object of comparison, the experience of a bhakta, and the subject of comparison, the experience of an eater], still the illustration is to be understood specifically in regard to the aspect of indifference towards other objects [that occurs in the object of comparison].”
bhakti-mārge’sminn atisukhade sādhana-daśāyām api phala-prāptiṁ sa-dṛṣṭāntam āha—bhaktir iti | bhaktiḥ śravaṇa-kīrtanādiḥ pareśasyeṣṭa-devasya kṛṣṇasya yadā bhavet, tadaivānubhavo mādhuryāsvādo’pi tad-anurūpo bhavet, tadaivānyatra māyika-viṣaya-sukhe viraktir api tad-anurūpā bhaved evety eṣa trika eka-kālaḥ sama-kālotpanna eva prapadyamānasya kṛṣṇaṁ bhajato janasya bhavati | yathāśnato bhuñjānasya janasya tuṣṭiḥ sukhaṁ puṣṭir udara-bharaṇaṁ kṣun-nivṛttiś cānughāsaṁ pratigrāsaṁ syuḥ | upalakṣaṇam etat, pratisiktham api yathā syus tadvat | yathā bhuñjānasya kiñcin-mātryāṁ tuṣṭau satyāṁ kiñcin-mātrī puṣṭiḥ kiñcin-mātra eva kṣud-apāyas, tathaiva bhajato janasya kiñcin-mātre śravaṇa-kīrtanādi-bhajane vṛtte kiñcin-mātra eva pareśānubhavaḥ, kiñcin-mātry eva viraktiś ca bhavet | yathaiva ca bahu-bhojinaḥ sampūrṇā eva tuṣṭi-puṣṭi-kṣud-apāyās, tathaiva bahu-bhajataḥ sampūrṇā eva bhakti-parameśvarānubhava-viraktaya iti | kintu bahu-bhojināsāmarthyaṁ bhavati, bahu-bhajatas tu bhajana-sāmarthyātiśayo bhavatīti viśeṣo draṣṭavyaḥ | uktam artham eva puṣṭīkurvann āha itīti | parāṁ śāntim ātyantikaṁ kṣemam |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“He [i.e., the sage Kavi] describes with an illustration the attainment of the result even in the very delightful stage of sādhana on the path of bhakti: bhaktiḥ … [i.e., he speaks SB 11.2.42]. When bhakti, [in forms] such as hearing and chanting of the Supreme Lord, that is, one’s Iṣṭa-deva, Kṛṣṇa, shall occur, then right then experience, that is, tasting of [his] sweetness corresponding to that [i.e., to that bhakti] shall also occur, and right then detachment for all else, that is, the māyika pleasure of objects of the senses, corresponding to that [i.e., to that bhakti] shall also certainly occur. Thus, this triad occurs at one time, that is, is produced at the very same time, for one who has taken shelter, that is, for a person engaged in bhajana to Kṛṣṇa, just as ‘satisfaction’ (tuṣṭi), that is, happiness, ‘nourishment’ (puṣṭi), that is, filling of the belly, and ‘relief from hunger’ (kṣuṇ-nivṛtti) shall occur with each mouthful (anughāsaṁ), that is, with every mouthful. This [i.e., the aforementioned description of the experience of someone who eats] is a metaphorical expression (upalakṣaṇa): as that [i.e., satisfaction, nourishment, and the relief of hunger] shall occur even with every mouthful [of food, to some extent], like that [bhakti, experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from all else also occur]. As, when an eater feels just a little satisfaction, there shall be just a little nourishment and just a little relief from hunger, so, when a person engaged in bhajana performs just a little bhajana, such as hearing or chanting, there shall be just a little experience of the Supreme Lord, and just a little detachment. And just as there is complete satisfaction, nourishment, and relief from hunger for one who has eaten a lot, so there is complete bhakti, experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment for one who engages in a lot of bhajana. However, incapacity [to eat any more eventually] comes about for one who has eaten a lot, but [even] greater capacity for bhajana comes about for one who engages in a lot of bhajana—this distinction is to be observed. Supporting the stated subject [described in the previous verse, i.e., SB 11.2.42], he speaks the next verse (iti … ) [i.e., SB 11.2.43]. ‘Complete peace’ (parāṁ śāntim) refers to the highest good.”