Ananyatā (Ananyatva)

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya aham evaṁvidho’rjuna

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya aham evaṁvidho’rjuna |
jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena praveṣṭuṁ ca parantapa ||
mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ |
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 11.54–55)

“But by exclusive (ananyā) bhakti, O Arjuna, O scorcher of enemies, I, in this form, am able in reality to be known, to be seen, and to be entered [i.e., fully united with]. One who is a performer of action related to me, for whom I am supreme, who is my bhakta, who is free from attachment, and who is without enmity towards all beings, attains me, O son of Pandu.”

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ājñāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān

ājñāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān |
dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajet sa ca sattamaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.11.32; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.62; Bhakti Sandarbha: 200; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.8.62)

“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava:] Fully understanding qualities and faults in this manner, one who shall completely relinquish all one’s own dharmas even though [they are] instituted by me and worship me is also the best of the sat.”

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durārdhyaṁ samārādhya viṣṇuṁ sarveśvareśvaram

durārdhyaṁ samārādhya viṣṇuṁ sarveśvareśvaram |
yo vṛṇīte mano-grāhyam asattvāt kumanīṣy asau ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.48.11)

“One who, after fully worshiping Viṣṇu, the difficult to worship Īśvara of all īśvaras, requests that which is acceptable to the mind [i.e., pleasures of the senses] is of low intelligence because of pettiness.”

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rajobhiḥ sama-saṅkhyātāḥ pārthivair iha jantavaḥ

rajobhiḥ sama-saṅkhyātāḥ pārthivair iha jantavaḥ |
teṣāṁ ye kecanehante śreyo vai manujādayaḥ ||
prāyo mumukṣavas teṣāṁ kecanaiva dvijottama |
mumukṣūṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścin mucyeta sidhyati ||
muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ |
sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahāmune ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 6.14.3–5; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.189; Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.186, 2.2.207, 2.5.178; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 106; Bhakti Sandarbha: 134, 186, 273; Prīti Sandarbha: 35, 100; Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.151)

“Living beings here [i.e., in the material world] are similar in enumeration to the particles of dust on the earth [i.e., they are innumerable]. Among them, there are certainly some human beings and so forth who strive for virtue (śreyas) [i.e., who follow dharma and take up other means to attain otherworldly happiness]. O best of the twice born, among them, some very few are even seekers of mukti, and among thousands of seekers of mukti, someone may become liberated and [someone among thousands of such liberated persons may] succeed [i.e., attain siddhi]. O great sage, even among crores of even muktas and siddhas, someone of completely peaceful mind whose complete shelter is Nārāyaṇa is extremely rare to find.”

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khaṁ vāyum agniṁ salilaṁ mahīṁ ca

khaṁ vāyum agniṁ salilaṁ mahīṁ ca
jyotīṁṣi sattvāni diśo drumādīn |
sarit-samudrāṁś ca hareḥ śarīraṁ
yat kiṁ ca bhūtaṁ praṇamed ananyaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.41)

“One of one-pointed mind [lit., ‘one who has no other’] can offer obeisance to space, the air, fire, water, earth, the luminaries, living beings, the directions, trees and so forth, the rivers and oceans, and whatever else is existent.”

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tomāra bhajana-phala—tomāte prema-dhana

tomāra bhajana-phala—tomāte prema-dhana |
viṣaya lāgi tomāya bhaje sei mūrkha-jana ||
sei śuddha-bhakta—ye tomā bhaje tomā lāgi |
āpanāra sukha-duḥkhe haya bhoga-bhogī ||
tomāra anukampā cāhe, bhaje anukṣaṇa |
acirāte mile tāre tomāra caraṇa ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.9.69, 75–76)

“[Śrī Kāśī Miśra to Śrīman Mahāprabhu:] The result of worship of you is the wealth of prema for you. A person who worships you for the sake of objects of the senses (viṣaya) is a fool. … He is a pure bhakta who worships you for your sake and is an endurer of the experience of his own happiness and suffering [i.e., he does not worship you for the sake of attaining personal happiness or removing personal suffering]. He desires [only] your grace and worships [you] at every moment. Your feet reach him before long.”

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jñātvājñātvātha ye vai māṁ yāvān yaś cāsmi yādṛśaḥ

jñātvājñātvātha ye vai māṁ yāvān yaś cāsmi yādṛśaḥ |
bhajanty ananya-bhāvena te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.11.33; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.24; Bhakti Sandarbha: 201, 312)

“Having understood, or not having understood, me as far as I am, for who I am, and of what nature I am, those who worship me with a one-pointed (ananya) bhāva are considered by me the best of bhaktas.”

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tad evaṁ bhagavad-arpita-dharmādi-sādhyatvāt tāṁ

tad evaṁ bhagavad-arpita-dharmādi-sādhyatvāt tāṁ vinānyeṣām akiñcitkaratvāt, tasyāḥ svata eva samarthatvāt, sva-leśena svābhāsādināpi paramārtha-paryanta-prāpakatvāt, sarveṣāṁ varṇānāṁ nityatvāc ca, sākṣād bhakti-rūpaṁ tat-sāmmukhyam evātrābhidheyaṁ vastv iti sthitam | iyam eva kevalatvād ananyatākhyā | … tasyāś ca mahādurbodhatvaṁ mahādurlabhatvaṁ coktam … | … tad evaṁ tasyāḥ śravaṇādi-rūpāyāḥ sākṣād-bhakteḥ sarva-vighna-nivāraṇa-pūrvaka-sākṣād-bhagavat-prema-phaladatve sthite parama-durlabhatve ca saty anya-kāmanayā ca nābhidheyatvam | … tan-mātra-kāmanāyāṁ ca bhakter evākiñcanatvam akāmatvaṁ ca saṁjñāpitam | … tatheyam evaikāntitety ucyate |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 165)

“Thus, in this way, here [i.e., in this book], intentness (sāmmukhya) upon him [i.e., Bhagavān] in the form of direct bhakti [to him] has been established as the subject, the abhidheya [i.e., the principal directive of the śāstra, the means to the highest attainment], because of (1) [its] being the goal of [performing] dharma and so forth offered to Bhagavān, (2) all else [i.e., all other processes] being useless [i.e., ineffective] without it, (3) [its] being capable [i.e., effective] of its own accord [i.e., independently of all other processes], (4) [its] being with just a trace of itself, a semblance of itself, and so forth a cause of attaining even the supreme object, and (5) [its] being compulsory for all varṇas. Because of [its] being exclusive [i.e., not involving worship of any other devatās], it is called ananyatā [i.e., unalloyedness, lit., ‘having no other’]. … Its being most difficult to understand and most difficult to attain are also stated [in SB 6.3.19, SB 3.15.24, and elsewhere]. … Thus, in this way, with this direct bhakti in the form of hearing and so forth being established as first the remover of all obstacles and [then] the bestower of the goal of prema for Bhagavān himself, and [its also being established as] extremely difficult to attain, [its] not being the abhidheya when [performed] with another desire [i.e., any desire other than desire for itself] is [established] as well. … When one has desire only for that [i.e., for bhakti itself], bhakti’s akiñcanatva [i.e., unconditionality, lit. ‘being without anything’] and akāmatva [i.e., being without desire for anything else, lit., ‘desirelessness’] is made known. … It is thus [also] called ekāntitā [lit., ‘one-pointedness’].”

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eka eva khago mānī

eka eva khago mānī cirañjīvatu cātakam |
mriyate vā pipāsārto yācate vā purandaram ||
(Pañcatantra)

“Long live the cātaka, the bird of unparalleled self-respect. When afflicted with thirst, it either dies or begs from Indra [but will never drink water from anywhere but a raincloud, that is, from anywhere beneath him on the ground].”

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santu ramyāṇi bhūrīṇi

santu ramyāṇi bhūrīṇi prārthyaṁ syād idam eva me |
iti yo nirṇayo dhīrair abhimānaḥ sa ucyate ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 14.19)

“‘Let many pleasing things be [i.e., let me disregard them], and let this alone be desirable to me [i.e., let me desire only this],’—such determination is called abhimāna by the wise.”

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