Anartha-nivṛtti

hantāsmin janmani bhavān mā māṁ draṣṭum ihārhati

hantāsmin janmani bhavān mā māṁ draṣṭum ihārhati |
avipakva-kaṣāyāṇāṁ durdarśo’haṁ kuyoginām ||
sakṛd yad darśitaṁ rūpam etat kāmāya te’nagha |
mat-kāmaḥ śanakaiḥ sādhu sarvān muñcati hṛc-chayān ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.6.22–23)

“[Bhagavān as a disembodied voice to Śrī Nārada in his previous life after once giving him darśana:] Hanta! You will not be able to see me [again] in this life. I am imperceptible to immature yogīs, whose impurities are not burnt away. O sinless one! This form which was once shown [to you by me] was for the sake of your desire [i.e., to intensify your desire for me]. A sādhu with desire for me gradually gives up all that lie in the heart.”

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tathāpi saṅgaḥ parivarjanīyo

tathāpi saṅgaḥ parivarjanīyo
guṇeṣu māyā-raciteṣu tāvat |
mad-bhakti-yogena dṛḍhena yāvad
rajo nirasyeta manaḥ-kaṣāyaḥ ||
yathāmayo’sādhu cikitsito nṛṇāṁ
punaḥ punaḥ santudati prarohan |
evaṁ mano’pakva-kaṣāya-karma
kuyoginaṁ vidhyati sarva-saṅgam ||
kuyogino ye vihitāntarāyair
manuṣya-bhūtais tridaśopasṛṣṭaiḥ |
te prāktanābhyāsa-balena bhūyo
yuñjanti yogaṁ na tu karma-tantram ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.28.27–28)

“[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] Nevertheless [i.e., even though brahman is not influenced by the guṇas or the ahaṅkāra], association with the guṇas [i.e., objects of the senses] fabricated by māyā is to be avoided so long as the impurity in the mind—passion (rajas)—is not removed by means of steadfast bhakti-yoga to me. As an improperly treated disease of people again and again crops up and causes trouble, so a mind with unburnt [i.e., undestroyed] impurities and actions that retains attachment to everything thwarts an immature yogī. One who remains an immature yogī [thwarted] because of ordained obstacles existent in the form of human beings sent by the devas, again [i.e., in another birth] by the strength of previous practice engages in yoga, and not rather, in a multitude of karma.”

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satāṁ kṛpā mahat-sevā śraddhā guru-padāśrayaḥ

satāṁ kṛpā mahat-sevā śraddhā guru-padāśrayaḥ |
bhajaneṣu spṛhā bhaktir anarthāpagamas tataḥ ||
niṣṭhā rucir athāsaktī ratiḥ premātha darśanam |
harer mādhuryānubhava ity arthāḥ syuś caturdaśe ||
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.21)

“There are fourteen steps [mentioned in SB 1.2.16–21 to describe how a jīva in saṁsāra reaches the highest attainment]: (1) the grace of sādhus, (2) service to a great person, (3) śraddhā, (4) taking shelter at the feet of a guru, (5) desire for [engagement in] practices of bhakti (bhajana), (6) bhakti [i.e., engagement in sādhana-bhakti], (7) disappearance of anarthas, (8) niṣṭhā [i.e., fixity in the practice of bhakti], (9) ruci (taste), (10) āsakti (affinity), (11) rati [i.e., bhāva-bhakti], (12) prema (divine love), (13) darśana [i.e., direct perception of Bhagavān], and then (14) experience of his mādhurya (mellifluousness).”

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tāvad bhayaṁ draviṇa-deha-suhṛn-nimittaṁ

tāvad bhayaṁ draviṇa-deha-suhṛn-nimittaṁ
śokaḥ spṛhā paribhavo vipulaś ca lobhaḥ |
tāvan mamety asad-avagraha ārti-mūlaṁ
yāvan na te’ṅghrim abhayaṁ pravṛṇīta lokaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.9.6)

“So fear, grief, longing, humiliation, and immense greed on account of wealth, the body, and companions, and so the false [alt., wicked] temperament of ‘mine’—the root of distress—remain as long as a person does not embrace your fearless feet.”

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anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje

anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje |
lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.6)

“Bhakti-yoga [i.e., sādhana-bhakti] to Adhokṣaja [i.e., Bhagavān, the Transcendent] is itself the cessation of misfortune (anartha). The learned one [i.e., Vyāsadeva] then composed this Sātvata-saṁhitā [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] for the unknowing people.”

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matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā

matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām |
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām ||
na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ |
andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
te’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ ||
naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ |
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.5.30–32)

[Prahlāda Mahārāja to Hiraṇyakaśipu:] “The mind of those intent upon household life—who have entered darkness [i.e., saṁsāra] because of uncontrolled senses and are [thus] again and again chewing the chewed—cannot approach Kṛṣṇa on account of another [e.g., a guru], on its own, or on account of both [i.e., another and its own self]. They who are of depraved mind and consider the external [to be] the goal do not understand Viṣṇu, one’s own [true] goal and refuge. Like the blind being lead by the blind [who ultimately fall into a ditch], they are verily bound by the strong rope of Īśa’s cord [i.e., the statements in the Vedas that discuss kāmya-karma]. Their mind, the necessity of which is withdrawal from anartha [i.e., saṁsāra, or, obstacles to realization of Bhagavān], does not touch the feet of he of great stride [i.e., Bhagavān, he by whose touch all anarthas are ultimately dispelled] so long as it shall not adore bathing in the foot-dust of great souls who are possessionless [i.e., persons free from identification with, and possession of, the worldly, and imbued with pure bhakti to Bhagavān].”

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asaṅkalpāj jayet kāmaṁ

asaṅkalpāj jayet kāmaṁ krodhaṁ kāma-vivarjanāt |
arthānarthekṣayā lobhaṁ bhayaṁ tattvāvamarśanāt ||
ānvīkṣikyā śoka-mohau dambhaṁ mahad-upāsayā |
yogāntarāyān maunena hiṁsāṁ kāmādy-anīhayā ||
kṛpayā bhūtajaṁ duḥkhaṁ daivaṁ jahyāt samādhinā |
ātmajaṁ yoga-vīryeṇa nidrāṁ sattva-niṣevayā ||
rajas tamaś ca sattvena sattvaṁ copaśamena ca |
etat sarvaṁ gurau bhaktyā puruṣo hy añjasā jayet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata: 7.15.22–25)

“One can conquer desire [i.e., desire for the mundane] with negative resolve [e.g., resolutions such as ‘this is not for my enjoyment’ in regard to objects of desire], anger with rejection of desire [for violence], greed with vision of the anartha [i.e., the meaninglessness, vice, etc.] within desired ends (arthas), fear with consideration of truth, lamentation and delusion with rational examination [i.e., discrimination between the self and non-self], pride with service to great persons, obstacles in yoga with silence, violence with indifference to desire and so forth. One can overcome suffering caused by other beings with compassion [i.e., actions performed for their benefit], suffering caused by destiny [i.e., foreboding] with meditation [on Bhagavān], suffering caused by the self [i.e., the body] with the strength of yoga [e.g., prāṇayāma, etc.], sleep with a sattvic diet, rajas [i.e., passion] and tamas [i.e., ignorance] with sattva [i.e., goodness], and sattva with composure [i.e., indifference towards even sattvic action]. But a person can quickly conquer all of these with bhakti to guru.”

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kintu yadi latāra saṅge uṭhe ‘upaśākhā’

kintu yadi latāra saṅge uṭhe ‘upaśākhā’ |
bhukti-mukti-vāñchā, yata asaṅkhya tāra lekhā ||
‘niṣiddhācāra’, ‘kuṭīnāṭī’, ‘jīva-hiṁsana’ |

‘lābha’, ‘pūjā’, ‘pratiṣṭhādi’ yata upaśākhā-gaṇa ||
seka-jala pāñā upaśākhā bāḍi yāya |
stabdha hañā mūla-śākhā bāḍite nā pāya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.160)

“With the creeper [of bhakti] arise weeds, desires for enjoyment and mukti, which are innumerable. Forbidden behavior, deceit, harming living beings, [seeking] profit, adoration, prestige, and so on, are some of these weeds. These weeds grow by absorbing the sprinkled water [i.e., the water meant for the creeper of bhakti], and the host plant becomes stunted and unable to grow.”

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bhakty-utthās te ca mūla-śākhāta

bhakty-utthās te ca mūla-śākhāta upaśākhā iva bhaktyaiva dhanādi-lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhādyāḥ sva-vṛttibhiḥ sādhaka-cittam apy uparajya sva-vṛddhyā mūla-śākhām iva bhaktim api kuṇṭhayituṁ prabhavantīti |
(Mādhurya-kādambinī: 3.15)

“Anarthas arising from bhakti, that is, attainments of wealth [and the like], adoration, prestige, and so forth as a result of bhakti, taint the mind of a sādhaka, and with their growth they are able, like a weed on a host plant, to constrict [the growth of] the host plant of bhakti.”

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