tatra bhāgavatān dharmān śikṣed gurv-ātma-daivataḥ |
amāyayānuvṛttyā yais tuṣyed ātmātmado hariḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.3.22; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.98; Bhakti Sandarbha: 206)
“One for whom the guru is the Self (ātmā) and the Devatā should, through unaffected adherence, learn from him [viz., the guru] Bhāgavata-dharmas by which Hari, he who is the Self and the Bestower of himself, can be pleased.”
itthaṁ-vidhāny anekāni vasatāṁ guru-veśmani |
guror anugraheṇaiva pumān pūrṇaḥ praśāntaye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.43)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] While living in the home of our guru, we had many [experiences] of such type. Only by the grace of guru does a person become fulfilled and completely peaceful.”
nanv artha-kovidā brahman varṇāśrama-vatām iha |
ye mayā guruṇā vācā taranty añjo bhavārṇavam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.33)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] O brāhmaṇa, certainly they among those adherent to varṇa and āśrama here are sagacious who easily cross over the ocean of material existence by means of words from me—the guru.”
gurv-īśvarayor maheśvarayoś cābhedāpadeśe’pīttham eva taiḥ śuddha-bhaktair matam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.30.38)
“The non-difference between guru and Īśvara, and between the two maheśvaras [i.e., Śiva and Bhagavān], even when pointed out in this way [i.e., even when non-difference between Śiva and Bhagavān is pointed out by a description (in SB 4.30.28) of Śiva’s being Bhagavān’s dear friend], is accepted by pure bhaktas.”
śuddha-bhaktās tv eke śrī-guroḥ śrī-śivasya ca śrī-bhagavatā sahābheda-dṛṣṭiṁ tat-priyatamatvenaiva manyante |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 213)
“Many pure bhaktas, however, foster a vision of śrī guru’s and Śrī Śiva’s non-difference from Śrī Bhagavān specifically because of their being most dear to him.”
naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa
brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ |
yo’ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann
ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.6)
“[Uddhava to Kṛṣṇa:] O Lord, abounding with joy in remembering the feats [i.e., the unconditional favor] of you who with your external form as the ācārya and internal [form] situated in the citta dispel inauspiciousness and manifest your own shelter for embodied beings, the wise cannot proffer remuneration [i.e., clear their debt to you] even within the life-span of Brahmā [i.e., they can never sufficiently reciprocate with you even by serving you til the end of time].”
tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.3.21; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.32; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.97; Bhakti Sandarbha: 202, 238)
“Therefore [i.e., because there is no lasting fulfillment in saṁsāra and bhakti is the only means of crossing over saṁsāra], one who wishes to know the highest good should take shelter in a guru who is adept in śabda-brahman and Parabrahman, and is an abode of tranquility.”
ko’ti-prayāso’sura-bālakā harer
upāsane sve hṛdi chidravat sataḥ |
svasyātmanaḥ sakhyur aśeṣa-dehināṁ
sāmānyataḥ kiṁ viṣayopapādanaiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.7.38)
[Translated according to Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary:] “O boys of the asuras, what great exertion [i.e., difficulty] is there in worship of Hari, he who is present like space in one’s heart and is the inherent self and common friend of all embodied beings? [Therefore,] What [is the use] of accumulating objects of the senses?”
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].”
santoṣaḥ svatas tṛptiḥ |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā and Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.16.27)
“Satisfaction is satiety within the self.”
