akṣṇoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-darśanaṁ hi
tanoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-gātra-saṅgaḥ |
jihvā-phalaṁ tvādṛśa-kīrtanaṁ hi
sudurlabhā bhāgavatā hi loke ||
(Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya: 13.2; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.20.61)
“The sight of someone like you is indeed the fulfillment of the eyes, the touch of someone like you is the fulfillment of the body, and praising someone like you is indeed the fulfillment of the tongue, as in this world Bhāgavatas are very rare to find.”
ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ |
mad-bhaktānāñ ca ye bhaktās te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ
(Ādi Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.133; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.218; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.11.28)
“O Arjuna, those persons who are bhaktas of me [i.e., who are focused only on me and neglect my bhaktas]—those persons are not my bhaktas [i.e., they are not my bhaktas in the full and proper sense]. Those who are bhaktas of my bhaktas are considered my best bhaktas [i.e., I consider those who have bhakti both for me and for my bhaktas to truly be my bhaktas].“
kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma,— ataeva ‘śānta’ |
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali ‘aśānta’ ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.149)
“A devotee of Kṛṣṇa is free from desire and thus peaceful. Those who desire enjoyment, liberation, or supernatural power are not peaceful.”
yo dustyajān dāra-sutān suhṛd-rājyaṁ hṛdi-spṛśaḥ |
jahau yuvaiva mala-vad uttama-śloka-lālasaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.14.43; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.3.31; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.23.25, 3.6.137)
“Longing for he of highest praise [i.e., Bhagavān], Bharata Mahārāja even in his youth abandoned like stool his most difficult to give up and heart-touching wife, sons, friends, and kingdom ”
mahāprabhura bhakta-gaṇera vairāgya pradhāna |
yāhā dekhi prīta haya gaura bhagavān ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.6.220)
“The vairāgya of Mahāprabhu’s bhaktas is pre-eminent, and seeing it, Bhagavān Gaura is pleased.”
mitaṁ ca sāraṁ ca vaco hi vāgmitā |
(Viśva-prakāśa-koḍa; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.106)
“Speech which is concise and sound is eloquence.”
likhita granthera yadi kari anuvāda |
tabe se granthera artha pāiye āsvāda ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.17.311)
“If I recapitulate [alt., translate] what is written in a text, then I get a taste of the meaning of that text.”
tarke ihā nāhi māne yei durācāra |
kumbhīpāke pace, tāra nāhika nistāra ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.17.307)
“An ill-behaved person who because of argument does not accept this fries in Kumbhīpāka. There is no deliverance for them.”
yāha bhāgavata paḍa vaiṣṇavera sthāne |
ekānta āśraya kara caitanya-caraṇe ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.5.131)
“Go and study Śrīmad Bhāgavatam from a Vaiṣṇava and take shelter exclusively at the feet of Śrī Caitanya.”
kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-svarūpa śrī-bhāgavata |
tāte veda-śāstra haite parama-mahattva ||
ataeva bhāgavata karaha vicāra |
ihā haite pābe sūtra-śrutira artha sāra ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.25.150, 153)
“Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa and, therefore, is of greatness superior to [even] the Veda-śāstra. Therefore, engage in deliberation upon Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. From this you will find the essence of the meaning of the sūtra [i.e., Vedānta-sūtra] and the Śrutis [i.e., the Vedas].”
