atha śrī-bhagavan-nāma-japasya smaraṇasya ca |
śravaṇasyāpi māhātmyam īṣad bhedād vilikhyate ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.472)
“Now [i.e., now that the greatness of chanting (kīrtana) of Śrī Bhagavān’s names has been described], the greatness of japa, as well as remembrance and hearing, of Śrī Bhagavān’s names is delineated because of a slight distinction [between these and chanting (kīrtana) of Śrī Bhagavān’s names].”
atha japa-bhedāḥ tal-lakṣaṇādi ca—
trividho japa-yajñaḥ syāt tasya bhedān nibodhata |
vācikaś ca upāṁśuś ca mānasaś ca tridhā mataḥ |
trayāṇāṁ japa-yajñānāṁ śreyān syād uttarottaraḥ ||
yad ucca-nīca-svaritaiḥ spaṣṭa-śabdavad-akṣaraiḥ |
mantram uccārayed vyaktaṁ japa-yajñaḥ sa vācikaḥ ||
śanair uccārayen mantram īṣad auṣṭhau pracālayet |
kiñcic chabdaṁ svayaṁ vidyād upāṁśuḥ sa japaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
dhiyā yad akṣara-śreṇyā varṇād varṇaṁ padāt padam |
śabdārtha-cintanābhyāsaḥ sa ukto mānaso japaḥ ||
(Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 17.155–158)
“Now, the divisions of japa and their characteristics [are described]—‘Japa-sacrifice (yajña) shall be [known to be] of three types. Hear of the [three] divisions of this. The three types are known as verbal (vācika), sotto voce (upāṁśu) and mental (mānasa). There shall be successive superiority amid these three [types of] japa-sacrifices [i.e., they are listed in order from lesser to greater]. That which shall pronounce the mantra distinctly with clear, audible syllables and high and low pitches is [called] verbal (vācika) japa-sacrifice. That which shall pronounce the mantra [only] softly, move the lips [only] slightly, and make known [i.e., heard] some sound [only] to oneself is known as sotto voce (upāṁśu) japa. That which is a repetition of contemplation of the meaning of the words [in the mantra] with the mind [moving] from one phoneme to another phoneme in the series of syllables [within each word] and from one word to another word [throughout the mantra] is called mental (mānasa) japa.”
gavāṁ keva kathā kṛṣṇa te te’pi bhavataḥ priyāḥ |
mṛgā vihaṅgā bhāṇḍīra-kadambādyāś ca pādapāḥ ||
latāni kuñja-puñjāni śādvalāny api jīvanam |
bhavaty evārpayāmāsuḥ kṣīṇāś ca sarito’drayaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.6.116–117)
“[Baladeva to Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā:] Why talk like this [only] of the cows, O Kṛṣṇa? The animals, birds, and trees like the bhāṇḍīras and kadambas—they all too are dear to you. The creepers, multitudes of bowers, and greenswards have all offered their lives to you alone. The rivers and hills too are emaciated [in your absence].”
yathā ca tatra tat-kālaṁ bhakter yogyaṁ na sat-phalam |
sañjātam iti tac chuddha-bhaktimadbhir vinindyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.222)
“Furthermore, since the real result befitting of bhakti is not produced at that time in that case [i.e., in an instance of desirous (sakāma) bhakti], that is condemned by those endowed with pure bhakti.”
te’pi nūnaṁ na tāṁ pūjāṁ tyajeyur yadi sarvathā |
tadā tan-niṣṭhayā citte śodhite guṇa-darśinām ||
kṛpayā kṛṣṇa-bhaktānāṁ prakṣīṇāśeṣa-dūṣaṇāḥ |
kālena kiyatā te’pi bhavanti paramottamāḥ ||
yathā sakāma-bhaktā hi bhuktvā tat-kāmitaṁ phalam |
kāle bhakti-prabhāvena yogyaṁ vindanti tat-phalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.219–221)
“If even they [who perform worship in the manner aforesaid in BB 2.4.213–15, that is, in SB 11.2.47, 3.29.21–24, and 7.9.11] shall assuredly not forsake [even] that [manner of] worship under any circumstance, then when [their] minds are purified by [their] fixity in that [i.e., in such inapt worship] and they have all their faults destroyed by the grace of bhaktas of Kṛṣṇa, who are observers of qualities [in them rather than faults], they too after some time become most excellent, just as desirous (sakāma) bhaktas enjoy that desired result [which they performed bhakti with a desire to attain, viz., insignificant enjoyment of objects of the senses and the like] and in time by the power of bhakti attain that result which is befitting [of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān and beyond even what one can desire, as alluded to in BB 2.4.216–217, viz., the result of attaining prema, entrance in Śrī Bhagavān’s abode, and the privilege of meeting, sporting, and so forth with him there in the spirit of prema].”
tāni tāni purāṇādi-vacanāny akhilāny api |
tat-tad-viṣayakāny eva manyasva na tu sarvataḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.218)
“You should also consider all those particular statements from the Purāṇas and elsewhere to be related to them in particular [i.e., to those who engage in worship of an image in the aforementioned inapt manner], and not rather, to everyone [i.e., all worshipers of an image of Bhagavān].”
yadyapy aśeṣa-sat-karma-phalato’dhikam uttamam |
teṣām api phalaty eva tat-pūjā-phalam ātmanā ||
tathāpi bhagavad-bhakti-yogyaṁ na jāyate phalam |
iti sādhu-varais tat tat tatra tatra vinindyate ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.216–217)
“A result even of that worship on their part, which is superior to the result of all [varieties] of right action [on the path of karma] and excellent, certainly ensues of its own accord. Still, the result in keeping with bhakti to Bhagavān does not manifest [i.e., they do not attain prema for Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet, thereby attain his domain (loka), and thereby attain the ultimate result in keeping with performance of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān, viz., forever meeting, sporting, and so forth with Śrī Bhagavān in his domain in the spirit of prema]. Thus, those two [i.e., (1) the worship of the manner described in BB 2.4.213–15, that is, in SB 11.2.47, 3.29.21–24, and 7.9.11, and (2) its result] here and there [i.e., in the Purānas and elsewhere] is condemned by the best of sādhus [i.e., those who are one-pointed upon Bhagavān, that is, those who aspire for the ultimate result of bhakti to him].”
ye tu tat-pratimāṁ nūtnām adhiṣṭhānāṁ harer iti |
bheda-dṛṣṭyātha śailādi-buddhyā sampūjayanti hi ||
na mānayanti tad-bhaktān sarva-bhūtāvamāninaḥ |
pūjā-garveṇa vedājñāṁ atikramanti ca prabhoḥ ||
ta eva sarva-bhaktebhyo nyūnās te manda-buddhayaḥ |
pūjā-phalaṁ na vindanti ta eva hi yathoditam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.213–215)
“Those specifically, however, (1) who worship a new image of him with thought of [the image] being stonen and so on and thus with a vision of distinction, ‘This is a dwelling place of Hari [i.e., this is not Hari himself but rather a separate object, a mere image made of stone or another material, in which we are imagining him to be is present],’ (2) [who] do not honor his bhaktas, (3) [who] are disrespectful towards all living beings, and (4) [who] transgress Prabhu’s order in the form of the Vedas out of pride in [their aforesaid] worship, are the least of all bhaktas. They are of meager intelligence since they certainly do not attain the result of worship as [it is] described [in the śāstra].”
kadāpi kṛṣṇa-pratimārcanāvatāṁ
na sambhavet kṛṣṇa-pareṣv anādaraḥ |
ghaṭeta cet karhy api tad-viṣaktito
gṛṇanti nāgas tad amī stuvanty atha ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.212)
“Disregard for those devoted to Kṛṣṇa should never be possible for those engaged in worship of a deity of Kṛṣṇa. If ever it occurs because of [a worshiper’s] being intently engaged therein, they [i.e., those devoted to Kṛṣṇa, viz., the Vaiṣṇavas] do not take offense and rather praise [such a worshiper].”
yat-pāda-paṁśur bahu-janma-kṛcchrato
dhṛtātmabhir yogibhir apy alabhyaḥ |
sa eva yad-dṛg-viṣayaḥ svayaṁ sthitaḥ
kiṁ varṇyate diṣṭam aho vrajaukasām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.12.12; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.122; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 100)
“Aho! How can the fortune be described of these residents of Vraja, the sole object of whose vision present directly [before them] is he the dust of whose feet is unattainable even by yogīs who have painstakingly controlled their minds for many births?”
