Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda

sa vai sat-karmaṇāṁ sākṣād dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ

sa vai sat-karmaṇāṁ sākṣād dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ |
ādyo’ṅga yatrāśramiṇāṁ yathāhaṁ jñānado guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.32)

“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāma:] Here he because of whom existence arises [i.e., one’s father] is the first guru, he because of whom [the existence] of a twice-born’s meritorious activities arises is [the second guru] like I [myself], and he who is a giver of knowledge to the members of the āśramas is [the third guru] directly [I myself].”

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naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa

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].”

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tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

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.”

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yadā parānanda-guro bhavat-pade

yadā parānanda-guro bhavat-pade
padaṁ mano me bhagaval labheta |
tadā nirastākhila-sādhana-śramaḥ
śrayeya saukhyaṁ bhavataḥ kṛpātaḥ ||
(Excerpted from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.33)

“O illustrious, supremely blissful guru, when my mind is able to attain a place at your feet, then all the labor of sādhana will be dispelled and I will be able to attain [complete] happiness by your grace.”

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vijita-hṛṣīka-vāyubhir adānta-manas turagaṁ

vijita-hṛṣīka-vāyubhir adānta-manas turagaṁ
ya iha yatanti yantum atilolam upāya-khidaḥ |
vyasana-śatānvitāḥ samavahāya guroś caraṇaṁ
vaṇija ivāja santy akṛta-karṇadharā jaladhau ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.33)

“O Unborn One [i.e., Bhagavān], those here [i.e., in the ocean of saṁsāra] who abandon the feet of guru and endeavor to subdue the extremely volatile stallion of the untamed mind [even] with conquered senses and vital airs become afflicted by the method [i.e., by the very method, whatever it may be, they take up to try to tame the mind] and beset with hundreds of adversities, just as merchants who have not procured a helmsman are [so afflicted] at sea.”

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santoṣo’laṁ-buddhiḥ

santoṣo’laṁ-buddhiḥ |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.16.27)

“Satisfaction is the sense of enough [i.e., of there being sufficiency].”

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dharmārtham api neheta yātrārthaṁ vādhano dhanam

dharmārtham api neheta yātrārthaṁ vādhano dhanam |
anīhānīhamānasya mahāher iva vṛttidā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.15.15)

“A person devoid of wealth should not desire [alt., endeavor for] wealth even for the sake of dharma or one’s sustenance. Desirelessness [alt., non-endeavoring] [itself] provides the livelihood of one who is desireless [alt., non-endeavoring], as it does for a large snake [i.e., python].”

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kvāhaṁ manda-matiḥ kvedaṁ manthanaṁ kṣīra-vāridheḥ

kvāhaṁ manda-matiḥ kvedaṁ manthanaṁ kṣīra-vāridheḥ |
kiṁ tatra paramāṇur vai yatra majjati mandaraḥ ||
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim |
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavam ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 5)

“Where am I of dull-wit? And where is this churning of the ocean of ksir [i.e., this endeavor to explain Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (being made in this commentary)]? What is an atomic particle there where even [Mount] Mandara submerges [i.e., how can I tiny, incapable person like myself take on such an enormous task]? I offer obeisance unto Mādhava, Supreme Bliss, by whose grace a mute speaks and a cripple crosses a mountain [i.e., by whose grace even this otherwise impossible task becomes possible].”

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