mām eva sarva-bhūteṣu bahir antar apāvṛtam |
īkṣetātmani cātmānaṁ yathā kham amalāśayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.12; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 330)
“One of untainted heart should see me alone to be externally and internally present and [to be] the Self in the self and in all beings, unrestrained like the sky.”
atrāgny-ādau tad-antaryāmi-rūpasyaiva cintanaṁ kāryam, na jātu nija-prema-sevā-viśeṣāśraya-svābhīṣṭa-rūpa-viśeṣasya | sa tu sarvathā parama-sukumāratvādi-buddhi-janitayā prītyaiva sevanīyaḥ | … teṣāṁ yathā-bhakti-rītyā parameśvarasyāpi tathā-bhāvaḥ śrūyate | yathā nāradīye—bhakti-grāhyo hṛṣīkeśo na dhanair dharaṇī-surāḥ | bhaktyā saṁpūjito viṣṇuḥ pradadāti manoratham || jalenāpi jagannāthaḥ pūjitaḥ kleśahā hariḥ | paritoṣaṁ vrajaty āśu tṛṣārtaḥ sujalair yathā || iti | … paricaryā-vidhau tad-deśa-kāla-sukhadāni śataśo vihitāni | tad-viparītāni niṣiddhāni ca | … ata evoktaṁ—‘yad yad iṣṭatamaṁ loke’ … | tatra tatreṣṭa-mantra-dhyāna-sthalaṁ ca sarva-rtu-sukhamaya-manohara-rūpa-rasa-gandha-sparśa-śabda-mayatvenaiva dhyātuṁ vihitam asti | anyathā tat-tad-āgrahasya vaiyarthyaṁ syāt | tasmād agny-ādau tat-tad-antaryāmi-rūpa eva bhāvya iti sthitam |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 295)
“Now [in regard to worship of Bhagavān], in [locations such as] fire and so forth, thought only of his form as the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) is to be performed, and never of one’s own specific cherished form [of Bhagavān, i.e., one’s Iṣṭa-devatā], who is the recipient of one’s own specific loving service (prema-sevā). He [i.e., one’s Iṣṭa-devatā], rather, is always to be served with love (prīti) manifest from the sense of [his] being supremely tender and so forth. … Even the Supreme Lord’s being just as is the manner of their [i.e., bhaktas’] bhakti [i.e., even Bhagavān’s appearing to his bhaktas in a form and manner perfectly suited to reciprocate exactly the bhāva and service his bhaktas offer him] is heard of, as in Nāradīya Purāṇa [2.3.3–4]: ‘O suras of the earth [i.e., O brāhmaṇas]! Hṛṣīkeśa is attainable by bhakti, and not by wealth. Viṣṇu, [upon being] fully worshiped with bhakti, grants one’s desire. Hari, the Lord of the universe and destroyer of distress, [upon being] worshiped even with water, quickly becomes fully satisfied just as a person afflicted with thirst does by [receiving] pure water.’ … In rendering attendance [to Śrī Bhagavān], hundreds of pleasing arrangements in accord with the time and place are enjoined, and their opposites are forbidden [i.e., all offerings of service to Śrī Bhagavān should be in accord with the time and place so as to be pleasing to him, and offerings that are contrary to what is pleasing in a given time and place are forbidden]. … Therefore, it is said [by Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa in SB 11.11.41], ‘Whatever is most desired in the world and whatever is most dear to oneself—offer that to me. This leads to the infinite.’ … In each case, it is enjoined to meditate on the place of meditation related to the mantra of one’s cherished object [i.e., as one meditates on one’s Iṣṭa-devatā and one’s mantra related to him, the environment in which one’s Iṣṭa-devatā is situated is to be meditated on] as being filled with forms, tastes, fragrances, textures, and sounds that are charming and pleasing in all seasons. Otherwise, futility of the insistence on such particulars [i.e., of the śāstra’s injunctions to meditate on one’s Iṣṭa-devatā situated in his abode being served in a pleasing manner] would occur. Therefore, it is established that in fire and elsewhere only the appropriate form of the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) is to be meditated [and not the form of one’s Iṣṭa-devatā].”
evaṁ tad-āśraya-rūpasya vilakṣaṇa-prakāśa-sthānatvād eva śrī-viṣṇor vyāpakatve’pi śālagrāmādiṣu nirdhāraṇam | tac ca puruṣavan nāntaryāmi-dṛṣṭy-apekṣam, kintu svabhāva-nirdeśa-param eva, tan-nivāsa-kṣetrādīnāṁ mahātīrthatvāpādanādinā kīkaṭādīnām api kṛtārthatva-kathanāt | … pādme—‘śālagrāma-samīpe tu krośa-mātraṁ samantataḥ | kīkaṭe’pi mṛto yāti vaikuṇṭha-bhuvanaṁ naraḥ ||’ iti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 294)
“Although Śrī Bhagavān is all-pervading, there is determination [of his presence in particular] in Śālagrāmas and so forth because of [Śālagrāmas and so forth] being places of the special manifestation of his form as their [viz., prema-bhaktas’] shelter. This [conclusion], furthermore, is not based on vision of the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) as in a human being [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān’s presence in Śālagrāma and so on is not understood to be because of his being the omnipresent Inner Regulator of every living being], but rather is based solely on ascertainment of his nature [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān is understood to be naturally manifest in special objects of worship like Śālagrāmas in a special way, that is, under the pull of his bhaktas’ bhakti], as per the narrations of the successfulness even of the Kīkaṭas and others [i.e., other non-Aryans] as a result of the transformation into grand tīrthas of regions and other places of their [i.e., a Śālagrāma and so forth’s] residence. … In Padma Purāṇa [it is said in this regard], ‘A human being who dies even in [the region of] Kīkaṭa in the vicinity of a Śālagrāma—anywhere within a krośa [i.e., roughly two miles]—goes to the world of Vaikuṇṭha.’”
adhiṣṭhāna-vicāre śrīmad-arcāto’pi yaḥ pūruṣa-mātrātiśayas tatrāpi jñāninaḥ, sa ca kaivalya-kāmo bhakty-āśrayaḥ | … ca bhaktasyaiva tato’py utkarṣaḥ, kim uta tad-upāsyāyāḥ śrīmad-arcāyāḥ | …
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 286)
“In deliberation upon dwelling places (adhiṣṭhānas) [of Śrī Bhagavān], a human being is [considered] greater [i.e., a greater dwelling places (adhiṣṭhānas) of Śrī Bhagavān] than even the sacred deity. Furthermore among them [i.e., among human beings], a possessor of knowledge (jñānī) [is greater]. He [i.e., a jñānī], furthermore, is [understood to be] a seeker of liberation (kaivalya) whose shelter is in [the path of] bhakti. … Furthermore, the excellence of a bhakta is indeed even greater than him [i.e., than a jñānī], so what more of the sacred deity, his object of worship? [Although it is said in general that a human being is a greater dwelling place (adhiṣṭhāna) of Bhagavān than a deity of Bhagavān because one who doesn’t recognize Bhagavān’s presence in all living beings has no eligibility (adhikāra) to perform worship of a deity of Bhagavān, the deity is also the object of worship of a bhakta, who is a greater dwelling place (adhiṣṭhāna) of Bhagavān than a common human being and a jñānī. Thus, the deity is actually the greatest dwelling place (adhiṣṭhāna) of Bhagavān and highest object of worship for all, provided one has the necessary understanding.]”
sarvato bṛhattamatvād brahmeti yad viduḥ, tat khalu paramasya puṁso bhagavataḥ padam eva, nirvikalpatayā sākṣātkṛteḥ prāthamikatvāt, brahmaṇaś ca bhagavata eva nirvikalpa-sattā-rūpatvāt, vicitra-rūpādi-vikalpa-viśeṣa-viśiṣṭasya bhagavatas tu sākṣātkṛtes tad-anantarajatvāt, tadīya-svarūpa-bhūtaṁ tad brahma tat-sākṣātkārāspadaṁ bhavatīty arthaḥ |
(Bhagavat Sandarbha: 7)
“That which is known as Brahman because of [its] being the greatest of all is an aspect of the Supreme Person, Bhagavān, (1) because of direct perception (sākṣātkṛti) [of it] being initially occurrent [i.e., occurrent before that of Bhagavān] on account of [that perception’s] being indeterminate (nirvikalpa), (2) because of Brahman’s also being Bhagavān’s form of indeterminate being, and (3) because of direct perception (sākṣātkṛti) of Bhagavān, who is qualified by determinate specifics such as a wonderful form, being occurrent after that [i.e., after indeterminate perception of Brahman]. Brahman, being constituted of his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] nature, is thus the basis of direct perception (sākṣātkṛti) of him [i.e., Bhagavān, meaning, Brahman and Bhagavān are one and the same entity, the former being an indeterminate perception of that entity, and the latter being a determinate perception of that entity].”
na yasya cittaṁ bahir-artha-vibhramaṁ
tamo-guhāyāṁ ca viśuddham āviśat |
yad-bhakti-yogānugṛhītam añjasā
munir vicaṣṭe nanu tatra te gatim ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.24.59; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 7)
“A sage whose heart, pure by virtue of being favored by bhakti-yoga, is not agitated by external objects and does not enter the cave of darkness, rightly and certainly sees your state therein.”
tatrāprakaṭā dvividhā—mantropāsanāmayī svārasikī ca | prathamā yathā tat-tad-ekatara-sthānādi-niyata-sthitikā tat-tan-mantra-dhyāna-mayī | … nānā-sthānānusāraṇa-rūpatvād eka-sthāna-niṣṭhāyā mantropāsanāmayyā bhidyate’sau | yathāvasara-vividha-svecchāmayī svārasikī | … nānā-līlā-pravāha-rūpatayā svārasikī gaṅgeva | ekaika-līlātmatayā mantropāsanāmayī tu labdha-tat-sambhava-hrada-śreṇir iva jñeyā | kiṁ ca, mantropāsanāmayyām api vraja-rājādi-sambandhaḥ śrūyate, kim uta svārasikyām iti na kutrāpi tad-rahitatā kalpanīyā | … govindaḥ śrī-vṛndāvana-deva eva … keśavo’pi śrī-mathurā-nātha eva, tau hi vṛndāvana-mathurā-prasiddha-mahā-yoga-pīṭhayos … prāpañcika-loka-dṛṣṭyāṁ śrīmat-pratimākāreṇābhātaḥ, svajana-dṛṣṭyāṁ sākṣād-rūpeṇa ca |
(Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 153)
“Therein, the aprakaṭa [-līlā] is of two types: mantropāsanāmayī and svārasikī. The first [is aprakaṭa-līlā that] is a fixed state amid one of various places and so forth and constituted of a correlated mantra and meditation. … This [i.e., svārasikī-līlā] is distinguished from mantropāsanāmayī, which is fixed at one place, because [its, i.e., svārasikī-līlā’s] being a form of movement amidst various places. Svārasikī is constituted of [Bhagavān’s] various personal wishes [manifesting successively in the flow of time within aprakaṭa-līlā] in accord with circumstances [that arise in various places at various times]. Svārasikī is like the Gaṅgā on account of being of the nature of a [continuous] flow of various līlās. Mantropāsanāmayī, on the contrary, on account of being constituted of one singular līlā, is to be understood to be like a multitude of perceived lagoons produced from that [i.e., from the flow of svārasikī-līlā]. Furthermore, [Bhagavān’s] relation with the king of Vraja and so forth is heard of even in mantropāsanāmayī, and so all the more in svārasikī. Thus, it [i.e., Bhagavān’s līlā, of both the mantropāsanāmayī and svārasikī varieties] are never to be conceived devoid of that [i.e., devoid of him having the relationships that he does with all his various associates in the various abodes of his līlās]. … Govinda, the Lord of Śrī Vṛndāvana … and Keśava, the Lord of Śrī Mathurā—at the well-known mahāyogapīṭhas in Vṛndāvana and Mathurā [respectively] these two … shine in the form of splendid deities in the vision of worldly people and in their direct forms in the vision of their own persons [i.e., bhaktas].”
sa eva bhakti-yogākhya ātyantika udāhṛtaḥ |
yenātivrajya triguṇāṁ mad-bhāvāyopapadyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.14; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.174)
“This [i.e., nirguṇa-bhakti] alone, known as bhakti-yoga, by which one surpasses the three guṇas and becomes fit for my bhāva [i.e., fit to experience my direct presence (bhāva), or, fit to attain prema (bhāva) for me], is declared the absolute [i.e., the supreme puruṣārtha].”
atra kāmādīnām asambhave hetuḥ—sākṣād iti padam, tad-uttara-kālatvāt sāksātkārasya |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 198)
“[Commenting in regard to SB 11.2.55,] The cause of the impossibility of kāma and so forth [ever again arising in the heart] is [stated by] the word ‘directly’ (sākṣāt) [i.e., when Bhagavān is personally manifest in the heart, then no material desire, anger, or other such vice can arise there], on account of direct realization (sākṣātkāra) [i.e., direct perception of Bhagavān in the heart] being thereafter [i.e., direct perception of Bhagavān in the heart occurs only after all kāma and so forth have been purged from the heart, and once he is directly perceived there, no scope of them ever re-entering the heart remains].”
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).”
