mat-saṅga-śabdenātra mama saṅgo madīyādīnāṁ ca saṅga ity abhidhāpyate | ubhayatrāpi mat-sambandhitvād ity abhiprāyeṇa | tatra svasyāpi sattvāt sat-saṅga-prakaraṇe sva-saṅgo’py antarbhāvitaḥ | yat tu purā bhāgavata-saṅgenaiva bhagavat-kṛpā bhavatīty uktaṁ, tat tu tat-sāmmukhya-janmany eva | atra tu sa eva bhāgavata-saṅgaḥ sādhana-viśeṣatvenocyata iti na doṣaḥ | yadi vātra kutracit sāmmukhya-janma-kāraṇam api bhagavat-saṅgo bhavet, tadāpy evam ācakṣmahe—sac-chabdārtham avatāram aṅgīkṛtya yat kadācit sarvatra kṛpāṁ vitanoti bhagavān, tac ca sat-sambandhenaivety ato nābhyupagama-hānir iti ||
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 240)
“Here [i.e., in SB 11.12.7] by the [compound] word mat-saṅga [lit., ‘my association’], the association of myself [i.e., Bhagavān], and the association of those who are my own [i.e., Bhagavān’s own, meaning, his bhaktas], are [both] indicated with the intention being because of there being a relation with me [i.e., Bhagavān] in both cases [i.e., by means of both types of association]. In that regard, because of himself also being sat [i.e., because Bhagavān himself is also a sādhu], his own saṅga is also included in the subject of sat-saṅga. While it was stated previously [in Anuccheda 180] that Bhagavān’s grace occurs [towards a jīva in saṁsāra] only because of [the jīva first having] association with those devoted to Bhagavān (bhāgavatas) [i.e., his bhaktas], that was [stated] specifically in relation to the production of intentness (sāmmukhya) upon him [i.e., Bhagavān]. Here, however, that very association with those devoted to Bhagavān is [being] referred to as a type of sādhana. Thus, there is no fault [i.e., no inconsistency between these two statements, since sat-saṅga understood as association with bhaktas of Bhagavān specifically, and not association with Bhagavān himself, can be considered the sole cause of the sāmmukhya towards Bhagavān, which is only an initial, general state of intentness upon Bhagavān, whereas association with bhaktas, or association with Bhagavān, or various other practices can all be rightly recognized as forms of sādhana, that is, means to siddhi, meaning, full attainment of Bhagavān, which are all processes that begin after the attainment of the aforementioned initial sāmmukhya towards Bhagavān]. If, alternately in this regard, association with Bhagavān shall also be [seen to be] in some cases a cause of the production of intentness (sāmmukhya) [upon Bhagavān], even then we shall consider the meaning of the word sat [as follows] in this manner: when Bhagavān, after undertaking a decent (avatāra), sometimes distributes his grace everywhere, then that is also because of a relation with the sat [i.e., his bhaktas, meaning, Bhagavān primarily descends for the sake of gracing his bhaktas, as was explained earlier in Anuccheda 93 of Paramātma Sandarbha, and in the process if he happens in some cases to distribute his grace widely to everyone around his bhaktas as well and as a result persons around his bhaktas are seen to attain sāmmukhya towards him, then that extension of grace is still to be considered to have occurred because of Bhagavān’s relation with the sat, that is, his bhaktas]. Therefore, there is no loss in conceding [that sometimes Bhagavān extends his grace directly to some persons who are not seen to have previously had any association with his bhaktas, since even in those cases his bestowing his grace upon such persons is actually still because of a relation with his bhaktas, and thereby the principle that sat-saṅga is the sole cause of sāmmukhya toward Bhagavān stands].”
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