devānāṁ śuddha-sattvānām ṛṣīṇāṁ cāmalātmanām |
bhaktir mukunda-caraṇe na prāyeṇopajāyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 6.14.2; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.545; Bhakti Sandarbha: 134)
“[Even] In devas of pure mind or ṛṣis of taintless mind, bhakti to Mukunda’s feet generally does not manifest.”
tad-darśanāhlāda-pariplutāntaro
hṛṣyat-tanuḥ prema-bharāśru-locanaḥ |
nanāma pādāmbujam asya viśva-sṛg
yat pāramahaṁsyena pathādhigamyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.9.17)
“Completely overwhelmed at heart
By the delight of his [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān’s] sight,
His bodily horripilating,
And his eyes filled with tears of prema,
The emanator of the universe [i.e., Brahmā]
Offered obeisance to his [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān’s] lotus feet,
Which are attained by the path of the paramahaṁsas [i.e., the path of bhakti].”
bhakti vinu kṛṣṇe kabhu nahe premodaya |
prema vinu kṛṣṇa-prāpti anya haite naya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.4.58)
“Without bhakti [i.e., sādhana-bhakti], a manifestation of prema for Kṛṣṇa never occurs, and without prema, attainment of Kṛṣṇa does not occur by means of anything else [i.e., prema is the only means of attaining Kṛṣṇa].”
sā kāmarūpā sambhoga-tṛṣṇāṁ yā nayati svatām |
yad asyāṁ kṛṣṇa-saukhyārtham eva kevalam udyamaḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.283)
“That [bhakti] which draws desire for complete enjoyment [i.e., amorous union] (sambhoga) into its own self is [known as] kāma-rūpā [-rāgātmikā-bhakti] since within it is only endeavor exclusively for the sake of Kṛṣṇa’s happiness.”
śire vajra paḍe yadi putra mari yāya |
tāhā sahi, tomāra viccheda sahana nā yāya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.7.48)
“If a thunderbolt strikes my head or my son dies, I can tolerate that. Tolerating separation from you [however] is not possible.”
mādhuryādy-āśrayatvena kṛṣṇādīṁs tanute ratiḥ |
tathānubhūyamānās te vistīrṇāṁ kurvate ratim ||
atas tasya vibhāvādi-catuṣkasya rater api |
atra sāhāyakaṁ vyaktaṁ mitho’jasram avekṣyate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.98–99)
“Rati reveals Kṛṣṇa and so forth [i.e., his companions, paraphernalia, abode, etc.] as vessels of [the qualities of] sweetness (mādhurya) and so forth. Being [then] experienced as such, they expand rati. Therefore, continuous mutual assistance of rati and the quad of the vibhāvas and so forth [i.e., the four primary ingredients of rasa other than the sthāyi-bhāva (rati), namely, the vibhāvas, anubhāvas, sāttvika-bhāvas, and sañcarī-bhāvas] is clearly seen here [i.e., in this aforementioned process of rasa manifesting].”
cira-kāla nāhi kari prema-bhakti-dāna |
bhakti vinā jagatera nāhi avasthāna ||14||
sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti |
vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhāva pāite nāhi śakti ||15||
aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagat miśrita |
aiśvarya-śikhila-preme nāhi mora prīta ||16||
aiśvarya-jñāne vidhi-bhajana kariyā |
vaikuṇṭhete yāya catur-vidha mukti pāyyā ||17||
sārṣṭi, sārūpya, āra sāmīpya, sālokya | …
āpani kariba bhakta-bhāva aṅgīkāre |
āpani ācari bhakti śikhāimu sabhāre ||20||
āpani nā kaile dharma śikhāna nā yāya |
ei ta siddhānta gītā-bhāgavate gāya |21|| …
yuga-dharma-pravartana haya aṁśa haite |
āmā vinā anye nāre vraja-prema dite ||26||
santv avatārā bahavaḥ paṅkaja-nābhasya sarvvato-bhadrāḥ |
kṛṣṇād anyaḥ ko vā latāsv api premado bhavati ||27||
tāhāte āpana bhakta-gaṇa kari saṅge |
pṛthivīte avatari karimu nānā raṅge ||28||
eta bhāvi kali-kāle prathama sandhyāya |
avatīrṇa hailā kṛṣṇa āpani nadīyāya ||29||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.3.14–18, 20–21, 26–29)
“[After his descent (avatāra) at the end of the Dvāpāra-yuga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa mused:] ‘For a long time, I have not bestowed the gift of prema-bhakti [upon the world], and without bhakti the world has no stability. The whole world engages in injunction-based (vidhi) bhakti to me. There is no power in injunction-based bhakti [however] to attain Vraja-bhāva. The whole world is mixed with awareness of [my] aiśvarya (masterdom). My satisfaction does not come about [however] through prema slackened by [awareness of my] aiśvarya. By performing injunction based worship with awareness of [my] aiśvarya, people go to Vaikuṇṭha upon attaining [one or more of] the four types of mukti: sārṣṭi [i.e., possessing opulence akin to mine], sārūpya [i.e., possessing a form akin to mine], sāmīpya [i.e., dwelling in my personal company], and sālokya [i.e., dwelling in my domain]. … [Therefore,] I will personally accept the bhāva of a bhakta, and I will teach everyone bhakti by practicing it personally. Dharma cannot be taught if one does not follow it personally. This is the conclusion sung in the Gītā and Bhāgavatam [see, e.g., BG 4.7–8, 3.24, 3.21]. … Propagation of the dharma for the age can be done by an aṁśa [i.e., a partial manifestation of myself]. No one other than I [however] can bestow Vraja-prema [since it is said], “There may be many all-auspicious avatāras of he of lotus-navel [i.e. Bhagavān], but who other than Kṛṣṇa is the bestower of prema upon even creepers?” Thus, I will personally descend to the earth with my bhaktas and engage in various merriments.’ Musing thus, Kṛṣṇa personally descended in Nadia during the first phase of the Age of Kali.”
sa vai nivṛtti-dharmeṇa vāsudevānukampayā |
bhagavad-bhakti-yogena tirodhatte śanair iha ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.7.12)
“By the favor of Vāsudeva—[that is, by] the practice of bhakti to Bhagavān accompanied by observance of desistance (nivṛtti-dharma)—that [i.e., the nature of the non-self, meaning, identification with the adjuncts of māyā, delusion, etc.] indeed gradually disappears here [i.e., in this world].”
advaitam acyutam anādim ananta‑rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa‑puruṣaṁ nava‑yauvanaṁ ca |
vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma‑bhaktau
govindam ādi‑puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.33)
“Incomparable,
Undiminishing,
Without beginning,
Infinite in form,
Original,
Prior to the Puruṣa,
Also ever-youthful,
Difficult to understand in the Vedas,
And not difficult to understand
Through bhakti from the heart—
I worship him,
Govinda,
The Original Puruṣa.”
asāre ghora-saṁsāre sāraṁ kṛṣṇa-padārcanam |
(Gautamīya Tantra; cited in Rādhā-Kṛṣṇārcana-dīpikā: 6)
“In essenceless, fearsome saṁsāra, the essence is worship of Kṛṣṇa’s feet.”
