tad dhi tat-tad-vraja-krīḍā-dhyāna-gāna-pradhānayā |
bhaktyā sampadyate preṣṭha-nāma-saṅkīrtanojjvalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.218)
“That [i.e., the prema that leads to attainment of the Beloved, one’s Iṣṭa-deva, in Goloka], bright with saṅkīrtana of the names of the Beloved, is certainly manifested through bhakti in which meditation on and singing of the [Beloved’s] various acts of play in Vraja are primary.”
vaidhī rāgānugā ceti sā dvidhā sādhanābhidhā |
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.5)
“There are two kinds of sādhana-bhakti: vaidhī and rāgānugā.”
nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema sādhya kabhu naya |
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.104)
“Eternally existent Kṛṣṇa-prema is never something to be produced [i.e., created, lit., accomplished]. It [being eternal existent] manifests into a heart purified by śravaṇa and so forth [i.e., by the practices of sādhana-bhakti].”
kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā |
nitya-siddhasya bhāvasya prākaṭyaṁ hṛdi sādhyatā ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.2)
“That [aspect of uttamā-bhakti] which is to be accomplished by action [of the senses] and by which bhāva is to be accomplished shall be known as sādhana [-bhakti]. Manifestation of eternally accomplished bhāva into the heart is [the intended sense of its] being an object to be accomplished.”
yo yo mayi pare dharmaḥ kalpyate niṣphalāya cet |
tatrāyāso nirarthaḥ syād bhayāder iva sattama ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.21; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 148, 333)
“O best of the virtuous, if any sort of dharma [i.e., any sort of practice of bhakti, such as hearing, praising, and so on] related to me, the Supreme, is performed not for the purpose of a result [i.e., not out of desire for worldly attainments, Svarga, mokṣa, and so on, but rather only for the purpose of pleasing me], then exertion regarding it [i.e., for the purpose of accomplishing it] is useless [i.e., such actions can be effortlessly made manifested by bhakti’s inherent potency, and thus exertion to accomplish it is useless], just like exertion out of fear and so forth [i.e., just like fleeing out of fear, crying out of sorrow in a forest where no one can hear, and so on, are useless].”
sādhanaughair anāsangair alabhyā sucirād api |
hariṇā cāśv adeyeti dvidhā sā syāt sudurlabhā ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.35)
“Its [i.e., bhakti’s] being very difficult to attain is twofold: (1) [even] through loads of sādhana [performed] devoid of attachment [i.e., āsakti], it is unattainable even after a very long time, and (2) [even when sādhana is performed with attachment] it is not to be given by Hari quickly.”
kleśa-ghnī śubhadā mokṣa-laghutā-kṛt sudurlabhā |
sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī ca sā ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.17)
“It [i.e., uttamā-bhakti] is (1) a destroyer of affliction and (2) a bestower of good fortune [in the stage of sādhana], (3) a belittler of liberation and (4) very difficult to attain [at the stage of bhāva], and (5) a special form of intense bliss and (6) an attractor of Śrī Kṛṣṇa [at the stage of prema].”
ativādāṁs titikṣeta nāvamanyeta kañcana |
na cemaṁ deham āśritya vairaṁ kurvīta kenacit ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.6.34)
“One should tolerate harsh speech and should not disrespect anyone [i.e., even those who disrespect oneself]. One should not take shelter of this [sāṁsārika] body and create enmity with anyone.”
śrī-rūpa-darśita-diśā likhitāṣṭa-kālyā
śrī-rādhikeśa-kṛta-keli-tatir mayeyam |
sevāsya yogya-vapuṣāniśam atra cāsyā
rāgādhva-sādhaka-janair manasā vidheyā ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 23.94)
“This profusion of play performed by Śrī Rādhikā’s Īśa throughout the eight times [of the day] has been written by me following the direction shown [to me] by Śrī Rūpa. Sevā to him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] and to her [i.e., Śrī Rādhikā] herein [i.e., within this līlā throughout the eight times of the day, or, here in Śrī Vṛndāvana] is to be performed continuously by sādhakas on the path of rāga with a befitting form within the mind.”
