devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ
na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan |
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.5.41)
“O King, one who has forsaken one’s duties and taken shelter completely in the ultimate shelterer, Mukunda, is neither a servant of, nor a debtor to, the devas, the ṛṣis, [other] living beings, relatives, humanity, or ancestors.”
na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni na devā mṛc-chilā-mayāḥ |
te punanty uru-kālena darśanād eva sādhavaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.84.11; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.204, Bhakti Sandarbha 184)
[Kṛṣṇa:] “Are places made of water not tīrthas? [They are.] Are figures made of earth and stone are not [deities of] devas? [They are.] They [certainly] purify [a living being] over the course of a long time. Sādhus [however] purify just by sight [i.e., immediately, and should thus be considered the greatest of tīrthas and the greatest of devas].”
satāṁ kṛpā ca duravasthā-darśana-mātrodbhavā, na svopāsanādy-apekṣā, yathā śrī-nāradasya nalakūvara-maṇigrīvayoḥ | tad āha—bhajanti ye yathā devān devā api tathaiva tān | chāyeva karma-sacivāḥ sādhavo dīna-vatsalāḥ |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 183)
“The grace of sādhus arises just by [them] seeing someone in an adverse condition. It is not dependent on one’s worship or otherwise, as in the case of Śrī Nārada’s grace upon Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva. Thus it is said (in SB 11.2.6), “As one serves the devas, so too do the devās, the administers of karma, serve him, like a refection. Sādhus [however] are affectionate to the poor [i.e., sādhus bestow grace upon jīvas out of compassion rather than out of reciprocal obligation, and they may bless jīvas with something far superior to what such fortunate jīvas may presently understand or desire].”
gurur na sa syāt svajano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt |
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.5.18)
“One who cannot save you [i.e., a dependent] from impending death [i.e., saṁsāra] should not be a guru, should not be a relative, should not be a father, should not be a mother, should not be a devatā, and should not be a husband.”
dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ
na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ |
na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ
kuto nu vidyādhara-cāraṇādayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 6.3.19; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 110, 165)
“Indeed, neither the ṛṣis, nor even the devas, nor the principal siddhas understand the dharma directly enjoined by Bhagavān [alt., the dharma performed purely to attain Bhagavān], so how would asuras, human beings, vidyādharas, cāraṇas, and others [understand it]?”
kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate
durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate |
viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate
yat-kāruṇya-kaṭākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ ||
(Caitanya-candrāmṛta: 5)
“For the fortunate who have received his gracious sidelong glance, kaivalya [i.e., oneness with Brahman or Bhagavān] is seems like Naraka, the abode of the devas seems like a sky flower [i.e., phantasmagoria], the uncontrollable senses seem like defanged poisonous serpents, the world seems to be full of happiness, and Brahmā, Indra, and the other devas seem like insects. Let us glorify Śrī Gaura.”
kṛta-niścayino vandyās tuṅgimā nopabhujyate |
cātakaḥ ko varāko’yaṁ yasyendro vārivāhakaḥ ||
(Pañcatantra: 2.147)
“The resolute are worthy of respect. Such [status] is not enjoyed [just] by one who is tall [i.e., large in size]. Who is this low [i.e., short and apparently insignificant] cātaka for whom Indra is a water-porter?”
eka eva khago mānī cirañjīvatu cātakam |
mriyate vā pipāsārto yācate vā purandaram ||
(Pañcatantra)
“Long live the cātaka, the bird of unparalleled self-respect. When afflicted with thirst, it either dies or begs from Indra [but will never drink water from anywhere but a raincloud, that is, from anywhere beneath him on the ground].”
mantre tīrthe dvije deve daivajñe bheṣaje gurau |
yādṛśī bhāvanā yasya siddhir bhavati tādṛśī ||
(Skanda Purāṇga: 5.3.227.38–9; cited in Pañcatantra: 5.96)
“In regard to a mantra, tīrtha, brāhmaṇa, deva, astrologer, medicine, or guru—as is one’s attitude (bhāvanā), so is one’s attainment.”
sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo
bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām |
yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottamasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ
smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me ||
(Mādhavendra Purī; cited Padyāvalī: 79)
“Sandhyā-vandana, may there be auspiciousness for you. O Bathing, obeisance unto you. O Devas and Forefathers, I am unable to perform oblations. Please pardon me. Sitting somewhere, I will dispel all sin by continuously remembering the Crown of the Yadu dynasty, the Enemy of Kaṁsa. I consider that sufficient. What is the use of anything else to me?”
