saṁskārā yatrāvicchinnāḥ sa dvijo’jo jagāda yam |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.11.13)
“He in regard to whom the saṁskāras are uninterrupted and whom the Unborn One [viz., Brahmādeva] has mentioned [i.e., designated to be such] is a twice-born (dvija).”
sukhaṁ tu jagatām eva kāmyaṁ dharmeṇa jāyate |
adharma-janyaṁ duḥkhaṁ syāt pratikūlaṁ sacetasām ||
nirduḥkhatve sukhe cecchā taj-jñānād eva jāyate |
icchā tu tad-upāye syād iṣṭopāyatva-dhīr yadi ||
(Bhāṣa-pariccheda: 145–146)
“Pleasure (sukha), that which is the entire world’s object of desire, arises by means of merit (dharma). Pain (duḥkha), which is produced by demerit (adharma), shall be [defined as] that which is unpleasant (pratikūla) for all conscious beings. Desire for painlessness and pleasure arises specifically from knowledge of these, whereas desire shall come about for a means to these [i.e., to painlessness and pleasure] if there is awareness of [something’s] instrumentality to that which is desired [viz., painlessness and pleasure].”
nāham ijyā-prajātibhyāṁ tapasopaśamena vā |
tuṣyeyaṁ sarva-bhūtātmā guru-śuśrūṣayā yathā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.34)
“I [Bhagavān], the Self of all beings, shall not be satisfied by sacrifice, higher birth [alt., procreation], austerity, or equilibrium as [I am] by service to the guru.”
jayati jayati kṛṣṇa-prema-bhaktir yad-aṅghriṁ
nikhila-nigama-tattvaṁ gūḍham ājñāya muktiḥ |
bhajati śaraṇa-kāmā vaiṣṇavais tyajyamānā
japa-yajana-tapasya-nyāsa-niṣṭhāṁ vihāya ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.8)
“Kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti—
Whose foot
Mukti,
Being shunned by the Vaiṣṇavas
And [thus] desirous of shelter,
Worships
Having determined [it] to be the esoteric essence
Of all the Vedas
And utterly rejected perfection in japa, yajña, tapasya, and sannyāsa—
Triumphs!
Triumphs!”
jñānaṁ tad etad amalaṁ duravāpam āha
nārāyaṇo nara-sakhaḥ kila nāradāya |
ekāntināṁ bhagavatas tad akiñcanānāṁ
pādāravinda-rajasāpluta-dehināṁ syāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.6.27)
“Thus, Nārāyaṇa, the Friend of Nara, formerly explained this taintless, difficult to grasp knowledge to Nārada. It can [also] be had by the bearers of bodies that have been bathed in the dust of the lotus feet of the disinterested (akiñcanas) who are one-pointed upon Bhagavān.”
ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyā cintitā hariḥ |
govinda dvārakā-vāsin kṛṣṇa gopī-jana-priya ||
kauravaiḥ paribhūtāṁ māṁ kiṁ na jānāsi keśava |
he nātha he ramānātha vrajanāthārti-nāśana |
kauravārṇava-magnāṁ mām uddharasva janārdana ||
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahāyogin viśvātman viśva-bhāvana |
prapannāṁ pāhi govinda kuru-madhye’vasīdatīm ||
ity anusmṛtya kṛṣṇaṁ sā hariṁ tribhuvaneśvaram |
prārudad duḥkhitā rājan mukham ācchādya bhāminī ||
yājñasenyā vacaḥ śrutvā kṛṣṇo gahvarito’bhavat |
tyaktvā śayyāsanaṁ padbhyāṁ kṛpāluḥ kṛpayābhyagāt ||
kṛṣṇaṁ ca viṣṇuṁ ca hariṁ naraṁ ca
trāṇāya vikrośati yājñasenī |
tatas tu dharmo’ntarito mahātmā
samāvṛṇod vai vividhaiḥ suvastraiḥ ||
ākṛṣyamāṇe vasane draupadyās tu viśāṁpate |
tad-rūpaṁ aparaṁ vastraṁ prādurāsīd anekaśāḥ ||
nānā-rāga-virāgāṇi vasanān yatha vai prabho |
prādurbhavanti śataśo dharmasya paripālanāt ||
tato halahalā-śabdas tatrāsīd ghora-nihsvanaḥ |
tad-adbhutatamaṁ loke vīkṣya sarve mahībhṛtaḥ |
śaśaṁsur draupadīṁ tatra kutsanto dhṛtarāṣṭrajam ||
(Mahābhārata: 2.68.41–49)
“Hari was thought of by Draupadī as her cloth was being pulled [off of her body by Duḥśāsana on the order of Duryodhana], ‘O Govinda! O Resident of Dvārakā! O Kṛṣṇa! O Beloved of the gopīs! Do you not know I am being humiliated by the Kauravas. O Keśava! O Lord! O Lord of Lakṣmī! O Lord of Vraja! O Destroyer of distress! Save I who am drowning in the ocean of the Kauravas! O Janārdana! O Kṛṣṇa! O Kṛṣṇa! O Supreme Yogī! O Soul of the world! O Origin of the world! Please protect I who have taken shelter [in you] and am coming undone in the midst of the Kurus, O Govinda!’ In this way constantly remembering Kṛṣṇa, Hari, the Lord of the three worlds, this beautiful woman, distressed, cried aloud, covering her face, O king. Hearing the words of Yājñasenī [i.e., Draupadī], Kṛṣṇa became absorbed. Leaving his couch and seat, the Compassion One compassionately came [there] on foot. Yājñasenī cried out to Kṛṣṇa, to Viṣṇu, to Hari, to Nara, for deliverance. Then, concealed [from view], Dharma, the Supreme Self, indeed completely covered [her] with various excellent clothes. As Draupadī’s cloth was being pulled, O king, another similar cloth appeared many times. As clothes of various colors and tones appeared by the hundreds on account of [Draupadī’s] apt observance of dharma, so the sound of applause—an awe-inspiring reverberation—[also] arose there. Seeing this paramount wonder in the world [i.e., seeing that Draupadī was miraculously protected from being disrobed], all the kings there praised Draupadī and reproached the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra [i.e., Duryodhana].”
yaśaḥ-śriyām eva pariśramaḥ paro
varṇāśramācāra-tapaḥ-śrutādiṣu |
avismṛtiḥ śrīdhara-pāda-padmayor
guṇānuvāda-śravaṇādarādibhiḥ ||
avismṛtiḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ
kṣiṇoty abhadrāṇi ca śaṁ tanoti |
sattvasya śuddhiṁ paramātma-bhaktiṁ
jñānaṁ ca vijñāna-virāga-yuktam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.12.54–55)
“Great endeavor in regard to the conduct of the varṇas and āśramas, austerity, learning, and so on is only for [worldly] wealth and fame. By hearing, honoring, and so forth narrations of [his] qualities, [however,] non-forgetfulness of Śrīdhara’s lotus feet comes about. Non-forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet dispels inauspiciousness and produces equanimity, purity of mind, bhakti to the Supreme Self, and knowledge accompanied by realization and non-attachment.”
nivṛttiḥ paramo dharmo nivṛttiḥ paramaṁ sukham |
manasā vinivṛttānāṁ dharmasya nicayo mahān ||
manaḥ-pūrvāgamā dharmā adharmāś ca na saṁśayaḥ |
manasā badhyate cāpi mucyate cāpi mānavaḥ ||
nigṛhīte bhavet svargo visṛṣṭe narako dhruvaḥ |
(Mahābhārata: 13.213.41–43)
“Desistance (nivṛtti) is the ultimate dharma. Desistance is the ultimate happiness. Those have amply desisted by mind have a vast accumulation of dharma. Dharma and adharma are of prior appearance in the mind [i.e., dharma and adharma first arise in the mind and then manifest in the form of action]. There is no doubt [of this]. A human being is bound and also liberated by means of the mind. When [the mind is] controlled, Svarga shall manifest, and when released [i.e., left uncontrolled], Naraka is certain.”
gṛhaṁ vanaṁ vopaviśet pravrajed vā dvijottamaḥ |
āśramād āśramaṁ gacchen nānyathāmat-paraś caret ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.38)
“One [i.e., a brahmacārī who has graduated from guru-kula] should enter household life or the forest. Alternately, one who is foremost among the twice born should roam. One should go from āśrama to āśrama. One who is not devoted to me should not proceed otherwise.”
tulā-puruṣa-dānādyair aśvamedhādibhir makhaiḥ |
vārāṇasī-prayāgādi-tīrtha-snānādibhiḥ priye ||
gayā-śrāddhādibhiḥ pitryair veda-pāṭhādibhir japaiḥ |
tapobhir ugrair niyamair yamair bhūta-dayādibhiḥ ||
guru-śuśrūṣaṇaiḥ satyair dharmair varṇāśramānvitaiḥ |
jñāna-dhyānādibhiḥ samyak-caritair janma-koṭibhiḥ ||
na yānti tat paraṁ śreyo viṣṇuṁ sarveśvareśvaram |
sarva-bhāvair anāśritya purāṇaṁ puruṣottamam ||
(Padma Purāṇa; Nārada Pañcarātra: 4.2.17–20; cited in the Dig-darśinī-ṭikā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.118)
“[Mahādeva to Parvatī:] O dear one, by means of crores of births of righteous conduct—[the giving of] charities such as that equal to the person [i.e., the charity of giving away an amount of gold equal to the weight of one’s body], [conducting] sacrifices like the horse-sacrifice, bathing and so on at tīrthas like Vārāṇasī and Prayāga, [performances of] rites for the forefathers like [an offering of] last rights at Gayā, recitation and so forth of Vedas, japas [i.e., performing japa of various mantras], severe austerities, regulations, restrictions, [showing] compassion and the like towards other living beings, [performing] services to the guru, [observing] noble duties based on one’s varṇa and āśrama, [acquiring] knowledge, [performing] meditation, and so on—one does not attain the supreme weal, Viṣṇu, the Īśvara of all īśvaras, without taking shelter in [him] the primeval Supreme Person with all of one’s manners of being [i.e., with the totality of one’s self].”
