dhig janma nas trivṛd vidyāṁ dhig vrataṁ dhig bahujñatām |
dhik kulaṁ dhik kriyā-dākṣyaṁ vimukhā ye tv adhokṣaje ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.23.39)
“Fie on the threefold birth, fie on the education, fie on the vow, fie on the great learnedness, fie on the family, and fie on the rites and expertise of we who are utterly averse to Adhokṣaja!”
śrīmad-gopāla-mantro’yaṁ naiva kiñcid apekṣate |
hṛn-mātra-spṛk phalaty eva spṛṣṭo hi dahano yathā ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 17.260)
“This divine Gopāla-mantra does not depend on anything [i.e., any saṁskāra, such as the upanayana, or other means of purification, preparation, etc. (DDT: kiñcit saṁskārādikaṁ)]. Upon touching just the heart, it certainly produces results just as fire does upon being touched.”
dvijānām anupetānāṁ sva-karmādhyayanādiṣu |
yathādhikāro nāstīha syāc copanayanād anu ||
tathātrādīkṣitānāṁ tu mantra-devārcanādiṣu |
nādhikāro’sty ataḥ kuryād ātmānaṁ śiva-saṁstutam ||
(Āgama-śāstra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 2.3–4)
“As the twice-born [i.e., those of the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and vaiśya varṇas] who have not been invested with the sacred thread do not have eligibility (adhikāra) for their own rites [e.g., chanting the gāyatrī-mantra and conducting yajñas], study [of the Veda], and so forth, and can [have eligibility] in that regard [only] after the upanayana [-saṁskāra, i.e., only after investiture with the sacred thread, meaning, only after receiving the sāvitra-birth and thus actually becoming twice-born], so those without dīkṣā here [i.e., on the path of bhakti] do not have eligibility for [chanting] mantras, [performing] ritual worship of Deva [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān], and so forth. Therefore, one should make oneself truly praised by Śiva!”
yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād
yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit |
śvādo’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate
kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.33.6)
“O Bhagavān by hearing and repeating whose name, by bowing down to whom, and by even occasionally remembering whom, even a dog-eater immediately becomes eligible for savana, what more occurs by [having] the sight of you?”
yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ |
tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṝṇām ||
(Tattva-sāgara; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 2.12; Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.455; Bhakti Sandarbha: 298)
“As by means of mercury bell metal acquires goldness [i.e., as an alchemical process involving mercury is believed to turn bell metal into gold], so by means of dīkṣā the twice-bornness of human beings arises.”
śṛṇvantu vaiṣṇavāḥ śāstram idaṁ bhāgavatāmṛtam |
sugopyaṁ prāha yat premṇā jaiminir janamejayam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.12)
“May the Vaiṣṇavas hear this highly confidential śāstra, [entitled] Bhāgavatāmṛtam, which Jaimini spoke to Janamejaya out of prema.”
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!”
sarveṣu mantra-vargeṣu śreṣṭhaṁ vaiṣṇavam ucyate |
gāṇapatyeṣu śaiveṣu śākta-saureṣv abhīṣṭadam ||
vaiṣṇaveṣv api mantreṣu rāma-mantrāḥ phalādhikāḥ |
gāṇapaty-ādi-mantrebhyaḥ koṭi-koṭi-guṇādhikāḥ ||
vinaiva dīkṣāṁ viprendra puraścaryāṁ vinaiva hi |
vinaiva nyāsa-vidhinā japa-mātreṇa siddhidāḥ ||
(Agastya-saṁhitā; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.147–149; Bhakti Sandarbha: 284)
“Among all classes of mantras of Gāṇapatyas [i.e., worshippers of Gaṇeśa], Śaivas [i.e., worshippers of Śiva], Śāktas [i.e., worshippers of Śakti], and Sauras [i.e., worshippers of Sūrya], Vaiṣṇava [mantras] are said to be the best fulfillers of desires. O best of the brāhmaṇas, even among Vaiṣṇava mantras, Rāma-mantras have greater results, crores and crores of times greater, than the mantras of the Gāṇapatyas and others, and verily are bestowers of attainments (siddhis) just by means of chanting (japa) indeed without dīkṣā, indeed without puraścaryā, and indeed without the process of nyāsa.”
yadyapi śrī-bhāgavata-mate pañcarātrādivad arcana-mārgasyāvaśyakatvaṁ nāsti tad vināpi śaraṇāpatty-ādīnām ekatareṇāpi puruṣārtha-siddher abhihitatvāt, tathāpi śrī-nāradādi-vartmānusaradbhiḥ śrī-bhagavatā saha sambandha-viśeṣaṁ dīkṣā-vidhānena śrī-guru-caraṇa-sampāditaṁ cikīrṣadbhiḥ kṛtāyāṁ dīkṣāyām arcanam avaśyaṁ kriyetaiva | ‘divyaṁ jñānaṁ yato dadyāt kuryāt pāpasya saṅkṣayam | tasmād dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ || ato guruṁ praṇamyaivaṁ sarvasvaṁ vinivedya ca | gṛhṇīyād vaiṣṇavaṁ mantraṁ dīkṣā-pūrvaṁ vidhānataḥ ||’ ity āgamāt | divyaṁ jñānaṁ hy atra śrīmati mantre bhagavat-svarūpa-jñānaṁ, tena bhagavatā sambandha-viśeṣa-jñānaṁ ca | yathā pādmottara-khaṇḍādāv aṣṭākṣarādikam adhikṛtya vivṛtam asti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 283)
“Although in the view of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam there is no necessity of the path of arcana [i.e., ritual worship] based on the Pañcarātra and other such texts because of attainment of the puruṣārthas even by means of any one [limb of bhakti] among [the limbs of bhakti such as] śaraṇāgati and so forth even without that [i.e., even without performing arcana] being declared [i.e., affirmed to occur], still arcana necessarily should be performed after acceptance of dīkṣa by those following the path of Nārada and others who desire to form a specific relationship with Śrī Bhagavān that is established by the feet of the blessed guru by means of the rite of dīkṣā, as per the [following statements in the] Āgamas, ‘Because it can grant divine knowledge and completely destroy sin, it is called dīkṣā by preceptors learned in the truth. Therefore, offering obeisance in this way to the guru and offering [him] one’s all, one should accept a Vaiṣṇava mantra and the rite of dīkṣā according to rule.’ ‘Divine knowledge’ here refers to knowledge of the identity of Bhagavān in the blessed mantra, and therewith knowledge of a specific relationship with Bhagavān, as is explained in regard to the eighteen-syllable mantra in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of Padma Purāṇa and elsewhere.”
nanu bhagavan-nāmātmakā eva mantrāḥ | tatra viśeṣeṇa namaḥ-śabdādy-alaṅkṛtāḥ śrī-bhagavatā śrīmad-ṛṣibhiś cāhita-śakti-viśeṣāḥ, śrī-bhagavatā samam ātma-sambandha-viśeṣa-pratipādakāś ca | tatra kevalāni śrī-bhagavan-nāmāny api nirapekṣāṇy eva parama-puruṣārtha-phala-paryanta-dāna-samarthāni | tato mantreṣu nāmato’py adhika-sāmarthye labdhe kathaṁ dīkṣādy-apekṣā? ucyate—yadyapi svarūpato nāsti, tathāpi prāyaḥ svabhāvato dehādi-sambandhena kadartha-śīlānāṁ vikṣipta-cittānāṁ janānāṁ tat-tat-saṁkocīkaraṇāya śrīmad-ṛṣi-prabhṛtibhir atrārcana-mārge kvacit kvacit kācit kācin maryādā sthāpitāsti | tatas tad-ullaṅghane śāstraṁ prāyaścittam udbhāvayati | tata ubhayam api nāsamañjasam iti tatra tat-tad-apekṣā nāsti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 284)
“[A question is raised:] ‘Well, mantras are certainly comprised of Bhagavān’s names, with the distinction therein [i.e., between mantras and Bhagavān’s names being] that they [i.e., mantras] are ornamented with the word “obeisance” (namaḥ) and so forth, are imbued with special potency (śakti) by Śrī Bhagavān and blessed seers (ṛṣis), and are establishers of a special relationship of the self with Śrī Bhagavān. In this regard, even Śrī Bhagavān’s names alone [i.e., his names not in conjunction with the ornamental words, special potency, and so forth found in mantras] are verily independent and capable of bestowing results including [even] the supreme puruṣārtha. So, why is there a dependence upon dīkṣā and so forth in regard to mantras, which are possessed of greater capability than even the name?’ It is said [in response to this question] that although there is none [i.e., no such dependence of mantras upon dīkṣā and so forth] in relation to [the] essential nature [of mantras], still here on the path of arcana there is in certain respects some type of protocol established by the blessed seers (ṛṣis) and others for persons naturally possessed of aimless [alt., troublesome] behavior and a distracted mind on account of relation with the body and so forth for the sake of curbing these [i.e., such unfavorable physical and mental behavior]. Thus, śāstra prescribes atonement in the case of transgression of this [i.e., of the established protocol in relation to arcana]. Thus, neither is unreasonable [i.e., thus mantras being non-dependent upon dīkṣā by virtue of their essential nature is reasonable, and their requiring dīkṣā for the purpose of efficiently curbing the unfavorable physical and mental behavior of human beings is also reasonable], and in this way therein [i.e., in regard to names of Bhagavān and mantras comprised of names of Bhagavān] there is no dependence [fundamentally] of either of them [upon dīkṣā].”
