yayā hṛt-kṣobha-rāhityān mahākautukato’pi te |
vṛttaṁ bhāva-viśeṣena tat-tal-loke’cyutekṣaṇaṁ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.251)
“Because of which [i.e., because of being unknowing], your sight of Acyuta occurred on those various lokas [i.e., in Svarga, Mahar, and so on] by means of your special bhāva [in relation to Bhagavān] on account of your absence of agitation of mind and your great curiosity.”
āmnāya-prathitānvayā smṛtimatī bāḍhaṁ ṣaḍ-aṅgojjvalā
nyāyenānugatā purāṇa-suhṛdā mīmāṁsayā maṇḍitā |
tvāṁ labdhāvasarā cirād guru-kule prekṣya sva-saṅgārthinaṁ
vidyā nāma vadhūś caturdaśa-guṇā govinda śuśrūṣate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.77; cited in Sāhitya-kaumudī: 6.3)
“[Siddhas and Cāraṇas praise Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] O Govinda,
The young bride named Knowledge,
Whose lineage is extended by the [four] Vedas,
Who is possessed of the Smṛtis,
Who is exceedingly bright with the six [Veda-] aṅgas,
Who is followed by Nyāya,
Who is decorated by Mīmāṁsā
The friends of which are the Purāṇas,
Who is [thus] possessed of fourteen attributes,
And who upon seeing you seeking her own company
At the house of a guru
Has found an opportunity after a long time,
Desires to serve [you].”
A second translation as per the second intended meaning of the verse:
“[Siddhas and Cāraṇas praise Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] O Govinda,
The young bride named Knowledge,
Whose family is renowned for [its] nobility,
Who is endowed with good memory,
Whose six parts are exceedingly bright,
Who is observant of good conduct,
Who is decorated with discernment
The supporters of which are elders,
Who is present in the home of [her] parents,
Who upon seeing you seeking her own company
Has found an opportunity after a long time,
And is [thus] possessed of fourteen qualities,
Desires to serve [you].”
na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ |
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṁ yo’nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.47; Manu-smṛti: 2.154)
“[The youthful Sārasvata Muni says to an assembly of elder ṛṣis who had requested him to teach them the Vedas after they had neglected to study them for many years during a prolonged famine and thus forgotten how to recite the Vedas in full and proper completion:] Neither by years, nor by grey hairs, nor by wealth, nor by relations have ṛṣis performed dharma. One who is devoted to learning [i.e., one who is well-versed in the śāstra so as to be able to read, repeat, and teach it to others] is the great one amongst us [i.e., a ṛṣi’s performance of dharma is constituted principally of learning, understanding, and teaching the śāstra].”
yo hy adharmeṇa vibrūyād gṛhṇīyād vāpy adharmataḥ |
hīyetāṁ tāv ubhau kṣipraṁ syātāṁ vā vairiṇāv ubhau ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.46)
“One who shall teach undharmicly [i.e., without accepting the student as a disciple] and one who shall acquire [knowledge] undharmicly [i.e., without acceptance of discipleship to the teacher]—both shall quickly abandon one another or become enemies of one another.”
vācyaṁ śraddhā-sametasya pṛcchateś ca viśeṣataḥ |
proktaṁ śraddhā-vihīnasya araṇya-ruditopamam ||
(Pañcatantra: 1.424)
“Advice should be given to one who has trust [in you] and who has asked in particular [for it]. Speaking to someone who has no trust is like crying in the forest [i.e., it is futile].”
upadeśo na dātavyo yādṛśe tādṛśe nare |
(Pañcatantra: 1.421)
“Advice should not be given to any sort of person [i.e., it should not be given to anyone indiscriminately without consideration regarding what is suitable for that person in particular].”
svabhāvo nopadeśena śakyate kartum anyathā |
sutaptam api pānīyaṁ punar gacchati śītalam ||
yadi syac chītalo vahniḥ śītāṁśur dahanātmakaḥ |
na svabhāvo’tra martyānāṁ śakyate kartum anyathā ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-bheda, 280–281)
“The svabhāva cannot be changed by instructions. Although [it may be made] very hot [for a certain period of time], water again [inevitably] goes cold. [Even] If fire were to become cold, and the moon [lit. ‘that which has cool rays’] were to become fiery, [still] the svabhāvas of mortal beings in this world could not be changed.”
anuṣṭhānaṁ hy upadeśāpekṣaṁ, prema tu tat-prasādāpekṣam iti |
(Tattva Sandarbha: 46)
“Practice [i.e., sādhana-bhakti] is dependent on instruction, but prema [i.e., prema-bhakti] is dependent on his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] grace.”
yadā kiñcij-jño’haṁ dvipa iva madāndhas samabhavaṁ
tadā sarvajño’smīty abhavad avaliptaṁ mama manaḥ |
yadā kiñcit kiñcid budhajana-sakāśād avagataṁ
tadā mūrkho’smīti jvara iva mado me vyapagataḥ ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 8)
“When I had a little knowledge
and became blinded with pride
like an elephant [in rut],
then my mind became arrogant,
as I thought, ‘I know everything.’
When I understood a little something from wise persons,
then I thought, ‘I am a fool,’
and my pride faded away like a fever.
