Family

gurur na sa syāt svajano na sa syāt

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.”

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ayaṁ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghu-cetasām

ayaṁ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghu-cetasām |
udāra-caritānāṁ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābhaḥ, 71)

“‘This is mine,’ or ‘this is someone else’s,’ is the supposing of the small-minded, whereas for those of magnanimous character, the world itself is a family.”

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abhyāsād dhāryate vidyā

abhyāsād dhāryate vidyā kulaṁ śīlena dhāryate |
guṇair mitrāṇi dhāryante akṣṇā krodhaś ca dhāryate ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2390)

“Knowledge is maintained by practice. A family is maintained by good conduct. Friends are maintained by good qualities. And anger is maintained by the eyes.”

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strī-putrādi-kathāṁ jahur viṣayiṇaḥ śāstra-pravādaṁ budhā

strī-putrādi-kathāṁ jahur viṣayiṇaḥ śāstra-pravādaṁ budhā
yogīndrā vijahur marun-niyama-ja-kleśaṁ tapas tāpasāḥ |
jñānābhyāsa-vidhiṁ jahuś ca yatayaś caitanya-candre parām
āviṣkurvati bhakti-yoga-padavīṁ naivānya āsīd rasaḥ ||
(Caitanya-candrāmṛta: 113)

“The viṣayīs abandoned talk of their wives, sons, and so on; the intellectuals abandoned their debates regarding the śāstra, the masters of yoga abandoned the hardships produced by their practices of breath regulation, the ascetics abandoned their austerities, and the sannyāsīs abandoned their studies when Caitanyacandra revealed the highest path of bhakti-yoga. No other rasa remained.”

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vidvān apītthaṁ danujāḥ kuṭumbaṁ

vidvān apītthaṁ danujāḥ kuṭumbaṁ
puṣṇan sva-lokāya na kalpate vai
yaḥ svīya-pārakya-vibhinna-bhāvas
tamaḥ prapadyeta yathā vimūḍhaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.6.16)

[Prahlāda Mahārāja:] “O sons of Danu, although learned [in śāstra], one who bears the disposition of distinction between one’s own and others’, by maintaining his family in this way, is not at all able to look at himself [i.e., to deliberate upon the ātmā] and like a complete fool proceeds into darkness.”

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ayaṁ nijaḥ paro veti

ayaṁ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghu-cetasām |
udāra-caritānāṁ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābhaḥ, 71)

“‘This is mine,’ or ‘this is someone else’s,’ is the supposing of the small-minded, whereas for those of magnanimous character, the world itself is a family.”

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kalpayitvātmanā yāvad

kalpayitvātmanā yāvad ābhāsam idam īśvaraḥ |
dvaitaṁ tāvan na viramet tato hy asya viparyayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.12.10)

[Translation based on Bhāvārtha-dīpikā:] “As long as the jīva is not capable by means of the ātmā [i.e., by virtue of self-realization, ātma-sākṣātkāra] of determining this [i.e., the body, senses, and so forth] to be a guise [i.e., a mere false appearance], then duality [i.e., perception of distinctions such as, “He is a man; she is a woman,”] does not cease, and certainly thereby one’s misapprehension [i.e., one’s mentality of enjoyment] remains.”

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jñātiṁ vidyāṁ mahattvaṁ ca

jñātiṁ vidyāṁ mahattvaṁ ca rūpaṁ yauvanam eva ca |
yatnena parivarjeta pañcaite bhakti-kaṇṭakaḥ ||
(Garga-saṁhitā: 10.62.7)

“Kinsmen, learning, greatness, beauty, and youth—carefully elude these five impediments [lit., “thorns”] to bhakti.”

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tvaṁ tu sarvaṁ parityajya

tvaṁ tu sarvaṁ parityajya snehaṁ svajana-bandhuṣu |
mayy āveśya manaḥ samyak sama-dṛg vicarasva gām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.7.6; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 66)

[Kṛṣṇa:] “But you [i.e., O Uddhava] should completely forsake all affection for relatives and friends, fully absorb your mind in me, and, being of equal vision, wander the earth.”

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