agre pṛṣṭhe vāma-bhāge samīpe garbha-mandire |
japa-homa-namaskārān na kuryāt keśavālaye ||
(Unknown source; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 8.391)
“In a temple of Keśava, one should not perform japa, homa, or namaskāra [i.e., obeisance] in front, behind, on the left side, very near, or in the sanctum sanctorum [of the deity].”
atha praṇāma-vidhiḥ
tatraiva—
śiro mat-pādayoḥ kṛtvā bāhubhyāṁ ca parasparam |
prapannaṁ pāhi mām īśa bhītaṁ mṛtyu-grahārṇavāt ||
kiṁ cāgame—
dorbhyāṁ padbhyāṁ ca jānubhyām urasā śirasā dṛśā |
manasā vacasā ceti praṇāmo’ṣṭāṅga īritaḥ ||
jānubhyāṁ caiva bāhubhyāṁ śirasā vacasā dhiyā |
pañcāṅgakaḥ praṇāmaḥ syāt pūjāsu pravarāv imau ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 8.359–361)
“Now, the procedure for prostration [is explained]: Therein specifically [i.e., in SB 11.27.46, it is explained by Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa], ‘Putting the head before my feet and the arms opposite one another, [one should address the deity], ‘O Lord, please protect me, I who have taken shelter [in you] and am afraid of the ocean inhabited by the shark of death’ [and then offer obeisance].’ Furthermore, in the Āgamas [it is said], ‘An obeisance with the arms, feet, knees, chest, head, sight, mind, and speech is known as aṣṭāṅga [i.e., an obeisance made with eight (aṣṭa) limbs (aṅga)]. An obeisance with the knees, arms, head, speech, and mind is [known as] pañcāṅga [i.e., an obeisance made with five (pañca) limbs (aṅga)]. These two [types of obeisance] are best in offerings of worship.’”
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].”
manaḥ-saṁharaṇaṁ śaucaṁ maunaṁ mantrārtha-cintanam |
avyagratvam anirvedo japa-sampatti-hetavaḥ ||
(Mantrārṇava; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 17.129)
“Retraction of the mind [from objects of the senses], purity, silence, contemplation of the mantra’s meaning, non-agitation [i.e., steadiness], and non-dejection [i.e., perseverance, sustained enthusiasm] are causes of success in japa.”
mano-madhye sthito mantro mantra-madhye sthitaṁ manaḥ |
mano-mantraṁ samāyuktam etad dhi japa-lakṣaṇam ||
(Dhyānacandra Gosvāmī’s Gaura-Govindārcana-smaraṇa-paddhatiḥ: 64)
“The mantra is fixed in the mind.
The mind is fixed in the mantra.
The mind and mantra aptly united—
This indeed is the characteristic of [successful] japa.”
śarīrākāra-bhūtānāṁ bhūtānāṁ yad viśodhanam |
avyaya-brahma-samparkād bhūta-śuddhir iyaṁ matā ||
bhūta-śuddhiṁ vinā kartur japa-homādikāḥ kriyāḥ |
bhavanti niṣphalāḥ sarvā yathā-vidhy apy anuṣṭhitāḥ ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.63–64)
“Purification of the elements which are existent in the form of the body by union with imperishable brahman—this is considered bhūta-śuddhi [lit., ‘purification of the elements’]. Without bhūta-śuddhi, an actor’s acts of japa, homa, and so forth, even all those performed according to rule, become fruitless.”
atha jape mantrārthasya nānātve’pi puruṣārthānukūla evāsau cintyaḥ | yathā śrīmad-aṣṭākṣarādāv ātma-nivedana-lakṣaṇa-caturthy-ādy-abhāvavati mantre tad-anusandhāneneti | evam anye’pi pūjā-vidhayo yathāyathaṁ yojanīyāḥ, śuddha-bhakti-siddhy-arthaṁ sarvāsāṁ bhaktīnām eva śuddhatvāśuddhatva-rūpeṇa dvividho hi bhedaḥ sammata iti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 296)
“Now, in regard to japa, although there is variety in the meaning of mantras, only that [meaning] which is favorable for [attaining] one’s object of life (puruṣārtha) is to be meditated on, as in the case of mantras such as the sacred eight-syllable one which do not have the fourth case indicative of offering of the self or otherwise; [one is to meditate on such mantras] with one’s aim upon that [i.e., on the meaning of the mantra that facilitates one’s attainment of one’s object of life (puruṣārtha)]. In others as well [i.e., in other aspects of the performance of worship], the rules of worship are to be applied as appropriate in like manner [i.e., they are to be applied in such a manner that one’s observance of them facilitates one’s attainment of one’s object of life]. For the sake of the establishment of pure bhakti, a twofold division of all acts of bhakti in the form of [their] being pure or being impure is accepted [by qualified authorities, i.e., any form of bhakti can be performed for the sake of attaining bhakti itself as one’s puruṣārtha (such an act of bhakti is categorized as being pure) or for the sake of attaining any of the four conventional puruṣāṛthas—dharma, artha, kāma, or mokṣa (such an act of bhakti is categorized as being impure)].”
kāyena dūre vrajinaṁ tyajantī
japantam antaḥkaraṇe hasantī |
samādhi-yoge ca bahir bhavantī
sandṛśyate kāpi mukunda-bhaktiḥ ||
(Unknown source; cited in Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.221)
“Extraordinary Mukunda-bhakti can be seen naturally avoiding from afar one engaged in karma, laughing at one engaged in japa within the mind, and leaving one fixed in samādhi.”
bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ |
aprāṇasyaiva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam ||
śuciḥ sad-bhakti-dīptāgni-dagdha-durjāti-kalmaṣaḥ |
śvapāko’pi budhaiḥ ślāghyo na veda-jño’pi nāstikaḥ ||
(Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya: 3.11–12; cited in Mādhurya-kādambinī: 1.10; alluded to in Prārthanā: 21.2)
“The nobility, [knowledge of] śāstra, japa, and austerity of someone devoid of bhakti to Bhagavān are [like] decorations on a lifeless body [which are merely] pleasing to the world [i.e., to the public in general, but not to Bhagavān himself]. Even a purified dog-eater [i.e., an outcaste, however], the contamination of whose low-birth has been burned away by the blazing fire of pure bhakti, is praiseworthy by the wise; [whereas] even an unbelieving knower of the Veda is not [i.e., regardless of the level of one’s knowledge and the like (nobility, austerity, etc.), anyone devoid of bhakti is unworthy of praise from the wise, since their character and conduct are of no real significance to Bhagavān].”
mauna-vrata-śruta-tapo-’dhyayana-sva-dharma-
vyākhyā-raho-japa-samādhaya āpavargyāḥ |
prāyaḥ paraṁ puruṣa te tv ajitendriyāṇāṁ
vārtā bhavanty uta na vātra tu dāmbhikānām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.9.46; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 168)
“O Puruṣa [i.e., O indwelling Regulator], the means to apavarga [i.e., mokṣa]—silence, rites, hearing [i.e. learning the Vedas], austerities, studying, [observing one’s] svadharma, explaining [i.e., teaching the Vedas to others], [residing in] solitude, japa, and samādhi [i.e., meditation]—generally here [i.e., in saṁsāra], however, become mere livelihoods of those of uncontrolled senses, and sometimes, however, not even that for the deceitful [since the fruitfulness of deceitfulness is uncertain].”
