viṣayābhiniveśena nātmānaṁ yat smaret punaḥ |
jantor vai kasyacid dhetor mṛtyur atyanta-vismṛtiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.22.38)
“Complete non-remembrance as a consequence of some cause on account of which one shall not remember again the [previous] body [one had] as a result of absorption in objects of the senses [while in one’s new body] is [called] death.”
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ |
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās
tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.7.46; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 115)
“If they become educated about the character of those whose ultimate shelter is he of astonishing step, [then] women, śūdras, Hūṇas, and Śabaras—even sinful living beings—and even animals, can certainly know and cross beyond Deva’s māyā, so how much more so can those who grasp what they have heard?”
ahiṁsā prathamaṁ puṣpaṁ puṣpam indriya-nigrahaḥ |
sarva-bhūta-dayā puṣpaṁ kṣamā puṣpaṁ viśeṣataḥ ||
jñāna-puṣpaṁ tapaḥ puṣpaṁ dhyāna-puṣpaṁ tu saptamam |
satyam aṣṭa-vidhaṁ puṣpaṁ viṣṇoḥ prītikaraṁ bhavet ||
(Prapanna-parijāta: 5.28)
“First, the flower of (1) non-violence, [then] the flower of (2) control of the senses, the flower of (3) kindness [alt., compassion] to all beings, the flower of (4) forbearance [alt., forgiveness] in particular, the flower of (5) knowledge, the flower of (6) austerity, the flower of (7) meditation seventh, and (8) truthfulness—[these] flowers of eight types shall be pleasing to Viṣṇu.”
tasmād asad-abhidhyānaṁ yathā svapna-manoratham |
hitvā mayi samādhatsva mano mad-bhāva-bhāvitam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.28)
“Therefore, one should reject desire for [alt., meditation upon] the asat, which is like the illusion in a dream, and upon me fully fix the mind imbued with bhāva by way of contemplation of me.”
naitan manas tava kathāsu vikuṇṭhanātha
samprīyate durita-duṣṭam asādhu tīvram |
kāmāturaṁ harṣa-śoka-bhayaiṣaṇārtaṁ
tasmin kathaṁ tava gatiṁ vimṛśāmi dīnaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.9.39; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 1)
“O Lord of Vaikuṇṭha!
This mind—
Corrupted by sin,
Unholy,
Impetuous,
Afflicted by kāma,
And beset with elation, sorrow, fear, and desire—
Does not take great pleasure
In narrations about you.
Therewith,
How can this wretch
Contemplate your existence?”
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].”
yā nirvṛtis tanu-bhṛtāṁ tava pāda-padma-
dhyānād bhavaj-jana-kathā-śravaṇena vā syāt |
sā brahmaṇi sva-mahimany api nātha mā bhūt
kiṁ tv antakāsi-lulitāt patatāṁ vimānāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.9.10; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.29)
“O Lord, that bliss which can arise for embodied beings from meditation upon your lotus feet or through hearing narratives of persons who are your own does not occur even in [realization of] Brahman, your own [all-pervading] greatness. How then could it occur for [the devas of Svarga,] those who [all eventually] fall from airplanes slashed by the sword of death [i.e., time]?”
śreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśiṣyate |
dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāc chāntir anantaram ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 12.12)
“Contemplation is indeed better than repeated concentration, and meditation is superior to contemplation. From meditation comes relinquishment of the results of action, and thereafter, from relinquishment, peace.”
mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya |
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ ||
atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram |
abhyāsa-yogena tato mām icchāptuṁ dhanañjaya ||
abhyāse’py asamartho’si mat-karma-paramo bhava |
mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi ||
athaitad apy aśakto’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ |
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 12.8–11)
“Fix the mind only on me. Absorb the intellect in me. Thereafter, you will dwell in me alone. There is no doubt. If you are unable to fully fix the mind on me steadily, O Dhanañjaya, then try to attain me by means of the practice of repeated concentration. If you are incapable of repeated concentration as well, then be one for whom actions related to me are paramount. By performing actions just for my sake, you will attain success (siddhi). If you are unable to do even this, then, taking shelter in connection with me and being possessed of self-regulation, relinquish the results of all your actions.”
tvaṁ bhakti-yoga-paribhāvita-hṛt-saroja
āsse śrutekṣita-patho nanu nātha puṁsām |
yad yad dhiyā ta urugāya vibhāvayanti
tat tad vapuḥ praṇayase sad-anugrahāya ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.9.11; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 7.383; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 6, 40; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.3.111)
“[Brahmā to Śrī Bhagavān:] O Nātha! You, he the path to whom is seen by hearing, dwell in the lotus-hearts of living beings that have been purified by bhakti-yoga [alt., that have been made fit (for you) by virtue of prema]. O you of highest praise! [Alt., O you who are sung of in many ways!] Out of favor upon the sat, you bring forth that very form of yours which they distinctively meditate on [alt., visualize] with the mind.”
