mayy arpitātmanaḥ sabhya nirapekṣasya sarvataḥ |
mayātmanā sukhaṁ yat tat kutaḥ syād viṣayātmanām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.12)
“O noble one, how can those of mind upon objects of the senses have the happiness on account of me, the Self, which those of mind offered to me, who are indifferent to everything [else], have?”
taj janma tāni karmāṇi tad āyus tan mano vacaḥ |
nṝṇāṁ yena hi viśvātmā sevyate harir īśvaraḥ ||
kiṁ janmabhis tribhir veha śaukra-sāvitra-yājñikaiḥ |
karmabhir vā trayī-proktaiḥ puṁso’pi vibudhāyuṣā ||
śrutena tapasā vā kiṁ vacobhiś citta-vṛttibhiḥ |
buddhyā vā kiṁ nipuṇayā balenendriya-rādhasā ||
kiṁ vā yogena sāṅkhyena nyāsa-svādhyāyayor api |
kiṁ vā śreyobhir anyaiś ca na yatrātma-prado hariḥ ||
śreyasām api sarveṣām ātmā hy avadhir arthataḥ |
sarveṣām api bhūtānāṁ harir ātmātmadaḥ priyaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.31.9–13; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 51, 101)
“That is a birth, those are actions, that is a life, that is mind and [that is] is speech on the part of human beings whereby Hari, Īśvara, the Self of the universe, is worshiped. Here [in this world], what [is the use] of the three births—the seminal (śaukra), the sāvitra [i.e., the second birth brought about by dīkṣā into the sāvitra-mantra and investiture with the sacred thread, viz., the upanayana-saṁskāra], and the sacrificial (yājñika) [i.e., the third birth brought about by dīkṣā into the performance of a particular Vedic sacrifice (yajña)], what [is the use] of the rites prescribed in the three [Vedas], what [is the use] of even the lifespan of a deva for a human being, what [is the use] of hearing, austerity, words, and states of mind, what [is the use] of sharp intellect, [physical] strength, and acuity of the senses, what [is the use] of yoga [i.e., aṣṭāṅga-yoga], sāṅkhya [i.e., discrimination between the body and self], sannyāsa, and even study, and what [is the use] of any other means of benefit (śreyas) [e.g., vows (vratas), non-attachment (vairāgya), etc.] whereby Hari does not become a bestower of the Self [alt., himself]? In reality, the Self specifically is the culmination even of all means of benefit, and Hari is the Self, the Bestower of the Self, and the Beloved even of all beings.”
sa vai priyatamaś cātmā yato na bhayam aṇv api |
iti veda sa vai vidvān yo vidvān sa gurur hariḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.29.51; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 202)
“He [viz., Hari] is indeed the dearmost Self (Ātmā), [he] on account of whom not even a trace of fear arises. One who understands this is verily knowledgeable, and one who is knowledgeable is a guru and Hari.”
arcādāv arcayet tāvad īśvaraṁ māṁ sva-karma-kṛt |
yāvan na veda sva-hṛdi sarva-bhūteṣv avasthitam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.25)
“Being a performer of one’s own duty (karma), one should worship [me, Īśvara] in a deity or elsewhere so long as one does not know in one’s own heart me, Īśvara, to be present in all beings [and once one does, then one should continue to worship a deity of myself, but purely as my bhakta rather than as a follower of the path of karma].”
dviṣataḥ para-kāye māṁ mānino bhinna-darśinaḥ |
bhūteṣu baddha-vairasya na manaḥ śāntim ṛcchati ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.23; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)
[Kapiladeva:] “The mind of one who is inimical towards me in another’s body, [that is,] of disunited vision, [thus] conceited, and [thus] bound by enmity towards [other] beings, does not attain peace.”
yo māṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu santam ātmānam īśvaram |
hitvārcāṁ bhajate mauḍhyād bhasmany eva juhoti saḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.22; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)
[Kapiladeva:] “One who disregards me, the Self, the Īśvara, present in all beings, and worships a deity out of ignorance only makes oblations into ashes.”
ahaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhūtātmāvasthitaḥ sadā |
tam avajñāya māṁ martyaḥ kurute’rcā-viḍambanam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.21; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)
[Kapiladeva:] “I am ever present in all beings as the Self [i.e., the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī)] of all beings. By disrespecting him, that is, me, a mortal makes a mockery of ritual worship [alt., a mockery of my deity].”
arcādiṣu yadā yatra śraddhā māṁ tatra cārcayet |
sarva-bhūteṣv ātmani ca sarvātmāham avasthitaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.27.48)
“When and where one has śraddhā in a deity or elsewhere, there specifically one should worship me. I, the Self of all, am present in all beings and in the self.”
jahyād yad-arthe svān prāṇān hanyād vā pitaraṁ gurum |
tasyāṁ svatvaṁ striyāṁ jahyād yas tena hy ajito jitaḥ ||
kṛmi-viḍ-bhasma-niṣṭhāntaṁ kvedaṁ tucchaṁ kalevaram |
kva tadīya-ratir bhāryā kvāyam ātmā nabhaś-chadiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.14.12–13)
“The Unconquerable One [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] becomes conquered by one who can relinquish possessiveness of one’s wife, for the sake of whom one [who is attached to one‘s wife] may relinquish [even] one’s vital airs [i.e., give up one’s life] or may kill [even] one’s father or guru [if a circumstance arises in which one’s wife’s life is in danger]. Where is this insignificant body, the end-state of which is in insects, excrement, or ashes? Where is a wife, whose attachment is to that [i.e., to that insignificant body]? And where is this Self, he who eclipses [even] the sky?”
tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenāḥ tāvat kārāgṛhaṁ gṛham |
tāvan moho’ṅghri-nigaḍo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.36)
“For that long attachment (rāga) and so forth are thieves, for that long one’s house is a prison, and for that long affection is a foot-shackle—so long as people do not become yours, O Kṛṣṇa!”
