Pramāṇa

naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ

naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ
na śobhate jñānam alaṁ nirañjanam |
kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare
na cārpitaṁ karma yad apy akāraṇam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.5.12; cited in Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.554; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 70, Bhakti Sandarbha: 3, 5, 23, 115, 116, 217; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.19)

“[Śrī Nārada to Śrī Vyāsa:] Even untainting jñāna illuminative of Brahman (naiṣkarmya) [if it is] devoid of bhāva for Acyuta does not shine greatly [i.e., does not lead to direct experience of Brahman], so how much less so does ever-inauspicious karma not offered to Īśvara, even which [i.e., when it] is causeless?’”

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gatānugatiko lokaḥ kuṭṭanīm upadeśinīm

gatānugatiko lokaḥ kuṭṭanīm upadeśinīm |
pramāṇayati no dharme yathā goghnam api dvijam ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābha, 10)

“People, who are imitative [lit., ‘goers after that which has gone,’ i.e., just followers of what those before them have done], do not accept an advising procuress [i.e., a procuress who gives good advice] as a source of knowledge in regard to dharma as they do even a cow-killing twice-born [i.e., a highly sinful brāhmaṇa who severely transgresses the dharma or behaves in a way that clearly demonstrates he is ignorant of it].”

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na kevalaṁ śuddha-cittatvam eva yogyatā

na kevalaṁ śuddha-cittatvam eva yogyatā | kiṁ tarhi? tad-bhakti-viśeṣāviṣkṛta-tad-icchāmaya-tadīya-sva-prakāśatā-śakti-prakāśa eva mūla-rūpā sā, yat-prakāśena tad api niḥśeṣaṁ sidhyati | … tat-prakāśena niḥśeṣa-śuddha-cittatve siddhe, puruṣa-karaṇāni tadīya-sva-prakāśatā-śakti-tādātmyāpannatayaiva tat-prakāśatābhimānavanti syuḥ | tatra bhakti-viśeṣa-sāpekṣatvam uktam—‘tac-chraddadhānā munayaḥ’ ity ādau | tad-icchā-mayety ādy-udāharaṇaṁ ca brahma-bhagavator aviśeṣatayaiva dṛśyate | yathā satyavrataṁ prati śrī-matsya-deva-vākye—madīyaṁ mahimānaṁ ca paraṁ brahmeti śabditam | vetsyasy anugṛhītaṁ me sampraśnair vivṛtaṁ hṛdi || iti | tathaiva hi brahmāṇaṁ prati śrī-bhagavad-vākye—‘manīṣitānubhāvo’yaṁ mama lokāvalokanam’ iti | śrī-nārāyaṇādhyātme—nityāvyakto’pi bhagavān īkṣyate nija-śaktitaḥ | tām ṛte puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ kaḥ paśyetāmitaṁ prabhum || iti | śrutau ca—‘yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svām’ iti |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 7)

“Not only purity of the citta alone is fitness [for direct experience (sākṣātkāra) of Śrī Bhagavān]. Then what [else is required]? Manifestation of his [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān’s] śakti of self-manifestation [alt., self-luminosity], which is revealed [in the citta] by a particular form of bhakti to him and constituted of his will, is the fundamental form [i.e., the fundamental cause of direct experience of him]—that [śakti] by manifestation of which this [i.e., purity of the citta] too is accomplished completely [i.e., since purification of the citta, without which experience of Śrī Bhagavān is impossible, is also reliant upon the purifying influence of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti, it is all the more evident that his svarūpa-śakti, whereby he self-manifests himself, is the fundamental cause of directly experiencing him]. … When complete purity of the citta is effected by a manifestation of that [i.e., of the self-manifestation śakti of Śrī Bhagavān], then the means of a living being [i.e., the external means, viz., the external senses of seeing, hearing, and so forth, and the internal means, viz., the mind, intellect, ahaṅkāra, and citta], because of their having [then] acquired a state of oneness (tādātmya) with his śakti of self-manifestation, will become possessed of the notion of their being the illuminators of him [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān, even though Bhagavān’s own śakti working through them is the primary cause; this is to say that a person’s experience of Śrī Bhagavān will be felt by them to be similar to experiencing an object in the material world by means of the mind and senses even though this experience of Śrī Bhagavān is primarily being carried out by Śrī Bhagavān’s own śakti working through the mind and senses]. Dependence upon a specific form of bhakti in this regard [i.e., in regard to direct experience (sākṣātkāra) of Śrī Bhagavān taking place by means primarily of Bhagavān’s own potency of self-manifestation (sva-prakāśatā-śakti)] is stated [in SB 1.2.12], ‘The sages possessed of śraddhā see the Self (Ātmā) [i.e., the Paramātmā] within the self (ātmā) [i.e., the purified citta] by bhakti replete with knowledge (jñāna) and detachment (vairāgya) received through hearing [the Vedānta and so forth].‘ An illustration of [Bhagavān’s own potency of self-manifestation (sva-prakāśatā-śakti) being] Constituted of his will is also visible in regard to [direct experience of] Brahman and Bhagavān without distinction [between these two types of direct experience of the Para-tattva] as follows in the statement of Śrī Matsyadeva to Satyavrata [in SB 8.24.38], ‘And you will perceive my greatness, known as Parabrahman, favored [i.e., manifested] in [your] heart by me as it is described [by me] in response to [your] inquiries.’ Similarly in a statement of Śrī Bhagavān to Brahmā [in SB 2.9.21], ‘This vision of my abode [that you have had] is the result of my wish.’ And in Śrī Nārāyaṇa-adhyātma: ‘Although Bhagavān is eternally unmanifest, he can be seen by means of his own potency. Without that, who can see the unlimited Lord of lotus eyes?’ Also, in the Śruti [i.e., Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23], ‘He is attainable [i.e., able to be directly perceived] only by one whom he chooses. To him [who is so chosen] the Ātmā reveals his own form.’ Thus, even the requirement of purity of one’s means [i.e., senses] is to be understood to be only for the purpose of reflection of that potency [i.e., Bhagavān’s own potency of self-manifestation (sva-prakāśatā-śakti)].”

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veda-gamyaḥ paraḥ śuddha iti me dhīyate matiḥ

veda-gamyaḥ paraḥ śuddha iti me dhīyate matiḥ ||
adhyātma-dhyāna-saṁbhūta-bhūtaṁ dīpavat sphuṭam |
jñānaṁ viddhi śubhācāre tena yānti parāṁ gatim ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.220.100)

“[Bhīṣmadeva:] The pure Supreme is knowable through the Veda. This is my firmly held view. O you of fine conduct, know knowledge (jñāna) to be that which is born of meditation related to the higher self and [self-] evident like a lamp. Thereby, one attains the supreme destination.”

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śrī-kṛṣṇātivaśīkāra-cuñcor jiṣṇu-śiromaṇeḥ

śrī-kṛṣṇātivaśīkāra-cuñcor jiṣṇu-śiromaṇeḥ |
premṇā hāsa ivāyaṁ śrī-rāsaḥ śrīr api nāpa yam ||
śāstra-buddhi-vivekādyair api durgamam īkṣyate |
gopīnāṁ rasa-vartmedaṁ tāsām anugatīr vinā ||
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.33.39)

“This Śrī Rāsa [i.e., this beautiful Rāsa-līlā], which even Śrī [i.e., Lakṣmī] did not attain, is like a smile with prema of the crest-jewel of conquerors renowned for greatly captivating Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This path of the gopīs’ rasa is seen to be difficult to comprehend even with [knowledge of] śāstra, intelligence, discernment, and so forth without anugati of [i.e., following] them [i.e., the gopīs].”

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sarvato bṛhattamatvād brahmeti yad viduḥ

sarvato bṛhattamatvād brahmeti yad viduḥ, tat khalu paramasya puṁso bhagavataḥ padam eva, nirvikalpatayā sākṣātkṛteḥ prāthamikatvāt, brahmaṇaś ca bhagavata eva nirvikalpa-sattā-rūpatvāt, vicitra-rūpādi-vikalpa-viśeṣa-viśiṣṭasya bhagavatas tu sākṣātkṛtes tad-anantarajatvāt, tadīya-svarūpa-bhūtaṁ tad brahma tat-sākṣātkārāspadaṁ bhavatīty arthaḥ |
(Bhagavat Sandarbha: 7)

“That which is known as Brahman because of [its] being the greatest of all is an aspect of the Supreme Person, Bhagavān, (1) because of direct perception (sākṣātkṛti) [of it] being initially occurrent [i.e., occurrent before that of Bhagavān] on account of [that perception’s] being indeterminate (nirvikalpa), (2) because of Brahman’s also being Bhagavān’s form of indeterminate being, and (3) because of direct perception (sākṣātkṛti) of Bhagavān, who is qualified by determinate specifics such as a wonderful form, being occurrent after that [i.e., after indeterminate perception of Brahman]. Brahman, being constituted of his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] nature, is thus the basis of direct perception (sākṣātkṛti) of him [i.e., Bhagavān, meaning, Brahman and Bhagavān are one and the same entity, the former being an indeterminate perception of that entity, and the latter being a determinate perception of that entity].”

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niḥsaṁśayeṣu sarveṣu nityaṁ vasati vai hariḥ

niḥsaṁśayeṣu sarveṣu nityaṁ vasati vai hariḥ |
sa-saṁśayād dhetu-balān nādhyāvasati mādhavaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.349.71; cited in Paramātma Sandarbha: 17 and Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-tīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.40.10)

“Hari ever abides in all who are free from doubt. As a result of doubting and the strength of reasoning, [however,] Mādhava does not dwell [in a given place, i.e., Mādhava does not dwell in the hearts of those who are doubtful and rely solely upon reasoning to ascertain reality].”

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