preme kṛṣṇāsvāda haile bhava nāśa pāya
preme kṛṣṇāsvāda haile bhava nāśa pāya |
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.20.141)
“When one has a taste of Kṛṣṇa through prema, then worldly existence gets destroyed.”
Vidvad-anubhava (Vaiduṣa-prayakṣa)
vyatītya bhāvanā-vartma yaś camatkāra-bhāra-bhūḥ
vyatītya bhāvanā-vartma yaś camatkāra-bhāra-bhūḥ |
hṛdi sattvojjvale bāḍhaṁ svadate sa raso mataḥ ||
bhāvanāyāḥ pade yas tu budhenānanya-buddhinā |
bhāvyate gāḍha-saṁskāraiś citte bhāvaḥ sa kathyate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.132–133)
“That which completely surpasses the scope of bhāvanā (meditation), is a cause of an abundance of wonder, and is relished in a heart bright with [śuddha-] sattva [i.e., a sthāyi-bhāva] is known as rasa. That which is meditated on (bhāvyate) by a wise person (budha) of one-pointed (ananya) mind (buddhi) in a heart (citta) which is a seat of meditation (bhāvanā) [on the vibhāvas, vyabhicāri-bhāvas, and so forth] by virtue of deep saṁskāras is called bhāva.”
ānanda-rūpatvam asya mahad-dhṛdaya-sākṣikaṁ yathā śrī-vigrahasya
ānanda-rūpatvam asya mahad-dhṛdaya-sākṣikaṁ yathā śrī-vigrahasya |
(Bhagavat Sandarbha: 47)
“Its [i.e., the name of Bhagavān’s] being a form of bliss like the blessed figure [of Bhagavān] is witnessed [i.e., evidenced] by the hearts of the great ones (mahats).”
sarva-pramāṇānāṁ ca madhye’nubhava-pramāṇasya śreṣṭhayāt
sarva-pramāṇānāṁ ca madhye’nubhava-pramāṇasya śreṣṭhayāt |
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta-ṭīkā: 2.1.110)
“Amid all pramāṇas (means of knowing), the best is the pramāṇa of experience.”
māyātīta haile haya āmāra anubhava
māyātīta haile haya āmāra anubhava |
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.25.118)
[Bhagavān:] “[Only] When one is beyond māyā, experience of me occurs.”
śāstrera siddhānta ei vijñera anubhava
śāstrera siddhānta ei vijñera anubhava |
mūḍha-loka nāhi jāne bhāvera vaibhava ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.6.104)
“This is the śāstra’s siddhānta and the experience of the wise. Ignorant people do not understand the greatness of bhāva.”
mahad-anubhava yāte sudṛḍha-pramāṇa
mahad-anubhava yāte sudṛḍha-pramāṇa |
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.6.53)
“… Since the perception of the great is the strongest means of knowing (pramāṇa).”
arcayanti sadā viṣṇuṁ
arcayanti sadā viṣṇuṁ mano-vāk-kāya-karmabhiḥ |
teṣāṁ hi vacanaṁ kāryaṁ te hi viṣṇu-samā matāḥ ||
(Viṣṇu Rahasya; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.414)
“The directives of those who constantly worship Viṣṇu with their minds, words, bodies, and actions should be followed, since they are indeed considered equal to Viṣṇu.”
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed
sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ |
bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.45)
“One who can see the presence of one’s own Bhagavān [i.e., one’s Iṣṭadevatā] within all entities and [all] entities within the Bhagavān within oneself [i.e., within one’s Iṣṭadevatā] is a topmost bhāgavata.”
yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate’sau
yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate’sau
mat-puṇya-gāthā-śravaṇābhidhānaiḥ |
tathā tathā paśyati vastu sūkṣmaṁ
cakṣur yathaivāñjana-samprayuktam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.26; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 80, 147)
[Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava:] “To whatever extent the mind is purified by hearing and reciting narrations of my virtuous acts, to that same extent, it, like an eye treated with collyrium, perceives the subtle reality [i.e., my nature, figure, qualities, and līlā in actuality].”