khaṁ vāyum agniṁ salilaṁ mahīṁ ca
jyotīṁṣi sattvāni diśo drumādīn |
sarit-samudrāṁś ca hareḥ śarīraṁ
yat kiṁ ca bhūtaṁ praṇamed ananyaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.41)
“One of one-pointed mind [lit., ‘one who has no other’] can offer obeisance to space, the air, fire, water, earth, the luminaries, living beings, the directions, trees and so forth, the rivers and oceans, and whatever else is existent.”
khaṁ vāyum agniṁ salilaṁ mahīṁ ca Read on →
tādṛg bhagavati premā pāramaiśvarya-dṛṣṭitaḥ |
sadā sampadyate naiva bhaya-gaurava-sambhavāt ||
kevalaṁ laukika-prāṇa-suhṛd-buddhyā sa sidhyati |
lokālokottaro yo’sāv atilokottaro’pi yaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.82–83)
“Prema of such nature for Bhagavān certainly cannot be attained by means of constant vision of [his] paramount aiśvarya because of the ensuance of fear and reverence. That [i.e., prema which follows the beautiful prema of those residents of Vraja] is attained only by means of the mentality of [his being like] the friend of one’s prāṇa as in the world. It [i.e., such prema] is that which is beyond the lokas and non-lokas, and which is beyond even that which is above the lokas [i.e., beyond even Vaikuṇṭha].”
tādṛg bhagavati premā pāramaiśvarya-dṛṣṭitaḥ Read on →
yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi |
tadātma-bandhu-sadṛśī buddhir vaḥ kriyatāṁ mayi ||
nāhaṁ devo na gandharvo na yakṣo na ca dānavaḥ |
ahaṁ vo bāndhavo jāto nātaś cintyam ato’nyathā ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa: 5.13.11–12; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 325)
“If you all have love (prīti) for me, and if you all [also] consider I am praiseworthy [i.e., a worthy object of reverence], then you all should [give up your awe and reverence of me and] foster the attitude in regard me that I am like the kinsmen (bandhu) of your very self (ātmā) [i.e., that I am one of your fellow cowherds, alt., that I am like the dear friend (bandhu) of your heart (ātmā)]. I am neither a deva, nor a gandharva, nor a yakṣa, nor a dānava. I have been born as your kinsmen (bāndhava—bandhu), and thus from now on I am not to be thought of otherwise [i.e., as anyone other than one of your fellow cowherds and kinsmen; I should not be thought of as any sort of devatā].”
yadi vo’sti mayi prītiḥ ślāghyo’haṁ bhavatāṁ yadi Read on →
sākṣātkāra-mātrasyāpi yadyapi puruṣa-prayojanatvaṁ, tathāpi tasminn api sākṣātkāre yāvān yāvān śrī-bhagavataḥ priyatva-dharmānubhavaḥ, tāvāṁs tāvān utkarṣaḥ | nirupādhi-prīty-āspadatā-svabhāvasya priyatva-dharmānubhavaṁ vinā tu sākṣātkāro’py asākṣātkāra eva, mādhuryaṁ vinā duṣṭa-jihvayā khaṇḍasyeva | … tataḥ prema-tāratamyenaiva bhakta-mahattva-tāratamyaṁ mukhyam | … yatra tu premādhikyaṁ sākṣātkāraḥ, kaṣāyādi-rāhityādikam apy asti, sa paramo mukhyaḥ | tatraikaikāṅga-vaikalye nyūna-nyūna iti jñeyam |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 187)
“Despite solely direct perception [of Bhagavān] being the goal of human life, even in that respect there is [a gradation of] excellence in that direct perception in so far as there is experience of Śrī Bhagavān’s quality of being dear (priyatva). Without experience of the quality of being dear in [Bhagavān,] he who is by nature the object of unconditional love (prīti) [for all living beings], however, even direct perception (sākṣātkāra) [of him] is verily non-perception (asākṣātkāra), and just like a sugar candy [tasted to be] without sweetness by a diseased tongue [i.e., as someone with jaundice does not experience the sweet taste of sugar candy even after eating the candy, so direct perception of Bhagavān without experience of his quality of being unconditionally lovable (i.e., experiencing him without prema, or at least its initial manifestation in the form of rati), is akin to having had no perception of him at all]. … Therefore, gradation in the greatness of bhaktas based specifically on a gradation in [their] prema is principal [i.e., is the primary means by which the relative stature of bhaktas is to be determined]. … One in whom, however, there is superiority in prema, direct perception [of Bhagavān], and the absence of impurities and so forth, is foremost. When there is deficiency in [these] aspects, one by one, there is [relative] inferiority and [further] inferiority [in the stature of a mahānta]. This is to be understood.”
sākṣātkāra-mātrasyāpi yadyapi puruṣa-prayojanatvaṁ Read on →
parama-sāra-bhūtāyā api svarūpa-śakteḥ sāra-bhūtā hlādinī nāma yā vṛttiḥ, tasyā eva sāra-bhūto vṛtti-viśeṣo bhaktiḥ, sā ca raty-apara-paryāyā bhaktir bhagavati bhakte ca nikṣipta-nijobhaya-koṭiḥ sarvadā tiṣṭhati | ata evoktaṁ bhagavān bhakta-bhaktimān iti | tasmād bhaktasthayā tayā bhagavatas tṛptau, na svatas tṛptitā-hāniḥ | pratyuta śaktitvena svarūpato bhinnābhinnāyā api tasyāḥ, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham iti nyāyena bhakta-citta-sphuritāyā bheda-vṛtter iva sphuraṇāt, bhagavato māṁ hlādayaty asya bhaktir iti, ānanda-camatkārātiśayaś ca bhavati |
(Excerpt from Paramātma Sandarbha: 93)
“The particular vṛtti existent as the essence of the vṛtti which is named hlādinī and existent as the essence of [Bhagavān’s] svarūpa-śakti, which itself is existent as the supreme essence [of all of existence] is [called] bhakti [i.e., the most essential vṛtti of the hlādinī-vṛtti of the svarūpa-śakti is called bhakti], and that bhakti, a synonym of which is rati, dwells forever in Bhagavān and the bhakta, itself cast into both domains [i.e., into these two entities of distinct nature, namely, Bhagavān and his bhakta]. Therefore, it is said [in SB 10.86.59], ‘Bhagavān is he who possesses bhakti for his bhaktas.’ Thus, when Bhagavān’s satisfaction occurs because of that [i.e., bhakti] situated in his bhakta [i.e., because of something located outside of himself], there is no loss of his being self-satisfied. On the contrary, because of its [i.e., bhakti’s] manifesting [only] like a distinct vṛtti as a result of its manifesting in the heart of bhakta as per the reasoning [based on Śrī Bhagavān’s statement in BG 4.11], ‘As they approach me, so exactly I reciprocate with them,’ on account of its being both different and non-different from his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] svarūpa (nature) by virtue of [its] being his śakti, it also becomes a tremendous bliss and wonder for Bhagavān, such that [he feels], ‘His [i.e., my bhakta’s] bhakti delights me.’”
parama-sāra-bhūtāyā api svarūpa-śakteḥ sāra-bhūtā hlādinī Read on →
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā |
tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho ratir ātman yato bhavet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.34; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.567; Bhakti Sandarbha: 7, 29, 94)
“After thrice one-pointedly deliberating over the entirety of the Veda (Brahma), Bhagavān [i.e., Brahmā] determined with his discernment that because of which rati for the Ātmā [i.e., Śrī Hari] can come about.”
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā Read on →
kṛṣṇaś ca kṛṣṇa-bhaktāś ca budhair ālambanā matāḥ |
raty-āder viṣayatvena tathādhāratayāpi ca ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.16)
“Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s bhaktas are known by the wise to be the ālambanas (supports) by virtue of [their] being the object (viṣaya) and the vessel (ādhāra) of rati and so forth [i.e., and the secondary rasas of laughter and so on].”
kṛṣṇaś ca kṛṣṇa-bhaktāś ca budhair ālambanā matāḥ Read on →
ratir mano’nukūle’rthe manasaḥ pravaṇāyitam |
(Sāhitya-darpaṇa: 3.204)
“The mind’s propensity for an object favorable to the mind is [called] rati.”
ratir mano’nukūle’rthe manasaḥ pravaṇāyitam Read on →
vibhāvair anubhāvaiś ca sāttvikair vyabhicāribhiḥ |
svādyatvaṁ hṛdi bhaktānām ānītā śravaṇādibhiḥ |
eṣā kṛṣṇa-ratiḥ sthāyī bhāvo bhakti-raso bhavet ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.5)
“This rati for Kṛṣṇa, the sthāyi-bhāva, brought into the state of taste-ability in the heart of bhaktas by vibhāvas, anubhāvas, sāttvikas [i.e., sāttvika-bhāvas], and vyabhicāris [i.e., vyabhicāri-bhāvas] through hearing and so forth, shall become bhakti-rasa.”
vibhāvair anubhāvaiś ca sāttvikair vyabhicāribhiḥ Read on →
satāṁ kṛpā mahat-sevā śraddhā guru-padāśrayaḥ |
bhajaneṣu spṛhā bhaktir anarthāpagamas tataḥ ||
niṣṭhā rucir athāsaktī ratiḥ premātha darśanam |
harer mādhuryānubhava ity arthāḥ syuś caturdaśe ||
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.21)
“There are fourteen steps [mentioned in SB 1.2.16–21 to describe how a jīva in saṁsāra reaches the highest attainment]: (1) the grace of sādhus, (2) service to a great person, (3) śraddhā, (4) taking shelter at the feet of a guru, (5) desire for [engagement in] practices of bhakti (bhajana), (6) bhakti [i.e., engagement in sādhana-bhakti], (7) disappearance of anarthas, (8) niṣṭhā [i.e., fixity in the practice of bhakti], (9) ruci (taste), (10) āsakti (affinity), (11) rati [i.e., bhāva-bhakti], (12) prema (divine love), (13) darśana [i.e., direct perception of Bhagavān], and then (14) experience of his mādhurya (mellifluousness).”
satāṁ kṛpā mahat-sevā śraddhā guru-padāśrayaḥ Read on →
