Ṛṣis

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ |
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṁ yo’nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.47; Manu-smṛti: 2.154)

“[The youthful Sārasvata Muni says to an assembly of elder ṛṣis who had requested him to teach them the Vedas after they had neglected to study them for many years during a prolonged famine and thus forgotten how to recite the Vedas in full and proper completion:] Neither by years, nor by grey hairs, nor by wealth, nor by relations have ṛṣis performed dharma. One who is devoted to learning [i.e., one who is well-versed in the śāstra so as to be able to read, repeat, and teach it to others] is the great one amongst us [i.e., a ṛṣi’s performance of dharma is constituted principally of learning, understanding, and teaching the śāstra].”

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ūrdhva-retās tapasy-ugro niyatāśī ca saṁyamī

ūrdhva-retās tapasy-ugro niyatāśī ca saṁyamī |
śāpānugrahayoḥ śaktaḥ satya-sandho bhaved ṛṣiḥ ||
(Devala Ṛṣi; cited in the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.1.109)

“One who is of upward [-held] semen [i.e., celibate], fierce in austerity, a restrained eater, controlled, capable of cursing and blessing, and fixed in truth, shall be [considered] a ṛṣi [i.e., seer, sage].”

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devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ
na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan |
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.5.41)

“O King, one who has forsaken one’s duties and taken shelter completely in the ultimate shelterer, Mukunda, is neither a servant of, nor a debtor to, the devas, the ṛṣis, [other] living beings, relatives, humanity, or ancestors.”

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purāṇaṁ pañcarātraṁ ca

purāṇaṁ pañcarātraṁ ca vedāḥ pāśupatās tathā |
atipramāṇāny etāni na hantavyāni hetubhiḥ ||
(Yājñavalkya Ṛṣi; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.421)

“Purāṇas, Pañcarātras, Vedas, and Pāśupatas—these are highly authoritative and should not be controverted with arguments.”

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dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ

dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ
na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ |
na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ
kuto nu vidyādhara-cāraṇādayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 6.3.19; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 110, 165)

“Indeed, neither the ṛṣis, nor even the devas, nor the principal siddhas understand the dharma directly enjoined by Bhagavān [alt., the dharma performed purely to attain Bhagavān], so how would asuras, human beings, vidyādharas, cāraṇas, and others [understand it]?”

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tarko’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā

tarko’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā
nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam |
dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ
mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: Vana-parva, 313.117; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.17.186, 2.25.57)

“Reasoning is inconclusive, the Śrutis are variegated, and one whose opinion is not distinctive is not a ṛṣi. The nature of dharma is [thus] hidden in secret. [Therefore,] That by which a mahājana has gone is the path.”

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cittam cittād upāgamya

cittam cittād upāgamya munir āsīta saṁyataḥ |
yac cittas tanmayo’vaśyaṁ guhyam etat sanātanam ||
(Mahābhārata: 14.51.27)

“Understanding the citta from the citta, the sage should sit restrained. As is the citta (mind), so one inevitably becomes [i.e., one becomes absorbed in, constituted of, and identical to the content in one’s citta]. This is the eternal secret.”

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sarvajñair muni-puṅgavaiḥ pravitate tat-tan-mate yuktibhiḥ

sarvajñair muni-puṅgavaiḥ pravitate tat-tan-mate yuktibhiḥ
pūrvaṁ naikataratra ko’pi sudṛḍhaṁ viśvasta āsīj janaḥ |
sampraty apratima-prabhāva udite gaurāṅga-candre punaḥ
śruty-artho hari-bhaktir eva paramaḥ kair vā na nirdhāryate ||
(Caitanya-candrāmṛta: 124)

“Previously, even when the best of the all-knowing sages put forth their views with arguments, no one firmly believed in any one of them. Yet now that the incomparably powerful Gaurāṅgacandra has arisen, who has not concluded that Hari-bhakti is alone the ultimate purport of the Śruti?”

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ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo

ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyy ātmano vā are darśanena śravaṇena matyā vijñānenedaṁ sarvaṁ viditam |
(Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: 2.4.5, 4.5.6; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 7)

“Truly, the Ātmā [alt., the ātmā] is to be seen, [that is,] to be heard about, to be contemplated, and to be deeply meditated upon. O Maitreyī, truly, by seeing, [that is,] by hearing, reflecting upon, and realizing the Ātmā, everything becomes known.”

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