etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām
adhyāsitāṁ pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ |
ahaṁ tariṣyāmi duranta-pāraṁ
tamo mukundāṅghri-niṣevayaiva ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.23.57; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.3.6)
“Taking shelter in fixity in the higher self [alt., Self], as it was practiced by the great souls of the past, I shall cross over the insurmountable darkness [i.e., saṁsāra] by serving the feet of Mukunda.”
atas tad-apavādārthaṁ bhaja sarvātmanā harim |
paśyaṁs tad-ātmakaṁ viśvaṁ sthity-utpatty-apyayā yataḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.29.79)
“Therefore, to counteract that [i.e., the jīva’s bondage in avidyā by means of karma perpetuated by the mind’s functioning on the basis of saṁskāras], worship Hari with your full being, seeing the universe to be constituted of him and [its] existence, emanation, and dissolution to occur because of him.”
śruti-ratna-vibhūṣaṇa-ruci-jita-pūṣaṇam alidūṣaṇa-nayanānta-gatiṁ
yamunā-taṭa-talpita-puṣpam analpita-mada-jalpita-dayitāpta-ratim |
vandemahi vandita-nandam amandita-kulam andhita-khala-kaṁsa-matiṁ
tvām iha dāmodara haladhara-sodara hara no daram anubaddha-ratim ||
(Stava-mālā: Tribhaṅgī-pañcakam, 5)
“Unto you whose jeweled earrings have conquered the splendor of the sun, you whose sidelong glances belittle black bees, you who lie on a bed of flowers on the bank of the Yamunā, you who become delighted by the plentiful proud words of your beloved, you by whom Nanda is venerated, you who are of a prominent family, you who blinded the mind of wicked Kaṁsa, you who are bound by rati [to your bhaktas]—we offer obeisance. O Dāmodara! O Brother of Haladhara [i.e., O Kṛṣṇa, brother of Balarāma]! Please remove our fear here [i.e., our fear related to saṁsāra].”
saṁsāro hi deha-geha-pati-putrādy-āsakti-rūpas … |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.6.40)
“Saṁsāra is attachment to one’s body, house, husband, sons, and so forth.”
tṛṣṇaiva saṁsāras … |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.1.4)
“Thirst [i.e., desire] is itself saṁsāra.”
saṁsāra-viṣa-vṛkṣasya dve eva madhure phale |
subhāṣitaṁ ca susvādu sadbhiś ca saha saṅgamaḥ ||
(Unknown Source)
“On the poisonous tree of saṁsāra there are only two sweet fruits: highly relishable subhāṣitas and association with the sādhus.”
saṁsāra-kaṭu-vṛkṣasya dve phale amṛtopame |
subhāṣita-rasāsvādaḥ saṅgatiḥ sujane jane ||
(Subhāṣita-ratnākara)
“On the poisonous tree of saṁsāra only two fruits are like nectar: tasting the rasa of subhāṣitas and association with sādhus.”
saṁsāra-viṣa-vṛkṣasya dve phale hy amṛtopame |
mayi kṛṣṇe parā bhaktir mad-bhaktaiś ca samāgamaḥ ||
(Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa-saṁhitā: 3.56.72)
“On the poisonous tree of saṁsāra only two fruits are like nectar: pure bhakti to me, Kṛṣṇa, and association with my bhaktas.”
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām |
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām ||
na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ |
andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
te’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ ||
naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ |
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.5.30–32)
“[Śrī Prahlāda to Hiraṇyakaśipu:] Inclination towards Kṛṣṇa cannot arise on account of another, on its own, or on account of both [i.e., on its own and on account of another] for those intent upon household life, who have entered darkness because of uncontrolled senses and whose chewing is [only] of the chewed [therein] again and again. They, of debased mind, who honor only those whose aim is in the external, certainly do not understand Viṣṇu, he who is the object to be reached [only] for those whose aim is related to the Self. They also become bound by the strong strands of Īśa’s cord like the blind being led by the blind. Their inclination, the need of which is the cessation of the insubstantial, does not touch the feet of he of great stride [i.e., Bhagavān] so long as one shall not accept a bath in the foot-dust of the divested—the great ones.”
mṛga-tṛṣṇā-samaṁ vīkṣya saṁsāraṁ kṣaṇa-bhaṅguram |
sajjanaiḥ saṅgataṁ kuryād dharmāya ca sukhāya ca ||
(Hitopadeśa: Sandhi, 138)
“Seeing the world of saṁsāra to be perishable in a moment like a mirage, associate with the sādhus for the sake of dharma and happiness.”
