Śāstra-ānugatya

yāvat pāpais tu malinaṁ hṛdayaṁ tāvad eva hi

yāvat pāpais tu malinaṁ hṛdayaṁ tāvad eva hi |
na śāstre satya-buddhiḥ syāt sad-buddhiḥ sad-gurau tathā ||
aneka-janma-janita-puṇya-rāśi-phalaṁ mahat |
sat-saṅga-śāstra-śravaṇād eva premādi jāyate ||
(Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 1)

“As long as the heart is polluted by sins, conviction in the truthfulness of the śāstra and conviction in the truthfulness of a true guru does not come about. Prema and so forth, which are the ultimate result of the accumulation of merit [i.e., engagement in practices of bhakti] created over the course of many births, manifest only by hearing śāstra in the association of sādhus.”

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tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.3.21; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.32; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.97; Bhakti Sandarbha: 202, 238)

“Therefore [i.e., because there is no lasting fulfillment in saṁsāra and bhakti is the only means of crossing over saṁsāra], one who wishes to know the highest good should take shelter in a guru who is adept in śabda-brahman and Parabrahman, and is an abode of tranquility.”

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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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pañcarātra-purāṇāni

pañcarātra-purāṇāni setihāsāni mānavāḥ |
ye vinindanti teṣāṁ vai vacanaṁ parivarjayet ||
(Skanda Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.420)

“Reject the statements of people who denigrate the Pañcarātras, Purāṇas, and Itihāsas.”

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śruti-smṛti-sadācāraḥ svasya

śruti-smṛti-sadācāraḥ svasya ca priyam ātmanaḥ |
samyak saṅkalpajaḥ kāmo dharma-mūlam idaṁ smṛtam ||
(Yājñavalkya-smṛti: 1.7; cited in the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā, and Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.11.7 and Bhakti Sandarbha: 58)

“The Śruti, the Smṛti, proper conduct (sadācāra), the satisfaction of one’s own mind, and desire arising from proper resolve—these are known as the basis [i.e., the pramāṇa, the means of knowing] of dharma.”

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vedo’khilo dharma-mūlaṁ

vedo’khilo dharma-mūlaṁ smṛti-śīle ca tad-vidām |
ācāraś caiva sādhūnām ātmanas tuṣtir eva ca ||
(Manu-smṛti: 2.6; cited in the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā, and Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.11.7 and Bhakti Sandarbha: 58)

“The basis of dharma is the entire Veda, the Smṛti [i.e., the Smṛti-śāstras] and the sensibility of those who known it [i.e., of those who know the Veda], the conduct of the sādhus [i.e., sadācāra], and satisfaction of [one’s own] mind.”

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dharma-mūlaṁ hi bhagavān

dharma-mūlaṁ hi bhagavān sarva-vedamayo hariḥ |
smṛtaṁ ca tad-vidāṁ rājan yena cātmā prasīdati ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.11.7; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 58)

“O King, the basis of dharma [i.e., the pramāṇa, the means of knowing dharma], by which the ātmā [i.e., the mind] is satisfied, definitively is Bhagavān, Hari, the embodiment [i.e., the source] of all the Vedas, and that which is remembered by those who know him [i.e., the Smṛti-śāstras].”

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sad-guroḥ sakāśād

sad-guroḥ sakāśād vedāntādy-akhila-śāstrārtha-vicāra-śravaṇa-dvārā yadi sā āvaśyaka-parama-kartavyatvena jñāyate, punaś ca … yadi viparīta-bhāvanā-tyājakau manana-yogyatā-mananābhiniveśau syātāṁ, tataḥ śraddadhānaiś ca sā bhaktir upāsana-dvārā labhyate |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 7)

“If, through hearing deliberation upon the meaning of all the śāstras beginning with Vedānta from a sad-guru, that [i.e., bhakti] is understood to be the supreme necessary duty, and furthermore … if they [i.e., listeners] develop capability for contemplation, and absorption in contemplation, which dispel contradictory notions, then that, bhakti, is attainable through upāsana by those endowed with śraddhā.”

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tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ

tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau |
jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 16.24)

“Therefore, śāstra is the pramāṇa [i.e., means of knowledge] in determining what is to be done and not to be done. By understanding the stated injunctions of the śāstra hereto [i.e., in regard to karma], you become fit to perform it.”

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