śrī-kṛṣṇe vaiṣṇavānān tu prema-bhaktir vivardhate |
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasā-sāra-varṣi-rudrānukampayā ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.221)
“The prema-bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa of Vaiṣṇavas certainly is increased by the favor of Rudra, who showers the essence of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa.”
kāryaṁ guṇāvatāratvenaikyād rudrasya vaiṣṇavaiḥ |
vaiṣṇavāgryatayā śreṣṭhyāt sadācārāc ca tad-vratam ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.195)
“This vrata [i.e., Śiva Rātri] is to be performed by Vaiṣṇavas (1) because of Rudra’s oneness [with Bhagavān Viṣṇu] on account of [his] being a guṇāvatāra [of Bhagavān Viṣṇu], (2) because of [his] superiority [to other devatās] on account of [his] being the foremost of Vaiṣṇavas, and (3) because of proper conduct [i.e., because it is considered proper conduct to do so since it is a great fault to not].”
śiva-rātri-vrataṁ kṛṣṇa-caturdaśyān tu phālgune |
vaiṣṇavair api tat kāryaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇa-prītaye sadā ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.187)
“The Śiva Rātri vrata on Kṛṣṇa Caturdaśī in [the month of] Phālguna is always to be performed even by Vaiṣṇavas for the sake of [attaining] prīti for Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ |
tato’dhanaṁ tyajanty asya svajanā duḥkha-duḥkhitam ||
sa yadā vitathodyogo nirviṇṇaḥ syād dhanehayā |
mat-paraiḥ kṛta-maitrasya kariṣye mad-anugraham ||
tad brahma paramaṁ sūkṣmaṁ cin-mātraṁ sad anantakam |
vijñāyātmatayā dhīraḥ saṁsārāt parimucyate |
ato māṁ sudurārādhyaṁ hitvānyān bhajate janaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.88.8–10)
“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Yudhiṣṭhira:] I will gradually take away the wealth of one whom I favor. Then, [when he is] devoid of wealth and troubled by troubles [one after another], his relatives reject him. When he will [in this way] become unsuccessful in his endeavors and disinterested in the pursuit of wealth, then, once he has formed friendships with those devoted to me, I will bestow my favor upon him. Then, after realizing in essence the Supreme Brahman [i.e., me], subtle, purely conscious, eternal, and endless, and becoming steadfast, one is fully liberated from saṁsāra. Thus [i.e., because of how I in this way favor my bhaktas by depriving them of worldly wealth and enjoyment], a person leaves me, who am most difficult to worship [because of how I favor my bhaktas], and worships others [i.e., other devatās, such as Bhagavān Śiva, who do not favor their bhaktas in this manner that I do].”
sunūpurā-rañjita-pāda-padma-
kṣarat-sudhā-bhṛtya-sukha-pradāya |
vicitra-ratnaugha-vibhūṣitāya
premānam evādya harau videhi ||
(Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.8.17)
“[Obeisance] Unto you who a bestower joy
Upon the servitors of your nectar exuding lotus feet
Which are illumined by fine ankle bells,
Unto you who are adorned with a multitude of variegated jewels.
May you now bestow [upon me] only prema for Hari.
vṛndāvanāvani-pate jaya soma soma-
maule sanandana-sanātana-nāradeḍya |
gopīśvara vraja-vilāsa-yugāṅghri-padme
prītiṁ prayaccha nitarāṁ nirupādhikam me ||
(Saṅkalpa-kalpadruma: 103)
“O protector of the land of Vṛndāvana! Glory to you! O husband of Umā! O you whose crown is the moon! O you are worshipped by Sananda, Sanātana, and Nārada! O guardian of the gopīs! Please bestow upon me firm, unconditional prīti for the lotus feet of the Playful Couple of Vraja.”
dhyāyen nityaṁ maheśaṁ rajata-giri-nibhaṁ cāru-candrāvataṁsaṁ
ratnākalpojjvalāṅgaṁ paraśu-mṛga-varābhīti-hastaṁ prasannam |
padmāsīnaṁ samantāt stutam amara-gaṇair vyāghra-kṛtiṁ vasānaṁ
viśvādyaṁ viśva-bījaṁ nikhila-bhaya-haraṁ pañca-vaktraṁ trinetram ||
(Śiva Purāṇa: 1.20.52)
“Meditate always upon Maheśa (Śiva),
Resembling a silver mountain,
Beautifully crowned by the moon,
Body shining like a jewel,
An axe, a deer, [and the mudras of] blessing and fearlessness in his hands,
Satisfied,
Seated in lotus [posture],
Praised by immortals on all sides,
Wearing a garment made of tiger-skin,
The foremost being in the universe,
The cause of the universe,
The dispeller of all fear,
Of five faces and three eyes.”
śrī-rāma govinda mukunda śaure
śrī-kṛṣṇa nārāyaṇa vāsudeva |
ity ādi-nāmāmṛta-pāna-matta-
bhṛṅgādhipāyākhila-duḥkha-hantre ||
śrī-nāradādyaiḥ satataṁ sugopya-
jijñāsitāyāśu vara-pradāya |
tebhyo harer bhakti-sukha-pradāya
śivāya sarva-gurave namo namaḥ ||
śrī-gaurī-netrosava-maṅgalāya
tat-prāṇa-nāthāya rasa-pradāya |
sadā samutkaṇṭha-govinda-līlā-
gāna-praviṇāya namo’stu tubhyam ||
(Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.8.18–20)
“‘O Śrī Rāma, O Govinda, O Mukunda, O Śauri,
O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, O Nārāyaṇa, O Vāsudeva!’
Unto you who are the king of the bees
Maddened by drinking
The nectar of such names [of Hari],
You who are a destroyer of all suffering,
You who are always inquired from by Śrī Nārada and others
About that which is most confidential,
You who are a quick bestower of boons,
You who are a bestower of the joy of bhakti to Hari,
[Unto you,] Śiva,
You who are the guru of all—
Obeisance and obeisance.
Let obeisance
Be ever unto you,
You who are the auspiciousness of a festival
For the eyes of Śrī Gaurī,
You who are the lord of her life-breath,
You who are a bestower of rasa,
You who are adept in singing
Of the līlās of Govinda with intense longing.
liṅga‑yony‑ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī prajāḥ ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.9)
“These begotten offspring, constituted of liṅga and yoni [i.e., produced by the union of Śiva and his śakti] are [called] māheśvarī [i.e., they belong to Maheśvara (Śiva), that is, the aṁśa of Viṣṇu known as Śambhu].”
gurv-īśvarayor maheśvarayoś cābhedāpadeśe’pīttham eva taiḥ śuddha-bhaktair matam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.30.38)
“The non-difference between guru and Īśvara, and between the two maheśvaras [i.e., Śiva and Bhagavān], even when pointed out in this way [i.e., even when non-difference between Śiva and Bhagavān is pointed out by a description (in SB 4.30.28) of Śiva’s being Bhagavān’s dear friend], is accepted by pure bhaktas.”
