Solitariness

aho imaṁ paśyata me vināśaṁ

aho imaṁ paśyata me vināśaṁ
tapasvinaḥ sac-carita-vratasya |
antarjale vāri-cara-prasaṅgāt
pracyāvitaṁ brahma ciraṁ dhṛtaṁ yat ||
saṅgaṁ tyajeta mithuna-vratīnāṁ mumukṣuḥ
sarvātmanā na visṛjed bahir-indriyāṇi |
ekaś caran rahasi cittam ananta īśe
yuñjīta tad-vratiṣu sādhuṣu cet prasaṅgaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.6.50–51)

“Aho! See this ruination of mine, an ascetic avowed to the conduct of the sat [situated] underwater, wherein [my] long-sustained austerity was lost because of [observance of] the intercourse of fish. A seeker of mukti should completely forsake the association of those avowed to matrimony [alt., those who engage in sexual intercourse] and should not cast forth the external senses. Dwelling alone in seclusion, one should fix the mind upon the Infinite, Īśa, and upon the sādhus devoted to him if ideal association [with such sādhus] should come about.”

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gaura-prabhoḥ prema-vilāsa-bhūmau

gaura-prabhoḥ prema-vilāsa-bhūmau
niṣkiñcano bhaktivinoda-nāma |
ko’pi sthito bhakti-kuṭīra-koṣṭhe
smṛtvāniśaṁ nāma-guṇaṁ murāreḥ ||
(Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura; a verse of his own engraved in the wall of his “Bhakti-kuṭī” in Śrī Purī Dhāma)

“In the land of the prema-līlā of Gaura Prabhu,
Some possessionless person (niṣkiñcana) named Bhaktivinoda
Is situated in the inner room of this ‘Bhakti-cottage’ (kuṭī),
Continuously remembering
The names and qualities of Murarī.”

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sei veṣa kaila ebe vṛndāvana giyā

sei veṣa kaila ebe vṛndāvana giyā |
kṛṣṇa-niṣevaṇa kari nibhṛte vasiyā ||
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.3.9)

“I have accepted that garb [i.e., the garb of a sannyāsī]. Now, going to Vṛndāvana, I shall perform worship of Kṛṣṇa, sitting in seclusion.”

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varaṁ na rājyaṁ na kurāja-rājyaṁ

varaṁ na rājyaṁ na kurāja-rājyaṁ
varaṁ na mitraṁ na kumitra-mitram |
varaṁ na śiṣyo na kuśiṣya-śiṣyo
varaṁ na dārā na kudāra-dāraḥ ||
(Cāṇakya-nīti-darpaṇa: 6.13)

“Better no kingdom than a kingdom with a bad king. Better no friend than a friend who is a bad friend. Better no disciple than a disciple who is a bad disciple. Better no wife than a wife who is a bad wife.”

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ekaḥ prajāyate jantur eka eva pralīyate

ekaḥ prajāyate jantur eka eva pralīyate |
eko’nubhuṅkte sukṛtam eka eva ca duṣkṛtam ||
(Manu Saṁhitā: 4.240)

“A living being is born alone, indeed dies alone, and experiences the results of good deeds alone and indeed the results of bad deeds alone.”

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vāse bahūnāṁ kalaho bhaved vārtā dvayor api

vāse bahūnāṁ kalaho bhaved vārtā dvayor api |
eka eva vaset tasmāt kumāryā iva kaṅkaṇaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.9.10)

“There will be quarrel in a residence of many, and chatter even among two [who reside together]. Therefore, reside alone, like the bracelet of the young girl.”

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tad vai tasya priya-krīḍā-vana-bhūmau sadā rahaḥ

tad vai tasya priya-krīḍā-vana-bhūmau sadā rahaḥ |
nivasaṁs tanuyād evaṁ sampadyetācirād dhruvam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.220)

“Always residing in seclusion in the land of his dear play forests, one should develop that [i.e., prema]. In this way, it certainly and without delay becomes manifest.”

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