na hy acyutaṁ prīṇayato bahv-āyāso’surātmajāḥ |
ātmatvāt sarva-bhūtānāṁ siddhatvād iha sarvataḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.6.19)
“[Prahlāda Mahārāja:] O sons of asuras! On account of [his] being the Self of all beings and [his] being present everywhere here [in this world], there is certainly no huge endeavor [required] for the sake of pleasing Acyuta.”
bhagavad-bhakti-rasikā namasyā mādṛśāṁ sadā ||
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇāmbhojārpitātmāno hi ye kila |
tad-eka-prema-lābhāśā tyaktārtha-jana-jīvanāḥ ||
aihikāmuṣmikāśeṣa-sādhya-sādhana-nispṛhāḥ |
jāti-varṇāśramācāra-dharmādhīnatva-pāragāḥ ||
ṛṇa-trayād anirmuktā veda-mārgātigā api |
hari-bhakti-balāvegād akutaścid-bhayāḥ sadā ||
nānyat kim api vāñchanti tad-bhakti-rasa-lampaṭāḥ |
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ ||
bhagavān iva satyaṁ me ta eva parama-priyāḥ |
parama-prārthanīyaś ca mama taiḥ saṅgamaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.3.54–59)
“[Parīkṣit Mahārāja to Nārada Ṛṣi:] Bhagavad-bhakti-rasikas are always to be offered obeisance to for those such as myself. Of self offered to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; of desire for excellent prema thereto; having relinquished wealth, people [i.e., relatives and others], and livelihood; desireless of all objects to be attained and [all] means of attainment [of those objects] existent in this life and the next; having crossed beyond subjection to the conduct (ācāra) and duties (dhama) of class, varṇa, and āśrama; being ever free from fear from anywhere by virtue of the driving force of the power of bhakti to Hari even though [they are] not fully liberated from the three debts [to the devas, sages, and ancestors] and transgressors of the path of the Vedas, they, who are filled with hankering for bhakti-rasa, desire nothing else whatsoever, and are seers of the same object amid Svarga, liberation, and even Naraka, truly are supremely dear to me just as Bhagavān is, and association with them is the supreme object to be prayed for by me.”
bhuktiṁ muktiṁ harir dadyād arcito’nyatra sevinām |
bhaktiṁ tu na dadāty eva yato vaśyakarī hareḥ ||
sā tv añjasā harer bhaktir labhyate kārttike naraiḥ |
mathurāyāṁ sakṛd api śrī-dāmodara-sevanāt ||
(Padma Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.222–223)
“Hari shall bestow enjoyment (bhukti) or liberation (mukti) upon his servants when worshipped elsewhere [i.e., outside of Mathurā], but he does not bestow bhakti [upon them] because it is captivating of Hari. That bhakti to Hari, however, is easily attained by people as a result of service to Śrī Dāmodara even once in Mathurā during Kārtika.”
mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha |
catvāro jajñire varṇā guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak ||
ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram |
na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.5.2; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 64, 97, 111, 115, 148)
“The four separate varṇas, brāhmaṇa and so forth, are born from the face, arms, thighs, and feet of the Puruṣa by means of the guṇas along with the [four] āśramas. Those [persons] among these [varṇas and āśramas] who do not worship and [thus] disrespect the Puruṣa himself, the Source of the self, Īśvara, become deviated from their position and fall down.”
yeṣāṁ kṛpā-lavaṁ prāpya rasābdhir durgamo mayā |
spṛṣṭaḥ kṣudra-mater me’pi te śrī-rūpa-gaṇā gatiḥ ||
(Artha-ratnālpa-dīpikā on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 4.9.44)
“The followers of Śrī Rūpa,
As a result of receiving a particle of whose grace
The difficult to reach ocean of rasa
Has been touched by me—
May they be the refuge
Even of I of petty mind.”
śrī-rūpeṇa prabala-karunā-śālinā darśitaṁ yan
mādṛṅ-mugdha-prakṛti-janatā-śreyase rāga-vartma |
tasmin yeṣāṁ ratir atitarāṁ vartate sāra-bhājāṁ
teṣāṁ pādāmbuja-natimatī koṭiśas syāj janir me ||
(Svātma-pramodinī-ṭīkā on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 15.260)
“May I receive crores of births
Filled with obeisances unto the lotus feet
Of those graspers of essence
Who have profound loving attachment (rati)
To the path of rāga
Shown for the sake of the highest benefit
Of the populace of erring temperament like myself
By the profoundly compassionate Śrī Rūpa.”
na hi para-mata-khaṇḍanāya vādair
na ca nija-mata-saṅgrahāya loke |
api tu nija-mano’valambanārthaṁ
param iha kila naḥ prayatna eṣaḥ ||
(Svātma-pramodinī-ṭīkā on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 15.260)
“Neither for the sake of refuting the views of others with disputation, nor for the sake of consolidation of our own view in the world, this effort here of ours [i.e., this Svātma-pramodinī-ṭīkā, meaning, this commentary entitled ‘Delighting (pramodinī) one’s own (sva) self (ātma)’ on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi] is only for the sake of support for our own mind [i.e., it has been written only for the purpose of supporting our own personal practice of absorbing the mind in worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa].”
tapasvino dāna-parā yaśasvino
manasvino mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ |
kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.4.17; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 115; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.20)
“‘Obeisance and obeisance unto he of most auspicious glory without offering to whom the ascetics, the charitable, the renowned, the meditators, the knowers of mantras, and the well-conducted attain no weal.’
atra pūrvaṁ sandarbha-catuṣṭayena sambandho vyākhyātaḥ | tatra pūrṇa-sanātana-paramānanda-lakṣaṇa-para-tattva-rūpaṁ sambandhi ca brahma paramātmā bhagavān iti tridhāvirbhāvatayā śabditam iti nirūpitam | tatra ca bhagavattvenaivāvirbhāvasya paramotkarṣaḥ pratipāditaḥ | prasaṅgena viṣṇv-ādyāś catuḥ-sanādyāś ca tad-avatārā darśitāḥ | sa ca bhagavān svayaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇa eveti nirdhāritam |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 1)
“Here [i.e., in this Bhāgavata Sandarbha], previously, the sambandha [i.e., the relation of the referrer, viz., the text, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, with its referent, the subject of the text] has been explained in [the first] four sandarbhas. Therein, the sambandhin [i.e., the sambandhi-tattva, the bearer of a relation with the text] in form the Para-tattva, who is classified as complete, eternal, paramount bliss, was referred to as per his threefold manifestations of Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān, and thus ascertained. Further therein, the supreme excellence of his manifestation as Bhagavān was established and concomitantly his avatāras beginning with Viṣṇu and the four Kumāras were shown. Also, that he, Bhagavān himself (svayam), is Śrī Kṛṣṇa was determined.”
tad evaṁ sandarbha-catuṣṭayena sambandho vyākhyātaḥ | tasminn api sambandhe śrī-rādhā-mādhava-rūpeṇaiva prādurbhāvas tasya sambandhinaḥ paramaḥ prakarṣaḥ | etad-artham eva vyatāniṣamimāḥ sarvā api paripāṭīr iti pūrṇaḥ sambandhaḥ |
(Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 189)
“Thus, in this way, the sambandha [i.e., the relation of the referrer, viz., the text, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, with its referent, the subject of the text] has been explained in [the first] four sandarbhas. Furthermore, in this sambandha, the supreme excellence of its sambandhi [i.e., its referent, lit., the bearer of a relation with the text, viz., the sambandhi-tattva] is specifically the manifestation with the form of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava [i.e., among all the manifestations of the Para-tattva, which is the subject (viṣaya) taught in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the manifestation of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava is supreme]. Only for this purpose [i.e., to establish this conclusion] all these methods [i.e., all the various means employed to establish this conclusion] were presented. Thus, [the discussion of] the sambandha is complete.”
