kṛṣṇa-bhaktyaiva sādhutvaṁ sādhanaṁ paramaṁ hi sā |
tayā sādhyaṁ tad-aṅghry-abja-yugalaṁ paramaṁ phalam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.202)
“Sādhutva [i.e., the state of being sādhu] comes about only by Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, since that [i.e., Kṛṣṇa-bhakti] is the supreme sādhana, and by that the supreme goal, his two lotus feet, is attainable.”
niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya |
sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca
hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato’py asādhu ||
(Śrī Caitanyacandrodaya-nāṭaka: 8.24; cited in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.11.8)
“[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:] Hā! Hanta! Hanta! For a renunciant intent upon Bhagavad-bhajana and desirous of reaching the far shore of the ocean of material existence, associating with viṣayīs [i.e., those engrossed in material affairs] and women is even more detrimental than drinking poison.”
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumāṁś carati niḥspṛhaḥ |
nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sa śāntim adhigacchati ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 2.71)
“A person who forsakes all objects of desire and proceeds free from desire, free from attachment, and free from egotism attains peace.”
brāhmaṇānāṁ sahasrebhyaḥ satra-yājī viśiṣyate |
satra-yāji-sahasrebhyaḥ sarva-vedānta-pāragaḥ ||
sarva-vedānta-vit-koṭyāṁ viṣṇu-bhakto viśiṣyate |
vaiṣṇavānāṁ sahasrebhya ekānty eko viśiṣyate ||
ekāntinas tu puruṣā gacchanti paramaṁ padam |
(Garuḍa Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.175–176; Bhakti Sandarbha: 174)
“A performer of the satra-yāga [i.e., a difficult form of sacrifice only a highly trained brāhmaṇa can perform] is superior to thousands of brāhmaṇas. One adept in the entire Vedānta [i.e., who knows the conclusion of all the Vedas] is superior to thousands of performers of the satra-yāga. A bhakta of Viṣṇu is superior to crores of knowers of the entire Vedānta, and one who is one-pointed [in one’s bhakti to Viṣṇu] is superior to thousands of Vaiṣṇavas [who are not yet one-pointed]. One-pointed persons reach the supreme abode.”
asyānyatrātma-paryante syāt sarvatraiva mūḍhatā |
kṛṣṇa-sphūrti-viśeṣas tu na kadāpy atra līyate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.4.98)
“One’s [i.e., one who has entered the state of moha’s] stupor in regard to everything otherwise, including one’s self [i.e., body] can occur, but herein [i.e., in this state of moha, that is, stupor of the mind (hṛn-mūḍhatā), as defined previously in BRS 2.4.82] a particular manifestation (sphūrti) of Kṛṣṇa is never withdrawn.”
suptir nidrā-vibhāvā syān nānārthānubhavātmikā |
indriyoparati-śvāsa-netra-saṁmīlanādi-kṛt ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.4.176)
“Sleep (nidrā) wherein there are variegated bhāvas constituted of experience of various objects shall be [called] supti [i.e., light sleep, or, dreaming]. It is a cause of inactivity of the senses, heavy breathing, shutting the eyes, and so forth.”
yuktāsya sphūrti-mātreṇa nirviśeṣeṇa kenacit |
hṛn-mīlanāt puro’vasthā nidrā bhakteṣu kathyate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.4.176)
“The state, prior to the shutting [down] of the mind (hṛt) [i.e., the state prior to the state of an absence of external functions (bahir-vṛtty-abhāva) in the citta], endowed only with some unspecific manifestation (sphūrti) of him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] is called nidrā (sleep) in the case of bhaktas.”
sva-kṛta-pureṣv amīṣv abahir-antara-saṁvaraṇaṁ
tava puruṣaṁ vadanty akhila-śakti-dhṛto’ṁśa-kṛtam |
iti nṛ-gatiṁ vivicya kavayo nigamāvapanaṁ
bhavata upāsate’ṅghrim abhavam bhuvi viśvasitāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.20)
“They [i.e., other Śrutis] say that the puruṣa without external or internal coverings [i.e., the jīva whose nature is not covered by anything except adjuncts (upādhis) manifest by māyā] in these abodes [i.e., bodies] of your own making is an [eternally] established part of you who are the bearer of all potencies. Having in this way understood the state of a person [i.e., of the puruṣa—the jīva], the wise on the earth—the faithful—worship your feet, which are the field of the Nigamas [i.e., the source of all the śāstras, alt., the object described by all the śāstras] and the negation of material existence [i.e., the cause of the cessation of saṁsāra].”
ātmānaṁ rathitaṁ viddhi śarīraṁ ratham eva tu |
buddhiṁ tu sārathiṁ viddhi manaḥ pragraham eva ca ||
indriyāṇi hayān āhur viṣayāṁs teṣu gocarān |
ātmendriya-manoyuktaṁ bhoktety āhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.3.3–4)
“Know the self (ātmā) to be [like] the rider of a chariot and the body [to be like] a chariot. Know the intellect (buddhi) to be [like] a charioteer and the mind [to be like] reins. The wise say the senses are [like] horses and the objects of the senses (viṣayas) [are like] ranges, and [they] say the experiencer is the self united with the senses and mind [along with the body and intellect].”
gabhīro’py aśrāntaṁ duradhigama-pāro’pi nitarām
ahāryāṁ maryādāṁ dadhad api harer āspadam api |
satāṁ stomaḥ premaṇy udayati samagre sthagayituṁ
vikāraṁ na sphāraṁ jala-nidhir ivendau prabhavati ||
(Dāna-keli-kaumudī: 4; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.4.270)
“Although deep and without rest, although of unintelligible extremity and completely immoveable, although possessing limits, and although an abode of Hari, the multitude of sādhus, like the ocean, when complete prema arises, like the moon, are unable to conceal swelling and transformation.”
