Bhāgavata Sandarbha

na tasya kaścit patir asti loke

na tasya kaścit patir asti loke
na ceśitā naiva ca tasya liṅgam |
sa kāraṇaṁ karaṇādhipādhipo
na cāsya kaścij janitā na cādhipaḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 6.227.22-23; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 178)

“Neither is anyone his ruler in this world, nor [is anyone his] controller, nor indeed does he have an indicator [i.e., a indicative sign by which his existence can be proven by inference]. He is the Cause [of everything] and the Ruler of the ruler of the means of action [i.e., the Ruler of the jīva, who is the ruler of the senses in their bodies]. Neither is anyone his progenitor, nor [his] Ruler.”

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a-kāraś cāpy u-kāraś ca ma-kāraś ca tataḥ param

a-kāraś cāpy u-kāraś ca ma-kāraś ca tataḥ param |
veda-trayātmakaṁ proktaṁ praṇavaṁ brahmaṇaḥ padam ||
a-kāreṇocyate viṣṇuḥ śrīr u-kāreṇa cocyate |
ma-kāras tu tayor dāsaḥ pañcaviṁśaḥ prakīrtitaḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 6.227.22-23; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 178)

“The letter a along with the letter u and the letter m after that—praṇava [i.e., the word Aum]—is declared to be the basis of the three Vedas and the word for [alt., dwelling place] of Brahman. Viṣṇu is referred to by the letter a, and Śrī is referred to by the letter u. The servant of the two [i.e., of Viṣṇu and Śrī], the twenty-fifth [element in the universe, viz., the jīva], is declared to indeed be the letter m.”

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ye vai bhagavatā proktā

ye vai bhagavatā proktā upāyā hy ātma-labdhaye |
añjaḥ puṁsām aviduṣāṁ viddhi bhāgavatān hi tān ||
yān āsthāya naro rājan na pramādyeta karhicit |
dhāvan nimīlya vā netre na skhalen na pated iha ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.34–35; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.497, 524; Bhakti Sandarbha: 125, 216, 218; Mādhurya-kādambinī: 3.3)

“Know to be Bhāgavatas [i.e., Bhāgavata-dharmas—limbs of bhakti to Bhagavān] those well known means of realization (1) which are stated by Bhagavān for unlearned persons for the sake of [their] easy attainment of the Self (Ātmā) and (2) by taking shelter in which a human being, O King, shall never be hindered. [Even by] Running or keeping the eyes closed, one shall not stumble and shall not fall here.”

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hlādinī sandhinī saṁvit tvayy ekā sarva-saṁśraye

hlādinī sandhinī saṁvit tvayy ekā sarva-saṁśraye |
hlāda-tāpa-karī miśrā tvayi no guṇa-varjite ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa: 1.2.69; cited in Bhagavat Sandarbha: 7, 99; Prīti Sandarbha: 65; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha 165; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.4.63, 2.6.157, 2.8.155)

“The one [potency, viz., the svarūpa-śakti] constituted of hlādinī, sandhinī, and saṁvit exists only in you, the Support of everything. That [other potency, viz., the māyā-śakti] which is a cause of delight and suffering, and a mixture [of the two], does not exist in you, who are free from the [three] guṇas.”

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kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyaṁ veda-saṁjñitā

kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyaṁ veda-saṁjñitā |
mayādau brahmaṇe proktā dharmo yasyāṁ mad-ātmakaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.3; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 76)

“[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] This speech known as the Veda [which is] lost because of time [and] in the dissolution [of the universe] in which dharma based of me is present was dictated to Brahmā by me at the beginning [of the universe’s emanation following its prior dissolution].”

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bhakti-yogaḥ puraivoktaḥ prīyamāṇāya te’nagha

bhakti-yogaḥ puraivoktaḥ prīyamāṇāya te’nagha |
punaś ca kathayiṣyāmi mad-bhakteḥ kāraṇaṁ param ||
śraddhāmṛta-kathāyāṁ me śaśvan mad-anukīrtanam |
pariniṣṭhā ca pūjāyāṁ stutibhiḥ stavanaṁ mama ||
ādaraḥ paricaryāyāṁ sarvāṅgair abhivandanam |
mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā sarva-bhūteṣu man-matiḥ ||
mad-artheṣv aṅga-ceṣṭā ca vacasā mad-guṇeraṇam |
mayy arpaṇaṁ ca manasaḥ sarva-kāma-vivarjanam ||
mad-arthe’rtha-parityāgo bhogasya ca sukhasya ca |
iṣṭaṁ dattaṁ hutaṁ japtaṁ mad-arthaṁ yad vrataṁ tapaḥ ||
evaṁ dharmair manuṣyāṇām uddhavātma-nivedinām |
mayi sañjāyate bhaktiḥ ko’nyo’rtho’syāvaśiṣyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.19.19–24; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.514-517, 526; Bhakti Sandarbha: 228)

“The practice (yoga) of bhakti was indeed explained previously [to you by me]. O sinless one, for you who are finding pleasure [in that], I will describe again the best means of bhakti to me. Continuous śraddhā in the nectar of narration of me, recapitulating related to me, full fixity in ritual worship of me, praising [me] with hymns, attentive regard for adoring service [to me], offering respectful obeisance [to me] with all the limbs, exceeding worship of my bhakta, awareness of me in all entities, body-activity for purposes related to me, speaking of my qualities with the [faculty] of speech, offering of the mind to me, letting go of all desires, relinquishment of wealth, as well as of enjoyment and of pleasure, for my sake, and sacrifice, charity, oblations, utterance (japa), rites, and austerity which are for my sake—by means of such dharmas, O Uddhava, bhakti to me is manifested in full for human beings who are offerers of themselves [to me]. What other object remains for one [i.e., for such a bhakta]?”

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yat-pāda-paṁśur bahu-janma-kṛcchrato

yat-pāda-paṁśur bahu-janma-kṛcchrato
dhṛtātmabhir yogibhir apy alabhyaḥ |
sa eva yad-dṛg-viṣayaḥ svayaṁ sthitaḥ
kiṁ varṇyate diṣṭam aho vrajaukasām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.12.12; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.7.122; Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 100)

“Aho! How can the fortune be described of these residents of Vraja, the sole object of whose vision present directly [before them] is he the dust of whose feet is unattainable even by yogīs who have painstakingly controlled their minds for many births?”

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patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati |
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 9.26)

[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] “One who with bhakti offers a leaf, flower, fruit, or water to me—I partake of that offered out of bhakti from one of pure heart.”

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eṣa ca sthāyī sākṣād-upabhogātmakas tad-anumodanātmakaś ceti dvividhaḥ

eṣa ca sthāyī sākṣād-upabhogātmakas tad-anumodanātmakaś ceti dvividhaḥ | pūrvaḥ sākṣān nāyikānām, uttaraḥ sakhīnām | ubhaya-vyapadeśānām ubhāv api | tatropabhogātmakaḥ sa sāmānyato yathā—‘kṛṣṇaṁ nirīkṣya vanitotsava-rūpa-śīlam’ iti | spaṣṭam | sa eva punaḥ sambhogecchā-nidānaḥ sairindhry-ādau, yathā ‘sahoṣyatām iha preṣṭha’ ity ādi | spaṣṭam | kvacid bhedita-sambhogecchaḥ paṭṭa-mahiṣīṣu, yathā—‘smāyāvaloka-lava-darśita’ ity ādiṣu | svarūpābhinna-sambhogecchaḥ śrī-vraja-devīṣu, yathā—‘yat te sujāta-caraṇāmbu-ruhaṁ’ ity ādiṣu | āsāṁ caiṣa svābhāvika eva | ata eva sva-parityāga-jāterṣayā doṣaṁ kalpayitvāpi tat-parityāgāsāmarthyoktiḥ yathā ‘mṛgayur iva kapīndram’ ity ādau, ‘dustyajas tat-kathārthaḥ’ iti | eṣa cāsu bahu-bhedo vartate | ekatra bhāve khalu mithunasya mitha ādara-viśeṣaḥ | tatra preyasīnāṁ tvadīyatvābhimānātiśayena kāntaṁ prati pāratantrya-vinaya-stuti-dākṣiṇya-prācuryam | anyatra madīyatvātiśayaḥ, yatra paratantra-kāntatayāntar-marmajñatā-narma-kauṭilyābhāsa-prācuryam | etad yugalasya ca bhedasya bahv-aṁśa-svalpāṁśa-tat-sāṅkarya-bhedenāparāsu ca bahu-vidham iti |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 365–367)
“This sthāyī [-bhāva], furthermore, is of two types: that of the nature of direct enjoyment [with the Beloved] (sākṣad-upabhogātmaka) and that of the nature of sympathetic delight therewith [i.e., that which delights in the direct enjoyment of another with the Beloved] (tad-anumodātmaka). The former [type of kāntā-bhāva] is that of the direct nāyikās [i.e., those who engage in enjoyment directly with the Beloved], and the latter [type of kāntā-bhāva] is that of sakhīs [i.e., the friends of a particular nāyikā]. Those of both designations also have both [i.e., those who are possessed of kānta-bhāva of both types are recognized to be both direct nāyikās and sakhīs]. In this regard, that [type] which is of the nature of [direct] enjoyment (upabhogātmaka) is in general as [described] in [SB 10.21.12], ‘Beholding Kṛṣṇa, he whose figure and character are a festival for women, and hearing the wondrous flute songs played by him, the devīs [i.e., the wives of the devas] traveling [above] in airplanes became dispossessed of composure by Smara [i.e., Kāma] and bewildered as the flowers fell from their braids and their waistbands came loose.’ [The meaning is] Clear. ||365||
“In the case of Sairindhrī [i.e., Kubjā] and others, that itself [i.e., the type of kānta-bhāva that is of the nature of direct enjoyment (sākṣād-upabhogātmaka)], furthermore, is that the prime cause of which is desire for union (sambhoga), as [described in SB 10.48.9], ‘O Beloved, please stay here for some days with me and enjoy. I cannot bear to give up your company, O Lotus-eyed One!’ [The meaning is] Clear. ||366||
“In the case of the city queens [in Dvārakā], [kānta-bhāva that is of the nature of direct enjoyment (sākṣād-upabhogātmaka) is] sometimes that within which desire for union (sambhoga) is separated, as [described] in [SB 10.61.4], ‘These sixteen thousand wives, however, were unable to agitate whose sense [i.e., Kṛṣṇa’s mind] by means of Anaṅga’s [i.e., Kāma’s] arrows highly proficient in romance mantras shot from the captivating arches of the eyebrows with their intent (bhāva) shown by momentary, mildly smiling glances.’
“In the case of the blessed devīs of Vraja, [kānta-bhāva that is of the nature of direct enjoyment (sākṣād-upabhogātmaka) is] that within which the desire for union is non-different from its essential nature, as [is described] in [SB 10.31.19], ‘O Beloved! Fearful, we gently hold your tender lotus feet on our hard breasts. You roam with them throughout the forest. Have they not been cut by pebbles and so forth? Our hearts tremble. You are our very life.’ For them [i.e., the Vraja-devīs], furthermore, this [type of kānta-bhāva] is verily natural. Thus, there is an expression [by them to Uddhava in SB 10.47.17 of their] of inability in regard to leaving him [viz., Kṛṣṇa] even after ascribing fault [to him] out of spite arising from [his] leaving themselves [when he went to Mathurā]: ‘Therefore, enough with the the friendly relations of this black fellow who [as Rāma], being covetous, like a hunter shot the king of the monkeys [viz., Vālī], [who also as Rāma], being influenced by a woman [viz., Sītā], disfigured a woman whose drive was lust [viz., Śūrpaṇakhā], and [who as Vāmana], after taking an offering (balim) [from Bali], like a crow cast down even Bali [himself]. The wealth of discussion of him [however] is difficult to give up.’
“This [i.e., kānta-bhāva that is of the nature of direct enjoyment (sākṣād-upabhogātmaka)], furthermore, is of many varieties in them [i.e., in the Vraja-devīs]. In one [such] bhāva, the couple [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the nāyikā endowed with such bhāva] has a special form of mutual adoration. Therein, the lovers have an abundance of obedience, demureness, laudation, and courtesy in regard to the beloved on account of a predominance of a sense of self (abhimāna) of ‘being yours’ (tvadīyatva) [in regard to the beloved]. Elsewhere [i.e., in another type of kānta-bhāva that is of the nature of direct enjoyment (sākṣād-upabhogātmaka)], there is a predominance [in the lover] of [a sense of self (abhimāna) of] ‘being mine’ (madīyatva) [in regard to the beloved, i.e., the nāyika has the sense that Śrī Kṛṣṇa belongs to her] wherein there is an abundance of awareness of [the] inner intent [of the beloved], joking, and the semblance of crookedness on account of the beloved’s being obedient [to the lover]. There are also many [sub-] types of this pair of varieties [of bhāvas, viz., those of ‘being yours’ (tvadīyatva) and ‘being mine’ (madīyatva)] in others in accord with variation in the mixture of these [two types of kānta-bhāva, viz., again those of ‘being yours’ (tvadīyatva) and ‘being mine’ (madīyatva)] in [respective] greater proportion or lesser proportion.”

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śvapākam iva nekṣeta loke vipram avaiṣṇavam

śvapākam iva nekṣeta loke vipram avaiṣṇavam |
vaiṣṇavo varṇa-bāhyo’pi punāti bhuvana-trayam ||
na śūdrā bhagavad-bhaktās te tu bhāgavatā matāḥ |
sarva-varṇeṣu te śūdrā ye na bhaktā janārdane ||
(Padma Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.164–165; Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.455; Bhakti Sandarbha: 247)
“Like a dog-cooker [is not to be looked at], one should not look at a non-Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa in this world. Even a Vaiṣṇava outside the varṇas [i.e., who does not belong to any of the four varṇas] purifies the three worlds. Bhaktas of Bhagavān are not śūdras. Rather, they are accepted as Bhāgavatas [i.e., to belong to Śrī Bhagavān and not to any caste]. Among all the varṇas, they are śūdras who are not bhaktas of Janārdana.”

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