namaś caitanyacandrāya sva-nāmāmṛta-sevine |
yad-rūpāśrayaṇād yasya bheje bhaktim ayaṁ janaḥ ||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.1.1)
“Obeisance unto the moon Caitanya, the relisher of the nectar of his own name, by taking shelter of whose form this person received bhakti for him.”
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.”
asmākaṁ tu mataṁ tat te’nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇaḥ ity-ādi-vacanatas tathā bhakter anāyāsa-siddhatva-śravaṇāt tathā bhaktir eva bhaktim utpādayati iti nyāyāc ca śrī-bhagavat-kṛpayā tad-eka-mātrāpekṣasya sukhaṁ sampadyate |
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā: 2.2.213)
“Our view, however, is that in accord with statements such as tat te’nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇaḥ [in SB 10.14.8], because it is heard that bhakti is established without difficulty, and in accord with the principle that bhakti itself produces bhakti, the happiness [i.e., the superlative happiness of niṣṭhā in bhakti] of one who depends only on him [i.e., Bhagavān] manifests [just by] by the grace of Śrī Bhagavān [i.e., taking up any other process, such as karma or jñāna, for the sake of citta-śuddhi is unnecessary].”
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām |
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām ||
na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ |
andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
te’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ ||
naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ |
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.5.30–32)
“[Śrī Prahlāda to Hiraṇyakaśipu:] Inclination towards Kṛṣṇa cannot arise on account of another, on its own, or on account of both [i.e., on its own and on account of another] for those intent upon household life, who have entered darkness because of uncontrolled senses and whose chewing is [only] of the chewed [therein] again and again. They, of debased mind, who honor only those whose aim is in the external, certainly do not understand Viṣṇu, he who is the object to be reached [only] for those whose aim is related to the Self. They also become bound by the strong strands of Īśa’s cord like the blind being led by the blind. Their inclination, the need of which is the cessation of the insubstantial, does not touch the feet of he of great stride [i.e., Bhagavān] so long as one shall not accept a bath in the foot-dust of the divested—the great ones.”
siddhasya lakṣaṇaṁ yat syāt sādhanaṁ sādhakasya tat |
(Unknown source; cited in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta-ṭīkā 2.3.167)
“The characteristics [i.e., conduct, etc.] of a siddha [i.e., a prema-bhakta] should be the sādhana [i.e., means of attainment] of a sādhaka.”
sadācāraṁ vinā pāpena citte maline sati bhaktau pravṛttir api na syād |
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta-ṭīkā: 2.3.171)
“Without sadācāra, when the mind is contaminated by pāpa, then even inclination for bhakti cannot come about.”
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasāsvādavatāṁ kiṁ syān na sundaram ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.39)
“For those who taste the rasa of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, what shall not be beautiful?”
sa-premakā bhaktir atīva-durlabhā
svargādi-bhogaḥ sulabho’bhavaś ca saḥ |
cintāmaṇiḥ sarva-janair na labhyate
labhyeta kācādi kadāpi hāṭakam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.232)
“Bhakti endowed with prema is extremely rare to attain. Enjoyment of Svarga and so forth, and even non-birth [i.e., non-rebirth], are [relatively] easy to attain. A thought-jewel is not attained by everyone. [Rather,] Glass and so forth is attained, and sometimes gold.”
vanaṁ gṛhaṁ no’bhavad ālayo vanaṁ
dviṣat suhṛd bandhu-gaṇaś ca vairiṇaḥ |
viṣaṁ ca pīyūṣam utāmṛtaṁ viṣaṁ
yad-artham asmāt tvād ṛte mriyāmahe ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.6.292)
“[The gopīs to Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] Without you, for the sake of whom the forest has become our home and our abode the forest, our enemies well-wishers, and our friends enemies, poison ambrosia and even nectar poison, we are dying.”
nidānaṁ tu paraṁ premṇaḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-karuṇā-bharaḥ |
kasyāpy udety akasmād vā kasyacit sādhana-kramāt ||
yathodārān milaty annaṁ pākvaṁ vā pāka-sādhanam |
sādhakasyocyate śāstra-gatyāyaṁ sādhana-kramaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.215–216)
“But the primary cause of [such] prema is an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace. That manifests for some without cause and for some through a course of sādhanas, just as either cooked food or the ingredients for cooking come [to someone] from a generous person. This course of sādhanas for a sādhaka [through which an abundance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace manifests] is [now going to be] described [by me] in accord with śāstra.”
