sarvasvenāpi viprendra kartavyaḥ śāstra-saṅgrahaḥ |
vaiṣṇavais tu mahā-bhaktyā tuṣṭy-arthaṁ cakra-pāṇinaḥ ||
(Skanda Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.370)
“O best of brāhmaṇas, for the satisfaction of Bhagavān, collecting śāstras, even with the whole of one’s wealth, is to be done by Vaiṣṇavas with great bhakti.”
devānāṁ guṇa-liṅgānām ānuśravika-karmaṇām |
sattva evaika-manaso vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā ||
animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.25.32; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.614; Prīti Sandarbha: 61)
“The vṛtti [i.e., engagement] solely in relation to Sattva [i.e., Bhagavān], which is natural [i.e., not effected by force] and causeless [i.e., free from extraneous desire], of the illuminators [i.e., the senses], which make known their objects and whose actions are directed by the Veda, of one of singular [i.e., one-pointed] mind is [known as] bhakti related to Bhagavān, and [is] superior to siddhi [i.e., mokṣa].”
pañcāṅgopāsanaṁ bhaktaiḥ puraścaraṇam ucyate |
pūjā traikālikī nityaṁ japas tarpaṇam eva ca |
homo brāhmaṇa-bhuktiś ca puraścaraṇam ucyate ||
guror labdhasya mantrasya prasādena yathāvidhi |
pañcāṅgopāsanaṁ siddhyai puraś caitad vidhīyate ||
niṣkāmāṇām anenaiva sākṣātkāro bhaviṣyati |
(Agastya-saṁhitā; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 17.9, 11–13)
“Worship (upāsana) [consisting] of five parts [performed] by bhaktas is called puraścaraṇa. … Daily (1) adoration (pūjā) three times a day, (2) [daily] japa, (3) [daily] oblations (tarpaṇa), (4) [daily] fire sacrifice (homa), and (5) [daily] feeding of brāhmaṇas is called puraścaraṇa. For the purpose of sanctification (siddhi) of the mantra received by the grace of guru [at the time of dīkṣā], this worship (upāsana) [consisting] of five parts is performed beforehand according to rule [i.e., because performance (caraṇa) of this upāsanā containing five parts is done before (puras) receiving one’s desired mantra by the grace of one’s guru at the time of dīkṣā, it is called puraścaraṇa (lit., ‘that which is performed before’).] Those free from [extraneous] desire (niṣkāma) will have direct perception (sākṣātkāra) [of their mantra’s Iṣṭa-devatā] only by this [i.e, only if they properly perform puraścaraṇa].”
na yasya janma-karmabhyāṁ na varṇāśrama-jātibhiḥ |
sajjate’sminn aham-bhāvo dehe vai sa hareḥ priyaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.51; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.28)
“One whose sense of ‘I’ does not adhere to this body along with [its] birth [i.e., nobility] and karma [i.e., performance of austerities, japa, meditation, etc.], or [its] varṇa [e.g., being a brāhmaṇa], āśrama [e.g., being a brahmacārī], and jāti [e.g., being born to a particular set of parents, in a particular country, in a particular region, etc.], is dear to Hari.”
bhajanti ye yathā devān devā api tathaiva tān |
chāyeva karma-sacivāḥ sādhavo dīna-vatsalāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.6; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.209; Bhakti Sandarbha: 183)
“As they [i.e., living beings] honor the devas, so too the devas, ministers of karma, honor them like a shadow [i.e., the devas merely reciprocate the worship they receive from livings beings in a fixed corresponding manner]. The sādhus [on the contrary] are affectionate to the distressed [i.e., the sādhus can favor living beings independent of one’s karmic circumstances].”
bhūtānāṁ deva-caritaṁ duḥkhāya ca sukhāya ca |
sukhāyaiva hi sādhūnāṁ tvādṛśām acyutātmanām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.5; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.208)
“[Vasudeva to Nārada Ṛṣi:] The actions of the devas lead to both suffering and happiness for living beings, while those of sādhus like you, whose hearts are fixed on Acyuta, lead only to happiness.”
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā |
tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho ratir ātman yato bhavet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.34; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.567; Bhakti Sandarbha: 7, 29, 94)
“After thrice one-pointedly deliberating over the entirety of the Veda (Brahma), Bhagavān [i.e., Brahmā] determined with his discernment that because of which rati for the Ātmā [i.e., Śrī Hari] can come about.”
na hy ato’nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā viśataḥ saṁsṛtāv iha |
vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogo yato bhavet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.33; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.566; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 85; Bhakti Sandarbha 28, 86, 115)
“For someone immersed here in saṁsāra, there is certainly no other auspicious path than that by which bhakti-yoga to Bhagavān Vāsudeva can come into being.”
durlabho mānuṣo deho dehināṁ kṣaṇa-bhaṅguraḥ |
tatrāpi durlabhaṁ manye vaikuṇṭha-priya-darśanam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.29; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.289)
“Precious is the human body, [although] perishable within a moment, for bearers of bodies [i.e., jīvas subject to saṁsāra], and I consider even more precious the darśana of those who are dear to Vaikuṇṭha [i.e., Bhagavān, alt., those to whom Vaikuṇṭha is dear].”
gṛhīta-viṣṇu-dīkṣāko viṣṇu-pūjā-paro naraḥ |
vaiṣṇavo’bhihito’bhijñair itaro’smād avaiṣṇavaḥ ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.55)
“A person who has accepted Viṣṇu-dīkṣā [i.e., initiation into a Viṣṇu-mantra] and engages in worship of Viṣṇu is known as a Vaiṣṇava by the wise. One other than him is a non-Vaiṣṇava.”
