viṣṇu-bhaktam athāyātaṁ yo dṛṣṭvā sumukhaḥ priyaḥ |
praṇāmādi karoty eva vāsudeve yathā tathā |
sa vai bhakta iti jñeyaḥ sa punāti jagat trayam ||
(Liṅga Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.34)
“One who upon seeing a Viṣṇu-bhakta coming pleasingly with a bright face offers obeisance and so forth, as is done for Vāsudeva, certainly should be considered a bhakta. He purifies the three worlds.”
bhojanācchādanaṁ sarvaṁ yathā-śaktyā karoti yaḥ |
viṣṇu-bhaktasya satataṁ sa vai bhāgavataḥ smṛtaḥ ||
(Liṅga Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.36)
“One who according to one’s ability continuously provides all of a Viṣṇu-bhakta’s food and clothing is known to be a Bhāgavata.”
siddhir bhavati vā neti saṁśayo‘cyuta sevinām |
niḥsaṁśayas tu tad-bhakta-paricaryā-ratātmanām ||
(Varāha Purāṇa; cited in Caitanya-bhāgavata: 3.3.486, 3.6.97)
“Doubt may remain as to whether those who serve [only] Acyuta will attain perfection, but there is no doubt [that perfection will be attained] for those who have dedicated themselves to the service of his bhaktas.”
ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ |
mad-bhaktānāñ ca ye bhaktās te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ
(Ādi Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.133; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.218; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.11.28)
“O Arjuna, those persons who are bhaktas of me [i.e., who are focused only on me and neglect my bhaktas]—those persons are not my bhaktas [i.e., they are not my bhaktas in the full and proper sense]. Those who are bhaktas of my bhaktas are considered my best bhaktas [i.e., I consider those who have bhakti both for me and for my bhaktas to truly be my bhaktas].“
tāḍanaṁ bhartsanaṁ kāmī bhogyatvena yathā striyaḥ |
gṛhṇāti vaiṣṇavānāṁ ca tat-tad-grāhyaṁ tathā budhaiḥ ||
(Sanat-kumāra-saṁhitā: 112)
“As a debauchee considers slapping and threatening from a woman enjoyable, so the wise accept what has to be accepted from the Vaiṣṇavas [even if it be chastisement, etc.].”
rukṣākṣarā giraḥ śṛṇvan tathā bhāgavateritāḥ |
praṇāma-pūrvakaṁ kṣāntvā yo vaded vaiṣṇavo hi saḥ ||
(Liṅga Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.35)
“One who after hearing harsh words uttered by a Bhāgavata can tolerate that, offer obeisance, and speak [respectfully with that Bhāgavata] is certainly a Vaiṣṇava.”
duravagamātma-tattva-nigamāya tavātta-tanoś
carita-mahāmṛtābdhi-parivarta-pariśramaṇāḥ |
na parilaṣanti kecid apavargam apīśvara te
caraṇa-saroja-haṁsa-kula-saṅga-visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.21)
“O Īśvara, some [i.e., a rare few]—who have become free from suffering [alt., fatigue] by swimming in the vast ocean of the nectar of the activities of the form you have revealed to teach the difficult to understand nature of yourself, and who have given up household life by virtue of the association of the flock of swans at your lotus feet—do not desire whatsoever even liberation [i.e., let alone Svarga or the pleasures of earthly life].”
na vayaṁ kavayo na tārkikā
na ca vedānta-nitānta-pāragāḥ |
na ca vādi-nivārakāḥ paraṁ
kapaṭābhīra-kiśora-kiṅkarāḥ ||
(Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; cited in Padyāvalī: 72)
“We are neither poets, nor logicians, nor great adepts in Vedānta, nor refuters of disputants. Rather, we are servants of a crafty cowherd boy.”
yena sarvātmanā viṣṇu-bhaktyā bhāvo niveśitaḥ |
vaiṣṇaveṣu kṛtātmatvān mahābhāgavato hi saḥ ||
(Garuḍa Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.37)
“One by whom one’s being (bhāva) is completely absorbed in Viṣṇu-bhakti by virtue of being dedicated to the Vaiṣṇavas is certainly a Mahābhāgavata.”
kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma,— ataeva ‘śānta’ |
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali ‘aśānta’ ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.19.149)
“A devotee of Kṛṣṇa is free from desire and thus peaceful. Those who desire enjoyment, liberation, or supernatural power are not peaceful.”
