yathottaraṁ munīnāṁ prāmāṇyam |
(Kaiyata, an 11th century vaiyākaraṇa; cited in Siddhānta-kaumudī on Aṣṭadhyāyī: 7.3.59)
“The authority of the sages is successive [i.e., among the three seminal sages of vyākaraṇa—Pāṇini, Kātyāyana, and Patañjali—the authority of each succeeding sage is greater than his predecessor(s), and thus Patañjali is the highest authority in all matters of Pāṇini’s vyākaraṇa].”
yatnenāpādito’py arthaḥ kuśalair anumātṛbhiḥ |
abhiyuktatarair anyair anyathaivopapādyate ||
(Vākya-padīya: 1.34; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.46)
“Even a meaning established with assiduity by expert logicians is refuted [lit., proven to be otherwise] by others more proficient [in various forms of reasoning].”
sarva-prapañcātītānāṁ teṣāṁ vaikuṇṭha-vāsinām |
tasya vaikuṇṭha-lokasya tasya tan-nāyakasya ca ||
tāni māhātmya-jātāni prapañcāntargataiḥ kila |
dṛṣṭāntair nopayujyante na śakyante ca bhāṣitum ||
tathāpi bhavato brahman prapañcāntargatasya hi |
prapañca-parivārāntardṛṣṭi-garbhita-cetasaḥ ||
tad-dṛṣṭānta-kulenaiva tat tat syād bodhitaṁ sukham |
tathety ucyeta yat kiñcit tad-āgaḥ kṣamatāṁ hariḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.40–43)
“The greatnesses of the residents of Vaikuṇṭha beyond the entire phenomenal world, of Vaikuṇṭhaloka, and of its master [i.e., Vaikuṇṭhanātha, who like Vaikuṇṭhaloka and its residents is so also beyond the entire phenomenal world] are certainly not fit, and not able, to be described with examples from within the phenomenal world. Still, O brāhmaṇa, for you who are within the phenomenal world and the inner vision [i.e., awareness] of whose mind is filled with the coverings of the phenomenal world, those [greatnesses] can be easily made known only through such examples [i.e., examples drawn from the phenomenal world]. ‘It may be said to be such.’ May Hari forgive the offense of whatever may be said as such [i.e., whatever may be said of those greatnesses by means of stating examples drawn from the phenomenal world, such as, ‘He [i.e., Bhagavān] is like an emperor’].”
ānanda-rūpatvam asya mahad-dhṛdaya-sākṣikaṁ yathā śrī-vigrahasya |
(Bhagavat Sandarbha: 47)
“Its [i.e., the name of Bhagavān’s] being a form of bliss like the blessed figure [of Bhagavān] is witnessed [i.e., evidenced] by the hearts of the great ones (mahats).”
sarva-pramāṇānāṁ ca madhye’nubhava-pramāṇasya śreṣṭhayāt |
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta-ṭīkā: 2.1.110)
“Amid all pramāṇas (means of knowing), the best is the pramāṇa of experience.”
māyātīta haile haya āmāra anubhava |
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.25.118)
[Bhagavān:] “[Only] When one is beyond māyā, experience of me occurs.”
śāstrera siddhānta ei vijñera anubhava |
mūḍha-loka nāhi jāne bhāvera vaibhava ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.6.104)
“This is the śāstra’s siddhānta and the experience of the wise. Ignorant people do not understand the greatness of bhāva.”
mahad-anubhava yāte sudṛḍha-pramāṇa |
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.6.53)
“… Since the perception of the great is the strongest means of knowing (pramāṇa).”
tāre kahe—kene kara kutarkānumāna? |
śāstra-viruddhārtha kabhu nā haya pramāṇa ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.2.73)
“To that, it is said, ‘Why do you make an inference based on fallacious reasoning? A meaning that is contrary to śāstra is never authentic [i.e., a valid means of knowing the object of knowledge].”
pitṛ-deva-manuṣyāṇāṁ vedaś cakṣus taveśvara |
śreyas tv anupalabdhe’rthe sādhya-sādhanayor api ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.20.4; cited in Tattva Sandarbha: 11)
“O Lord, regarding an imperceptible object, as well as the goal and the means [pertaining to it], your Veda is the best eye for the forefathers, the devas, and human beings.”
