tulā-puruṣa-dānādyair aśvamedhādibhir makhaiḥ |
vārāṇasī-prayāgādi-tīrtha-snānādibhiḥ priye ||
gayā-śrāddhādibhiḥ pitryair veda-pāṭhādibhir japaiḥ |
tapobhir ugrair niyamair yamair bhūta-dayādibhiḥ ||
guru-śuśrūṣaṇaiḥ satyair dharmair varṇāśramānvitaiḥ |
jñāna-dhyānādibhiḥ samyak-caritair janma-koṭibhiḥ ||
na yānti tat paraṁ śreyo viṣṇuṁ sarveśvareśvaram |
sarva-bhāvair anāśritya purāṇaṁ puruṣottamam ||
(Padma Purāṇa; Nārada Pañcarātra: 4.2.17–20; cited in the Dig-darśinī-ṭikā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.118)
“[Mahādeva to Parvatī:] O dear one, by means of crores of births of righteous conduct—[the giving of] charities such as that equal to the person [i.e., the charity of giving away an amount of gold equal to the weight of one’s body], [conducting] sacrifices like the horse-sacrifice, bathing and so on at tīrthas like Vārāṇasī and Prayāga, [performances of] rites for the forefathers like [an offering of] last rights at Gayā, recitation and so forth of Vedas, japas [i.e., performing japa of various mantras], severe austerities, regulations, restrictions, [showing] compassion and the like towards other living beings, [performing] services to the guru, [observing] noble duties based on one’s varṇa and āśrama, [acquiring] knowledge, [performing] meditation, and so on—one does not attain the supreme weal, Viṣṇu, the Īśvara of all īśvaras, without taking shelter in [him] the primeval Supreme Person with all of one’s manners of being [i.e., with the totality of one’s self].”
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