apākaroti duritaṁ śreyaḥ saṁyojayaty api |
yaśo vistārayaty āśu nṝṇāṁ vaiṣṇava-saṅgamaḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 5.98.57; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.255)
“The association of a Vaiṣṇava quickly removes sin [i.e., evil, danger, saṁsāra, etc.], leads to virtue [i.e., auspiciousness, good fortune, the puruṣārthas, etc.] and expands human beings’ glory [beyond that of even muktas].”
smartavyaṁ satataṁ viṣṇor vismartavyo na jātucit |
sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.8; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.113)
“Viṣṇu is to be remembered always and is never to be forgotten. All injunctions and prohibitions should be servants of these two [principles].”
ācāra eva dharmasya mūlaṁ rājan kulasya ca |
ācārād vicyuto jantur na kulīno na dhārmikaḥ ||
(Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 3.17)
“O King, ācāra (conduct) is the source of dharma and of nobility. A person devoid of ācāra is neither noble nor dharmic.”
tasmāt sadaiva viduṣāvahitena rājan
śāstrodito hy anudinaṁ paripālanīyaḥ ||
(Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 3.19)
“Therefore, O King, ācāra (conduct) as described in śāstra should always be fully observed daily with attention by the wise.”
ācāra-prabhavo dharmaḥ santaś cācāra-lakṣaṇāḥ |
sādhūnāṁ ca yathā vṛttaṁ sa sad-ācāra iṣyate ||
tasmāt kuryāt sad-ācāraṁ ya icched gatim ātmanaḥ |
sarva-lakṣaṇa-hīno’pi samudācāravān nṛpa |
śraddadhāno’nasūyaś ca sarvān kāmān avāpnuyāt ||
(Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 3.15–16)
“The source of dharma is ācāra (conduct), and sādhus are characterized by ācāra. The behavior of sādhus is called sadācāra. Therefore, one who desires one’s own good fortune should engage in sadācāra. O King, even if devoid of all [other] characteristics, one who has excellent ācāra (sadācāra), is endowed with śraddhā, and is free from envy can fulfill all one’s desires.”
sādhavaḥ kṣīṇa-doṣās tu sac-chabdaḥ sādhu-vācakaḥ |
teṣām ācaraṇaṁ yat tu sad-ācāraḥ sa ucyate ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 3.12)
“Sādhus are those who are free from faults, and the word ‘sat’ is a signifier of a sādhu. Their conduct is called sadācāra (proper conduct).”
hetuvādo na kartavyo hetunā patate naraḥ ||
(Nāradīya Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.280)
“Disputation should not be done, as by argument a person falls down.”
pūrvāparāvirodhena ko nv artho’bhimato bhavet |
ity ādyam ūhanaṁ tarkaḥ śuṣka-tarkaṁ ca varjayet ||
(Kūrma Purāṇa; cited in Sarva-saṁvādinī, Govinda-bhāṣya, Prameya-ratnāvalī)
“‘What is the intended meaning [of a particular expression] free from contradiction to preceding and succeeding statements?” Reasoning such as this is the best form of deliberation. Dry reasoning, however, should be abandoned.”
santi yadyapi me prājyā līlās tās tā manoharāḥ |
na hi jāne smṛte rāse mano me kīdṛśaṁ bhavet ||
(Bṛhad Vāmana Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.209)
[Bhagavān:] “Although I have many well-known enchanting līlās, when I remember the rāsa-līlā, I do not know what becomes of my mind.”
prema-bhaktau yadi śraddhā mat-prasādaṁ yadīcchasi |
tadā nārada bhāvena rādhāyārādhako bhava ||
(Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa; cited in Gaura-govindārcana-smaraṇa-paddhati: 189)
[Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] “O Nārada, if you have śraddhā in prema-bhakti and you desire my grace, then with bhāva become a worshiper of Rādhā.”
