kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyaṁ veda-saṁjñitā |
mayādau brahmaṇe proktā dharmo yasyāṁ mad-ātmakaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.3; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 76)
“[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] This speech known as the Veda [which is] lost because of time [and] in the dissolution [of the universe] in which dharma based of me is present was dictated to Brahmā by me at the beginning [of the universe’s emanation following its prior dissolution].”
bhakti-yogaḥ puraivoktaḥ prīyamāṇāya te’nagha |
punaś ca kathayiṣyāmi mad-bhakteḥ kāraṇaṁ param ||
śraddhāmṛta-kathāyāṁ me śaśvan mad-anukīrtanam |
pariniṣṭhā ca pūjāyāṁ stutibhiḥ stavanaṁ mama ||
ādaraḥ paricaryāyāṁ sarvāṅgair abhivandanam |
mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā sarva-bhūteṣu man-matiḥ ||
mad-artheṣv aṅga-ceṣṭā ca vacasā mad-guṇeraṇam |
mayy arpaṇaṁ ca manasaḥ sarva-kāma-vivarjanam ||
mad-arthe’rtha-parityāgo bhogasya ca sukhasya ca |
iṣṭaṁ dattaṁ hutaṁ japtaṁ mad-arthaṁ yad vrataṁ tapaḥ ||
evaṁ dharmair manuṣyāṇām uddhavātma-nivedinām |
mayi sañjāyate bhaktiḥ ko’nyo’rtho’syāvaśiṣyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.19.19–24; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.514-517, 526; Bhakti Sandarbha: 228)
“The practice (yoga) of bhakti was indeed explained previously [to you by me]. O sinless one, for you who are finding pleasure [in that], I will describe again the best means of bhakti to me. Continuous śraddhā in the nectar of narration of me, recapitulating related to me, full fixity in ritual worship of me, praising [me] with hymns, attentive regard for adoring service [to me], offering respectful obeisance [to me] with all the limbs, exceeding worship of my bhakta, awareness of me in all entities, body-activity for purposes related to me, speaking of my qualities with the [faculty] of speech, offering of the mind to me, letting go of all desires, relinquishment of wealth, as well as of enjoyment and of pleasure, for my sake, and sacrifice, charity, oblations, utterance (japa), rites, and austerity which are for my sake—by means of such dharmas, O Uddhava, bhakti to me is manifested in full for human beings who are offerers of themselves [to me]. What other object remains for one [i.e., for such a bhakta]?”
mayy arpitātmanaḥ sabhya nirapekṣasya sarvataḥ |
mayātmanā sukhaṁ yat tat kutaḥ syād viṣayātmanām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.12)
“O noble one, how can those of mind upon objects of the senses have the happiness on account of me, the Self, which those of mind offered to me, who are indifferent to everything [else], have?”
varṇānām āśramāṇāṁ ca janma-bhūmy-anusāriṇīḥ |
āsan prakṛtayo nṝṇāṁ nīcair nīcottamottamāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.15)
“The lower, low, higher, and higher characteristics of the varṇas and āśramas of human beings have come about according to [their] place of birth [from the body of the Puruṣa described earlier in SB 11.17.13–14, i.e., the śūdras, vaiśyas, kṣatriyas, and brāhmaṇas are ranked from low to high in accord with their respective birth places from the feet, thighs, arms, and face of the Puruṣa, and gṛhasthas, brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, and sannyāsīs are ranked from low to high in accord with their respective birth places from the loins, heart, chest, and head of the Puruṣa].”
ahiṁsā satyam asteyam akāma-krodha-lobhatā |
bhūta-priya-hitehā ca dharmo’yaṁ sarva-varṇikaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.21)
“Non-violence, truthfulness, non-thievery, the absence of lust, anger, and greediness, action that is beneficial and pleasing to [all] beings [alt., fondness and well-wishing for all beings]—this is the dharma for all varṇas [i.e., these qualities are fit to be cultivated by the members of all the varṇas and by those outside the four varṇas as well].”
aśaucam anṛtaṁ steyaṁ nāstikyaṁ śuṣka-vigrahaḥ |
kāmaḥ krodhaś ca tarṣaś ca svabhāvo’ntyāvasāyinām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.20)
“Non-cleanliness, dishonesty, thievery, faithlessness, dry [i.e., baseless] quarrel, lust, anger, and greed are the nature of lowest dwellers [i.e., those born outside the four varṇas in the lowest of castes (antyajas)].”
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ santoṣaḥ kṣāntir ārjavam |
mad-bhaktiś ca dayā satyaṁ brahma-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ ||
tejo balaṁ dhṛtiḥ śauryaṁ titikṣaudāryam udyamaḥ |
sthairyaṁ brahmaṇyam aiśvaryaṁ kṣatra-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ ||
āstikyaṁ dāna-niṣṭhā ca adambho brahma-sevanam |
atuṣṭir arthopacayair vaiśya-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ ||
śuśrūṣaṇaṁ dvija-gavāṁ devānāṁ cāpy amāyayā |
tatra labdhena santoṣaḥ śūdra-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.16–19)
“Equanimity, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, contentment, forbearance, straightforwardness, bhakti to me, compassion, and truthfulness—these are the characteristics of brāhmaṇas. Might, vigor, resolve, valor, tolerance, munificence, endeavor, steadiness, brahmaṇya [i.e., support of brāhmaṇas], and dominion—these are the characteristics of kṣatriyas. Faith (āstikya) [in the śāstra], charitability, non-deceitfulness [i.e., honesty], service to brāhmaṇas, and non-satiation with increases of wealth—these are the characteristics of vaiśyas. Service without deceit to the twice-born, cows, and the devas, and satisfaction with that which is attained thereby—these are the characteristics of śūdras.”
dvitīyaṁ prāpyānupūrvyāj janmopanayanaṁ dvijaḥ |
vasan guru-kule dānto brahmādhīyīta cāhutaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.22)
“After receiving in sequence the second birth, the upanayana [-saṁskāra], and being invited [by a guru], a twice-born (dvija) should dwell in the house of the guru, be disciplined, and study the Veda.”
arcādiṣu yadā yatra śraddhā māṁ tatra cārcayet |
sarva-bhūteṣv ātmani ca sarvātmāham avasthitaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.27.48)
“When and where one has śraddhā in a deity or elsewhere, there specifically one should worship me. I, the Self of all, am present in all beings and in the self.”
ṣaḍ-vargādy-ari-kṛta-saṁsāra-bhaya-bādhyamāna eva hi śaraṇaṁ praviśaty ananya-gatiḥ | bhakti-mātra-kāmo’pi tat-kṛta-bhagavad-vaimukhya-bādhyamānaḥ | ananya-gatitvaṁ ca dvidhā darśyate—āśrayāntarasyābhāva-kathanena, nātiprajñayā kathañcid āśritasyānyasya tyājanena ca | pūrveṇa yathā—‘martyo mṛtyu-vyāla-bhītaḥ palāyan lokān sarvān nirbhayaṁ nādhyagacchat | tvat-pādābjaṁ prāpya yadṛcchayādya susthaḥ śete mṛtyur asmād apaiti ||’ iti | uttareṇa yathā—‘tasmāt tvam uddhavotsṛjya codanāṁ praticodanām | pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca śrotavyaṁ śrutam eva ca || mām ekam eva śaraṇam ātmānaṁ sarva-dehinām | yāhi sarvātma-bhāvena mayā syā hy akuto-bhayaḥ ||’ iti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 236)
“Being troubled by the fear [i.e., suffering] of saṁsāra caused by the enemies beginning with the ṣaḍ-varga [i.e., ‘the group of six,’ viz., desire (kāma), anger, greed, delusion, conceit, and envy], one who is devoid of any other recourse (ananya-gatiḥ) [i.e., one who feels oneself to have no shelter from such trouble] enters shelter [i.e., takes shelter in Bhagavān], as also does one whose sole desire is bhakti, being troubled by the obliviousness (vaimukhya) [i.e., forgetfulness] of Bhagavān caused by them [i.e., by the aforementioned enemies, meaning, one whose sole desire is bhakti takes shelter in Bhagavān for the sake of becoming free from the impediments to apt enactment of bhakti created by the ṣaḍ-varga so that one can aptly engage in bhakti to Bhagavān]. [The state of] Being devoid of any other recourse (ananya-gatitva) is seen, furthermore, to be of two types: [it comes about] (1) by [hearing and understanding] explanation of the absence of any other shelter [besides Bhagavān from the troubles one undergoes in saṁsāra], and (2) by abandoning another in which one has somehow taken shelter [for the sake of attaining relief from the troubles one is undergoing in saṁsāra] out of a lack of great discrimination [as to who is truly a capable shelter in this regard, i.e., as a result of not having earlier understood that Bhagavān alone, and nothing and no one else, is truly capable of providing shelter to jīvas in saṁsāra]. [Being devoid of any other recourse (ananya-gatitva) coming about] By the former [i.e., by the first aforementioned means, that is, by hearing and understanding explanation of the absence of any real shelter other than Bhagavān] is [described in SB 10.3.27] as follows, ‘Scared of the serpent of death and fleeing throughout all the planes [that constitute this universe], a mortal cannot attain fearlessness [anywhere]. [But] Upon reaching your lotus feet fortuitously [i.e., by means of bhakti somehow attained by the grace of a mahat], O Foremost Being [i.e., O Bhagavān], one rests peacefully, and death withdraws from one.’ [The state of being devoid of any other recourse (ananya-gatitva) coming about] By the latter [i.e., by the second aforementioned means, that is, by abandoning another in which one has unwisely taken shelter] is [described by Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself in SB 11.12.14–15] as follows: ‘Therefore, O Uddhava, abandoning injunctions and prohibitions [i.e., the injunctions and prohibitions given in the Śruti and the Smṛti], engagement and resignation [i.e., the dharmas of a gṛhastha and of a sannyāsī], and that which can be heard and that which has been heard [i.e., all that pertains to such dharmas and the injunctions and prohibitions related to them in śāstra; alt., all else that is can be heard from śāstra], you should take shelter exclusively in me alone, the Self of all embodied beings, with the full existence of your self. With me [i.e., by thus becoming situated in my shelter], be completely fearless.’”
