nārāyaṇo’pi vikṛtiṁ yāti guroḥ pracyutasya durbuddheḥ |
kamalasya jalād apaiti raviḥ śuṣyati nāśayati ca |
(Unknown source)
“Even Nārāyaṇa becomes displeased with a foolish person who deviates from guru, just as the sun dries and destroys a lotus that comes out of water.”
prathamaṁ tu guruḥ pūjyaḥ tataś caiva mamārcanam |
kurvan siddhim avāpnoti hy anyathā niṣphalaṁ bhavet ||
(Unknown source; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 4.344; Bhakti Sandarbha: 238)
[Bhagavān:] “By first worshipping guru and then worshipping me, one attains perfection, and otherwise, one’s worship becomes fruitless.”
adhikārī ca sambandho viṣayaś ca prayojanam |
avaśyam eva vaktavyaṁ śāstrādau tu catuṣṭayam ||
(Unknown Source; cited in the Amṛta-ṭīkā to Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇam: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 1)
“The eligible person (adhikārī) [to read the text], the relationship (sambandha) [between the text and the subject], the subject (viṣaya) [of the text], and the purpose (prayojana) [of the text]—these four [which are known as the anubandha-catuṣṭaya] must be stated at the beginning of a śāstra.”
svayam asiddhaḥ kathaṁ parān sādhayet
(Cited in Śabda-kalpa-druma)
“How can one who is himself not realized make others realized?”
sa hi bhavati daridro yasya tṛṣṇā viśālā |
manasi ca parituṣṭe ko’rthavān ko daridraḥ ||
(Unknown Source)
“One whose desire is expansive is certainly poor. When one is fully satisfied in mind, who is rich and who is poor?”
yadi vahasi tridaṇḍaṁ nagra-muṇḍaṁ jaṭāṁ vā
yadi vasasi guhāyāṁ parvatāgre śilālayām |
yadi paṭhasi purāṇaṁ veda-siddhānta-tattvaṁ
yadi hṛdayam aśuddhaṁ sarvam etan na kiñcit ||
(Unknown source)
“Someone may bear a tridaṇḍa [lit., “triple-staff”] and a shaved head or dreadlocks,
Someone may live in a cave or in a stone recess at the top of a mountain,
Someone may study the Purāṇas and the conclusions and principles of the Vedas,
But if one’s heart is impure, then all of this goes for nothing.”
vastreṇa vapuṣā vācā vidyayā vinayena ca |
va-kāraiḥ pañcabhir hīnaḥ naro nāyāti gauravam ||
(Unknown Source)
“Cloth, figure, speech, knowledge, and good conduct—a person without these five v’s does not attain respect.”
jyeṣṭhatvaṁ janmanā naiva guṇair jyeṣṭhatvam ucyate |
guṇāt gurutvam āyāti dugdhaṁ dadhi ghṛtaṁ kramāt ||
(Unknown Source)
“Seniority [alt., superiority, excellence] is not because of birth. Seniority is recognized because of qualities. Greatness comes from qualities, just as milk, yoghurt, and ghee come in order.”
akṛtvā para-santāpam agatvā khala-namratām |
anutsṛjya satāṁ mārgaṁ yat svalpam api tad bahu ||
(Śārṅgadhara-paddhati)
“Without causing pain to others, without bowing to the wicked, and without giving up the path of the sādhus—even whatever little [that can be done or attained] is [actually] a lot.”
