Viṣṇu

a-kāraś cāpy u-kāraś ca ma-kāraś ca tataḥ param

a-kāraś cāpy u-kāraś ca ma-kāraś ca tataḥ param |
veda-trayātmakaṁ proktaṁ praṇavaṁ brahmaṇaḥ padam ||
a-kāreṇocyate viṣṇuḥ śrīr u-kāreṇa cocyate |
ma-kāras tu tayor dāsaḥ pañcaviṁśaḥ prakīrtitaḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 6.227.22-23; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 178)

“The letter a along with the letter u and the letter m after that—praṇava [i.e., the word Aum]—is declared to be the basis of the three Vedas and the word for [alt., dwelling place] of Brahman. Viṣṇu is referred to by the letter a, and Śrī is referred to by the letter u. The servant of the two [i.e., of Viṣṇu and Śrī], the twenty-fifth [element in the universe, viz., the jīva], is declared to indeed be the letter m.”

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tat-saundaryaṁ sā ca lāvaṇya-lakṣmīs

tat-saundaryaṁ sā ca lāvaṇya-lakṣmīs
tan-mādhuryaṁ tasya kiṁ varṇitaṁ syāt |
dravyair yogyā laukikair nopamā syāt
kiṁ vānyena dvārakendreṇa nāpi ||
kṛṣṇo yathā nāgara-śekharāgryo
rādhā tathā nāgarikā-varāgryā |
rādhā yathā nāgarikā-varāgryā
kṛṣṇo tathā nāgara-śekharāgryaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.6.110–111)

“Can that beauty, that wealth of loveliness, or that sweetness of his [i.e., Kṛṣṇa’s] be described? Neither with worldly objects, nor with others [i.e., Nārāyaṇa of Vaikuṇṭha, or Rāma of Ayodhyā], nor even the Lord of Dvārakā shall any comparison [thereof] be appropriate. [There is only one appropriate object of comparison:] As Kṛṣṇa is the foremost of cultured lovers, so Rādhā is the foremost of cultured ladyloves, and as Rādhā is the foremost of cultured ladyloves, so Kṛṣṇa is the foremost of cultured lovers.”

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yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā

yadā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ vaktā lakṣmīś ca śravaṇe ratā |
tadā bhāgavata-śrāvo māsenaiva punaḥ punaḥ ||
yadā lakṣmīḥ svayaṁ vaktrī viṣṇuś ca śravaṇe rataḥ |
māsa-dvayaṁ rasāsvādas tadātīva suśobhate ||
adhikāre sthito viṣṇur lakṣmīr niścinta-mānasā |
tena bhāgavatāsvādas tasyā bhūri prakāśate ||
(Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 3.35‒37)

“When Viṣṇu himself is the speaker [in a recitation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] and Lakṣmī is engaged in listening, then the hearing of the Bhāgavata is repeatedly only for one month [i.e., every time Viṣṇu does the series of daily readings, it always ends up taking one month to complete the full recitation of the text]. When Lakṣmī herself is the speaker and Viṣṇu is engaged in listening, then it [i.e., the recitation] is two months [in duration] and the relish of the rasa is exceedingly splendid. Viṣṇu is engaged in administration. Lakṣmī is worry-free in mind. Thus, her relish of the Bhāgavata manifests most abundantly.”

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vyāmohāya carācarasya jagatas te te purāṇāgamās

vyāmohāya carācarasya jagatas te te purāṇāgamās
tāṁ tām eva hi devatāṁ paramikāṁ jalpantu kalpāvadhi |
siddhānte punar eka eva bhagavān viṣṇuḥ samastāgama-
vyāpāreṣu vivecana-vyatikaraṁ nīteṣu niścīyate ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 5.97.27; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.107; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.4.142; Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.2.53; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.20.142)

“Let the various Purāṇas and Āgamas chatter about the [supposed] supremacy of various devatās for the sake of deluding the world of moving and stationary beings to the end of the kalpa. When, however, the expressions of all the Āgamas are brought into conjoint examination, then, in accord with their siddhānta, one alone, Bhagavān Viṣṇu, is ascertained [to be supreme].”

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mādhavomādhavāv īśau sarva-siddhi-vidhāyinau

mādhavomādhavāv īśau sarva-siddhi-vidhāyinau |
vande parasparātmānau paraspara-nati-priyau ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 3)

“I offer obeisance unto the two lords
Mādhava and Umādhava [i.e., Śiva, the husband of Umā],
Who are bestowers of all attainments (siddhis),
The hearts of one another,
And fond of bowing to one another.”

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anyo’nya-bhakti-dānārtham anyo’nyopāsanā-karau

anyo’nya-bhakti-dānārtham anyo’nyopāsanā-karau |
vande hariharau devāv anyo’nya-prema-tatparau ||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.187)

“I offer obeisance to the devas Hari and Hara,
Who are immersed in prema for one another
And performers of upāsanā of one another
For the sake of imparting [to others] bhakti to one another.”

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kāryaṁ guṇāvatāratvenaikyād rudrasya vaiṣṇavaiḥ

kāryaṁ guṇāvatāratvenaikyād rudrasya vaiṣṇavaiḥ |
vaiṣṇavāgryatayā śreṣṭhyāt sadācārāc ca tad-vratam ||
(Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 14.195)

“This vrata [i.e., Śiva Rātri] is to be performed by Vaiṣṇavas (1) because of Rudra’s oneness [with Bhagavān Viṣṇu] on account of [his] being a guṇāvatāra [of Bhagavān Viṣṇu], (2) because of [his] superiority [to other devatās] on account of [his] being the foremost of Vaiṣṇavas, and (3) because of proper conduct [i.e., because it is considered proper conduct to do so since it is a great fault to not].”

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niśāmya vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma pārthaḥ parama-vismitaḥ

niśāmya vaiṣṇavaṁ dhāma pārthaḥ parama-vismitaḥ |
yat kiñcit pauruṣaṁ puṁsāṁ mene kṛṣṇānukampitam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.89.63)

“After having seen the abode of Viṣṇu [i.e., Mahākālapura, the abode of Mahāviṣṇu], Arjuna, completely astonished, recognized that any prowess in a person (puruṣa) [including even the Supreme Puruṣa in the universe, Mahāviṣṇu], is manifest [only] by Kṛṣṇa’s favor.”

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liṅga‑yony‑ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī prajāḥ

liṅga‑yony‑ātmikā jātā imā māheśvarī prajāḥ ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.9)

“These begotten offspring, constituted of liṅga and yoni [i.e., produced by the union of Śiva and his śakti] are [called] māheśvarī [i.e., they belong to Maheśvara (Śiva), that is, the aṁśa of Viṣṇu known as Śambhu].”

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