Vratas

ta eva niyamāḥ sākṣāt ta eva ca yamottamāḥ

ta eva niyamāḥ sākṣāt ta eva ca yamottamāḥ |
tapo dānaṁ vrataṁ yajño yena tuṣyaty adhokṣajaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.16.61)

“That by which Adhokṣaja [i.e., Bhagavān] is satisfied is indeed directly the regulation (niyama), and that is indeed the best rule (yama), austerity (tapas), charity (dāna), rite (vrata), and sacrifice (yajña).”

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parityajeyaṁ trailokyaṁ rājyaṁ deveṣu vā punaḥ

parityajeyaṁ trailokyaṁ rājyaṁ deveṣu vā punaḥ |
yadvāpy adhikam etābhyāṁ na tu satyaṁ kathañcana ||
tyajec ca pṛthivī gandham āpaś ca rasam ātmanaḥ |
jyotis tathā tyajed rūpaṁ vāyuḥ sparśa-guṇaṁ tyajet ||
prabhāṁ samutsṛjed arko dhūmaketus tathoṣṇatām |
tyajec chabdaṁ tathākāśaḥ somaḥ śītāṁśutāṁ tyajet ||
vikramaṁ vṛtrahā jahyād dharmaṁ jahyāc ca dharmarāṭ |
na tv ahaṁ satyam utsraṣṭuṁ vyavaseyaṁ kathañcana ||
(Mahābhārata: 1.97.15–18)

“[Bhīṣmadeva insisting to his mother Satyavatī that he will not break his vow of not begetting children:] I shall renounce the three worlds, an empire among the devas, or even anything greater than these, but never by any means my vow. The earth may give up its fragrance, and water its own taste. Similarly, light may give up its form, and air may give up the quality of touch. Similarly, the sun may cease to emit light and fire [cease to emit] heat. Similarly, the sky may give up sound, and the moon may give up having cooling rays. The slayer of Vṛtra [i.e., Indra] may abandon valor, the king of dharma [i.e., Yama] may abandon dharma, but I shall never resolve by any means to abandon my vow.”

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niyamāt phalam āpnoti na śreyo niyamaṁ vinā

niyamāt phalam āpnoti na śreyo niyamaṁ vinā ||
(Bhaviṣya Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 15.464)

“One attains the result on account of the vow [i.e., the resolution (saṅkalpa) to perform a given vrata or sevā]. Without the vow, no auspicious result comes about.”

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ekādaśī-sahasrais tu māsopoṣaṇa-koṭibhiḥ

ekādaśī-sahasrais tu māsopoṣaṇa-koṭibhiḥ |
tat phalaṁ prāpyate pumbhir viṣṇor naivedya-bhakṣaṇāt ||
(Unknown source; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 9.408)

“The result of [fasting on] thousands of Ekādaśīs and fasting for tens of millions of [specified] months is attained by people just by eating [the remnants of] offerings to Viṣṇu.”

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mauna-vrata-śruta-tapo-’dhyayana-sva-dharma

mauna-vrata-śruta-tapo-’dhyayana-sva-dharma-
vyākhyā-raho-japa-samādhaya āpavargyāḥ |
prāyaḥ paraṁ puruṣa te tv ajitendriyāṇāṁ
vārtā bhavanty uta na vātra tu dāmbhikānām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.9.46; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 168)

“O Puruṣa [i.e., O indwelling Regulator], the means to apavarga [i.e., mokṣa]—silence, rites, hearing [i.e. learning the Vedas], austerities, studying, [observing one’s] svadharma, explaining [i.e., teaching the Vedas to others], [residing in] solitude, japa, and samādhi [i.e., meditation]—generally here [i.e., in saṁsāra], however, become mere livelihoods of those of uncontrolled senses, and sometimes, however, not even that for the deceitful [since the fruitfulness of deceitfulness is uncertain].”

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pañcarātra-purāṇāni

pañcarātra-purāṇāni setihāsāni mānavāḥ |
ye vinindanti teṣāṁ vai vacanaṁ parivarjayet ||
(Skanda Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.420)

“Reject the statements of people who denigrate the Pañcarātras, Purāṇas, and Itihāsas.”

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yeṣāṁ viśveśvare viṣṇau

yeṣāṁ viśveśvare viṣṇau śive bhaktir na vidyate |
na teṣāṁ vacanaṁ grāhyaṁ dharma-nirṇaya-siddhaye ||
(Skanda Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.419)

“The statements of those who do not have bhakti to auspicious Viṣṇu, the Lord of Universe, [alt., to the Lord of the Universe, Viṣṇu, and Śiva] are not acceptable for the purpose of ascertaining dharma.”

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yeṣāṁ gurau na japye vā

yeṣāṁ gurau na japye vā viṣṇau ca paramātmani |
nāsti bhaktiḥ sadā teṣāṁ vacanaṁ parivarjayet ||
(Vaiṣṇava Tantra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.418)

“Always completely reject the statements of those who do not have bhakti to guru, a mantra [lit., “that which is to be chanted”], or the Paramātmā Viṣṇu.”

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yeṣāṁ na kāraṇaṁ vedā

yeṣāṁ na kāraṇaṁ vedā na viprā na janārdanaḥ |
tantrāṇi dharma-śāstrāṇi teṣāṁ vākyaṁ vivarjayet ||
(Viṣṇu Rahasya; Kūrma Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.417)

“Reject the statements of the tantras and dharma-śāstra which do not have the authority of the Vedas, brāhmaṇas, and Janārdana.”

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itihāsa-purāṇa-jñāḥ

itihāsa-purāṇa-jñāḥ smṛti-siddhānta-vedinaḥ |
vāsudeva-priyā ye ca tad-uktaṁ vaidikaṁ bhavet ||
(Padma Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.416)

“The directive of one who is learned in the Itihāsas and Purāṇas, knowledgable in the siddhānta of the Smṛti, and dear to Vāsudeva shall be Vedic.”

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