Yāvadarthānuvartitā

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes
tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam |
mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā
vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye |
ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu ||
gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.5.2–3; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.17, 69; Bhakti Sandarbha: 186; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.82)

“Service to the mahats is said to be the door to ultimate mukti, and attachment to those who are attached to women [is said to be] the door to darkness. The mahāntas are they who are of equal mind, tranquil, free from anger, friendly, and virtuous, or, they who (1) have made affection [i.e., prema] for me, Īśa, their aim, (2) are unpossessed of affinity for persons fixated upon affairs related to bodily maintenance and houses accompanied by wives, children, and friends, and (3) are possessed of only so much wealth [as is necessary] in this world.”

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parigraho hi duḥkhāya yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām

parigraho hi duḥkhāya yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām |
anantaṁ sukham āpnoti tad vidvān yas tv akiñcanaḥ ||
sāmiṣaṁ kuraraṁ jaghnur balino’nye nirāmiṣāḥ |
tadāmiṣaṁ parityajya sa sukhaṁ samavindata ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.9.1–2)

“Acceptance (parigraha) of whatever is most dear to human beings leads to suffering. One who understands this and is without anything (akiñcana) [i.e., possessionless], however, attains boundless peace. [When] An osprey with a piece of meat was attacked by other powerful ones without meat, then he gave up the meat and attained peace in full.”

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yāvatā syāt sva-nirvāhaḥ svīkuryāt tāvad artha-vit

yāvatā syāt sva-nirvāhaḥ svīkuryāt tāvad artha-vit |
ādhikye nyūnatāyāṁ ca cyavate paramārthataḥ ||
(Nāradīya Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.108)

“One who is sagacious [lit., ‘a knower of utility’] should accept as much as shall be supportive for oneself. One becomes deviated from the ultimate goal as a result of excess and deficiency.”

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ataḥ kavir nāmasu yāvadarthaḥ

ataḥ kavir nāmasu yāvadarthaḥ
syād apramatto vyavasāya-buddhiḥ |
siddhe’nyathārthe na yateta tatra
pariśramaṁ tatra samīkṣamāṇaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.3)

“Therefore, a wise person should accept articles [only] as necessary, being non-neglectful and of resolute mind. Should one’s object be attained otherwise [i.e., should what is necessary for one’s sustenance come of its own accord], then one should not endeavor for it, seeing clearly the labor therein [i.e., seeing the unfavorable consequences of unnecessarily endeavoring for what one already has attained].”

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