एवं स्वचित्ते स्वत एव सिद्ध
आत्मा प्रियोऽर्थो भगवाननन्त: ।
तं निर्वृतो नियतार्थो भजेत
संसारहेतूपरमश्च यत्र ॥
evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha
ātmā priyo’rtho bhagavān anantaḥ |
taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta
saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.6; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 2)
“As such [i.e., being detached from mundanity], resolute and fulfilled, one should engage in worship of him [Hari], [since he is] self-existent within one’s own consciousness, the Self, beloved, real, glorious, and without end, wherein [i.e., within such worship] there is cessation of the cause of saṁsāra and so forth [i.e., attainment of him.”
Commentary
tadā tena kiṁ kartavyaṁ? haris tu sevya ity āha—evaṁ viraktaḥ san taṁ bhajeta | bhajanīyatve hetavaḥ—sva-citte svata eva siddhaḥ | yata ātmā, ata eva priyaḥ | priyasya ca sevā sukha-rūpaiva | arthaḥ satyaḥ, na tv anātmavan mithyā | bhagavān bhajanīya-guṇaś ca, anantaś ca nityaḥ | ya evaṁ-bhūtas taṁ bhajeta | niyatārtho niścita-svarūpaḥ | tad-anubhavānandena nirvṛtaḥ san, iti bhakteḥ svataḥ sukhātmakatvaṁ darśitam | kiṁ ca, yatra yasmin bhajane sati saṁsāra-hetor avidyāyā uparamo nāśo bhavati ity eṣā | atra ca-kārāt tat-prāptir jñeyā ||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 2)
“Then what is to be done by him [i.e., by one who has understood that no true fulfillment cannot be attained amid the phenomena of saṁsāra]? Hari, rather, is to be worshipped. Thus, the speaker says, “as such” (evaṁ), that is, being detached, “one should worship him” [i.e., Hari]. Reasons for his being worshippable [are then stated]: [he is] “self-existent within one’s own consciousness” (sva-citte svata eva siddha), since he is the “Self” (ātmā), and thus “beloved” (priya), and the service of the beloved is certainly a form of happiness; [he is] “real” (artha), that is, truly existence and not false like the non-self; [he is] “glorious” (bhagavān), that is, possessed of worshippable qualities, and “without end” (ananta), that is, eternal. One should worship he who is such, being “resolute” (niyatārthaḥ), that is, determined, and “fulfilled” (nirvṛtaḥ) by virtue of the bliss of experience of him. Bhakti’s being inherently constituted of happiness is thus showned. Moreover, “wherein” (yatra), that is, when engaged in such bhajana, the “cessation” (uparamaḥ) of the “cause of saṁsāra” (saṁsāra-hetoḥ), that is, avidyā, occurs. Here, from the word ca, attainment of him is to be understood.”