ज्ञाननिष्ठो विरक्तो वा मद्भक्तो वानपेक्षकः ।
सलिङ्गानाश्रमांस्त्यक्त्वा चरेदविधिगोचरः ॥
jñāna-niṣṭho virakto vā mad-bhakto vānapekṣakaḥ |
sa-liṅgān āśramāṁs tyaktvā cared avidhi-gocaraḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.18.28)
“One who is detached and fixed in jñāna, or, one who is disinterested and my bhakta, shall relinquish the duties of one’s āśrama along with their paraphernalia and proceed outside the scope of injunctions.”
Commentary
evaṁ bahūdakādi-dharmān uktvā paramahaṁsa-dharmān āha—jñāna-niṣṭha iti sārdhair daśabhiḥ | bahir virakto mumukṣuḥ san jñāna-niṣṭho vā mokṣe’py anapekṣo mad-bhakto vā sa-liṅgāṁs tridaṇḍādi-sahitān āśramāṁs tad-dharmāṁs tyaktvā tad-āsaktiṁ tyaktvā yathocitaṁ dharmaṁ cared ity arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“Thus having described the duties of a bahūdaka and so forth, he [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa] describes the duties of a paramahaṁsa with ten and a half [verses, beginning with] jñāna-niṣṭhaḥ ….One fixed in jñāna who is detached (viraktaḥ) from the external, that is, desirous of mokṣa, or, my bhakta who is disinterested (anāpekṣaḥ) even in mokṣa, shall relinquish the duties of one’s āśrama along with their paraphernalia, that is, the triple-staff and so on, meaning, shall relinquish attachment to them, and perform dharma as appropriate. This is the meaning.”
paripakva-jñānino niṣkāma-bhaktasya ca varṇāśrama-niyamābhāvam āha—jñāna-niṣṭhaḥ paripakva-jñānavān anapekṣakaḥ pratiṣṭhā-paryantāpekṣā-rahitaḥ | atra sarvathā nairapekṣam ajāta-premṇo bhaktasya na sambhavet, ata utpana-premaiva bhaktaḥ sa-liṅgān āśramāṁs tyajet, anutpanna-premā tu nirliṅgāśrama-dharmāṁs tyajed ity artho labhyate | sva-dharma-tyāgas tu ‘tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta’ iti vākyāt bhaktāṇāṁ ārambhata evāvagamyate | tayoḥ śuddhāntaḥkaraṇatvād eva pāpe pravṛtty-abhāvāt durācāratvaṁ nāśaṅkyam | tenāvidhi-gocaraḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭikā)
“He [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa] describes the absence of [the need to observe] the varṇa and āśrama regulations for a fully mature jñānī and a desireless (niṣkāma) bhakta [i.e., he speaks this verse: jñāna-niṣṭhaḥ …]. ‘One who is fixed in jñāna’ (jñāna-niṣṭhaḥ), that is, one possessed of fully mature jñāna, is disinterested (anapekṣakaḥ), that is, free from interest even in prestige (pratiṣṭhā). In this regard, disinterest in all respect shall not be possible for a bhakta in whom prema has not manifested. Thus, only a bhakta in whom prema has appeared shall relinquish the duties of one’s āśrama along with their paraphernalia [e.g., the staff and water-pot of a sannyāsī], whereas one in whom prema has not appeared shall relinquish the duties of one’s āśrama without [also relinquishing] their paraphernalia. This meaning is to be gathered [from the verse]. Relinquishment of one’s dharma, however, is understood [to occur] right from the beginning for bhaktas [i.e., right from the time of a person acquiring eligibility (adhikāra) for the path of bhakti and thus embarking upon it] on account of the statement [in SB 11.20.9], ‘One should perform karmas so long as one shall not become disinterested or so long as śraddhā in hearing and so forth of discussion about me does not manifest.’ Misconduct is not to be feared [in this regard] because of the absence of a propensity for sin in both of them [i.e., in both the jñānī and the bhakta mentioned in the verse under discussion] because of [their] being of pure mind (antaḥkaraṇa). Thus, they become outside the scope of injunctions.”