कर्म विक्षेपकं तस्या वैराग्यं रसशोषकम् ।
ज्ञानं हानिकरं तत्तच्छोधितं त्वनुयाति ताम् ॥
karma vikṣepakaṁ tasyā vairāgyaṁ rasa-śoṣakam |
jñānaṁ hāni-karaṁ tat-tac-chodhitaṁ tv anuyāti tām ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.205)
“Karma [i.e., observance of the practices enjoined for those following the path of karma] is a cause of distraction from it [i.e., from bhakti]. Vairāgya is a cause of desiccation of rasa [for it]. Jñāna is cause of detriment [to it]. [When] Rectified, however, these attend to it.”
Commentary
ata eva bhakti-viruddhaṁ karmādikaṁ sarvaṁ bhakti-parais tyājyam evety āśayenāhuḥ—karmeti | tasyā bhakter vikṣepakaṁ nānā-vyāpāra-śatena cālakaṁ, vairāgyaṁ ca sarva-nirapekṣatvaṁ, tasyā rasasya tad-viṣayaka-rāgasya śoṣakam | bhagavat-sevāyām api nirviṇṇatā-doṣa-prasakteḥ sā cāyuktaiva | ‘bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra caiṣa’ ity-ādau bhagavad-bhakter anyatraiva virakter uktatvāj jñānaṁ tu tasyā hāni-karaṁ kṣīṇatāpādakam ātma-tattvādi-bodhena nistīrṇammanyatāpattyā bhakty-apravṛtteḥ | ata eva śrī-bhagavatoktam ekādaśa-skandhe—tasmān mad-bhakti-yuktasya yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ | na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha || yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat | yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api || sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate’ñjasā | svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati || iti | prāya ity anena kadācit kiñcid vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ karma ca śreyaḥ-sādhanaṁ bhaved iti śrī-bhagavatā yat sūcitaṁ, tad eva darśayantaḥ karmādīnām api bhakti-paratvena sārthakam āhuḥ—tat-tad- iti | karma vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca śodhitaṁ tat-tan-mala-hīnatāṁ nītaṁ sat tāṁ bhaktim anuyāti anuvartate bhakteḥ prathama-sādhanāṅgatāṁ bhajatīty arthaḥ | tad uktaṁ yoga-vāśiṣṭhe—‘janmāntara-sahasreṣu tapo-dāna-samādhibhiḥ | narāṇāṁ kṣīṇa-pāpānāṁ kṛṣṇe bhaktiḥ prajāyate ||’ iti | tatraivaṁ vivecanīyam—karmaṇas tat-tat-kāma-phala-nirasanena kevalaṁ bhagavat-prītaye tad-arpaṇena śodhanaṁ, vairāgyasya ca mokṣe’pi vaitṛṣṇyeṇa bhagavat-sevādi-rāgānuvartanena, jñānasya ca advaitātma-tattva-bodhādi-tyāgena kevalaṁ bhagavadīyatvenaivātma-mananena śrī-bhagavad-bhakti-mahima-nirdhāraṇādineti dik |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Therefore, karma and so forth—everything—contrary to bhakti is verily to be relinquished by those dedicated to bhakti. With this intent, they say karma … [i.e., they speak this verse]. [Karma is] A cause of distraction from it, that is, from bhakti, meaning, [karma is] a cause of movement by way of hundreds of various tasks [that causes one to become distracted from bhakti]. Vairāgya, that is, indifference towards everything, furthermore, is a cause of desiccation of rasa for it [viz., bhakti], that is, of attachment (rāga) related to it. Because of the occurrence of the fault of disinterest even in regard to worship of Bhagavān, it [viz., vairāgya] is furthermore verily unsuitable. Because of non-attachment towards that which is apart from bhakti to Bhagavān being mentioned in [SB 11.2.42], ‘Bhakti, experience of the Supreme Lord, and non-attachment to all else—this triad shall occur at one time for one who has taken shelter …,’ jñāna on the contrary is a cause of detriment, that is, a cause of diminution, to it [viz., bhakti] as a result of an absence of inclination towards bhakti coming about because of the occurrence of considering oneself to have crossed beyond [māyā] by way of understanding the quiddity of the self (ātma-tattva) and so forth. Therefore, it is said by Śrī Bhagavān in the Eleventh Canto [i.e., SB 11.20.31–33], ‘Therefore, for a yogī engaged in bhakti to me with mind on me, neither jñāna nor vairāgya shall in general be a means of benefit here. What can come to be by means of righteous acts, what can come to be by means of austerity, and what can come to be by means of jñāna and vairāgya, as well as by yoga, charity, and other means of benefit—all of that, as well as Svarga, apavarga [i.e., mukti], and my abode, my bhakta attains quickly by means of the practice (yoga) of bhakti to me if one somehow desires [to attain any of those ends].’ ‘In general’ (prāyaḥ)—by [the mention of] this [in the aforecited verse, it is made known that] sometimes some [particular forms of] vairāgya, jñāna, and karma can be a means of benefit. Thus, showing that specifically which was indicated by Śrī Bhagavān [with his mention of ‘in general’ (prāyaḥ)], they describe that as advantageous on account of even karma and so on’s being adherent to bhakti [in the particular advantageous cases Śrī Bhagavān was referring to in the aforecited verse]: tat-tad … [i.e., they state the final quarter of the verse]. [When] Rectified (śodhitam), that is, upon having attained an absence of those [aforementioned] impurities [that cause them to be unsuitable for bhakti], karma, vairāgya, and jñāna attend to (anuyāti) that, meaning, bhakti, that is, they acquire the status of being limbs of early sādhana for bhakti [i.e., they acquire the status of being admissible practices in the beginning stage of bhakti-sādhana]. This is described in Yoga-vāśiṣṭha, ‘Bhakti to Kṛṣṇa arises for human beings whose sins have diminished as a result of austerity, charity, and meditation [performed] over the the course of thousands of other births.’ In this regard, the following is to be discerned: rectification of karma [whereby it becomes supportive of bhakti] occurs by means of rejection of the results, that is, the various desired objects [it produces], solely by way of offering them to Bhagavān for his satisfaction; [rectification] of vairāgya, furthermore, occurs by means of indifference even towards mokṣa by way of attending to attachment to worship and so forth of Bhagavān; and [rectification] of jñāna, furthermore, occurs by means of relinquishing understanding and so forth of the quiddity of the self as [exclusively] non-dual solely by way of determining the greatness of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān through contemplation of the self specifically as being one who belongs to Bhagavān [rather than something that is non-different from him]. This is the direction.”