किरातहूणान्ध्रपुलिन्दपुल्कशा
आभीरशुम्भा यवनाः खसादयः ।
येऽन्ये च पापा यदपाश्रयाश्रयाः
शुध्यन्ति तस्मै प्रभविष्णवे नमः ॥
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ |
ye’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.4.18; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.667)
“Kirātas, Hūṇas, Andhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, Khasas, and so forth, as well as other sinners, become purified upon taking shelter in those who have taken shelter in whom—obeisance unto him, the Almighty.”
Commentary
bhakteḥ parama-śuddhi-hetutvaṁ darśayann āha | kirātādayo ye pāpa-jātayaḥ, anye ca ye karmataḥ pāpa-rūpāḥ, te yad-upāśrayā bhāgavatās tad-āśrayāḥ santaḥ śudhyanti | asambhāvanā-śaṅkāṁ pariharati—prabhaviṣṇave prabhavana-śīlāyeti |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“To show bhakti’s being a cause of paramount purification, he [i.e., Śrī Śukadeva] speaks [this verse]. Kirātas and so forth, that is, those of sinful caste [i.e., those who are born into caste of people whose way of life integrally contains sinful activities, or, those who are members of castes into which one is born as a result of committing sin], and ‘others’ (anye), that is, those who are sinful because of [their own] activity [in their present birth even though they were not born into a sinful class], become purified upon becoming they whose shelter is they whose shelter is whom [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān], that is, bhāgavatas [i.e., all persons who are implicated in sin by caste or by action can become purified by taking shelter in bhaktas of Śrī Bhagavān]. He [i.e., the speaker, Śrī Śukadeva], dispels doubt of impossibility [in this regard by describing Śrī Bhagavān as]: the Almighty, that is, he of powerful nature [i.e., by describing Śrī Bhagavān here as ‘Almighty’ (Prabhaviṣṇu), he suggests that the purifying power of those who take shelter in Bhagavān is not to be considered overstated in this verse].”
kiñca kirāteti | kirātādayo ye pāpa-jātayaḥ, anye ca ye karmataḥ pāpa-rūpāḥ, yad-upāśrayāḥ śaraṇāgatās tad-āśrayāḥ santaḥ śudhyanti | asambhāvanā-śaṅkāṁ pariharati—prabhaviṣṇave prabhavanaśīlāyeti ||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.667)
“Furthermore kirāta … [i.e., the author cites this verse to further demonstrate how śaranāgatas purify others]. Kirātas and so forth, that is, those of sinful caste [i.e., those who are born into caste of people whose way of life integrally contains sinful activities, or, those who are members of castes into which one is born as a result of committing sin], and ‘others’ (anye), that is, those who are sinful because of [their own] activity [in their present birth even though they were not born into a sinful class], become purified upon becoming they whose shelter is they whose shelter is whom [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān], that is, śaraṇāgatas [i.e., all persons who are implicated in sin by caste or by action can become purified by taking shelter in those who have taken shelter in Śrī Bhagavān]. He [i.e., the speaker, Śrī Śukadeva], dispels doubt of impossibility [in this regard by describing Śrī Bhagavān as]: the Almighty, that is, he of powerful nature [i.e., by describing Śrī Bhagavān here as ‘Almighty’ (Prabhaviṣṇu), he suggests that the purifying power of those who take shelter in Bhagavān is not to be considered overstated in this verse].”
bhaktāśritānāṁ pāpa-jīvānām api parama-śuddhau hetutvaṁ darśayann āha—kirāteti | atra yad-apāśrayāśrayatvaṁ vyavahārecchayaiva | paramārthecchutve tu pūrveṣām api bhagavad-apāśrayāṇāṁ tat-pūrvaṁ bhaktāntarāśrayatvaṁ vidyata eveti na viśeṣaḥ syāt |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“To show causality in regard to paramount purification of even those of sinful life who are sheltered in bhaktas, he says kirāta … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. Here [i.e., in this verse], ‘being those who have taken shelter in those who have taken shelter in whom’ (yad-apāśrayāśrayatvam) is [said] only out of an inclination towards the practical (vyavahāra). In the case of having an inclination towards [describing] the ultimate sense (paramārtha), however, [it should be said that] even on the part of the former, [they who are described as] those whose shelter is in Bhagavān, [their] being sheltered in another bhakta prior to that certainly existed. Thus, there shall be no distinction [between those described in this verse as being sheltered in those who are sheltered in Bhagavān and those who are said to be sheltered in Bhagavān directly].”
bhakti-gandhenāpi kevalena yuktāś cet pāpātmano vigītā api kṛtārthā bhavantīty āha | kirātādayo ye jātita eva pāpāḥ, anye ca ye karmata eva pāpās te ca śudhyanti | yad-upāśrayā vaiṣṇavā eva gurutvenāśrayā yeṣāṁ te tathā-bhūtāḥ santa iti sad-guru-caraṇāśraya-mātreṇaiva jāti-karmabhyāṁ sakāśāt pāpinaḥ śudhyantīti prārabdhāprārabdha-pāpa-nāśakatvaṁ bhakter vyañjitam | tathā hi kirātādīnām aśuddhau durjātir eva kāraṇam | ‘durjāty-ārambhakaṁ yat pāpaṁ tat prārabdham eva |’ śudhyantīti śuddhānyathānupapattyā durjātitvasya nāśaḥ, durjātitva-nāśānyathānupapattyā ca prārabdha-pāpa-nāśo’vagamyata eva | tathāpi te taj-jātitvena yad ākhyāyante tad vyavahārata eva, na tu tat-paramārthata iti jñeyam | ‘arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ’ iti teṣu jāti-buddher niṣedhāt | tathaitādṛśa-durjātayo’pi bhaktim upadeṣṭavyā iti vidhiś ca prāptaḥ | vakṣyate caikādaśe—‘striyaḥ śūdrādayaś cāpi te’nukampā bhavādṛśāṁ’ ity atrādi-padena durjātaya eva labhyante | atrāsambhāvanādi-sarvāpekṣāparihārārtham āha—prabhaviṣṇave iti | eṣāpy ekā bhagavataḥ prabhutā svābhāvikī, nātra yuktir yojanīyeti bhāvaḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“If endowed with only even a trace of bhakti, even censured, sinful persons become successful. Thus, he [i.e., Śrī Śukadeva] speaks [this verse]. Kirātas and so on, that is, they who are sinful just by caste, and others who are sinful just by action, become purified upon becoming they whose shelter is ‘those who have taken shelter in whom’ (yad-upāśrayāḥ), that is, the Vaiṣṇavas specifically, on account of [Vaiṣṇavas’] being guru [of those sinful persons]. Thus, just by taking shelter in the feet of a genuine (sat) guru, sinners become purified of [their] caste and actions. Thus, bhakti’s being a destroyer of commenced (prārabdha) and non-commenced (aprārabdha) sin is suggested since low caste specifically is the cause in regard to the impurity of Kirātas and so forth [as stated in BRS 1.1.22], ‘That sin which is causative of the onset of [having] a low caste shall certainly be commenced (prārabdha) [sin].’ ‘Become purified’ (śudhyanti) is understood specifically to refer to the destruction of low caste status (durjātitva) because of the non-occurrence otherwise of [their] becoming purified, and the destruction of commenced (prārabdha) sin is [understood] because of the non-occurrence otherwise of [such] destruction of [their] low caste status. Still, that they are referred to as being of that caste [i.e., that those who were purified of their low caste status are nonetheless still spoken of as Kirātas and so on in this verse and elsewhere] is only practically (vyavahārataḥ) and not rather in in the true sense [of the word] (paramārthataḥ). This is to be understood because of the prohibition of the notion of a caste (jāti-buddhi) in relation to them [described in a statement of the ancients], ‘One who in regard to a deity of Viṣṇu has the thought of a stone, in regard to gurus the idea of a man, in regard to a Vaiṣṇava the notion of a caste [and so on is situated in Naraka] (arcye Viṣṇau śilā‑dhīr guruṣu nara‑matir vaiṣṇave jāti‑buddhiḥ). So also, an injunction that even such persons of low caste are fit to be taught bhakti is also obtained [i.e., understood to be an implication of the verse under discussion]. It will also be said [later] in the Eleventh Canto [i.e., SB 11.5.4], ‘Women and indeed śūdras and so on are fit for the favor of those like you all [i.e., of bhaktas of Śrī Bhagavān],’ and specifically those of low caste are understood from the word ‘and so on’ (ādi) here [i.e., the mention of ‘śūdras and so on’ in SB 11.5.4 indicates that those of low caste, that is, those considered lower than even śūdras, are also said to be fit for the favor of Śrī Bhagavān’s bhaktas]. He says ‘the Almighty’ (Prabhaviṣṇu) [i.e., he uses this name of Śrī Bhagavān to allude to Śrī Bhagavān’s all-mightiness in the verse under discussion] for the purpose of dispelling all concerns, such as impossibility, in this regard [i.e., in regard to the possibility of all varieties of sinful persons becoming purified by taking shelter in Vaiṣṇavas, that is, bhaktas of Śrī Bhagavān]. This [ability to purify those who take shelter in him and those who take shelter in those sheltered in him] too is [but] one inherent powerfulness of Bhagavān. The purport is that reasoning is not to be applied in this regard [i.e., how it is that Śrī Bhagavān’s possesses this power is beyond the appropriate scope of reason’s application].”