मनसैतानि भूतानि प्रणमेद्बहुमानयन् ।
ईश्वरो जीवकलया प्रविष्टो भगवानिति ॥
manasaitāni bhūtāni praṇamed bahu-mānayan |
īśvaro jīva-kalayā praviṣṭo bhagavān iti ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.34; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 106)
“Within the mind one should offer obeisance to and greatly honor [all] these beings, [considering,] ‘Bhagavān, Īśvara, has entered [all these beings] by means of impelling the jīvas [i.e., by virtue of his being the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī), meaning, the Īśvara, within them].”
Commentary
tad evaṁ prathamopāsakānāṁ sarva-bhūtādaro vihitaḥ, sa-śraddha-sādhakānāṁ tu bhagavad-vaibhava-sārvatrikatā-sphūrtyā bhavaty evāsau | … śuddha-bandhutvādi-bhāva-sādhakānām api bandhu-bhāva-siddha-śrī-gokula-vāsy-ādy-śīlanānusāreṇa tādṛśa-bhagavad-guṇānusaraṇena cāsau jāyate | jāta-bhāvānāṁ tv ahiṁsā coparamaś ca svīya eva svabhāvaḥ | … tataḥ parama-siddhānāṁ sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ ity-ādy-anusāreṇa siddha eva saḥ | … tatra sādhakānāṁ yat tu … tat-tad-adhiṣṭhānaka-bhagavad-upāsanam eva vidhīyate | tad-ādarāvaśyakatvaṁ ca tat-sambandhenaiva sampādyate| tac cānyatra jhaṭiti rāga-dveṣa-nivrtty-artham iti jñeyam | ata eva kevala-bhūtānukampayā śrī-bhagavad-arcanaṁ tyaktavato bharatasyāntarāyaḥ paramātma-dṛṣṭyā ranti-devādīnāṁ tu kṛtārthatvam | tasmād bhūta-dayaiva bhagavad-bhaktir mukhyā nārcanam iti nirastam | … tasmād anyeṣām anādaro na kartavyas tat-sambandhenādarādikaṁ ca kartavyam | svātantryeṇopāsanaṁ tu dhik-kṛtam …|
(Excerpt from the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.29.34, and Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)
“In this way, honoring of all beings is enjoined for neophyte worshippers, but for sādhakas with śraddhā, this [i.e., honoring of all beings] occurs by virtue of the appearance of the ubiquitousness of Bhagavān’s magnificence [i.e., by virtue of their seeing everything as being an expression of Bhagavān’s magnificence on account of their śraddhā in Bhagavān]. … Even for sādhakas of the bhāvas of pure friendship and so on [i.e., even for sādhakas who don’t consciously cultivate vision of Īśvara’s indwelling in all beings as aforementioned (in the verses from the Third Canto)], this [i.e., honoring of all beings] also arises [in their conduct without having to be separately enjoined for them] in accordance with the disposition of residents of Śrī Gokula and others who are established in the bhāva of a friend [of Bhagavān], and in accordance with such qualities of Bhagavān [i.e., with Bhagavān’s qualities of being a friend to his bhaktas]. But for those in whom bhāva has manifested, nonviolence and abstinence are their very own nature. … Furthermore, for the highest siddhas, this [i.e., honoring all beings] is [also] certainly established [in them] in accordance with statements such as [SB 11.2.45], “One who can see the presence of Bhagavān, the Ātmā, within all beings and [all] beings within Bhagavān, the Ātmā, is a topmost bhāgavata.’ … In this regard, for sādhakas, however, … worship of Bhagavān as the indweller in all of them [i.e., in all living beings] is enjoined. Furthermore, honoring them [i.e., all beings] being necessary is established only by their relationship with him [i.e., Bhagavān]. That too [i.e., honoring of all beings] is to be understood as being [enjoined] for the purpose of [bringing about] immediate cessation of attachment and aversion [towards those beings]. Therefore, an obstacle arose for Bharata, who abandoned worship of Śrī Bhagavān out of isolated compassion for a living being, whereas Rantideva and others became successful through their vision of the Paramātmā [in all beings as they showed compassion to other living beings]. Thus, it is refuted that kindness to living beings itself, and not [direct] worship, is the primary form of bhakti to Bhagavān. … Therefore, dishonoring of others should not be done, and honoring and so forth [of others], because of their relationship with him [i.e., Bhagavān], should be done. Worship of others independently [i.e., worshipping others for any reason other than their being related to Bhagavān], however, is condemned.”