नन्वर्थकोविदा ब्रह्मन् वर्णाश्रमवतामिह ।
ये मया गुरुणा वाचा तरन्त्यञ्जो भवार्णवम् ॥
nanv artha-kovidā brahman varṇāśrama-vatām iha |
ye mayā guruṇā vācā taranty añjo bhavārṇavam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.33)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] O brāhmaṇa, certainly they among those adherent to varṇa and āśrama here are sagacious who easily cross over the ocean of material existence by means of words from me—the guru.”
Commentary
ato jñāna-pradaṁ guru-rūpaṁ mām āśritya ye saṁsāraṁ taranti te buddhimanta ity āha—nanv iti | he brahman, te nanu varṇāśrama-vatāṁ madhye’rtha-kovidāḥ | iha manuṣya-janmani, tatrāpi varṇāśramavattve sati ye mayā guruṇā guru-rūpeṇa vaktrā vācā upadeśa-mātreṇāñjaḥ sukhenaiva bhavārṇavaṁ tarantīti jñāna-pradād guror adhikaḥ sevyo nāstīty uktam |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“Therefore, those who take shelter in me in the form of the guru, the giver of knowledge, and cross over saṁsāra are intelligent. Thus, he says nanu … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. O brāhmaṇa, ‘here’ (iha), that is, in human birth, and even therein, while being adherent to varṇa and āśrama, certainly they among those adherent to varṇa and āśrama are sagacious who indeed easily (añjaḥ) cross over the ocean of material existence by means of words from me—the guru—that is, by means just of the teaching from me, the teacher in the form of the guru. Thus, it is stated that there is no greater worthy recipient of service than the guru, the giver of knowledge.”
nanu niścaye | he brahmann iti brahmānubhavena vedārtha-tattva-jñānena tat tavaiva susiddham iti bhāvaḥ | añja iti vijñeya-vijñānena bhakti-susiddhyāvāntara-phalatayā bhavārṇava-taraṇasya sukha-siddheḥ |
(Bṛhad Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā)
“[The word] Nanu is in the sense of certainty. ‘O brāhmaṇa’—hereto the purport is that by experience of Brahman, that is, by knowledge of the essential nature of the object of [i.e., taught by] the Vedas, that [viz., Brahman] in indeed fully attained for you. ‘Easily’ (añjaḥ) is [stated] because of easy attainment of crossing over the ocean of material existence on account of [that] being a secondary result fully attained by bhakti by means of refined knowledge of the object to be known.”
nanu niścaye | añja iti vijñeya-vijñānena bhakteḥ siddhyā avāntara-phalatayā bhavārṇava-taraṇasya sukha-siddheḥ |
(Laghu Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā)
“[The word] Nanu is in the sense of certainty. ‘Easily’ (añjaḥ) is [stated] because of easy attainment of crossing over the ocean of material existence on account of [that] being a secondary result attained on account of bhakti by means of refined knowledge of the object to be known.”
tṛtīya-gurur eva saṁsārāt tārayatīty āha—nanu niścitam eva varṇāśramavatāṁ madhye te evārtha-kovidāḥ, ye mayā mad-rūpeṇa mat-tattvopadeṣṭā guruṇā vācā man-mantropadeśa-mātreṇaivāñjaḥ sukhenaiva bhavārṇavaṁ taranti |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Only the third guru [mentioned in the previous verse, viz., the guru who is a giver of knowledge of Śrī Bhagavān] causes one to cross over saṁsāra. Thus, he speaks [this verse]. Certainly (nanu) they alone among those adherent to varṇa and āśrama are sagacious who indeed easily (añjaḥ) cross over the ocean of material existence by means of words from me—the guru, that is, by means just of the teaching regarding a mantra related to me from a teacher of my essential nature (tattva), who is a form of myself.”