नष्टप्रायेष्वभद्रेषु नित्यं भागवतसेवया ।
भगवत्युत्तमश्लोके भक्तिर्भवति नैष्ठिकी ॥
तदा रजस्तमोभावाः कामलोभादयश्च ये ।
चेत एतैरनाविद्धं स्थितं सत्त्वे प्रसीदति ॥
एवं प्रसन्नमनसो भगवद्भक्तियोगतः ।
भगवत्तत्त्वविज्ञानं मुक्तसङ्गस्य जायते ॥
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā |
bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī ||
tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye |
ceta etair anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati ||
evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ |
bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.18–20)
“When [all] ills are nearly destroyed by service to Bhāgavatas [alt., to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] continually, bhakti to Bhagavān, he of highest praise, becomes fixed. Then, the mind, situated in sattva and unassailed by states of rajas and tamas—desire, greed, and so forth—becomes satisfied. Realized knowledge [i.e., direct experience] of the essential nature of Bhagavān arises for one who in this way is of satisfied mind and [thus] freed from attachment as a result of the practice of bhakti to Bhagavān.”
Commentary
tataś ca naṣṭa-prāyeṣv iti sarvābhadra-nāśasya jñānottara-kālatvāt prāya-grahaṇam | bhāgavatānāṁ bhāgavata-śāstrasya vā sevayā | naiṣṭhikī niścalā vikṣepakābhāvāt ||18|| rajaś ca tamaś ca ye ca tat-prabhavā bhāvāḥ kāmādayaḥ etair anāviddham anabhibhūtam | prasīdaty upaśāmyati ||19|| bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ prasanna-manaso’ta eva mukta-saṅgasya ||20||
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“Thereafter, furthermore, in naṣṭa-prāyeṣu … [i.e., in SB 1.2.18], there is a mention of ‘nearly’ (prāya) [i.e., and not, rather, ’completely’] because of the destruction of all ills’ being of a time following knowledge [i.e., because all ills are completely destroyed only after the appearance of knowledge (jñāna), that is, direct perception of Bhagavān]. By service to Bhāgavatas, or, to Bhāgavata-śāstra [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam], [bhakti] becomes fixed (naiṣṭhikī), that is, unwavering, because of the absence of causes of distraction (vikṣepa)]. ||18||
“‘Unassailed’ (anāviddham), that is, not overpowered, by rajas, tamas, and the states the origin of which is these, that is, desire and so forth, [the mind] ‘becomes satisfied’ (prasīdati), that is, becomes tranquil. ||19||
“For one of satisfied mind and thus free from attachment as a result of the practice of bhakti to Bhagavān [realized knowledge of the essential nature of Bhagavān arises]. ||20||”
naṣṭa-prāyeṣu na tu jñānam iva samyaṅ-naṣṭeṣv eveti bhakter nirargala-svabhāvatvam uktam | bhāgavatānāṁ bhāgavata-śāstrasya vā sevayā bhaktir anudhyāna-rūpā naiṣṭhikī santataiva bhavati ||18|| tadaiva ‘tribhuvana-vibhava-hetave’py akuṇṭha-smṛtir’ ity-ādy-ukta-rītyā sarva-vāsanā-nāśāt cittaṁ śuddha-sattva-magnaṁ sat bhagavat-tattva-sākṣātkāra-yogyaṁ bhavatīty āha—tadeti ||19|| evaṁ pūrvokta-prakāreṇa prasanna-manasas tato mukta-saṅgasya tyakta-kāmādi-vāsanasya bhakti-yogataḥ punar api kriyamāṇāt tasmād vijñānaṁ sākṣātkāro manasi bahir vā bhāvanāṁ vinaivānubhavo yaḥ sa jāyate ||20||
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā; Bhakti Sandarbha 13–15)
“‘Nearly destroyed’ (naṣṭa-prāyeṣu) [is said], and not, rather, completely destroyed, as with jñāna [i.e., Brahman-jñāna comes about only after all ills are completely destroyed but bhakti to Bhagavān becomes fixed even before all ills are completely destroyed]. Thus, bhakti’s being of unobstructed nature is stated. By service to Bhāgavatas [i.e., bhaktas of Bhagavān], or, to Bhāgavata-śāstra [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam], bhakti in the form of contemplation [alt., meditation, upon Bhagavān] becomes fixed (naiṣṭhikī), that is, verily continuous [i.e., free from distraction (vikṣepa)]. ||18||
“As a result of the destruction of all [worldly] inclinations (vāsanās) as per the manner stated in [SB 11.2.53], ‘One of unchecked remembrance who does not even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds diverge for even half a blink of an eye or half of a sixth of that from Bhagavān’s lotus feet, which are to be sought after [even] by the suras and others whose self is Ajita [i.e., the Unconquerable One, viz., Bhagavān], is the foremost Vaiṣṇava,’ only then does the mind become absorbed in pure sattva and become fit for direct perception of the essential nature of Bhagavān. Thus, he says tadā … [i.e., he speaks SB 1.2.19]. ||19||
“Realized knowledge (vijñana)—direct perception [of Bhagavān] in the mind or outside [of the mind]—that which is [an] experience (anubhava) [of Bhagavān] indeed apart from a conception [i.e., which is not a form of meditation, contemplation, imagination, etc., of Bhagavān and rather a form of direct perception of Bhagavān] occurs for one who in the aforesaid manner is of satisfied mind and thus ‘freed from attachment’ (mukta-saṅgasya), that is, is one who has relinquished the inclinations of desire (kāma) and so forth, as a result of the practice of bhakti being enacted yet further [i.e., being enacted even after the mind has become fully satisfied and one is free from all attachments].”
bhāgavatānāṁ vaiṣṇavānāṁ bhāgavatasya śāstrasya ca | naṣṭa-prāyeṣv iti nāmāparādha-lakṣaṇasyābhadrasya kaścana kaścana prabalo bhāgaḥ kṣīṇatvaṁ gacchan rati-paryanto’pi bhavatīti bhāvaḥ | naiṣṭhikī niṣṭhā cittaikāgryaṁ tāṁ prāptā ||18|| rajas-tamobhyāṁ bhāva utpattir yeṣāṁ te vikṣepayādayaḥ | ādi-śabdāt krodha-moha-mātsaryāṇi | anāviddham avikṛtaṁ bhavati tena viṣayeṣv arucyā śravaṇa-kīrtanādiṣu svādutva-bhāṇa-lakṣaṇā rucir bhavatīty āyātam | tena pūrva-daśāyāṁ kāma-lobhādyais tīkṣṇa-śarāyitair āviddhaṁ cetaḥ kathaṁ prasīdatu? kathaṁ vā kīrtanādeḥ samyag āsvādaṁ labhatām? na hi vyathā-jarjaritasyānnādikaṁ samyak rocate iti bhāvaḥ | tataś ca sattve śuddha-sattva-mūrtau bhagavati sthitam āsaktam ||19|| evam anena prakāreṇāsakti-pūrvakaṁ pratikṣaṇaṁ bhagavataḥ kṛṣṇasya bhajanaṁ kurvataḥ prasanna-manasa utpanna-rater ity arthaḥ, ratyā vinā sarvathā viṣayāsaṁsparśasyānutpatteḥ, tena vinā ca manaḥ-prasādāsambhavād iti | tataś ca bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ premā, tasmāc ca bhagavatas tasya svarūpa-guṇa-līlaiśvarya-mādhuryasya vijñānam anubhava ity anubhava ity anusaṁhitaṁ bhakteḥ phalam uktaṁ—‘janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam’ iti yat pūrvam uktaṁ, tad idam eva jñeyam | mukta-saṅgasya utpanna-vairāgyasya ||20||
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“‘To Bhāgavatas’ means to Vaiṣṇavas or to the Bhāgavata-śāstra [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam]. In regard to ‘nearly destroyed’ (naṣṭa-prāyeṣu), the purpose [of saying ‘nearly’ instead of ‘completely’] is that some particular very strong fragment of ill—that the nature of which is offense (aparādha) to the name [of Bhagavān]—becomes weakened but remains even up to [the stage of] rati [syn., bhāva-bhakti, i.e., ills are said to be ‘nearly’ rather than ‘completely’ destroyed at this stage because some strong residual effect of past offenses to the name of Bhagavān remains up until the manifestation of rati into the heart]. ‘Fixed’ (naiṣṭhikī) means possessed of fixity—one-pointedness of mind. ||18||
“Those the origin (bhāva) of which is because of rajas and tamas refers to distraction and so forth [i.e., mental slackening (laya), inaction (apratipatti), impurity (kaṣāya), and taste for worldly pleasure (rasāsvāda)]. ‘And so forth’ (ādi) refers to anger, delusion, and envy. [The mind] Becomes ‘unassailed’ (anāviddham), that is, undisturbed [by these]. By this it follows that by way of an absence of taste for objects of the senses (viṣaya), taste for hearing, praising, and so forth the characteristic of which is a perception of relishability [in such acts of bhakti] comes about. Thus, how can the mind assailed by the sharp arrows of desire, greed, and so forth in the prior state be satisfied? [It certainly cannot.] And how can complete taste for praising and so forth be attained? [It certainly cannot.] ‘Since food and so on are not fully tasteful to someone worn down by pain’ is the purport [i.e., just as someone who is in pain cannot fully relish even food that is very palatable, so someone whose mind is assailed by desire, greed, and the like along with distractions, slackening, and so on cannot fully relish engaging in hearing, praising, and so on of Bhagavān]. Also, furthermore, [the mind then becomes] ‘situated in Sattva,’ that is, attached to Bhagavān, he who is the embodiment of pure (śuddha) sattva.” ||19||
“‘In this way’ (evam), that is, in this manner fostering attachment (āsakti) and performing worship of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa at every moment [as was described in the previous verses], one becomes ‘of satisfied mind’ (prasanna-manasaḥ), meaning, one in whom rati has manifested, on account of the non-occurrence of the absence of the touch of objects of the sense (viṣaya) under all circumstances without rati. Thereafter, furthermore, as a result of the practice of bhakti to Bhagavān, meaning, prema, realized knowledge (vijñāna), that is, experience (anubhava) of the essential nature, qualities, Godhood (Aiśvarya), and sweetness (mādhurya) of Bhagavān occurs. Such experience is said to be the sought [i.e., primary] result of bhakti. That which was said earlier [in SB 1.2.7], ‘[A fully connected practice of bhakti to Bhagavān Vāsudeva] Quickly produces non-attachment (vairāgya) and knowledge (jñāna) which is causeless [i.e., knowledge without any other aim, meaning, such bhakti produces experience of the sweetness (mādhurya) of Bhagavān’s form and qualities that is the end in itself for the bhakta, and not an experience that is considered a means to attaining mokṣa or anything else]. This specifically is to be understood [in regard to the ‘realized knowledge’ (vijñāna), that is, experience (anubhava), spoken of in the present verse, SB 1.2.20]. ‘Free from attachment’ (mukta-saṅgasya) means one in whom non-attachment (vairāgya) has arisen.”