स वै सत्कर्मणां साक्षाद् द्विजातेरिह सम्भव: ।
आद्योऽङ्ग यत्राश्रमिणां यथाहं ज्ञानदो गुरु: ॥
sa vai sat-karmaṇāṁ sākṣād dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ |
ādyo’ṅga yatrāśramiṇāṁ yathāhaṁ jñānado guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.32)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāma:] Here he because of whom existence arises [i.e., one’s father] is the first guru, he because of whom [the existence] of a twice-born’s meritorious activities arises is [the second guru] like I [myself], and he who is a giver of knowledge to the members of the āśramas is [the third guru] directly [I myself].”
Commentary
tatrātma-jñāna-pradasya guror atyantaṁ pūjyatvaṁ vaktuṁ puruṣasya trīn gurūn āha—sa va iti | iha saṁsāre yatra sambhavo janma-mātraṁ sa pitā tāvad ādyaḥ prathamo guruḥ pūjyaḥ | karma-vidyā-pradaṁ gurum āha—dvijāteḥ sataḥ puṁsaḥ sat-karmaṇāṁ yatra sambhavaḥ | upanīya vedādhyāpaka ity arthaḥ | sa dvitīyo guruḥ, yathāham īśvaras tathā prathamād api pūjya ity arthaḥ | brahma-vidyā-pradaṁ gurum āha—āśramiṇāṁ sarveṣām api jñāna-do yaḥ, sa tu sākṣād aham eveti |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“In this regard, to state the utmost worshipability of the guru who is a giver of knowledge of the self [alt., Self], Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes a person’s three [principal] gurus: sa vai … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘Here’ (ihā), that is, in saṁsāra, he because of whom existence (sambhavaḥ), that is, mere birth, occurs is the father and so is the ‘first’ (ādyaḥ) guru, that is, worshipable person [in someone’s life]. [Then] He describes the guru who is a giver of knowledge of karma: he because of whom the existence (sambhavaḥ) of the meritorious activities of a twice-born (dvijāteḥ), that is, a virtuous person, arises is the giver of the upanayana, the teacher of the Vedas. This is the meaning. He is the second guru, and ‘like I’ (yathāham), meaning, is Īśvara and so is worshippable more so than even the first [guru, viz., one’s father]. [Then] He describes the guru who is a giver of knowledge of Brahman: he, however, who is a giver of knowledge even to all the members of the āśramas is indeed directly (sākṣāt) I [myself] specifically [and thus is worthy of the highest worship of all].”
iha khalu pitā upanetya madīya-tattvopadeṣṭā ceti traya eva guravo bhavanti | teṣv antya evātipūjanīya ity āha—sa vā iti | iha saṁsāre yatra sambhavo janma-mātraṁ sa ādhāna-kartā pitā tāvad ādyo guruḥ | yatra dvijāteḥ sataḥ puṁsaḥ sat-karmaṇāṁ sambhavaḥ, sa upanetā sāvitry-upadeṣṭā dvitīyo guruḥ | yas tu āśramiṇām āśramibhyaś caturbhya eva jñānado mat-tattvopadeṣtā, sa yathāhaṁ mat-tulyatvenātipūjanīya ity arthaḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Here [in this world] there are three gurus specifically: the father, the giver of the upanayana, and the teacher of the essential nature of myself. Among them, only the last is highly worshipable. Thus, he says sa vai … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘Here’ (ihā), that is, in saṁsāra, he because of whom existence (sambhavaḥ), that is, mere birth, occurs is the impregnator, the father, and so the first guru. He because whom the existence (sambhavaḥ) of the meritorious activities of a twice-born (dvijāteḥ), that is, a virtuous person, arises is the giver of the upanayana, the teacher of the sāvitrī [i.e., Brahma-gāyatrī-mantra], the second guru. He, however, who is a giver of knowledge, that is, a teacher of the essential nature of myself, to the members of the four āśramas (āśramiṇām) is ‘like I’ (yathāham), meaning, is highly worshippable on account of being equivalent to me.”