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 [i.e., in saṁsāra] he because of whom existence occurs [i.e., one’s father] is the first guru, he because of whom the existence of a twice-born’s pious activities arises is [the second] guru, and he who is a giver of knowledge to all members of the āśramas is like 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 high worshipability of the guru, the giver of knowledge of the ātmā, a person’s three gurus are described in this verse (sa vai …). ‘Here’ (ihā), that is, in saṁsāra, he because of whom existence, that is, mere birth, occurs is the father and so is the ‘first’ (ādyaḥ), original, guru, that is, worshipable person. The guru who is the giver of knowledge of karma is [then] stated: he because of whom the existence of pious actions of a twice-born (dvijāteḥ), that is, a pious person, arises is the giver of the upanayana, the teacher of the Veda. This is the meaning. He is the second guru, and as I, Īśvara, am, so he is more worshippable than the first [guru]. This is the meaning. The guru who is the giver of knowledge of Brahman is [then] stated: he who is a giver of knowledge even to all the members of the āśramas is also directly I.”
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 there are three gurus: the father, the giver of the upanayana, and the teacher of the tattva of myself. Among them, only the last is highly worshipable. Thus this verse (sa vai …) is spoken. ‘Here’ (ihā), that is, in saṁsāra, he because of whom existence, that is, mere birth, occurs is the impregnator, the father, and so the first guru. He because whom the existence of the pious actions of a twice-born (dvijāteḥ), that is, a pious person, arises is the giver of the upanayana, the teacher of the sāvitrī [i.e., Brahma-gāyatrī-mantra], the second guru. And he who is a giver of knowledge, that is, a teacher of my tattva, to the members of the āśramas (āśramiṇām), that is, the members of the four āśramas, is as I am, that is, is highly worshipable on account of being comparable to me. This is the meaning.”