सदा प्रमाणभूतानामस्माकं महतां तथा ।
वाक्यानि व्यवहाराश्च प्रमाणं खलु सर्वथा ॥
sadā pramāṇa-bhūtānām asmākaṁ mahatāṁ tathā |
vākyāni vyavahārāś ca pramāṇaṁ khalu sarvathā ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.197)
“The statements and behaviors of ourselves and the great, being pramāṇa [i.e., authoritative], are always pramāṇa [i.e., authoritative means of knowing] verily in all respects.”
Commentary
asmākaṁ śrī-bhāgavatādi-śāstrāṇāṁ vacanāni … tathā mahatāṁ śrī-nārada-prahlāda-hanumad-ādīnāṁ prācīnānāṁ vākyāni … tathārvācīnānāṁ ca nikhila-śruty-artha-vyākhyā-kuśala-paramahaṁsācārya-sarvajña-vara-śrī-śaṅkarācārya-bhagavat-pādādīnāma … tathā eṣāṁ vyavahārāś ca … sadā pramāṇam eva sarvatheti artha-vādatva-kalpanādinā kenāpi prakāreṇāprāmāṇyaṁ nirasyati | khalv iti niścaye | atra pramāṇaṁ nānusandheyam iti bhāvaḥ | kutaḥ ? sadā pramāṇa-bhūtānāṁ pramāṇeṣu pramāṇāntarāpekṣānupayogāt |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“The statements (vākyāni) of ourselves (asmākam), that is, the śāstras beginning with Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and the statements of the great (mahatām), that is, the ancients beginning with Śrī Nārada, Prahlāda, and Hanumān, and moderns who are exalted all-knowing paramahaṁsa ācāryas expert in explaining the meaning of all the Śrutis such as Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Bhagavatpāda, as well as the behaviors (vyavahārāḥ) of them [i.e., of the great, such as Śrī Śuka, Sanaka, and others] are always verily (khalu), meaning, certainly, pramāṇa in all respects (sarvathā). Thus their non-authoritativeness (aprāmāṇya) on any grounds, such as being exaggeration (arthavāda) or imaginations (kalpana), is refuted. In this regard, pramāṇa is not to be sought out [i.e., one does not need another pramāṇa to determinate that the śāstras and the great are themselves pramāṇas]. This is the purport. Why? [They were described as] ‘Always being pramāṇa’ (sadā pramāṇa-bhūtānām) on account of the uselessness [alt., unsuitability] of reliance on another pramāṇa in regard to pramāṇas.”