शास्त्रेष्वियानेव सुनिश्चितो नृणां
क्षेमस्य सध्र्यग्विमृशेषु हेतु: ।
असङ्ग आत्मव्यतिरिक्त आत्मनि
दृढा रतिर्ब्रह्मणि निर्गुणे च या ॥
śāstreṣv iyān eva suniścito nṛṇāṁ
kṣemasya sadhryag-vimṛśeṣu hetuḥ |
asaṅga ātma-vyatirikta ātmani
dṛḍhā ratir brahmaṇi nirguṇe ca yā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.22.21)
“In the śāstras of united deliberation the means to well-being for human beings has been fully determined exactly to this extent: non-attachment to all that is not the Ātmā which is also [of the nature of] firm attachment to the unqualified, absolute Ātmā.”
Commentary
citta-śuddhyaiva bahir vairāgyam ātma-ratiś ca bhavati, na ca tato’dhikaṁ sādhanam asti, śāstreṣu tayor eva mokṣa-hetutva-niścayād ity āha—śāstreṣv iti | sadhryag-vimṛśeṣu samyag-vicāravatsu śāstreṣu kṣemasya hetur etāvān eva suniścitaḥ | ko’sau? ātma-vyatirikte dehādāv asaṅgo vairāgyam ātmani ca dṛḍhā ratiḥ prītiḥ | ātmano viśeṣaṇaṁ nirguṇe brahmaṇīti |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“Non-attachment (vairāgya) to the external and attachment (rati) to the Self (Ātmā) comes about only by means of purification of the psyche (citta-śuddhi). And it is not that there is additional [alt., greater] sādhana than this on account of the certainty in the śāstras of verily these two [i.e., vairāgya and Ātma-rati] being causes of mokṣa [i.e. non-attachment to the external and attachment the Self are verily the essence of the śāstras teachings regarding the means to attain mokṣa]. Thus, he says śāstreṣu … [i.e., thus he speaks this verse]. In the śāstras of united deliberation (sadhryag-vimṛśeṣu) the means to well-being has been has been fully determined exactly to this extent. What is that? Non-attachment (asaṅga—vairāgya) to that which is not the self, that is, the body and so forth, and firm attachment (dṛḍhā rati), that is, love (prīti), for the Self (Ātmani). Nirguṇe Brahmaṇi is a qualifier of [the word] ‘Self’ (Ātmā) [i.e., the Self (Ātmā) spoken of here is unqualified (nirguṇa), that is, free from all material qualities, and absolute (brahman) in nature].”
tathaiva yojayati—śāstreṣv iti | kim utāprākṛtānanta-parama-kalyāṇa-guṇākṛṣṭātmārāma-gaṇe bhagavatīty arthaḥ |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“He adds in exact accord: śāstreṣu … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘And all the more to Bhagavān, he towards whose unlimited, supramundane, and supremely auspicious qualities [even] ātmārāmas are attracted’ is the meaning [i.e., since non-attachment to the non-self replete with firm attachment to the unqualified, absolute Self is indeed the essence of all the śāstras’ teachings regarding the means to well-being for human beings, all the more so is non-attachment to non-self replete with firm attachment to Śrī Bhagavān, he who attracts even the minds of ātmārāmas by virtue of the superlative spiritual nature of his qualities].”
tad api tvat-praśnasyottaram avaśyaṁ deyam iti kṣemasya hetuṁ śṛṇv ity āha—śāstreṣv iti bahu-vacanena na kasyāpy atra vipratipattiḥ, sadhrag vimṛśeṣu samyag vicāravatsv iti avicārita-śāstrā vipratipadyantāṁ nāma, kiṁ tair? iti | iyān eveti vatu-pratyayaiva-kārābhyām etayor eva sāratvaṁ suniścitam iti na punar etad arthaṁ śāstrāṇi punar draṣṭavyānīti dyotitam | asaṅgo’nāsaktiḥ dṛḍhā ratir atyāsaktiḥ | kṣema-śabdena sāyujya-śānta-rati-premāṇo’dhikāri-bhedena draṣṭavyāḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Still, the answer to your question certainly must be given. Therefore, hear of the means to well-being. In this way he speaks [this verse: śāstreṣu …]. By the plural [case being used] in [the word] ‘śāstras’ (śāstreṣu), [it is indicated that] no one has any objection [alt., opposition, or, confusion] in this regard. By [the usage of the qualifier] ‘united deliberation’ (sadhryag-vimṛśeṣu) [in regard to the śāstras], [it is indicated] śāstras that are not well thought out may certainly object. What [is the use] of them? [i.e., the opinions put forward in texts that are not well thought are not worth the time to consider]. ‘Exactly to this extent’ (iyān eva)—by the possessive affix (vatup-pratyaya) and word ‘exactly’ (eva), [it is indicated that] verily these two having essentiality (sāratva) is fully determined (suniścitaḥ) [i.e., non-attachment to the non-self and strong attachment to the Self are verily the essence of the teachings of all the śāstra of united deliberation]. Thus, it is illuminated [i.e., indicated] that the śāstras need not be reviewed again for this purpose [i.e., for the sake of determining the means to well-being for human beings since that means has already been aptly detrmined]. Asaṅgaḥ means non-attachment, and dṛḍhā ratiḥ means strong attachment. By the word ‘well-being’ (kṣema), sāyujya, śānta-rati, and prema are to be observed [i.e., to be considered the referent] in accord with a difference in bearers of eligibility (adhikārīs) [i.e., non-attachment to the non-self and strong attachment to the Self is the means to sājujya-mukti for those with eligibility for the path of jñāna, the means to śānta-rati for those with eligibility for the path of bhakti that leads to that form of rati, and the means to prema for those with eligibility for the path of bhakti that leads to the prema that manifests from dāsya-rati, sakhya-rati, vātsalya-rati, or madhura-rati].”