सिद्धिः स्याद्भगवद्दृष्ट्या तृणसंमाननादपि ।
सकृदुच्चरनान्नामाभासस्य श्रवणात्तथा ॥
कुतस्तत्स्मारके तस्याधिष्ठाने मन्त्रसंस्कृते ।
सर्वभक्तिपदे पूज्यमाने दोषादितर्कणम् ॥
siddhiḥ syād bhagavad-dṛṣṭyā tṛṇa-saṁmānanād api |
sakṛd-uccaranān nāmābhāsasya śravaṇāt tathā ||
kutas tat-smārake tasyādhiṣṭhāne mantra-saṁskṛte |
sarva-bhakti-pade pūjyamāne doṣādi-tarkaṇam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.210–211)
“Attainment (siddhi) [i.e., mokṣa or the acquisition of any and all desired objects] can occur even as a result of honoring [with an obeisance, a sprinkling or water, and so on] a blade of grass with vision of Bhagavān [being present within it as the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī)] and as a result of only pronouncing or hearing a semblance (ābhāsa) of the name [of Śrī Bhagavān]. [Therefore,] How could there be [even] any conjecture of a fault or otherwise when [a deity of him, that is,] a dwelling place (adhiṣṭhāna) of his that (1) is consecrated by mantras, (2) is a reminder of him, and (3) is an object of [offerings of] all [limbs of] bhakti, is being worshiped?”
Commentary
tasya bhagavato’dhiṣṭhāne pratimāyāṁ pūjyamāne sati kuto doṣādīnāṁ tarkaṇaṁ syāt? kuto doṣādayas tatra vicāryāḥ syur ity arthaḥ | api tu vicāreṇa na ghaṭanta eva | tatra hetavaḥ—mantrair āvāhanādinā saṁskṛtaḥ, evaṁ dāru-śilādi-mayatva-buddhy-apagamena tatra bhagavan-mūrti-dṛṣṭer utpattir darśitā | tatra kutarkaś ca ko’pi na sambhavati, maṇi-mantra-mahauṣadhīnām acintya-prabhāvatvād iti ca sūcitam | kiṁ ca tasya bhagavataḥ smārake tad-ākārādi-sādṛśyena tat-smṛti-janake dhyātṝṇāṁ dhyāna-sampādake iti vā sundara-sarvāṅgopāṅgādīnāṁ yugapat sākṣād-darśanād anāyāsena bhāvanā-siddheḥ | kiṁ ca sarvasyā nava-prakārāyā api bhakteḥ pade viṣaye pūjāyāṁ svata eva śravaṇa-kīrtana-smaraṇa-paricaryā-vandanādīnāṁ siddheḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“How could there be any conjecture of a fault or otherwise when a dwelling place (adhiṣṭhāna), that is, an image, of his—of Śrī Bhagavān—is being worshiped? ‘How could there be any faults or otherwise to be deliberated upon in this regard?’ is the meaning. Indeed, rather, upon deliberation, these certainly do not arise [i.e., there is no fault, drawback, deficiency, or anything of the sort]. The causes in this regard [i.e., the three reasons why there is no fault or otherwise in this regard are as follows]: (1) [the image is] consecrated by mantras, that is, those of invocation and so forth. Thereby, production [in the mind of a worshiper] of the vision of the figure of Śrī Bhagavān there [i.e., in the image] by way of the withdrawal of the thought of [the image] being made of wood, stone, and so on is shown [i.e., because an image is consecrated with mantras that invoke his presence, honor his presence, and so on, the idea that the image is merely a piece of wood, stone, or otherwise automatically leaves the mind of a worshiper of the image who cognizes the meaning conveyed by the mantras used in the process of worship since the mantras indicate that the image is a manifest form of Śrī Bhagavān himself; the worshiper thus sees the image to be such]. Moreover, it is also indicated that no sort of fallacious logic (kutarka) is possible in this regard because of the inconceivable powerfulness of jewels, mantras, and special herbs [i.e., as jewels, mantras, and special herbs are observed to produce effects that one cannot fully comprehend or explain, so a mantra can be understood to invoke the presence of Śrī Bhagavān in an image in a way that is beyond human capacity to comprehend or explain, and thus one should not try to negate the presence of Śrī Bhagavān in and as an image that is consecrated with mantras]. Furthermore, (2) [an image is] a reminder of him, [viz.,] Bhagavān, that is, a cause of remembrance of him by way of [bearing] resemblance to his appearance [alt., figure] (ākāra) and so forth, or, [an image is] a cause of meditators’ meditation [upon Bhagavān] because of the accomplishment of contemplation (bhāvanā) [of him] easily as a result of direct sight (darśana) simultaneously of the beautiful limbs, sub-limbs, and so forth [of the image, which are regarded as being the beautiful limbs, sub-limbs, and so forth of Bhagavān himself and thus inspire meditation upon Bhagavān’s limbs, sub-limbs, and so forth within the mind]. Furthermore, (3) [the image is] an object (pade) of [offerings of] even all, that is, of the nine types, of bhakti because of accomplishment of hearing, praising, remembering, serving, offering obeisance, and so on automatically in [the course of offering] worship [to the image].”