श्रद्धयोपाहृतं प्रेष्ठं भक्तेन मम वार्यपि ।
भूर्यप्यभक्तोपहृतं न मे तोषाय कल्पते ॥
गन्धो धूपः सुमनसो दीपोऽन्नाद्यं च किं पुनः ॥
śraddhayopāhṛtaṁ preṣṭhaṁ bhaktena mama vāry api |
bhūry apy abhaktopahṛtaṁ na me toṣāya kalpate ||
gandho dhūpaḥ sumanaso dīpo’nnādyaṁ ca kiṁ punaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.27.17–18; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 300)
“Even water [i.e., the simplest thing] offered [to me] with śraddhā by my bhakta is most dear. Even a lavish offering from a non-bhakta [however] brings me no satisfaction. And what’s more of fragrances, incense, flowers, lamps, food, and so on?”
Commentary
śraddhā-bhakta-śabdābhyām atrādara eva vidhīyate | aparādhās tu sarve’nādarātmakā eva prabhutvāvamānataś ca ājñāvamānataś ca | tasmād aparādha-nidānam atrānādara eva parityājya ity arthaḥ | gandha ity ardhasya śraddhayety ardhenānvayaḥ | tasya bhaktasya niṣkiñcanatve’pi mama sevāyām āgrahaś cet tadā gandhādikaṁ preṣṭham iti punaḥ kiṁ vaktavyam ity arthaḥ |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭikā; Bhakti Sandarbha: 300)
“Here, by the words śraddhā and bhakta, adoration (ādara) in particular is enjoined, whereas all aparādhas are based on irreverence (anādara) [lit., an absence of adoration] out of disregard for [Bhagavān’s] mastership (prabhutva) or out of disregard for [Bhagavān’s] orders. Therefore, in this respect, irreverence (anādara) specifically is to be given up completely. This is the meaning. The [second] half of verse eighteen, gandho …, goes with [the sentence that starts in the second] half of verse seventeen. This is the syntactic construction (anvaya). ‘Even when a bhakta is in a state of having nothing [i.e., being possessionless], if he has eagerness (āgraha) for my service, then a fragrance and so forth [offered to me] is most dear. What more needs to be said? [i.e., I am satisfied with even the simplest thing, water, when offered to me with adoration, so what more needs to be said to convey that I am certainly satisfied when I am offered with adoration something more than just water, be it a fragrance, food, or whatever else my bhakta has to offer].’ This is the meaning.”