श्रेयःसृतिं भक्तिमुदस्य ते विभो
क्लिश्यन्ति ये केवलबोधलब्धये ।
तेषामसौ क्लेशल एव शिष्यते
नान्यद्यथा स्थूलतुषावघातिनाम् ॥
śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye |
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.4; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.608; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 95; Bhakti Sandarbha: 5, 67, 71, 105, 176; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.22.22, 2.24.170, 2.25.31)
“O Lord, for those who abandon [the path of] bhakti to you, that from which there is a flow of auspiciousnesses [alt., that which is the path to auspiciousness], and struggle to attain awareness of oneness, only this hardship remains and nothing else, as is the case for those who thresh thick chaff.”
Commentary
bhaktiṁ vinā jñānaṁ tu naiva sidhyed ity āha—śreyaḥ-sṛtim iti | śreyasām abhyudayāpavarga-lakṣaṇānāṁ sṛtiḥ sravaṇaṁ yasyāḥ sarasa iva nirjharāṇām tāṁ te tava bhaktim udasya tyaktvā, śreyasāṁ mārga-bhūtām iti vā, teṣāṁ kleśalaḥ kleśa evāvaśiṣyate | ayaṁ bhāvaḥ—yathā alpa-pramāṇaṁ dhānyaṁ parityajyāntaḥ-kaṇa-hīnān sthūla-dhānyābhāsāṁs tuṣān evāvaghnanti, teṣāṁ na kiñcit phalam, evaṁ bhaktiṁ tucchīkṛtya ye kevala-bodhāya prayatante teṣām apīti |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 105)
“Without bhakti, even jñāna shall certainly not succeed. Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] says śreyaḥ-sṛtim … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. Bhakti to you (te)—that from which the flow (sṛtiḥ) of auspiciousnesses in the form of prosperity (abhyudaya) and beatitude (apavarga) is like cascades from a [mountain] lake, or that which is the true path to auspiciousness—for those who abandon (udasya) [that] only hardship (kleśalaḥ) remains. The purport is this: as there is no result for those who cast away grain, which is small in size, and thresh only chaff which appears to have thick grains but inside is devoid of grain, so too [there is no result] for those who strive for realization of oneness but treat bhakti as insignificant.”
bhaktiṁ vinā tu jñānaṁ naiva sidhyet, atha ca kevalaṁ duḥkham eva syād ity āha—śreya iti | śreyasām abhyudayāpavarga-lakṣaṇānāṁ sṛtiḥ sravaṇaṁ, yasyāḥ sarasa iva nirjharāṇām, tāṁ te tava bhaktim udasya tyaktvā, śreyasāṁ mārga-bhūtām iti vā, teṣāṁ kleśalaḥ kleśa eva śiṣyate | ayaṁ bhāvaḥ—yathā svalpa-pramāṇa-dhānyaṁ parityajyāntaḥ-kaṇa-hīnān sthūla-dhānyābhāsāṁs tuṣān ye’vaghnanti, teṣāṁ na kiñcit phalam, evaṁ bhaktiṁ tucchīkṛtya kevala-bodhāya ye prayatante, teṣām apīti |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.608)
“Without bhakti, even jñāna shall certainly not succeed. So also, it shall become only suffering alone. Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] says śreyaḥ … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. Bhakti to you (te)—that from which the flow (sṛtiḥ) of auspiciousnesses in the form of prosperity (abhyudaya) and beatitude (apavarga) is like cascades from a [mountain] lake, or that which is the true path to auspiciousness—for those who abandon (udasya) [that] only hardship (kleśalaḥ) remains. The purport is this: as there is no result for those who cast away grain, which is small in size, and thresh only chaff which appears to have thick grains but inside is devoid of grain, so too [there is no result] for those who strive for realization of oneness but treat bhakti as insignificant.”
evaṁ yathā-kathañcid bhajanenāpi parama-phalam uktam | samagrāyāś ca bhakter māhātmyaṁ kena varṇyatāṁ? tathāpy etādṛśa-bhakti-parityāgenātma-tattva-jñānārtha-yatna-parā mahāduḥkhina evety āha—śreya iti | śreyasāṁ sarveṣām eva sṛtim ity avāntara-phalatvena svata evātma-jñānam api bhavitaiva sūcitam | tathābhūtām apy udasyoccair avahelayā dūre kṣiptvātyantam anādṛtyety arthaḥ | kliśyanti yama-niyamādibhiḥ śramaṁ kurvanti, kevalasya śuddhātma-tattvasya bodha-labdhaye | yad vā, kathañcid api bhakty-amiśritasya bodhasyātma-tattva-jñānasya labdhaye | eva-kāreṇa svargādikaṁ citta-śuddhy-ādikaṁ ca phalaṁ nirastam | nanu yogābhyāsādi-śrameṇa pratiṣṭhāyā dhanasya vāvaśyaṁ lābho bhavitā? tatrāha—nānyad iti | anyat kiñcid api na syāt | tatropayukto dṛṣṭānto yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātena lokair mūrkha ity upahasyate, tuṣā buṣāṇi teṣām apy aticūrṇitānāṁ nāśaḥ kevala-hastādi-vedanaiva syāt tadvad ity arthaḥ | vibho! he prabho! ity avaśya-bhajanīyatoktā | atas teṣāṁ naraka-pāto’pi syād iti bhāvaḥ | tathā caikādaśa-skandhe—‘ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram | na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ ||’ iti |
(Bṛhad Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā)
“In this way, [attainment of] the greatest result even by means of worship somehow or other [i.e., even by means of simple, unrefined worship] is described [in the previous verse, SB 10.14.3]. And by whom can the greatness of complete bhakti be described? [No one, because it is so vast]. Despite that [i.e., such greatness of bhakti], those dedicated to endeavor for the sake of knowledge of the essential nature of the self (ātma-tattva) by means of complete rejection of such bhakti [ultimately] only become severe sufferers. Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] says śreya … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘That from which there is a flow of auspiciousnesses’ (śreya-sṛtim)—on account of [the path of bhakti’s] having this secondary result, it is indicated that knowledge of the self (ātma-jñāna) too will certainly come about entirely of its own accord [just by following the path of bhakti]. ‘Abandoning’ (udasya) even that of such nature [i.e., bhakti existent as such] refers to casting [bhakti] afar with disregard, that is, completely disrespecting [bhakti]. ‘Struggle’ (kliśyanti) means to engage in exertion by means of yamas, niyamas, and so forth ‘to attain awareness’ (bodha-labdhaye) of ‘oneness’ (kevala), that is, [awareness] of the essential nature of the pure self, or, alternately, to somehow or other attain (labdhaye) awareness (bodha) unmixed with bhakti (kevala), that is, knowledge [only] of the essential nature of the self. The result of Svarga and so forth, and of purification of the psyche (citta-śuddhi) and so forth, is negated by the word ‘only’ (eva) [i.e., those who follow the path of jñāna neglecting the path of bhakti do not attain Svarga and other such pleasures or purification of the psyche and other such forms of removal of suffering, that is, they do not even attain the results that one can attain by following the path of karma].
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, certainly the attainment of prestige (pratiṣṭhā) or wealth will come about as a result of the exertion of yoga practice and so on.’ To this, he says, ‘Nothing else’ (nānyad), that is, ‘[No,] Nothing else will come about at all.’ An apt illustration in this regard [is as follows]: as one is mocked as a fool by people for threshing thick chaff, and only mere pain in the hands and so forth shall occur by smashing already thoroughly pulverized chaff, so too is the meaning [i.e., so too one who, rejecting bhakti, engages in the toil of the path of jñāna does not attain prestige or wealth but rather attains only ridicule and personal hardship]. [The] Incumbent worshipability [of Śrī Bhagavān] is stated by [the vocative], ‘O Lord’ (Vibho), that is, ‘O Master’ (he Prabho). Thus, their [i.e., those who neglect the path of bhakti’s] falling into Naraka can also occur. This is the purport. Similarly, also in the Eleventh Canto [i.e., SB 11.5.3, it is said], ‘Those among them who do not worship and [thus] disregard the Puruṣa, the Source of themselves in person, Īśvara, become deviated from their positions and fall down.’”
nanu tad-vidhāṁ bhaktiṁ tyaktvā man-mahima-paryavasāna-darśanāya tad-ucita-śravaṇa-mananādibhiḥ kañcij jñānābhyāsino’pi dṛśyante, tatrāha—śreya iti | śreyasāṁ sarveṣām eva sṛtim ity avāntara-phalatvena svata eva jñānam api bhavitaiveti sūcitam | tathābhūtām api madhura-rūpādi-vārtāmayīṁ bhaktim udasyoccair avahelayā dūre kṣiptvātyantam anādṛtyety arthaḥ | kevalasya tad-vidha-bhakti-śūnyatayā sva-vijñatā-mātra-tātparyasya bodhasya labdhaye kliśyanti, tad-ucita-śravaṇa-mananādy-artham itas tato gamanādibhir yama-niyamādibhiś ca śramaṁ kurvanti | teṣāṁ kleśala eva śiṣyate, teṣu tavānugrahānudayād iti bhāvaḥ | eva-kāreṇa citta-śuddhy-ādikaṁ phalaṁ ca nirastam | nanu yogābhyāsādi-śrameṇa siddhi-lābhas tu bhavitā, tatrāha—nānyad iti | ‘sarvāṣām api siddhīnāṁ mūlaṁ tac-caraṇārcanam’ iti nyāyena | ata eva vakṣyate svayaṁ śrī-bhagavatā—‘yasyāṁ na me pāvanam aṅga karma sthity-udbhava-prāṇa-nirodham asya | līlāvatārepsita-janma vā syād vandhyāṁ giraṁ tāṁ bibhṛyān na dhīraḥ ||’ iti tatropayukto dṛṣṭāntaḥ yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātino lokair mūrkhā ity upahasyante, tuṣā buṣāṇi teṣam apy aticūrṇitāṁ nāśaḥ kevalaṁ hastādi-vedanaiva ca syāt tadvad ity arthaḥ | vibho! he prabho! ity avaśya-bhajanīyatoktā |
(Laghu Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā)
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, having abandoned bhakti of that type [i.e., as described in the previous verse], some practitioners of jñāna by means of hearing, contemplating, and so on [i.e., and meditating (nididhyāsana), as described in BAU 2.4.5], as appropriate for [the pursuit of] seeing the ultimate limit of my greatness, for the sake of seeing that [greatness of mine] are observable.’ To this, he [i.e., Brahmā] says śreyaḥ … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘That from which there is a flow of auspiciousnesses’ (śreya-sṛtim)—on account of [the path of bhakti’s] having this secondary result, it is indicated that knowledge (jñāna) too will certainly come about entirely of its own accord [just by following the path of bhakti]. ‘Abandoning’ (udasya) even bhakti of such nature, that is, [bhakti] constituted of discussion of the sweet (madhura) form and so forth [of Śrī Bhagavān], means casting [bhakti] afar with disregard, that is, completely disrespecting [bhakti]. ‘To attain isolated awareness’ (kevala-bodha-labdhaye) means [to attain awareness] the focus of which is only knowledgeability of self devoid of bhakti of that type [i.e., devoid of the type of bhakti that was described in the previous verse], and ‘struggle’ (kliśyanti) means they engage in exertion by means of going here and there and so on for the sake of hearing, contemplating, and so on [i.e., and meditating (nididhyāsana)] as appropriate for that [pursuit], and [it means exertion] by means of yamas, niyamas, and so forth. For them only hardship (kleśalaḥ) remains because of the non-manifestation of your grace upon them. This is the purport. The result of purification of the psyche (citta-śuddhi) and so forth is negated by the word ‘only’ (eva) [i.e., those who follow the path of jñāna neglecting the path of bhakti do not attain purification of the psyche and other such forms of removal of suffering, that is, they do not even attain the results that one can attain by following the path of karma].
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, certainly the acquisition of attainment (siddhi) will come about as a result of the exertion of yoga practice and so on.’ To this, he says, ‘Nothing else’ (nānyad) [i.e., ‘No, neither that nor anything else will come about from the aforementioned pursuit that rejects bhakti’] as per the principle [stated in SB 10.81.19], ‘The root even of all attainments (siddhis) is worship of his [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān’s] feet’ [i.e., because worship of Śrī Bhagavān is the basis of all attainments, when that worship is rejected, then there shall be no acquisition of any attainment (siddhi)]. Therefore, it will be said by Śrī Bhagavān himself [in SB 11.11.20], ‘O dear one [i.e., O Uddhava], an intelligent person shall not cherish that barren speech wherein my purifying deeds of sustaining, manifesting, and retracting the life force (prāṇa) of this [universe] or my cherished appearance among the līlāvatāras shall not appear.’ An apt illustration in this regard [is as follows]: as one is mocked as a fool by people for threshing thick chaff, and only mere pain in the hands and so forth shall occur by smashing already thoroughly pulverized chaff, so too is the meaning [i.e., so too one who, rejecting bhakti, engages in the toil of the path of jñāna does not attain prestige or wealth but rather attains only ridicule and personal hardship]. [The] Incumbent worshipability [of Śrī Bhagavān] is stated by [the vocative], ‘O Lord’ (Vibho), that is, ‘O Master’ (he Prabho).”
atra vibho itivat kevala śuddha ity api sambodhanam | asau dṛśyamānaḥ kleśalaḥ sannyāsādīny eveti ca jñeyam |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 105)
“Here [i.e., in this verse], like [the word], ‘O Lord’ (Vibho), [the word] kevala is also a vocative, [meaning], ‘O Pure One’ [i.e., the word kevala was read to be in compound with bodha-labdhaye by Śrī Svāmīpāda, but here Śrī Jīvapāda reads it as being a separate vocative that is not in compound with bodha-labdhaye]. Also, it is to be understood that [the word] ‘this’ (asau) indicates the hardship (kleśalaḥ) of sannyāsa and so forth being visible [i.e., the pronoun asau is used for objects that directly perceivable, and thus the usage of the phrase ‘this hardship’ (asau kleśalaḥ) indicates that the observance of sannyāsa and other features of following the path of jñāna produce directly evident hardships for those who adopt them and all such hardships prove to be ultimately fruitless, that is, to not lead one to mokṣa, if one forsakes the path of bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān].”
nanu tarhi kiṁ jñānaṁ svataḥ-sādhanaṁ na bhavati? atha kim, na bhavaty evety āha—śreyaḥ-sṛtim ity-ādi | he vibho! te tava bhaktim udasya kevala-bodha-labdhaye ye kliśyanti, teṣāṁ kleśalaḥ kleśa eva śiṣyate’vaśiṣṭo bhavati | śyāmāditvāt svārthe la-pratyayaḥ | nānyat kaivalyādi—bhakti-sanāthenaiva jñānena kaivalyaṁ janyata iti niyamāt | bhaktiṁ kīdṛśīṁ? śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ śreyasaḥ saraṇim, jñānaṁ tu na tathā | tatra dṛṣṭāntaḥ—yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātināṁ sthūla-tuṣāvaghāte hi kleśa eva kevalam | pareṣām api karṇa-kāṭavam |
(Bṛhad Krama-sandarbha)
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, then is jñāna not an independent sādhana?’ [To that, it is said,] How could it be? It is certainly not. Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] says śreyaḥ-sṛtim … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. O Lord! For those who reject bhakti to you (te) and struggle to attain awareness of oneness, only hardship (kleśalaḥ) remains (śiṣyate). The la affix [in the word kleśalaḥ) is in the sense of its own meaning because of [its] being a śyāmādi [i.e., its being part of a group of words where such meaning of the la affix is applicable]. ‘Nothing else’ (nānyat), that is, kaivalya [i.e., mokṣa] and so on, does not occur because of the rule that kaivalya is caused only by jñāna that has bhakti as its guardian. Bhakti is of what nature? [It is] The path (sṛtiḥ) of auspiciousness (śreyasaḥ), and jñāna, rather, is not so. An illustration in this regard is ‘as is the case for those who thresh thick chaff,’ since when thick chaff is threshed, only (eva) affliction occurs [for those who engage in such fruitless labor], and pummeling of the ears of others occurs as well.”
śravaṇa-kīrtanādinām ekatarayāpi bhaktyā kṛtārthī-bhavanti | yad uktaṁ nṛsiṁha-purāṇe—‘patreṣu puṣpeṣu phaleṣu toyeṣv akrīta-labhyeṣu sadaiva satsu | bhaktyā sulabhye puruṣe purāṇe muktyai kim arthaṁ kriyate prayatnaḥ ||’ iti | tad api ye tāṁ parihāya jñāne prayāsavantas teṣāṁ duḥkham eva phalatīty āha—‘śreyasām abhyudayāpavarga-lakṣaṇānāṁ sṛtiḥ saraṇaṁ yasyāḥ sarasa iva nirjharāṇāṁ tāṁ tava bhaktim udasya’ iti śrī-svāmi-caraṇānāṁ vyākhyā | śreyāṁsi jñāna-karmādi-nānā-sādhana-sādhyāni phalāni yayaiva syus tāṁ bhaktiṁ tyaktvety arthaḥ | teṣām asau bodhaḥ kleśalaḥ kleśaṁ lāti dadātīti saḥ śiṣyate paryavasito bhavati | tatra dṛṣṭāntaḥ—sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām alpa-pramāṇaṁ taṇḍulaṁ parityajya yatas tataḥ pariśramyānīya parvata-pramāṇaṁ sthūla-tuṣa-puñjaṁ sañcintya tasyāntaḥkaṇa-hīna-dhānyābhāsasyāvaghātaṁ kurvatāṁ janānāṁ yathā sa sthūla-tuṣaḥ kleśalaḥ kevalaṁ hastādi-vedanā-mātra-phala-pradaḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“They [i.e., those referred to in the previous verse] become successful even by means of one type of bhakti among [the various types such as] hearing, chanting, and so forth, as stated in Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa: ‘When leaves, flowers, fruits, and water are indeed always attainable without [requiring any] purchase and the Primordial Puruṣa [i.e., Bhagavān] is readily attainable by means of bhakti [i.e., worship with such easily available articles], why is an endeavor for mukti performed? [i.e., why would one reject the easily practicable path of bhakti and engage in a troublesome pursuit of mukti on a path of jñāna exclusively?]’ Be that as it may, suffering alone ensues for those who reject that [i.e., the path of bhakti] and endeavor [only] for jñāna. Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] speaks [this verse]. The commentary of Śrī Svāmīpāda [is as follows], ‘Abandoning (udasya) bhakti to you, that from which the flow (sṛtiḥ) of auspiciousnesses in the form of prosperity (abhyudaya) and beatitude (apavarga) is like cascades from a [mountain] lake ….’ The meaning [of this statement] is [as follows], ‘Abandoning bhakti, that alone by which auspiciousness, that is, the results attainable by means of various sādhanas, such as jñāna and karma, shall come about ….’ This understanding (bodha) of theirs [i.e., of those who abandon bhakti as aforementioned] is a hardship (kleśalaḥ), meaning, it causes (lāti) affliction (kleśa). Thus, that remains (śiṣyate), meaning, results [i.e., the endeavors of those who abandon bhakti result only in hardship]. An apt illustration in this regard [is as follows]: ‘as is the case for those who thresh thick chaff’ (sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām), meaning, as thick chaff is only a hardship, that is, a giver only of the result of pain in the hands and so forth for persons who reject grain, which is small in size, and instead stockpile a heap of thick chaff the size of a mountain after laboring and bringing it from here and there, and then engage in threshing [only] that which has the appearance of paddy but is devoid of the inner grain.”
sukarāṁ bhaktim ananuṣṭhāya kṛtsna-jñāne prayatamānānāṁ kleśo bhavatīty āha—śreyasām abhudayāpavarga-lakṣaṇānāṁ śṛtiḥ prasravo yasyāḥ nirjharāṇām ivākṣayat sarasaḥ tāṁ te bhakti tvad-vārtā-śravaṇādikām udasya ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye kliśyanti teṣām asau bodhaḥ kleśalaḥ sann eva śiśyate kleśaṁ lāti dadātīti saḥ yathālpa-pramāṇaṁ taṇḍula-cayaṁ vihāya tuṣa-rāśim avaghnatāṁ sa tad-rāśiḥ kleśalas tavat |
(Vaiṣṇavānandinī-ṭīkā)
“For those who do not perform easily practicable bhakti and endeavor entirely for jñāna, hardship occurs. Thus, he [i.e., Brahmā] speaks [this verse]. Bhakti to you (te) in the form of hearing discussion of you and so forth—that [bhakti] from which the flow (sṛtiḥ) of auspiciousnesses in the form of prosperity (abhyudaya) and beatitude (apavarga) is like cascades from an inexhaustible [mountain] lake—for those who abandon (udasya) [that] and struggle to attain awareness of oneness, this understanding, [itself] being a hardship, alone remains, meaning, it [just] causes affliction, just as a mound of chaff is only a hardship for those who cast away grains, which are small in size, and thresh [only] that mound [of grainless chaff].”