श्रीगुरूपसत्तिकारणम्—
कृपया कृष्णदेवस्य तद्भक्तजनसङ्गतः ।
भक्तेर्माहात्म्यमाकर्ण्य तामिछ्छन्सद्गुरुं भजेत् ॥
अत्रानुभूयते नित्यं दुःखश्रेणी परत्र च ।
दुःसहा श्रूयते शास्त्रात्तितीर्षेदपि तां सुधीः ॥
śrī-gurūpasatti-kāraṇam—
kṛpayā kṛṣṇa-devasya tad-bhakta-jana-saṅgataḥ |
bhakter māhātmyam ākarṇya tām ichchan sad-guruṁ bhajet ||
atrānubhūyate nityaṁ duḥkha-śreṇī paratra ca |
duḥsahā śrūyate śāstrāt titīrṣed api tāṁ sudhīḥ ||
(Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.28–29)
“The cause of approaching a blessed guru [is described as follows]: Upon hearing by Kṛṣṇadeva’s grace in the company of his bhaktas of the greatness of bhakti and [then consequently] desiring that, one shall take shelter in an excellent guru. A difficult to bear succession of sufferings is experienced continuously here [i.e., in this world] and from the śāstra is heard of [as also continuing] in the hereafter. One of sharp intellect shall desire [at least] just to cross beyond that.”
Commentary
Śrī Sanātanapāda explains in his commentary on the first of these verses that the “greatness” (māhātmyam) of bhakti spoken of here refers, for example, to bhakti’s greatness in being superior even to mokṣa (māhātmyaṁ mokṣād apy ādikyādi). The qualifier “excellent” (sat) refers to a guru possessed of the characteristics that will be described ahead (santaṁ lekhya-lakṣaṇair uttamaṁ) in verses like SB 11.3.21 and SB 11.10.5. Śrī Sanātanapāda explains the purpose for the second of these verses replying as follows to an objection that could arise after someone hears the first of them:
nanu viṣaya-sukhāsaktānāṁ tādṛśa-jñānaṁ durghaṭam eveti kuto bhaktīcchāstu? satyaṁ, duḥkha-sāgara-taraṇecchayāpi bhaktiṁ vāñchan sad-gurum apekṣetaivety āśayena likhati—atreti | duḥkhasya śreṇī paramparā śāstrāc chrūyata iti veda-vākye viśvāsāt sāpi pratyetavyaiva | na tv aviśvasanīyety arthaḥ | atas tāṁ duḥkha-śreṇīm api taritum icchet, mā tādṛśa-māhātmyaṁ bhaktim icchatv ity aho bata śocyata ity api-śabdārthaḥ | sudhīś cet, anyathā vicārābhāvena paśuvan nirbuddhir evety arthaḥ | yad vā mithyā-duḥkhāvalī-sahanena vyādhādivat kudhīr evety arthaḥ |
“‘Well, such knowledge [i.e., knowledge of bhakti’s greatness] is verily difficult to attain for those who are attached to the pleasures of the sense objects. How can a desire for bhakti come about [on their part]?’ [To this, the author says] ‘True. [But] As a result of desiring bhakti just because of [having] a desire to cross over the ocean of suffering, one [also] needs [alt., looks for] an excellent guru.’ With this intent, the author writes atra … [i.e., he writes the second verse that describes how those who are unable to understand the greatness of bhakti because of their attachment to the pleasures of the senses are nevertheless able to desire bhakti at least as a means to safeguarding themselves from suffering and thus also approach a guru to learn bhakti]. ‘A succession of suffering is heard of from the śāstra’ (duḥkha-śreṇī … śrūyate śāstrāt)—because of conviction in the speech of the Vedas, that too [i.e., the existence of a succession of suffering in the hereafter] is certainly to be acknowledged, and not rather, to be disbelieved [i.e., by describing the suffering said to exist in the afterlife as having been heard about from śāstra, the author conveys the reason why someone will believe in the existence of that suffering: they believe in the veracity of the statements in the Vedic śāstras]. This is the meaning. Thus, one shall desire to cross beyond just that succession of suffering [and consequently approach a guru for the sake of doing so]. [As such] One could not desire bhakti possessed of such greatness [i.e., such a person was unable to desire bhakti for the sake of bhakti itself, which is far greater than mokṣa, and thus desires bhakti only for the sake of attaining mokṣa]. Aho bata! One is pitiable! This is the meaning of the world ‘just’ (api) [i.e., the word ‘just’ (api) conveys that it is pitiable that someone comes to desire bhakti and approach a guru merely because they fear future suffering and seek a means of safeguarding themselves from that rather than because they actually appreciate the value of bhakti itself]. [One will succeed even in doing only that, meaning, in merely desiring bhakti and a guru for the sake of attaining mokṣa, moreover] ‘If one is of sharp intellect’ (sudhīḥ). The meaning is that otherwise [i.e., if one does not desire bhakti and a guru at least for this reason, then] one is just devoid of intelligence (nirbuddhi) like an animal as a result of a lack of deliberation [i.e., it has to be concluded that one has failed to sufficiently deliberate on the plight of a living being in saṁsāra, since if one has, one would not neglect to desire bhakti and approach a guru at least to overcome this plight by instead remaining intent upon further involving oneself in the sufferings of saṁsāra]. Alternately, the meaning is that one is merely of dull intellect (kudhīḥ) like a hunter or the like on account of [their] enduring a series of sufferings uselessly [i.e., for no good reason, meaning, if one neglects to desire bhakti and approach a guru at least a means of safeguarding oneself from suffering and instead prefers to subject oneself to sufferings that serve no ultimate purpose, then it has to be concluded that one is of dull intellect].”