ततो दु:सङ्गमुत्सृज्य सत्सु सज्जेत बुद्धिमान् ।
सन्त एवास्य छिन्दन्ति मनोव्यासङ्गमुक्तिभि: ॥
tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya satsu sajjeta buddhimān |
santa evāsya chhindanti mano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.26.26; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.318; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.59)
“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava:] Thus, an intelligent person should leave bad association and associate with the sat. Only the sat cut away the undue attachment of one’s mind with their words.”
Commentary
uktibhir hitopadeśair iti tīrtha-devādi-saṅgād api sat-saṅgaḥ śreyān iti darśayati |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“‘With [their] words’ (uktibhiḥ) means with [their] beneficial instructions. He [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] shows that association with the sat is more beneficial than even association with [i.e., visiting] tīrthas, devas [i.e., deities in temples], and so forth.”
santo bhagavad-bhaktā eva, na tu karma-jñānādi-parāḥ | manaso vyāsaṅgaṁ gṛhādy-āsaktiṁ kāmādi-sambandhaṁ vā | uktibhir hitopadeśaiḥ |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.318)
“‘The sat’ (santaḥ) are only bhaktas of Bhagavān, and not, rather, those adherent to [the paths of] karma, jñāna, and so forth. ‘Undue attachment’ (vyāsaṅgam) refers to attachment to household life and so forth, or to a relation with desire (kāma) and so forth. ‘With [their] words’ (uktibhiḥ) means with [their] beneficial instructions.”
asat-saṅga-tyāge’pi na kiñcit syāt, kintu sat-saṅgenaivety āha—tata iti |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“Even when abandonment of the association of the asat has occurred, nothing shall come to be [i.e., that alone is not sufficient to purify the mind and achieve a spiritual goal]. Rather, only by association with the sat [shall purification and higher attainment come to be]. Thus, he [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] speaks this verse (tataḥ …).
vyāsaṅgaṁ viruddhām āsaktim | santa evety eva-kāreṇa sukṛti-tīrtha-deva-śāstra-jñānādīnāṁ na tādṛśaṁ sāmarthyam iti jñāpitam |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“‘Undue attachment’ (vyāsaṅgam) refers to unfavorable attachment. ‘Only the sat’ (santa eva)—by the word ‘only’ (eva), it is conveyed that merit (sukṛti), tīrthas, devas, śāstra, knowledge (jñāna) and so forth do not have such capability [i.e., the capability to rid the mind of undue attachment as association with the sat does].”