वर्तितव्यं शमिच्छद्भिर्भक्तवन् न तु कृष्णवत् ।
इत्येवं भक्तिशास्त्राणां तात्पर्यस्य विनिर्णयः ॥
रामादिवद्वर्तितव्यं न क्वचिद्रावणादिवत् ।
इत्येष मुक्तिधर्मादिपराणां नय ईर्यते ॥
vartitavyaṁ śam-icchadbhir bhaktavan na tu kṛṣṇavat |
ity evaṁ bhakti-śāstrāṇāṁ tātparyasya vinirṇayaḥ ||
rāmādivad vartitavyaṁ na kvacid rāvaṇādivat |
ity eṣa mukti-dharmādi-parāṇāṁ naya īryate ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 3.24–5)
“[Conduct] is to be observed like a bhakta, and not, rather, like Kṛṣṇa, by those who desire well-being—this is the proper determination of the intent of the bhakti-śāstras. [Conduct] is to observed like Rāma and others [i.e., other forms of Bhagavān], and never like Rāvaṇa and others [i.e., those who are inimical to Bhagavān]—this is said to be proper for those who seek mukti, dharma, and so on [but not for those who follow bhakti-śāstra].”
Commentary
nanu bhaktānāṁ siddhānāṁ sādhakānāṁ vācāro’nusaraṇīyaḥ | nādyaḥ siddhānāṁ prāyaḥ kṛṣṇa-tulyācāratvāt | tathā hi—‘yat pāda-paṅkaja-parāga’ ity atra svairaṁ carantīti | nāpi dvitīyaḥ | sādhakeṣu madhye durācārā api gaṇitāḥ | ‘api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk’ ity ādibhiḥ | maivam | vartitavyam iti tavya-pratyayena bhakti-śāstroktā ye vidhayas tadvanta evātra bhaktā bhakta-śabdenoktā na tu kṛṣṇavat ||
(Excerpt from the Ānanda-candrikā-ṭīkā)
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, is the conduct of bhaktas who are realized (siddhas) or [those who are] practitioners (sādhakas) to be followed? Not the former [i.e., the answer cannot be the conduct of the siddhas], because of the siddhas’ conduct being equal to Kṛṣṇa’s in many cases, as for instance [is described in SB 10.33.35], “Even sages who are satisfied by worshiping the pollen on his lotus feet and freed from all the bondage of karma by the power of yoga act at will and [still] are not subject to bondage—[so] how could there be any bondage for him [viz., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa], whose body has been adopted by [his own] wish?” Here, ‘[the sages, i.e., siddhas] Act at will’ [is mentioned, and thus it is not befitting to say that the conduct of siddhas is to be observed]. Neither the second either [i.e., the answer cannot be that the conduct of sādhakas is to be followed either]. Even misconduct is reckoned among sādhakas [as can be observed in BG 9.30], “Even if possessed of extreme misconduct, he who worships me being devoted to no other [devatā] is to be regarded as verily virtuous (sādhu), since he is rightly resolved.’” [In response to this objection, it is said:] It is not so [i.e., the aforesaid analysis is not sound]. As per the tavya affix in [the word] ‘is to be observed’ (vartitavyam), only bhaktas adherent to those injunctions which are spoken of in bhakti-śāstra are spoken of here [in this verse] by word bhakta. [Thus, the sense is that conduct is to be observed like bhaktas who are adherent to the injunctions in bhakti-śāstra, and] Not, rather, like Kṛṣṇa.”