व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन ।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् ॥
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana |
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo’vyavasāyinām ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 2.41)
“O son of the Kurus, the resolute intellect (buddhi) is one [i.e., one-pointed] in this regard [i.e., in regard to practicing bhakti-yoga]. The intellects of the irresolute, however, are many-branched and endless [i.e., divided between numerous different pursuits and driven by an endless number of worldly desires].”
Commentary
इह भक्तियोगे व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकैव । मम श्रीगुरूपदिष्टं भगवत्कीर्तनस्मरणचरणपरिछरणादिकमेतदेव मम साधनमेतदेव मम साध्यमेतदेव मम जीवातुः साधनसाध्यदशयोस्त्यक्तुमशक्यमेतदेव मे काम्यमेतदेव मे कार्यमेतदन्यं न मे कार्यं नाप्यभिलषनीयं स्वप्नेऽपीत्यत्र सुखमस्तु दुःखं वास्तु संसारो नश्यतु वा न नश्यतु तत्र मम कापि न क्षतिरित्येवं निश्चयात्मिका बुद्धिरकैतवभक्तावेव सम्भवेत् ।
iha bhakti-yoge vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekaiva | mama śrī-gurūpadiṣṭaṁ bhagavat-kīrtana-smaraṇa-caraṇa-paricharaṇādikam etad eva mama sādhanam etad eva mama sādhyam etad eva mama jīvātuḥ sādhana-sādhya-daśayos tyaktum aśakyam etad eva me kāmyam etad eva me kāryam etad anyaṁ na me kāryaṁ nāpy abhilaṣanīyaṁ svapne’pīty atra sukham astu duḥkhaṁ vāstu saṁsāro naśyatu vā na naśyatu tatra mama kāpi na kṣatir ity evaṁ niścayātmikā buddhir akaitava-bhaktāv eva sambhavet |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī-ṭīkā)
“Here, in bhakti-yoga, resolute buddhi is only one. ‘Praising, remembering, serving the feet, and so forth of Bhagavān as instructed by my śrī guru—this alone is my sādhana (practice), this alone is my sādhya (goal), and this alone is my vitality. This alone is my desire which cannot be given up in the stage of sādhana or [even in the stage of] sādhya. This alone is my duty. Nothing else is my duty, and nothing else is desirable to me even in dreams. Thus, herein [i.e., in the course of adhering to my ideal], happiness may arise or unhappiness may arise, saṁsāra may come to an end or may not come to an end, but therewith [i.e., no matter what I encounter along the path] there is no loss to me whatsoever.’ Such resolute buddhi is possible only in non-deceitful [i.e., sincere] bhakti.”