यशःश्रियामेव परिश्रमः परो
वर्णाश्रमाचारतपःश्रुतादिषु ।
अविस्मृतिः श्रीधरपादपद्मयो-
र्गुणानुवादश्रवणादरादिभिः ॥
अविस्मृतिः कृष्णपदारविन्दयोः
क्षिणोत्यभद्राणि च शं तनोति ।
सत्त्वस्य शुद्धिं परमात्मभक्तिं
ज्ञानं च विज्ञानविरागयुक्तम् ॥
yaśaḥ-śriyām eva pariśramaḥ paro
varṇāśramācāra-tapaḥ-śrutādiṣu |
avismṛtiḥ śrīdhara-pāda-padmayor
guṇānuvāda-śravaṇādarādibhiḥ ||
avismṛtiḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ
kṣiṇoty abhadrāṇi ca śaṁ tanoti |
sattvasya śuddhiṁ paramātma-bhaktiṁ
jñānaṁ ca vijñāna-virāga-yuktam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.12.54–55)
“Great endeavor in regard to the conduct of the varṇas and āśramas, austerity, learning, and so on is only for [worldly] wealth and fame. By hearing, honoring, and so forth narrations of [his] qualities, [however,] non-forgetfulness of Śrīdhara’s lotus feet comes about. Non-forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet dispels inauspiciousness and produces equanimity, purity of mind, bhakti to the Supreme Self, and knowledge accompanied by realization and non-attachment.”
Commentary
kiṁ ca varṇāśramādiṣu yaḥ paro mahān pariśramaḥ, sa yaśo-yuktāyāṁ śriyām eva paryāptaḥ prāyo bhavet | yaśaḥ-saṁpatti-sādhaka eva, na tu bhagavat-prāpti-sādhaka ity arthaḥ | harer guṇānuvāda-śravaṇādibhis tu yaḥ pariśramaḥ, sa tu śrīdhara-pāda-padmayor avismṛtir, na bhavati vismṛtir yasmāt saḥ | tataḥ kiṁ? ata āha—avismṛtir iti | śamaṁ buddher bhagavan-niṣṭhāṁ ‘śamo man-niṣṭhatā buddheḥ’ iti bhagavad-ukteḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Furthermore, great (paraḥ) endeavor in regard to the conduct of the varṇas and āśramas, austerity, learning, and so on shall in most cases culminate only in [the acquisition of worldly] wealth and fame. The sense is that it [i.e., such endeavor] is only a means of attaining wealth and fame, and not, rather, a means of attaining Bhagavān. Endeavor by means of hearing and so forth of narrations of the qualities of Hari, however, is itself non-forgetfulness of Śrīdhara’s lotus feet, meaning, it is that because of which forgetfulness does not occur.
“[A question is raised,] ‘What of that? [i.e., what is the benefit of non-forgetfulness of Bhagavān?]’ Thus, he says avismṛtiḥ … [i.e., he speaks SB 12.12.55]. ‘Equanimity’ (śam) refers to fixity in Bhagavān of the intellect as per the statement of Bhagavān [in SB 11.19.36], ‘Equanimity is fixity upon me of the intellect.’”