येषां स एष भगवान् दययेदनन्त:
सर्वात्मनाश्रितपदो यदि निर्व्यलीकम् ।
ते दुस्तरामतितरन्ति च देवमायां
नैषां ममाहमिति धी: श्वशृगालभक्ष्ये ॥
yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ
sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam |
te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.7.42; cited in Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.86; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.6.235)
“If those whom he, this Bhagavān, the Unlimited, may grace take shelter in his feet in all respects without duplicity, they will cross beyond his difficult to surmount, divine māyā [and come to know him], and they will have no notion of ‘my’ or ‘I’ in regard to that which is food for dogs and jackals [i.e., the material body].”
Commentary
yadi na ke’pi vidanti, tarhi kathaṁ mucyeran? tat-kṛpayaivety āha—yeṣām iti | dayayed dayāṁ kuryāt | te ca yadi [nirvyalīkaṁ] niṣkapaṭam āśrita-caraṇaḥ bhavanti, te dustarāṁ deva-māyām atitaranti | ca-kārān māyā-vaibhavaṁ vidanti ca | atheti vā pāṭhaḥ | pratyakṣam eva teṣāṁ māyā-taraṇam ity āha—naiṣām iti | śva-śṛgālānāṁ bhakṣye dehe |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“[A question is raised:] ‘If no one knows [him], then how can anyone be delivered [from his māyā]?’ [The answer is given:] Only by his grace. Thus, he [viz.,] Brahmādeva says yeṣām … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. If [they whom Bhagavān] may grace (dayayet) become they who have taken shelter in his feet without deceit (nirvyalīkam), [then] they cross beyond his difficult to surmount divine māyā. On account of the [inclusion of] the word ‘and’ (ca), they also [come to know] the greatness of his māyā. Atha is a variant reading. He [viz., Brahmādeva, further] states that their crossing beyond māyā is verily visible: naiṣām … [i.e., he states that they will have no notion of ‘my’ or ‘I’ in regard to that which is food for dogs and jackals]. ‘That which is food for dogs and jackals‘ (śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye) refers to the [material] body.”
sa bhagavān śrī-kṛṣṇaḥ svayam eva yeṣāṁ yān prati dayayet dayāṁ kuryāt, tatra ca yadi nirvyalīkaṁ niśchidraṁ dayayet, tadā te sarvātmanā sarva-bhāvena āśrita-caraṇāravindāḥ santaḥ dustarām api devasya tasya māyām atitaranti | ca-kārān muktim api tucchīkṛtya śrī-vaikuṇṭhaṁ yānti ca | pratyakṣam eva teṣāṁ māyātitaraṇa-lakṣaṇam ity āha—yeṣām iti | śva-śṛgālānāṁ bhakṣye dehe mamāham iti dhīr na bhavati kintu bhagavat-pareṣv eveti dik |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.86)
“Whom (yeṣām) he, Bhagavān, specifically, Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself, may grace (dayayet), and in that respect, if he shall grace [them] without duplicity (nirvyalīkam), that is, without any taint [i.e., without any regard for worldly interests], then they become those who have taken shelter in his lotus feet in all respects (sarvātmanā) and cross beyond even Deva’s, that is, his, difficult to surmount māyā. On account of the [inclusion of] the word ‘and’ (ca), they disregard even [sāyujya-] mukti and go to Śrī Vaikuṇṭha. The characteristic of their crossing beyond māyā is indeed visible: naiṣām …. They have no notion of ‘my’ or ‘I’ in regard to that which is food for dogs and jackals, that is, the body, but certainly do [have such notions] in regard to those who are devoted to Bhagavān. This is the direction.”
tasmāt taj-jñānāgrahaṁ parityajya śuddha-bhāvena bhajed evety āha | tarhi tartavyānāṁ māyika-vīryāṇāṁ taraṇa-sādhanānāṁ cāmāyika-vīryāṇām ātyantika-jñānābhāve kathaṁ lokā nistareyur ity āśaṅkyāha—yeṣām iti | ca-kārād anantatvenaiva jānanti ca |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“‘Therefore [i.e., because neither I, Brahmā, nor your elder brothers, the Kumāras, know the extent of Śrī Bhagavān’s māyika and non-māyika powers], one should completely relinquish insistence upon knowledge of him and just worship [him] with pure devotion (bhāva).’ Thus, he [viz., Brahmādeva] speaks [this verse]. Expecting [the question], ‘In the absence of extensive knowledge of his māyika power, which is to be crossed beyond, and his non-māyika power, which is the means of crossing beyond [that māyika power], how can people [actually] cross beyond [that māyika power]?’ he says yeṣām … [i.e., Brahmādeva explains in this verse that those who received Bhagavān’s grace and take shelter in his feet in all respects without duplicity can cross beyond his māyika power even if they lack extensive knowledge of that māyika power and his non-māyika power]. On account of the [inclusion of] the word ‘and’ (ca), they also know him only as being infinite [i.e., since no one can ever know Śrī Bhagavān in full, those whom he grace ultimately know him to simply he infinite and beyond the scope of full understanding].”
nanu yadi yuṣmad-ādayo’pi taṁ na vidanti, tarhi tad-anubhavo nirāśraya evābhūd iti cet tatrāha | yeṣāṁ sa dayayet dayeta adhgarhyety ādinā ṣaṣṭhī | mām ete jānantv iti sakaruṇam aṅgīkuryād ity arthaḥ ‘nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena | yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām ||’ iti śruteḥ | kena lakṣaṇena tasya dayā jñātavyā? ity ata āha | sarvātmanā jñāna-karmādi-nirapekṣatayā nirvyalīkaṁ niṣkapaṭaṁ, niṣkāmam iti yāvat, āśrita-padaḥ āśrita-bhagavac-caraṇā yadi bhavanti | tasya dayā-śakter eva mukhyā vṛttiḥ śuddha-bhaktiḥ, sā ca tad-bhakta-dvāraiva janeṣu pravartate iti bhāvaḥ | ca-kārāt taṁ vidanti ca | kena lakṣaṇena māyā-taraṇa-tad-vedane jñātavye ity ata āha śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye putrādi-dehe sva-dehe ca eṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīr na syāt |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“If [the concern is raised], ‘Well, if even you all [viz., Brahmādeva and the four kumāras] do not know that [i.e., the extent of the power of Śrī Bhagavān’s māyā, much less the extent of his cit-śakti], experience thereof shall certainly be vessel-less [i.e., there will be no one who has such experience], then he [viz., Brahmādeva] speaks [this verse]. In [the phrase,] ‘Whom he may grace’ (yeṣāṁ sa dayayet), the sixth case is used [in the pronoun yeṣām] as per the [the grammar rule] adhīg-artha-dayeśāṁ karmaṇi. [i.e., one would expect the second case to be used and thus it is explained that the sixth case is used here in the sense of the second]. [Whom] He may accept with compassion [i.e., with the blessing], ‘May they know me’ is the meaning [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān being said to potentially bestow grace in this verse refers to his compassionately accepting particular persons and blessing them by willing that they come to know him], as per the Śruti [i.e., Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23], ‘The Ātmā is attainable neither by exposition, nor by intellect, nor by extensive hearing [of śāstra]. The Ātmā is attainable by one whom he chooses. To him [who is so chosen] the Ātmā reveals his own form.’
“[A question is raised:] ‘By what characteristic is his [viz., Śrī Bhagavān’s] grace to be known [i.e., what characteristic shows that someone has truly received Śrī Bhagavān’s grace]?’ Thus, he [viz., Brahmādeva] says, ‘If [those whom Bhagavān may grace] become they who have taken shelter in his feet (āśrita-padaḥ), that is, they who have taken shelter in Bhagavān’s feet, in all respects (sarvātmanā), that is, with indifference towards jñāna, karma, and so on, and without duplicity (nirvyalīkam), that is, without deceit (niṣkapaṭam)—to the extent of being desireless (niṣkāma) [of everything other than Bhagavān and bhakti to him]’ [i.e., taking shelter fully and exclusively in Bhagavān with indifference towards jñāna, karma, and other paths and without deceit—without desire for any other object—is the primary characteristic of someone who has received Śrī Bhagavān’s grace]. The principal functional expression (vṛtti) of his [viz., Bhagavān’s] grace potency (dayā-śakti) specifically is pure bhakti, and that [viz., pure bhakti] is spread among people only by way of his bhaktas. This is the purport. On account of the [inclusion of] the word ‘and’ (ca), they know him also [is the implied sense, meaning, those who take shelter in Bhagavān’s feet in all respects without duplicity, cross beyond his difficult to surmount, divine māyā and come to know him].
“[Another question is raised:] ‘By what characteristic is crossing beyond māyā and knowing him to be known [i.e., what characteristic shows that someone has crossed beyond māyā and come to know Bhagavān]?’ Thus, he [viz., Brahmādeva] says, ‘They shall have no notion of “my” or “I” in regard to that which is food for dogs and jackals (śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye), meaning, in regard to the body of a son and so on [i.e., relatives and friends] and in regard to their own body.’”