Mādhurya Kādambinī – Sri Visvanatha Cakravartipada

Commentaries by Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa’s Mahānta Paṇḍita Śrī Ananta Dās Bābājī Mahārāja
Translation by Advaita das

kiṁ ca svecchāvatāra caritaiḥ iti ‘svecchāmayasya’ ityādi pramāṇa śatair avagatena svācchandyenāvatarato’pi tasya bhūbhāra haraṇādeḥ sthūla dṛṣṭyā hetutve iva niṣkāma karmādeḥ kvāpi dvārattve’pi na kṣatiḥ. kiṁ ca—

yan na yogena sāṁkhyena dāna vrata tapo’dhvaraiḥ
vyākhyā svādhyāya sannyāsaiḥ prāpnuyād yatnavān api.
ityādinā dāna vratādīnāṁ spaṣṭam eva hetu khaṇḍane’pi—
dāna vrata tapo homa japa svādhyāya saṁyamaiḥ
śreyobhir vividhaiś cānyaiḥ kṛṣṇe bhaktir hi sādhyate
iti yad dhetutvaṁ śrūyate tat khalu jñānāṅga bhūtāyāḥ sāttvikyā eva bhakter natu nirguṇāyāḥ premāṅga bhūtāyāḥ. kecit tu dānaṁ viṣṇu vaiṣṇava sampradānakaṁ vratānyekādaśyādīni tapas tat prāpti hetuko bhogādi tyāga iti sādhana bhaktyaṅgānyevāhuḥ. tat sādhyatve bhakteḥ ‘bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktya’ itivat nirhetukatvam eva siddham iti sarvaṁ samañjasam (3)

TRANSLATION: It is known from hundreds of forms of evidence like, “The Lord’s appearance and activities are completely by His own will,” that the Lord appears in this universe by His own independent will. Superficially, He appears to relieve the burden of the earth. Similarly, niṣkāma-karma, activities without desire for any fruits can sometimes be considered as the door to bhakti. There is no harm in such consideration, but Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (11.12.9) says: “Although one engages himself with great effort in mystic yoga, sāṅkhya-yoga, charity, vows, chanting, sacrifices, describing śāstras, studying the Vedas, or renunciation, still one cannot achieve bhakti.” Here it is clear that charity, vows, and other pious activities cannot be the cause for attaining bhakti. But in another verse (Ś.B. 10.42.24) it says: “Bhakti to the Lord is attained by various auspicious activities like charity, vows, austerities, sacrifices, chanting, study of the Vedas, control of the senses, and so forth.” In this text, bhakti refers to jñānāṅga-bhūtā-sāttvikī-bhakti, the practice of intellectual spiritual realisation to attain liberation with the help of bhakti in the mode of goodness. In this case, bhakti is considered a part of intellectual spiritual realisation. This bhakti is different from premāṅga-bhūtā-nirguṇa-bhakti, the practice of pure devotion free from three modes of material nature to attain divine love. Some also explain that the word dāna in this śloka refers to charity for Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas, vrata refers to Ekādaśī, Janmāṣṭamī, and others, and tapasyā refers to austerities to attain the Lord. Then they are different parts of sādhana-bhakti. Thus prema-bhakti is attained by devotional practice (sādhana). It is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (11.3.31) that sādhana-bhakti is the cause of sādhya-bhakti. The causeless nature of bhakti is thus proved and all arguments are properly clarified.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

The author is clarifying various texts which appear to contradict the self-manifesting nature of bhakti. The śāstras sometimes say niṣkāma-karma, or karmārpaṇa, offering the fruits of the activities to the Lord, is the door to bhakti. By accepting such prescriptions, one may doubt the self-manifesting nature of bhakti. It would seem that niṣkāma-karma, or karmārpaṇa, is the cause of bhakti. The author clarifies these points with scriptural references. The Bhāgavata (svecchāvatāra caritaiḥ 4.8.57 and svecchāmayasya 10.14.2) states that the Lord appears on this planet by His own independent sweet will. Seemingly it would appear that His appearance is to relieve the earth’s burden. Reflecting on this, one realises that the Lord can easily eliminate demons just by willing it, without having to appear on earth. By His powerful will, infinite universes are destroyed during the universal dissolution. He appears by His own independent will simply to enjoy His eternal pastimes and give pleasure to His devotees. Similarly, from a gross perspective, niṣkāma-karma is sometimes considered said to be the door to bhakti. There is no harm in such a view. Again, in the Bhāgavata (11.12.9) it is described —

yaṁ na yogena sāṅkhyena dāna vrata tapo’dhvaraiḥ
vyākhyā svādhyāya sannyāsaiḥ prāpnuyād yatnavān api

“Even those who carefully practise yoga or sankhya, give donations, take vows, perform penances or sacrifices, explain the scriptures, study the scriptures privately or take sannyāsa cannot attain bhakti.” In this verse it is clearly implied that there is no other way to attain bhakti than through the grace of a great saint. yoga and sankhya will not help. However this is sharply contradicted by another Bhāgavata verse (10.47.24)-

dāna vrata tapo homa japa svādhyāya saṁyamaiḥ
śreyobhir vividhaiś cānyaiḥ kṛṣṇe bhaktir hi sādhyate

“Charity, vows, penance, sacrifices, japa, private studies, sense control and other auspicious acts can lead to Kṛṣṇa-bhakti.” The bhakti referred to in this verse is jñānāṅga-bhūtā-sāttvikī-bhakti, not to premāṅga-bhūtā-nirguṇa-bhakti. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (3.29.10) Kapila-deva explains to His mother Devahūti the characteristics of saguṇa, or sakāma-bhakti, before describing the characteristics of nirguṇā, or svarūpa-siddhā-bhakti: karma-nirhāram uddiśya parasmin vā tad-arpaṇam. yajed yañṭavyam iti vā pṛthāg-bhāvaḥ sa sāttvikaḥ “For attaining liberation, one offers the fruits of his activities to the worshipable Lord or does sacrifices. Practice of devotion in the mode of goodness to attain liberation, with desire other than the Lord, is known as sāttvikī-bhakti.”
Bhakti is a state of the Lord’s svarūpa-śakti; thus it can never be a state of the material mood of goodness. Still it is known as sāttvikī-bhakti, since nirguṇa-bhakti accepts an inferior position by its own will and becomes a part of intellectual spiritual realisation, so as to give liberation to the jñānīs. Those who are merely practicing intellectual spiritual realisation are unable attain liberation, as it is not possible without the help of bhakti. Therefore, to attain perfection in jñāna they worship the Lord. In the verse dāna vrata tapo homa and others this jñānāṅgabhūtā sāttvika bhakti is described, not the pure devotion whose end is prema.
Then again there are others who explain the charity, vows, penance and fire sacrifices mentioned in the above śloka as different limbs of pure devotion. In his Sārārtha Darśinī-commentary of this verse (Bhāgavata 10.47.24), the author explains: tatra dānaṁ viṣṇu vaiṣṇava sampradānakam. vratam ekādaśyādikam. tapaḥ kṛṣṇārtha bhoga tyāgādi. homo vaiṣṇavaḥ. japo viṣṇu-mantrāṇām. svādhyāyo gopāla tāpanyādi pāṭhaḥ. śreyāṁsyāpi bhaktāṅgānyapi jñeyāni. anyeṣāṁ dānādīnāṁ bhakti hetutvābhāvasya prāk pratipāditatvāt that in this verse ‘charity’ means charity for the Lord and His devotees, ‘vows’ means fasting for Ekādaśī, Janmāṣṭamī, and other special days, ‘penances’ means ceasing mundane enjoyments for the pleasure of the Lord, ‘sacrifice’ means offering prasāda to the fire of the Vaiṣṇavas’ digestion, ‘chanting’ means chanting viṣṇu-mantras and Gāyatris, and others, ‘private studies’ means to the study of śrutis like Gopāla-tāpanī, and other auspicious activities means practicing different limbs of pure devotion. Charity unrelated to the Lord and His devotees can never be the cause of bhakti. Only bhakti is the cause of bhakti, as previously explained. Establishing the causeless nature of bhakti, all other arguments are thus clearly resolved. (3)

śreyaḥ sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho’ ‘kovārtha āpto’bhajatāṁ svadharmataḥ iti ‘pureva bhūman bahavo’pi yoginaḥ’ ityādibhyo ‘jñāna karma yogādīnāṁ pratisva phala siddhyai bhaktim avaśyam apekṣamāṇānām iva bhakteḥ svīya phala prema siddhyai svapne’pi na tat tat sāpekṣatvam pratyuta ‘na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha’ iti ‘dharmān saṁtyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajet sa ca sattamaḥ’ ityādibhyas tasyāḥ sarvathānanyāpekṣitvaṁ kiṁ vaktavyaṁ teṣām eva jñāna karma yogādīnāṁ prātisvekeṣu phaleṣvapi phaleṣvapi kadācid ātmanā sādhyamāneṣu na tat tad gandhāpekṣatvam api. yad uktam-yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna vairāgyataśca yat. ititāṁ vinā tu teṣām
bhagavat bhakti hīnasya jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ aprāṇasyeva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka rañjanam ityāder vaiphalyāyaiva syād iti. tasyāḥ parama mahatyā adhīnatvaṁ teṣāṁ saṁprāṇāyaivāstām. api tu karma yogasya kāla deśa pātra dravyānuṣṭhāna śuddhyādyapekṣā ca tat tat smṛti prasiddhaiva anyās tu na tathā-

na deśa niyamas tatra na kāla niyamas tathā nocchiṣṭādau niṣedho’sti harer nāmāni lubdhaka. ityādeḥ kiṁcāsyāḥ prasiddhasāpekṣatvam api na. sakṛd api parigītaṁ śraddhayā helayā vā bhṛgu-vara nara-mātraṁ tārayet kṛṣṇa-nāma. ityādeḥ

TRANSLATION: “O all-pervading Lord! Those who have left bhakti-yoga, the path for attaining all auspiciousness . . .” “What is the use of one’s engagement in dharma without devotion . . .” “In the past many yogīs finally took shelter of bhakti . . .” From these references from the Bhāgavata and from many other references, it can be understood that jñānīs, karmīs, and yogīs completely depend on bhakti for attaining perfection in their respective paths. Bhakti, however, is never even minutely dependent on them to achieve its perfection, prema. Rather, the following statements say, “Jñāna (intellectual spiritual realisation) and vairāgya (detachment from the world) are not generally beneficial for the practice of bhakti.” (Bhāgavata 10.20.31) “One who only worships Me, giving up all kinds of other activities is the best among sādhus.” (Bhāgavata 11.11.32) From the above references it can be clearly understood that bhakti is completely independent. The paths of jñāna, karma, yoga, however, can give perfection only with the help of bhakti. Bhakti does not depend even slightly on anything else to give the respective fruits to the path of karma, jñāna, and yoga. Thus śāstras say, “All the fruits attained by performing sacrifices, austerities, intellectual spiritual realisation, and detachment from the world can be easily attained by My devotee by bhakti-yoga alone.” Indeed, the scriptures say that such fruits are useless for persons not engaged in devotion, “Without any devotion to the Lord, birth in a high family, śāstric knowledge, chanting mantras, and doing austerities, all become as useless as decorating a dead body with clothes and ornaments.” As the body is maintained by the soul, austerities, chanting, and so forth are also under the control of most worshipable Bhakti-devī. Moreover, the śāstras state that practice of karma-yoga depends on time, place, candidate, materials, purity, and so on. This is not the case with bhakti, “O hunter! In doing nāma-saṅkīrtana there is no dependence on time or place. Even those in a state of impurity are not restricted from chanting it.” Bhakti is famous for its complete independence, “O best in the family of Bhṛgu, the name of Kṛṣṇa even chanted once, with either faith or negligence, can deliver any person.”

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda is now describing the dependence of karma, jñāna, and yoga on bhakti and the complete independence of bhakti. He says that bhakti infuses life in karma, jñāna, and yoga. While glorifying Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā explains the dependence of jñāna on bhakti in Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (10.14.4):

śreyaḥ sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho kliśyanti ye kevala bodha labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate nānyad yathā sthūla tuṣāvaghātinām

“O Lord! The path of devotion is the only means of attaining all auspiciousness. Persons, who give it up and only practise intellectual spiritual realisation, undergoing hard troubles, do not attain perfection in their respective paths. As a person beating an empty husk of rice does not get any gain, rather his only gain is trouble.” In the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī commentary of Bhagavad-gītā (18.55), the author mentions four kinds of sādhakas practicing brahma-jñāna. (a) Some practise only jñāna, with the idea that only jñāna can deliver liberation without the help of bhakti. The result is that they indeed undergo hard troubles with fatigue as the only result. They are ati nindita, or highly condemned, jñānīs. This śloka refers to such jñānīs. (b) Another category of jñānīs practise jñāna along with some parts of devotion. They believe the śāstras that say, sarvāsām eva siddhināṁ mūlaṁ tac-caraṇārcanaṁ: “the root cause of all kinds of perfection is to worship the lotus feet of the Lord.” They, however, consider the form of the Lord as material in nature. Though they rise to the higher stages of yoga by troublesome efforts, still they are deprived of liberation as they commit offenses unto the lotus feet of the Lord. As a result, they finally fall down from their path. These jñānīs are known as nindita-jñānīs, condemned speculators. While glorifying Kṛṣṇa when He was within the womb, the demigods like Brahmā say in Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (10/2/32):

ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta māninas tvayy asta bhāvād aviśuddha buddhayaḥ
āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho’nādṛta yuṣmad aṅghrayaḥ

“O lotus-eyed One! Those who disrespect Your lotus feet, but consider themselves liberated, do not possess pure intellect due to lack of devotion unto You. Though by extreme penance they attain the stage of jīvan-mukta, liberation while the material body still exists, very soon they again fall down from the path of intellectual spiritual realisation.”
(c) The third category of jñānīs practise jñāna along with bhakti and realize the form of the Lord as sac-cid-ānanda. They are praiseworthy since they attain perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth, becoming completely free from the effect of material knowledge. Finally they attain brahma-sāyujya, merging within non-personal Brahman.
(d) The fourth category of jñānīs are most fortunate because while practicing jñāna, they get the association of a mahā-bhāgavata by his causeless mercy and independent will and give up the desire for liberation. They relish sweet bhakti-rasa like Śukadeva. They are most praiseworthy. Karmīs also depend on bhakti as described in the Bhāgavata (1.5.17):

tyaktvā svadharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram adhūd amuñya kiṁ ko vārtho āpto’bhajatāṁ svadharmataḥ

It can thus be understood that to attain perfection in jñāna, dependence on bhakti is essential. Nārada said to Vyāsa, “O sage! If someone gives up the activities of varṇāśrama-dharma and engages himself in devotion to the Lord’s lotus feet, but suddenly falls down in an immature stage, then there is no loss. He never attains any inauspiciousness. On the other hand, one engaged in varṇāśrama-dharma without any devotion does not gain anything.” This text describes the uselessness of practicing karma without devotion. Karmīs are thus also dependent on bhakti. Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.26) says: cāri varṇāśramī yadi kṛṣṇa nāhi bhaje; sva-dharma kariāo raurave paḍi maje “If persons following varṇāśrama-dharma do not render service to the Lord, they fall into hellish conditions, though following activities prescribed by the Vedas.” Similarly in the Bhāgavatam (10.14.5) while glorifying Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā describes how those who practise yoga without bhakti fail and those practicing yoga with bhakti are successful:

pureha bhūman bahavo ’pi yoginas tvad-arpitehā nija karma labdhayā
vibudhya bhaktyaiva kathopanītayā prapedire ’ñjo ’cyuta te gatiṁ parām

“O almighty Lord! In the past many yogīs did not attain Your knowledge by merely practicing yoga. Later they became attached to You after hearing Your glories. Finally by the effect of such devotion, they understood the truth of the soul and Your personality and easily attained Your lotus feet, the supreme goal of all living entities.” The author states that karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs cannot avoid the help of bhakti to attain perfection in their respective paths. On the other hand, bhakti does not depend even in the slightest way on anything else to give its fruit, prema. What to speak of complete independence of bhakti, jñāna and karma contaminate its purity. Śrī Kṛṣṇa says to Uddhava, in the Bhāgavata (11.20.31):

tasmān mad-bhakti yuktasya yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ
na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha

“Persons who wholeheartedly engage in My devotion generally do not appreciate the practice of jñāna and vairāgya.” bhakti is beyond the three modes of māyā and is completely independent, but jñāna and vairāgya, however, are fully dependent on bhakti. Though a devotee does not desire jñāna and vairāgya, they automatically follow him: jñāna-vairāgyādi bhaktira kabhu nahe aṅga; ahiṁsa-yama-niyamādi bule kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṇga “Intellectual spiritual realisation and renunciation are not parts of devotion, still good qualities like control of senses, penance, and austerities accompany Kṛṣṇa’s devotees.” (Cai.-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.145) The Bhāgavata (1.2.7) states:

vāsūdeve bhagavati bhaktiyogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayatyāśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam

The author explains in the commentary to this śloka, jñāna vairagyārthaṁ pṛthak yatno bhaktair na kartavya iti bhāvaḥ “For one engaged in pure devotion, there is no need at all for the separate efforts of jñāna and vairāgya.” Rather, the instructions are to practise bhakti completely giving up varṇāśrama-dharma. In the Bhāgavata (11.11.32) Kṛṣṇa says:

ājñāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān
dharmān santajya yaḥ sarvān maṁ bhajeta sa tu sattamaḥ

“O Uddhava! One who worships Me with the firm faith that bhakti can give all perfection is the best among the sādhus. Though he understands the benefits of practicing dharma as it is taught in the Veda, as well as the negative consequences of not practicing dharma, he has given up all the prescribed duties of varṇāśrama-dharma, because he considers them to be hindrances to meditation on Me.” In concluding the Gītā, the Lord says to Arjuna:
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

“O Arjuna! Give up all kinds of dharma and take absolute shelter in Me. I will completely absolve you from all kinds of sins. Do not worry.” Jīva Gosvāmī declares in Prīti-sandarbha that bhakti cannot tolerate any adulteration not meant for the service of the Lord—tātparyāntam asahamānā. Bhakti does not take the help of karma and jñāna at all for giving its fruit. Rather by its slightest touch, it very easily gives perfection in the paths of karma, jñāna, and yoga. Kṛṣṇa says to Uddhava in the Bhāgavata (11.20.32-33):

yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api
sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate ’ñjasā
svargāpavargam mad-dhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati

“All the fruits that are attained by performing karma, jñāna, renunciation, mystic yoga, charity, pilgrimage, vows and so forth can be easily attained by My devotee simply by practicing bhakti-yoga. Although My devotee does not desire anything except Me, if he somehow desires heavenly enjoyments, liberation, or residence in My abode he can very easily attain them.” Without bhakti, however, karma, austerities, and jñāna become totally useless. Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11) says,

bhagavad bhakti hīnasya jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ
aprāṇasyeva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka rañjanam

“If a person without devotion to the Lord takes birth in a high caste and family, studies the Vedas, chants mantras and undergoes austerities, then all these are simply like the decoration of a dead body to please the common people.” Just as it is useless to decorate a dead body, similarly the high caste, japa, austerities and scriptural knowledge of a nondevotee are all wasted—it simply serves to please the common people. This statement serves to show the uselessness of sādhana that is bereft of devotion. Just as the body is dependent on the presence of the soul, similarly japa and penances are dependent on the glorious goddess of devotion. Again, bhakti is not dependent on place, time, individual, substance, ritual, purity and so on like the practice of karma and jñāna. Anybody can practise hari bhajana anywhere, at any time and in any condition. It is well known in the Vaiṣṇava smṛti—
na deśa niyamas tasmin na kāla niyamas tathā
nocchiṣṭādau niṣedho’sti śrī harer nāmni lubdhaka

“O greedy one! The holy name of Lord Hari has such an indescribable glory that there are no restrictions in time, place or purity. It is not forbidden to perform in an impure state!” bhakti does not depend on anything for its own perfection, hence it is said: sakṛd api parigītaṁ śraddhayā helayā vā bhṛguvara naramātraṁ tārayet kṛṣṇa nāma (Prabhāsa khaṇḍa) “O Bhṛguvara! Whether you chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa with faith or with neglect, it will deliver any human being on a single utterance!” This reference has been quoted in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and Sanātana Gosvāmī explains in the commentary as follows: yathākathañcit sakṛt tat kīrtanād apyānuṣaṅgikatvena sarvasyāpi mokṣo bhaved evetyāha sakṛd apīti. parītyarddhe avyaktam asampūrṇam uccāritam apītyarthaḥ The main fruit of chanting harināma is divine prema. Chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name even once by any means can give liberation, which is only its secondary fruit. In the word parigītām the word pari means that even indistinct and incomplete chanting of the holy name can give liberation.

karma yogasya tathābhūtatve mahānarthakāritvam eva. mantra hīnaḥ svarato varṇato vā mitho prayukto tad artham āha. yathendra śatruḥ svarato’parādhāt sa vāg vajro yajamānaṁ hi hinasti’ ityādeḥ evaṁ jñānasyāntaḥ karaṇa śuddhyadhīnatvaṁ prasiddham eva. niṣphala karmayogenāntaḥ karaṇasya śuddhau niṣpāditāyām eva tatra tasya praveśāt karmādhīnatvaṁ ca. tad adhikṛtasya daivāt durācāratva lave’pi ‘sa vai vāntāsyapatrapaḥ. iti nindā. kaṁsa hiraṇyakaśipu rāvaṇādīnāṁ tat tat prakaraṇa dṛṣṭyā jñānābhyāsavatām api na tattvena vyapadeśa lavo’pi.

TRANSLATION: There are many rules and prohibitions in karma-yoga, and even a slightest fault in their performance makes the result very harmful. śāstras say if a mantra is not chanted or intoned properly in performing sacrifices, the whole process becomes fruitless. Not only fruitless, but improper chanting sometimes acts as a thunderbolt and gives completely opposite results to the performer of the sacrifice and may even destroy him. Tvaṣṭā-Ṛṣi while offering oblations during the sacrifice said, “May the enemy of Indra appear.” Due to his defective pronunciation, he got the opposite result. Similarly, it is well known that the practice of jñāna-yoga is dependent on purity of the heart. One can attain purity of heart by doing karma-yoga without desiring any fruits. One finally attains the qualification to do jñāna-yoga. Jñāna-yoga is therefore dependent on karma-yoga. Moreover, if a jñānī accidentally commits even a small unworthy act, then he is defamed as a shameless vomit eater. As with Kaṁsa, Hiranyakaśipu, and Rāvaṇa, though they were jñānīs, still they are condemned by everyone because of their conduct. Thus even a slight unworthy act of a person practicing jñāna-yoga is not appreciated by the sādhus.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

This powerful bhakti process, a manifestation of the svarūpa-śakti of Bhagavān, is free of constraints on time, place or suitability of the candidate. For a devotee there is no possibility of falling down though he commits some fault in his bhajan. This is not so with karma and jñāna. In karma yoga one must take care of rules and prohibitions and if even the smallest mistake is made it will get the karmī in the greatest trouble. In the Sixth Canto of the authoritative Śrīmad Bhāgavata is the story of Tvaṣṭā-Ṛṣi. Once the guru of demigods, Bṛhaspati, on seeing the false ego of Indra, disappeared for some time to teach him a lesson. After hearing this news, with the help of Śukrācārya, the demons very easily conquered the demigods, who were weak without Bṛhaspati. The demigods finally took shelter of Brahmā, who suggested they accept Viśvarūpa, the son of Tvaṣṭā-Ṛṣi, as their guru. Viśvarūpa gave the Nārāyaṇa-kavaca to Indra, and Indra conquered the demons. Though Viśvarūpa was the son of Tvaṣṭā-Ṛṣi, he was also the grandson of the demons. Very secretly he, therefore, used to give the fruits of sacrifice to the demons as well. Once observing this, Indra became blind with anger and killed Viśvarūpa. When Tvaṣṭā-Ṛṣi came to know this, he made a sacrifice for killing Indra. While offering oblations during the sacrifice, he was chanting the mantra, indra-śatro vivardhasva: “may the enemy of Indra increase.” The tone of voice is of three types udātta (deep tone), anudātta (low and grave tone), and svarita (medium tone). If the word Indra is uttered in anudātta and śatro in udātta, then the child born as a result will kill Indra. Accidentally he uttered Indra in udātta and śatro in anudātta. Uttering the mantra in such a way changed the meaning of the mantra to “May there be a child who will be killed by Indra.” Thus Vṛtrāsura appeared from that sacrifice and Indra killed him. In this way, even a slight mistake in the tone gave completely opposite results to Tvaṣṭā-Ṛṣi. This is not so with bhakti. Since in śāstras it says, mūrkho vadati viṣṇāya dhīro vadati viṣṇave ubhayostu samaṁ puṇyaṁ bhāva-grāhi janārdanaḥ: “An illiterate person says viṣṇāya, while a learned person says viṣṇave. Both get the same fruit, since the Lord appreciates only the sentiments.” mūrkha bole viṣṇāya viṣṇave bole dhīra; dui vākya parigraha kore kṛṣṇa vīra (Caitanya Bhāgavata) Though a child speaks with his father in broken language, still the affectionate father relishes this much more than the correct language of his elder son. So too with devotion, the Lord appreciates only the sentiments of an illiterate devotee, and gets much pleasure though he improperly utters the prayers glorifying Him. The fruit of the sacrifice, however, did not accept the feelings of Tvaṣṭā Ṛṣi – because he made one flaw in pronunciation he got a completely opposite result. This is the vast difference between karma and bhakti-yoga. Just as the sacrifices of karma yoga are dependent on faultless implementation, similarly practice of jñāna-yoga is completely dependent on purity of heart. With an impure heart it is impossible to practise jñāna yoga. It thus depends on first properly doing karma-yoga to purify the heart. Only then one becomes qualified for jñāna yoga. The Lord says in the Gītā (3.19):

tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācara
asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti puruṣaḥ

“O Arjuna! Always do your duties, without desiring the fruits. By performing such duties, one’s heart becomes pure and he attains the quality for cultivating jñāna. Finally he attains liberation.” Moreover, if a slight unworthy act is seen in a jñānī, then he is condemned in śāstras as a shameless eater of the vomit that he had earlier thrown up. If however a devotee commits an unworthy act due to his saṁskāras (upbringing, habits) of his previous birth, he is not condemned. Bhakti very quickly purifies his heart, burning his faults to ashes in the fire of repentance, as a gold coin is purified by fire. A slight unworthy act seen in a person practicing jñāna is not at all appreciated by the sādhus. Although Kaṁsa, Hiranyakaśipu, and Rāvaṇa were jñānīs, due to their unworthy acts they were condemned everywhere.

bhaktes tu ‘vikrīḍitaṁ vrajavadhūbhiḥ’ ityādau—
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ hṛd rogam āśvapahinotyacirena dhīraḥ (bhāg. 10.33.39)
ityatra ‘ktvā’ pratyayena hṛd rogavatyevādhikāriṇi paramāyā api tasyāḥ prathamam eva praveśas tatas tayaiva parama svatantrayā kāmādīnām apagamaś ca. teṣāṁ kadācit sattve’pi ‘api cet sudurācāro bhajate mam’ iti ‘bādhyamāno’pi mad bhakta’ ityādibhiś ca tadvatāṁ na kvāpi śāstreṣu nindā leśo’pi. ajāmilasya bhaktatvaṁ viṣṇudūtair nirūpitam. ‘saṅketa bhagavannāma putra snehānuṣaṅgajam ityādi dṛṣṭyā tad abhāsavatām apyajāmilādīnāṁ bhaktatvaṁ sarvaiḥ saṅgītam eva’ tad evaṁ karma yogādinām antaḥ karaṇa śuddhi dravya deśa śuddhyādayaḥ sādhakās tad vaiguṇyādayo bādhakā bhaktis tu prāṇa dāyinyeveti. sarvathā pāratantryam eva teṣām. nahi svatantrāḥ kenāpi sādhyante bādhyante veti.

TRANSLATION: Although lust is also considered a fault on the path of bhakti, one can still enter the devotional path, despite being still afflicted by lust and other material desires. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (10.33.39) says: “A person who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s pastimes of rāsa-līlā with the gopīs of Vraja attains supreme devotion of the Lord. He quickly becomes steady and conquers over the senses, giving up lust, the disease of the heart.” In this text “after attaining supreme devotion” is an unfinished act showing that bhakti can be attained even though one has lusty desires. This shows the most independent nature and power of bhakti to destroy lusty desires. Sometimes lusty desires exist even while practicing devotion. From verses like, “If the most sinful person worships Me exclusively…” and “Though my devotee is afflicted by lusty desires…” it is clear that though lusty desires may exist in a devotee, still he is not condemned even slightly. The messengers of Viṣṇu judged Ajāmila as a devotee. From śāstric evidence it is seen, “Ajāmila uttered the name of the Lord, though he was calling his son’s name out of affection.” Uttering of the Lord’s name by Ajāmila was just an ābhāsa (glimpse). He did not chant the Lord’s name, but merely used it to call his own son named Nārāyaṇa. Still, he is glorified as a devotee by all. With karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga, perfection depends on purity of heart, materials, place, and so on. Purity of all these factors assists in attaining the fruits of karma and jñāna. Their lack obstructs the attainment of their respective fruits. Bhakti, however, infuses life in them. Karma, jñāna, and yoga are always dependent on bhakti, and they are never independent. They are nourished by certain factors and obstructed by others.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

Sacrifices performed by karmīs are inhibited even by minor faults, and may give opposite results. As long as lusty desires exist, jñāna and yoga practice is not possible. By the slightest unworthy acts, jñānīs and yogīs are condemned, and their eventual falldown from their paths is inevitable. But under the shelter of bhakti, most pure and autonomous, a devotee is never condemned though some sinful activities may be observed in him. Bhakti bestows her mercy and finally gives him divine prema. The author is establishing this fact by śāstric evidence. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (10.33.39) while narrating the rāsa-līlā, the crest jewel of all pastimes, Śukadeva Muni describes the most powerful glories of devotion—

vikrīḍitaṁ vrajavadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ śraddhānvito’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ paraṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ hṛd rogam āśvapahinotyacireṇa dhīraḥ

“Whoever faithfully hears and narrates the loving pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the ladies of Vraja will attain the topmost devotion for the Lord, will swiftly become grave and give up the heart’s disease of lust.” In this verse the saying ‘he attains the highest devotion to the Lord’ is an asamāpikā kriyā or unfinished act, whereas the words kāmaṁ hṛd rogam āśvapahinoti, ‘he will swiftly give up the hearts disease of lust’ is a samāpikā kriyā or a completed act. Thus it is established that while lust is not yet conquered the symptoms of topmost loving devotion are already present, and that later, by the force of the most powerful and independent bhakti, the heart’s disease of lust will be destroyed. In the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī commentary on this verse it is explained atra tu hṛd rogāpahānāt pūrvam eva parama bhakti prāptiḥ tasmāt parama balavad evedaṁ sādhanam iti bhāvaḥ that the common principle is that first lusty and other material desires are destroyed, and then one attains prema-bhakti. Here, however, the attainment of prema-bhakti is described, though lusty desires still exist. This indicates that hearing or describing the rāsa-līlā is a very powerful process of devotion by which one quickly attains prema-bhakti. The Gosvāmīs explain here that the word parā-bhakti refers to the most exalted prema-bhakti, existing in the Vraja gopīs.
What to speak of the existence of lust, even a very sinful person can perform bhakti and still he is not condemned. Evidence is given in the Gītā (9.30):

api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “O Arjuna! If a person with his heart exclusively absorbed in worshipping Me commits very sinful acts, he is still considered a sādhu, because his efforts in devotion are commendable.” The essence of the Sārārtha Varṣiṇī-commentary of this śloka by Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda is as follows: “Affection of the Lord for His devotees is very natural. The devotion of a devotee is never destroyed though he commits very sinful acts. Rather, the Lord elevates him. To express this idea in this verse, the Lord describes the ananya-bhaktas, those bhaktas solely and wholeheartedly engaged in devotion. That means they do not worship any other gods, taking shelter of karma, jñāna or any other path except bhakti, and desire nothing other than Kṛṣṇa. If such a devotee, by the effect of some previous sinful habits, commits violence, has illicit sex, or steals, still he must be considered as sādhu. The word mantavya in the imperative case means one must consider him as a sādhu. As this is a direct order of the Lord, non-acceptance of His order is offensive. There is hence no space for doubts as to whether or how one can be a sādhu and yet commit such sinful acts.
One may ask: “Can a person not be partially considered a sādhu to the extent to which he is doing bhajana, while his sinful acts make him partially condemned as a sinner?” The words sādhur eva, are given here, however, eva meaning that he should not be partially considered as sādhu, but in all respects. He is rightly situated and sincerely believes that, “I will never give up the exclusive devotion of the Lord, though I have to go to hell or take an animal life for my sinful acts, which are difficult to give up.”
The conclusion here is that this Gītā-verse glorifies ananya-bhakti, not that it condones sinful acts. Since there is generally no possibility of the existence of evil desires within the heart of an ananya-bhakta, the word api is used to indicate that ‘if somehow or other they would exist’. If such a devotee accidentally commits sinful acts due to some serious evil saṁskāras of his previous births or by the effect of evil association, they cannot exist for long by the immense power of Bhakti-devī. Bhakti by its presence burns the heart of a devotee in the fire of repentance and very soon purifies it. Therefore the Lord proclaims in the next verse (9.31):

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

“O Arjuna! Such a devotee being firmly fixed in devotion very soon attains eternal peace and becomes saintly. Therefore declare loudly that My devotee never perishes.” Persons not considering the link between these two verses misunderstand their essence. They deliberately commit sinful acts on the strength of the verse api cet sudurācāro, with no repentance for their acts. They cannot be considered sādhus at all; rather, they are guilty of the grave offense of committing sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name. One should know that if one in a state of repentance, giving up all sinful activities, is constantly engaged in nāma-saṅkīrtana, then gradually the holy name becomes pleased and he again attains the stage of a sādhu, otherwise not.
In jñāna-yoga, however, if a jñānī commits even a slight unworthy act, he is condemned and is not considered knowledgeable. The Bhāgavata (11.18.40) says: yas tvasaṁyata ṣaḍ vargaḥ pracaṇḍendriya-sārathiḥ jñāna vairāgya rahitas tri daṇḍam upajīvati “A sannyāsī following the path of jñāna with uncontrolled mind and senses is controlled by the intellect acting as a chariot driver of the powerful senses. He accepts the staff of renunciation just for his own livelihood, but he is devoid of jñāna and vairāgya.” On the other hand, though a devotee may commit serious evil acts, neither he nor his devotion is condemned.” The author further clarifies this fact with another verse from the Bhāgavata (11.14.18):

bādhyamāno’pi mad-bhakto viṣayair ajitendriyaḥ
prāyaḥ pragalbhayā bhaktyā viṣayair nābhibhūyate

“O Uddhava! By his powerful devotion, My devotee who has not fully controlled his senses is not bewildered by sense objects.” To say nothing of the power of full devotion, a sinful person who has just a glimpse of bhakti (bhaktyābhāsa) is considered to be a devotee. The messengers of Lord Viṣṇu considered Ajāmila to be a devotee. “Ajāmila accidentally uttered the Lord’s name, affectionately calling his son named Nārāyaṇa, not the Lord.” On the basis of this scriptural statement it can be concluded that Ajāmila was considered a devotee simply by accidentally chanting the name of the Lord. Everyone glorifies him as such.
Now it can be concluded that in the practice of karma, jñāna, and yoga, certain factors help in attaining perfection while others become obstacles. For instance, purity of heart is necessary for perfection in jñāna and the presence of lust is an obstacle in its practice. That practice that depends on the help of other factors and is obstructed by an obstacle cannot be considered as independent. With most powerful bhakti, purity of heart is not necessary, since chanting and hearing is possible even in impure stages of the heart. Moreover, the existence of lusty desires does not obstruct the practice of bhakti. Therefore, undoubtedly the path of devotion is quite independent of other paths and practices. Bhakti, being so independent, is neither nourished nor obstructed by any other process.

kiñca jñānaika sādhana mātratvaṁ bhakter ityajñair evocyate yato jñāna sādhyān mokṣād api tasyāḥ paramotkarṣa evālocyate, ‘muktiṁ dadāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam’ iti. ‘muktānām api siddhānaṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-muṇe” ityādibhyaḥ.

TRANSLATION: Only the ignorant say that bhakti can attain its perfection only with the help of jñāna. It has been established by the śāstras that bhakti is even superexcellent to mukti, the ultimate goal of jñāna. As the Bhāgavata (5.6.18) says, “The Lord may easily give liberation, but not bhakti.” “O great sage! Among many millions of liberated jñānīs having attained perfection, a fully peaceful devotee of Nārāyaṇa is extremely rare.” (Bhāgavata 6.14.5)

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

The author has now established that the practices of karma, yoga and jñāna are contingent, conditional upon proper practice and avoidance of error. In contrast bhakti is fully self-sufficient; nothing can either help it or stop it. Some uninformed persons, without understanding the real essence of the śāstras, say that jñāna nourishes bhakti. The author rejects this, giving evidence from the śāstra ascertaining the complete independence of bhakti.
But those who claim that jñāna nourishes bhakti believe that without prior intellectual spiritual insight into the nature of the individual soul and the supreme soul, it is not possible to be engaged in devotion. In fact the reverse is the case, which will be clear from the following discussion why the author considers these people as ignorant.
Jñāna has three categories: jñāna of tat-padārtha, jñāna of tvam-padārtha, and jñāna of the relation between the above two truths.
1. Jñāna of tat-padārtha means knowledge of the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This knowledge includes the knowledge of His having a form, His quality of being sac-cid-ānanda nature, His position of being the Original Personality of Godhead, His being the Absolute Truth in human form, His quality as the embodiment of all rasas, His infinite beauty and sweetness, His form, qualities, and pastimes. Knowledge of the Absolute Truth also includes His compassion, associates, abode, svarūpa-śakti, and māyā-śakti.
2. Knowledge of tvam-padārtha means knowledge related to the jīva, or spirit soul. This includes knowledge of the form of the jīva as a part and parcel (cit-kaṇa) of the Absolute Truth, the position of the jīva as taṭastha-śakti, or marginal potency, jīva as vibhinnāṁśa, or separate expansion of the Lord, the eternal nature of jīva as Kṛṣṇa’s servant, and sub-independence of the jīva (anu-svatantra), and the sub-independence of the jīva’s free will to serve the Lord as His eternal servant or enjoy the senses.
3. The relation between tat- and tvam-padārtha means the Supreme Truth Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the master and jīva is His eternal servant. Kṛṣṇa is all pervading and the jīva is minute. Kṛṣṇa is the master of māyā, but the jīva can be controlled by māyā. Forgetting the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa is the main cause of the jīva’s bondage to māyā and innumerable miseries. One can be freed from all bondage of māyā only by worshipping Kṛṣṇa and can thus attain supreme bliss.
Some say jñāna means knowledge of the oneness of Brahman and the jīva. They do not accept the energies and the form of the Supreme Brahman. According to them, Brahman is non-personal without any form, there being no difference between Brahman and the jīva. Merging within Brahman or liberation is the ultimate achievement of the jīva. They consider the minute jīva soul as Brahman and the form of the Supreme Lord as an expansion of māyā. They thus commit offense at the feet of Kṛṣṇa. Knowledge of the oneness of jīva and Brahman is completely opposed to bhakti. It should thus be always rejected.
Association with sādhus is one of the most important parts of the practice of bhakti. True knowledge automatically appears in the heart of a person receiving the causeless mercy of a most exalted and independent sādhu, by that sādhu‘s association and by hearing hari-kathā from his mouth. If associating with such sādhus and thus bhakti itself, was impossible, then it might be seen that bhakti, arises with the practice of jnana. It might superficially be said that jñāna nourishes bhakti in that case. Sometimes such jñāna appears to provide entrance to bhakti for an aspiring devotee, but still it cannot be considered an essential part of the path of devotion. Rūpa Gosvāmī writes in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.248-249):
jñāna vairāgyayor bhakti praveśāyopayogitā
īṣat prathamam eveti nāṅgatvam ucitaṁ tayoḥ
yad ubhe citta-kāṭhinya hetu prāyaḥ satāṁ mate
sukumāra svabhāveyaṁ bhaktis taddhetur īritā

“Jñāna and vairāgya may be accepted as a door to the devotional path (if the jñāna does not mean knowledge of the oneness of the soul with Brahman and the renunciation is not dry or unfavourable to bhakti), if they do not oppose it and are favourable for its performance. Only then they may have some utility in bhakti. They have no utility, however, after one has entered the devotional path. They thus cannot be considered as a part of devotion. In the view of the sādhus, jñāna and vairāgya make the heart very hard. Tender bhakti is thus the cause of bhakti.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (10.14.3) therefore describes the glories of hearing hari-kathā from devotees, giving up all efforts for attaining jñāna:

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśo’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām

While glorifying Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā says, “O Lord! Though You are unconquerable in three worlds by anyone, still You are conquered by those who have completely given up the efforts for attaining the knowledge of even Your svarūpa (form), aiśvarya (opulence), and glories (māhātmya) and wholeheartedly hear Your name, form, qualities, pastimes, and so on spontaneously flowing from the mouths of Your devotees.” Therefore, only the fool says that jñāna supports bhakti; wise men do not say this. Different śāstras explain the superexcellence of bhakti over mukti, the ultimate goal of jñāna. The author quotes Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.6.18), saying:

rājan patir gurur alaṁ bhavatāṁ yadūnāṁ daivaṁ priyaḥ kulapatiḥ kva ca kiṅkaro vaḥ
astvevam aṅga bhagavān bhajatāṁ mukundo muktiṁ dadāti karhicit sma na bhaktiyogam

Śukadeva says to Parīkṣit “O king! For all of the Pāṇḍavas and the Yadus Bhagavān Mukunda is the maintainer, the Guru, worshipable Deity, affectionate friend, and master of the family. Sometimes He even acts as a servant or a messenger of your family. In this way He has put Himself under the control of His devotees. He may easily give liberation, but not prema-bhakti.” The essence of the Sārārtha Darśinī-commentary on this śloka by Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda is as follows: While hearing the Bhāgavata, Parikṣit Mahārāja started lamenting since he felt that Bhagavān did not descend in their Puru dynasty. All-knowing Śukadeva realized this and, to give him comfort and happiness, spoke this śloka, where he established the superexcellence of bhakti over mukti. Śukadeva’s idea is that the dynasty where Bhakti-devī appears is more praiseworthy than the dynasty where the Lord appears, because He is controlled by bhakti. Undoubtedly the Lord did not appear in the Puru dynasty, but bhakti certainly appeared there. The Lord is equally the maintainer of the Pāṇḍu dynasty as well as the Yadu dynasty. He also is their instructor, worshipable deity, affectionate friend and master. What’s more, sometimes He even served them as a messenger or a servant. Other than bhakti there is no means of controlling the Lord. Bhakti is very difficult to attain. The Lord may easily give liberation to His devotees, but not prema-bhakti.
The word karhicit, or “ever”, is not used to mean that the Lord never gives prema-bhakti to anybody (hence His name is Mukunda), but it suggests that He gives it very rarely, in other words, He does not give prema to those whose hearts are not eagerly desiring it. If within the heart of a devotee doing bhajana there is even a trace of desire other than Kṛṣṇa, the Lord does not give him prema. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 8.18) says: kṛṣṇa yadi chuṭe bhakte bhukti mukti diyā; kabhu prema-bhakti nā dena rākhena lukāiyā “If any type of desire for bhukti or mukti exist in the heart of a devotee, then Kṛṣṇa does not give him prema-bhakti. He keeps bhakti hidden.” For example, an affectionate mother always keeps the sweets hidden from her sick child and gives it to him after he is cured. It does not mean that Kṛṣṇa has no desire of giving prema-bhakti to His devotees. As the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.37) says: anya-kāmī yadi kare kṛṣṇera bhajana; nā māgiteha kṛṣṇa tāre dena sva-caraṇa “If someone with desires for bhukti or mukti worships Kṛṣṇa, still He gives them the loving service of His lotus feet, though they may not ask for it.”
Someone may say that since the Lord comes under the control of His devotee by prema-bhakti, He gives bhukti or mukti just to remain free, but He never gives prema-bhakti. They think that being under the control of His devotees is painful for Him. A response to this is that because prema-bhakti is a state of hlādinī-śakti, He enjoys more bliss from it than He enjoys from His own svarūpa. Since it is an extremely blissful state for Him, He always desires to be controlled by His own devotees. He does not feel pain from this state of being controlled, so He does not wish to give it up. This is the philosophy of the bhakti-śāstra.
Since bhakti is so superior to mukti, the ultimate stage of jñāna, how can jñāna ever nourish bhakti? The author has already defeated the notion that jñāna accomplishes bhakti and the fact that bhakti is greater than liberation; now he establishes that the devotee of the Personality of Godhead is superior to the liberated soul. In the Bhāgavata (6.14.5) Mahārāja Parīkṣit tells Śrī Śuka Muni—

muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa parāyaṇaḥ
sudurllabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣvapi mahāmuneḥ

“O great sage! Even millions of liberated and perfected souls are exceeded by a single person who is devoted to Lord Nārāyaṇa. Such a peaceful soul is hard to find.” In the commentary on this śloka, Jīva Gosvāmī states: muktānāṁ prākṛta śarīra-sthatve’pi tad abhimāna śūnyānām. siddhānāṁ prāpta sālokyādīnāṁ ca koṭiṣvapi madhye nārāyaṇa sevā mātrākāṅkṣī sudurlabhaḥ. praśāntātmā sarvopadrava rahitaḥ. He says here that “liberated” in this verse refers to jīvan-muktas, persons who still have their material bodies but are completely free from attachment to them. Though one may attain this stage, he still has to wait until his prārabdha is completely destroyed to attain brahma-sāyujya (merging in the non-personal Brahman). Mere knowledge of Brahman is unable to completely destroy prārabdha. Brahma-jñāna means the ability to discriminate between matter and spirit. This purifies the heart and one attains knowledge of the oneness of Brahman and the jīva, resulting in the merging of the jīva into Brahman. The brahmavādīs do not meditate on any specific form or activities of the Lord while practicing brahma-jñāna. Therefore the spiritual energy of the Supreme Lord, which can destroy all their prārabdha, will not manifest in their bodies. Though by brahma-jñāna, heaps of accumulated fruits of karma in the form of bīja, kūṭa, and aprārabdha are destroyed, still one has to wait for his prārabdha to be destroyed as to attain brahma-sāyujya. Although a mukta puruṣa still inhibits his body, he is not aware of it anymore.
The word siddhānām in this verse refers to those who have attained mukti. Out of many millions of jīvan-muktas and siddhas, one may very rarely find a single devotee of Nārāyaṇa who has no desire other than the Lord’s service and is free from all disturbances [praśāntātmā]. One may ask, what disturbances do jīvan-muktas and siddhas have? śāstras say, “Even the jīvan-muktas can again come back to the material state due to offense at the lotus feet of the most powerful and inconceivable Supreme Lord: jīvanmuktā api punar-bandhanaṁ yānti karmabhiḥ; yadyacintya mahāśaktau bhagavatyaparādhinaḥ Thus Śrīman Mahāprabhu instructed Rūpa Gosvāmī: kṛṣṇa bhakta—niṣkāma, ataeva śānta; bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī—sakali aśānta “The devotees of the Lord being desireless are peaceful. All the other persons desiring material enjoyment, liberation, or yogic perfections are not peaceful.” (Cai.-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.149) Persons who have already attained the bliss of non-personal Brahman give up the path of jñāna by attaining even the slightest taste of bhakti. Thus they commence hari bhajana— brahmānanda haite pūrṇānanda līlā-rasa; brahma-jñāni ākarṣiyā kare ātma-vaśa “The transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are full of bliss and superior to the bliss of non-personal Brahman. They consequently attract the mind of brahma-jñānīs and finally captivate them.” (Cai.-caritāmṛta, Madhya 17.137) Only those persons who have not relished even the slightest taste of bhakti are astonished by the bliss of the non-personal Brahman. In Lalita Mādhava-nāṭaka (5.6) Rūpa Gosvāmī writes:

ṛddhā siddhi-vraja-vijayitā satya-dharmā samādhir
brahmānando gurur api camatkārayaty eva tāvat
yāvat premnāṁ madhu-ripu-vaśīkāra-siddhauṣadhīnāṁ
gandho’py antaḥ-karaṇa-saraṇī-pānthatāṁ na prayāti

“As long as within the heart there does not exist even slightest fragrance of Kṛṣṇa-prema, the most powerful medicinal herb for captivating Kṛṣṇa, the opulences of perfection in mystic yoga, perfection of righteous qualities (truthfulness, etc.), samādhi and the bliss of Brahman realization all seem wonderful to him.” bhaktas are thus a million times superior to a liberated person. While instructing Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīman Mahāprabhu described the sequence of superiority of jīvas—

eito brahmāṇḍa bhori ananta jīvagaṇa; caurāśī lakṣa yonīte koroye bhramaṇa
…..
tāra madhye sthāvara jaṅgama dui bheda; jaṅgame tiryak jala sthala cara vibheda
tāra madhye manuṣya jāti ati alpatara; tāra madhye mleccha pulinda bauddha śabara
veda-niṣṭha madhye arddheka veda-mukhe māne; veda niṣiddha pāpa kore dharma nāhi gaṇe
dharmācārigaṇa madhye bahuta karma niṣṭha; koṭi karma-niṣṭha madhye eka jñānī śreṣṭha
koṭi jñāni madhye hoy eka jana mukta; koṭi mukta madhye durlabha eka kṛṣṇa bhakta

“In this universe there are infinite living entities going through 8,400,000 species. These living entities can be divided into two divisions, movable and immovable. Movable living entities are birds, aquatics, and animals. The human species are very small in quantity. Amongst them are also mlecchas, pulindas, Buddhists and śabaras. Among the human beings following Vedic principles, almost half of them simply give lip service to dharma and commit sins forbidden in the Vedas. Most people that follow Vedic dharma are attached to fruitive activities. Among millions of such karmīs, there may be one jñānī who is supermost among them. Among millions of jñānīs, there may be one liberated person, and even among millions of liberated persons a devotee of Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to find.” (Cai.-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19/138/144-148)

indram eva pradhānīkṛtya svayaṁ guṇībhavatopendreṇa taṁ sarvathā puṣṇatā sva kṛpālutvam eva yathābhijña janeṣu pratyāyate na tu svāpakarṣas tathaiva jñānaṁ puṣṇantyās tat tat prakaraṇa vākyeṣu tasyā bhakter anugraha eva sudhībhir anugamyate iti

TRANSLATION: During Vāmana avatāra, the Lord Himself accepted the form of Upendra, the younger brother of Indra, and protected Indra by all means. The wise have realized it as the Lord’s supreme mercy rather than His inferiority. Similarly, śāstras establishing jñāna as the supreme path describe bhakti as a part of jñāna. The wise, however, know that Bhakti-devī, who is most independent, nourishes jñāna by mercifully accepting the sattva-guṇa (mode of goodness) and becoming a part of jñāna.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

The author has firmly established the independence of bhakti in an analytical way. One may say that bhakti exists as a part of jñāna for those cultivating jñāna along with bhakti. They know that jñāna cannot give perfection without help of bhakti: bhakti vinā kono sādhana dite nāre phala. In such cases, jñāna predominates over bhakti, or in other words, bhakti is subordinate, helping the jñāna sādhaka in attaining his coveted liberation. jñāna is here the main practice and bhakti the secondary. How can bhakti thus be completely independent? The Bhāgavata defines such bhakti of the jñānīs as sāttvikī-bhakti (bhakti in the mode of goodness). How can the transcendental nature of bhakti then be established? The author is resolving these questions by giving an example.
The Bhāgavata describes the pastimes of Vāmanadeva. Although He is the fully independent Personality of Godhead, He appeared as Upendra, the younger brother of Indra. Faithfully following Indra, He begged three paces of land from Bali Mahārāja. He measured the entire surface of the earth with his first foot, all the higher planets with his second foot, and sent Bali to Pātāla-loka. He then gave the regime of the heavenly planets to Indra. He always gave respect to His elder brother, Indra, and protected him. The wise realize that giving respect to Indra and maintaining him is nothing but the mercy of Vāmanadeva. This shows His superiority, not inferiority. The more the conditioned soul elevates himself through his sādhana, and thus unfolds his full capacity, the more the Lord mercifully steps down or accepts a humble position, making His quality of being the Supreme Lord unfold.
Similarly, the internal energy of the Lord, Bhakti-devī, also has a merciful nature. Only with the help of bhakti can one attain the realization of the non-personal or personal form of the Supreme Lord. bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: “I can be only realized by bhakti.” bhaktyāham-ekayā-grāhya: “I am attained only by bhakti.” From this evidence of the Gītā and Bhāgavata it is clearly understood that only bhakti can give realization of any form of the Supreme Lord. Practice of jñāna without bhakti leads only to troubles and nothing else. Wise jñānīs thus do devotion along with the practice of the non-personal brahman. Jñānīs attain perfection even by the slightest casual mercy of bhakti, which is secondarily done by them. In such case, the position of bhakti is no doubt secondary and it forms a part of jñāna. By His own sweet will, Upendra mercifully accepted a subordinate position without revealing His independent energy and gave a superior position to Indra. Similarly, Bhakti-devī mercifully accepts an inferior position without manifesting Her independent power and nourishes jñāna, thus giving liberation to the jñānīs. It is comparable to the way in which Upendra cheated Bali and gave Indra the kingdom of heaven. Though merciful bhakti-devī is completely beyond the three modes of nature, still she accepts sattva-guṇa by her own sweet will to give liberation to the jñānīs. Such bhakti is called sāttvikī bhakti.
The Absolute Truth has two manifestations, saviśeṣa, personal (Bhagavān) and nirviśeṣa, non-personal (Brahman, the effulgence of the Lord). The non-personal manifestation of the Absolute Truth is also beyond māyā. One may then ask, why does bhakti accept the sattva-guṇa, which is material in nature, to give the realization of the non-personal Brahman? Can bhakti not give that realization in its nirguṇa form?
The answer is that bhakti is an eternal energy of the Lord. Energy means the capacity to do work. The qualification to get a certain work done is called śakti or energy. The Lord’s energy that reveals the Supreme Lord along with His energies to others is called bhakti. nirguṇa-bhakti reveals the personal form of the Lord and His energies to niṣkāma (unmotivated), or guṇātīta (transcendental) devotees. The heart of jñānīs, however, is full of desire for mukti, which means they are sakāma (motivated) or saguṇa (endowed with mundane qualities). Unless the heart becomes pure and free from all desires except the Lord, Bhakti-devī cannot manifest her nirguṇa form. The hearts of the jñānīs are pierced with the yearning for liberation, so they have personal desires, thus bhakti devī fullfills their desires through the material mode of goodness. There is no other way for them.
The mode of goodness sheds light, the mode of passion colors and the mode of darkness covers. Although the mode of goodness can itself not reveal transcendence, it can at least give some idea. We try to explain with the following example: Three robbers mug and ransack an innocent traveller on a forest path. One thief says: “We must kill him, otherwise he blows the whistle on us”, the other thief says: “No need to kill him; let’s just tie him to this tree and flee!” and the third thief says: “No, no need to either tie him or kill him. He has lost the way, take him out of the forest and show him the inhabited world.” In this way the modes of goodness, passion and darkness bind the conditioned souls. The mode of darkness covers the soul with sinful desires and makes him suffer birth and death in different species of life, the mode of passion colors the heart of the conditioned soul with desires for fruitive activities and makes him attached, while the mode of goodness brings light and helps the conditioned souls to seek the Absolute Truth. Bhakti-devī mercifully has to accept sattva-guṇa for fulfilling the desire of jñānīs for non-personal realisation. Thus, Bhakti-devī accepts an inferior position to jñāna and with the help of sattva-guṇa gives the jñānīs non-personal realization of the Absolute Truth. Blessed is bhakti devī’s compassion.

bhaktyā sañjatayā bhaktyā iti bhakteḥ phalaṁ prema rūpā saiveti svayaṁ puruṣārtha mauli-rūpatvaṁ tasyāḥ. tad evaṁ bhagavata iva svarūpa bhūtāyā mahā-śakteḥ sarva vyāpakatvaṁ sarva vaśīkāritvaṁ sarva sañjīvakatvaṁ sarvotkarṣa parama svātantryaṁ sva prakāśatvaṁ ca kiñcid uṭṭaṅkitaṁ tad api tāṁ vinā anyatra pravṛttau prekṣāvattvasyābhāva iti kiṁ vaktavyam. naratvasyāpi ‘ko vai na seveta vinā naretaram’ ityādibhir avagamo dṛṣṭaḥ (4)

TRANSLATION: “Bhakti is the cause of bhakti.” This śāstric evidence explains that the fruit of sādhana-bhakti is prema-bhakti. Bhakti-devī herself is the crest jewel of all human goals. Thus, the all-pervading, all-enchanting, all-nourishing, superexcellent, most independent, and self-manifesting nature of Bhakti-devī, the exalted and powerful energy of the Lord arising from His own svarūpa, has been slightly described. If one practises any path other than bhakti, then he is definitely blind. He cannot even be considered as a human being because śāstras say, “Who else except the nonhuman would refuse devotion to the Lord?”

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation:

In this first shower of the book the worshipable author has firmly proven from scriptures like Śrīmad Bhāgavata that bhakti is independent and self-manifesting, and now he closes off this first shower. Previously it was said that by the mercy of a fully independent great soul an ordinary being can attain bhakti. The cause of that mercy is bhakti residing within the heart of that great soul; mercy cannot appear without bhakti, hence the conclusion is that bhakti is the cause of bhakti. This reveals the most independent and self-manifesting nature of bhakti. The author clearly proves this from the Bhāgavata (11.3.31):

smarantaḥ smārayantaś ca mitho’ghaugha-haraṁ harim.
bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum

Prabuddha, one of the nine Yogendras, said to Mahārāja Nimi: “Thus attaining prema-bhakti arising out of sādhana-bhakti, the devotees remember and remind others that the Lord is the destroyer of sins. They exist in a state of ecstasy thrilled with joy.” In karma, jñāna, and yoga, sādhana (the means) and sādhya (the goal) are different. Karmīs practise sacrifice and attain heavenly bliss. Jñānīs practise śama, dama (different types of self control), meditatation and so on, and attain brahma-sāyujya (merging into non-personal Brahman). yogīs practise yama, niyama (different rules), āsana (sitting postures), prāṇāyāma (breath control) and so on and attain paramātmā-sāyujya (merging into the Supersoul). In all these cases as they proceed towards the stage of perfection, their practices are reduced accordingly. Finally at the stage of perfection, they stop all practice and become absorbed in relishing the fruits of their respective paths. Hence we can easily understand that for them there is a difference between the means and the goal. Sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti, and prema-bhakti. however, are the immature and mature stages of bhakti. Preceding stages of bhakti are the cause of consequent stages. Thus as a devotee proceeds towards prema-bhakti, his devotional practices increase. The bliss that the devotee enjoys in sādhana-bhakti is thin, while in the stage of bhāva and prema-bhakti it is very dense. Narottama ṭhākura says, pākile se prema-bhakti, apakke sādhana rīti, bhakti-lakṣaṇa tattva-sāra: “The characteristics of the essence of pure devotional are that in its immature stage it is known as sādhana-bhakti, while in its mature state it is known as prema-bhakti.” This is like an unripe mango that is sour, while a ripe one is very sweet and tasty. Prema gradually increases to its advanced stages namely, affection (sneha), crooked behaviour out of deep love (māna), deep affection (praṇaya), attachment (rāga), deep attachment (anurāga), and finally mahābhāva, supreme ecstasy. These are the highly advanced stages of prema, or its culmination. No one should consider these culminating stages to be like the ones taught by the sāṅkhyavādīs, who point out that as soon as milk becomes yoghurt it cannot become milk anymore, and when yoghurt culminates in ghī it cannot turn back into yoghurt anymore. Prema rather attains these higher stages without leaving its former states, like māna and so. These higher stages of prema are the compact states of prema where the realization of sweetness of the Lord increases more and more. The most exalted state of prema is mahā-bhāva, which exists only in the Vraja-gopīs. In this special age of Kali, by Mahāprabhu’s mercy, ordinary people that take shelter of His lotus feet, are fortunate enough to relish that exalted state of prema by following the footsteps of the gopīs.
The blessed author proclaims that bhakti is the crest jewel of all puruṣārthas, or human goals. Though desirable objects differ according to different entities, still the main purpose of every living entity is to get bliss. By bhakti, which arises from the Lord’s pleasure potency hlādinī, one relishes the bliss arising out of the ocean of divine nectar. Even brahmānanda is negligible in comparison to that nectar, what to speak of the bliss of material heavens.
Bhakti-devī, who is the great and innate energy of the Lord, has an all-pervading nature similar to the Lord. Any person can do hari bhajana in any place, time, or circumstance. Bhakti thus universally exists in the infinite mundane universes, the eternal transcendendal Vaikuṇṭha-universes, and in Goloka-dhāma. Bhakti, like the Lord, has the nature of captivating all. What to speak of others, even the liberated persons are attracted to bhakti: muktā api līlayā vigrahaṁ kṛtvā bhagavantāṁ bhajante, “Even liberated souls accept a spiritual body and perform devotion to the Lord.”
Without the help of bhakti, karma, jñāna, and yoga are unable to give their respective fruits. This property of bhakti of giving life to karma, jñāna, and yoga has previously been described. The superexcellence of bhakti with its independent and self-manifesting nature has also been previously described. The author is saying, “bhakti is an ocean of infinite qualities. I have only slightly mentioned them.” Mahāprabhu says to Rūpa Gosvāmī: pārāvāra-śūnya gabhīra-rasa-sindhu; tomāya cākhāite tāra kohi eka bindu “The ocean of nectar of bhakti is extremely deep and no one can estimate its length and breadth. However, I am just describing a drop for you to taste it.” (Cai.-caritāmṛta Madhya 19.137) The glories of bhakti are so wonderful and unparalleled that every living entity should desire to attain only that. Those whose ultimate goal is not bhakti have not read bona fide scriptures and their intelligence is not ripe. They are not expert in discrimination and they are definitely blind. Moreover, they have not developed human feelings, but are animals in the shape of human beings. This is not just the personal opinion of the author, but he proves it from the śāstras, ko vai na seveta vinā naretaram “Who else than an animal would not worship the Lord?” The Bhāgavata (2.3.18-19) repeatedly condemns these persons as dull animals in the following verses:

taravah kiṁ na jīvanti bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta
na khādanti na mehanti kiṁ grāme paśavo ’pare
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutāh puruṣaḥ paśuḥ
na yat-karṇa-pathopeto jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ

“Do the trees not live? Do the bellows of the blacksmith not breathe? Do the animals all around us not eat and discharge semen? Those who never listen to the name of the Lord, the elder brother of Gada, are like animals and are praised by men who are like hogs, dogs, camels, and asses.” The life of those who do not worship the Lord is useless, though they may possess a human body. Some may argue that the success of life is that they are surviving, breathing, eating, mating, and so on. To this one may answer: “do the trees not also survive? One tree can survive much longer than a human being. If survival only is the success of life, then trees are far superior to human beings. And they do not even breathe like human beings. Even the bellows of a blacksmith breathe! They may be considered more successful since they can take a greater quantity of air in and out than a human being!” One may argue that the bellows of a blacksmith do not eat or reproduce like human beings. To this the answer is: “Do the cows, buffaloes, goats, dogs, hogs, camels, asses, and other farm-animals not eat and mate?” On the words paśavo’pare Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī comments: tam api narākāraṁ paśuṁ matvāha apara iti, the word apare means those who are averse to hari-bhajana are animals in human shapes.
Again, someone might say that surely the highly educated, the leaders of society, those who are held in high esteem, should be counted as human beings even if they may not happen to worship the Lord. But what is the use of being admired by non-devotees who are themselves like animals, into whose ears the name of the Lord never enters? They are like dogs unnecessarily quarrelling, hogs eating stool, camels eating thorns, and asses carrying great loads and being kicked by the hooves of the she-ass. Jīva Gosvāmī gives the following comment on this śloka: śvādi tulais tat parikarai samyak stuto’pyasau puruṣaḥ paśus teṣām eva madhye śreṣṭhaś cet tarhi mahāpaśur evetyarthaḥ “Those who are averse to Haribhajana are deeply attached to sense gratification. Giving up the nectar of hari-kathā, they are absorbed in useless talks like dogs barking without any purpose and relish the stool of material enjoyments like pigs. They have given up the sweet mango leaves of bhakti and chew only the thorns of material desires like camels. Constantly kicked by their wives, they happily carry burdens of material responsibilities like asses, which are always kicked by she-asses and unnecessarily carry heavy burdens. They are being praised by like-minded persons; since they are superior among them may be considered as mahā-paśu, the great among the animals. Any person with human tendencies, however, will accept the path of devotion. Of this there is no doubt.

Thus ends the Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation of the first shower of nectar of Mādhurya Kādambinī by Mahāmahopādhyāya Śrīmad Viśvanātha Cakravartī entitled “Superexcellence of Bhakti.”