L1definition
yo bhavet komala-śraddhaḥ sa kaniṣṭho nigadyate ||
yaḥthe person who — relative pronoun, nom. sg.जो
bhavethappens to be optative of bhūहो जाए
komala-śraddhaḥof soft, tender faith — faith that can still be shaken bahuvrīhi: komala 'soft' + śraddhā 'faith'जिसकी श्रद्धा कोमल है
saḥthat person — correlative, nom. sg.वह
kaniṣṭhaḥthe lowest one, the beginner superlative of 'small/young'कनिष्ठ (सबसे निचली श्रेणी का भक्त)
nigadyateis called, is declared to be passive of ni-gadकहा जाता है
yaḥ — the person who; bhavet — happens to be; komala-śraddhaḥ — of soft faith; saḥ — he; kaniṣṭhaḥ — the lowest; nigadyate — is called.
yaḥ — जो; bhavet — हो जाए; komala-śraddhaḥ — जिसकी श्रद्धा कोमल है; saḥ — वह; kaniṣṭhaḥ — कनिष्ठ भक्त; nigadyate — कहा जाता है।
Whoever has soft, tender faith is called the lowest devotee. "Soft" faith is faith that has not yet hardened — it can still be shaken. Such a beginner is the kaniṣṭha (the lowest of the three grades of devotee).
जिसकी श्रद्धा कोमल हो, वह कनिष्ठ भक्त कहा जाता है।
Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī
s1gloss
yo bhaved ity atrāpi śāstrādiṣv anipuṇa ity anuvartanīyaṁ śraddhā-mātrasya śāstrārtha-viśvāsa-rūpatvāt |
yo bhaved itiin this line too, the one beginning 'yo bhavet' — iti marks the verse-phrase being commented on'यो भवेत्' (जो हो) — इस पद में
atra apihere as well (just as in the previous verse) api 'too, as well'यहाँ भी
śāstrādiṣu anipuṇaḥ itithe words 'unskilled in scripture and the like' quoting the predicate carried over from 1.2.18'शास्त्रादि में अनिपुण' — यह विशेषण (पिछले श्लोक से)
anuvartanīyammust be carried over and supplied here gerundive: 'is to be continued'आगे अनुवृत्त कर लेना चाहिए
śraddhā-mātrasyabecause mere faith by itself — gen. of the thing being definedकेवल श्रद्धा का
śāstrārtha-viśvāsa-rūpatvātconsists, by its very nature, in trusting the meaning of scripture ablative of reason: -tvāt 'because of being of the nature of…'क्योंकि उसका स्वरूप ही शास्त्र के अर्थ में विश्वास है
yo bhaved iti atra api — in this 'yo bhavet' line too; śāstrādiṣu anipuṇaḥ iti anuvartanīyam — the phrase 'unskilled in scripture etc.' must be carried over; śraddhā-mātrasya śāstrārtha-viśvāsa-rūpatvāt — because mere faith by its nature consists in trusting the meaning of scripture.
yo bhaved iti — 'यो भवेत्' इस पद में; atra api — यहाँ भी; śāstrādiṣu anipuṇaḥ iti — 'शास्त्रादि में अनिपुण' यह विशेषण; anuvartanīyam — आगे जोड़ लेना चाहिए; śraddhā-mātrasya — केवल श्रद्धा का; śāstrārtha-viśvāsa-rūpatvāt — क्योंकि उसका स्वरूप शास्त्रार्थ में विश्वास ही है।
In this verse too, Jīva says, we must carry over the earlier predicate "unskilled in scripture and the like" from the previous verse. Why supply it here? Because faith itself — even mere faith — is nothing but trusting the meaning of scripture. So even the lowest devotee already has some contact with śāstra; faith could not exist otherwise.
'यो भवेत्' इस स्थान में भी 'शास्त्रादि में अनिपुण' यह विशेषण पिछले श्लोक से जोड़ लेना चाहिए। क्योंकि केवल श्रद्धा का स्वरूप ही शास्त्र के अर्थ में विश्वास रखना है।
śraddhā: elsewhere in Vedānta 'faith' can mean a general reverent trust; Jīva pins it down here — its very form (rūpa) is confidence in what śāstra means, so faith presupposes some exposure to scripture.
श्रद्धा शब्द वेदान्त में कहीं-कहीं सामान्य आदरपूर्ण विश्वास के अर्थ में भी आता है; परन्तु जीव यहाँ उसे निश्चित कर देते हैं — श्रद्धा का स्वरूप ही शास्त्र के अर्थ में विश्वास है, अतः श्रद्धा में शास्त्र का कुछ न कुछ परिचय पहले से मान लिया जाता है।
s2conclusion
tataś cātrānipuṇa iti yat kiñcin nipuṇa ity arthaḥ |
tataḥ caand therefore, from that — ablative-sense connective drawing the inferenceऔर इसी से (यह निष्कर्ष निकलता है कि)
atrahere (in this verse, about the lowest devotee) locativeयहाँ
anipuṇaḥ itithe word 'unskilled' — iti marks the word under discussion'अनिपुण' शब्द का
yat kiñcit nipuṇaḥmeans 'skilled to at least some small degree' the intended sense suppliedजो कुछ-कुछ (थोड़ा-बहुत) निपुण हो
iti arthaḥthat is its meaning here. arthaḥ 'the sense is'ऐसा अर्थ है
tataḥ ca — and therefore; atra anipuṇaḥ iti — the word 'unskilled' here; yat kiñcit nipuṇaḥ iti arthaḥ — means 'somewhat skilled'.
tataś ca — और इसी से; atra — यहाँ; anipuṇaḥ iti — 'अनिपुण' शब्द का; yat kiñcin nipuṇaḥ — जो कुछ-कुछ निपुण हो; iti arthaḥ — ऐसा अर्थ है।
So the conclusion follows. Here the word "unskilled" cannot mean totally ignorant of śāstra. It must mean "skilled at least a little." Even the lowest devotee knows some scripture — just not much.
और इसी से यहाँ 'अनिपुण' शब्द का अर्थ यह है — जो कुछ-कुछ (थोड़ा-बहुत) निपुण हो, ऐसा।
s3gloss
komala-śraddhaḥ śāstra-yukty-antareṇa bhettuṁ śakyaḥ ||
komala-śraddhaḥhis 'soft faith' means — the compound being explainedकोमल श्रद्धा वाला
śāstra-yukti-antareṇaby some other scripture and reasoning (an argument from a rival line) instrumental of means; antara 'a different, another'किसी दूसरी शास्त्रीय युक्ति के द्वारा
bhettumto be broken, split apart infinitive of bhid 'to break'डिगाया (तोड़ा) जाना
śakyaḥhe can be — it is possible 'capable of being', with passive infinitiveसम्भव है
komala-śraddhaḥ — of soft faith [means]: śāstra-yukti-antareṇa — by some other scripture and reasoning; bhettum śakyaḥ — he can be broken.
komala-śraddhaḥ — कोमल श्रद्धा वाला; śāstra-yukty-antareṇa — किसी दूसरी शास्त्रीय युक्ति के द्वारा; bhettum — डिगाया जाना; śakyaḥ — सम्भव है।
"Soft faith," Jīva explains, means this: his faith can be broken by some rival scripture and argument. Confront him with a different line of reasoning drawn from other texts, and his conviction can be split apart. That fragility is what makes his faith "soft."
'कोमल श्रद्धा वाला' वह है, जिसे किसी दूसरी शास्त्रीय युक्ति के द्वारा डिगाया जा सकता है।
Mukunda-dāsa Gosvāmī
s1gloss
komala-śraddho bhakti-mārga-viśvāsān mārgāntara-viśvāse praveṣṭuṁ śakyaḥ |
komala-śraddhaḥthe one of soft faith — the compound being explained
bhakti-mārga-viśvāsātstarting from his trust in the path of devotion ablative of starting-point: 'from his faith in bhakti'
mārga-antara-viśvāseinto trust in some other path locative of goal: 'into faith in a different path'
praveṣṭumto be led to enter, to cross over infinitive of pra-viś 'to enter'
śakyaḥhe can be — it is possible 'capable of being'
komala-śraddhaḥ — the one of soft faith; bhakti-mārga-viśvāsāt — from his trust in the path of devotion; mārga-antara-viśvāse praveṣṭum śakyaḥ — can be made to enter trust in another path.
Mukunda glosses "soft faith" this way: such a devotee can be shifted off his ground. Starting from his trust in the path of devotion, he can be led over into trusting some other path entirely. His faith is not anchored, so it can be moved.
s2conclusion
anirvacanīyasya bhāgyasya tāratamyāc chraddhāvatāṁ tāratamyam iti bhāvaḥ ||
anirvacanīyasya bhāgyasyaof one's good fortune, which cannot be put into words — gen.; anirvacanīya 'indescribable, inexplicable'
tāratamyātbecause it comes in higher and lower degrees ablative of cause: tāratamya 'gradation, a more-and-less scale'
śraddhāvatāmamong those who have faith — gen. pl.: 'of the faithful'
tāratamyamthere is a corresponding gradation, a ranking nom.: 'the more-and-less'
iti bhāvaḥthis is the underlying idea. bhāvaḥ 'the purport'
anirvacanīyasya bhāgyasya tāratamyāt — because of the gradation of indescribable good fortune; śraddhāvatām tāratamyam — there is a gradation among the faithful; iti bhāvaḥ — this is the purport.
Here is Mukunda's underlying point. Good fortune — the mysterious cause behind faith — itself comes in degrees, and it cannot be fully explained. Because that good fortune is graded, the faithful themselves fall into grades. That is why devotees rank as lowest, middle, and highest: the ranking traces back to a gradation of hidden good fortune.
bhāgya (good fortune / destiny): in ordinary usage simply 'luck'; here it is the inexplicable prior grace that makes faith arise at all — Mukunda makes it the root cause of why one devotee's faith is firmer than another's.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1gloss
komala-śraddhaḥ śāstra-yukty-antareṇa bhettuṁ śakyo, na tu sarvathā bhinnaḥ |
komala-śraddhaḥthe one of soft faith — the compound being explainedकोमल श्रद्धा वाला
śāstra-yukti-antareṇaby some other scripture and reasoning instrumental of meansकिसी दूसरी शास्त्रीय युक्ति के द्वारा
bhettum śakyaḥcan be shaken, can be cracked 'capable of being broken'डिगाया जा सकता है
na tu sarvathā bhinnaḥbut he is not broken outright, not shattered completely tu 'but'; sarvathā 'in every way, totally'परन्तु सर्वथा टूटा हुआ नहीं
komala-śraddhaḥ — the one of soft faith; śāstra-yukti-antareṇa bhettum śakyaḥ — can be shaken by other scripture and reasoning; na tu sarvathā bhinnaḥ — but is not broken completely.
komala-śraddhaḥ — कोमल श्रद्धा वाला; śāstra-yukty-antareṇa — किसी दूसरी शास्त्रीय युक्ति से; bhettuṁ śakyaḥ — डिगाया जा सकता है; na tu sarvathā bhinnaḥ — परन्तु सर्वथा टूटा हुआ नहीं।
Viśvanātha takes over Jīva's gloss but adds a crucial limit. Yes, the soft-faith devotee can be shaken by a rival scripture and argument. But he is not broken outright. His faith wavers; it does not collapse. Note the careful "but not completely."
'कोमल श्रद्धा वाला' वह है, जिसे किसी दूसरी शास्त्रीय युक्ति से डिगाया तो जा सकता है, परन्तु जो सर्वथा टूट नहीं जाता।
s2reply
tathātve bhaktatvānupapatteḥ |
tathātveif it were so — if his faith really were broken completely locative absolute: 'in the case of its being thus'यदि वह वैसा (सर्वथा टूटा हुआ) हो जाए, तो
bhaktatva-anupapatteḥthen his being a devotee at all would not hold up — it would be impossible ablative of reason: anupapatti 'non-establishment, failure to make sense'क्योंकि तब उसका भक्तपन ही सिद्ध नहीं होता
tathātve — if it were so (totally broken); bhaktatva-anupapatteḥ — because then his status as a devotee would not stand.
tathātve — वैसा होने पर; bhaktatva-anupapatteḥ — क्योंकि तब उसका भक्तपन सिद्ध नहीं होता।
Why insist "not completely"? Viśvanātha gives the reason. Suppose his faith really were shattered outright. Then he would no longer be a devotee at all — the very label "devotee" would fail to apply to him. Since he is still counted as a devotee, however low, his faith cannot have been fully broken. That is why only "shakeable," never "destroyed," is meant.
क्योंकि यदि वह सर्वथा टूट जाए, तो उसका भक्त होना ही सिद्ध नहीं होगा।
s3definition
bahirmukha-kṛta-balavad-bādhe sati kṣaṇa-mātraṁ cittasya dolāyamānatvam eva komalatvam |
bahirmukha-kṛta-balavat-bādhe satiwhen a forceful objection is raised by an outsider — someone turned away from the Lord locative absolute: 'when there is a strong refutation made by a bahirmukha'; bahirmukha 'facing outward, averse'जब किसी बहिर्मुख व्यक्ति के द्वारा किया गया प्रबल खण्डन उपस्थित हो
kṣaṇa-mātramfor just a single moment adverbial accusative: 'only for an instant'केवल क्षण भर के लिए
cittasyaof the mind, the heart gen.: 'of the citta'चित्त का
dolāyamānatvam evaits swinging back and forth, wavering like a swing — precisely this eva 'exactly this and no more'; dolāyamāna 'swinging, oscillating'डोल उठना (झूले-सा हिल जाना) — बस यही
komalatvamis what 'softness' means nom.: the definiendumकोमलता है
bahirmukha-kṛta-balavat-bādhe sati — when a strong objection is made by an averse outsider; cittasya kṣaṇa-mātram dolāyamānatvam eva — the mind's wavering for just a moment, exactly that; komalatvam — is 'softness'.
bahirmukha-kṛta-balavad-bādhe sati — जब बहिर्मुख के द्वारा किया गया प्रबल खण्डन उपस्थित हो; kṣaṇa-mātram — केवल क्षण भर; cittasya — चित्त का; dolāyamānatvam eva — डोलायमान हो उठना ही; komalatvam — कोमलता है।
Now Viśvanātha defines "softness" precisely. Picture an outsider — someone averse to the Lord — pressing a forceful objection. The devotee's mind swings for a single moment, like a swing pushed once. That momentary wavering, and only that, is what "soft" faith means. It is a flicker of doubt, not a change of heart.
जब कोई बहिर्मुख व्यक्ति प्रबल खण्डन करता है, तब केवल क्षण भर के लिए चित्त का डोल उठना — बस यही कोमलता है।
bahirmukha ('outward-faced'): a standard Vaiṣṇava term for a person turned away from God, absorbed in the external world — here, the kind of skeptic whose sharp argument momentarily rattles the beginner.
बहिर्मुख ('बाहर की ओर मुख किए हुए') वैष्णव परिभाषा में उस व्यक्ति के लिए आता है जो भगवान से विमुख होकर बाहरी संसार में डूबा हो — यहाँ वैसा तर्ककुशल संशयवादी, जिसकी तीखी युक्ति नवसाधक को क्षण भर के लिए विचलित कर देती है।
s4conclusion
paścāt svakṛta-vivekena gurūpadiṣṭārtham eva niścinoti ||
paścātafterward — once that moment passes adverb: 'later, subsequently'बाद में
sva-kṛta-vivekenaby the discernment he himself exercises, thinking it through on his own instrumental of means: 'through self-made discrimination'अपने किए हुए विवेक के द्वारा
guru-upadiṣṭa-artham evasettles on exactly the teaching his guru gave him — that and nothing else eva 'precisely'; upadiṣṭa 'instructed, taught'गुरु के द्वारा उपदिष्ट अर्थ को ही
niścinotihe makes up his mind firmly, becomes certain present of niś-ci 'to ascertain, resolve'निश्चित कर लेता है
paścāt — afterward; sva-kṛta-vivekena — by his own discernment; guru-upadiṣṭa-artham eva niścinoti — he settles firmly on exactly the meaning taught by his guru.
paścāt — बाद में; sva-kṛta-vivekena — अपने किए विवेक के द्वारा; guru-upadiṣṭārtham eva — गुरु द्वारा उपदिष्ट अर्थ को ही; niścinoti — निश्चित कर लेता है।
And here is how it ends. After that single moment of wavering, the devotee thinks it through with his own discrimination. He comes back and settles firmly on exactly what his guru taught him — that meaning and no other. So the beginner's faith bends for an instant, then straightens; it is shakeable, but it holds and returns to its ground.
बाद में वह अपने विवेक से गुरु के उपदेश किए हुए अर्थ को ही निश्चित कर लेता है।