L1definition
vaidha-bhakty-adhikārī tu bhāvāvirbhavanāvadhi |
atra śāstraṁ tathā tarkam anukūlam apekṣate ||
vaidha-bhakti-adhikārīthe person qualified for rule-based devotion (vaidhī-bhakti — the practice driven by scriptural injunction, not spontaneous attraction) nom. sg., the subjectविधि-भक्ति का अधिकारी (जो शास्त्र की आज्ञा से भक्ति करता है)
tubut — marking the contrast with the rāgānugā practitioner just discussed contrastive particleपरन्तु
bhāva-āvirbhavana-avadhionly up to the point where bhāva (the first sprout of love) appears — that is the cut-off adverbial, 'having X as its limit'भाव के प्रकट होने तक ही (जिसकी सीमा भाव का उदय है)
atrahere, in this stretch of practice loc. adv.यहाँ (इस विषय में)
śāstramscripture — the revealed injunctions acc. sg., objectशास्त्र की
tathāand likewise connectiveतथा
tarkamreasoning, argument acc. sg., objectतर्क की
anukūlamfavorable — reasoning that supports devotion, not that opposes it acc., qualifies tarkamअनुकूल (जो भक्ति के अनुकूल हो)
apekṣatehe needs, he depends on 3rd sg. pres.अपेक्षा रखता है
vaidha-bhakti-adhikārī tu — but the person qualified for rule-based devotion; bhāva-āvirbhavana-avadhi — up until bhāva appears; atra — here; anukūlam śāstram tathā tarkam — favorable scripture and likewise reasoning; apekṣate — he requires.
vaidha-bhakti-adhikārī — विधि-भक्ति का अधिकारी; tu — परन्तु; bhāva-āvirbhavana-avadhi — भाव के प्रकट होने तक ही; atra — यहाँ; śāstram — शास्त्र; tathā — तथा; tarkam — तर्क; anukūlam — अनुकूल; apekṣate — अपेक्षा रखता है।
But the practitioner of rule-based devotion (vaidhī-bhakti) has a limit. Up until bhāva — the first appearance of real love — shows itself, he depends on scripture and on favorable reasoning. That is, both revealed injunction and supporting argument are needed for him, but only up to that point.
विधि-भक्ति का अधिकारी परन्तु भाव के प्रकट होने तक ही, यहाँ शास्त्र तथा अनुकूल तर्क की अपेक्षा रखता है।
vaidhī-bhakti: devotion undertaken because scripture commands it, contrasted with rāgānugā, devotion that follows spontaneous attraction. bhāva: the first ripened stage of prema, the point where love actually dawns; here it marks the boundary after which the two aids are no longer needed.
वैधी-भक्ति — शास्त्र की आज्ञा से की जाने वाली भक्ति, रागानुगा (स्वाभाविक अनुराग के पीछे चलने वाली भक्ति) से भिन्न। भाव — प्रेम की पहली परिपक्व अवस्था, वह बिन्दु जहाँ प्रेम वास्तव में उदित होता है; यहाँ यही वह सीमा है जिसके बाद दोनों सहायक (शास्त्र और तर्क) अपेक्षित नहीं रहते।
Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī
s1avataranika
nanu, rāgānugādhikāriṇo rāgātmikānugāmitvāt niravadhir eva tādṛśī bhaktiḥ, vaidha-bhakty-adhikāriṇas tu kim avadhir vaidhī bhaktis tatrāha vaidha-bhaktīti |
nanunow one may object — objection-openerननु — यदि कहो (शंका का आरम्भ)
rāgānugā-adhikāriṇaḥfor the person qualified for rāgānugā (devotion that follows spontaneous attraction) gen. sg., 'in the case of'रागानुगा के अधिकारी की तो
rāgātmikā-anugāmitvātbecause he follows the rāgātmikā devotees (the eternal residents of Vraja whose devotion is pure spontaneous passion) abl. of cause, 'because'क्योंकि वह रागात्मिका का अनुगमन करता है
niravadhiḥ evais without any cut-off at all nom., predicate; eva = 'at all'निःसीम ही है (कोई सीमा ही नहीं)
tādṛśī bhaktiḥsuch devotion, devotion of that kind nom. sg., subjectवैसी भक्ति
vaidha-bhakti-adhikāriṇaḥ tubut for the person qualified for rule-based devotion gen. sg.; tu = 'but'परन्तु विधि-भक्ति के अधिकारी की
kim avadhiḥdoes it have some cut-off? up to what point does it run? interrogativeक्या सीमा है (किस सीमा तक है)
vaidhī bhaktiḥhis rule-based devotion nom. sg.वैधी भक्ति
tatra āhato answer this, he (Rūpa) says — loc. + verb, introduces the verseइस पर (ग्रन्थकार) कहते हैं
vaidha-bhaktī itithe verse beginning 'vaidha-bhakti…' pratīka, quoting the verse's first word'वैध-भक्ती' इस (पद से आरम्भ करते हुए)
nanu — one may object; rāgātmikā-anugāmitvāt — because he follows the rāgātmikā devotees; rāgānugā-adhikāriṇaḥ tādṛśī bhaktiḥ niravadhiḥ eva — the devotion of the rāgānugā practitioner is without any limit; vaidha-bhakti-adhikāriṇaḥ tu vaidhī bhaktiḥ kim avadhiḥ — but does the rule-based devotion of the vaidhī practitioner have a cut-off? tatra āha vaidha-bhaktī iti — to answer, he says the verse 'vaidha-bhakti…'.
nanu — ननु, यदि कहो; rāgānugā-adhikāriṇaḥ — रागानुगा के अधिकारी की; rāgātmikā-anugāmitvāt — रागात्मिका के अनुसरण के कारण; niravadhiḥ eva — निःसीम ही; tādṛśī bhaktiḥ — वैसी भक्ति; vaidha-bhakti-adhikāriṇaḥ tu — परन्तु विधि-भक्ति के अधिकारी की; kim avadhiḥ — क्या सीमा; vaidhī bhaktiḥ — वैधी भक्ति; tatra āha — इस पर कहते हैं; vaidha-bhaktī iti — 'वैध-भक्ती' इति।
Jīva raises the question the verse answers. He says: for the rāgānugā practitioner, devotion has no cut-off, because he is following the rāgātmikā devotees — the eternal Vraja associates whose love is pure spontaneous passion, with no built-in end. But what about the person on the vaidhī path? Does his rule-based devotion have a stopping point? To settle this, Rūpa Gosvāmī speaks the verse beginning 'vaidha-bhakti…'.
यदि कहो — रागानुगा के अधिकारी की तो, रागात्मिका का अनुसरण करने के कारण, वैसी भक्ति निःसीम ही है; परन्तु विधि-भक्ति के अधिकारी की वैधी भक्ति की क्या सीमा है? इस पर 'वैध-भक्ती' इति (श्लोक) कहते हैं।
rāgātmikā: devotion that is itself made of rāga, spontaneous loving passion — the native mood of Kṛṣṇa's eternal Vraja associates; rāgānugā is the sādhaka's practice that follows after them. The point of the objection: because that model has no scriptural cut-off, its follower's practice has none either — so what about the vaidhī practitioner?
रागात्मिका — वह भक्ति जो स्वयं राग (स्वाभाविक प्रेममय अनुराग) से बनी है, कृष्ण के नित्य व्रज-पार्षदों का सहज भाव; रागानुगा साधक की वह साधना है जो उनके पीछे चलती है। शंका का आशय — चूँकि उस आदर्श की कोई शास्त्रीय सीमा नहीं, इसलिए उसके अनुगामी की साधना की भी नहीं; तो फिर वैधी साधक का क्या?
s2gloss
bhāvo ratiḥ |
bhāvaḥthe word 'bhāva' in the verse nom. sg., the term being glossedभाव (जिस शब्द की व्याख्या हो रही है)
ratiḥmeans rati — the settled loving attachment that is the first stage of prema nom. sg., the glossरति है (यही उसका अर्थ है)
bhāvaḥ — the verse's word 'bhāva'; ratiḥ — means rati.
bhāvaḥ — भाव; ratiḥ — रति है।
Jīva pins down one word. The 'bhāva' named in the verse means rati — the settled loving attachment for Kṛṣṇa that is the first ripened stage of prema. So the limit spoken of is the moment rati dawns.
'भाव' का अर्थ रति है।
bhāva / rati: in this system the two name the same first blossoming of divine love, the threshold of prema; identifying them fixes exactly which milestone the verse's 'until bhāva appears' points to.
भाव / रति — इस पद्धति में दोनों दिव्य प्रेम के उसी प्रथम प्रस्फुटन को कहते हैं, प्रेम की देहली; इन्हें एक बताने से यह निश्चित हो जाता है कि श्लोक का 'भाव के प्रकट होने तक' ठीक किस पड़ाव की ओर संकेत करता है।
s3citation
tad uktaṁ śrī-bhagavatā—na mayy ekānta-bhaktānāṁ guṇa-doṣodbhavā guṇāḥ iti ||
tat uktamand this has been stated — nom. n., 'that [very point] was said'यही (बात) कही गई है
śrī-bhagavatāby the Lord himself instr. of agent, 'by'श्री भगवान् के द्वारा
na mayi ekānta-bhaktānāmfor those who are my exclusive, single-pointed devotees gen. pl.; mayi = 'in me'मुझमें अनन्य भक्ति रखने वालों में नहीं (होते)
guṇa-doṣa-udbhavāḥ guṇāḥthe virtues that arise from following rules and the faults that arise from breaking them — these [do not apply] nom. pl.; the 'guṇāḥ' of injunction/prohibitionविधि (गुण) और निषेध (दोष) से उत्पन्न होने वाले गुण
itiso [the Lord says] — end of quotation quotation-closerइति (ऐसा कहा गया)
tat śrī-bhagavatā uktam — this the Lord has stated; mayi ekānta-bhaktānām — for those exclusively devoted to me; guṇa-doṣa-udbhavāḥ guṇāḥ na — the merits arising from [keeping] rules and demerits [from breaking them] do not [obtain]; iti — thus.
tat uktam — यही कहा गया; śrī-bhagavatā — श्री भगवान् के द्वारा; na mayi ekānta-bhaktānām — मुझमें अनन्य भक्ति रखने वालों में नहीं; guṇa-doṣa-udbhavāḥ guṇāḥ — विधि-निषेध से उत्पन्न गुण; iti — इति।
Jīva backs the point with the Lord's own words from the Bhāgavatam. For those who are exclusively, single-pointedly devoted to Kṛṣṇa, the merits that come from obeying scriptural rules and the demerits that come from breaking them no longer apply. In other words, once such pure devotion is reached, the machinery of injunction and prohibition falls away — which is just what 'only up until bhāva' means.
यही बात श्री भगवान् ने कही है — मुझमें अनन्य भक्ति रखने वालों में विधि (गुण) और निषेध (दोष) से उत्पन्न होने वाले गुण नहीं होते — इति।
Why cited: Scriptural proof that once exclusive devotion (bhāva) is attained, the rewards and penalties of rule-keeping no longer bind — so the śāstra-requirement genuinely ends at bhāva.
क्यों उद्धृत: शास्त्रीय प्रमाण कि अनन्य भक्ति (भाव) प्राप्त हो जाने पर विधि-पालन के फल और दण्ड बाँधते नहीं — अतः शास्त्र की अपेक्षा वास्तव में भाव पर आकर समाप्त हो जाती है।
ekānta-bhakta: an 'exclusive' devotee whose devotion has no second object; the verse is quoted to show that at that stage the ordinary ledger of ritual merit and fault is transcended.
अनन्य-भक्त — वह 'एकान्त' भक्त जिसकी भक्ति का कोई दूसरा विषय नहीं; यह श्लोक यह दिखाने के लिए उद्धृत है कि उस अवस्था में कर्मकाण्ड के पुण्य-पाप का सामान्य लेखा-जोखा लाँघ लिया जाता है।
Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1gloss
atra sādhana-prakaraṇe vaidha-bhakty-adhikārī tu bhāvasya rater āvirbhāva-paryantaṁ śāstraṁ tathānukula-tarkaṁ cāpekṣate |
atra sādhana-prakaraṇehere, in this section on sādhana (the practice stage of devotion) loc., 'in this topic'यहाँ, इस साधन-प्रकरण में
vaidha-bhakti-adhikārī tubut the person qualified for rule-based devotion nom. sg. subject; tu = 'but'विधि-भक्ति का अधिकारी तो
bhāvasya rateḥ āvirbhāva-paryantamright up to the appearance of bhāva, that is, of rati adv., 'as far as'; bhāvasya glossed by rateḥभाव अर्थात् रति के प्रकट होने तक
śāstramscripture acc. sg.शास्त्र की
tathā anukula-tarkamand likewise favorable reasoning — argument that supports devotion acc. sg.तथा अनुकूल तर्क की
caand [both together] coordinating particleऔर (च)
apekṣatehe requires, he depends on 3rd sg. pres.अपेक्षा रखता है
atra sādhana-prakaraṇe — here in the section on practice; vaidha-bhakti-adhikārī tu — but the vaidhī practitioner; bhāvasya rateḥ āvirbhāva-paryantam — up to the appearance of bhāva, i.e. rati; śāstram tathā anukula-tarkam ca — scripture and likewise favorable reasoning; apekṣate — requires.
atra sādhana-prakaraṇe — यहाँ इस साधन-प्रकरण में; vaidha-bhakti-adhikārī tu — विधि-भक्ति का अधिकारी तो; bhāvasya rateḥ āvirbhāva-paryantam — भाव अर्थात् रति के प्रकट होने तक; śāstram — शास्त्र; tathā anukula-tarkam — तथा अनुकूल तर्क; ca — और; apekṣate — अपेक्षा रखता है।
Viśvanātha restates the verse plainly. In this section on sādhana, the practical stage of devotion, the person on the vaidhī path — but only up to the moment bhāva, that is rati, appears — depends on both scripture and favorable reasoning. He needs the two together, and needs them right up to that threshold. Note that Viśvanātha, like Jīva, reads 'bhāva' as rati.
यहाँ, इस साधन-प्रकरण में, विधि-भक्ति का अधिकारी तो भाव अर्थात् रति के प्रकट होने तक शास्त्र तथा अनुकूल तर्क की अपेक्षा रखता है।
sādhana-prakaraṇa: the portion of the text dealing with devotion still in practice (sādhana), before it ripens into bhāva; naming it fixes the scope of the rule to the practicing stage.
साधन-प्रकरण — ग्रन्थ का वह भाग जो अभी साधन-रूप (अभ्यास) में स्थित भक्ति का विवेचन करता है, इससे पहले कि वह भाव में परिपक्व हो; इसका नाम लेकर नियम का क्षेत्र साधना-अवस्था तक सीमित कर दिया जाता है।
s2gloss
raty-uttaraṁ tu nāpekṣate |
rati-uttaramafter rati has arisen — once love has dawned adv., 'subsequent to rati'रति के पश्चात्
tubut — marking the flip side of the limit contrastive particleपरन्तु
na apekṣatehe does not need them any longer 3rd sg. pres. + naअपेक्षा नहीं रखता
rati-uttaram tu — but after rati; na apekṣate — he does not require [them].
rati-uttaram — रति के पश्चात्; tu — परन्तु; na apekṣate — अपेक्षा नहीं रखता।
Viśvanātha spells out the other side of the boundary. Once rati has arisen, the practitioner no longer needs scripture or reasoning. The two aids carry him only to the threshold of love; past it, they are no longer required.
परन्तु रति के पश्चात् (उनकी) अपेक्षा नहीं रखता।
rati-uttaram: 'after rati'; the flip side of the verse's limit — the very aids that were mandatory up to bhāva cease to be needed once it has come.
रति के पश्चात् — यह श्लोक की सीमा का दूसरा पहलू है; जो सहायक भाव तक अनिवार्य थे, वही भाव के आ जाने पर आवश्यक नहीं रह जाते।
s3gloss
rāga-bhaktau tu prathama-pravṛttim ārabhya lobhotpattau kadāpi nāpekṣate iti mahān utkarṣaḥ |
rāga-bhaktau tubut in the case of rāga-devotion (devotion born of spontaneous attraction) loc. sg.; tu = 'but'परन्तु राग-भक्ति में
prathama-pravṛttim ārabhyastarting from the very first engagement — from the moment one first takes it up 'beginning from', with ārabhyaप्रथम प्रवृत्ति से आरम्भ करके
lobha-utpattauat the arising of lobha (the eager longing to attain that mood) loc. absolute / loc. of occasionलोभ के उत्पन्न होने पर
kadā api na apekṣatehe never at any time needs [scripture and reasoning as an external prompt] 'never even once'कभी भी अपेक्षा नहीं रखता
itiand in this respect — connectiveइस प्रकार (इति)
mahān utkarṣaḥthere is a great superiority [of the rāga path over the vaidhī path] nom. sg., predicate(यह) महान् उत्कर्ष है
rāga-bhaktau tu — but in rāga-devotion; prathama-pravṛttim ārabhya lobha-utpattau — from the first engagement, at the birth of lobha; kadā api na apekṣate — one never requires [them]; iti mahān utkarṣaḥ — thus there is a great superiority.
rāga-bhaktau tu — परन्तु राग-भक्ति में; prathama-pravṛttim ārabhya — प्रथम प्रवृत्ति से आरम्भ करके; lobha-utpattau — लोभ के उत्पन्न होने पर; kadā api na apekṣate — कभी भी अपेक्षा नहीं रखता; iti — इति; mahān utkarṣaḥ — महान् उत्कर्ष है।
Viśvanātha now marks the contrast that answers Jīva's opening question. On the rāga path, from the very first step — the moment lobha, the eager longing for that mood, arises — the practitioner never at any point depends on scripture or reasoning as an outside prompt. And in exactly this, the rāga path has a great superiority over the vaidhī path. This is why the objection said rāgānugā devotion is 'without any cut-off.'
परन्तु राग-भक्ति में, प्रथम प्रवृत्ति से आरम्भ करके, लोभ के उत्पन्न होने पर कभी भी (शास्त्र-तर्क की) अपेक्षा नहीं रखता — यही महान् उत्कर्ष है।
lobha: literally 'greed'; here the intense hankering to obtain the spontaneous loving mood of the Vraja devotees — the inner spark that starts and drives rāgānugā practice, in place of scriptural command.
लोभ — शब्दशः 'लोभ'; यहाँ व्रज-भक्तों के स्वाभाविक प्रेममय भाव को पाने की तीव्र लालसा, वह भीतरी चिनगारी जो शास्त्र की आज्ञा के स्थान पर रागानुगा साधना को आरम्भ करती और चलाती है।
s4reply
kintu yatra lobho jātas tat-prāpty-arthaṁ śāstrādy-anusandhānam |
kintuhowever — a needed qualification of what was just said adversativeकिन्तु
yatra lobhaḥ jātaḥin whatever devotee lobha (the longing for that mood) has arisen relative clause, 'in whom'जिसमें लोभ उत्पन्न हो गया है
tat-prāpti-arthamin order to attain that [longed-for mood] dat. of purpose, 'for the sake of'उसकी (उस भाव की) प्राप्ति के लिए
śāstra-ādi-anusandhānamthe careful study of scripture and the rest [does take place] nom. sg., supply 'is done'शास्त्र आदि का अनुसन्धान (किया जाता है)
kintu — however; yatra lobhaḥ jātaḥ — in whom the longing has arisen; tat-prāpti-artham — in order to attain it; śāstra-ādi-anusandhānam — study of scripture and so on [is undertaken].
kintu — किन्तु; yatra lobhaḥ jātaḥ — जिसमें लोभ उत्पन्न हो गया; tat-prāpti-artham — उसकी प्राप्ति के लिए; śāstra-ādi-anusandhānam — शास्त्र आदि का अनुसन्धान।
Viśvanātha guards against a misreading of the previous line. Even so — however — in a devotee in whom lobha, the longing for that mood, has already arisen, study of scripture and the rest is still undertaken, precisely in order to reach the object of that longing. So the rāga path is free of scripture as an external command that starts him off; it is not free of scripture as a guide for how to attain the mood once he already craves it.
किन्तु जिसमें लोभ उत्पन्न हो गया है, उसकी प्राप्ति के लिए शास्त्र आदि का अनुसन्धान (किया जाता है)।
anusandhāna: attentive investigation or study; the point is that śāstra returns on the rāga path not as the initiating injunction but as consulted guidance, sought after lobha is already present.
अनुसन्धान — सावधान अन्वेषण या अनुशीलन; आशय यह कि राग-मार्ग पर शास्त्र आरम्भक विधि के रूप में नहीं, अपितु परामर्श के रूप में लौटता है, जो लोभ के उपस्थित हो जाने के बाद खोजा जाता है।
s5conclusion
evaṁ śāstrokta-sādhanānusandhānaṁ cāvaśya-kartavyam eva ||
evamand so, in this way summative adv.इस प्रकार
śāstra-ukta-sādhana-anusandhānamthe careful practice of the sādhana taught in scripture nom. sg., subjectशास्त्र में कहे गए साधन का अनुसन्धान
catoo — even on the rāga path additive particleभी (च)
avaśya-kartavyam evamust certainly be done, is absolutely obligatory gerundive + eva emphaticअवश्य ही करणीय है
evam — thus; śāstra-ukta-sādhana-anusandhānam ca — the pursuit of the scripturally taught practice too; avaśya-kartavyam eva — is certainly to be done.
evam — इस प्रकार; śāstra-ukta-sādhana-anusandhānam — शास्त्र में कहे गए साधन का अनुसन्धान; ca — भी; avaśya-kartavyam eva — अवश्य ही करणीय है।
Viśvanātha closes with the practical upshot. In this way, following the sādhana that scripture lays down is something that absolutely must be done — on the rāga path as well, not only the vaidhī one. The great superiority of the rāga path lies in not needing scripture as the initial prompt; it does not license skipping the scripturally prescribed practice itself.
इस प्रकार शास्त्र में कहे गए साधन का अनुसन्धान भी अवश्य ही करणीय है।
avaśya-kartavya: 'what must without fail be done'; the emphatic close guards the earlier 'great superiority' from being read as a license to drop scriptural practice on the rāga path.
अवश्य-कर्तव्य — 'जो अवश्य ही करना चाहिए'; यह ज़ोरदार समापन पूर्वोक्त 'महान् उत्कर्ष' को इस भ्रम से बचाता है कि राग-मार्ग पर शास्त्रीय साधना छोड़ देने की छूट है।