SB 1.2.6
“
400+
“
400+
Devanagari
स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो यतो भक्तिरधोक्षजे ।
अहैतुक्यप्रतिहता ययात्मा सुप्रसीदति ॥ ६ ॥
Verse text
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
Synonyms
saḥ
—
that
;
vai
—
certainly
;
puṁsām
—
for mankind
;
paraḥ
—
sublime
;
dharmaḥ
—
occupation
;
yataḥ
—
by which
;
bhaktiḥ
—
devotional service
;
adhokṣaje
—
unto the Transcendence
;
ahaitukī
—
causeless
;
apratihatā
—
unbroken
;
yayā
—
by which
;
ātmā
—
the self
;
suprasīdati
—
completely satisfied .
Translation
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The supreme dharma for all human beings (sādhana bhakti) is that by which prema-bhakti to the Lord arises, which is not caused by anything other than itself, cannot be obstructed, and which satisfies the mind completely.
Purport
In this statement, Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī answers the first question of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya. The sages asked him to summarize the whole range of revealed scriptures and present the most essential part so that fallen people or the people in general might easily take it up. The
Vedas
prescribe two different types of occupation for the human being. One is called the
pravṛtti-mārga,
or the path of sense enjoyment, and the other is called the
nivṛtti-mārga,
or the path of renunciation. The path of enjoyment is inferior, and the path of sacrifice for the supreme cause is superior. The material existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life. Actual life is spiritual existence, or
brahma-bhūta
existence, where life is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. Material existence is temporary, illusory and full of miseries. There is no happiness at all. There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary cessation of misery is falsely called happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material enjoyment, which is temporary, miserable and illusory, is inferior. But devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which leads one to eternal, blissful and all-cognizant life, is called the superior quality of occupation. This is sometimes polluted when mixed with the inferior quality. For example, adoption of devotional service for material gain is certainly an obstruction to the progressive path of renunciation. Renunciation or abnegation for ultimate good is certainly a better occupation than enjoyment in the diseased condition of life. Such enjoyment only aggravates the symptoms of disease and increases its duration. Therefore devotional service to the Lord must be pure in quality, i.e., without the least desire for material enjoyment. One should, therefore, accept the superior quality of occupation in the form of the devotional service of the Lord without any tinge of unnecessary desire, fruitive action and philosophical speculation. This alone can lead one to perpetual solace in His service.
We have purposely denoted
dharma
as occupation because the root meaning of the word
dharma
is “that which sustains one’s existence.” A living being’s sustenance of existence is to coordinate his activities with his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the central pivot of living beings, and He is the all-attractive living entity or eternal form amongst all other living beings or eternal forms. Each and every living being has his eternal form in the spiritual existence, and Kṛṣṇa is the eternal attraction for all of them. Kṛṣṇa is the complete whole, and everything else is His part and parcel. The relation is one of the servant and the served. It is transcendental and is completely distinct from our experience in material existence. This relation of servant and the served is the most congenial form of intimacy. One can realize it as devotional service progresses. Everyone should engage himself in that transcendental loving service of the Lord, even in the present conditional state of material existence. That will gradually give one the clue to actual life and please him to complete satisfaction.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse answers the second question of the sages: what is the final essence of all the scriptures. That essence is highest dharma for anyone who is a human being (puṁsām), meaning hearing and chanting about the Lord. It is said:
etāvān eva loke ’smin puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
bhakti-yogo bhagavati tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ
That is the only means for attainment of the final perfection of life. Therefore persons whose minds are fixed on the Lord engage in the intensive practice of devotional service. SB 6.3.22
By this statement, The word para along with dharma in the present verse can indicate only bhakti-yoga. Etavān eva indicates exclusion of other processes as para-dharma. The essence of scripture is bhakti-yoga by which prema-bhakti (yataḥ bhaktiḥ) appears. It arises without cause (ahaitukī). Mixed bhakti is excluded in this definition (since it has cause). “But you are really evading the truth here (saying that prema is not caused by sādhana-bhakti).” No. Dharma consisting of hearing and chanting about the Lord is called sādhana-bhakti, and in the mature state it is called prema. Both are called bhakti, for it is said bhaktyā saṣjātayā bhaktyā bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum: the devotee possesses a body with ecstatic symptoms by prema developed through sādhana-bhakti. (SB 11.3.31) In the verse being discussed, the former bhakti (paro dharmo) is the cause of the later type of bhakti (yato bhaktir adhokṣaje), just as an unripe mango is the cause of a ripe mango. Considering one the cause of the other because of the difference in taste is simply a conception for understanding the different strengths of bhakti, though sādhana-bhakti and prema are not actually different things. The various states of infancy, youth and adulthood in one person are actually not conditions of cause and results of that cause (since the person remains). On the other hand, when pots, cloth and cooked rise arise, the original names and forms of mud, thread and raw rice disappear. One cannot compare these examples to bhakti and prema.
One also not say that the famous cause of bhakti is association of devotees, for association of devotees is part of bhakti. It is the second stage, as understood from the statement ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ’tha bjajana-kriyā. (BRS 1.3.11) And later it will be said:
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt
O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva. SB 1.2.16
Such things as charity, vows, austerity, sacrifices, and selfless performance of duties are to some degree causes of bhakti in sattva-guṇa, practiced as an aṅga of jṣāna. But they are not causes of pure bhakti, because it is said:
yaṁ na yogena sāṅkhyena dāna-vrata-tapo-’dhvaraiḥ |
vyākhyā-svādhyāya-sannyāsaiḥ prāpnuyād yatnavān api ||
Even though one engages with great endeavor in the mystic yoga system, philosophical speculation, charity, vows, penances, ritualistic sacrifices, teaching of Vedic mantras to others, personal study of the Vedas, or the renounced order of life, still one cannot achieve Me. SB 11.12.9
Nor can it even be said that the mercy of the Lord is the cause of pure bhakti, for it is non-final cause, making one search out a further cause. One cannot say that the Lord’s mercy is absolute, without further cause, for then it would mean the Lord is unjust and prejudiced in choosing to give mercy without reason to certain individuals and not to others. However if one says that the cause of bhakti is the mercy of the devotee, it is not so incorrect. Though the uttama-bhaktas do not make distinctions and are thus not prejudiced, one does see the madhyama-bhakta making distinctions between the Lord, the devotee, the innocent and the demon. Thus because the Lord is dependent on the devotee, the Lord’s mercy follows after the mercy of the devotee. That is the correct conclusion.
But then how is bhakti said to be without cause (ahaitukum) in this verse? Because the Lords mercy is included in the mercy of the devotee, and because that mercy is included in association with devotees, and because devotee association is an aṅga of bhakti, bhakti is said to be without cause (since an aṅga of bhakti causes bhakti). Moreover the cause of devotee’s mercy is but the bhakti present in the heart of the devotee, because without that bhakti in his heart there is no possibility of his mercy arising. In all ways therefore, bhakti is the cause of bhakti. Therefore bhakti is said to be without cause. From the point of view of bhakti, the devotee, bhakti, the Lord, and his mercy are not separate items. Even though bhakti appears by bhakti (thus being self-manifesting), it does not negate the fact that bhakti’s self-manifesting nature comes from the Lord.
This bhakti cannot be prevented by anything (apratihatā). This is mentioned in the following verse:
mad-guṇa-śruti-mātreṇa mayi sarva-guhāśaye
mano-gatir avicchinnā yathā gaṅgāmbhaso ’mbudhau
Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord. SB 3.29.11
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has also said sarvathā dhvaṁsa-rahitaṁ saty api dhvaṁsa-kāraṇe: bhakti is without destruction, though it is the cause of destruction of obstacles. (Ujjvala-nīla-maṇi 14.63) Apratihatā can also mean that this prema-bhakti is not contaminated by jṣāna or karma. By that bhakti (yayā) the mind (ātmā) becomes completely satisfied (suprasīdati). Because of the impossibility of the mind being satisfied with the presence of material desires, it is evident that this bhakti being discussed is without any material desires.