Bhakti Sandarbha 40: Offenses Make One’s Heart Hard

I started posting stuff from Bhakti Sandarbha starting from Anuccheda 178. This one was posted to Facebook on July 29, 2017, but not to the blog.

(भा. २.३.२४)—

तदश्मसारं हृदयं बतेदं
यद्गृह्यमाणैर्हरिनामधेयैः
न विक्रियेताथ यदा विकारो
नेत्रे जलं गात्ररुहेषु हर्षः॥

Alas, the heart which does not melt while reciting the names of Bhagavān Hari is as hard as stone. When the heart melts, tears flow from the eyes and the hairs of the body stand on end in ecstasy. (2.3.24)

अश्मवत् सारो बलं काठिन्यं यस्य। विक्रियालक्षणमथेति। यदा तद्विकारो न भवेत्, तदा नेत्रादौ जलादिकं न भवतीत्यर्थः। इदमेवान्वयेन श्रीमता राज्ञा दृढीकरिष्यते—"सा वाग् यया तस्य गुणान् गृणीते" (भा. १०.८०.३) इत्यादिभ्याम्। तदेवं श्रीशुकवाक्यारम्भाध्यायत्रयाभिधेयत्वेन श्रीभक्तिरेव लब्धा।

"Whose essence is like that of a stone" (aśma-sāram) indicates that the heart of such a person has the strength and rigidity of stone. The symptoms of melting are described in the part of the verse beginning with the word atha. The meaning is that when the heart does not melt, symptoms such as tears in the eyes do not manifest.

King Parīkṣit confirms the very same thing [that bhakti is the abhidheya] by anvaya, or positive concomitance. [The vyatireka, or negative concomitance, was spoken in the verses by Śaunaka starting with 2.3.17, Anuccheda 33 and ending here.]. He speaks two verses, beginning with: "That speech is fruitful which glorifies Bhagavān's qualities ..." (10.80.3) [See below]

Thus it is seen that in the first three chapters [of the Second Canto], which are the begining of Śukadeva's recital, bhakti is the only abhidheya.

टीका च—
तत्र तु प्रथमेऽध्याये कीर्तणश्रवणादिभिः।
स्थविष्ठे भगवद्रूपे मनसो धारणोच्यते॥ (भा.दी. २.१.१)

Śrīdhara Svāmī has also composed verses to this effect in the beginning of his commentary on each of these chapters:

The first chapter describes the process of fixing the mind on the virāṭ form of Bhagavān through glorification of Bhagavān, hearing about Him, and so on. (Bhāvārtha-dīpikā 2.1.1)

द्वितीये तु ततः स्थूलधारणातो जितं मनः।
सर्वसाक्षिणि सर्वेशे विष्णौ धार्यमितीर्यते॥ (भा.दी. २.२.१)

The second chapter explains the method of fixing the mind on Bhagavān Viṣṇu, the Supreme Controller, who is the witness of everything. This is achieved after the mind has been subdued by meditation on the virāt. (Bhāvārtha-dīpikā 2.2.1)


तृतीये विष्णुभक्तेस्तु वैशिष्ट्यं शृण्वतो मुनेः।
भक्त्युद्रेकेण तत्कर्मश्रवणादर ईर्यते॥ (भा.दी. २.३.१) इत्येषा॥
॥ २.३॥ श्रीशौनकः श्रीसूतम्॥ ३३-४०॥

The third chapter relates how Śaunaka Muni, after hearing the greatness of bhakti to Bhagavān Viṣṇu, speaks with overflowing devotion about the honor of hearing about the activities of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. (Bhāvārtha-dīpikā 2.3.1)

Commentary by Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji Maharaj

After criticizing life, body and external limbs of a non-devotee's body, Śrī Śaunaka reproaches their inner sense, the heart. Earlier he was criticizing only those who did not engage in devotional acts at all, but now he takes on even those who are reciting the names of Bhagavān with a heart devoid of bhakti. This implies a bigger criticism of those who do not even recite the names. Thus the real intention of Śaunaka is that one should take to devotion wholeheartedly and not just engage in devotional acts superficially.

The word "heart" here does not mean the physical organ but the inner-sense, citta. Citta melts in the fire of love and becomes soft. How does one know that heart has melted? It is known by external symptoms called sāttvika-bhāvas, which are eight in number, as listed in Bhakti-rasāmrta-sindhu:

Becoming stunned, sweating, hair standing on end, change in voice, trembling, change of bodily hue, tears and losing all external awareness, these eights are called sāttvika-bhavas. (BRS 2.3.16)

Śrī Śaunaka mentions only two of them in the verse under discussion. Here it should be noted that these symptoms do not have an undeviated (avyabhicārī) relation with the melting of the heart. It is possible to have these symptoms without such melting. On the other hand, a great devotee may not manifest these symptoms even when their heart has melted out of love.

Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments that the heart fails to melt because of the influence of offenses. The name of Bhagavān is non-different from Bhagavān who is personification of love, but offenses make the heart hard and thus even if one chants the name it does not melt, even if one has tears in eyes and other such sāttvika-bhāvas. Such a heart is compared to a hard stone, i.e., a diamond, which is supposed to be the hardest of all.

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī concludes this anuccheda by citing three verses composed by Śrīdhara Svāmī. The latter writes a verse at the beginning of his commentary to each chapter summarizing its contents. From these three verses it is clear that in his opinion, bhakti is the abhidheya established in the first three chapters of the Second Canto.

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sā vāg yayā tasya guṇān gṛṇīte
karau ca tat-karma-karau manaś ca
smared vasantaṁ sthira-jaṅgameṣu
śṛṇoti tat-puṇya-kathāḥ sa karṇaḥ
śiras tu tasyobhaya-liṅgam ānamet
tad eva yat paśyati tad dhi cakṣuḥ
aṅgāni viṣṇor atha taj-janānāṁ
pādodakaṁ yāni bhajanti nityam

That can be called speech when it glorifies the Lord;
they can be called hands when they serve Him
and a mind that would remember Him
in all creatures still and turbulent.
That is an ear, which hears His holy topics.
That is a head which bows to all creatures,
and an eye that sees Him in them is an eye that sees.
And limbs are those that constantly worship
the water that has washed the feet
of Vishnu and his devotees. (10.80.3-4)