Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 7 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

বৈষ্ণব-চরণরেণু,        ভূষণ করিয়া তনু,

যাহা হৈতে অনুভব হয় ।

মার্জন হয় ভজন,        সাধুসঙ্গে অনুক্ষণ,

অজ্ঞান অবিদ্যা পরাজয় ॥ ৭ ||

     By ornamenting one’s body with dust from the lotus feet of Vaiṣṇavas, one gains spiritual realization. Continuously performing bhajana in the association of advanced devotees, one becomes purified and conquers illusion and ignorance.

Dust from the Bhakta’s Feet and Sādhu-Saṅga

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya first of all glorifies the dust from the lotus feet of Vaiṣṇavas. baiṣṇaba-caraṇa-reṇu, bhūṣaṇa kariyā tanu, yāhā haite anubhaba haya. In the matter of obtaining bhakti or fruition of one’s bhajana, all the śāstras have with one voice proclaimed the extraordinary power of the dust from the Vaiṣṇavas’ lotus feet. In verse 5.12.12 of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the essence of all vedānta, the great sage Jaḍabharata says to Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa,

रहूगणैतत्तपसा न याति न चेज्यया निर्वपणाद् गृहाद्वा ।

न च्छन्दसा नैव जलाग्निसूर्यैर्विना महत्पादरजोऽभिषेकम् ॥

     “O Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa! If one is never anointed with the foot-dust of a great soul, even though he may perform austerities or Vedic rituals, give food and other goods in charity or build houses for the benefit of others, study the Vedas, worship the gods of water, fire or the sun, or perform any other type of sādhana, he will not be able to acquire true knowledge of God.”

     In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.32, Śrīla Prahlāda Mahāśaya says to his father Hiraṇyakaśipu,

नैषां मतिस्तावदुरुक्रमाङ्घ्रिं स्पृशत्यनर्थापगमो यदर्थः ।

महीयसां पादरजोऽभिषेकं निष्किञ्चनानां न वृणीत यावत् ॥

     “So long as a worldly man has not been sprinkled with the foot-dust of the great souls, who are devoid of materialistic egotism, his thoughts are unable to touch the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When the intellect is firmly fixed at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet, all of one’s anarthas spontaneously disappear.”

     When Bhṛgu Muni kicked Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s chest to test his true nature (Bhāg. 10.89.11-12), Śrī Nārāyaṇa replied, 

पुनीहि सहलोकं मां लोकपालांश् च मद्गतान् । पादोदकेन भवतस्तीर्थानां तीर्थकारिणा ॥

अद्याहं भगवँल्लक्ष्म्या आसमेकान्तभाजनम् । वत्स्यत्युरसि मे भूतिर्भवत्पादहतांहसः ॥

     In his Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Śrīla Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura has given a very beautiful Bengali translation of these verses:

এইযে তোমার পাদোদক পুণ্যজল । তীর্থেরে করয়ে তীর্থ হেন সুনির্মল ॥

যতেক ব্রহ্মাণ্ড বৈসে আমার দেহেতে । যত লোকপাল সব আমার সহিতে ॥

পাদোদক দিয়া আজি করিলা পবিত্র । অক্ষয় হৈয়া রহ তোমার চরিত্র ॥

এইযে তোমার শ্রীচরণচিহ্নধূলি । বক্ষে রাখিলাম আমি হই কুতূহলী ॥

লক্ষ্মীসঙ্গে নিজবক্ষে দিল আমি স্থান । বেদে যেন শ্রীবৎস-লাঞ্ছন বলে নাম ॥

     “The water from your feet is so sacred and pure that it sanctifies even the holy places. All the universes and their presiding deities reside within my body, and today you have purified us with the water from your feet. Your good name will be known forever. Having your footprints upon my chest delights me so much that I keep them alongside Lakṣmīdevī, who resides there as the curl of hair known in the Vedas as śrīvatsa.”

     Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to Uddhava, anuvrajāmy ahaṁ nityaṁ pūyeyety aṅghri-reṇubhiḥ (Bhāg. 11.14.16). “O Uddhava! I shall purify the whole universe with the dust from the feet of the bhaktas, to whom I’m forever devoted, thus blessing everyone with the gift of bhakti” (Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary). In this current kali-yuga, Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the combined form of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, eager for the taste of bhakti-rasa, has himself taken the dust from the Vaiṣṇavas’ lotus feet. sabāra caraṇa-dhūli laya biśvambhara (Caitanya-Bhāgavata). “Viśvambhara has taken everyone’s foot-dust.” Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has written,

ভক্তপদধূলি আর ভক্তপদজল । ভক্তভুক্ত-অবশেষ---তিন মহাবল ॥

এইতিন সেবা হৈতে কৃষ্ণপ্রেমা হয় । পুনঃপুনঃ সর্বশাস্ত্রে ফুকারিয়া কয় ॥

     “These three substances are very powerful: the dust from the bhakta’s feet, the water from his feet, and the remnants from his meal. By accepting them, one develops kṛṣṇa-prema. This is repeatedly proclaimed in every śāstra.” (Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 16.60-61)

     About adorning one’s body with the Vaiṣṇavas’ foot-dust, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, baiṣṇaba-caraṇa-reṇu bhūṣaṇa kariyā tanu. Just as men and women of the world very meticulously adorn themselves with ornaments for decorating their bodies, in the same way, for beautifying one’s own soul, one must very carefully and lovingly serve the foot-dust of Vaiṣṇavas. By this, we are being advised to have the highest regard for the Vaiṣṇavas. vaiṣṇavānāṁ parā bhaktiḥ (Nārada-Pañcarātra). “The highest reverence shall be shown toward the Vaiṣṇavas.” The Vaiṣṇavas are to be honored by the sādhakas of the bhakti-mārga just as they honor Śrī Viṣṇu. vaiṣṇavā viṣṇuvat pūjyāḥ. If a bhakta-sādhaka doesn’t show respect for the Vaiṣṇavas, Śrī Bhagavān is never pleased by that person’s sādhana-bhajana.

ये मे भक्तजनाः पार्थ न मे भक्ताश्च ते जनाः । मद्भक्तानां च ये भक्तास्ते मे भक्ततमा मताः ॥ (Ādi-Purāṇa)

तस्माद्विष्णुप्रसादाय वैष्णवान् परितोषयेत् । प्रसादसुमुखो विष्णुस्तेनैव स्यान्न संशयः ॥ (Itihāsa-Samuccaya)

  

     Śrī Bhagavān said to Arjuna, “O Pārtha! Those who worship me alone are not my true bhaktas; I consider those who are the bhaktas of my bhaktas to be the highest of all. Therefore, for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, all arrangements must be made to satisfy the Vaiṣṇavas. If the Vaiṣṇavas are pleased, then Viṣṇu is also pleased. Of this there is no doubt.” On the other hand, if the Vaiṣṇavas are disrespected even a little, though one may worship the soul of the universe Śrī Viṣṇu hundreds of times, the Lord will not be satisfied: prasīdati na viśvātmā vaiṣṇave cāpamānite. Therefore, Śrī Bhagavān eloquently said to Śrī Uddhava, mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.19.21). abhyadhikā-mat-pūjāto’pi tatra mama santoṣa-viśeṣāt (from Śrī Jīva’s commentary). “Seeing my bhakta being worshipped gives me more satisfaction than receiving worship myself. Therefore, great honor shall be given to the bhaktas.” In the matter of obtaining bhakti, the service of great souls has certainly been mentioned in many śāstras and in the writings of the mahājanas. Consequently, it has been said, yāhā haite anubhava haya, meaning that if the sādhaka’s body is adorned with dust from the feet of Vaiṣṇavas, he will acquire realization concerning his sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.

     After this, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, mārjana haya bhajana, sādhu-saṅge anukṣaṇa, ajñāna abidyā parājaya. If one decorates his body with the Vaiṣṇava’s foot-dust, or places that dust upon his head, with great devotion and faith, and with the understanding that it can fulfill all desires, one obtains the good fortune of constant sādhu-saṅga. In that continual sādhu-saṅga, one’s bhajana becomes purified, and as a secondary result, ignorance and illusion are also destroyed. Concerning the importance of sādhu-saṅga, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.26.31 we find yathopaśrayamāṇasya bhagavantaṁ vibhāvasum, śītaṁ bhayaṁ tamo’py eti sādhūn saṁsevatas tathā. “Just as under the shelter of Bhagavān Agnideva, cold, fear and darkness are destroyed, in the same way, under the shelter of the sādhus, the stupefying effect of the jīva’s karma, his fear of worldly life and the ignorance born of worldly life are all destroyed.” In his commentary on this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has written, svīyaudana-siddhy-artham upāśrayamāṇasya apy eti naśyati. tathaiva bhajana-siddhy-arthaṁ sādhūn saṁsevyamānasya karmādi-jāḍyaṁ saṁsāra-bhayaṁ bhajana-vighnaś ca. “When one lights a fire in the stove for cooking rice and vegetables, besides the food being cooked, a natural consequence is that cold, fear and darkness are also dispelled. In the same way, for attaining success in bhajana, if one associates with and serves the sādhus, a concomitant result of this bhajana-siddhi is the destruction of the stifling effect of karma, the fear of worldly life, illusion, ignorance and any other impediment to bhajana.” And why is that satsaṅga direct bhakti? Because it has the power to captivate Śrī Bhagavān.

अथैतत् परमं गुह्यं शृण्वतो यदुनन्दन । सुगोप्यमपि वक्ष्यामि त्वं मे भृत्यः सुहृत्-सखा ॥ (Bhāg. 11.11.49)

न रोधयति मां योगो न साङ्ख्यं धर्म एव च । न स्वाध्यायस्तपस्त्यागो नेष्टापूर्तं न दक्षिणा ॥

व्रतानि यज्ञश्छन्दांसि तीर्थानि नियमा यमाः । यथावरुन्धे सत्सङ्गः सर्वसङ्गापहो हि माम् ॥ (Bhāg. 11.12.1-2)

     Śrī Bhagavān said to Śrī Uddhava, “O Yadunandana! You are my best friend, servant and ally. Therefore, I’m telling you a very confidential secret; please listen. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga, truth-discerning sāṅkhya, varṇāśrama-dharma or other dharmas such as nonviolence, reciting the Vedas, performing austerities, renunciation, doing public welfare work such as performing the agniṣṭoma-yāga and constructing wells and gardens, giving charity, making vows, worshipping the gods, chanting mantras, going on pilgrimages, self-restraint,  fire sacrifices and so on---none of these have the power to capture me. Only sādhu-saṅga can remove all other attachments and bring me under its control.” Therefore, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.10.7 says, ayaṁ hi paramo lābho nṛṇāṁ sādhu-samāgamaḥ. “This sādhu-saṅga is indeed the greatest attainment for everyone.” The indescribable importance of such sādhu-saṅga has been repeatedly extolled in all the spiritual śāstras. 

সাধুসঙ্গ সাধুসঙ্গ সর্বশাস্ত্রে কয় । লবমাত্র সাধুসঙ্গে সর্বসিদ্ধি হয় ॥

     “In all the śāstras it is said that merely a moment’s association with a sādhu can bring about all success.” (CC. Mad. 22.54)