Verse Text
atra aṅga-lakṣaṇam—
āśritāvāntarāneka-bhedaṁ kevalam eva vā |
ekaṁ karmātra vidvadbhir ekaṁ bhakty-aṅgam ucyate ||73||
Translation
In bhakti, the characteristics of an aṅga are as follows: The learned define an aṅga of bhakti as a complex of devotional actions with internal divisions or only one action of bhakti which does not have clearly defined differences within it.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
An example of a complex of actions is arcana. ”Only one action” means action without clear internal divisions, such as taking shelter of the guru’s feet or standing when a deity procession comes. Atra in the verse stands for “in bhakti.”
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
The purport of this statement is that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī proposes to mention only basic principles, not details. For example, a basic principle is that one has to accept a spiritual master. Exactly how one follows the instructions of his spiritual master is considered a detail. For example, if one is following the instruction of his spiritual master and that instruction is different from the instructions of another spiritual master, this is called detailed information. But the basic principle of acceptance of a spiritual master is good everywhere, although the details may be different. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī does not wish to enter into details here, but wants to place before us only the principles.