Verse Text
pādme ca—
smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit |
sarva-vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ ||8||
Translation
In the Padma Purāṇa it is said: One should always remember Viṣṇu and never forget Him. All injunctions and prohibitions are dependent on these two principles.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Because all rules are dependent upon remembrance of Viṣṇu, if one remembers Viṣṇu, what is instructed in all the other rules is accomplished. And because all prohibitions such as killing cows and brāhmaṇas are also included in the rule to remember Viṣṇu, if one forgets Viṣṇu, that person should be considered to have accrued unlimited sins produced by committing all the prohibited acts. Satatam means “every day” not “every second,” since continuous remembrance would be impossible to do (in sādhana- bhakti). This would produce loss of faith in the rules of bhakti, because they would be impossible to follow.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
“All the rules and prohibitions” (sarva-vidhi-niśedhāḥ) means scriptural injunctions such as aharahaḥ sandhyā upāsīta (one must worship daily at the sandhyās) and brāhmaṇo na hantavyaḥ (one should not kill a brāhmaṇa). All these injunctions and prohibitions are dependent (kiṅkarāḥ) on the injunction to remember the Lord always and the prohibition never to forget Him. To do the opposite (making remembrance of Viṣṇu secondary to all the other rules) will yield opposite results. The addition of cit to jātu is for emphasizing jātu (na jātucit meaning “never”), and not for indicating it’s normal meaning (na jātucit meaning “not on certain occasions”).
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In the Padma Purāṇa, also, the same process is advised. There it is said that one should always remember Lord Viṣṇu. This is called dhyāna, or meditation—always remembering Kṛṣṇa. It is said that one has to meditate with his mind fixed upon Viṣṇu. Padma Purāṇa recommends that one always fix his mind on the form of Viṣṇu by meditation and not forget Him at any moment. And this state of consciousness is called samādhi, or trance.
We should always try to mold the activities of our lives in such a way that we will constantly remember Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whether one concentrates his mind on the four-handed form of Viṣṇu or on the form of two-handed Kṛṣṇa, it is the same. The Padma Purāṇa recommends: somehow or other always think of Viṣṇu, without forgetting Him under any circumstances. Actually this is the most basic of all regulative principles. For, when there is an order from a superior about doing something, there is simultaneously a prohibition. When the order is that one should always remember Kṛṣṇa, the prohibition is that one should never forget Him. Within this simple order and prohibition, all regulative principles are found complete.
This regulative principle is applicable to all varṇas and āśramas, the castes and occupations of life. There are four varṇas, namely the brāhmaṇas (priests and intellectuals), the kṣatriyas (warriors and statesmen), the vaiśyas (businessmen and farmers) and the śūdras (laborers and servants). There are also four standard āśramas, namely brahmacarya (student life), gṛhastha (householder), vānaprastha (retired) and sannyāsa (renounced). The regulative principles are not only for the brahmacārīs (celibate students) to follow, but are applicable for all. It doesn’t matter whether one is a beginner—a brahmacārī—or is very advanced—a sannyāsī. The principle of remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly and not forgetting Him at any moment is meant to be followed by everyone without fail.
If this injunction is followed, then all other rules and regulations will automatically fall into line. All other rules and regulations should be treated as assistants or servants to this one basic principle.