Verse Text
atha ādyo, yathā paṣcarātre—
māhātmya-jṣāna-yuktas tu sudṛḍhaḥ sarvato ’dhikaḥ |
sneho bhaktir iti proktas tayā sārṣṭyādinānyathā ||12||
Translation
Prema endowed with knowledge of the power of the Lord, arising from the Lord’s mercy, is described in the Paṣcarātra: Affection for the Lord more than anyone else, which is very firm, and includes knowledge of the Lord’s powers, is called bhakti. By that bhakti, a person attains powers in the spiritual world as well as other rewards. There is no other way of attaining such things.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Two verses (this and the next one) from paṣcarātra now show prema with knowledge of the Lord’s powers and without knowledge of the Lord’s powers. Māhātmya-jṣānam—knowledge of the Lord’s powers—means awareness that “He is God.” This awareness, with particular respect for the Lord, restricts feelings of sakhya, vatsala and madhura. Though there is also awareness of the Lord’s powers in persons practicing rāgānuga-bhakti, that awareness does not restrict their feelings of sakhya, vatsala and madhura-bhakti. [Note: For both vaidhi-bhaktas and rāgānuga-bhaktas, sambandha-jṣāna, which includes knowledge of the difference between God and jīva and their respective qualities, is a prerequisite for proper sādhana. In rāgānuga-bhakti, however, this knowledge does not restrict their feelings of intimacy with the Lord and awareness of Kṛṣṇa as God is not part of his emotional cultivation.] This knowledge of the Lord’s greatness and (tu) complete affection for the Lord is called bhakti. By that type of bhakti (tayā), the person attains sārṣti and other blessings.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In the Nārada Paṣcarātra it is said that if on account of profound veneration for the greatness of the Supreme Lord one attains a great affection and steady love for Him, one is certainly assured of attaining the four kinds of Vaiṣṇava liberation—namely achieving the same bodily features as the Lord, achieving the same opulence as the Lord, dwelling on the planet where the Lord is residing, and attaining eternal association with the Lord. The Vaiṣṇava liberation is completely different from the Māyāvāda liberation, which is simply a matter of being merged into the effulgence of the Lord.