yathā gaṅgāmbhaso 'mbudhau
mad-guṇa-śruti-mātreṇa
mayi sarva-guhāśaye
mano-gatir avicchinnā
yathā gaṅgāmbhaso 'mbudhau
lakṣaṇaṁ bhakti-yogasya
nirguṇasya hy udāhṛtam
ahaituky avyavahitā
yā bhaktiḥ puruṣottame
Because the mind, by hearing about my qualities, flows continuously to me, the Supreme Lord residing in the hearts of all people, just as the Gaṅgā flows to the ocean, it is said that the quality of bhakti beyond the guṇas is absence of results other than bhakti and lack of obstructions from other processes.
The qualities of pure bhakti mentioned in SB 3.25.32 are here mentioned again for easy understanding. The mind continually flows to me, the Supreme Lord, situated in all antaḥkaraṇas, and thus the easy object of meditation, just by hearing about my qualities. Because of this, it is said to be the quality of bhakti-yoga. The sentence continues in two verses. Thus the meaning is “Because the mind flows continuously to me just by bhakti-yoga with hearing and other processes beyond the guṇas, the quality of bhakti is said to be ahaitukī and avyavhitā.” Just as the water of the Gaṅgā, even though turned back by the ocean’s waves, heads into the ocean, the mind flows only to me though allured by me with offerings of kingdom, sārṣṭi, sālokya and other results. Also the example of the Gaṅgā suggests that the mind of the devotee, like the Gaṅgā, is swift, cooling, pure and worthy of worship. What are bhakti’s qualities? It is devoid of having other results in mind (ahaitukī). It is not like jñāna or yoga, since it independent of other processes, and is itself the result. (Bhakti is the process and bhakti is the result.) It has been explained in the First Canto that the first and twelfth stages of bhakti, sadhu-saṅga and prema, should not be considered cause and effect.[261] This bhakti is unobstructed (avyavahitā), devoid of blockage by jñāna or karma (sattva and rajoguṇa). This means it is beyond the guṇas. It is explained in the Eleventh Canto that the devotee (who is the abode of faith and bhakti), the happiness of bhakti and other items are all beyond the guṇas:
sāttvikaḥ kārako 'saṅgī rāgāndho rājasaḥ smṛtaḥ
tāmasaḥ smṛti-vibhraṣṭo nirguṇo mad-apāśrayaḥ
A worker free of attachment is in the mode of goodness, a worker blinded by personal desire is in the mode of passion, and a worker who has completely forgotten how to tell right from wrong is in the mode of ignorance. But a worker who has taken shelter of me is understood to be transcendental to the modes of nature. SB 11.25.26
sāttviky ādhyātmikī śraddhā karma-śraddhā tu rājasī
tāmasy adharme yā śraddhā mat-sevāyāṁ tu nirguṇā
Faith directed toward ātmā is in sattva, faith rooted in prescribed karma is in rajas, faith residing in irreligious activities is in tamas, but faith in my devotional service is purely transcendental. SB 11.25.27
|| 3.29.13 ||
sālokya-sārṣṭi-sāmīpya-
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