tatra adhikArI –
yaH kenApy atibhAgyena jAta shraddho ‘sya sevane |
nAtisakto na vairAgya bhAga syAm adhikAry asau ||14||
Now, about qualification
–
One who somehow has the great fortune to sprout a little faith in
serving God, neither very attached nor very detached from the world, is
qualified.
This sloka discusses the qualification for the topic currently under discussion, vaidhi-sadhana. “Faith” (sraddha) indicated where one puts his heart and trust. The qualification for practicing pure devotional service in vaidhi is that one is attracted to the concept of pure devotional service (see 1.1.11). Such a person will neither be to attached nor detached from the world. Excessive attachment to the world will countermand one’s proclivity to act primarily for the pleasure of God. Excessive detachment from the world will countermand one’s proclivity to act at all.
yathaikAdashe –
yadRcchayA mat kathAdau jAta shraddha ‘stu yaH pumAn |
na nirviNNo nAtisakto bhakti yogo ‘sya siddhidaH ||15||
In the Eleventh Canto –
“One with firm faith in processes such as hearing about Me can obtain
the perfection of bhakti, though he or she may not be very detached from the
world nor very attached to it.”
uttamo madhyamash ca syAt kaniSThash ceti sa tridhA ||16||
Qualification has three grades: high, middle and low.
tatra uttamaH –
shAstre yuktau ca nipuNaH sarvathA dRDha nishcayaH |
prauDha shraddho ‘dhikArI yaH sa bhaktAv uttamo mataH ||17||
Now, High Qualification –
In my opinion the devotee with high qualification is one who is expert
in scriptural knowledge as well as logic and reasoning, and whose strong faith
is always steady and firm.
tatra madhyamaH –
yaH shAstrAhi Svani puNaH shraddhAvan sa tu madhyamaH ||18||
Now, Middle Qualification
–
One whose knowledge of scripture is weaker, but who has faith is one of
medium qualification.
tatra kaniSThaH –
yo bhavet komala shraddhaH sa kaniSTho nigadyate ||19||
Now, Low Qualification –
One with low qualification has weak faith.
This and the preceding two slokas describe three levels of qualification for vaidhi-sadhana-bhakti. Since vaidhi-sadhana is practice of pure devotion inspired by scriptural knowledge (see 1.2.6), one’s qualification to execute vaidhi-sadhana depends on the depth of one’s logical and thorough understanding of those scriptures, as well as one’s faith in them and their conclusion. One with strong knowledge of and faith in scripture is highly qualified for vaidhi-sadhana. One with less knowledge, but strong faith has “middle” qualification. One without knowledge and with weak faith has the lowest qualification.
tatra gItAdi SuktAnAM caturNAm adhikAriNAm |
madhye yasmin bhagavatah kRpA syAt tat priya syavana ||20||
sa kSINa tat tad bhAvaH syAcchuddha bhakty AdhikAravAn |
yathebhaH shaunakAdish ca dhruvaH sa ca catuH sanaH ||21||
Now, the Gita and other scriptures mention four qualified persons. Among them, whomever receives the merciful blessings of the Lord can gradually attain the qualification for pure devotion, as happened with Gajendra, Saunaka and the sages, Dhruva and the Four Kumars.
Here Rupa Goswami notes that the Gita mentions four persons who are qualified to worship the Lord. These are pious persons who turn to God out of distress (artha), economic need (atha-arthi), religious inquiry (jijnasu), or the quest for spiritual knowledge (jnani). These four types of persons are not eligible to practice vadhi-sadhana bhakti, because vadhi-sadhana bhakti is the practice of pleasing the Lord without ulterior motive. These four types of individuals, however, have four types of ulterior motive. Thus they lack even the week faith required for minimum eligibility to practice pure devotional service in Vaidhi-sadhana.
However, since they are pious and turn to the Lord for fulfillment of their ulterior motives, the Lord blesses them to gradually loose their ulterior desires and thus become qualified to practice pure devotion. For example, Dhruva turned to God out of desire for economic development but in so doing gradually became purified, forgot his original intentions, and took to pleasing the Lord without ulterior motive.
Gajendra is the example of artha, Dhruva the example of artha-arthi, Saunaka and the Naimisharanya sages examples of jijnasu, and the Four Kumars examples of jnani.
bhukti-mukti-spRhA yAvat pishAcI hRdi varate |
tAvad bhakti-sukhas yatra katham abhyudayo bhavet ||22||
While the demon-like desire for sense enjoyment or liberation is in ones heart, how can the delight of pure bhakti appear there?
Rupa Goswami continues explaining that below kanistha-adhikari are those who have no adhikari at all for pure devotional service. As long as one has ulterior motives in the heart (anyabhilasita), he cannot engage in pure love.
tatrApi ca visheSeNa gatimaN vIman icchataH |
bhaktir hRta manaH prANAn premNA tAn kuru te janAn ||23||
However, the desire for liberation is especially troublesome. True bhakti attracts the heart, mind, and life of a person.
Rupa Goswami noted in the previous verse that desires for sense enjoyment (bhukti) and desires for liberation (mukti) interfere with one’s proclivity to love selflessly as in pure devotion. Here he notes that of the two, mukti is more troublesome than bhukti. He concludes by stating that pure love attracts every aspect of an entity, leaving no room for ulterior desires such as bhukti or mukti.
He now begins a series of sastric quotation, spanning slokas 24-54 illustrating that the nature of Uttama Bhakti is wholly freed from such desires.
tathA ca tRtIya –
tair darshanIyAvayairudAra vilAsa hAsekSita vAma suktaiH|
hRtAtmano hRta prANAMsh ca bhakti ranicchato me gatimaN vIM prayuNkte ||24||
In the Third Canto –
”The vision of me and the sweetness of my play, my smile and my soothing
voice steals their very heart and soul. Their Bhakti grants them liberation.”
Rupa Goswami explains this in the next sloka
shrI kRSNa-caraNAmbhoja sevA nirvRta cetasAm |
eSAM mokSAya bhaktAnAM na kadAcit spRhA bhavet ||25||
Those whose consciousness is solely on the service of Shri Krishna’s lotus feet never manifest any desire for mokSa.
Rupa Goswami here explains that he intends the previous reference from Bhagavatam to be understood as: “Although those who are completely absorbed in devotion to me never desire liberation, they receive as a side-effect of their devotion.”
The following slokas are further references illustrating how the qualification for uttama-bhakti is absence of motivation for bhukti and mukti.