Verse 2.4.208-209

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.208-209:

आद्याम् अधुनिकीं वार्चां स्व-धर्माद्य्-अनपेक्षया ।
साक्षाच् छ्री-भगवद्-बुद्ध्या भजतां कृतृमाम् अपि ॥ २०८ ॥
न पतित्य्-आदि-दोषः स्याद् गुण एव महान् मतः ।
सेवोत्तमा मता भक्तिः फलं या परमं महत् ॥ २०९ ॥

ādyām adhunikīṃ vārcāṃ sva-dharmādy-anapekṣayā |
sākṣāc chrī-bhagavad-buddhyā bhajatāṃ kṛtṛmām api || 208 ||
na patity-ādi-doṣaḥ syād guṇa eva mahān mataḥ |
sevottamā matā bhaktiḥ phalaṃ yā paramaṃ mahat || 209 ||

ādyām–ancient; ādhunikīm–recent; vā arcām–worship; svadharma–own’s position in varṇāśrama-dharma; ādi–and so forth; anapekṣayā–without consideration; sākṣāt–directly; śrī-bhagavat–of being the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead; buddhyā–with the conception; bhajatām–for those who worship; kṛtrimām–a form fashioned by oneself; api–even; na–not; pātitya–degradation; ādi–and so forth; doṣaḥ–fault; syāt–there may be; guṇaḥ–virtue; eva–indeed; mahān–great; mataḥ–is considered; sevā–service; uttamā–highest; matāḥ–is considered; bhaktiḥ–devotional service; phalam–result; yā–which; paramam–supreme; mahat–great.

If one gives up his prescribed social and religious responsibilities to engage exclusively in worshiping the Deity–whether the Deity be ancient or new, or even fashioned by oneself–he is not accountable for the fault of abandoning varṇāśrama-dharma if he has the understanding that the Deity is directly Bhagavān. Rather, he accumulates tremendous merit. This is the opinion of great personalities. Deity worship is indeed considered uttamā-bhakti (the highest level of devotion) and it bestows the supreme result.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Śrī Nārada says, “In their worship, devotees consider the Deity to be the direct manifestation of Bhagavān, whether the Deity’s image be ancient or new, recently manifest or created by someone. In the course of their worship, the worshipers may become detached from their prescribed occupational duties (sva-dharma) or may naturally begin to give it up. Even though they have abandoned their prescribed occupational duties, these people never fall down and are not guilty of transgressing sadācāra, or proper conduct.” Here the word ādi refers to people who lack both qualification in Deity worship and knowledge of the method of worship. Śrī Nārada makes the point, “Even so, there is no basis for present society to criticize them, nor is there any worry of their falling down to hell in the future.”

Śrī Bhagavān Himself has said:

मत्-कर्म कुर्वतां पुंसां क्रिया लोपो भवेद् यदि
तेषां कर्माणि कुर्वन्ति तिस्रः कोट्यो महर्षयः

mat-karma kurvatāṃ puṃsāṃ kriyā lopo bhaved yadi
teṣāṃ karmāṇi kurvanti tisraḥ koṭyo maharṣayaḥ

If persons who render devotional service unto Me neglect any obligatory duties, then three hundred million great sages are appointed to complete those tasks on their behalf.

One can understand from this statement in Padma Purāṇa that those who engage in devotional service need never again engage in fruitive activities (karma).

Śrī Nārada says, “In this way, we have heard that there is a point when it is no longer valid to engage in karma. That is to say, one has the right to perform fruitive activities only as long as one has not developed faith in bhakti. As previously mentioned, after developing faith (śraddhā) in devotional service, one should renounce karma. According to saintly persons, one who does so and worships the Deity is not at fault for his renunciation; rather, he accumulates great merit. The reason is that worship of the Deity is accepted by devotees as uttamā-bhakti, the most exalted service. The primary meaning of the word bhakti is sevā, or service. Therefore, when one serves the Deity by performing pūjā, all the aspects of bhakti are automatically included in one’s worship. Such devotional service bestows the highest perfection and is vastly superior to the four mundane goals of human life, namely, religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation.”