Verse 7.28

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 7.28:

येषां त्व् अन्त-गतं पापं जनानां पुण्य-कर्मणाम् ।
ते द्वन्द्व-मोह-निर्मुक्ता भजन्ते मां दृढ-व्रताः ॥ २८ ॥

yeṣāṃ tv anta-gataṃ pāpaṃ janānāṃ puṇya-karmaṇām |
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṃ dṛḍha-vratāḥ || 28 ||

yeṣām–whose; tu–but; anta-gatam–have come to an end; pāpam–sinful activities; janānām–those persons; puṇya-karmaṇām–who have performed pious activities; te–they; dvandva-moha–from the bewilderment of duality, such as happiness and misery; nirmuktāḥ–freed; bhajante–worship; mām–Me; dṛḍha-vratāḥ–with determined vows.

Those pious persons, however, whose sins have been eradicated become free from the bewilderment of duality, such as happiness and misery, and engage in worship of Me with firm determination.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

“Who, then, has the qualification to perform bhakti?” In answer to this, Śrī Bhagavān speaks this verse beginning with yeṣām. “When a person’s sins are almost destroyed by pious activities, the mode of goodness rises within him and reduces the mode of ignorance and its effect, delusion. When he associates with My devotee, who is not overly attached to this world, his delusion decreases, and he voluntarily engages in worship of Me. Only those whose sins are fully destroyed by the practice of devotional service to Me have become completely free from delusion and perform worship of Me with great determination.”

Pious deeds alone are not the cause of bhakti. Śrī Bhagavān says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.12.9), “Although a person engages with great endeavour in yoga, analytical study, charity, vows, austerities, sacrifices, renunciation and study of the scriptures, he cannot attain bhakti, or devotion to Me.” One does not attain bhakti-yoga simply by taking shelter of pious activities. This has been established in various ways.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

There are two ways in which the conditioned souls (baddha-jīvas) attain one-pointedness in bhajana to Bhagavān. Firstly, a jīva who is bound by the deluding potency may, by good fortune, develop faith in hearing hari-kathā in the association of devotees, although he is not yet performing bhakti to Kṛṣṇa. Then, by continuously hearing descriptions of His name, form and qualities, he becomes free from sins, impediments (anarthas) and detached from worldliness. He develops fixed faith in Kṛṣṇa and progressively enters exclusive devotion (aikāntika-bhakti).

In the second category are the jīvas who have not completely renounced sense objects but who are also not excessively attached to them. When such jīvas, by great fortune, attain the association of a pure devotee, or a mahā-bhāgavata, they engage in bhajana, and as a result, all their sins, their attachment to sense enjoyment and their delusion are removed, and they also develop steadiness in bhajana. Having achieved such steadiness, they enter into exclusive devotion. The mercy and association of perfected souls and one’s own endeavour to perform bhajana are the only means of attaining bhakti.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Kṛṣṇa as saying, “Hear from Me how one can gain the qualification to realize My eternal form. A person with a sinful, demoniac nature does not have vidvat-pratīti, or the knowledge to see Me properly. A person who has completely eradicated their sins by performing many pious deeds and by observing a regulated religious life first performs niṣkāma-karma-yoga, worship of Bhagavān by selflessly offering Him the fruit of his prescribed duties. He next enters jñāna-yoga, the path of spiritual advancement through transcendental knowledge, and finally he achieves ecstatic absorption in Me through dhyāna-yoga, meditation. Only then is he able to realize My eternal, beautiful, fully spiritual Śyāmasundara form. That realization, which comes by virtue of transcendental knowledge (vidyā), is called vidvat-pratīti. Only those who are endowed with this realization can gradually become free from both duality (dvaita) and non-duality (advaita) and can engage in bhajana of Me with great determination.”