विष्णुसेवी सदा विप्रस्तदन्योऽप्यशुचिः सदा । ब्राह्मणो वृषवाहश्च शूद्राणां सूपकारकः
A Brahmin who always serves Vishnu is pure; any other is always impure. The Brahmin is the carrier of the bull, and the Shudra is the cook.
ब्राह्मणो देवलश्चैव संध्याहीनश्च दुर्बलः । ब्राह्मणश्च दिवाशायी शूद्रश्राद्धान्नभोजनः
A Brahmin who is like Devala but neglects sandhya is weak; a Brahmin who sleeps during the day or eats food from a Shudra's shraddha is likewise.
शूद्राणां शवदाही च ते च शूद्रसमा द्विजाः । शालग्राममहामन्त्रं कृत्वा पूजां विधानतः
Those who cremate corpses among the Shudras, and those twice-born who are like Shudras, having performed worship according to the prescribed method with the great mantra of Shalagrama—
भुङ्क्ते नंवेद्यशेषं च तत्पादोदकमेव च । हरेः पादोदकं पीत्वा तीर्थस्नायी भवेन्नरः
—do not partake of what is not offered, nor of leftovers, and only drink the water from the feet of Hari; by drinking Hari’s foot-water, a person becomes as one who has bathed at a holy place.
मुच्यते सर्वपापेम्यो विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति । स स्नातः सर्वतीर्थेषु सर्वयज्ञेषु दीक्षितः
He is freed from all sins and attains the realm of Vishnu; he is as one who has bathed at all holy places and is initiated in all sacrifices.
शालग्रामशिलातोयैर्योऽभिषेकं समाचरेत् । गङ्गाजलाद्दशगुणं शालग्रामजलं व्रज
Whoever performs ablution with the water from the Shalagrama stone, that Shalagrama water is ten times greater than Ganga water.
नित्यं भुङ्क्ते च यो विप्रो जीवन्मुक्तः सुरैः समः । विप्राणां नित्यकृत्यं च विष्णोर्नैवेद्यभोजनम्
The Brahmin who daily partakes of it becomes liberated while living, equal to the gods; the daily duty of Brahmins is to eat Vishnu’s consecrated offering.
यत्नेन पूजनं तस्य तत्पाजोदकमेवनम् । नित्यं त्रिसंध्यं कुरुते भक्त्या च मम पूजनम्
With effort, worship is to be performed for him, and only his worship-water is to be used; he always performs the three daily sandhyas and worships me with devotion.
एकादश्यां न भुङ्क्ते च मम वै जन्मवासरे । शिवरात्रौ च हे तात श्रीरामनवमीदिने
He does not eat on Ekadashi, nor on my birthday, nor on Shiva’s night, nor, O dear one, on the day of Sri Rama’s birth.
न च भुङ्क्ते व्रती यो हि जीवन्मुक्तो हि स द्विजः । पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि तस्य पादे च तानि च
The one who observes vows and does not eat on those days is liberated while living, O twice-born; all the holy places on earth are at his feet.
विप्रपादोदकं पीत्वा तीर्थस्नायी भवेन्नरः । विप्रपादोदकक्लिन्ना यावत्तिष्ठति मेदिनी
By drinking the water from a Brahmin’s feet, a person becomes as one who has bathed at a holy place; as long as the earth remains moistened by the water from a Brahmin’s feet—
तावत्पुष्करपात्रेषु पिवन्ति पितरो जलम् । विष्णुप्रसादभोजी च पवित्रां कुरुते महीम्
—so long do the ancestors drink water from vessels at Pushkara; one who eats Vishnu’s consecrated food purifies the earth.
तीर्थानि च नरांश्चैव जीवन्मुक्तो हि स द्विजः । सर्वतीर्थेषु स स्नातो व्रतानां च फलं लभेत्
He is liberated while living, O twice-born, and sanctifies holy places and people; he has bathed at all holy places and obtains the fruit of all vows.
पदे पदेऽश्वमेधस्य लभते निश्चितं फलम् । वह्निवायुसमः पूतस्तेजसा भास्करोपमः
At every step, he certainly attains the fruit of an Ashvamedha sacrifice; purified like fire and wind, radiant like the sun.
यमदूतं यमं चैव स च स्वप्ने न पश्यति । वैकुण्ठे मोदते सोऽपि पार्षदो हरिणा सह
He does not see Yama or Yama’s messengers even in a dream; he delights in Vaikuntha, together with Hari’s attendants.
न भवेत्तस्य पातो हि विप्रस्य हरिसेविनः । विष्णुमन्त्रोपासकश्य स एव वैष्णवो द्विजः
There is no fall for the Brahmin who serves Hari; the twice-born who worships Vishnu’s mantra is truly a Vaishnava.
ब्राह्मणो वैष्णवः प्राज्ञो न हि तस्मात्परः पुमात् । वेदोक्तो वा पुराणोक्स्तन्त्रोक्तो वा
A Brahmin who is a Vaishnava and wise—there is no one greater than him; whether according to the Vedas, the Puranas, or the Tantras—
विचारतो गृहीत्वा तं शैवः शाक्तश्च वैष्णवः । गुरुवक्त्राद्विष्णुमन्त्रोयस्य कर्णे विशत्ययम्
Having considered and accepted that, whether Shaiva, Shakta, or Vaishnava, the Vishnu mantra entering the ear from the mouth of the guru—
तं वैष्णवं महापूतं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः । मन्त्रग्रहणमात्रेण जीवन्मुक्तो भवेन्नरः
—such a Vaishnava, greatly purified, is declared by the wise; by merely receiving the mantra, a person becomes liberated while living.
भीत्तवा ब्रह्मण्डमखिलं यास्यत्येव हरेः पदम् । पूर्वान्सप्त परान्सप्त सप्त मातामहादिकान्
Having crossed the entire universe, he surely attains the abode of Hari; the seven ancestors before and after, and the seven maternal ancestors—
सोदरानृद्धरेद्भक्तस्तत्प्रसूं तत्प्रसूं तथा । जपेन्नारायणक्षेत्रे पुरश्चरणपूर्वकम्
A devotee should bring his brothers, their wives, and their offspring, and in the sacred field of Narayana, perform the recitation with the proper preliminary rites.
पुरुषाणां सहस्रं च लीलयाऽ।त्मानमुद्वरेत् । मन्त्रग्रहणमात्रेण फलमेतद्व्रजेश्वर
By merely receiving the mantra, O lord of Vraja, one can easily deliver a thousand men, along with oneself.
पुरश्चरणसंपर्कात्पुरुषाणां शतं शतम् । ऐकान्तिको वैष्णवश्चपुंसां लक्षं समुद्धरेत्
Through the practice of preliminary rites, a devotee can deliver hundreds of men; a single-minded Vaishnava can deliver a hundred thousand people.
क्रिया विष्णुपदे यस्य संकल्पाश्च बहिःकृता । द्विजाः सुरा मम प्राणा भक्तः प्राणत्परः प्रियः
O twice-born, those whose actions and intentions are dedicated to Vishnu, whose resolves are outwardly expressed, are as dear to me as the gods and my very life; a devotee who values me above life itself is most beloved.
विश्वेषु प्रियपात्रेषु न मे भक्तात्परः प्रियः । तेजीयांसं गुरुं दृष्ट्वा सर्वत्र रक्षितुं क्षमम्
Among all those worthy of affection in the world, none is dearer to me than my devotee; seeing a powerful guru, one should always be ready to protect him everywhere.
कनोति मन्त्रग्रहणं तस्माद्भूयाद्विचक्षणः । वयोहीनाज्ज्ञानहीनाद्विद्याहीनात्तथैव च
Therefore, one should accept the mantra from a discerning person, not from one lacking in age, knowledge, or learning.
अशास्त्रार्थ क्षतं मन्त्रं न गुह्णीयात्कदाचन । मूर्खादाश्रमहीनाच्च पितुः संन्यासिनस्तथा
One should never conceal a mantra whose meaning is contrary to scripture, nor receive it from a fool, one without an ashrama, one's own father, or a renunciant.
रोगिणो वंशहीनाच्च भार्याहीनात्तथैव च । मन्त्रक्षिप्तात्तथा मन्त्रं न गृह्णीयात्कदाचन
Nor should one receive a mantra from someone who is diseased, without lineage, without a wife, or from one whose mantra has been rejected.
विष्णुमन्त्रं न गृह्णीयाद्विष्णुभक्ति विहीनतः । न च शैवान्न शाक्ताच्च गृह्णीयाद्वैष्णवाद्द्विजात्
One should not receive a Vishnu-mantra from someone devoid of devotion to Vishnu; nor should a twice-born receive it from Shaivas or Shaktas, but only from a Vaishnava.
वयोहीनात्तथाऽल्पायुर्ज्ञानहीनादपण्डितः । विद्याहीनाद्भवेन्मूढो जातिहीनात्क्षयो भवेत्
Receiving from one lacking in age, of short life, without knowledge, unlearned, or without learning, leads to delusion; from one without caste, it leads to decline.