BHAKTI-SÄSTRI VERSES FOR MEMORIZATION

Unit 1: Bhagavad-Gitā
Chapters 1-6
2.7 2.44
kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ tayāpahṛta-cetasām
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam samādhau na vidhīyate

Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all In the minds of those who are too attached to sense
composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition enjoyment and material opulence, and who are
I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for
Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take
Please instruct me. place.
2.13 2.20
dehino ’smin yathā dehe na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
tathā dehāntara-prāptir ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
dhīras tatra na muhyati na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, For the soul, there is neither birth nor death at any time.
from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes He has not come into being, does not come into being, and
into another body at death. A sober person is not will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-
bewildered by such a change. existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is
slain.
3.27 4.2
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā sa kāleneha mahatā
kartāham iti manyate yogo naṣṭaḥ paran-tapa
This supreme science was thus received through the chain
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it
thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality in that way. But in course of time, the succession was
carried out by the three modes of material nature. broken, and therefore the science as it appears to be lost.

4.8 4.9
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ janma karma ca me divyam
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
sambhavāmi yuge yuge naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, asOne who knows the transcendental nature of My
well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself
appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body,
appear millennium after millennium. take his birth again in this material world, but attains My
eternal abode, O Arjuna.
4.34 5.22
tad viddhi praṇipātena ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā
paripraśnena sevayā duḥkha-yonaya eva te
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ na teṣu ramate budhaḥ
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of
master. Inquire from him submissively and render service misery, which are due to contact with the material senses.
unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an
unto you because they have seen the truth. end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.
5.29 6.47
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the And of all yogīs, the one with great faith who always abides
ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the in Me, thinks of Me within himself and renders
Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the transcendental loving service to Me – he is the most
benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.
peace from the pangs of material miseries. That is My opinion.
 Unit 2: Bhagavad-Gitā
Chapters 7-12
7.5 7.14
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām mama māyā duratyayā
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho mām eva ye prapadyante
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat māyām etāṁ taranti te

Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of
superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have
who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
nature.
7.19 8.5
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante anta-kāle ca mām eva
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate smaran muktvā kalevaram
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body
knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this
of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare. there is no doubt.
8.16 9.2
ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
punar āvartino ’rjuna pavitram idam uttamam
mām upetya tu kaunteya pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ
punar janma na vidyate su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam

From the highest planet in the material world down to the This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of
lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives
death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection
Kuntī, never takes birth again. of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.
9.4 9.14
ayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ nitya-yuktā upāsate
By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great
pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls
perpetually worship Me with devotion.
9.25 9.26
yānti deva-vratā devān patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the
demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit
ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take or water, I will accept it.
birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will
live with Me.
9.27 yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi 9.29
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
yat tapasyasi kaunteya na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā
mayi te teṣu cāpy aham
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all.
give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend,
O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me. is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.

10.8 10.10
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
iti matvā bhajante māṁ dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ yena mām upayānti te
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with
Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.
this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with
all their hearts.
 Unit 3: Bhagavad-Gitā
Chapters 13-18
13.22 13.23
puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi upadraṣṭānumantā ca
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya paramātmeti cāpy ukto
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu dehe ’smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ
The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer,
life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his who is the Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the
association with that material nature. Thus he meets with overseer and permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul.
good and evil among various species.
14.26 15.15
māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
bhakti-yogena sevate mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
sa guṇān samatītyaitān vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come
circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the
nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman. Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of
Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
15.7 18.54
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ na śocati na kāṅkṣati
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes
fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling
the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never
very hard with the six senses, which include the mind. laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed
toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure
devotional service unto Me.
18.55 18.65
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
viśate tad-anantaram pratijāne priyo ’si me
One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and
of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me
full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear
the kingdom of God. friend.

18.66
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.
I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
 Unit 4: Nectar of Devotion
1.1.11, 1.1.12,
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam tat-paratvena nirmalam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our
When first-class devotional service develops, one must be
senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality
devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by
of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit
monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must
soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side
constantly serve Krsna favorably, as Krsna desires.
effects. One is freed from all material designations, and,
simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one's
senses are purified.
1.2.234, 1.2.255
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi anāsaktasya viṣayān
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ)

Because Krsna's form, qualities, pastimes, etc. are all on the "Things should be accepted for the Lord's service and not
absolute platform, material senses cannot, therefore, for one's personal sense gratification. If one accepts
appreciate them. When a conditioned soul is awakened to something without attachment and accepts it because it is
Krsna consciousness and renders service by using his related to Kṛṣṇa, one's renunciation is called yukta-
tongue to chant the Lord's Holy name and taste the vairāgya." .
remnants of the Lord's food, the tongue is purified and one
gradually comes to understand who Krsna really is.
 Unit 5: Sri Isopanisad

Invocation Mantra 1

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ

pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe
because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore
such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set
complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things,
Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete knowing well to whom they belong.
Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from
Him, He remains the complete balance.
 Unit 6: Nectar of Instruction
Texts 1 Text 2
atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too
. entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than
A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-
mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the endeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain;
tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4)
practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake
over the world.
of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement,
or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and
working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with
worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.
Text 3 Text 4
utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam
There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure
devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing
confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting
principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – prasāda and offering prasāda are the six symptoms of love
hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the shared by one devotee and another.
association of non-devotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of
the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure
the complete success of pure devotional service.