Garudapurana 1.227

The glorious Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa: [Chapter] 227. / Sūta said: / I shall declare devotion to Viṣṇu, by which everything is attained; / as Hari is pleased by devotion, so he is not by anything else.

The root of great blessing, the origin of a succession of merits, / the sweet fruit of life is the constant remembrance of Hari.

Therefore service has been declared by the wise to be abundant in means of devotion. / Those devotees of the Lord of the World, at the chanting of his name and deeds,

shed tears out of immense joy, with their hair standing on end: / 'We are followers of the divine command of the Great Lord, the creator of the world.'

Those who perform daily duties here with affection are indeed Vaiṣṇavas. / Not hearing the imperishable Brahman uttered by that blessed one,

he who speaks with devotion preceded by prostration is indeed a Vaiṣṇava. / Affection for his devotees, worship of them, rejoicing [in their service],

delight in hearing tales of him, transformation of the body with tearful eyes— / by him who with all his soul has directed his feelings toward Viṣṇu with devotion,

and by his dedication to the brāhmaṇas, he is indeed a great devotee of the Lord. / Making the universe an instrument [of worship] continually, abandoning attachment for his sake, / and personal worship: one who lives devoted to Viṣṇu,

in whom this eightfold devotion exists, even if he were a barbarian, / he is a prince among brāhmaṇas, a sage, endowed with fortune; he goes to the supreme state.

To him gifts should be given, from him things should be received, and he should be worshipped like Hari. / Remembered, spoken to, or worshipped, O best of the twice-born, / a devotee of the Blessed Lord purifies even if he is a caṇḍāla, even by chance.

'Have mercy on me who have taken refuge; I am yours'—whoever speaks thus, / to him one should give freedom from fear from all beings; this is Hari's vow.

Better than thousands of mantra-chanters is one who has crossed to the end of all Vedānta; / among ten million knowers of all Vedānta, a devotee of Viṣṇu is superior.

The single-minded go to the supreme state with their very bodies; / Viṣṇu is equal to the single-minded, and therefore he is their supreme goal.

Because they are called single-minded, their minds belong to the Blessed Lord; / even among all dear ones, he is exceedingly dear to the God of gods.

Even in distress his devotion is ever unwavering. / That greater affection which is Viṣṇu's, never departing in the midst of worldly objects,

does not depart from my heart as I remember Viṣṇu. / Even if one is firmly devoted, and has reached the end of the meaning of all scriptures, the Vedas and the rest,

he who is not devoted to the Lord of All—one should know him to be the lowest of men. / Even if one has not studied the Vedas and scriptures, nor performed sacrifices, / by him who bears devotion to Viṣṇu, everything has been accomplished.

Sacrificers of the foremost of rites, and even those who have mastered the Vedas, / do not go to that destination to which the devotees go, O best of sages.

Whatever Vaiṣṇava there is in the world, even if ill-behaved and without an āśrama, / he purifies all the worlds like the thousand-rayed sun arisen.

Those who are cruel, wicked, and devoted to sinful conduct— / even they attain the supreme abode if devoted entirely to Nārāyaṇa.

The moment firm, unswerving devotion to Janārdana is present, / of what account is the joy of heaven? That [devotion] alone is the cause of liberation.

For men wandering in this saṃsāra, which is difficult to traverse [as an ocean] of crocodiles, / there is indeed one supporting hand by which Janārdana may be pleased. / A mortal who does not listen to the divine virtues of the Discus-bearing god of gods / is to be known as deaf, excluded from all dharma.

The man whose body does not become radiant with bristling hair when Viṣṇu's name is chanted / is like a corpse.

O best of the twice-born, when devotion to him exists, liberation comes without delay; / for men whose minds are fixed [on him], there is the total destruction of sin.

Beholding his servant with noose in hand, Yama surely whispers into the root of his ear: / 'Leave alone those who have surrendered to Madhusūdana; I am the lord of other men, not of Vaiṣṇavas.'

'Even if a person of very evil conduct worships me with single-minded devotion, / he must be considered righteous, for he has resolved rightly.

Quickly he becomes a virtuous soul and attains perpetual peace. / O lord of priests, know for certain: a devotee of Viṣṇu never perishes.'

What need has he of dharma, wealth, and desire? Liberation stands in his hand / whose devotion to Hari, the root of all the worlds, is steadfast.

'For this divine māyā of Hari, made of the guṇas, is hard to overcome; / those who surrender to him alone cross beyond this māyā.'

What [more] remains for men in worshipping by sacrifice who possess the wisdom of Hari? / Viṣṇu is worshipped by devotion alone; nothing else is helpful in that regard.

Neither by varied gifts given, nor by flowers, nor by ointments / does that great-souled Janārdana attain satisfaction as he does by devotion.

Of the poisonous tree of saṃsāra there are indeed two nectar-like fruits: / devotion to Keśava at some time, or association with his devotees.

Since leaves, flowers, fruits, and water are always easily obtainable, / an effort should be made toward the ancient Puruṣa who is obtainable through devotion alone, where liberation alone is gained.

The ancestors clap their hands, the grandfathers dance: / 'A Vaiṣṇava has been born in our family; he will carry us across!'

When even ignorant, reviling sinners like Śiśupāla and Duryodhana in comfort / attained liberation, their sins dispelled by mere remembrance, what doubt can there be regarding people possessing supreme devotion?

Those who have sought him as their refuge, though devoid of meditation and yoga, / they too overcome death and go to that abode of Viṣṇu.

Struck by hundreds of afflictions arising from mundane existence, wandering astray by the senses like horses in hollows— / O Mādhava, let the horse of my mind be restrained to the post of your feet with the firm rope of devotion!

Viṣṇu alone is the supreme Brahman, proclaimed here as threefold / in the paths of Vedic doctrine; deluded people do not know that.

Thus in the great Garuḍa Purāṇa, in the first section called the first part, in the ritual section, the two hundred twenty-seventh chapter, entitled 'Explanation of Devotion to the Blessed Lord'.