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Garudapurana 1.227

English (machine translation) 1.227

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1.227.1

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.

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

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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,

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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.'

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

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

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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,

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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,

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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.

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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.

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'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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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,

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.'

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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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?

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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.

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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!

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

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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'.

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