Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 74: Lord Rāma Visits Śabarī
Text 3.74.9
कच्चित्ते नियमाः प्राप्ताः कच्चित्ते मनसः सुखम्।
कच्चित्ते गुरुशुश्रूषा सफला चारुभाषिणि॥
kaccit te niyamāḥ prāptāḥ kaccit te manasaḥ sukham
kaccit te guru-śuśrūṣā saphalā cāru-bhāṣiṇi
kaccit te = have you; niyamāḥ = your vows; prāptāḥ = fulfilled; kaccit = is; te = your; manasaḥ = mind; sukham = satisfied; kaccit = has; te = your; guru-śuśrūṣā = guru-sevā; saphalā = become successful; cāru-bhāṣiṇi = O lady of sweet speech.
O lady of sweet speech, have you fulfilled your vows? Is your mind satisfied? Has your guru-sevā become successful?
Cāru-bhāṣiṇi or “O lady of sweet speech” is a way of addressing lady saints.
NOTE. The questions raised by Lord Śrī Rāma in texts 8 and 9 are very significant. There is no meaning to spiritual life if one does not accept austerities, overcome lust and other spiritual obstacles, restrain one’s anger and eating, and fulfill scripturally sanctioned vows. If one’s mind hasn’t even become satisfied and spiritual, where is there a question of genuine spiritual life? Attainment of these is a preliminary indication that one has successfully served the bona fide spiritual masters.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda has noted in his Upadeśāmṛta 1-3:
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”
atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake 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.”
utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati
“There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.”