yatra ha brāhmaṇa-kulaṁ
yatra ha brāhmaṇa-kulaṁ
tapo-vidyā-dayānvitam
Now I shall describe the places where religious performances may be well executed. The most auspicious places are where there are Vaiṣṇavas, who are equal to the deity of the Lord who is the support of this entire cosmic manifestation, with all its moving and nonmoving living entities, or where there are learned brāhmaṇas endowed with austerity, education and mercy.
Sat-pātram means the Vaiṣṇava, who is equal to the form of the Lord who is universe of moving and non-moving beings.
|| 7.14.29 ||
yatra yatra harer arcā
sa deśaḥ śreyasāṁ padam
yatra gaṅgādayo nadyaḥ
purāṇeṣu ca viśrutāḥ
The best places are places where there are forms of the Lord, and where the celebrated sacred rivers mentioned in the Purāṇas flow.
The devotee of the Lord is considered superior to the forms of the Lord. Thus it is said mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā: the worship of my devotee is superior to my worship. (SB 11.19.21)
arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
A person who is very faithfully engaged in the worship of the deity in the temple but does not know how to behave toward devotees or people in general is called a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. SB 11.2.47
Arcā refers to the deity or śālagrāma. The fixed forms are those such as Jagannātha, in places such as Orissa.
|| 7.14.30-33 ||
sarāṁsi puṣkarādīni
kṣetrāṇy arhāśritāny uta
kurukṣetraṁ gaya-śiraḥ
prayāgaḥ pulahāśramaḥ
naimiṣaṁ phālgunaṁ setuḥ
prabhāso ’tha kuśa-sthalī
vārāṇasī madhu-purī
pampā bindu-saras tathā
nārāyaṇāśramo nandā
sītā-rāmāśramādayaḥ
sarve kulācalā rājan
mahendra-malayādayaḥ
ete puṇyatamā deśā
harer arcāśritāś ca ye
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