Devanagari
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अहं भक्तपराधीनो ह्यस्वतन्त्र इव द्विज ।
साधुभिर्ग्रस्तहृदयो भक्तैर्भक्तजनप्रिय: ॥ ६३ ॥
Verse text
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno
hy asvatantra iva dvija
sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo
bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ
Synonyms
śrī
—
bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
;
aham
—
I
;
bhakta
—
parādhīnaḥ — am dependent on the will of My devotees
;
hi
—
indeed
;
asvatantraḥ
—
am not independent
;
iva
—
exactly like that
;
dvija
—
O brāhmaṇa
;
sādhubhiḥ
—
by pure devotees, completely free from all material desires
;
grasta
—
hṛdayaḥ — My heart is controlled
;
bhaktaiḥ
—
because they are devotees
;
bhakta
—
jana — priyaḥ — I am dependent not only on My devotee but also on My devotee’s devotee (the devotee’s devotee is extremely dear to Me) .
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmaṇa: I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Lord said: O brāhmaṇa! I am completely under the control of my devotees. I am not at all independent. My heart is controlled by the pure devotees. What to speak of my devotee, even those who are devotees of my devotee are very dear to me.
Just as Brahmā and Śiva cannot save you because they are dependent on me, so I also am dependent, and cannot save you. “You become dependent on your devotees by your nature but this is not desired by the devotees. You are thus independent.” That is true, I am independent, but by my will I become dependent on my devotees, because I cannot give up my various sentiments towards them. This is expressed by the word iva. “But seeing my suffering, you do not become compassionate.” That is true. I do not have such a quality in my mind. My heart is controlled by the best devotees without desire even for liberation. Seeing that liberation which I want to give them is not attractive to them, I forcefully give my own heart. Accepting that, they make that one with their own hearts and fix it there with devotion. Therefore my mercy exists in their mercy. The Lord’s mercy follows the mercy of the devotees. This is well known to all people and is known to you. Persons protected by the devotees are dear to me, what to speak of the devotees themselves. O ignorant brāhmaṇa! Do you not consider this?
Purport
All the great stalwart personalities in the universe, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, are fully under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully under the control of His devotee. Why is this? Because the devotee is
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya;
in other words, he has no material desires in his heart. His only desire is to think always of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and how to serve Him best. Because of this transcendental qualification, the Supreme Lord is extremely favorable to the devotees — indeed, not only the devotees, but also the devotees of the devotees. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says,
chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā:
without being a devotee of a devotee, one cannot be released from material entanglement. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu identified Himself as
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ.
Thus he instructed us to become not directly servants of Kṛṣṇa but servants of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Devotees like Brahmā, Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva Gosvāmī are directly servants of Kṛṣṇa, and one who becomes a servant of Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva, like the Six Gosvāmīs, is still more devoted. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura therefore says,
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ:
if one very sincerely serves the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa certainly becomes favorable to such a devotee. Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than following the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.