na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe
na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe
naṅkṣyanti no me 'nimiṣo leḍhi hetiḥ
yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca
sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam
The devotees in the spiritual world are never deprived of any enjoyment. My wheel of time does not afflict those devotees, for whom I am a lover, the ātmā, son, friend, elder, companion or worshipable deity.
“But since the devotee attains a planet, there will be destruction of the enjoyer and the enjoyed as on Svarga.” My devotees dwelling on my planet which is without transformation (śānta-rūpe) are never without enjoyment. My wheel of time does not affect them. Śruti says na sa punar āvartate: he does not return. (Chāndogya Upanisād 8.15.1)
ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvarttino ’rjuna
māmupetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate
Up to Brahmaloka all people return to this world, O Arjuna. Attaining me, one does not take birth again. BG 8.
In the commentary of the Viṣṇu-saharsa-nāma as well, it is explained that Vaikuṇṭha is the most exalted place devoid of fear of return.
Some devotees act as lovers (yeṣam aham priyaḥ), others act as śānta-bhaktas, seeing the Lord as (ātmā), others act as parents seeing the Lord as a son, and others see the Lord as a friend. Others, in a particular dāsya relationship, see him as superior. Suhṛdaḥ in the plural is poetic license. This is a species of sakhya-bhāva. Seeing the Lord as worshipable deity is dāsya-bhāva. It is said in the Nārāyaṇa-vyūha -stava:
pati-putra-suhṛd-bhātṛ-pitṛvan-mitravad dharim
ye dhyāyanti sadodyuktās tebhyo ’pīha namo namaḥ
I offer repeated respects to those who, with constant endeavor, meditate on the Lord as a husband, son, relative, brother, parent or friend.
Sruti says yamevaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ: I am attained by those whom I choose. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23 The meaning of the śruti statement is that the Lord is attained by the person whom the Lord accepts as lover, parent, brother, friend son or servant. The present verse should be understood to be an example of spontaneous bhakti of rāgānuga type (but not sādhana, since it is in the spiritual world).
|| 3.25.39-40 ||
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