अतो वै कवयो नित्यं भक्तिं परमया मुदा ।
वासुदेवे भगवति कुर्वन्त्यात्मप्रसादनीम् ॥
ato vai kavayo nityaṁ bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā |
vāsudeve bhagavati kurvanty ātma-prasādanīm ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.22)
“Therefore, indeed with paramount delight, the wise always perform bhakti to Bhagavān, Vāsudeva, which is purifying of the self.”
Commentary
atra prakaraṇārthe sad-ācāraṁ darśayann upasaṁharati—ataḥ … | … ātma-prasādanīṁ manasaḥ śodhanīm | na kevalam etāvad guṇatvaṁ tasyāḥ, kiṁ ca, paramayā mudeti karmānuṣṭhānavan na sādhana-kāle sādhya-kāle vā bhakty-anuṣṭhānaṁ duḥkha-rūpam, pratyuta sukha-rūpam evety arthaḥ | ata eva nityaṁ sādhaka-daśāyāṁ siddha-daśāyāṁ caitāvat kurvantīty uktam |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 17)
“Showing the conduct of the sat here in regard to the subject of the section, he [i.e., Sūta Gosvāmī] concludes [the section]: ataḥ … [i.e.. he states this verse]. … “Purifying of the self” (ātma-prasādanīm) means purifying of the mind. Its [i.e., bhakti’s] virtuousness is not only to this extent [i.e., the greatness of bhakti is not simply that it is purifying of the mind]. Furthermore, [bhakti is performed by the wise always] ‘with paramount delight’ (paramayā mudā), meaning, the practice of bhakti is not a form of suffering at the time of the practice (sādhana) and at the time of the attainment (sādhya) like the practice of karma is; rather, it is verily a form of joy [at all times]. Therefore, it is stated [that the wise perform it] always (nityam), meaning, [it is delight] during the stage of being a practitioner (sādhaka) and in the stage of having become realized (siddha).”