भक्तेः फलं परं प्रेम तृप्त्यभावस्वभावकम् ।
अवान्तर-फलेष्वेतदतिहेयं सतां मतम् ॥
bhakteḥ phalaṁ paraṁ prema tṛpty-abhāva-svabhāvakam |
avāntara-phaleṣv etad ati-heyaṁ satāṁ matam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.210)
“The supreme result of bhakti is prema, the nature of which is the absence of satiation. Among the secondary results [of bhakti], this [i.e., the state of being an ātmārāma] is considered by sādhus to be shunned completely.”
Commentary
paraṁ kevalaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ vā bhakteḥ phalaṁ premaiva | tasya lakṣaṇam āhuḥ—tṛpteḥ paripūrṇatāyā abhāva eva svabhāvaḥ yasya tat ataḥ ātmārāmatayā tṛpty-utpatteḥ prema-sampattau virodhi eva syād iti siddham | ato’vāntaraphaleṣu madhye etad ātmārāmatvam atiheyaṁ paramapariharaṇīyam iti satāṁ bhakti-rasikānāṁ matam |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“The only, or the supreme, result of bhakti is prema. Its characteristic is stated: its nature is that of an absence of complete satiation. Therefore, because satiation arises from being an ātmārāma [i.e., being in a state of self-satisfaction], that [i.e., being an ātmārāma] is contrary to the attainment of prema. Therefore, among the secondary results [of bhakti] this state of being an ātmārāma is considered by sādhus, that is, by bhakti-rasikas, to be shunned completely, that is, utterly to be avoided.”