किं चित्रमच्युत तवैतदशेषबन्धो
दासेष्वनन्यशरणेषु यदात्मसात्त्वम् ।
योऽरोचयत् सह मृगै: स्वयमीश्वराणां
श्रीमत्किरीटतटपीडितपादपीठ: ॥

kiṁ citram acyuta tavaitad aśeṣa-bandho
dāseṣv ananya-śaraṇeṣu yad ātmasāttvam |
yo’rocayat saha mṛgaiḥ svayam īśvarāṇāṁ
śrīmat-kirīṭa-taṭa-pīḍita-pāda-pīṭhaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.4)

[Uddhava to Śrī Kṛṣṇa:] “O infallible One (Acyuta)! O Friend of all! Is this subjection of yours to servants of unalloyed shelter [i.e., your servants who are averse to all practices of karma, jñāna, yoga, and so forth—everything apart from bhakti to you] astonishing for you, who yourself can delight [even] with animals, [even though you are also he] whose foot pedestal is shaken by the tips of the majestic crowns of īśvaras [i.e., Śiva, Brahmā, and others, when they bow down to you]?”

Commentary

‘Who can delight with animals’ (yo’rocayat saha mṛgaiḥ) is interpreted by Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda to refer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in his form as Śrī Rāma delighting in companionship and friendship with monkeys. Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda echoes this and adds an additional, alternate interpretation that the phrase refers to Kṛṣṇa’s cowherding amongst the deer in Vṛndāvana as well as his stealing butter in the midst of monkeys. Jīva Gosvāmīpāda comments that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s delighting with even animals in the midst of even his internal līlā demonstrates that he maintains no restrictions regarding the particulars of his devoted servants’ birth, attributes, and so forth. ‘O Friend of all’ (aśeṣa-bandho) can imply, according to Jīva Gosvāmīpāda, that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the unconditional benefactor of even asuras, by virtue of his granting mokṣa and so forth to them (aśeṣāṇām asura-paryantānāṁ yo bandhur mokṣādi-dānair nirupādhi-hita-kārī).

ātmasāttvaṁ teṣāṁ ya ātmā, tad-adhīnatvam iti sandarbhaḥ | rājñā sva-puraṁ vipra-sātkṛtaṁ viprādhīnaṁ kṛtam itivat dāsais tvam ātmasātkṛta iti tava ātmasāttvam ātmasātkṛtam ity arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)

“As per the sandarbha [i.e., Bhakti Sandarbha and Krama Sandarbha], ‘subjection’ (ātmasāttvam) alludes to he [i.e. Bhagavān] who is their [i.e., his servants’] Ātmā [i.e., very self, dearmost], being subject to [alt., controlled by] them. Like a village belonging to a king possessed by brāhmaṇas, that is, brought under [their own] control by brāhmaṇas, you are possessed by your servants. Thus your subjection (ātmasāttvam) means [you are] brought under control [by your unalloyed servants].”

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