ननु निरतिशयनित्यानन्दरूपस्य भगवतः कथं तया सुखमुत्पद्येत, निरतिशयत्वनित्यत्वयोर्विरोधात्? उच्यते—शास्त्रे खलु निरतिशयानन्दत्वं नित्यत्वं च भगवतः श्रूयते । भक्तेरपि तथा तत्प्रीतिहेतुत्वं श्रूयते । तत एवं गम्यते—तस्य परमानन्दैकरूपस्य स्वपरानन्दिनी स्वरूपशक्तिर्या ह्लादिनीनाम्नी वर्तते, प्रकाशवस्तुनः स्वपरप्रकाशनशक्तिवत्परमवृत्तिरूपैवैषा । तां च भगवान्स्ववृन्दे निक्षिपन्नेव नित्यं वर्तते । तत्सम्बन्धेन च स्वयमतितरां प्रीणातीति । अत एव तस्य प्रीतिरूपस्यापि भक्तिप्रीणनीयत्वमाह—‘यत्प्रीणनाद्बर्हिषि देवतिर्यङ्मनुष्यवीरुत्तृणमाविरिञ्चात्, प्रीयेत सद्यः स ह विश्वजीवः प्रीतः स्वयं प्रीतिमगाद्गयस्य’ । … ननु निरतिशयनित्यानन्दरूपस्य भगवतः कथं तया सुखमुत्पद्येत, निरतिशयत्वनित्यत्वयोर्विरोधात्? उच्यते—शास्त्रे खलु निरतिशयानन्दत्वं नित्यत्वं च भगवतः श्रूयते । भक्तेरपि तथा तत्प्रीतिहेतुत्वं श्रूयते । तत एवं गम्यते—तस्य परमानन्दैकरूपस्य स्वपरानन्दिनी स्वरूपशक्तिर्या ह्लादिनीनाम्नी वर्तते, प्रकाशवस्तुनः स्वपरप्रकाशनशक्तिवत्परमवृत्तिरूपैवैषा । तां च भगवान्स्ववृन्दे निक्षिपन्नेव नित्यं वर्तते । तत्सम्बन्धेन च स्वयमतितरां प्रीणातीति । अत एव तस्य प्रीतिरूपस्यापि भक्तिप्रीणनीयत्वमाह—‘यत्प्रीणनाद्बर्हिषि देवतिर्यङ्मनुष्यवीरुत्तृणमाविरिञ्चात्, प्रीयेत सद्यः स ह विश्वजीवः प्रीतः स्वयं प्रीतिमगाद् गयस्य ।’ … अत एव तथाभूतत्वेनात्मारामस्य पूर्णकामस्यापि तस्य क्षुद्रगुणवस्त्वपि परितोषाय कल्पत इति दृष्टानेनाह—‘तत्रोपनीतबलयो रवेर्दीपमिवादृताः । आत्मारामं पूर्णकामं निजलाभेन नित्यदा ॥ प्रीत्युत्फुल्लमुखाः प्रोचुर्हर्षगद्गदया गिरा । पितरं सर्वसुहृदमवितारमिवार्भकाः ॥’ … तथा आत्मारामपूर्णकामत्वे’पि तादृशस्य स्वसम्बन्धाभिमानिप्रीतिमत्पुत्रादिषु प्रीतिविशेषोदयो यथा दृश्यते, तथा तेषु तं प्रीतिमन्तम् … । एवं कल्पतरुदृष्टान्ते’पि भगवतो भक्तविषयिका कृपा यथार्थमेवोपपद्यते । ये खलु सहजतत्प्रीतिमेवात्मनि प्रार्थयमाना भजन्ते, तेभ्यस्तद्दानयाथार्थ्यस्यावश्यकत्वात् । तस्मादस्त्येवानन्दरूपस्यापि भक्तावानन्दोल्लास इति ।
nanu niratiśaya-nityānanda-rūpasya bhagavataḥ kathaṁ tayā sukham utpadyeta, niratiśayatva-nityatvayor virodhāt? ucyate—śāstre khalu niratiśayānandatvaṁ nityatvaṁ ca bhagavataḥ śrūyate | bhakter api tathā tat-prīti-hetutvaṁ śrūyate | tata evaṁ gamyate—tasya paramānandaika-rūpasya sva-parānandinī svarūpa-śaktir yā hlādinī-nāmnī vartate, prakāśa-vastunaḥ sva-para-prakāśana-śaktivat parama-vṛtti-rūpaivaiṣā | tāṁ ca bhagavān sva-vṛnde nikṣipann eva nityaṁ vartate | tat-sambandhena ca svayam atitarāṁ prīṇātīti | ata eva tasya prīti-rūpasyāpi bhakti-prīṇanīyatvam āha—‘yat-prīṇanād barhiṣi deva-tiryaṅ-manuṣya-vīrut-tṛṇam ā viriñcāt, prīyeta sadyaḥ sa ha viśva-jīvaḥ prītaḥ svayaṁ prītim agād gayasya’ | … ata eva tathābhūtatvenātmārāmasya pūrṇa-kāmasyāpi tasya kṣudra-guṇa-vastv api paritoṣāya kalpata iti dṛṣṭānenāha—‘tatropanīta-balayo raver dīpam ivādṛtāḥ | ātmārāmaṁ pūrṇa-kāmaṁ nija-lābhena nityadā || prīty-utphulla-mukhāḥ procur harṣa-gadgadayā girā | pitaraṁ sarva-suhṛdam avitāram ivārbhakāḥ ||’ … tathā ātmārāma-pūrṇa-kāmatve’pi tādṛśasya sva-sambandhābhimāni-prītimat-putrādiṣu prīti-viśeṣodayo yathā dṛśyate, tathā teṣu taṁ prītimantam … | evaṁ kalpataru-dṛṣṭānte’pi bhagavato bhakta-viṣayikā kṛpā yathārtham evopapadyate | ye khalu sahaja-tat-prītim evātmani prārthayamānā bhajante, tebhyas tad-dāna-yāthārthyasyāvaśyakatvāt | tasmād asty evānanda-rūpasyāpi bhaktāv ānandollāsa iti |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 142–143)
“[A doubt is raised:] ‘Well, how can pleasure (sukha) be produced by that [i.e., by bhakti] for Bhagavān, he who is of the nature of all-exceeding, eternal bliss, on account of the contradiction to the all-exceedingness and eternality [of his bliss if bhakti where to also produce pleasure for him]?’ [To this] It is said that Bhagavān’s all-exceeding blissfulness and eternality are certainly heard of in the śāstra. Bhakti’s being a cause of pleasure (prīti) for him is also heard of therein. Therefore, this is understood: this intrinsic potency (svarūpa-śakti) delighting to himself and others of [i.e., that belongs to] he who is the sole embodiment of the supreme bliss [viz., Bhagavān] which exists bearing the name hlādinī and verily has the form of a superlative function (vṛtti) like a luminous object’s potency of illumination of itself and others—Bhagavān exists eternally verily casting that [viz., this svarūpa-śakti known as hlādinī, which is to say, bhakti] into the many who are his own [viz., his bhaktas] and by connection with that [i.e., by then receiving expressions of bhakti back from his bhaktas] personally feels even greater pleasure [than he does as a result of that hlādinī-śakti’s presence within himself]. Therefore, Śrī Śukadeva describes his [viz., Śrī Bhagavān’s] being able to be pleased by bhakti even though he is the embodiment of pleasure [in SB 5.15.13], ‘He because of whose pleasure the devas, animals, human beings, and plants beginning with Brahmā immediately become pleased, [he who is] the very life of the universe, [and] pleasure himself [i.e., the very embodiment of pleasure], became pleased at the sacrifice of [King] Gaya [i.e., by the bhakti offered to him therein].’ …
“Therefore, even an object possessed of meager qualities is capable of greatly satisfying him even though he is possessed of satisfaction from within the self and of fulfilled desires by virtue of being such [i.e., by virtue of being both the embodiment of pleasure and able to be pleased by bhakti]. Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes this with an illustration [in SB 1.11.4–5], ‘There [i.e., Dvārakā], offering gifts like worshippers [offering] a lamp to the sun, [their] faces blossoming out of love, they [i.e., the citizen of Dvārakā] began to speak, like children to their father, with words stammering out of delight to [Kṛṣṇa,] he who is ever possessed of satisfaction from within the self, he of fulfilled desires by virtue of gain from within himself [i.e., by virtue of the supreme bliss that is his essential nature], he who is the well-wisher of all and guardian.’ … Moreover, even in the midst of [his] being of possessed of satisfaction from within the self and of fulfilled desires, he [viz., Bhagavān] is [seen to be] possessed of love (prīti) for them [i.e., for the people of Dvārakā, that is, his bhaktas] just as the emergence of a special form of love (prīti) on the part of one who is such [i.e., one who is possessed of satisfaction from within the self and of fulfilled desires] for a son and others who are possessed of love (prīti) and sense of self that is related to him is [seen in the world]. … In this way, even in the case of the illustration of a desire tree [i.e., even when Bhagavān’s character and conduct is compared to a desire tree, that is, a tree that grants one whatever one so desires from it], Bhagavān’s grace the object of which is [his] bhaktas is indeed rightly manifested on account of the necessity of reciprocal accuracy in granting natural love for himself to they in particular who perform worship [of himself] praying in the heart for that specifically. Therefore, there is indeed an increase in bliss because of bhakti on the part even of he who is the embodiment of bliss [viz., Bhagavān].”