yat karmabhir yat tapasÄ
jñÄna-vairÄgyataÅ› ca yat
yogena dÄna-dharmeṇa
śreyobhir itarair api
sarvaá¹ mad-bhakti-yogena
mad-bhakto labhate 'ñjasÄ
svargÄpavargaá¹ mad-dhÄma
kathañcid yadi vÄñchati
yat - that which is obtained; karmabhiḥ - by fruitive activities; yat - that which; tapasÄ - by penance; jñÄna - by cultivation of knowledge; vairÄgyataḥ - by detachment; ca - also; yat - that which is achieved; yogena - by the mystic yoga system; dÄna - by charity; dharmeṇa - by religious duties; Å›reyobhiḥ - by processes for making life auspicious; itaraiḥ - by others; api - indeed; sarvam - all; mat-bhakti-yogena - by loving service unto Me; mat-bhaktaḥ - My devotee; labhate - achieves; añjasÄ - easily; svarga - promotion to heaven; apavargam - liberation from all misery; mat-dhÄma - residence in My abode; kathañcit - somehow or other; yadi - if; vañchati - he desires.
Everything that can be achieved by fruitive activities, penance, knowledge, detachment, mystic yoga, charity, religious duties and all other means of perfecting life is easily achieved by My devotee through loving service unto Me. If somehow or other My devotee desires promotion to heaven, liberation, or residence in My abode, he easily achieves such benedictions.
Lord Kṛṣṇa here reveals the transcendental glories of devotional service to the Lord. Although pure devotees are desireless, desiring only the Lord’s service, sometimes a great devotee may desire the Lord’s benediction to facilitate his loving service. In the Sixth Canto of the BhÄgavatam we find that ÅšrÄ« Citraketu, a great devotee of the Lord, desired promotion to heaven so that accompanied by the most attractive ladies of the VidyÄdhara planet he could beautifully chant the glories of the Lord. Similarly, ÅšrÄ« Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ«, the great narrator of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, desiring to avoid entanglement in the illusory potency of the Lord, would not come out of his mother’s womb. In other words, Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« desired apavargam, or liberation from mÄyÄ, so that his devotional service would not be disturbed. Lord Kṛṣṇa personally sent the illusory energy far away so that Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« would come out of his mother’s womb. Because of intense loving desire to serve the lotus feet of the Lord, a devotee may also desire promotion to the spiritual world.
According to ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura, a devotee, having given up the independent cultivation of knowledge and detachment, may have firm faith in the devotional service of the Lord and yet remain slightly attached to the fruits of such activities. By expert fruitive activities one gains residence in material heaven, and by cultivation of detachment one is relieved of all bodily distress. If Lord Kṛṣṇa detects within a devotee’s heart the desire for such benedictions, the Lord can easily award them to His devotee.
The word itaraiḥ in this verse indicates visiting holy places, accepting religious vows and so forth. Several auspicious processes of elevation are mentioned in the verse preceding this, but all the auspicious results of these processes are easily achieved by loving service to the Lord. Thus all devotees of the Lord, in whatever stage of advancement, should dedicate their energy exclusively to the Lord’s service, as affirmed in the Second Canto of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam by ÅšrÄ« Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ«:
akÄmaḥ sarva-kÄmo vÄ
moká¹£a-kÄma udÄra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruá¹£aá¹ param
“A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.†(BhÄg. 2.3.10)
