kiṠcitram acyuta tavaitad aśeṣa-bandho
dÄseá¹£v ananya-Å›araṇesu yad Ätma-sÄttvam
yo 'rocayat saha má¹›gaiḥ svayam Ä«Å›varÄṇÄá¹ Å›rÄ«mat-kirÄ«á¹a-taá¹a-pÄ«á¸ita-pÄda-pÄ«á¹haḥ
kim - what; citram - wonder; acyuta - O infallible Lord; tava - Your; etat - this; aÅ›eá¹£a-bandho - O friend of all; dÄseá¹£u - for the servants; ananya-Å›araṇeá¹£u - who have taken no other shelter; yat - which; Ätma-sÄttvam - intimacy with You; yaḥ - who; arocayat - acted affectionately; saha - with; má¹›gaiḥ - the animals (monkeys); svayam - Yourself; Ä«Å›varÄṇÄm - of the great demigods; Å›rÄ«mat - effulgent; kirÄ«á¹a - of the helmets; taá¹a - by the edges; pÄ«á¸ita - shaken; pÄda-pÄ«á¹haḥ - whose footstool.
My dear infallible Lord, it is not very astonishing that You intimately approach Your servants who have taken exclusive shelter of You. After all, during Your appearance as Lord RÄmacandra, even while great demigods like BrahmÄ were vying to place the effulgent tips of their helmets upon the cushion where Your lotus feet rested, You displayed special affection for monkeys such as HanumÄn because they had taken exclusive shelter of You.
The devotees of the Lord become completely successful by the Lord’s causeless mercy. Sometimes Lord Kṛṣṇa accepts a position of subservience to His great devotees, as with Nanda MahÄrÄja, the gopÄ«s, Bali MahÄrÄja and others. Although demigods like Lord BrahmÄ were standing in line to touch their helmets to the Lord’s foot cushion, still Lord RÄmacandra awarded His most intimate friendship to subhumans, such as the monkeys headed by HanumÄn. Similarly Lord Kṛṣṇa’s affection for the deer and cows, and even for the trees of Vá¹›ndÄvana, is well known. Further, the Lord gladly drove the chariot of Arjuna and acted as the messenger and faithful subordinate of King Yudhiá¹£á¹hira. Such devotees have no need for the elaborate jñÄna-yoga systems or the process for achieving mystic powers. All these devotees are represented here by ÅšrÄ« Uddhava, who frankly informs the Lord that the sophisticated systems of philosophical speculation and mystic yoga are not appealing for one who has developed a taste for direct loving service to the Lord.
