bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej
janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samāgamaḥ
sat-sańgamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau
parāvareśe tvayi jāyate matiḥ
bhava -- of material existence; apavargah -- the cessation; bhramatah -- who has been wandering; yada -- when; bhavet -- occurs; janasya -- for a person; tarhi -- at that time; acyuta -- O infallible Lord; sat -- of saintly devotees; samagamah -- the association; sat-sangamah -- saintly association; yarhi -- when; tada -- then; eva -- only; sat -- of the saintly; gatau -- who is the goal; para -- of superior (the causes of material creation); avara -- and inferior (their products); ise -- for the Supreme Lord; tvayi -- Yourself; jayate -- is born; matih -- devotion.
Acaryas Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti agree on the following point: Although it is stated here that when material life ceases one attains the association of devotees, in fact it is the association of the Lord's devotees that enables one to transcend material existence. Srila Jiva Gosvami explains this apparent inversion of sequence by quoting the Kavya-prakasa (10.153) as follows: karya-karanayos ca paurvaparya-viparyayo vijneyatisayoktih syat sa. "A statement in which the logical order of a cause and its effect is reversed should be understood as atisayokti, emphasis by extreme assertion." Srila Jiva Gosvami cites the following commentary on this statement: karanasya sighra-karitam vaktum karyasya purvam uktau. "To express the swift action of a cause, one may assert the result before the cause."
In this connection Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti points out that the merciful association of the Lord's devotees makes possible our determination to become Krishna conscious. And the acarya agrees with Srila Jiva Gosvami that this verse is an instance of atisayokti.