Shloka 21
Dāmodara-līlā: Mother Yaśodā Binds Kṛṣṇa; the Two-Fingers Mystery; Prelude to the Yamala-Arjuna Deliverance
नायं सुखापो भगवान्देहिनां गोपिकासुत: । ज्ञानिनां चात्मभूतानां यथा भक्तिमतामिह ॥ २१ ॥
nāyaṁ sukhāpo bhagavān dehināṁ gopikā-sutaḥ jñānināṁ cātma-bhūtānāṁ yathā bhaktimatām iha
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, the son of the gopī, is not easily attained by those absorbed in bodily identity, by mere jñānīs and speculators, or by severe ascetics; but to devotees engaged in spontaneous loving bhakti, He is readily accessible here.
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the son of mother Yaśodā, is very easily available to devotees, but not to tapasvīs, yogīs, jñānīs and others who have a bodily concept of life. Although they may sometimes be called śānta-bhaktas, real bhakti begins with dāsya-rasa. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) :
FAQs
This verse states that Bhagavān is not easily attained by embodied beings or even by self-realized jñānīs, but He is truly attained by those endowed with bhakti.
In the Damodara-līlā context, Śukadeva emphasizes Kṛṣṇa’s intimate, accessible form as Yaśodā’s son—revealing that the Lord becomes attainable through loving devotion rather than mere intellectual realization.
Prioritize practical devotion—hearing, chanting, remembering, and serving—over relying only on analysis or self-effort, cultivating a heartfelt relationship with Kṛṣṇa.