Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Bondage and Liberation Under Māyā; Two Birds Analogy; Marks of the Saintly Devotee
ज्ञात्वाज्ञात्वाथ ये वै मां यावान् यश्चास्मि यादृश: । भजन्त्यनन्यभावेन ते मे भक्ततमा मता: ॥ ३३ ॥
jñātvājñātvātha ye vai māṁ yāvān yaś cāsmi yādṛśaḥ bhajanty ananya-bhāvena te me bhaktatamā matāḥ
ഞാൻ എങ്ങനെയുള്ളവൻ, ആരാണെന്നത് അറിയുകയോ അറിയാതിരിക്കുകയോ ചെയ്താലും, അനന്യഭാവത്തോടെ എന്നെ ഭജിക്കുന്നവരാണ് എന്റെ ഏറ്റവും ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ഭക്തർ എന്നു ഞാൻ കരുതുന്നു.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, although yāvān indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa cannot be limited by time or space, He becomes limited by the love of His pure devotees. For example, Lord Kṛṣṇa never steps one foot out of Vṛndāvana, because of the intense love of its inhabitants for Him. In this way, the Lord comes under the control of His devotees’ love. The word yaḥ indicates that Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth who appears as the son of Vasudeva, or as Śyāmasundara. Yādṛśa indicates that the Lord is ātmārāma, or completely self-satisfied, and also āpta-kāma, or “one who automatically fulfills all of His desires.” Still, being affected by the love of His devotees, the Lord sometimes appears to be anātmārāma, or dependent on the love of His devotees, and anāptakāma, unable to achieve His desire without the cooperation of His devotees. Actually, the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, is always independent, but He reciprocates the intense love of His devotees and thus appears to be dependent on them, just as He apparently became dependent on Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā during His childhood pastimes in Vṛndāvana. The word ajñātvā (“inexperienced, lacking knowledge”) indicates that sometimes a devotee may not have a proper philosophical understanding of the Personality of Godhead or due to love may temporarily forget the Lord’s position. In Bhagavad-gītā (11.41) Arjuna says:
FAQs
This verse says that those who worship Krishna with undivided, exclusive devotion are regarded by Him as His best devotees—even if their understanding of His full greatness is incomplete.
In the Uddhava Gita, Krishna instructs Uddhava about the nature of the Lord and the qualities of devotees; here He emphasizes that wholehearted devotion is the highest criterion, beyond mere intellectual completeness.
Center daily life around Krishna—regular hearing and chanting, offering work and food to Him, and reducing competing attachments—so devotion becomes single-pointed rather than divided.