Verse 1.3.46

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.3.46:

हरेर् भक्त्या परं प्रीता भक्तान् भक्तिं च सर्वतः ।
रक्षन्तो वर्धयन्तश् च सञ्चरन्ति यदृच्छया ॥ ४६ ॥

harer bhaktyā paraṃ prītā bhaktān bhaktiṃ ca sarvataḥ |
rakṣanto vardhayantaś ca sañcaranti yadṛcchayā || 46 ||

Satisfied only by the devotion of Bhagavān Śrī Hari, they freely travel everywhere for the protection of the devotees of Hari and the propagation of bhagavad-bhakti.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Why do devotees who reside in Vaikuṇṭha not respect and admire their similar forms (sārūpya) and equal opulences to Śrī Hari (aiśvarya sārṣṭi)? Mahādeva speaks this verse for this reason. They achieve satisfaction only by their bhakti for Śrī Hari. Śrī Bhagavān Himself says, mayā santuṣṭa-manasaḥ sarvāḥ sukhamayā diśaḥ, “For My devotees the whole world manifests as an abode of happiness.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 11.14.13) Therefore, devotees of Hari, even those who engage in simple bhajana, spontaneously realize all perfection by their firm devotional faith (bhakti-niṣṭha).

Furthermore, the eternal associates of Vaikuṇṭha freely travel everywhere for the protection of devotees and always for the propagation of bhagavad-bhakti. Here, the import of the words hari-bhaktan rakṣanto (the protection of devotees) means that they protect the devotees from fall downs due to carelessness, attacks from aggressive materialists or from the fear of Yamarāja’s punishment. The meaning of bhaktiṃ vardhayantaś (the propagation of bhakti) is that by increasing the community of sādhus, they expand the great opulence of bhakti. The symptom of hari-bhakti also suggests that they guard the devotees in this world from such obstacles such as attachment for karma and jñāna.

In this way, the eternal associates of Vaikuṇṭha, for increasing and arousing devotion in Hari, wander everywhere by their own desire always. Here also, yadṛcchayā (by their independent desire) indicates that they are independent of their karma, and can come and go anywhere without any obstacle. In other words, jīvas or living beings are under the control of their karma and are thus unable to travel everywhere. In this way, not being under the influence of karma, the eternal Vaikuṇṭha associates travel everywhere without any impediments.