Verse 1.6.15

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.6.15:

पूर्वे परे च तनयाः कमलासनाद्याः सङ्कर्षणादि-सहजाः सुहृदः शिवाद्याः ।
भार्या रमादय उतानुपमा स्व-मूर्तिर् न स्युः प्रभोः प्रियतमा यद्-अपेक्षयाहो ॥ १५ ॥

pūrve pare ca tanayāḥ kamalāsanādyāḥ saṅkarṣaṇādi-sahajāḥ suhṛdaḥ śivādyāḥ |
bhāryā ramādaya utānupamā sva-mūrtir na syuḥ prabhoḥ priyatamā yad-apekṣayāho || 15 ||

Alas, even His own son Brahmā and His next son Śrī Pradyumna, His brother Saṅkarṣaṇa and friends such as Śrī Śiva, wives such as Śrī Lakṣmī and His own matchless, providential body are not as dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Uddhava is dear to Him.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Alas (out of astonishment), what more can I say? Śrī Uddhava is the most glorious of all devotees, both ancient and present. Neither His own son Śrī Brahmā, brothers such as Śrī Balarāma, friends such as Śrī Śiva, consorts such as Śrī Lakṣmī, or even His own extraordinary, transcendental body are more precious to Bhagavān than Śrī Uddhava.

He declared personally (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 11.14.15):

न तथा मे प्रियतम आत्म-योनिर् न शङ्करः
न च सङ्कर्षनो न श्रीर् नैवात्मा च यथा भवान्

na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na ca saṅkarṣano na śrīr naivātmā ca yathā bhavān

“O Uddhava, just as you are dear to Me by being My devotee, neither My son Brahmā, Śāṅkara, My brother Saṅkarṣana and My wife Lakṣmī-devī, nor even My own providential Self are as dear to Me as you.”

According to the commentary of Śrī Śrīdhara Swāmī, though this expression refers to devotees of all times, due to extreme happiness He says yathā bhavān—‘just as you.’ Despite the fact that this verse was to establish the former glories of Śrī Prahlāda also, the word bhavān in this verse is in relation to Śrī Uddhava.