Verse 2.2.193

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.2.193:

तत् सुखं वर्धतेऽभीक्ष्णम् अनन्तं परमं महत् ।
न तु ब्रह्म-सुखं मुक्तौ वर्धते सीमवद् यथा ॥ १९३ ॥

tat sukhaṃ vardhate'bhīkṣṇam anantaṃ paramaṃ mahat |
na tu brahma-sukhaṃ muktau vardhate sīmavad yathā || 193 ||

tat–of that (bhakti); sukham–joy; vardhate–increases; abhīkṣṇam–incessantly; an-antam–without end; paramam–supreme; mahat–great; na–not; tu–however; brahma–of Brahman; sukham–the happiness; muktau–in liberation; vardhate–it increases; sīma-vat–in a limited manner; yataḥ–as.

Devotees experience that supremely great, infinite happiness of bhakti in perpetually increasing, ever-fresh ways. But the happiness of Brahman is bounded, and so liberated souls do not experience it in these ways.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

In this way, it is demonstrated that the happiness derived from devotion is far superior to the bliss of Brahman realization. To explain this, the bhakti-śāstras speak this verse beginning with tat, saying that the happiness of serving the Lord with love increases at every moment to higher and higher levels.

Śrī Gopa-kumāra may point out, “The phrase tat-vṛddhi (tat vardhate), meaning ‘that which expands or increases,’ seems to indicate that at times, that happiness may also be confined or limited.”

The bhakti-śāstras explain, “The bliss of bhakti is infinite and unlimited. Although it reaches the ultimate limit of greatness, at every moment devotees still experience it to be ever-new, ever-sweet, and ever more excellent. However, the happiness of Brahman realization is different; it has limits and cannot develop to progressively higher degrees of bliss. Therefore, when those devoted to liberation say, ‘Liberation alone is the ultimate limit of happiness,’ it is they themselves who have determined its limit.”