Verse 2.4.46

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.46:

प्रपञ्चान्तर्-गता भोग-परा विषयिनो यथा ।
बहिर्-दृष्ट्या तथेक्ष्यन्ते ते हि मुक्तार्चिताङ्घ्रयः ॥ ४६ ॥

prapañcāntar-gatā bhoga-parā viṣayino yathā |
bahir-dṛṣṭyā tathekṣyante te hi muktārcitāṅghrayaḥ || 46 ||

prapañca–the material world; antaḥ-gatāḥ–within; bhoga–to mundane pleasure; parāḥ–dedicated; viṣayiṇaḥ–sense enjoyers; yathā–as; bahiḥ dṛṣṭyā–by external vision; tathā–so; īkṣyante–are seen; te–they; hi–indeed; mukta–by liberated souls; arcita–worshiped; aṅghrayaḥ–their feet.

Although the residents of Vaikuṇṭha externally appear like the sense enjoyers of the material world who are eager for mundane pleasure, they are in fact not sense enjoyers. Their feet are worshiped even by liberated souls who have abandoned the happiness of all sense enjoyment.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

The brāhmaṇa might wonder, “Since the residents of Vaikuṇṭha have extraordinary opulences, how do they not become addicted to these objects of the senses?”

To address this doubt, Śrī Gopa-kumāra speaks this verse starting with prapañca. He says, “The residents of Vaikuṇṭha enjoy dancing and singing and wonderful types of sense pleasures that are celestial or even more divine. As a result, from an external perspective, they may appear like materialistic people of this world who are attached to gratifying their senses, but they are not really so. This is made clear by the fact that even the liberated personalities (mukta-gaṇa), who are dedicated to the impersonal Brahman and who have transcended this material existence by abandoning the happiness of sense gratification, worship their lotus feet. Therefore, how is it possible that the residents of Vaikuṇṭha would, like materialists, be attracted to sense enjoyment, which is more insignificant than the most worthless thing imaginable?”

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.15.17) states:

वैमानिकाः स-ललनाश् चरितानि शश्वद् गायन्ति यत्र शमल-क्षपणानि भर्तुः
अन्तर्-जले’नुविकसन्-मधु-माधवीनां गन्धेन खण्डित-धियो’प्य् अनिलं क्षिपन्तः

vaimānikāḥ sa-lalanāś caritāni śaśvad gāyanti yatra śamala-kṣapaṇāni bhartuḥ
antar-jale’nuvikasan-madhu-mādhavīnāṃ gandhena khaṇḍita-dhiyo’py anilaṃ kṣipantaḥ

The residents of Vaikuṇṭha and their beloved consorts, flying in their airplanes, remain continuously immersed in singing about Śrī Bhagavān’s auspicious pastimes, which can destroy one’s entire storehouse of sins. At that time, the honey-laden mādhavī vines, blossoming in the ponds, attempt to attract those residents of Vaikuṇṭha with their sweet fragrance, but the residents ignore this fragrance and continue singing. Rather, they reproach the fragrant breeze that carries that sweet aroma in their direction.

This shows that although great sense pleasures are available to the residents of Vaikuṇṭha, they reject that happiness to relish the joy of performing devotional service (bhajanānanda).

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.15.20) states:

तत् सङ्कुलं हरि-पदानति-मात्र-दृष्टैर् वैदूर्य-मारकत-हेम-मयैर् विमानैः
येषां बृहत्-कटि-तटाः स्मित-शोभि-मुख्यः कृष्णात्मनां न रज आदधुर् उत्स्मयाद्यैः

tat saṅkulaṃ hari-padānati-mātra-dṛṣṭair vaidūrya-mārakata-hema-mayair vimānaiḥ
yeṣāṃ bṛhat-kaṭi-taṭāḥ smita-śobhi-mukhyaḥ kṛṣṇātmanāṃ na raja ādadhur utsmayādyaiḥ

The abode of Vaikuṇṭha is replete with aircrafts made of lapis lazuli (vaidūrya), emeralds (marakata-maṇi), and gold (hema). These airplanes, which the devotees of Śrī Bhagavān consider inferior, cannot be obtained by karma, jñāna, yoga, etc., but they are immediately available by simply offering obeisances to the lotus feet of Śrī Bhagavān. The minds of all those Vaikuṇṭha residents remain so fixed on the lotus feet of Śrī Hari that the gentle smiles and natural laughter and jokes of the most beautiful, full-hipped women do not arouse even a drop of passion in them. This is because they have dedicated their souls to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.