Verse 2.4.53-54

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.53-54:

स्वारामाः पूर्ण-कामा ये सर्वापेक्ष-विवर्जिताः ।
ज्ञातं प्राप्तं निजं कृत्स्नं त्यक्त्वा वैष्णव-सङ्गतः ॥ ५३ ॥
सारासार-विचाराप्त्या भक्ति-मार्गं विशन्ति यत् ।
तद्-धेतुस् तत्र यातेनानुभूतो दार्ढ्यतो मया ॥ ५४ ॥

svārāmāḥ pūrṇa-kāmā ye sarvāpekṣa-vivarjitāḥ |
jñātaṃ prāptaṃ nijaṃ kṛtsnaṃ tyaktvā vaiṣṇava-saṅgataḥ || 53 ||
sārāsāra-vicārāptyā bhakti-mārgaṃ viśanti yat |
tad-dhetus tatra yātenānubhūto dārḍhyato mayā || 54 ||

sva-ārāmāḥ–satisfied in their own selves; pūrṇa-kāmāḥ–desires are fulfilled; ye–who; sarva–all; apekṣā–of hankerings; vivarjitāḥ–devoid; jñātam–understood; prāptam–experienced; nijam–their own; kṛtsnam–everything; tyaktvā–having abandoned; vaiṣṇava–of devotees; saṅgataḥ–through association; sāra–of the essential; asāra–and the nonessential; vicāra–discrimination; āptyā–by attainment; bhakti–of devotional service; mārgam–the path; viśanti–they enter; yat–what; tat–for that; hetuḥ–the reason; tatra–there; yātena–by going; anubhūtaḥ–experienced; dārḍhyataḥ–firmly; mayā–by me.

When, by the association of Vaiṣṇavas, those who are self-satisfied, fulfilled in all their desires, and free from all types of hankering come to know what is essential and what is non-essential, they abandon the bliss of Brahman, which they have already understood and experienced, and they enter the path of bhakti. When I went to Vaikuṇṭha, I personally experienced this.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

The brāhmaṇa might raise the following doubt, “In addition to personal experience, with the strength of an abundance of special faith, is there no other way to understand the tattva of Vaikuṇṭha?”

In reply, Śrī Gopa-kumāra speaks two verses, beginning here with svārāmāḥ. Svārāmāḥ means ātmā-rāmāḥ, one who rejoices in the self. Such persons are pūrṇa-kāma, meaning that all their desires have been completely achieved and they are therefore free from all kinds of hankering. They also give up their condition of being absorbed in the satisfaction of the self, or ātmārāmatā, which they have learned and experienced. In other words, they completely renounce the transcendental bliss of becoming one with the impersonal Brahman. Why? In the association of Vaiṣṇavas, they receive the ability to discriminate between the real and the unreal; thus, they all enter the path of bhakti.

Gopa-kumāra says, “When I entered Vaikuṇṭha-loka, I personally experienced in a powerful way the reason why people who realize the happiness of impersonal Brahman (brahma-sukha) abandon their self-satisfaction and enter the path of devotion. As one experiences the happiness of Vaikuṇṭha, brahma-sukha automatically becomes repulsive. Therefore, the knowers of impersonal Brahman abandon their attachment to Brahman and enter the path of devotional service (bhakti-mārga).

“Therefore, the devotees’ experience of the happiness of Vaikuṇṭha is most glorious according to the logic of anyathā-anupapatti (‘no other proof,’ the presumption of cause upon seeing the effect). You should experience this by inference because this tattva cannot be understood completely until one experiences it personally in a proper manner.”