Verse 2.4.188

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.188:

तेषाम् अप्य् अवताराणां सेवकैः परमं महत् ।
लभ्यते सुखम् आत्मात्म-प्रिय-सेवा-रसानुगम् ॥ १८८ ॥

teṣām apy avatārāṇāṃ sevakaiḥ paramaṃ mahat |
labhyate sukham ātmātma-priya-sevā-rasānugam || 188 ||

teṣām–of them; api–also; avatārāṇām–of the incarnations; sevakaiḥ–by the servants; paramam–the most; mahat–supreme; labhyate–is obtained; sukham–happiness; ātma–own; ātma-priya–beloved; sevā–of service; rasa-anugam–in accordance with their moods.

The servitors of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations, serving their beloved Lord according to their own moods, obtain the greatest happiness.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Śrī Gopa-kumāra might question, “If Śrī Kṛṣṇadeva is the ocean of the greatest glories, then why doesn’t everyone serve Him and receive the most excellent happiness of all?”

In reply, Śrī Nārada speaks this verse beginning with teṣām. He says, “When the devotee serves his worshipable Deity, he becomes completely happy at heart in a way that corresponds to his mood. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has unlimited incarnations. That form of the Lord who bestows His mercy upon a devotee is accepted by that devotee as his worshipable Deity, and he serves that form of the Lord in the appropriate rasa, or mood. All obtain the ultimate happiness related to their respective rasa, and thus their heart-felt desires are completely fulfilled.”