Verse 2.4.228

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.228:

विशेषतो नागर-शेखरस्य स्व-रामतादि-स्व-गुणापवादैः ।
अपेक्षणीया परम-प्रिया सा काष्ठा परा श्री-भगवत्त्व-सीम्नः ॥ २२८ ॥

viśeṣato nāgara-śekharasya sva-rāmatādi-sva-guṇāpavādaiḥ |
apekṣaṇīyā parama-priyā sā kāṣṭhā parā śrī-bhagavattva-sīmnaḥ || 228 ||

viśeṣataḥ–especially; nāgara–of heroes; śekharasya–the crown; sva-ārāmatā–the quality of being self-satisfied; ādi–and so forth; sva-guṇa–His own virtues; apavādaiḥ–by the contradictions; apekṣaṇīyā–desirable; parama-priyā–supremely endearing; sā–it; kāṣṭhā parā–highest summit; śrī-bhagavattva–of being the Supreme Lord; sīmnaḥ–of the ultimate limit.

It is especially noteworthy that the crest jewel of clever heroes, Śrī

Kṛṣṇa, can forego His ātmārāmatā (self-satisfaction) and all His other qualities, but He cannot give up His quality of coming under the control of His beloved devotees; He accepts their control graciously. This alone is the ultimate limit of His Godhood (bhagavattā).

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

It is appropriate that all of Bhagavān’s incarnations are controlled by Their beloved devotees. Yet being subordinate to His devotees is especially appropriate for Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is exceedingly skillful in His dealings with His dear ones. To explain this, Śrī Nārada speaks this verse beginning with viśeṣataḥ.

He says, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel of clever ones, experiences happiness when His beloved devotees control Him. Śrī Bhagavān’s willingness to be controlled is His best and favorite asset, and it increases to the greatest extent the glories of all His other qualities, such as His fame. Therefore, such subjugation by the devotees is most dear to Śrī Bhagavān. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being the ultimate expression of Bhagavān’s nature, manifests to the highest degree the wonderful quality of being affectionate to His devotees. Bhagavān can renounce all His qualities, such as being self-satisfied (ātmārāmatā), being one whose every desire has been fulfilled (pūrṇa-kāmatā), and having mastery of all mystic powers (mahā-yogeśvaratā), but He cannot give up His subservience to His beloved devotees; rather, He especially honors this quality and keeps it in His heart.”

All these thoughts have been expressed in Śrī Harivaṃśa and other scriptures in the māna-bhañjana incident where Śrī Satyabhāmā-devī’s indignant mood is pacified.