rati-rāso bhavet tīvraḥ

rati-rāso bhavet tīvraḥ

pādayor vyasanārdanaḥ

By service to the devotees, intense rasa of bhāva-bhakti to the Lord who is fixed in one form and destroys obstacles for the devotee appears, and destruction of material suffering then takes place.

What is impossible by serving the devotee?  Kutāstha means “fixed in one form over all time” according to the Amara-koṣa.  By service to devotees ), the rāsa of rati or bhāva-bhakti (composed of vibhāva, anubhāva, sthāyi-bhava, sāttvika-bhāva and vyabhicāri-bhāvas) with varieties such as śānta and dāsya arises for Bhagavān, who is fixed as Bhagavān over all time (kūṭa-sthasya), who destroys material life of the devotee just as he destroyed the Madhu demon (madhu-dviṣaḥ). Bhāva-bhakti is called tivraḥ or sharp because by its sweetness it suppresses all other material or spiritual sweetness. It impels one to become unaware of all else.

|| 3.7.20 ||

durāpā hy alpa-tapasaḥ

sevā vaikuṇṭha-vartmasu

yatropagīyate nityaṁ

deva-devo janārdanaḥ

Service to the devotees, those on the path to Vaikuṇṭha, who are constantly singing about the Supreme Lord, is rarely achieved for those who perform little austerity.

Service to the great devotees is very rare. Though the verse says that those will little austerity rarely attain devotees, this is only a conventional expression. Service to devotees is attained only by mercy of devotees. It is not attained as a result of austerity. “Those on the path to Vaikuṇṭha” means those who are constantly engaged in sādhana-bhakti or sādhya (prema-bhakti).  

|| 3.7.21 ||

sṛṣṭvāgre mahad-ādīni

sa-vikārāṇy anukramāt