mayi nirbaddha-hṛdayāḥ

mayi nirbaddha-hṛdayāḥ

sādhavaḥ sama-darśanāḥ

vaśe kurvanti māṁ bhaktyā

sat-striyaḥ sat-patiṁ yathā

As chaste women bring their gentle husbands under control by service, the pure devotees, who see others suffering as their own and completely attached to me in the core of the heart, bring me under their full control.

I am hard to control (durvaśa) by Brahmavādīs like you, Durvāsā, but I am controlled by the devotees. Since their hearts are fixed in me, they are without material desire (sādhavaḥ), and see others suffering as their own (sama-darśanāḥ).

|| 9.4.67 ||

mat-sevayā pratītaṁ te

sālokyādi-catuṣṭayam

necchanti sevayā pūrṇāḥ

kuto 'nyat kāla-viplutam

My devotees, who are always satisfied to be engaged in my service, are not interested even in the four principles of liberation [sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi], although these are automatically achieved by their service. What then is to be said of any perishable happiness?

This verse shows their high position because of their lack of material desire. Though these types of liberation are achieved (pratītam) automatically, they do not desire them. These types of liberation are not destroyed by time, whereas other things such as attaining Brahmaloka are destroyed.

|| 9.4.68 ||

sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ

sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham

mad-anyat te na jānanti

nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api

The pure devotee is my very heart: what pains him pains me. I am the heart of the pure devotee: what pleases him pleases me. My devotees do not know anything else but me, and I do not know more than they do.

Though I want to give you the suitable result for causing pain to my devotee, I do not do so. Understand that this is because I am affectionate to brāhmaṇas. That is expressed in this verse. The devotees are my heart: you, who wanted to afflict my Ambarīṣa, have afflicted my heart. “If I have offended you then I fall at your feet for forgiveness.” I am the devotees’ heart: when the devotee’s heart is pleased, I am pleased. Go to Ambarīṣa and please him. “But he invited me and then did not feed me, and instead he ate. Do you not see his fault?” They do not know anything except me. Ambarīṣa does what I desire him to do. “Therefore I ask you. Please reply. Between a brāhmaṇa and a Dvadaśī, which is more respectable as dharma?” Please go. Ask Ambarīṣa. He will teach you, since you are so ignorant of the conclusions of the scriptures on dharma. Do not have any shame about this. I also have no knowledge. I do not know anything more than they do. Since the śruti says that drinking water is both eating and not eating, Ambarīṣa has equally respected the brāhmaṇa and the Dvadaśī. But you are ignorant. You do not know that. This is hinted. And he had not ask Ambarīṣa about this, in order that he could understand the superiority of bhakti concerning the Dvādaśī over all dharma, by showing him the result of his actions.

|| 9.4.69 ||