yo ’sau bhagavati sarva-bhutatmany anatmye ’nirukte ’nilayane paramatmani vasudeve ’nanya-nimitta-bhakti-yoga-laksano nana-gati-nimittavidya-granthi-randhana-dvarena yada hi maha-purusa-purusa-prasangah.

 

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 

 

After many, many births, when the results of one’s pious activities mature, one gets an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. Then one is able to cut the knot of bondage to ignorance, which bound him because of varied fruitive activities. As a result of associating with devotees, one gradually renders service to Lord Vasudeva, who is transcendental, free from attachment to the material world, beyond the mind and words, and independent of everything else. That bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Vasudeva, is the real path of liberation.

 

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 

 

Brahman realization is the beginning of liberation, and Paramatma realization is still further advancement toward the realm of liberation, but one achieves real liberation when he understands his position as an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (muktir hitvanyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih). In the material world, in the bodily concept of life, everyone is working in the wrong direction. When one becomes brahma-bhuta, spiritually realized, one understands that he is not the body and that working in the bodily concept of life is useless and misdirected. Then his devotional service begins. As Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (18.54):

 

brahma-bhutah prasannatma

 na socati na kanksati

samah sarvesu bhutesu

 mad-bhaktim labhate param

 

“One who is thus transcendentally situated realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” Devotional service is actual liberation. When one is attracted by the beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and his mind is always engaged at the Lord’s lotus feet, he is no longer interested in subjects that do not help him in self-realization. In other words, he loses all attraction for material activities. In the Taittiriya Upanisad (2.7) it is said: esa hy evanandayati; yada hy evaisa etasmin na drsye ’natmye anirukte ’nilayane ’bhayam pratistham vindate ’tha so ’bhayam gato bhavati. A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ananda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.