अथातो भक्तिं व्याख्यास्यामः ।

athāto bhaktiḿ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ

atha — now; ataḥ — therefore; bhaktim — devotional service; vyākhyāsyāmaḥ — we shall try to explain.

Now, therefore, I will try to explain the process of devotional service.

सा त्वस्मिन् पर(म) प्रेमरूपा ।

sā tv asmin parama-prema-rūpā

sā — it; tu — and; asmin — for Him (the Supreme Lord); parama — highest; prema — pure love; rūpā — having as its form

Devotional service manifests as the most elevated, pure love for God.

अमृतस्वरूपा च ।

amṛta-svarūpā ca

amṛta — immortality; svarūpā — having as its essence; ca — and.

This pure love for God is eternal.

यल्लब्ध्वा पुमान् सिद्धो भवति , अमृतो भवति ,तृप्तो भवति।

yal labdhvā pumān siddho bhavaty amṛto bhavati tṛpto bhavati

yat — which; labdhvā — having gained; pumān — a person; siddhaḥ — perfect; bhavati — becomes; amṛtaḥ — immortal; bhavati — becomes; tṛptaḥ — peaceful; bhavati — becomes.

Upon achieving that stage of transcendental devotional service in pure love of God, a person becomes perfect, immortal, and peaceful.

यत् प्राप्य न किञ्चिद वाञ्छति , न शोचति ,न द्वेष्टि ,न रमते ,नोत्साहि भवति ।

yat prāpya na kiñcid vāñchati na śocati na dveṣṭi na ramate notsāhī bhavati

yat — which; prāpya — having attained; na kiñcit — nothing; vāñchati — hankers for; na śocati — does not lament; na dveṣṭi — does not hate; na ramate — does not rejoice; na — not; utsāhī — materially enthusiastic; bhavati — becomes.

A person engaged in such pure devotional service neither desires anything for sense gratification, nor laments for any loss, nor hates anything, nor enjoys anything on his personal account, nor becomes very enthusiastic in material activity.

यत् ज्ञात्वा मत्तो भवति स्तब्धो भवति आत्मारामो भवति।

yaj jñātvā matto bhavati stabdho bhavaty ātmārāmo bhavati

yat — which; jñātvā — having known; mattaḥ — intoxicated; bhavati — becomes; stabdhaḥ — stunned (in ecstasy); bhavati — becomes; ātma-ārāmaḥ — self-content (because of being engaged in the service of the Lord); bhavati — becomes

One who understands perfectly the process of devotional service in love of Godhead becomes intoxicated in its discharge. Sometimes he becomes stunned in ecstasy and thus enjoys his whole self, being engaged in the service of the Supreme Self.

सा न कामयमाना, निरोधरूपत्वात् ।

sā na kāmayamānā nirodha-rūpatvāt

sā — that devotional service in pure love of God; na — not; kāmayamānā — like ordinary lust; nirodha — renunciation; rūpatvāt — because of having as its form.

There is no question of lust in the execution of pure devotional service, because in it all material activities are renounced.

निरोधस्तु लोकवेदव्यापारन्यासः।

nirodhas tu loka-veda-vyāpāra-nyāsaḥ

nirodhaḥ — renunciation; tu — moreover; loka — of social custom; veda — and of the revealed scripture; vyāpāra — of the engagements; nyāsa — renunciation.

Such renunciation in devotional service means to give up all kinds of social customs and religious rituals governed by Vedic injunction.

तस्मिन्ननन्यता तद्विरोधिषूदासीनता च ।

tasminn ananyatā tad-virodhiṣūdāsīnatā ca

tasmin — for Him; ananyatā — exclusive dedication; tat — to Him; virodhiṣu — for those things which are opposed; udāsīnatā — indifference; ca — and.

Renunciation also means being exclusively dedicated to the Lord and indifferent to what stands in the way of His service.

अन्याश्रयाणां त्यागोऽनन्यता ।

anyāśrayāṇāḿ tyāgo 'nanyatā

anya — other; āśrayāṇām — of shelters; tyāgaḥ — the giving up; an-anyatā — exclusiveness.

Exclusive dedication to the Lord means giving up all shelters other than Him

लोकवेदेषु तदनुकूलाचरणं तद्विरोधिषूदासीनता ।

loka-vedeṣu tad-anukūlācaraṇaḿ tad-virodhiṣūdāsīnatā

loka — in society and politics; vedeṣu — and in the Vedic rituals; tat — for that; anukūla — of what is favorable; ācaraṇam — performance; tat — for that; virodhiṣu — for what is opposed; udāsīnatā — indifference.

Indifference toward what stands in the way of devotional service means to accept only those activities of social custom and Vedic injunction that are favorable to devotional service

भवतु निश्चयदाढर्यादूध्र्वं शास्त्ररक्षणम् ।

bhavatu niścaya-dārḍhyād ūrdhvaḿ śāstra-rakṣaṇam

bhavatu — let there be; niścaya — of certainty; dārḍhyāt — the firm fixing; ūrdhvam — after; śāstra — of scripture; rakṣaṇam — the observance.

One must continue to follow scriptural injunctions even after one is fixed up in determined certainty that devotional service is the only means for reaching the perfection of life.

अन्यथा पातित्याशाङ्कया॥

anyathā pātitya-śańkayā

anya — other; āśrayāṇām — of shelters; tyāgaḥ — the giving up; an-anyatā — exclusiveness

Otherwise there is every possibility of falling down.

लोकोऽपि तावदेव; भोजनादिव्यापारस्त्वाशरीर धारणावधि ।

loke 'pi tāvad eva bhojanādi-vyāpāras tv ā-śarīra-dhāraṇāvadhi

loke — in social behavior; api — also; tāvat — for that long; eva — indeed; bhojana — eating; ādi — and so on; vyāpāraḥ — the activity; tu — and; ā-śarīra-dhāraṇā-avadhi — for as long as one still has this body.

For as long as the body lasts, one should engage minimally in social and political activities and in such matters as eating.