Bg. 18.55

भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः ।
ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥५५॥

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram

bhaktyāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhaktyā

because of pure devotion; by a devotional attitude; by devotion; by devotional service (executed in nine different processes); by devotional service; by pure devotion; by pure devotional service; by rendering service in devotion; by the devotion; devotion; devotional service; in devotion; in devotional service; in full devotion; simply by devotional service; through devotion; whose devotional service; with a devotional attitude; with devotion; with devotion and faith; with devout attention; with faith and devotion; with great devotion; with great devotional love.—by pure devotional service; māmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmām

about Me; at me; attains me; from me; Me (Kṛṣṇa); Me (Lord Kṛṣṇa); me (the earth); Me (the Supreme Lord); me (Vasiṣṭha); me; Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; My direction; Myself; of myself; to Me; unto me; upon me.—Me; abhijānātiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigabhijānāti

can understand; does know; one can know.—one can know; yāvānplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyāvān

all that; as far as; as I am in eternal form; as I am in My eternal form; as it is; as it were; as much; as much as; so far; to which extent.—as much as; yaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyah

who; a devotee who; a person; a person who; all those; any person who; any such master who; anyone (king or governor); anyone; anyone who; Bali Mahārāja; because; everything; he (who has); he; he person who; He who (Govinda); he who (Jahnu); He who (Lord Nārāyaṇa); He who (Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu); he who (my so-called husband); he who (Somadatta); He who (the Lord); He who (the Personality of Godhead); He who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); he who (Śunaḥśepha); he who; I who; it is He only; King Khaṭvāṅga who; Lord Rāmacandra who; Mahārāja Sagara who; on account of; one; one of the sons of Sagara Mahārāja; one which; one who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); one who (Viśvāmitra); one who; one who is; person; such a person (as you); such a person; that; that is; that person; that Personality of Godhead who; that same person who; that which; the Lord who; the one; the one who; the person; the person who; the same Jaḍa Bharata who was formerly Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva; the same Rāhu; the Supreme Lord who; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Personality of Godhead who; the system; who; who are; who is; whoever; whom; you who; Your Lordship. caplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigca

ca; all these; also; also other bodily forms; also that I have not been able to ask; and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); and; and also; and Devahūti; and for all; and the paraphernalia; as also; as much as; as well; as well as; but; certainly; either; however; indeed; only; or; over and above; respectively; the word ca; this word ca; thus; totally; unlimitedly; verily. asmiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasmi

am; I; I am; I have been.—as I am; tattvataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtattvataḥ

by truth; factually; from the truth; from transcendental knowledge; in fact; in reality; in truth; just in accordance with the truth; truly.—in truth; tataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtatah

after Kṛṣṇa took action to kill the demon's body from within the mouth; after purifying the seven planets of the seven great sages; after that; after that incident; after this; again from King Udgītha; among them; and there; and thereafter; as such; at that; at this time; because of that; because of this; because of this self-realization; beyond the brahmajyoti, or in His own Vaikuṇṭha planet; beyond whom; by such activities; by such duality; father; from Abhimanyu; from Agniveśya; from Bālika; from Citrakṛt; from Devadatta; from Devadyumna; from Divāka; from him (Ayu); from him (Ayutāyu); from him (Bhīmaratha); from him (Budha); from him (Cyavana); from him (Deva-ṛṣabha); from him (Dharma); from him (Dhundhumān); from him (Dhṛti); from him (Jaya); from him (Mīḍhvān); from him (Nandivardhana); from him (Pracinvān); from him (Ripuñjaya); from him (Ruṣadratha); from him (Sahasrānīka); from him (Satkarmā); from him (Satyaratha); from him (Skanda); from him (Suratha); from him (Svarga); from him (Sārvabhauma); from him (Vahni); from him (Vasu); therefore; therefore, because of this; therein; thereof; thereupon; whereby.—thereafter; māmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmām

about Me; at me; attains me; from me; Me (Kṛṣṇa); Me (Lord Kṛṣṇa); me (the earth); Me (the Supreme Lord); me (Vasiṣṭha); me; Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; My direction; Myself; of myself; to Me; unto me; upon me.—Me; tattvataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtattvataḥ

by truth; factually; from the truth; from transcendental knowledge; in fact; in reality; in truth; just in accordance with the truth; truly.—by truth; jñātvāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigjnatva

(the sage) could understand; after understanding; and deciding what to do; and knowing; by knowing; by knowing it; could understand; having known; having understood; knowing; knowing it well; knowing perfectly well; knowing well; thus knowing; understanding; when he learned.—knowing; viśateplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigviśate

becomes manifest; can enter; enters.—enters; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—thereafter; anantaramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biganantaram

after; after death; after that; as soon as possible; constantly; thereafter; without delay; without interior, unbroken.—after. ¶

One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God. ¶

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His plenary portions cannot be understood by mental speculation nor by the nondevotees. If anyone wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has to take to pure devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee. Otherwise, the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will always be hidden. It is already stated (nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ) that He is not revealed to everyone. Everyone cannot understand God simply by erudite scholarship or mental speculation. Only one who is actually engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service can understand what Kṛṣṇa is. University degrees are not helpful. ¶

One who is fully conversant with the Kṛṣṇa science becomes eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom, the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Becoming Brahman does not mean that one loses his identity. Devotional service is there, and as long as devotional service exists, there must be God, the devotee, and the process of devotional service. Such knowledge is never vanquished, even after liberation. Liberation involves getting free from the concept of material life; in spiritual life the same distinction is there, the same individuality is there, but in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should not misunderstand that the word viśate, “enters into Me,” supports the monist theory that one becomes homogeneous with the impersonal Brahman. No. Viśate means that one can enter into the abode of the Supreme Lord in his individuality to engage in His association and render service unto Him. For instance, a green bird enters a green tree not to become one with the tree but to enjoy the fruits of the tree. Impersonalists generally give the example of a river flowing into the ocean and merging. This may be a source of happiness for the impersonalist, but the personalist keeps his personal individuality like an aquatic in the ocean. We find so many living entities within the ocean, if we go deep. Surface acquaintance with the ocean is not sufficient; one must have complete knowledge of the aquatics living in the ocean depths. ¶

Because of his pure devotional service, a devotee can understand the transcendental qualities and the opulences of the Supreme Lord in truth. As it is stated in the Eleventh Chapter, only by devotional service can one understand. The same is confirmed here; one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotional service and enter into His kingdom. ¶

After attainment of the brahma-bhūta stage of freedom from material conceptions, devotional service begins by one’s hearing about the Lord. When one hears about the Supreme Lord, automatically the brahma-bhūta stage develops, and material contamination—greediness and lust for sense enjoyment—disappears. As lust and desires disappear from the heart of a devotee, he becomes more attached to the service of the Lord, and by such attachment he becomes free from material contamination. In that state of life he can understand the Supreme Lord. This is the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also. Also after liberation the process of bhakti or transcendental service continues. The Vedānta-sūtra confirms this: āprāyaṇāt tatrāpi hi dṛṣṭam. This means that after liberation the process of devotional service continues. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, real devotional liberation is defined as the reinstatement of the living entity in his own identity, his own constitutional position. The constitutional position is already explained: every living entity is the part and parcel fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord. Therefore his constitutional position is to serve. After liberation, this service is never stopped. Actual liberation is getting free from misconceptions of life. ¶