Text 8

mayy eva mana adhatsva
mayi buddhim nivesaya
nivasisyasi mayy eva
ata urdhvam na samsayah

Translation

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada

One who is engaged in Lord Krishna’s devotional service lives in a direct relationship with the Supreme Lord, so there is no doubt that his position is transcendental from the very beginning. A devotee does not live on the material plane—he lives in Krishna. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent; therefore when a devotee chants Hare Krishna, Krishna and His internal potency are dancing on the tongue of the devotee. When he offers Krishna food, Krishna directly accepts these eatables, and the devotee becomes Krishna-ized by eating the remnants. One who does not engage in such service cannot understand how this is so, although this is a process recommended in the Bhagavad-gita and in other Vedic literatures.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

“Since bhakti is the best, please perform only bhakti.” He teaches this bhakti in three verses.

The word eva excludes the impersonal aspect of the Lord. Concentrate your mind on me only, remember only me (mayy eva mana adhatsva), that form of Syamasundara, with yellow cloth and forest garland, and not the impersonal brahman. And also, fix your intelligence which discriminates in me. This means to continually reflect on the statements of scripture using intelligence which will result in meditation. Such contemplation is called manana. Thus, you will attain residence near me. Nivasisyasi is a poetic form of nivatsyasi (future of nivas) for metrical purpose.