Bg. 18.56

It has thus been said that the jṣānī step by step giving up the results of work, work itself and then jṣāna, attains sāyujya. Now hear from Me how My devotee attains Me. That devotee takes shelter of Me, even with evident material desires (vi apa āśrayaḥ). Vi stands for viśeṣataḥ, meaning “particularly,” and apa stands for apakṛṣṭa, meaning “low.” He is not even a niṣkāma-bhakta, for he performs all actions even material ones such as protecting wife and children as well as nitya, naimittika and kāmya-karmas. What is the question of his giving up karma, yoga, jṣāna, worship of devatās, or other desires? The word āśrayate means he completely serves. The prefix “ā” emphasizes the predominance of service. The use of the word api indicates inferiority of these other actions. Thus he performs these other activities, but as secondary actions. Thus, he has bhakti mixed with karma, rather than karma mixed with bhakti, which was already described in the first six chapters. There is no overlapping of actions with the previous descriptions. That bhakta attains My eternal dhāmas (padam), such as Vaikuṇṭha, Mathurā, Dvārakā, and Ayodhyā. [Note: The karma miśra bhakta gets sālokya.] “But will those dhāmas remain after the pralaya?” “They are indestructible (avyayam). At the time of mahāpralaya, My dhāmas will not disappear, because of My inconceivable power.” “The jṣānī, after many births, having undergone much suffering and austerities, having stopped the action of senses for sense objects, attains naiṣkarmya, and then sāyujya. How does this devotee, performing actions and having desires, attain Your eternal dhāmas just by taking shelter of You?” “He attains it by My mercy (mat-prasādāt). Know that My mercy is inconceivable and most powerful.”