Verse Text
tatraiva śrī-sūtoktau (1.7.10)—
ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame |
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ ||54||
Translation
On this subject Sūta also speaks: All different varieties of ātmārāmas (those who take pleasure in ātmā, or spirit self), especially those established on the path of self-realization, and those freed from all the rules and prohibitions of the scriptures, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls. SB 1.7.10
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Nirgranthā means those who are beyond the scriptures consisting of rules and prohibitions.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Another passage which is very important is in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Seventh Chapter, verse 10, and is called “the ātmārāma verse.” In this ātmārāma verse it is stated that even those who are completely liberated from material contamination are attracted by the transcendental qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. [Note: This ātmārāma verse was once nicely explained by Lord Caitanya to Sanātana Goswāmī. There is a detailed explanation of this verse in the author’s Teachings of Lord Caitanya.] The purport of this verse is that a liberated soul has absolutely no desire at all for material enjoyment; he is wholly freed from all kinds of material desires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear and understand the pastimes of the Lord. We may therefore conclude that the glories and pastimes of the Lord are not material. Otherwise, how could the liberated persons known as ātmārāmas be attracted by such pastimes? That is the important point in this verse.