"The sannyasis will object that the inhabitants of Vraja are fallen in the net of material life in the form of attachment to sons and wife. However, what to speak of the householders of Vraja, even your ordinary devotees in other places are superior to the sannyasis. Attachment and aversion are great thieves because they steal the great treasure of great bliss from the soul. The souls are bound up in the prison of household life so that they cannot criticize the Supreme Lord after having lost their wealth. As long as people do not get the mercy of your devotees and become your followers, they remain in this position. When they become your devotees they develop attachment for bhakti and aversion to things obstructing bhakti. They become absorbed in you. These thieves, attraction and repulsion, expecting to grasp the great treasure of unlimited knowledge and bliss when they become fixed in you, give up their bad qualities and instead do good service to others. The house which was a prison by performance of pious and impious activities binding them up, becomes a means of attaining the eternal dhama through activities of serving you and singing your glories. When the jiva becomes the devotee of Krsna then the bewilderment (moha) from objects (formely wife and sons) become causes of the expression (anubhavas) of prema. How can the sannyasis compare to this? My son Sanat Kumara has said the following to show the inferiority of such people, and superiority of the devotee: The ocean of nescience is very difficult to cross because it is infested with many dangerous sharks. Although those who are non-devotees undergo severe austerities and penances to cross that ocean, we recommend that you simply take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are like boats for crossing the ocean. Although the ocean is difficult to cross, by taking shelter of His lotus feet you will overcome all dangers. (4.22.40) And the inhabitants of Vraja have even thousands of times much greater prema than these grhastha devotees. Though you are the purna brahma you show yourself as dependent upon these devotees by taking the form of their son."

“If their glory is that they give everything to me, then you should go home and do the same thing.” Let that be. By dedicating themselves fully to you, they are greater than ātmārāmas. But it is difficult for people like me to surrender to you. With this intention he speaks this verse. The meaning is this. Rāga refers to attraction to objects. Ādayaḥ means that by attaining or not attaining objects of attraction one experiences joy and sorrow. The house is such an object. Moha means lack of discrimination because of attachment to objects. Thus rāga is mentioned first since all the other items depend on it as a cause. You, as the ātmā, are the natural and ultimate shelter of attraction (rāga) for the soul having within it unconditional prema. This attraction, by not taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa, wanders around and takes away the ingredients of your worship, standing for auspicious desires, like a thief. Its followers such as moha are the same. The house then transforms into a prison to give the remaining punishment since it gives intelligence opposite to surrender to your feet. Moha, taking on a special nature by the false intelligence, becomes shackles for the feet. Even though the prison house is destroyed, because rāga and other products still remain--because of inability to surrender to you--the chains remain. As long as these people are not accepted by you, they will remain in this condition. When they are accepted by you, when they attain you, who are the shelter of real rāga, those material qualities cease to take shelter of the self. Spontaneously the faults disappear. The person becomes attracted to attaining Kṛṣṇa. yā prītir avivekānāṁ visayeṣv anapāyinī tvām anusmarataḥ sā me hṛdayān nāpasarpatu Unintelligent persons have unflinching affection for the objects of sense gratification. Similarly, may I always remember you, so that that same attachment, applied to you, never leaves my heart. Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.20.19 Thus when the house is offered to you, it is no longer a prison. When moha becomes a part of prema, it is no longer a fault. The people of Vraja are the crest jewels of souls surrendered to you. How can people like me who touch the dust from their feet, desiring to attain something, attain a position like them? Or, “They constantly serve me, though I cannot repay them. They are also faulty then.” O Kṛṣṇa, attractor of all hearts! As long as they do not become your people and they do not attain your service, the devotees have natural desires for eating etc. while remembering you. Thus their houses become like prisons when they sleep and forget you. They then become overcome with moha, out of extreme suffering. Or, they have rāga for you. The places of your pastimes become their prisons. They faint in prema and this gives them suffering. This happens as long as they do not attain service to you. Though they faint, since they have surrendered to you, the people of Vraja have no fault at all.

Ādayaḥ means anger and other emotions. The anger of the devotee however becomes part of bhakti. By scolding the fools the devotees lead them to deliverance. O Kṛṣṇa, directly the supreme Lord! If their properties are for themselves, how is their attachment for enjoying matter, their welcoming guests and showing affection to each other viewed? It is not seen as belonging to you (na te). Or O Kṛṣṇa who gives complete bliss! To that extent they offer respects to you (nate). Attachment becomes a thief, which by its nature steals the gems of discrimation, determination and other good qualities. Adayaḥ indicates that on attaining this, one develops anger etc. The house and conduct of a householder cause suffering, by restriction, like a prison. Mutual affection (mohaḥ) causes lack of independence, like shackles on the feet. The meaning is this. Devotees nourish their bhakti by attachment to things that they offer to the Lord. They spread bhakti by anger at persons engaged in not serving the Lord. As householders, they show compassion for all beings by serving the devotees. But this will not happen until they become devotees (yāvat na te janaḥ). “If they serve me constantly, though I cannot reward them the highest goal, is it wrong?” O Kṛṣṇa, attractor of all hearts! As long as they do not become people of Vraja (janaḥ), dedicated to your service (na te janaḥ), dancing and singing with attachment (rāgādayaḥ) they will be like thieves, causing disturbance. The house will cause grief like a prison. (False) affection for devotees (mohaḥ) will be chains on the feet, causing lack of independence. Or attraction for Vaikuṇṭha (rāgādayaḥ), the dwellings there, and affection for Lakṣmī will be causes of disturbance and restriction. It is all done by you. If all people worship you what is the harm? Or in this condition, attachment to their bodies or animals is a thief, the house is a prision, affection for friends is shackles as long as they do not become people of Vraja serving you with dedication.