Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Now Krishna will talk about how after coming to the Brahman platform one attains Bhakti this is very important verse. 

Bg 18.54

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

Synonyms: 

brahma–bhūtaḥ — being one with the Absolute; prasanna–ātmā — fully joyful; na — never; śocati — laments; na— never; kāṅkṣati — desires; samaḥ — equally disposed; sarveṣu — to all; bhūteṣu — living entities; mat–bhaktim— My devotional service; labhate — gains; parām — transcendental.

Translation: 

One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

brahma-bhūyāya is talked in the previous verse so in continuation

brahma-bhūtaḥ, one who is on brahman platform, spiritual platform, 

prasannātmā, now the atma is sacidanada , so when one comes to Brahman platform one experiences inner peacefulness.

na śocati na kāṅkṣati, one becomes free from hankering and lamentation

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, when one is situated equipoised in other things, 

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām, one attains My Bhakti

For impersonalist this verse is devastatingly irrefutable attack, for the mayavadi who is having this idea that Bhakti is a tool to Mukti, they say from impersonal Brahman you can imagine some form and do bhakti of that form and that is how you will attain mukti but after mukti that form is not required. Those who have this idea practice some kind of Bhakti, they do externally some bhakti but there goal is once they come to the Brahman Platform there is no need for the forms we will go beyond the form to the formless. But what Krishna is telling here is that beyond the platform of Brahman is the platform of Bhakti. Krishna is saying to use process of Gyana and through that come to the process of zero point, brahma-bhūtaḥ platform, in previous verse also Krishna is saying give up all attachment and come to the platform of brahma-bhūyāya, kalpate, but after that for going to the positive side Krishna is saying mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām, get Bhakti. There is very little chance of misinterpreting this verse. 

na śocati na kāṅkṣati is a platform beyond modes. 

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, one sees all living being equally this is also a platform for one who has gone beyond modes.

So this verse is clearly talking about a person who has transcended the material reality and after that one can attain Param Bhakti, Supreme Bhakti, Transcendental Bhakti, Pure Bhakti, so Bhakti is not preliminary to Gyan, as mayavadis think, Bhakti is post-graduation to Gyan. Does it mean that to practice Bhakti one has to first get Gyana? No we will see this after a few verse Krishna has mentioned in 18.56, 

sarva-karmāṇy api sadā
kurvāṇo mad-vyapāśrayaḥ

So whatever level one is at, one can take His shelter and move towards transcendence. 

na śocati na kāṅkṣati, this is actually characteristic of a person who is at impersonal perfection and such a person attains Bhakti, but Srila Prabhupada often uses this verse to describe the joy of Spiritual level, because even a Bhakta has achieved Brahma Bhutah level, of course a devotees understanding of what is Brahma Bhuta is more developed, more matured, then the understanding of a Gyani, Gyanis idea is to recognize Aham Brahma Asmi, that is Brahma Buta also, but a deeper understanding is I am a servant of Krishna, Jiver Svarupa Hoye Nitera Krishna Das that is also Brahman Bhuta Platform, so even devotees will have these characteristics, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, devotees will also be at na śocati na kāṅkṣati, but overall mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām so in the flow of BG this verse refers to the characteristic of transcendentalist who has transcended material level and attains para bhakti, but in a generic sense this verse can be used characterize any mature transcendentalist and to characterize Bhaktas also.

Srila Prabhupada Purport: As there is no fear of a serpent with broken teeth, there is no fear from the senses when they are automatically controlled. This is a verse by Srila Prabodhanad Sraswati.

End of transcription.