SB 10.9.19
evam sandarsita hy anga
harina bhrtya-vasyata
sva-vasenapi krsnena
yasyedam sesvaram vase
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O Maharaja Pariksit, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Krsna in this pastime.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
This pastime of Krsna’s is very difficult to understand, but devotees can understand it. It is therefore said, darsayams tad-vidam loka atmano bhakta-vasyatam (Bhag. 10.11.9): the Lord displays the transcendental attribute of coming under the control of His devotees. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.35):
eko ’py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim
yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah
andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
By His one plenary portion as Paramatma, the Lord controls innumerable universes, with all their demigods; yet He agrees to be controlled by a devotee. In the Upanisads it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can run with more speed than the mind, but here we see that although Krsna wanted to avoid being arrested by His mother, He was finally defeated, and mother Yasoda captured Him. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam: Krsna is served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. Nonetheless, He steals butter like one who is poverty-stricken. Yamaraja, the controller of all living entities, fears the order of Krsna, yet Krsna is afraid of His mother’s stick. These contradictions cannot be understood by one who is not a devotee, but a devotee can understand how powerful is unalloyed devotional service to Krsna; it is so powerful that Krsna can be controlled by an unalloyed devotee. This bhrtya-vasyata does not mean that He is under the control of the servant; rather, He is under the control of the servant’s pure love. In Bhagavad-gita (1.21) it is said that Krsna became the chariot driver of Arjuna. Arjuna ordered Him, senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me ’cyuta: “My dear Krsna, You have agreed to be my charioteer and to execute my orders. Place my chariot between the two armies of soldiers.” Krsna immediately executed this order, and therefore one may argue that Krsna also is not independent. But this is one’s ajñana, ignorance. Krsna is always fully independent; when He becomes subordinate to His devotees, this is a display of ananda-cinmaya-rasa, the humor of transcendental qualities that increases His transcendental pleasure. Everyone worships Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He sometimes desires to be controlled by someone else. Such a controller can be no one else but a pure devotee.