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Śrī-Caitanya-caritāmṛta
PURPORT
This passage is a quotation from  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  (5.6.18). While Śukadeva Gosvāmī was describing the character of Rṣabhadeva, he distinguished between  bhakti-yoga  and liberation by reciting this verse. In relationship with the Yadus and Pāṇḍavas, the Lord acted sometimes as their master, sometimes as their advisor, sometimes as their friend, sometimes as the head of their family and sometimes even as their servant. Kṛṣṇa once had to carry out an order of Yudhiṣṭhira's by carrying a letter he had written to Duryodhana regarding peace negotiations. Similarly, He also became the chariot driver of Arjuna. This illustrates that in  bhakti-yoga  there is a relationship established between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the devotee. Such a relationship is established in the transcendental mellows known as  dāsya ,  sakhya ,  vātsalya  and  mādhurya . If a devotee wants simple liberation, he gets it very easily from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed by Bilvamaṅgala Thākura.  Muktiḥ svayam mukulitānjali sevate 'smān : for a devotee,  mukti  is not very important because  mukti  is always standing on his doorstep waiting to serve him in some way. A devotee, therefore, must be attracted by the behavior of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana who live in a relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The land, water, cows, trees and flowers serve Kṛṣṇa in  śānta-rasa , Kṛṣṇa's servants serve Kṛṣṇa in  dāsya-rasa , and Kṛṣṇa's cowherd friends serve Him in  sakhya-rasa . Similarly, the elderly  gopīs  and  gopas  serve Kṛṣṇa as father and mother, uncle and other relatives, and the  gopīs , the young girls, serve Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love.
While executing devotional service, one must be naturally inclined to serve Kṛṣṇa in one of these transcendental relationships. That is the actual success of life. For a devotee, to get liberation is not very difficult. Even one who is unable to establish a relationship with Kṛṣṇa can achieve liberation by merging in the Brahman effulgence. This is called  sāyujya-mukti . Vaiṣṇavas never accept  sāyujya-mukti , although sometimes they accept the other forms of liberation, namely,  sārūpya ,  sālokya ,  sāmīpya  and  sārṣṭi . A pure devotee, however, does not accept any kind of  mukti . He wants only to serve Kṛṣṇa in a transcendental relationship. This is the perfectional stage of spiritual life. Māyāvādī philosophers desire to merge in the existence of the Brahman effulgence, although this aspect of liberation is always neglected by devotees. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Thākura, describing this kind of  mukti , which is called  kaivalya , or becoming one with the Supreme, has said,  kaivalyam narakāyate : "Becoming one with the Supreme is as good as going to hell." Therefore the ideal of Māyāvāda philosophy, becoming one with the Supreme, is hellish for a devotee; he never accepts it. Māyāvādī philosophers do not know that even if they merge in the effulgence of the Supreme, this will not give them ultimate rest. An individual soul cannot live in the Brahman effulgence in a state of inactivity; after some time, he must desire to be active. However, since he is not related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore has no spiritual activity, he must come down for further activities in this material world. This is confirmed in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam :
āruhya kṛcchreṇa param padam tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ  (Bhāg. 10.2.32)