1054
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 24]
TRANSLATION
Lord Śiva continued: Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, the controller of everything—material nature as well as the living entity—is actually very dear to me.
PURPORT
Now Lord Śiva explains the reason he has personally come before the princes. It is because all the princes are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā :
bahūnām janmanām ante jñānavān mām prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Bg. 7.19)
Lord Śiva is rarely seen by common men, and similarly a person who is fully surrendered unto Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is also very rarely seen because a person who is fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord is very rare ( sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ ). Consequently Lord Śiva came especially to see the Pracetās because they were fully surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva is also mentioned in the beginning of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  in the  mantra: om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya . Since Vāsudeva is the ultimate truth, Lord Śiva openly proclaims that one who is a devotee of Lord Vāsudeva, who is surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa, is actually very dear to him. Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is worshipable not only by ordinary living entities but by demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and others.  Yam brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavaiḥ  ( Bhāg.  12.13.1). Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by Lord Brahmā, Śiva, Varuṇa, Indra, Candra and all other demigods. That is also the situation with a devotee. Indeed, one who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately becomes very dear to anyone who is simply finding out and beginning to understand what Kṛṣṇa consciousness actually is. Similarly, all the demigods are also trying to find out who is actually surrendered to Lord Vāsudeva. Because the Pracetā princes were surrendered to Vāsudeva, Lord Śiva willingly came forth to see them.
Lord Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa, is described in  Bhagavad-gītā  as Puruṣottama. Actually He is the enjoyer ( puruṣa ) and the Supreme ( uttama ) as well. He