Bhagavad-Gita: Chapter 11, Verse 54

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

Now Lord Krishna reveals the only way and means that one who is initiated by His devotee may see His original two armed human like form which is pure spiritual sat-cid-ananda or eternal existence, unlimited cognizance and endless bliss and enter into communion with Him. The only way and means He states as bhaktya te ananyaya meaning exclusive loving devotion unto Him. Only by undivided, uninterrupted, one-pointed loving devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna can entrance into His divine transcendental pastimes be attained and one knows Him in reality through the spiritual preceptor who is His devotee and by His teachings of the Vedic scriptures only is it possible for Lord Krishna to be perceived and realised by direct cognition and attain eternal communion with Him in the spiritual worlds. By no other means, method, technique or ritual is in any way possible to achieve this.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Madhvacarya
There is no commentary for this verse.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

Only by bhakti or exclusive loving devotion can the Supreme Lord Krishna be known as He really is. Study of the Vedas, meditation, performance of rituals, extreme austerities etc. are of no avail in perceiving Lord Krishna as paramatma or the Supreme Soul within all living entities and realising Him as He is. But by bhakti Lord Krishna is easy to be known through the grace of the spiritual master who teaches the true purport of the Vedic scriptures which all relate to Lord Krishna. Only by bhakti is it possible to have communion with the Supreme Lord Krishna as the actual experience of atma-tattva or soul realisation which activates one's divine relationship with Him. The Katha Upanisad II.XXIII beginning nas yam atma prachanna meaning not by reflection, nor deliberation, nor concentration can Lord Krishna be attained. He can only be attained by one who He, Himself specially elects and blesses to reveal His essence to.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

If by the previous methods of Vedic study and rituals one can not witness the human form of Lord Krishna then how is it possible to see Him? Lord Krishna declares that one can have communion with Him only by bhaktya or loving devotion; but only if it is ananyaya or exclusive, meaning not divided or shared with anything else. In this way only can He be jnatum or known in reality. The particle tu meaning but between bhaktya and ananyaya confirms that exclusive loving devotion is superior to all other means. Janaka Pandit explains that consciousness is the higher power of the Supreme Lord and that unconsciousness is His lower power. The Vishnu Purana VII.V states: Consciousness is the higher principle of the Supreme Lord whereas unconscious is the lower principle. Those who are unconscious lack devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna and are from His lower principle and thus are not able to perceive Him even by Vedic study and rituals.