Verse 2.3.53

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.53:

जगद्-विलक्षणैश्वर्यो मुक्त-वर्गाधिकोऽपि सन् ।
लक्ष्यतेऽति-सद्-आचारो महा-विषयवान् इव ॥ ५३ ॥

jagad-vilakṣaṇaiśvaryo mukta-vargādhiko'pi san |
lakṣyate'ti-sad-ācāro mahā-viṣayavān iva || 53 ||

jagat–to the material world; vilakṣaṇa–extraordinary; aiśvaryaḥ–opulences; mukta–of liberated souls; varga–than the assembly; adhikaḥ–superior; api–even; san–being; lakṣyate–appearing; atisat-ācāraḥ–transcendental to the codes of good conduct; mahāviṣaya-vān–a great sensualist; iva–like.

His distinctive opulences far surpassed anything of this world. Although he is far superior to all liberated souls, at the same time, he gave the impression of being a great hedonist who transgresses virtuous conduct.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Śrī Gopa-kumāra continues, “That person, with his incomparable power and opulences, was extraordinary and distinct from this world. Still, he seemed to transgress the boundaries of acceptable behavior. He was fully renounced and naked, yet he always kept his beloved on his lap. He was the best of liberated personalities, freed from any connection to sense objects, yet he was using luxuries of a great enjoyer, such as an umbrella and yak-tail fans. Therefore, all his opulence and majesty seemed extraordinary and surprising.” Here the word iva, meaning ‘as if,’ factually refutes the possibility of his being a hedonist. This becomes apparent when one deliberates on the truth about him. “He was the Supreme Lord, or Parameśvara, who protects religious principles, but he seemed to be violating societal norms. Additionally, the nature he exhibited was that of a highly liberated person, yet he was enjoying sense objects. I became very surprised to observe such peculiar behavior.”