Verse 2.1.57-59

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.1.57-59:

सोऽबुधो विस्मयं प्राप्तो वैष्णवान् पृच्छति स्म तान् ।
हे गायका वन्दिनो रे दण्डवत्-पातिनो भुवि ॥ ५७ ॥
भो वादका नर्तका रे राम-कृष्णेति-वादिनः ।
रोदका रम्य-तिलकास् चारु-माला-धरा नराः ॥ ५८ ॥
भवतैकं क्षणं स्वस्था न कोलाहलम् अर्हथ ।
वदतेदं विधद्ध्वे किं कं वार्चयथ सादरम् ॥ ५९ ॥

so'budho vismayaṃ prāpto vaiṣṇavān pṛcchati sma tān |
he gāyakā vandino re daṇḍavat-pātino bhuvi || 57 ||
bho vādakā nartakā re rāma-kṛṣṇeti-vādinaḥ |
rodakā ramya-tilakās cāru-mālā-dharā narāḥ || 58 ||
bhavataikaṃ kṣaṇaṃ svasthā na kolāhalam arhatha |
vadatedaṃ vidhaddhve kiṃ kaṃ vārcayatha sādaram || 59 ||

saḥ–he; abudhaḥ–ignorant person; vismayam–astonished; prāptaḥ–became; vaiṣṇavān–the Vaiṣṇavas; pṛcchati sma–he inquired; tān–of them; he gāyakāḥ–O singers; vandinaḥ re–O reciters of prayers; daṇḍavat-patinaḥ–people offering prostrated obeisances; bhuvi–to the ground; bhoḥ–oh!; vādakāḥ–O musicians!; nartakāḥ re–O dancers!; rāma–Rāma; kṛṣṇa–and Kṛṣṇa; iti–thus; vādinaḥ–O proclaimers; rodakāḥ–O weepers!; ramya–beautiful; tilakāḥ–with tilaka; cāru–beautiful; mālā–garlands; dharāḥ–wearing; narāḥ–O men!; bhavatāḥ–be; ekam kṣaṇam–for one moment; sva-sthāḥ–situated in your normal state; na–not; kolāhalam–a tumult; arhatha–you should do; vadata–please tell; idam–this; vidhaddhve–you are doing; kim–what?; kam–whom?; vā–or; arcayatha–you are worshiping; sa-ādaram–with reverence.

Wonderstruck by this scene, the innocent and ignorant brāhmaṇa addressed the saintly Vaiṣṇavas, saying, “O singers, O reciters of prayers, O people offering obeisances on the ground! O musicians, O dancers, O people calling out the names of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa! O people who are weeping, O you who are adorned with beautiful tilaka and wearing beautiful garlands! Why don’t you stop this tumultuous din for a moment? Quiet down and tell me what you are doing. Whom do you worship so reverentially?”

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

Here, the significance of addressing the brāhmaṇa as abudhaḥ, meaning ‘unintelligent,’ is that he had never before witnessed such behavior of holy men (sādhus), nor had he heard about it, so he was completely ignorant of their activities.

Śrī Parīkṣit says, “Thus astonished, the brāhmaṇa addressed the devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, the Vaiṣṇavas, who were engaged in singing, playing musical instruments, and so on, by calling out to them, ‘O singers, ….’ The naive young man was ignorant of the Vaiṣṇavas’ exalted position and for this reason he addressed them according to the activity he saw them performing. He said, ‘O vandin, O you who are offering respectful obeisance (this includes those who were offering praise), O people who are playing instruments, O people who are calling out Rāma and Kṛṣṇa.’ (He did know that Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are names of the Lord, so imitating them, he simply repeated those names.) He saw that on their forehead was tilaka, a beautiful mark representing the Supreme Lord Hari’s temple. Therefore, to them he called, ‘O people with attractive tilaka,’ and so on.

“He said to them, ‘You should not be so loud and noisy. Calm yourselves and sit down.’ The brāhmaṇa did not know that their songs, prayers, and so on contained spiritual truths about the Supreme Lord, and so he perceived their singing as sheer cacophony. He addressed the Vaiṣṇavas after also observing that they were dressed in a very dignified fashion. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked, ‘Whom are you worshiping with such reverence?’

“The Vaiṣṇavas may have replied, ‘This is not just a curious pastime; rather we are worshiping the Deity.’ Therefore, the brāhmaṇa asked, ‘Why are you doing this, and who is that Deity you are worshiping with such honor?’”