Chaitanya Bhagavata
by Bhumipati Dāsa | 2008 | 1,349,850 words
The Chaitanya Bhagavata 1.2.64, English translation, including a commentary (Gaudiya-bhasya). This text is similair to the Caitanya-caritamrita and narrates the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, proclaimed to be the direct incarnation of Krishna (as Bhagavan) This is verse 64 of Adi-khanda chapter 2—“The Lord’s Appearance”.
Verse 1.2.64
Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.2.64:
ধর্ম কর্ম লোক সবে এই মাত্র জানে মঙ্গলচণ্ডীর গীতে করে জাগরণে ॥ ৬৪ ॥
धर्म कर्म लोक सबे एइ मात्र जाने मङ्गलचण्डीर गीते करे जागरणे ॥ ६४ ॥
dharma karma loka sabe ei mātra jāne maṅgalacaṇḍīra gīte kare jāgaraṇe || 64 ||
dharma karma loka sabe ei matra jane mangalacandira gite kare jagarane (64)
English translation:
(64) People’s religion consisted of fruitive activities, and they would stay awake through the night chanting prayers to Maṅgalacaṇḍī, goddess Durgā.
Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:
Material knowledge was so predominant at that time that people mistook speculation devoid of devotional service to Hari as scholarship. Ordinary people believed that the supreme goal of following religious principles was to increase their material happiness and prosperity by hearing and chanting songs about Maṅgalacaṇḍī. They actually mistook unnatural nondevotional endeavors for religion and thus increased the covering of desire for sense gratification, fruitive work, and speculative knowledge.
They did not consider that worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord’s devotees was the living entities’ only goal.