Verse 1.8.204

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.8.204:

কৃষ্ণ-যাত্রা-মহোত্সব-পর্ব নাহি করে বিবাহাদি-কর্মে সে আনন্দ করি’ মরে ॥ ২০৪ ॥

कृष्ण-यात्रा-महोत्सव-पर्व नाहि करे विवाहादि-कर्मे से आनन्द करि’ मरे ॥ २०४ ॥

kṛṣṇa-yātrā-mahotsava-parva nāhi kare vivāhādi-karme se ānanda kari’ mare || 204 ||

krsna-yatra-mahotsava-parva nahi kare vivahadi-karme se ananda kari’ mare (204)

English translation:

(204) “They don’t celebrate Kṛṣṇa’s appearance day, but they spend their entire lives celebrating weddings and other family festivals.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The word yātrā is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī in his commentary on the words pūjā-yātrotsavā-śritān in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.27.50), wherein he says, “The word yātrā refers to a special function performed by a large group of people, and the word utsava refers to festivals such as Vasanta.” Regarding the words mama parvānumodanam and sarva-vārṣika-parvasu in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.11.36-37) he says: “The word parva refers to festivals like Janmāṣṭamī and regular observances like Cāturmāsya and Ekādaśī.” And in his explanation on the word mahotsavāḥ in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.19.23) he says: “A mahotsava is a festival in which devotees chant and dance.”

Regarding the word mare: Foolish people who consider their bodies as themselves forget their worshipable Lord. In other words, due to ignorance of their relationship with the Lord, they do not endeavor to please Hari, guru, or Vaiṣṇava, rather they engage in various activities for pleasing their own senses and mind. Therefore they give up the service of Adhokṣaja, or the path of ultimate benefit, and accept the path of temporary enjoyment. They do not travel the path leading to Vaikuṇṭha, or immortality, rather they travel the path to hell, or material existence.

In this way they travel through various species and suffer unlimited miseries. The only duty of all living entities is to perform activities for the pleasure of Hari, guru and Vaiṣṇava. As stated in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.29.8): yān śraddhayācaran martyo mṛtyuṃ jayati durjayam—“by the execution of which a mortal human being will conquer unconquerable death.”

Also in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (2.1.4) Śrī Śukadeva speaks to Mahārāja Parīkṣit as follows: “Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the

problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.”

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (3.30.3-14, 18) Lord Kapiladeva speaks the following words to His mother, Devahūti: “The misguided materialist does not know that his very body is impermanent and that the attractions of home, land and wealth, which are in relationship to that body, are also temporary. Out of ignorance only, he thinks that everything is permanent. The living entity, in whatever species of life he appears, finds a particular type of satisfaction in that species, and he is never averse to being situated in such a condition. The conditioned living entity is satisfied in his own particular species of life; while deluded by the covering influence of the illusory energy, he feels little inclined to cast off his body, even when in hell, for he takes delight in hellish enjoyment. Such satisfaction with one’s standard of living is due to deep-rooted attraction for body, wife, home, children, animals, wealth and friends. In such association, the conditioned soul thinks himself quite perfect. Although he is always burning with anxiety, such a fool always performs all kinds of mischievous activities, with a hope which is never to be fulfilled, in order to maintain his so-called family and society. He gives heart and senses to a woman, who falsely charms him with māyā. He enjoys solitary embraces and talking with her, and he is enchanted by the sweet words of the small children. The attached householder remains in his family life, which is full of diplomacy and politics. Always spreading miseries and controlled by acts of sense gratification, he acts just to counteract the reactions of all his miseries, and if he can successfully counteract such miseries, he thinks that he is happy. He secures money by committing violence here and there, and although he employs it in the service of his family, he himself eats only a little portion of the food thus purchased, and he goes to hell for those for whom he earned the money in such an irregular way. When he suffers reverses in his occupation, he tries again and again to improve himself, but when he is baffled in all

attempts and is ruined, he accepts money from others because of excessive greed. Thus the unfortunate man, unsuccessful in maintaining his family members, is bereft of all beauty. He always thinks of his failure, grieving very deeply. Seeing him unable to support them, his wife and others do not treat him with the same respect as before, even as miserly farmers do not accord the same treatment to their old and worn- out oxen. The foolish family man does not become averse to family life although he is maintained by those whom he once maintained. Deformed by the influence of old age, he prepares himself to meet ultimate death.

Thus the man, who engaged with uncontrolled senses in maintaining a family, dies in great grief, seeing his relatives crying. He dies most pathetically, in great pain and without consciousness.”