Verse 1.11.54

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.11.54:

কেহ বোলে,—“জ্ঞান-যোগ এডিযা বিচার উদ্ধতের প্রায নৃত্য,—এ কোন্ ব্যভার?” ॥ ৫৪ ॥

केह बोले,—“ज्ञान-योग एडिया विचार उद्धतेर प्राय नृत्य,—ए कोन् व्यभार?” ॥ ५४ ॥

keha bole,—“jñāna-yoga eḍiyā vicāra uddhatera prāya nṛtya,—e kon vyabhāra?” || 54 ||

keha bole,—“jnana-yoga ediya vicara uddhatera praya nrtya,—e kon vyabhara?” (54)

English translation:

(54) Another said, “They have given up the cultivation of knowledge to dance like madmen. What kind of behavior is this?”

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Speculating on impersonal Brahman is called jñāna. The impersonalists conclude that this jñāna is the goal of life. Objects that are used as ingredients for the sense gratification of conditioned souls who are averse to Kṛṣṇa are known as viṣaya, or sense objects. To remain indifferent to such objects, or to restrain one’s mind from these objects, is called yoga. Persons who are following the philosophy of monism consider merging into Brahman or merging with the Lord as the ultimate goal of the living entities. Their sādhana is also based on impersonal Vedānta and aṣṭāṅga- yoga-śāstras. The devotional service of the Lord, however, never

produces such abominable and unpalatable temporary deceit. The restlessness that is found in persons who are inclined to the service of the Lord is not due to sense gratification. But since the impersonalists and yogis are situated on the platform of narrow-mindedness, they are unable to understand the endeavors of the Lord’s devotees. This is confirmed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.2.40) in the following words: “When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord, who is very dear to him, he is agitated and loudly chants the holy name. He also laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants like a madman, not caring for outsiders.”

In the consideration of abhidheya, temporary sādhanas followed by the jñānīs and yogis are not accepted by the devotees. They know activities favorable to the service of eternally liberated souls as abhidheya- sādhana-bhakti. This does not mean that the sense gratification on the pretext of the duplicitous artificial hearing, chanting, dancing, and playing instruments of the āulas, bāulas, kartābhajās, sahajiyās, sakhībhekīs, smārtas, and ativāḍis is approved as sādhana, or the cultivation of pure devotional service.