Verse 1.12.196-197

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.12.196-197:

প্রভু বোলে,—“যে তোমার পোতা ধন আছে সে থাকুক এখনে, পাইব তাহা পাছে এবে কলা, মূলা, থোড দেহ কডি-বিনে দিলে, আমি কন্দল না করি তোমা’ সনে” ॥ ১৯৬-১৯৭ ॥

प्रभु बोले,—“ये तोमार पोता धन आछे से थाकुक एखने, पाइब ताहा पाछे एबे कला, मूला, थोड देह कडि-विने दिले, आमि कन्दल ना करि तोमा’ सने” ॥ १९६-१९७ ॥

prabhu bole,—“ye tomāra potā dhana āche se thākuka ekhane, pāiba tāhā pāche ebe kalā, mūlā, thoḍa deha kaḍi-vine dile, āmi kandala nā kari tomā’ sane” || 196-197 ||

prabhu bole,—“ye tomara pota dhana ache se thakuka ekhane, paiba taha pache ebe kala, mula, thoda deha kadi-vine dile, ami kandala na kari toma’ sane” (196-197)

English translation:

(196-197) The Lord said, “Let your hidden treasure remain for now. I’ll take that later. For now, give Me some bananas, banana flowers, and banana stalks free of charge. Then I won’t argue with you.”

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

In answer to this, the Lord said, “At present I do not want the spiritual

wealth that you possess. I am only trying to take a portion of your external wealth. I will accept spiritual service from you after some time. For now, relieve My needs with your service as a sādhaka. As a spiritual master, I am the worshipable object of sādhana-bhakti. So for now I will accept a portion of your ordinary wealth as an offering.” In the Śrī Nārada Pañcarātra it is stated:

surarṣe vihitā śāstre harim uddiśya yā kriyā saiva bhaktir iti proktā tayā bhaktiḥ parā bhavet

“O sage amongst the demigods, Nārada, those activities prescribed in the revealed scriptures for satsifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari, are called the regulative principles of bhakti, (sādhana- bhakti), by practicing which one may attain the highest bhakti (prema).” Some people who are intoxicated by material existence think, “Whatever activities we must perform in this life, or the duties that are prescribed in this world by the nīti-śāstras, must be totally followed as long as we have a human body. Apart from these duties there is no need for performing devotional service to the Supreme Lord, because the Absolute Truth is neither a product of this material world nor perceivable by the senses, rather the Absolute Truth is just the opposite. Therefore as long as we are alive we will remain fruitive enjoyers, and our only perpetual occupation will be to enjoy the fruits of our karma. Service to the Supreme Lord is not our occupation; we will think about this in the next world or after death.” But they do not know that the material objects that we see are diametrically incompatible with each other. Both propensities—service and enjoyment—are present in every object, either in manifest or unmanifest form. If someone partially manifests a attitude for enjoying the object of worship, no one should count his service attitude on the same level as those with a pure service attitude. To consider the object of worship as the ideal object of enjoyment is totally reprehensible. When a worshiper is self-realized, then his worship is purified, his perception of the worshipable object is purified, and the ingredients he offers in

worship are purified. Though many rituals in the process of worship appear incongruous from the external point of view, if one’s intelligence for understanding the purport and essence of the śrutis is awakened, then he can appreciate unalloyed devotional service, which is situated beyond material enjoyment and renunciation. Some persons who accept material enjoyment as the goal of life think that all objects of this visible world are unfit for the service of the Lord and are simply meant for the enjoyment of the living entities—in other words, they are not ingredients for the service of the Lord—for the proper utility of all objects is to increase the living entities’ thirst for sense enjoyment, not to be engaged in the service of the Lord. But Śrī Gaurasundara said, “All objects can be seen in relationship to Kṛṣṇa. If the living entities simply give up their attachment for sense gratification, then such vision is possible. If one renounces objects that are related to Kṛṣṇa, considering them mundane, then he is misusing his renunciation. Actually, the purpose of renunciation is to give up attachment for matter and engage the mind in the Supreme Lord.”