Verse 1.12.241

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.12.241:

এই-মত ঈশ্বরের সর্ব-শ্রেষ্ঠ-কর্ম সবে সেবকেরে হারে, সে তাহান ধর্ম ॥ ২৪১ ॥

एइ-मत ईश्वरेर सर्व-श्रेष्ठ-कर्म सबे सेवकेरे हारे, से ताहान धर्म ॥ २४१ ॥

ei-mata īśvarera sarva-śreṣṭha-karma sabe sevakere hāre, se tāhāna dharma || 241 ||

ei-mata isvarera sarva-srestha-karma sabe sevakere hare, se tahana dharma (241)

English translation:

(241) The activities of the Lord are supreme in all respects, but it is His nature to accept defeat at the hands of His devotees.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The activities of the supreme controller, īśvarera karma, are always superior to the activities of the controlled. The former are transcendental and incomparable and therefore matchless, eternal, and relishable, while the latter are mundane, or worldly, incomplete, abominable, and temporary. But since the characteristics of those who are controlled by love of God are even more relishable than those of the controller, their characteristics are capable of defeating those of the controller. In the Padma Purāṇa it is stated:

ārādhanānāṃ sarveṣāṃ viṣṇor ārādhanaṃ param tasmāt parataraṃ devi tadīyānāṃ samarcanam

“Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaiṣṇava.”