Verse 1.13.173-174

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.13.173-174:

‘দিগ্বিজয করিব’,—বিদ্যার কার্য নহে ঈশ্বরে ভজিলে, সেই বিদ্যা ‘সত্য’ কহে মন দিযা বুঝ, দেহ ছাডিযা চলিলে ধন বা পৌরুষ সঙ্গে কিছু নাহি চলে ॥ ১৭৩-১৭৪ ॥

‘दिग्विजय करिब’,—विद्यार कार्य नहे ईश्वरे भजिले, सेइ विद्या ‘सत्य’ कहे मन दिया बुझ, देह छाडिया चलिले धन वा पौरुष सङ्गे किछु नाहि चले ॥ १७३-१७४ ॥

‘digvijaya kariba’,—vidyāra kārya nahe īśvare bhajile, sei vidyā ‘satya’ kahe mana diyā bujha, deha chāḍiyā calile dhana vā pauruṣa saṅge kichu nāhi cale || 173-174 ||

‘digvijaya kariba’,—vidyara karya nahe isvare bhajile, sei vidya ‘satya’ kahe mana diya bujha, deha chadiya calile dhana va paurusa sange kichu nahi cale (173-174)

English translation:

(173-174) “Conquering the world is not the proper use for knowledge, the proper use of knowledge is to worship the Supreme Lord. Try to understand, when one gives up his body, he cannot take wealth and reputation with him.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Because ordinary foolish people consider material knowledge and spiritual knowledge as one, or equal, they think that the bondage of material knowledge is the platform of knowledge. The living entities’ desire for digvijaya, or achieving victory over others, is born of false ego resulting from material knowledge. Vidyā, or knowledge, actually refers to the supreme service of Lord Viṣṇu, because wealth, physical strength, and good health do not follow a person at the time of death. A person who accepts material enjoyment as all in all utilizes his wealth, knowledge, and physical strength to increase his sense enjoyment, but after his death these material assets become most useless.