Verse 1.16.287

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.16.287:

জিহ্বা পাইঞাও নর-বিনা সর্ব-প্রাণী না পারে বলিতে কৃষ্ণ-নাম-হেন ধ্বনি ॥ ২৮৭ ॥

जिह्वा पाइञाओ नर-विना सर्व-प्राणी ना पारे बलिते कृष्ण-नाम-हेन ध्वनि ॥ २८७ ॥

jihvā pāiñāo nara-vinā sarva-prāṇī nā pāre balite kṛṣṇa-nāma-hena dhvani || 287 ||

jihva painao nara-vina sarva-prani na pare balite krsna-nama-hena dhvani (287)

English translation:

(287) “Although all living entities have a tongue, only the human beings are

able to chant the names of Kṛṣṇa.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Apart from human beings, all other living entities also have tongues. Yet even though they are able to make various sounds, no living entity other than a human being is able to chant the names of Kṛṣṇa. Some people may say, “The birds can also imitate making sounds like the name of Kṛṣṇa, and as a result they can also attain a higher destination such as liberation.” In reply to this, it may be said that imitating and following are two completely separate activities. Although the imitators may make various sounds perceivable to senses in the material sky as the name of Kṛṣṇa, they are not uttering with service inclined tongues the pure holy name of Kṛṣṇa situated in the spiritual sky and perceivable to purified senses. The materially motivated sounds resembling the holy names that are uttered for the purpose of material enjoyment that is unrelated to Kṛṣṇa are not vaikuṇṭha-nāma, or spiritual names. Since such sounds are able to award insignificant results, they are simply known as nāma- aparādha, or offenses to the holy names, and as such they cannot awaken one’s love for Kṛṣṇa, which is the fruit of chanting the pure names.