Verse 1.16.298

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.16.298:

যেবা পাপী সভাসদ্, সেহ পাপ-মতি উচিত উত্তর কিছু না করিল ইথি ॥ ২৯৮ ॥

येबा पापी सभासद्, सेह पाप-मति उचित उत्तर किछु ना करिल इथि ॥ २९८ ॥

yebā pāpī sabhāsad, seha pāpa-mati ucita uttara kichu nā karila ithi || 298 ||

yeba papi sabhasad, seha papa-mati ucita uttara kichu na karila ithi (298)

English translation:

(298) The sinful members of that assembly were all wicked-minded. They neither supported the authorized statements of Haridāsa nor did they protest the offensive words of the brāhmaṇa.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Those sociable persons who support and encourage sinful persons with loose-character are also sinful. What to speak of supporting the scriptural based statements of Ṭhākura Haridāsa, the members of that assembly neither supported the scriptural based statements of Haridāsa nor protested the unpalatable words of that atheistic fallen brāhmaṇa. If in spite of being born in a brāhmaṇa family a person becomes averse to the worship of Hari, which is his prescribed brahminical duty, then he is called a rākṣasa, or demon. When sinful persons who are averse to the prescribed brahminical duties give up the service of Hari, which is their only duty, then they fall from their position and become rākṣasas. Some people call such persons brāhmaṇa-bruva—“so-called brāhmaṇas” or brāhmaṇādhama—“fallen brāhmaṇas.” After death such persons receive profuse punishment from Yamarāja, and in this life they fall from their brahminical position.