Verse 1.17.5-6

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.17.5-6:

চতুর্-দিকে পাষণ্ড বাডযে গুরুতর ‘ভক্তি-যোগ’ নাম হৈল শুনিতে দুষ্কর মিথ্যা-রসে দেখি’ অতি লোকের আদর ভক্ত-সব দুঃখ বড ভাবেন অন্তর ॥ ৫-৬ ॥

चतुर्-दिके पाषण्ड बाडये गुरुतर ‘भक्ति-योग’ नाम हैल शुनिते दुष्कर मिथ्या-रसे देखि’ अति लोकेर आदर भक्त-सब दुःख बड भावेन अन्तर ॥ ५-६ ॥

catur-dike pāṣaṇḍa bāḍaye gurutara ‘bhakti-yoga’ nāma haila śunite duṣkara mithyā-rase dekhi’ ati lokera ādara bhakta-saba duḥkha baḍa bhāvena antara || 5-6 ||

catur-dike pasanda badaye gurutara ‘bhakti-yoga’ nama haila sunite duskara mithya-rase dekhi’ ati lokera adara bhakta-saba duhkha bada bhavena antara (5-6)

English translation:

(5-6) As the number of atheists increased in Navadvīpa, it became difficult to even hear the mention of devotional service. The devotees were all distressed to see that people were simply attached to illusory pleasures.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

At that time, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa situated in pure goodness were extremely rare in the world. Since due to aversion to Kṛṣṇa, many persons were engaged in deceitful, envious, sinful, abominable activities, they were unable to understand the glories of pure devotional service and considered their imaginary processes based on their own respective tastes as topmost. Therefore they took shelter of nondevotional paths and became averse to devotional service. Since ordinary foolish people were covered by sense gratification, fruitive activities, mental speculation, mystic yoga, and austerities, they did not relish topics of pure devotional service in their polluted hearts. Therefore they all became opposed to the propagation of devotional service to the Lord.

Ordinary mundane people were extremely intoxicated by drinking the viṣaya-viṣṭhā-rasa, the stool-like mellows of material enjoyment. Seeing that they were averse to drinking the sac-cid-ānanda-kṛṣṇa-rasa, the eternally, cognizant, blissful mellows of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and busy collecting temporary anarthas devoid of nectar, the devotees of the Lord were always greatly distressed and desired such persons’ eternal benefit. Aside from the devotees, all the nondevotees simply spent their time uselessly envying each other. Seeing the pathetic condition of the godless people, only the devotees felt distress in their hearts and prayed to the Lord for such persons’ eternal benefit. For a description of the situation at that particular time, one should refer to the purport of verse 308 of the

previous chapter.