Verse 1.17.8

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.17.8:

নিরবধি বৈষ্ণব-সবেরে দুষ্ট-গণে নিন্দা করি’ বুলে, তাহা শুনেন আপনে ॥ ৮ ॥

निरवधि वैष्णव-सबेरे दुष्ट-गणे निन्दा करि’ बुले, ताहा शुनेन आपने ॥ ८ ॥

niravadhi vaiṣṇava-sabere duṣṭa-gaṇe nindā kari’ bule, tāhā śunena āpane || 8 ||

niravadhi vaisnava-sabere dusta-gane ninda kari’ bule, taha sunena apane (8)

English translation:

(8) He heard how the miscreants were constantly blaspheming the Vaiṣṇavas.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Śrī Gaurasundara is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the cause of all causes. All living entities are His devotees and controlled subordinate servants. Therefore, on seeing the pathetic sinful propensities, the lack of friendship, and the miserable condition of His servants, resulting from one servant being envious of another servant, His compassion was aroused. The devotees are never envious of other living entities, rather the nondevotees are envious of the devotees. That is why Lord Śrī Gaurasundara, who is affectionate to His devotees, continued to hear about the criticism and torture of the pure devotees by the godless

nondevotees, who had forgotten their constitutional position. In spite of hearing the blasphemy of His devotees, He had not yet manifest Himself before the eyes of the public as the only protector and maintainer of the devotees.