Verse 1.17.151

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.17.151:

সর্ব-বৈষ্ণবের পা’যে মোর নমস্কার ইথে অপরাধ কিছু নহুক আমার ॥ ১৫১ ॥

सर्व-वैष्णवेर पा’ये मोर नमस्कार इथे अपराध किछु नहुक आमार ॥ १५१ ॥

sarva-vaiṣṇavera pā’ye mora namaskāra ithe aparādha kichu nahuka āmāra || 151 ||

sarva-vaisnavera pa’ye mora namaskara ithe aparadha kichu nahuka amara (151)

English translation:

(151) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of all the Vaiṣṇavas, so that they may not consider my offenses.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

“Accepting subordination to all Vaiṣṇavas, I am humbly offering obeisances and praying at their lotus feet that they may not consider my offenses.” Without understanding the purport of pure devotional service, the prākṛta-sahajiyās, who are so-called devotees, consider themselves devotees or Vaiṣṇavas; but since they are either material enjoyers or pseudo renunciates, they are situated far away from nonduplicitous devotional service. Therefore, rather than achieving the service of Viṣṇu, they enjoy Viṣṇu’s illusory energy and mistakenly accept this as service to Viṣṇu. By using the phrase sarva-vaiṣṇava in this verse, Vaiṣṇava ācārya Ṭhākura Vṛndāvana did not refer to pseudo devotees, atheists, or

prākṛta-sahajiyās. He has taught everyone to accept subordination to the Vaiṣṇavas.

āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī, gaurāṅga-nāgarī

totā kahe, ei tera’ra saṅga nāhi kari

“One should avoid associating with the thirteen different classes of imitation devotees known as āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi, ativāḍi, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga- nāgari.” These thirteen types of apa-sampradāyas opposed to Gaura’s teachings and identified by an ancient mahājana cannot be called pure Vaiṣṇavas, because they are purely non-Vaiṣṇava. Giving up their bad association and accepting subordination of pure Vaiṣṇavas has been indicated in this verse. If one offensively thinks that the word sarva- vaiṣṇava has been used at this place out of humility to indicate all human beings, then it is to be understood that such a foolish person is overwhelmed by the illusory energy of Viṣṇu and qualified to receive the title of asura, or “demon.” All living entities are by nature Vaiṣṇavas, but the mind’s restlessness and the gross body’s sinful activities, which are born from the bodily concept of life, are not included in the pure nonduplicitous principles of Vaiṣṇavism. Acceptance of subordination to the pure Vaiṣṇavas and encouraging vaiṣṇava-aparādha born from the external enjoying propensity are never the same.