Verse 2.1.398-399

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.1.398-399:

সে বিদ্যা-বিলাস দেখিলেন যে যে জন তাঙ্রে ও দেখিলে হয বন্ধ-বিমোচন হৈলুঙ্ পাপিষ্ঠ,—জন্ম না হৈল তখনে হৈলাঙ বঞ্চিত সে সুখ-দরশনে ॥ ৩৯৮-৩৯৯ ॥

से विद्या-विलास देखिलेन ये ये जन ताङ्रे ओ देखिले हय बन्ध-विमोचन हैलुङ् पापिष्ठ,—जन्म ना हैल तखने हैलाङ वञ्चित से सुख-दरशने ॥ ३९८-३९९ ॥

se vidyā-vilāsa dekhilena ye ye jana tāṅre o dekhile haya bandha-vimocana hailuṅ pāpiṣṭha,—janma nā haila takhane hailāṅa vañcita se sukha-daraśane || 398-399 ||

se vidya-vilasa dekhilena ye ye jana tanre o dekhile haya bandha-vimocana hailun papistha,—janma na haila takhane hailana vancita se sukha-darasane (398-399)

English translation:

(398-399) Just by seeing those who saw the Lord’s scholastic pastimes, one is freed from material bondage. I am such a sinner that I did not take birth at that time, therefore I was deprived of the sight of those blissful pastimes.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

If one sees the pure liberated devotees who were fortunate enough to see the scholastic pastimes of Gaurasundara, who is the life of all transcendental knowledge, the husband of the transcendental goddess of

learning, and the personification of transcendental sound, then such a person becomes forever freed from the propensity of enjoyment, which is born of ignorance. Later on, Śrīla Ṭhākura Narottama also wrote in his Prārthanā:

se-saba saṅgīra saṅge ye koilo vilāsa se-saṅga nā pāiyā kānde narottama dāsa

“Being unable to obtain the association of Lord Gaurāṅga accompanied by all of these devotees in whose association He performed His pastimes, Narottama dāsa simply weeps.”

yakhana gaura-nityānanda, advaitādi bhakta-vṛnda, nadīyā-nagare avatāra

takhana nā haila janma, ebe dehe kibā karma, michā-mātra vahi phiri bhāra

“I did not take birth at that time when Gaura, Nityānanda, Advaita, and other devotees appeared in Nadia. What is the use of my birth now? I am uselessly carrying the burden of this body.”