Verse 2.5.68

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.5.68:

কে বুঝযে ঈশ্বরের চরিত্র অখণ্ড কেনে ভাঙ্গিলেন নিজ কমণ্ডলু-দণ্ড ॥ ৬৮ ॥

के बुझये ईश्वरेर चरित्र अखण्ड केने भाङ्गिलेन निज कमण्डलु-दण्ड ॥ ६८ ॥

ke bujhaye īśvarera caritra akhaṇḍa kene bhāṅgilena nija kamaṇḍalu-daṇḍa || 68 ||

ke bujhaye isvarera caritra akhanda kene bhangilena nija kamandalu-danda (68)

English translation:

(68) Who can understand the unlimited characteristics of the Supreme Lord? Why did He break His daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu?

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Various persons have various ideas about why Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu broke His daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu. But we have to consider the degree of consistency between the imagination of ordinary people and the real purpose of Nityānanda Prabhu. Some people say that there is no need for rules and symbols in the worship of the Lord and that these are actually impediments on the path of rāga, or attachment. Others say that if an unqualified person breaks the rules and symbols, considering them obstacles on the path of rāga, he will simply create disturbances. It is stated:

śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi- pañcarātra-vidhiṃ vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate

“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” Since the acceptance of brahmacārī symbols by an avadhūta paramahaṃsa like Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu from a sannyāsī on the regulative platform will create various speculations unfavorable to devotional service, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, who is beyond all rules and regulations of varṇāśrama, eliminated those insignificant formalities. But those who due to absorption in matter try to imitate and expand their own glories by engaging in activities beyond their qualification can never achieve any auspiciousness by such acts. All unqualified persons are not qualified. In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.33.30) it is stated:

naitat samācarej jātu manasāpi hy anīśvaraḥ vinaśyaty ācaran mauḍhyād yathārudro ‘bdhi-jaṃ viṣam

“One who is not a great controller should never imitate the behavior of ruling personalities, even mentally. If out of foolishness an ordinary person does imitate such behavior, he will simply destroy himself, just as a person who is not Rudra would destroy himself if he tried to drink an ocean of poison.” One should be careful not to disregard this instruction. Elsewhere in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.14.21) it is stated:

ko vetti bhūman bhagavan parātman yogeśvarotīr bhavatas tri-lokyām kva vā kathaṃ vā kati vā kadeti vistārayan krīḍasi yoga-māyām

“O supreme great one! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! O Supersoul, master of all mystic power! Your pastimes are taking place continuously in these three worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are employing Your spiritual energy and performing these innumerable

pastimes? No one can understand the mystery of how Your spiritual energy acts.”