Verse 2.17.19

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.17.19:

নগরে হৈল কিবা পাষণ্ডি-সম্ভাষ এই বা কারণে নহে প্রেম-পরকাশ ॥ ১৯ ॥

नगरे हैल किबा पाषण्डि-सम्भाष एइ वा कारणे नहे प्रेम-परकाश ॥ १९ ॥

nagare haila kibā pāṣaṇḍi-sambhāṣa ei vā kāraṇe nahe prema-parakāśa || 19 ||

nagare haila kiba pasandi-sambhasa ei va karane nahe prema-parakasa (19)

English translation:

(19) “Am I not feeling ecstasy because I talked to some atheists in the city today?

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

In the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, Chapters Ninety-two and Ninety- three, the word pāṣaṇḍī, or atheist, is described as follows:

ye ‘nyaṃ devaṃ paratvena vadanty ajñāna-mohitāḥ nārāyaṇaj jagan-nāthāt te vai pāṣaṇḍinas tathā

“Those who consider demigods like Brahmā and Śiva as the Supreme Lord rather than Śrī Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of the entire universe, are certainly pāṣaṇḍīs.

kapāla-bhasmāsthi-dharā ye hy avaidika-liṅgin aḥṛte vana-sthāśramāc ca jaṭā-valkala-dhāriṇaḥa vaidika-kriyopetās te vai pāṣaṇḍinas tathā

“Those who decorate their foreheads with ashes from the crematorium, those who carry the bones of dead bodies, those who wear non-Vedic signs, those who keep matted hair or wear tree bark although they are not vānaprasthas, and those who are attached to non-Vedic activities are certainly pāṣaṇḍīs.

śaṅkha-cakrordhva-puṇḍrādi cihnaiḥ priyatamair hareḥrahitā ye dvijā devi te vai pāṣaṇḍinaḥ smṛtāḥ

“O goddess Pārvatī, those brāhmaṇas who do not decorate their arms with the marks of the conch and disc and do not decorate their foreheads with the mark of tilaka, which are most dear to Śrī Hari, are certainly pāṣaṇḍīs.

śruti-smṛty uditācāraṃ yas tu nācarati dvijaḥsamasta-yajña-bhoktāraṃ viṣṇuṃ brahmaṇya-daivataṃ

uddiśya devatā eva juhoti ca dadāti ca

sa pāṣaṇḍīti vijñeyaḥ svatantraś cāpi karmasu

“Brāhmaṇas who do not act according to the injunctions of the śrutis and smṛtis, who offer oblations to demigods like Indra rather than to Śrī Viṣṇu, the only enjoyer of all sacrifices and the Lord of the brāhmaṇas, and who disregard Viṣṇu and establish fruitive activities as an independent process for attaining the goal of life are certainly pāṣaṇḍīs.

yas tu nārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ samatvenaiva vīkṣeta sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

“One who considers the great demigods such as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa is a pāṣaṇḍī.

avasthā-tritaye yas tu mano-vāk-kāya-karmabhiḥ vāsudevaṃ na jānāti sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dvijaḥ

“Those who do not realize Vāsudeva, the Supersoul of all, by their mind, body, and activities during the states of wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep are certainly pāṣaṇḍīs.

avaiṣṇavas tu yo vipraḥ saḥ pāṣaṇḍa prakīrtitaḥ

“Any brāhmaṇa who is not a Vaiṣṇava is declared by the śāstras to be a pāṣaṇḍī.” In the Padma Purāṇa, Kriyā-yoga, Chapter Ten it is further stated:

yo veda-sammataṃ kāryaṃ tyaktvānyat karma kurvate nijācāra-vihīnā ye pāṣaṇḍās te prakīrtitāḥ

“Those who give up the worship of the Supreme Lord that is based on Vedic injunctions and indulge in nondevotional activities as well as those

who are devoid of the proper behavior received through disciplic succession are called pāṣaṇḍīs by the śāstras.” In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (4.2.28) it is stated:

bhava-vrata-dharā ye ca ye ca tān samanuvratāḥ pāṣaṇḍinas te bhavantu sac-chāstra-paripanthinaḥ

“One who takes a vow to satisfy Lord Śiva or who follows such principles will certainly become an atheist and be diverted from transcendental scriptural injunctions.”