Verse 2.18.21

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.18.21:

শেষে প্রভু কথা-খানি করিলেন দঢ শুনিযা হৈল সবে বিষাদিত বড ॥ ২১ ॥

शेषे प्रभु कथा-खानि करिलेन दढ शुनिया हैल सबे विषादित बड ॥ २१ ॥

śeṣe prabhu kathā-khāni karilena daḍha śuniyā haila sabe viṣādita baḍa || 21 ||

sese prabhu katha-khani karilena dadha suniya haila sabe visadita bada (21)

English translation:

(21) But then when they heard the Lord’s strict order, they became filled with lamentation.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

To test the intelligence of the materialists by proposing to dance in the dress of Lakṣmī, Śrī Gaurasundara revealed that the mental speculators have no qualification to realize the variegated pastimes of the transcendental Lord. Those who in illusion consider themselves enjoyers and the women of this world as objects of enjoyment follow in the footsteps of Rāvaṇa by maintaining the sinful desire to become the husband of Sītā. The service of Lakṣmī is the highest principle of Vaiṣṇavism. Those who rather than serving Lakṣmī attempt to become “master of Lakṣmī” while proudly considering themselves “enjoyers” are not even qualified to become servants of Lakṣmī on the path of awe and veneration, what to speak of becoming qualified to serve the Lord in mādhurya-rasa, or conjugal love. Whenever Śrī Gaurasundara displays the pastimes of His internal potencies, realization that He is directly Lord Kṛṣṇa is obstructed. Those who desire to enjoy Gaura as His consorts proudly consider Gaurasundara as simply the object of their enjoyment.