Verse 2.18.149

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.18.149:

দেব-দ্রোহ করিলে কৃষ্ণের বড দুঃখ গণ-সহ কৃষ্ণ-পূজা করিলে সে সুখ ॥ ১৪৯ ॥

देव-द्रोह करिले कृष्णेर बड दुःख गण-सह कृष्ण-पूजा करिले से सुख ॥ १४९ ॥

deva-droha karile kṛṣṇera baḍa duḥkha gaṇa-saha kṛṣṇa-pūjā karile se sukha || 149 ||

deva-droha karile krsnera bada duhkha gana-saha krsna-puja karile se sukha (149)

English translation:

(149) Kṛṣṇa is unhappy when the demigods are offended. If one worships Kṛṣṇa along with His associates, He is pleased.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

According to the demigods’ respective qualifications, they are ideal examples for the living entities’ acts of enjoyment. Everyone wanders within the heavenly and earthly planets in accordance with the direction of Kṛṣṇa. They are motion pictures of Kṛṣṇa’s worship. If one serves Kṛṣṇa with His associates, Kṛṣṇa becomes particularly pleased. By becoming envious of heroes like the demigods and scenes that consist of false ego in the mode of goodness, one denies that they are related to the devotional service of Lord Viṣṇu. When after giving up the desire for material enjoyment one begs all living entities, including the demigods, for the service of Kṛṣṇa, then such natural prayers are devoid of all driving urges for material enjoyment. When living entities freed from the influence of mundane knowledge follow the examples of the Lord’s associates and their characteristics, they become liberated from material concepts. Such mahā-bhāgavatas are fully capable of pleasing Kṛṣṇa.

If after reading this verse one who is engaged in sense gratification dares to collect the ingredients for his own sense gratification from living entities like the demigods, Kṛṣṇa is not pleased. Persons who are intoxicated by material enjoyment pose as enjoyers to enjoy the demigods and human beings. Since this is averse to the service of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa becomes greatly unhappy. Knowing that demigod worship of this standard is simply cheating or hostile to the demigods, Kṛṣṇa cannot become pleased. Faith in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and freedom from faultfinding in petty matters are symptoms of a pure devotee. In devotional scriptures there is no prescription for indulgence in blasphemy, even when there is an opportunity; rather, indulgence when induced by such an opportunity is malicious. One should see the presence

of the Supreme Lord in all living entities, and one should consider the demigods as the Supreme Lord’s associates. In the Bhakti-sandarbha it is stated: “The different demigods like Ganeśa and Durgā that are mentioned in reference to worship of the Lord’s abode and associates are eternal associates of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha like Viṣvaksena and others.

Therefore they are not like the Ganeśa and Durgā of the material world. Demigods like Ganeśa and Durgā born of the material energy are different from them. It is stated (Bhāg. 2.9.10): na yatra māyā kim utāpare—`The illusory, external energy has no jurisdiction in Vaikuṇṭha, so what can be said of qualities like lust and greed?’ That is why those forms of Ganeśa and others are manifest from the spiritual energy of the Lord....The mundane Durgā is a portion of and under the control of Yogamāyā. This spiritual energy, Yogamāyā, has engaged Durgā of the material world as her maidservant and entrusted her with the service of protecting mantras [This Durgā hides mantras from anyone who after receiving initiation in kṛṣṇa-mantra does not chant that mantra, does not worship the predominating Deity of that mantra, or does not respect that mantra.], not as the predominating deity of service.” If one discusses these statements of Śrīmaj Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhu and verses 28 and 29 from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, Chapter Twenty-seven [nandaṃ sunandaṃ garuḍaṃ pracaṇḍaṃ caṇḍaṃ eva ca, mahābalaṃ balaṃ caiva kumudaṃ kamudekṣaṇam, durgāṃ vināyakaṃ vyāsaṃ viṣvakṣenaṃ gurūn surān, sve sve sthāne tv abhimukhān pūjayet prokṣaṇādibhiḥ, “One should worship the Lord’s associates Nanda and Sunanda, Garuḍa, Pracaṇḍa and Caṇḍa, Mahābala and Bala, and Kumuda and Kumudekṣaṇa. With offerings such as prokṣaṇa one should worship Durgā, Vināyaka, Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the spiritual masters and the various demigods. All these personalities should be in their proper places facing the Deity of the Lord.”], no doubts will remain in this regard.