Verse 2.19.204

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.19.204:

তোমারে লঙ্ঘিযা যে শিবাদি-দেব ভজে বৃক্ষ-মূল কাটি’ যেন পল্লবেরে পূজে ॥ ২০৪ ॥

तोमारे लङ्घिया ये शिवादि-देव भजे वृक्ष-मूल काटि’ येन पल्लवेरे पूजे ॥ २०४ ॥

tomāre laṅghiyā ye śivādi-deva bhaje vṛkṣa-mūla kāṭi’ yena pallavere pūje || 204 ||

tomare langhiya ye sivadi-deva bhaje vrksa-mula kati’ yena pallavere puje (204)

English translation:

(204) “Worshiping the demigods headed by Śiva while disregarding You is like watering the leaves of a tree after cutting its root.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Being filled with pride and, according to viśiṣṭādvaita philosophy, being fallen from Viṣṇu’s devotional service, Śrīkara, Śrīkaṇṭha, the current Śaivites like Apyaya Dīkṣita, Māṇikya Bhāskara, and Jñāneśvara from the Liṇgāyet-sampradāya, as well as the ācāryas of the impersonal school have introduced a type of devotion to Śiva, yet because they have no knowledge of their constitutional position that same Mahādeva does not accept their worship and more or less entangles them in the philosophy of impersonalism and thus dispels their propensity for worship. Those who in the course of analyzing the science of the energetic Lord, which establishes the temporary nature of Viṣṇu’s partial manifestation, this material world, give up the service of Viṣṇu and worship the demigods headed by Śiva, who are in contact with matter and who belong to the external energy of Viṣṇu, do nothing more than uproot the tree while serving its leaves and branches. In this regard, one should discuss the verse beginning yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena [yathā taror mūla- niṣecanena, tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṃtathaiva sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā, “As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality.” (Bhāg. 4.31.14)] as well as the verses of Brahma-saṃhitā that describe the distinction between the essential characteristics of Viṣṇu and those of the five demigods.