Verse 2.21.12

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.21.12:

সর্ব-ভূত-হৃদয—জানযে সর্ব-তত্ত্ব নাশুনযে ব্যাখ্যা ভক্তি-যোগের মহত্ত্ব ॥ ১২ ॥

सर्व-भूत-हृदय—जानये सर्व-तत्त्व नाशुनये व्याख्या भक्ति-योगेर महत्त्व ॥ १२ ॥

sarva-bhūta-hṛdaya—jānaye sarva-tattva nāśunaye vyākhyā bhakti-yogera mahattva || 12 ||

sarva-bhuta-hrdaya—janaye sarva-tattva nasunaye vyakhya bhakti-yogera mahattva (12)

English translation:

(12) Being situated in the hearts of all living entities, the Lord knows everything. He did not hear the glories of devotional service in that recitation.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Śrī Yamunācārya has written that nondevotees are naturally offensive to the Supreme Lord and the devotees of the Lord. In the consideration of nāma-aparādha, it is also found that conditioned souls are unable to realize the Supreme Lord or themselves if they are offensive to saintly Vaiṣṇavas. Because of committing offenses, a living entity is overcome

by ignorance. That is why even though the living entity is not responsible, his ignorance is. Many foolish people consider Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes to be mythical and their temporary imagination to be “authentic.” When they become free from offenses, they attain deliverance from direct sensual (pratyakṣa) and hypothetical (anumāna) mundane understanding by accepting Kṛṣṇa as the only authority (pramāṇa). In this regard one should discuss the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam verse beginning naiṣāṃ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṃ [naiṣāṃ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṃ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥmahīyasāṃ pāda-

rajo-’bhiṣekaṃniṣkiñcanānāṃ na vṛṇīta yāvat, “Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination. (Bhāg. 7.5.31)].

Sitting in the hearts of all living entities, Lord Śrī Gaurahari is aware of everything. Lord Gaurasundara is fully aware of the insignificance of processes like karma-yoga, haṭha-yoga, jñāna-yoga, and rāja-yoga, and in order to spread the glories of bhakti-yoga in this world and to bestow the highest benediction on the living entities, He has revealed these topics. He therefore never approved of any topics that did not glorify devotional service.