Verse 2.21.20

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.21.20:

ভক্তি বিনু ভাগবত যে আর বাখানে প্রভু বলে,—“সে অধম কিছুই না জানে ॥ ২০ ॥

भक्ति विनु भागवत ये आर वाखाने प्रभु बले,—“से अधम किछुइ ना जाने ॥ २० ॥

bhakti vinu bhāgavata ye āra vākhāne prabhu bale,—“se adhama kichui nā jāne || 20 ||

bhakti vinu bhagavata ye ara vakhane prabhu bale,—“se adhama kichui na jane (20)

English translation:

(20) Regarding one who explains Śrīmad Bhāgavatam without referring to devotional service, the Lord says, “That rascal doesn’t know a thing.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Whenever the Absolute Truth is the monists’ object of knowledge, oneness of the three—knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the knower—becomes their main priority. The yogis try to achieve kaivalya, or merging into the existence of the Lord, by trying to unite with Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. This is not the case with devotees of the Lord. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam there are descriptions about the Lord’s pastimes, transcendental qualities, forms, and names. The eternally liberated

devotees of the Lord, the devotees who have achieved liberation through sādhana, and the servants of the Lord who are engaged in devotional service do not consider anything other than the eternal service of the Supreme Lord as the goal of life. Therefore Śrīmad Bhāgavatam contains nothing other than topics regarding the eternal servants’ service to the Lord. The aim of the Lord was to reveal this. Those who find in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam something other than eternal service to the Lord are understood to be extremely foolish.