Verse 2.23.98

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.23.98:

পরিধান-বস্ত্র নাহি, পেটে নাহি ভাত লোকেরে জানায, `ভাব হৈল আমা’ত’” ॥ ৯৮ ॥

परिधान-वस्त्र नाहि, पेटे नाहि भात लोकेरे जानाय, `भाव हैल आमा’त’” ॥ ९८ ॥

paridhāna-vastra nāhi, peṭe nāhi bhāta lokere jānāya, `bhāva haila āmā’ta’” || 98 ||

paridhana-vastra nahi, pete nahi bhata lokere janaya, `bhava haila ama’ta’” (98)

English translation:

(98) “He has no clothes to wear and no rice to eat, yet he advertises, `I am in ecstasy.’”

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Ordinary people think that if one wears fine clothes and acts civilized, he is “a good Vaiṣṇava,” and if one can earn a lot of money and eat palatable foods, he is “a Vaiṣṇava.” If one gives up the propensity for wearing fine clothes and eating palatable foods, then by the influence of his higher thinking, he can become eligible for the service of the Supreme Lord.

This is the verdict of the śāstras. Therefore poverty-stricken people display artificial love of God to achieve respect from ordinary people. Taking advantage of their state of poverty, they identify themselves as devotees situated in bhāva-bhakti, the first stage of love of Godhead. If those hypocrites who artificially identify themselves as advanced attribute blasphemy on the shoulders of the Lord’s devotees, they become touched by sin.