Verse 3.4.423

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 3.4.423:

`জ্ঞানী যোগী তপস্বী সন্ন্যাসী’ খ্যাতি যার কার মুখে নাহি দাস্য-মহিমা-প্রচার ॥ ৪২৩ ॥

`ज्ञानी योगी तपस्वी सन्न्यासी’ ख्याति यार कार मुखे नाहि दास्य-महिमा-प्रचार ॥ ४२३ ॥

`jñānī yogī tapasvī sannyāsī’ khyāti yāra kāra mukhe nāhi dāsya-mahimā-pracāra || 423 ||

`jnani yogi tapasvi sannyasi’ khyati yara kara mukhe nahi dasya-mahima-pracara (423)

English translation:

(423) Even those renowned as jñānīs, yogis, ascetics, and sannyāsīs never spoke about the glories of service to the Lord.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

People who were intoxicated by material life considered that by worshiping Maṅgala-caṇḍī and singing her glories they had attained the highest platform of religious principles and pious activities. They took great pride in the service of Viṣahari and Ṣaṣṭhī; in other words, they considered their service as equal to the service of the Supreme Lord, and in this way they propagated their learned stature. Some of them worshiped the demons and Daityas to increase their wealth and family

and to fulfill their material desires. Some of them glorified their temporary fruitive activities by praising the activities of the best of the yogis, the best of the sense enjoyers, and the best of the rulers. The most pious people chanted the names of Puṇḍarīkākṣa and Govinda only at the time of taking bath. People intoxicated with material life would never discuss the glorification of Kṛṣṇa, Vaiṣṇavas, or the purpose of Kṛṣṇa’s variegated pastimes. On seeing such abominable behavior of the materialistic people, Śrī Mādhavendra became particularly unhappy.

Mādhavendra Purī did not even try to converse with the best of sannyāsīs who proudly claimed to be Nārāyaṇa. He merged in an ocean of distress because he saw that the people of the entire world were devoid of devotional service. Although he introduced the performance of congregationally glorifying Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with the desire to deliver such people, they could not understand his intention. The so-called jñānīs, yogis, ascetics, and sannyāsīs could not understand the glories of devotional service to the Supreme Lord.