Verse Text
ity eṣa bhakti-rasikaś caurād iva mahā-nidhiḥ |
jaran-mīmāṁsakād rakṣyaḥ kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasaḥ sadā ||130||
Translation
Just as one very carefully protects a great treasure from thieves, the devotees protect bhakti-rasa from the withered mīmāṁsakas, since they are totally unqualified for relishing bhakti.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Since all the mīmāṁsakas are particularly devoid of tasting bhakti (indicated by the word iti), kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa is especially hidden from them. The verse also means that, to varying degrees, bhakti-rasa is also hidden by the devotees from the false renunciates, the dried up jṣānīs and logicians. These persons are compared to thieves in order to indicate that they are excluded from bhakti-rasa just as one avoids thieves, and not to indicate that they have greed for stealing bhakti-rasa. Instead of caurād iva (from thieves) sometimes vahner iva (from fire) is seen.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī advises, therefore, that devotees who have already tasted the nectar of devotion be very careful to protect devotional service from such dry speculators, formal ritualistic elevationists and impersonal salvationists. Devotees should protect their valuable jewel of spiritual love from the clutches of thieves and burglars. In other words, a pure devotee should not describe devotional service and its different analytical aspects to dry speculators and false renouncers.