Devanagari
बाध्यमानोऽपि मद्भक्तो विषयैरजितेन्द्रिय: ।
प्राय: प्रगल्भया भक्त्या विषयैर्नाभिभूयते ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
bādhyamāno ’pi mad-bhakto
viṣayair ajitendriyaḥ
prāyaḥ pragalbhayā bhaktyā
viṣayair nābhibhūyate
Synonyms
bādhyamānaḥ
—
being harassed
;
api
—
even though
;
mat
—
bhaktaḥ — My devotee
;
viṣayaiḥ
—
by the sense objects
;
ajita
—
without having conquered
;
indriyaḥ
—
the senses
;
prāyaḥ
—
generally
;
pragalbhayā
—
effective and strong
;
bhaktyā
—
by devotion
;
viṣayaiḥ
—
by sense gratification
;
na
—
not
;
abhibhūyate
—
is defeated .
Translation
My dear Uddhava, if My devotee has not fully conquered his senses, he may be harassed by material desires, but because of his unflinching devotion for Me, he will not be defeated by sense gratification.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
If my devotee has not fully conquered his senses, he may be harassed by material desires, but because of his generally strong bhakti, he will not be defeated by sense gratification.
Putting aside the topic of the devotee who has developed bhāva, the devotee at the beginning of bhakti is also successful. By bhakti which is generally strong, what to speak of bhakti which is very strong, the devotee cannot be overcome by material enjoyment. The words also suggest the following.
Just as a jṣānī who commits a sinful act will be criticized, his position as a jṣānī is denied.
yas tv asaṁyata-ṣaḍ-vargaḥ pracaṇḍendriya-sārathiḥ
jṣāna-vairāgya-rahitas tri-daṇḍam upajīvati
surān ātmānam ātma-sthaṁ nihnute māṁ ca dharma-hā
avipakva-kaṣāyo ’smād amuṣmāc ca vihīyate
One who has not controlled the six forms of illusion [lust, anger, greed, excitement, false pride and intoxication], whose intelligence, the leader of the senses, is extremely attached to material things, who is bereft of knowledge and detachment, who adopts the sannyāsa order of life to make a living, who denies the worshipable demigods, his own self and the Supreme Lord within himself, thus ruining all religious principles, and who is still infected by material contamination, is deviated and lost both in this life and the next. SB 11.19.40-41
But the devotee who commits sin is not criticized and his position as a devotee is not denied. It is said:
api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk |
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ ||
Even if the most sinful person worships me with no other desire than to please me, I consider that person to be my devotee, as he has fixed himself completely in me. BG 9.30
Though the devotee is distressed by sense objects, he is not overcome. Because both verbs are in the present tense, it implies that even while being harassed by sense objects, he is not really harassed since bhakti is present. A person who is attacked by the weapons of an enemy cannot be defeated because of the presence of his bravery. Or, on the day that a powerful medicine is taken to prevent fever, though the fever still causes suffering, it is not a real cause of suffering, since the fever is in a state of being destroyed and will be completely destroyed the next day.
Purport
Abhibhūyate
indicates falling down into the material world and being defeated by
māyā.
But even though one’s senses are not fully conquered, one who has unflinching devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa does not run the risk of being separated from Him. The words
pragalbhayā bhaktyā
indicate a person who has great devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, and not one who desires to commit sinful activities and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to avoid the reaction. Because of previous bad habits and immaturity, even a sincere devotee may be harassed by lingering attraction to the bodily concept of life; but his unflinching devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa will act. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives the following two examples. A great warrior may be struck by the weapon of his enemy, but because of his courage and strength he is not killed or defeated. He accepts the blow and goes on to victory. Similarly, one may contract a serious disease, but if he takes the proper medicine he is quickly cured.
If those who follow the impersonal system of speculation and austerity deviate even slightly from their path, they fall down. A devotee, however, even though immature, never falls from the path of devotional service. Even if he displays occasional weakness, he is still considered a devotee if his devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa is very strong. As the Lord states in
Bhagavad-gītā
(9.30)
:
api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.”