Devanagari
समानकर्माचरणं पतितानां न पातकम् ।
औत्पत्तिको गुण: सङ्गो न शयान: पतत्यध: ॥ १७ ॥
Verse text
samāna-karmācaraṇaṁ
patitānāṁ na pātakam
autpattiko guṇaḥ saṅgo
na śayānaḥ pataty adhaḥ
Synonyms
samāna
—
equal
;
karma
—
of work
;
ācaraṇam
—
the performance
;
patitānām
—
for those who are fallen
;
na
—
is not
;
pātakam
—
a cause of falldown
;
autpattikaḥ
—
dictated by one’s nature
;
guṇaḥ
—
becomes a good quality
;
saṅgaḥ
—
material association
;
na
—
does not
;
śayānaḥ
—
one who is lying down
;
patati
—
fall
;
adhaḥ
—
further down .
Translation
The same activities that would degrade an elevated person do not cause falldown for those who are already fallen. Indeed, one who is lying on the ground cannot possibly fall further. The material association that is dictated by one’s own nature is considered a good quality.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The same activities that would degrade an elevated person do not cause falldown for those who are already fallen. Association with women is bad for the sannyāsī, but is a good quality for a householder. One who is lying on the ground cannot possibly fall further.
The irregularity of rules is described. The activity (such as drinking wine) for a person who is not fallen is a cause of fall down but the same activity for the fallen person does not cause him to fall since he is already fallen. Association with women is a fault for the sannyāsī but association with his wife during her fertile period is a good the householder since that is natural. It is a fault for a person qualified for household life not to associate with his wife. An example is given for both these conditions. A person who is lying down cannot fall down.
Purport
The Lord here further describes the ambiguity in ascertaining material piety and sin. Although intimate association with women is most abominable for a renounced
sannyāsī,
the same association is pious for a householder, who is ordered by Vedic injunction to approach his wife at the suitable time for procreation. Similarly, a
brāhmaṇa
who drinks liquor is considered to be committing a most abominable act, whereas a
śūdra,
a low-class man, who can moderate his drinking is considered to be self-controlled. Piety and sin on the material level are thus relative considerations. Any member of society, however, who receives
dīkṣā,
initiation into the chanting of the Lord’s holy names, must strictly obey the four regulative principles: no eating of meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no intoxication and no gambling. A spiritually initiated person neglecting these principles will certainly fall from his elevated position of liberation.