Devanagari
प्रायश्चित्तानि चीर्णानि नारायणपराङ्मुखम् ।
न निष्पुनन्ति राजेन्द्र सुराकुम्भमिवापगा: ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni
nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham
na niṣpunanti rājendra
surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ
Synonyms
prāyaścittāni
—
processes of atonement
;
cīrṇāni
—
very nicely performed
;
nārāyaṇa
—
parāṅmukham — a nondevotee
;
na niṣpunanti
—
cannot purify
;
rājendra
—
O King
;
surā
—
kumbham — a pot containing liquor
;
iva
—
like
;
āpa
—
gāḥ — the waters of the rivers .
Translation
My dear King, as a pot containing liquor cannot be purified even if washed in the waters of many rivers, nondevotees cannot be purified by processes of atonement even if they perform them very well.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O King! Much atonement does not purify persons who are opposed to Nārāyaṇa, just as many rivers do not clean a liquor pot.
Positive and negative statements are used to show that bhakti destroys all sin whereas jṣāna and karma do not. The plural number is used to indicate that all karma and jṣāna processes do not purify the person without faith in Nārāyaṇa, even after hearing about the excellence of bhakti and the devotee. Bhakti however purifies even those without jṣāna or karma, since that was stated in verse 15.
Purport
To take advantage of the methods of atonement, one must be at least somewhat devoted; otherwise there is no chance of one’s being purified. It is clear from this verse that even those who take advantage of
karma-kāṇḍa
and
jṣāna-kāṇḍa,
but are not at least slightly devoted cannot be purified simply by following these other paths. The word
prāyaścittāni
is plural in number to indicate both
karma-kāṇḍa
and
jṣāna-kāṇḍa.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says,
karma-kāṇḍa, jṣāna-kāṇḍa, kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa.
Thus Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura compares the paths of
karma-kāṇḍa
and
jṣāna-kāṇḍa
to pots of poison. Liquor and poison are in the same category. According to this verse from
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
a person who has heard a good deal about the path of devotional service, but who is not attached to it, who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, is like a pot of liquor. Such a person cannot be purified without at least a slight touch of devotional service.