SB 6.3.29 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

जिह्वा न वक्ति भगवद्गुणनामधेयं चेतश्च न स्मरति तच्चरणारविन्दम् । कृष्णाय नो नमति यच्छिर एकदापि तानानयध्वमसतोऽकृतविष्णुकृत्यान् ॥ २९ ॥

Verse text

jihvā na vakti bhagavad-guṇa-nāmadheyaṁ cetaś ca na smarati tac-caraṇāravindam kṛṣṇāya no namati yac-chira ekadāpi tān ānayadhvam asato ’kṛta-viṣṇu-kṛtyān

Synonyms

jihvā — the tongue ; na — not ; vakti — chants ; bhagavat — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; guṇa — transcendental qualities ; nāma — and the holy name ; dheyam — imparting ; cetaḥ — the heart ; ca — also ; na — not ; smarati — remembers ; tat — His ; caraṇa — aravindam — lotus feet ; kṛṣṇāya — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa through His Deity in the temple ; no — not ; namati — bows ; yat — whose ; śiraḥ — head ; ekadā api — even once ; tān — them ; ānayadhvam — bring before me ; asataḥ — the nondevotees ; akṛta — not performing ; viṣṇu — kṛtyān — duties toward Lord Viṣṇu .

Translation

My dear servants, please bring to me only those sinful persons who do not use their tongues to chant the holy name and qualities of Kṛṣṇa, whose hearts do not remember the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa even once, and whose heads do not bow down even once before Lord Kṛṣṇa. Send me those who do not perform their duties toward Viṣṇu, which are the only duties in human life. Please bring me all such fools and rascals.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Bring to me the non-devotees who have never served Viṣṇu, whose heads have never once bowed to Kṛṣṇa, whose tongues have never pronounced the name and qualities of the Lord, whose minds have never remembered his lotus feet. Those are called sat, or devotee, who have even once chanted the name of the Lord or remembered him. Bring persons other than those. Bring those who have not chanted once the name, and even if their tongues are not active, bring those whose minds have not once remembered the Lord. If their minds are disturbed, then at least bring those who have not once bowed their heads to the Lord. The word “once” should be understood for all the statements. Bring those who have not done any service to Viṣṇu, either purely or at least as the predominant process. These are non-vaiṣṇavas. “Once” can be interpreted as once in a lifetime, once in a year or once in a day according to different opinions.

Purport

The word viṣṇu-kṛtyān is very important in this verse because the purpose of human life is to please Lord Viṣṇu. Varṇāśrama-dharma is also meant for that purpose. As stated in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3.8.9): varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam Human society is meant to follow strictly the varṇāśrama-dharma, which divides society into four social divisions ( brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra ) and four spiritual divisions ( brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa ). Varṇāśrama-dharma easily brings one nearer to Lord Viṣṇu, who is the only true objective in human society. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: unfortunately, however, people do not know that their self-interest is to return home, back to Godhead, or to approach Lord Viṣṇu. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ: instead, they are simply bewildered. Every human being is expected to perform duties meant for approaching Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore Yamarāja advises the Yamadūtas to bring him those persons who have forgotten their duties toward Viṣṇu ( akṛta-viṣṇu-kṛtyān ). One who does not chant the holy name of Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa), who does not bow down to the Deity of Viṣṇu, and who does not remember the lotus feet of Viṣṇu is punishable by Yamarāja. In summary, all avaiṣṇavas, persons unconcerned with Lord Viṣṇu, are punishable by Yamarāja.