Devanagari
श्रीनारद उवाच
निन्दनस्तवसत्कारन्यक्कारार्थं कलेवरम् ।
प्रधानपरयो राजन्नविवेकेन कल्पितम् ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
śrī-nārada uvāca
nindana-stava-satkāra-
nyakkārārthaṁ kalevaram
pradhāna-parayo rājann
avivekena kalpitam
Synonyms
śrī
—
nāradaḥ uvāca — Śrī Nārada Muni said
;
nindana
—
blasphemy
;
stava
—
praise
;
satkāra
—
honor
;
nyakkāra
—
dishonor
;
artham
—
for the purpose of
;
kalevaram
—
body
;
pradhāna
—
parayoḥ — of nature and the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
rājan
—
O King
;
avivekena
—
without discrimination
;
kalpitam
—
created .
Translation
The great sage Śrī Nāradajī said: O King, blasphemy and praise, chastisement and respect, are experienced because of ignorance. The body of the conditioned soul is planned by the Lord for suffering in the material world through the agency of the external energy.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
A body subject to criticism and praise, honor and dishonor is created by lack of discrimination between the self and non-self.
In order to explain that the Lord was not pained by the criticism of Śiśupāla, first he explains that the jṣānīs do not feel happiness or distress by praise or criticism. Only persons attached to the body react with happiness and distress. The body which is a cause of verbal criticism and praise, bodily and mental respect and disrespect, is produced by lack of distinction of ātmā and non-ātmā.
Purport
In
Bhagavad-gītā
(18.61)
it is said:
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of material energy.” A material body is manufactured by the external energy according to the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The conditioned soul, being seated on this machine, wanders throughout the universe, and because of his bodily conception of life he only suffers. Actually the suffering of being blasphemed and the enjoyment of being praised, the acceptance of a good welcome or of chastisement by harsh words, are felt in the material conception of life; but since the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not material but
sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha,
He is unaffected by insults or greetings, blasphemy or prayers. Being always unaffected and complete, He does not feel extra pleasure when offered nice prayers by the devotee, although the devotee benefits by offering prayers to the Lord. Indeed, the Lord is very kind to His so-called enemy because one who always thinks of the Personality of Godhead as an enemy also benefits, although he thinks of the Lord adversely. If a conditioned soul, thinking of the Lord as an enemy or a friend, somehow or other becomes attached to the Lord, he receives great benefit.