Devanagari
दृढं पण्डितमान्यज्ञ: स्तब्धोऽस्यस्मदुपेक्षया ।
मच्छासनातिगो यस्त्वमचिराद्भ्रश्यसे श्रिय: ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
dṛḍhaṁ paṇḍita-māny ajṣaḥ
stabdho ’sy asmad-upekṣayā
mac-chāsanātigo yas tvam
acirād bhraśyase śriyaḥ
Synonyms
dṛḍham
—
so firmly convinced or fixed in your decision
;
paṇḍita
—
mānī — considering yourself very learned
;
ajṣaḥ
—
at the same time foolish
;
stabdhaḥ
—
impudent
;
asi
—
you have become
;
asmat
—
of us
;
upekṣayā
—
by disregarding
;
mat
—
śāsana — atigaḥ — surpassing the jurisdiction of my administration
;
yaḥ
—
such a person (as you)
;
tvam
—
yourself
;
acirāt
—
very soon
;
bhraśyase
—
will fall down
;
śriyaḥ
—
from all opulence .
Translation
Although you have no knowledge, you have become a so-called learned person, and therefore you dare be so impudent as to disobey my order. Because of disobeying me, you shall very soon be bereft of all your opulence.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Although you have no knowledge, you have become a so-called learned person, and therefore you dare to be so impudent as to disobey my order. Because of disobeying me, you shall very soon be bereft of all your opulence.
Paṇḍita-mānī can also mean respected among the learned. Ajṣaḥ can also mean “above whom no one has knowledge.” Asmad-upekṣayā can mean “because of my disregard for the Lord.” Stabdha can mean “fixed because of lack of fear.” Thus the other meaning is as follows. Because of surpassing my order and going to Viṣṇu, soon you will not lose your wealth for a long time. You will attain the eternal wealth given by Viṣṇu.
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that Bali Mahārāja was not
paṇḍita-mānī,
or one who falsely assumes himself learned; rather, he was
paṇḍita-mānya-jṣaḥ,
one who is so learned that all other learned persons worship him. And because he was so learned, he could disobey the order of his so-called spiritual master. He had no fear of any condition of material existence. Anyone cared for by Lord Viṣṇu does not need to care about anyone else. Thus Bali Mahārāja could never be bereft of all opulences. The opulences offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not to be compared to the opulences obtained by
karma-kāṇḍa.
In other words, if a devotee becomes very opulent, it is to be understood that his opulence is a gift of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such opulence will never be vanquished, whereas the opulence achieved by one’s fruitive activity may be vanquished at any moment.