Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.23.37
क्षिपन्त्येकेऽवजानन्त एष धर्मध्वज: शठ: ।
क्षीणवित्त इमां वृत्तिमग्रहीत् स्वजनोज्झित: ॥ ३७ ॥
kṣipanty eke ’vajānanta
[kshipanty eke ’vajaananta]
eṣa dharma-dhvajaḥ śaṭhaḥ
[esha dharma-dhvajah shathah]
kṣīṇa-vitta imāṁ vṛttim
[ksheena-vitta imaam vrittim]
agrahīt sva-janojjhitaḥ
[agraheet sva-janojjhitah]
Word-for-word
kṣipanti
—
they criticize
eke
—
some
avajānantaḥ
—
committing insults
eṣaḥ
—
this person
dharma-dhvajaḥ
—
a religious hypocrite
śaṭhaḥ
—
a cheater
kṣīṇa-vittaḥ
—
having lost his wealth
imām
—
this
vṛttim
—
occupation
agrahīt
—
has taken
sva-jana
—
by his family
ujjhitaḥ
—
turned out.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kṣipanty eke ’vajānanta
kṣipanti
they criticize
eke
some
eṣa dharma-dhvajaḥ śaṭhaḥ
kṣīṇa-vitta imāṁ vṛttim
avajānantaḥ
committing insults
eṣaḥ
this person
dharma-dhvajaḥ
a religious hypocrite
śaṭhaḥ
a cheater
kṣīṇa-vittaḥ
having lost his wealth
imām
this
vṛttim
occupation
agrahīt sva-janojjhitaḥ
agrahīt
has taken
sva-jana
by his family
ujjhitaḥ
turned out.
They would criticize and insult him, saying, “This man is just a hypocrite and a cheat. He makes a business of religion simply because he lost all his wealth and his family threw him out.”
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
They would criticize and insult him, saying, “This man is just a hypocrite and a cheat. He makes a business of religion simply because he lost all his wealth and his family threw him out.”
He is a hypocrite, making a living by holding a daṇḍa and cheating people. They explain how he has cheated: he lost his wealth, and thus acts like a sannyāsī.
Personal Guidance
They mocked: 'A hypocrite and cheat — he makes religion a business because he lost his wealth and family threw him out.' The interpretation reframes virtue as opportunism.
Reflection Questions
- Whose actual virtue have I dismissed as opportunism?
- Where might I have misread someone's authentic turning?
My note
Source: vedabase.io