FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.16.5

यन्नामानि च गृह्णाति लोको भृत्ये कृतागसि । सोऽसाधुवादस्तत्कीर्तिं हन्ति त्वचमिवामय: ॥ ५ ॥
yan-nāmāni ca gṛhṇāti
[yan-naamaani cha grihnaati]
loko bhṛtye kṛtāgasi
[loko bhritye kritaagasi]
so ’sādhu-vādas tat-kīrtiṁ
[so ’saadhu-vaadas tat-keertim]
hanti tvacam ivāmayaḥ
[hanti tvacham ivaamayah]
Word-for-word
yat — of whom nāmāni — the names ca — and gṛhṇāti — take lokaḥ — people in general bhṛtye — when a servant kṛta-āgasi — has committed something wrong saḥ — that asādhu-vādaḥ — blame tat — of that person kīrtim — the reputation hanti — destroys tvacam — the skin iva — as āmayaḥ — leprosy.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yan-nāmāni ca gṛhṇāti
yat
of whom
nāmāni
the names
ca
and
gṛhṇāti
take
loko bhṛtye kṛtāgasi
lokaḥ
people in general
bhṛtye
when a servant
kṛta-āgasi
has committed something wrong
so ’sādhu-vādas tat-kīrtiṁ
saḥ
that
asādhu-vādaḥ
blame
tat
of that person
kīrtim
the reputation
hanti tvacam ivāmayaḥ
hanti
destroys
tvacam
the skin
iva
as
āmayaḥ
leprosy.
A wrong act committed by a servant leads people in general to blame his master, just as a spot of white leprosy on any part of the body pollutes all of the skin.
Purport

A Vaiṣṇava, therefore, should be fully qualified. As stated in the Bhāgavatam, anyone who has become a Vaiṣṇava has developed all the good qualities of the demigods. There are twenty-six qualifications mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. A devotee should always see that his Vaiṣṇava qualities increase with the advancement of his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A devotee should be blameless because any offense by the devotee is a scar on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotee’s duty is to be always conscious in his dealings with others, especially with another devotee of the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When a servant commits sin using the name of his master, the master gets criticizes and has his fame destroyed, just as a white spot on the skin condemns a person as a leper. “But how can the Supreme Lord commit offense? Even if you do, who could punish you? How can you restrict yourself?” There can be no punishment. Infamy alone will be the punishment. The fame of a master is destroyed by a servant who performs sinful activating in the name of the master, just as white leprosy destroys the skin. People will criticize a person with a white spot, saying, “This person has leprosy.”
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse points beyond impersonal abstraction to a Lord who hears, acts, and relates. Spiritual life gets real once we stop talking about Him and start talking to Him. The verse keeps returning to Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom do you actually address when you pray — a concept, or a person?
  • How does relating to a person, rather than a principle, change how you speak in prayer?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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