FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.32.2

स चापि भगवद्धर्मात्काममूढ: पराङ्‍मुख: । यजते क्रतुभिर्देवान्पितृंश्च श्रद्धयान्वित: ॥ २ ॥
sa cāpi bhagavad-dharmāt
[sa chaapi bhagavad-dharmaat]
kāma-mūḍhaḥ parāṅ-mukhaḥ
[kaama-moodhah paraan-mukhah]
yajate kratubhir devān
[yajate kratubhir devaan]
pitṝṁś ca śraddhayānvitaḥ
[pitreemsh cha shraddhayaanvitah]
saḥ — he ca api — moreover bhagavat-dharmāt — from devotional service kāma-mūḍhaḥ — infatuated by lust parāk-mukhaḥ — having the face turned away yajate — worships kratubhiḥ — with sacrificial ceremonies devān — the demigods pitṝn — the forefathers ca — and śraddhayā — with faith anvitaḥ — endowed.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa cāpi bhagavad-dharmāt
saḥ
he
ca api
moreover
bhagavat-dharmāt
from devotional service
kāma-mūḍhaḥ parāṅ-mukhaḥ
kāma-mūḍhaḥ
infatuated by lust
parāk-mukhaḥ
having the face turned away
yajate kratubhir devān
yajate
worships
kratubhiḥ
with sacrificial ceremonies
devān
the demigods
pitṝṁś ca śraddhayānvitaḥ
pitṝn
the forefathers
ca
and
śraddhayā
with faith
anvitaḥ
endowed.
Such persons are ever bereft of devotional service due to being too attached to sense gratification, and therefore, although they perform various kinds of sacrifices and take great vows to satisfy the demigods and forefathers, they are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service.

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is said that persons who worship demigods have lost their intelligence: kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ. They are much attracted to sense gratification, and therefore they worship the demigods. It is, of course, recommended in the Vedic scriptures that if one wants money, health or education, then he should worship the various demigods. A materialistic person has manifold demands, and thus there are manifold demigods to satisfy his senses. The gṛhamedhīs, who want to continue a prosperous materialistic way of life, generally worship the demigods or the forefathers by offering piṇḍa, or respectful oblations. Such persons are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and are not interested in devotional service to the Lord. This kind of so-called pious and religious man is the result of impersonalism. The impersonalists maintain that the Supreme Absolute Truth has no form and that one can imagine any form he likes for his benefit and worship in that way. Therefore the gṛhamedhīs or materialistic men say that they can worship any form of a demigod as worship of the Supreme Lord. Especially amongst the Hindus, those who are meat-eaters prefer to worship the goddess Kālī because it is prescribed that one can sacrifice a goat before that goddess. They maintain that whether one worships the goddess Kālī or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu or any demigod, the destination is the same. This is first-class rascaldom, and such people are misled. But they prefer this philosophy. Bhagavad-gītā does not accept such rascaldom, and it is clearly stated that such methods are meant for persons who have lost their intelligence. The same judgment is confirmed here, and the word kāma-mūḍha, meaning one who has lost his sense or is infatuated by the lust of attraction for sense gratification, is used. Kāma-mūḍhas are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service and are infatuated by a strong desire for sense gratification. The worshipers of demigods are condemned both in Bhagavad-gītā and in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Bewildered by desire, he rejects worship of the Lord and instead very faithfully worships devatās by sacrifice. Though the person performs activities according to scripture he is also to be criticized.
Mind and senses, left ungoverned, will quietly run a life into the ground. The verse implies that small daily regulation is more powerful than occasional dramatic resolve. Its centre of gravity is devotional service to the Lord.
Reflection Questions
  • What small rule kept consistently would do more for you than a dramatic vow once broken?
  • What would it look like to lead the mind, gently, the way you would lead a child?
📝 My note

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