Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.26.22
परमोऽनुग्रहो दण्डो भृत्येषु प्रभुणार्पित: ।
बालो न वेद तत्तन्वि बन्धुकृत्यममर्षण: ॥ २२ ॥
paramo ’nugraho daṇḍo
[paramo ’nugraho dando]
bhṛtyeṣu prabhuṇārpitaḥ
[bhrityeshu prabhunaarpitah]
bālo na veda tat tanvi
[baalo na veda tat tanvi]
bandhu-kṛtyam amarṣaṇaḥ
[bandhu-krityam amarshanah]
Word-for-word
paramaḥ
—
supreme
anugrahaḥ
—
mercy
daṇḍaḥ
—
punishment
bhṛtyeṣu
—
upon the servants
prabhuṇā
—
by the master
arpitaḥ
—
awarded
bālaḥ
—
foolish
na
—
does not
veda
—
know
tat
—
that
tanvi
—
O slender maiden
bandhu-kṛtyam
—
the duty of a friend
amarṣaṇaḥ
—
angry.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
paramo ’nugraho daṇḍo
paramaḥ
supreme
anugrahaḥ
mercy
bhṛtyeṣu prabhuṇārpitaḥ
bālo na veda tat tanvi
daṇḍaḥ
punishment
bhṛtyeṣu
upon the servants
prabhuṇā
by the master
bandhu-kṛtyam amarṣaṇaḥ
arpitaḥ
awarded
bālaḥ
foolish
na
does not
veda
know
tat
that
tanvi
O slender maiden
bandhu-kṛtyam
the duty of a friend
amarṣaṇaḥ
angry.
My dear slender maiden, when a master chastises his servant, the servant should accept this as great mercy. One who becomes angry must be very foolish not to know that such is the duty of his friend.
Purport
It is said that when a foolish man is instructed in something very nice, he generally cannot accept it. Indeed, he actually becomes angry. Such anger is compared to the poison of a serpent, for when a serpent is fed milk and bananas, its poison actually increases. Instead of becoming merciful or sober, the serpent increases its poisonous venom when fed nice foodstuffs. Similarly, when a fool is instructed, he does not rectify himself but actually becomes angry.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O slender woman! The punishment awarded to the servant by the master is the greatest mercy. Only a foolish person will become angry at his punishment, because he does not know it is done out of friendship.
The victim of punishment who laments is a fool. Amarṣaṇaḥ means one who becomes angry. The devotee speaks internally to good intelligence. I have given up good intelligence and now repent. That is my punishment given by you. It is the highest mercy to me, for I will not become attached to sin again.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
When a master chastises a servant, the servant should accept it as mercy; the angry servant is foolish. Inverted: when wisdom 'chastises' the soul, the soul should receive it as mercy, not insult.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I responding to wisdom's chastisement with anger rather than gratitude?
- Whose chastisement have I rejected that was actually the deepest love?
My note
Source: vedabase.io