FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.28

तानानयध्वमसतो विमुखान् मुकुन्द- पादारविन्दमकरन्दरसादजस्रम् । निष्किञ्चनै: परमहंसकुलैरसङ्गै- र्जुष्टाद्गृहे निरयवर्त्मनि बद्धतृष्णान् ॥ २८ ॥
tān ānayadhvam asato vimukhān mukunda-
[taan aanayadhvam asato vimukhaan mukunda-]
pādāravinda-makaranda-rasād ajasram
[paadaaravinda-makaranda-rasaad ajasram]
niṣkiñcanaiḥ paramahaṁsa-kulair asaṅgair
[nishkinchanaih paramahamsa-kulair asangair]
juṣṭād gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān
[jushtaad grihe niraya-vartmani baddha-trishnaan]
tān — them ānayadhvam — bring before me asataḥ — nondevotees (those who have not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness) vimukhān — who have turned against mukunda — of Mukunda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead pāda-aravinda — of the lotus feet makaranda — of the honey rasāt — the taste ajasram — continuously niṣkiñcanaiḥ — by persons completely free from material attachment paramahaṁsa-kulaiḥ — by the paramahaṁsas, the most exalted personalities asaṅgaiḥ — who have no material attachment juṣṭāt — which is enjoyed gṛhe — to household life niraya-vartmani — the path leading to hell baddha-tṛṣṇān — whose desires are bound.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tān ānayadhvam asato vimukhān mukunda-
tān
them
ānayadhvam
bring before me
asataḥ
nondevotees (those who have not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness)
vimukhān
who have turned against
mukunda
of Mukunda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
pādāravinda-makaranda-rasād ajasram
pāda-aravinda
of the lotus feet
makaranda
of the honey
rasāt
the taste
ajasram
continuously
niṣkiñcanaiḥ paramahaṁsa-kulair asaṅgair
niṣkiñcanaiḥ
by persons completely free from material attachment
paramahaṁsa-kulaiḥ
by the paramahaṁsas, the most exalted personalities
asaṅgaiḥ
who have no material attachment
juṣṭād gṛhe niraya-vartmani baddha-tṛṣṇān
juṣṭāt
which is enjoyed
gṛhe
to household life
niraya-vartmani
the path leading to hell
baddha-tṛṣṇān
whose desires are bound.
Paramahaṁsas are exalted persons who have no taste for material enjoyment and who drink the honey of the Lord’s lotus feet. My dear servants, bring to me for punishment only persons who are averse to the taste of that honey, who do not associate with paramahaṁsas and who are attached to family life and worldly enjoyment, which form the path to hell.

After warning the Yamadūtas not to approach the devotees, Yamarāja now indicates who is to be brought before him. He specifically advises the Yamadūtas to bring him the materialistic persons who are attached to household life merely for sex. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham: people are attached to household life for sex only. They are always harassed in many ways by their material engagements, and their only happiness is that after working very hard all day, at night they sleep and indulge in sex. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ: at night, materialistic householders sleep or indulge in sex life. Divā cārthehayā rajan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā: during the day they are busy trying to find out where money is, and if they get money they spend it to maintain their families. Yamarāja specifically advises his servants to bring these persons to him for punishment and not to bring the devotees, who always lick the honey at the lotus feet of the Lord, who are equal to everyone, and who try to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness because of sympathy for all living entities. Devotees are not liable to punishment by Yamarāja, but persons who have no information of Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be protected by their material life of so-called family enjoyment. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says (2.1.4):

dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati

Such persons complacently believe that their nations, communities or families can protect them, unaware that all such fallible soldiers will be destroyed in due course of time. In conclusion, one should try to associate with persons who engage in devotional service twenty-four hours a day.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Bring to me the non-devotees, thirsty for household life, the path to hell, who are opposed to the taste of honey from the lotus feet of Mukunda which are served by the devotees detached from material life who are practicing pure bhakti. “What type of people should we bring to you?” Bring the non-devotees. They are described. They are averse to the taste of honey from the lotus feet of the lord, and the method to attain it, bhakti-yoga. These persons do not practice bhakti-yoga. Because they are opposed to bhakti, they have no desire for the taste of the Lord’ṣ sweetness. What is that taste? It is served by persons with devotion as the principle means, pure bhakti (niṣkñcanaiḥ). The non-devotees are greedy for householder life, which leads them to hell.
Paramahaṁsas drink the honey of the Lord's lotus feet and have no taste for enjoyment. Bring me only those, Yama says, who refuse that honey and avoid paramahaṁsa association.
Reflection Questions
  • Am I sustaining a taste for the Lord's honey, or merely refraining from grosser tastes?
  • Whose association am I avoiding because it would change me?
📝 My note

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