FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.23

యన్న వ్రజన్త్యఘభిదో రచనానువాదా- చ్ఛృణ్వన్తి యేఽన్యవిషయా: కుకథా మతిఘ్నీ: । యాస్తు శ్రుతా హతభగైర్నృభిరాత్తసారా- స్తాంస్తాన్ క్షిపన్త్యశరణేషు తమ:సు హన్త ॥ ౨౩ ॥
yan na vrajanty agha-bhido racanānuvādāc
[yan na vrajanty agha-bhido rachanaanuvaadaach]
chṛṇvanti ye ’nya-viṣayāḥ kukathā mati-ghnīḥ
[chrinvanti ye ’nya-vishayaah kukathaa mati-ghneeh]
yās tu śrutā hata-bhagair nṛbhir ātta-sārās
[yaas tu shrutaa hata-bhagair nribhir aatta-saaraas]
tāṁs tān kṣipanty aśaraṇeṣu tamaḥsu hanta
[taams taan kshipanty asharaneshu tamahsu hanta]
yat — Vaikuṇṭha na — never vrajanti — approach agha-bhidaḥ — of the vanquisher of all kinds of sins racanā — of the creation anuvādāt — than narrations śṛṇvanti — hear ye — those who anya — other viṣayāḥ — subject matter ku-kathāḥ — bad words mati-ghnīḥ — killing intelligence yāḥ — which tu — but śrutāḥ — are heard hata-bhagaiḥ — unfortunate nṛbhiḥ — by men ātta — taken away sārāḥ — values of life tān tān — such persons kṣipanti — are thrown aśaraṇeṣu — devoid of all shelter tamaḥsu — in the darkest part of material existence hanta — alas.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yan na vrajanty agha-bhido racanānuvādāc
yat
Vaikuṇṭha
na
never
vrajanti
approach
agha-bhidaḥ
of the vanquisher of all kinds of sins
racanā
of the creation
anuvādāt
than narrations
chṛṇvanti ye ’nya-viṣayāḥ kukathā mati-ghnīḥ
yās tu śrutā hata-bhagair nṛbhir ātta-sārās
śṛṇvanti
hear
ye
those who
tāṁs tān kṣipanty aśaraṇeṣu tamaḥsu hanta
anya
other
viṣayāḥ
subject matter
ku-kathāḥ
bad words
mati-ghnīḥ
killing intelligence
yāḥ
which
tu
but
śrutāḥ
are heard
hata-bhagaiḥ
unfortunate
nṛbhiḥ
by men
ātta
taken away
sārāḥ
values of life
tān tān
such persons
kṣipanti
are thrown
aśaraṇeṣu
devoid of all shelter
tamaḥsu
in the darkest part of material existence
hanta
alas.
It is very much regrettable that unfortunate people do not discuss the description of the Vaikuṇṭha planets but engage in topics which are unworthy to hear and which bewilder one’s intelligence. Those who give up the topics of Vaikuṇṭha and take to talk of the material world are thrown into the darkest region of ignorance.

The most unfortunate persons are the impersonalists, who cannot understand the transcendental variegatedness of the spiritual world. They are afraid to talk about the beauty of the Vaikuṇṭha planets because they think that variegatedness must be material. Such impersonalists think that the spiritual world is completely void, or, in other words, that there is no variegatedness. This mentality is described here as ku-kathā mati-ghnīḥ, “intelligence bewildered by unworthy words.” The philosophies of voidness and of the impersonal situation of the spiritual world are condemned here because they bewilder one’s intelligence. How can the impersonalist and the void philosopher think of this material world, which is full of variegatedness, and then say that there is no variegatedness in the spiritual world? It is said that this material world is the perverted reflection of the spiritual world, so unless there is variegatedness in the spiritual world, how can there be temporary variegatedness in the material world? That one can transcend this material world does not imply that there is no transcendental variegatedness.

Here in the Bhāgavatam, in this verse particularly, it is stressed that people who try to discuss and understand the real spiritual nature of the spiritual sky and the Vaikuṇṭhas are fortunate. The variegatedness of the Vaikuṇṭha planets is described in relation to the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. But instead of trying to understand the spiritual abode and the spiritual activities of the Lord, people are more interested in politics and economic developments. They hold many conventions, meetings and discussions to solve the problems of this worldly situation, where they can remain for only a few years, but they are not interested in understanding the spiritual situation of the Vaikuṇṭha world. If they are at all fortunate, they become interested in going back home, back to Godhead, but unless they understand the spiritual world, they rot in this material darkness continuously.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Those who hear topics other than the glorification of Kṛṣṇa, unworthy topics which destroy intelligence, cannot enter Vaikuṇṭha. Topic heard by those unfortunate persons, taking away their good fortune, throw them into hell with no shelter. In order to speak of the people qualified to go to Vaikuṇṭha, first those who are unqualified are described. Those who hear topics other than glorification of the pastimes (racanā) of Kṛṣṇa (aghabhidaḥ), such as books on logic, filled with low topics, do not go to Vaikuṇṭha. Topics heard by such unfortunate persons, which take away all the good fortune obtained by topics which give good qualities (ātta-sārāḥ), throw those unfortunate persons into hell with great force.
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