Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s commentary on the second verse of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
The following is a translation of Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s poetic Bengali translation, Bhāṣā, and Bengali prose commentary, Pīyūṣa-varṣiṇī-vṛtti, on Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
These texts were published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan, in Volume 2, Issue 11, 10 June 1957, Volume 2, Issue 12, 12 July 1957, and Volume 3, Issue 1, 12 August 1957. In combination with Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s Anuvṛtti, they were also published as a book from Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh by Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj in 1970.
“The Upadeśāmṛta of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī is also extremely good for us; we published Upadeśāmṛta before.”
—Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj,
Affectionate Guidance
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta Verse Two
atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś cha prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś cha laulyañ cha ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
bhaktiḥ–Devotion vinaśyati–is destroyed ṣaḍbhiḥ–by these six faults: atyāhāraḥ–over-accumulation, prayāsaḥ–materialistic endeavours, prajalpaḥ–unnecessary talk, niyamāgrahaḥ–disregarding or being wrongly attached to the rules, jana-saṅgaḥ–association with nondevotees, cha–and laulyaḥ–fickle-mindedness.
“Devotion is destroyed by these six defects: (1) over-accumulation; (2) materialistic endeavour; (3) unnecessary talk; (4) rejecting the rules meant for one’s self and following the rules meant for others; (5) associating with nondevotees; and (6) fickle-mindedness.”
Bhāṣā
atyāhāra prayāsa prajalpa jana-saṅga
laulyādi niyamāgraha hale bhakti-bheda [1]
When over-accumulation, materialistic endeavour, unnecessary talk, association with non-devotees, fickle-mindedness, and rejecting or following rules inappropriately occur, devotion becomes obstructed.
gṛha-tyāgī janera sañchaya atyāhāra
adhika sañcharī gṛhī vaiṣṇavera chhāra [2]
For renunciants, any accumulation is called atyāhār, and for householder devotees, excessive accumulation is bad.
bhakti-anukūla naya se saba udyama
prayāsa nāmete tāra prakāśa viṣama [3]
All endeavours that are not favourable to devotion are called prayās; occurrences of them are condemnable.
grāmya-kathā prajalpa nāmete parichaya
matera chāñchalya laulya asat-tṛṣṇāmaya [4]
Village talk is called prajalpa. Fickle-mindedness produced by material desires is called laulya.
viṣayī yoṣit-saṅgī tat-tat-saṅgī āra
māyāvādī dharma-dhvajī nāstika prakāra [5]
se saba asat-saṅga bhakti-hānikara
viśeṣa yatne sei saṅga parihara [6]
Materialists, those who are attached to the opposite sex, their companions, illusionists, religious hypocrites, and atheists—the association of such persons is destructive to devotion. With great care, avoid all such association.
niyama agraha āra niyama āgraha
dvi-prakāra doṣa ei bhakta gala-graha [7]
The faults of both being negligent of the rules and being excessively concerned with the rules are burdens to devotees.
eke svādhikāragata niyama varjana
āre anya adhikāra niyama grahana [8]
In one, there is rejection of the rules meant for one’s stage, and in the other, there is adherence to the rules meant for a stage other than one’s own.
Pīyūṣa-varṣiṇī-vṛtti
In the second verse also, there is discussion only of rejecting the unfavourable. The six defects of over-accumulation, materialistic endeavour, unnecessary talk, rejecting the rules meant for one’s self and following the rules meant for others, association with non-devotees, and fickle-mindedness are detrimental to devotion. Atyāhār means excessive consumption, collection, or endeavour to accumulate. Accumulation is forbidden for renunciants; for householder devotees, atyāhār means accumulating more than is necessary to live. Prayās: those who aspire for devotion should not, like materialists, engage in activities that are contrary to devotion or endeavours that are condemnable. Prajalpa means time-wasting, unnecessary village talk. There are two types of niyamāgraha: having attachment to rules for a lower stage when one has reached a higher stage and being negligent of rules that are nourishing to devotion. Jana-saṅga means the association of those who are not pure devotees. Laulya means being fickle-minded in the association of persons of various conceptions and being attracted to insignificant matters. Criticism of sādhus, which arises from prajalpa, and considering the gods to be independent [of the Supreme Lord], which arises from laulya, are offences to the Name.
Reference
Read Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s commentary on Śrī Upadeśāmṛta: verse one.