Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.10.25

na vikriyā viśva-suhrit-sakhasya

sāmyena vītābhimates tavāpi

mahad-vimānāt sva-kritād dhi mādriń

nańkshyaty adūrād api śūlapānih

SYNONYMS

na — not; vikriyā — material transformation; viśva-suhrit — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is a friend to everyone; sakhasya — of you, the friend; sāmyena — because of your mental equilibrium; vīta-abhimateh — who has completely forsaken the bodily concept of life; tava — your; api — indeed; mahat-vimānāt — of insulting a great devotee; sva-kritāt — from my own activity; hi — certainly; mādrik — a person like me; nańkshyati — will be destroyed; adūrāt — very soon; api — certainly; śūla-pānih — even though as powerful as Lord Śiva (Śūlapāni).

TRANSLATION

O my dear lord, you are the friend of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the friend of all living entities. You are therefore equal to everyone, and you are free from the bodily conception. Although I have committed an offense by insulting you, I know that there is no loss or gain for you due to my insult. You are fixed in your determination, but I have committed an offense. Because of this, even though I may be as strong as Lord Śiva, I shall be vanquished without delay due to my offense at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava.

PURPORT

Mahārāja Rahūgana was very intelligent and conscious of the inauspicious effects arising from insulting a Vaishnava. He was therefore very anxious to be excused by Jada Bharata. Following in the footsteps of Mahārāja Rahūgana, everyone should be very cautious not to commit an offense at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava. Śrīla Vrindāvana dāsa Thākura in the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya 13) says:

śūlapāni-sama yadi bhakta-nindā kare

bhāgavata pramāna — tathāpi śīghra mare

hena vaishnavere ninde sarvajña ha-i

se janera adhah-pāta sarva-śāstre ka-i

"Even if one is as strong as Lord Śiva, who carries a trident in his hand, one will nonetheless fall down from his spiritual position if he tries to insult a Vaishnava. That is the verdict of all Vedic scriptures." He also says this in Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya 22):

vaishnavera nindā karibeka yāra gana

tāra rakshā sāmarthya nāhika kona jana

śūlapāni-sama yadi vaishnavere ninde

tathāpiha nāśa yāya — kahe śāstra-vrinde

ihā nā māniyā ye sujana nindā kare

janme janme se pāpishtha daiva-doshe mare

"One who blasphemes a Vaishnava cannot be protected by anyone. Even if a person is as strong as Lord Śiva, if he blasphemes a Vaishnava, he is sure to be destroyed. This is the verdict of all śāstras. If one does not care for the verdict of the śāstras and dares blaspheme a Vaishnava, he suffers life after life because of this."

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Tenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled, "The Discussion Between Jada Bharata and Mahārāja Rahūgana."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness