Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.7

samyag vidhāryatām bālo

guru-gehe dvi-jātibhih

vishnu-pakshaih praticchannair

na bhidyetāsya dhīr yathā

SYNONYMS

samyak — completely; vidhāryatām — let him be protected; bālah — this boy of tender age; guru-gehe — in the guru-kula, the place where children are sent to be instructed by the guru; dvi-jātibhih — by brāhmanas; vishnu-pakshaih — who are on the side of Vishnu; praticchannaih — disguised in different dresses; na bhidyeta — may not be influenced; asya — of him; dhīh — the intelligence; yathā — so that.

TRANSLATION

Hiranyakaśipu advised his assistants: My dear demons, give complete protection to this boy at the guru-kula where he is instructed, so that his intelligence will not be further influenced by Vaishnavas who may go there in disguise.

PURPORT

In our Krishna consciousness movement, the tactic of dressing oneself like an ordinary karmī is necessary because everyone in the demoniac kingdom is against the Vaishnava teachings. Krishna consciousness is not at all to the liking of the demons of the present age. As soon as they see a Vaishnava dressed in saffron garments with beads on his neck and tilaka on his forehead, they are immediately irritated. They criticize the Vaishnavas by sarcastically saying Hare Krishna, and some people also chant Hare Krishna sincerely. In either case, since Hare Krishna is absolute, whether one chants it jokingly or sincerely, it will have its effect. The Vaishnavas are pleased when the demons chant Hare Krishna because this shows that the Hare Krishna movement is taking ground. The greater demons, like Hiranyakaśipu, are always prepared to chastise the Vaishnavas, and they try to make arrangements so that Vaishnavas will not come to sell their books and preach Krishna consciousness. Thus what was done by Hiranyakaśipu long, long ago is still being done. That is the way of materialistic life. Demons or materialists do not at all like the advancement of Krishna consciousness, and they try to hinder it in many ways. Yet the preachers of Krishna consciousness must go forward — in their Vaishnava dress or any other dress — for the purpose of preaching. Cānakya Pandita says that if an honest person deals with a great cheater, it is necessary for him to become a cheater also, not for the purpose of cheating but to make his preaching successful.

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