Antya-līlāChapter 9: The Deliverance of Gopīnātha Paṭṭanāyaka

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 9.65

āji tāre jagannātha karilā rakṣaṇa

kāli ke rākhibe, yadi nā dibe rāja-dhana?

SYNONYMS

āji — today; tāre — him; jagannātha — Lord Jagannātha; karilā rakṣaṇa — protected; kāli — tomorrow; ke rākhibe — who will protect; yadi — if; dibehe will not pay; rāja-dhana — the King's money.

TRANSLATION

"Jagannātha has saved him once from death today, but if tomorrow he again does not pay what he owes the treasury, who will give him protection?

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead will certainly protect a devotee who does something sinful accidentally. As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30-31):

api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk

sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ saḿyag vyavasito hi saḥ

kṣipraḿ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiḿ nigacchati

kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

"Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes." However, if a devotee or so-called devotee purposefully commits sinful activities continually in the hope that Kṛṣṇa will give him protection, Kṛṣṇa will not protect him. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, kāli ke rākhibe, yadi nā dibe rāja-dhana?: "Jagannātha has saved Gopīnātha Paṭṭanāyaka from being killed by the King today, but if he commits the same offense again, who will give him protection?" Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus warns all such foolish devotees that Jagannātha will not protect them if they continue to commit offenses.

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