Text 263]
The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya
347
TRANSLATION
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately pointed out: “In that verse the word is ‘mukti-pade,’ but you have changed it to ‘bhakti-pade.’ What is your intention?”
TEXT 263
ভট্টাচাৰ্য  কহে;—‘ভক্তি’-সম নহে মুক্তি-ফল ।।
ভগবন্তাক্তিবিমুখের হয়  দণ্ড  কেবল ॥ ২৬৩ ॥
bhaṭṭācārya kahe,—‘bhakti’-sama nahe mukti-phala bhagavad-bhakti-vimukhera haya daṇḍa kevala
SYNONYMS
bhaṭṭācārya —Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya;  kahe —said;  bhakti —devotional service;  sama —equal to;  nahe —not;  mukti —of liberation;  phala —the result;  bhagavat-bhakti —to the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of God-head;  vimukhera —of one who is averse to;  haya —it is;  daṇḍa —the punishment;  kevala —only.
TRANSLATION
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied: “The awakening of pure love of Godhead, which is the result of devotional service, far surpasses liberation from material bondage. For those averse to devotional service, merging into the Brahman effulgence is a kind of punishment.”
PURPORT
In the  Brahmāṇḍa  Purāṇa it is said:: in
siddha-lokas tu tamasaḥ pāre yatra vasanti hi siddhā brahma-sukhe magnā daityāś ca hariṇā hatāḥ
“In Siddhaloka [Brahmaloka] there live two kinds of living entities—those who are killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead due to their having been demons in their previous lives and those who are very fond of enjoying the impersonal effulgence of the Lord.” The word  tamasaḥ  means “the coverings of the universe.” Layers of material elements cover the universe, and outside these coverings is the impersonal Brahman effulgence. If one is destined to remain in the Lord’s impersonal effulgence, he misses the opportunity to render service to the Personality of