552
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 14]
activities;  acarat —performed;  gatiḥ —destination;  satām —of the devotees of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Although no one in the material world is equal to or greater than Lord Śiva, and although his unimpeachable character is followed by great souls to dismantle the mass of nescience, he nevertheless remains as if a devil in order to give salvation to all devotees of the Lord.
PURPORT
Lord Śiva's uncivilized devilish characteristics are never abominable because he teaches the sincere devotees of the Lord how to practice detachment from material enjoyment. He is called Mahādeva, or the greatest of all demigods, and no one is equal to or greater than him in the material world. He is almost equal with Lord Viṣṇu. Although he always associates with Māyā, Durgā, he is above the reactionary stage of the three modes of material nature, and although he is in charge of devilish characters in the mode of ignorance, he is not affected by such association.
TEXT 28
हसन्ति यस्याचरितं हि दुर्भगाः
स्वात्मन् रतस्याविदुषः समीहितम् ।
यैर्वस्त्रमाल्याभरणानुलेपनैः
श्वभोजनं स्वात्मतयोपलालितम् ॥२८॥
hasanti yasyācaritam hi durbhagāḥ
svātman ratasyāviduṣaḥ samīhitam
yair vastra-mālyābharaṇānulepanaiḥ
śva-bhojanam svātmatayopalālitam
hasanti —laugh at;  yasya —whose;  ācaritam —activity;  hi —certainly;  durbhagāḥ —the unfortunate;  sva-ātman —in the self;  ratasya —of one engaged;  aviduṣaḥ —not knowing;  samīhitam —his purpose;  yaiḥ —by whom;  vastra —clothing;  mālya —garlands;  ābharaṇa —ornaments;  anu —such luxurious;  lepanaiḥ —with ointments;  śva-bhojanam —eatable by the dogs;  sva-ātmatayā —as if the self;  upalālitam —fondled.
TRANSLATION
Unfortunate, foolish persons, not knowing that he is engaged in his own self, laugh at him. Such foolish persons engage in maintaining the body—which is eatable by dogs—with dresses, ornaments, garlands and ointments.