8 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 1

uttama-slokasya—who is praised with excellent verses; srimat-carana-
aravinda—of the feet, which are just like the most beautiful fragrant
lotus flowers; makaranda—honey; rase—in the nectar; Gvesita—ab-
sorbed: cetasah—whose hearts; bhagavata—to the devotees; parama-
harnsa—liberated persons; dayita—pleasing; katham—glorification;
kivicit—sometimes; antardya—by impediments; vihatam—checked;
svam—own; Siva-tamam—most exalted; padavim—position; na—do
not; prayena—almost always; hinvanti—give up.

TRANSLATION

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: What you have said is correct. The
glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is praised in
eloquent, transcendental verses by such exalted personalities as
Brahma, are very pleasing to great devotees and liberated persons.
One who is attached to the nectarean honey of the Lord’s lotus
feet, and whose mind is always absorbed in His glories, may some-
times be checked by some impediment, but he still never gives up
the exalted position he has acquired.

PURPORT

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami accepted both of the King’s propositions —that
a person who is advanced in Krsna consciousness cannot embrace
materialistic life again and that one who has embraced materialistic life
cannot take up Krsna consciousness at any stage of his existence.
Although accepting both these statements, Sukadeva Gosvami qualified
them by saying that a person who has once absorbed his mind in the glo-
ries of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may sometimes be in-
fluenced by impediments, but he still does not give up his exalted devo-
tional position.

According to Srila Vigvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, there are two
kinds of impediments to devotional service. The first is an offense at the
lotus feet of a Vaisnava. This is called vaisnava- aparadha. Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu warned His devotees not to commit vaisnava-aparadha,
which He described as the mad elephant offense. When a mad elephant
enters a beautiful garden, it destroys everything, leaving a barren field.
Similarly, the power of vaisnava-aparadha is so great that even an ad-
vanced devotee becomes almost devoid of his spiritual assets if he com-
