CC Antya 9.65 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 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; nā dibe—he 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 Bhagavad-gītā (9.30-31):
- api cet sudurācāro
- bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
- sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
- saṁyag vyavasito hi saḥ
- kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā
- śaśvac-chāntiṁ 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. 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.