Devanagari
ज्ञाननिष्ठो विरक्तो वा मद्भक्तो वानपेक्षक: ।
सलिङ्गानाश्रमांस्त्यक्त्वा चरेदविधिगोचर: ॥ २८ ॥
Verse text
jṣāna-niṣṭho virakto vā
mad-bhakto vānapekṣakaḥ
sa-liṅgān āśramāṁs tyaktvā
cared avidhi-gocaraḥ
Synonyms
jṣāna
—
to philosophical knowledge
;
niṣṭhaḥ
—
dedicated
;
viraktaḥ
—
detached from external manifestations
;
vā
—
either
;
mat
—
bhaktaḥ — My devotee
;
vā
—
or
;
anapekṣakaḥ
—
not desiring even liberation
;
sa
—
liṅgān — with their rituals and external regulations
;
āśramān
—
the duties pertaining to particular statuses of life
;
tyaktvā
—
giving up
;
caret
—
one should conduct oneself
;
avidhi
—
gocaraḥ — beyond the range of rules and regulations .
Translation
A learned transcendentalist dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and thus detached from external objects, or My devotee who is detached even from desire for liberation — both neglect those duties based on external rituals or paraphernalia. Thus their conduct is beyond the range of rules and regulations.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
A person fixed in jṣāna and detached from external objects, or my devotee who is detached even from desire for liberation—both should reject the āśrama duties based on external rituals or paraphernalia and conduct themselves beyond the range of rules.
The mature jṣānī and the niṣkāma devotee are beyond the rules of varṇāśrama. The mature jṣānī, devoid of expectations of even good position, should reject the rules. Complete indifference to things (anapekṣakaḥ) is not possible for the devotee who has not developed prema. Thus the devotee who has developed prema gives up the āśramas along with the all signs of āśramas (such as the stick and water pot). The devotee who has not developed prema (who is not anapekṣakaḥ) gives up the actions of the āśramas but not its external signs. However, for the devotees in general, giving up the actions of his sva-dhārma takes place to some degree from the beginning of bhakti:
āvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service hearing and chanting, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions. SB 11.20.9
Because the matured jṣānī and the prema-bhakta have no tendency for sin, there is no fear of bad conduct. Thus they do not have to follow rules.
Purport
This verse describes the
paramahaṁsa
stage of life, in which there is no further need for rituals, external paraphernalia or rules and regulations. A completely realized
jṣāna-yogī
pursuing liberation, or beyond that, a perfect devotee of the Lord who does not desire even liberation, has no further desire for material engagement. When one completely purifies the mind, there is no possibility of sinful behavior. Rules and regulations are meant for guiding those who have a tendency to act in ignorance or for personal gratification, but one who is perfect in spiritual consciousness can move freely, as described here by the Lord. One who tends to drive a car recklessly or who is unfamiliar with the local road conditions certainly needs the discipline of elaborate road signs and police enforcement of traffic laws. A perfectly safe driver, however, is thoroughly familiar with the local road conditions. He has no real need for the enforcement officials or the speed limits and caution signs meant for those unfamiliar with the road. A pure devotee of the Lord desires nothing except service to the Lord; he automatically fulfills the purport of all negative and positive injunctions, which is to always remember Kṛṣṇa and never forget Him. One should not, however, artificially imitate the exalted position of a
paramahaṁsa
devotee, for such imitation will quickly ruin one’s spiritual career.
In the previous verses the Lord has elaborately described various rituals, paraphernalia and disciplines for the various spiritual orders of life. The
sannyāsī,
for example, carries a
tridaṇḍa
and a waterpot and eats and lives in a particular way. A
paramahaṁsa
devotee, having completely given up all attachment and interest in the material world, is no longer attracted by such external features of renunciation.