SB 11.18.31 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

नोद्विजेत जनाद् धीरो जनं चोद्वेजयेन्न तु । अतिवादांस्तितिक्षेत नावमन्येत कञ्चन । देहमुद्दिश्य पशुवद् वैरं कुर्यान्न केनचित् ॥ ३१ ॥

Verse text

nodvijeta janād dhīro janaṁ codvejayen na tu ati-vādāṁs titikṣeta nāvamanyeta kaṣcana deham uddiśya paśu-vad vairaṁ kuryān na kenacit

Synonyms

na — never ; udvijeta — should be disturbed or frightened ; janāt — because of other people ; dhīraḥ — a saintly person ; janam — other people ; ca — also ; udvejayet — should frighten or disturb ; na — never ; tu — indeed ; ati — vādān — insulting or harsh words ; titikṣeta — he should tolerate ; na — never ; avamanyeta — should belittle ; kaṣcana — anyone ; deham — the body ; uddiśya — for the sake of ; paśu — vat — like an animal ; vairam — hostility ; kuryāt — he should create ; na — never ; kenacit — with anyone .

Translation

A saintly person should never let others frighten or disturb him and, similarly, should never frighten or disturb other people. He should tolerate the insults of others and should never himself belittle anyone. He should never create hostility with anyone for the sake of the material body, for he would thus be no better than an animal.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

A saintly person should never let others disturb him and, similarly, should never disturb other people. He should tolerate the insults of others and should never insult anyone. He should never create hostility with anyone for the sake of the material body, for he would thus be no better than an animal. Ativādān means insults.

Purport

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated: tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā amāninā māna-dena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ “One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” A Vaiṣṇava should never disturb any other living entity with his body, mind or words. He should always be tolerant and never belittle others. Although a Vaiṣṇava may act powerfully against the demons for Lord Kṛṣṇa’s sake — as did Arjuna, Hanumān and many other great devotees — a Vaiṣṇava becomes very meek and humble in regard to his own reputation.