Devanagari
कतमोऽपि न वेन: स्यात्पञ्चानां पुरुषं प्रति ।
तस्मात् केनाप्युपायेन मन: कृष्णे निवेशयेत् ॥ ३२ ॥
Verse text
katamo ’pi na venaḥ syāt
paṣcānāṁ puruṣaṁ prati
tasmāt kenāpy upāyena
manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet
Synonyms
katamaḥ api
—
anyone
;
na
—
not
;
venaḥ
—
the atheistic King Vena
;
syāt
—
would adopt
;
paṣcānām
—
of the five (previously mentioned)
;
puruṣam
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
prati
—
in regard to
;
tasmāt
—
therefore
;
kenāpi
—
by any
;
upāyena
—
means
;
manaḥ
—
the mind
;
kṛṣṇe
—
in Kṛṣṇa
;
niveśayet
—
one should fix .
Translation
Somehow or other, one must consider the form of Kṛṣṇa very seriously. Then, by one of the five different processes mentioned above, one can return home, back to Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however, being unable to think of Kṛṣṇa’s form in any of these five ways, cannot attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Kṛṣṇa, whether in a friendly way or inimically.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Any of the five types of persons, but not King Vena, will attain their objectives in relation to the Lord. Therefore, one should somehow think of Kṛṣṇa, by one of the favorable methods.
“But persons like Vena, who hated the Lord and criticized him like Śiśupāla went to hell.” This verse explains. Some persons will not be counted among the five moods previously mentioned in relation to the Lord (puruṣam), because of not being suitable receptacles for those moods. Some persons are not like the gopīs with affectionate conjugal feelings; they are not like Kaṁsa with fear; they are not like Śiśupāla, filled with hatred, and absorbved in the Lord, thinking that the Lord would kill him; not like Vṛṣṇis with some family relationship; and not like Nārada with vaidhi-bhakti. Persons not like Śiśupāla, for instance Vena, who simply nourish an unfavorable mood, go to hell. Therefore one should concentrate on Kṛṣna with a favorable method. The tense is in the potential as with verse 26, with the same meaning.
Purport
Impersonalists and atheists always try to circumvent the form of Kṛṣṇa. Great politicians and philosophers of the modern age even try to banish Kṛṣṇa from
Bhagavad-gītā.
Consequently, for them there is no salvation. But Kṛṣṇa’s enemies think, “Here is Kṛṣṇa, my enemy. I have to kill Him.” They think of Kṛṣṇa in His actual form, and thus they attain salvation. Devotees, therefore, who constantly think of Kṛṣṇa’s form, are certainly liberated. The only business of the Māyāvādī atheists is to make Kṛṣṇa formless, and consequently, because of this severe offense at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot expect salvation. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says in this connection:
tena śiśupālādi-bhinnaḥ pratikūla-bhāvaṁ didhīṣur yena iva narakaṁ yātīti bhāvaḥ.
Except for Śiśupāla, those who go against the regulative principles cannot attain salvation and are surely destined for hellish life. The regulative principle is that one must always think of Kṛṣṇa, whether as a friend or enemy.