Verse 1.16.239

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.16.239:

“উত্তম-কুলেতে জন্মি’ শ্রী-কৃষ্ণে না ভজে কুলে তা’র কি করিবে, নরকেতে মজে” ॥ ২৩৯ ॥

“उत्तम-कुलेते जन्मि’ श्री-कृष्णे ना भजे कुले ता’र कि करिबे, नरकेते मजे” ॥ २३९ ॥

“uttama-kulete janmi’ śrī-kṛṣṇe nā bhaje kule tā’ra ki karibe, narakete maje” || 239 ||

“uttama-kulete janmi’ sri-krsne na bhaje kule ta’ra ki karibe, narakete maje” (239)

English translation:

(239) “And if someone is born in a high-class family but does not worship the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then his high birth is useless and he falls to hell.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Even after taking birth in a higher family as the result of pious activities, if one is averse to the service of the Lord, he will certainly go to hell.

This is confirmed in the following statement of Camasa, one of the nine Yogendras, to Mahārāja Nimi in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.5.3):

ya eṣāṃ puruṣaṃ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ

“If any of the members of the four varṇas and four āśramas fail to worship or intentionally disrespect the Personality of Godhead, who is the source of their own creation, they will fall down from their position into a hellish state of life.”