Verse 2.1.342

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.1.342:

যাবত্ আছযে প্রাণ, দেহে আছে শক্তি তাবত্ করহ কৃষ্ণ-পাদ-পদ্মে ভক্তি ॥ ৩৪২ ॥

यावत् आछये प्राण, देहे आछे शक्ति तावत् करह कृष्ण-पाद-पद्मे भक्ति ॥ ३४२ ॥

yāvat āchaye prāṇa, dehe āche śakti tāvat karaha kṛṣṇa-pāda-padme bhakti || 342 ||

yavat achaye prana, dehe ache sakti tavat karaha krsna-pada-padme bhakti (342)

English translation:

(342) “As long as there is life and strength in your body, you should render devotional service to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.9.29) the mendicant brāhmaṇa speaks to the King of the Yadus as follows:

labdhvā su-durlabham idaṃ bahu-sambhavānte mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ

tūrṇaṃ yateta na pated anu-mṛtyu yāvan niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt

“After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Kṛṣṇa consciousness is possible only for a human being.”