SLOKA OF THE WEEK:

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.13.17
tair vañcito hamsa-kulam samāvisann
arocayan śīlam upaiti vānarān
taj-jāti-rāsena sunirvrtendriyah
parasparodvīksana-vismrtāvadhih

taih — by them (the cheaters and pretenders, the so-called yogīs, svāmīs, incarnations and gurus); vañcitah — being cheated; hamsa-kulam — the association of great paramahamsas, or devotees; samāvisan — contacting; arocayan — not being satisfied with; śīlam — their behavior; upaiti — approaches; vānarān — the monkeys, which are all debauchees with no good character; tat-jāti-rāsena — by sense gratification in the association of such debauchees; sunirvrta-indriyah — being very satisfied with getting the opportunity of sense gratification; paraspara — of one another; udvīksana — by seeing the faces; vismrta — who has forgotten; avadhih — the end of life.

TRANSLATION

Being cheated by them, the living entity in the forest of the material world tries to give up the association of these so-called yogīs, svāmīs and incarnations and come to the association of real devotees, but due to misfortune he cannot follow the instructions of the spiritual master or advanced devotees; therefore he gives up their company and again returns to the association of monkeys who are simply interested in sense gratification and women. He derives satisfaction by associating with sense gratifiers and enjoying sex and intoxication. In this way he spoils his life simply by indulging in sex and intoxication. Looking into the faces of other sense gratifiers, he becomes forgetful and thus approaches death.

JOURNAL:

Today is Saint Patrick's Day. Here in the United States millions of people will go get drunk. Normally, a day set aside for a Catholic saint is observed by fasting but this poor fellow is celebrated by green beer and craziness. Thus, I thought this sloka was particularly appropriate.