Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.19.23

yāni rūpāṇi jagṛhe

indro haya-jihīrṣayā

tāni pāpasya khaṇḍāni

lińgaḿ khaṇḍam ihocyate

SYNONYMS

yāni — all those which; rūpāṇi — forms; jagṛhe — accepted; indraḥ — the King of heaven; haya — the horse; jihīrṣayā — with a desire to steal; tāni — all those; pāpasya — of sinful activities; khaṇḍāni — signs; lińgam — the symbol; khaṇḍam — the word khaṇḍa; iha — here; ucyate — is said.

TRANSLATION

Whatever different forms Indra assumed as a mendicant because of his desire to seize the horse were symbols of atheistic philosophy.

PURPORT

According to Vedic civilization, sannyāsa is one of the essential items in the program of the varṇa-āśrama institution. One should accept sannyāsa according to the paramparā system of the ācāryas. At the present moment, however, many so-called sannyāsīs or mendicants have no understanding of God consciousness. Such sannyāsa was introduced by Indra because of his jealousy of Mahārāja Pṛthu, and what he introduced is again appearing in the age of Kali. practically none of the sannyāsīs in this age are bona fide. No one can introduce any new system into the Vedic way of life; if one does so out of malice, he is to be known as a pāṣaṇḍī, or atheist. In the Vaiṣṇava Tantra it is said:

yas tu nārāyaṇaḿ devaḿ

brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ

samatvenaiva vīkṣeta

sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

Although it is forbidden, there are many pāṣaṇḍīs who coin terms like daridra-nārāyaṇa and svāmi-nārāyaṇa, although not even such demigods as Brahmā and Śiva can be equal to Nārāyaṇa.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness