Chapter 23
इति ते भगवद्याच्ञां शृण्वन्तोऽपि न शुश्रुवु: । क्षुद्राशा भूरिकर्माणो बालिशा वृद्धमानिन: ॥ ९ ॥
Transliteration
iti te bhagavad-yācñāṁ śṛṇvanto ’pi na śuśruvuḥ kṣudrāśā bhūri-karmāṇo bāliśā vṛddha-māninaḥ
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
iti — thus; te — they, the brāhmaṇas; bhagavat — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yācñām — the supplication; śṛṇvantaḥ — hearing; api — although; na śuśruvuḥ — they did not hear; kṣudra-āśāḥ — full of petty desire; bhūri-karmāṇaḥ — entangled in elaborate ritualistic activities; bāliśāḥ — childish fools; vṛddha-māninaḥ — presuming themselves to be wise men.
Translation
“The brāhmaṇas heard this supplication from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet they refused to pay heed. Indeed, they were full of petty desires and entangled in elaborate rituals. Though presuming themselves advanced in Vedic learning, they were actually inexperienced fools.”