Pāṣaṇḍī means nonbeliever, atheist, demon.
Pradyumna: "That is the omnipotency of the Lord. One who foolishly considers Nārāyaṇa like other living beings should take a lesson from this."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore in the śāstra it is forbidden, that don't compare with Nārāyaṇa. Don't be on equal footing with Nārāyaṇa. It is not possible. But the rascals, big, big swamis, they are exclaiming that: daridra-nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa has become daridra. Manufactured word. Where is this word daridra-nārāyaṇa in the śāstras? But they have manufactured. That Nārāyaṇa has become daridra and He has come to my door to beg. Nārāyaṇa is the master of Lakṣmī, sahasra-śata-lakṣmī, and He has now become daridra, poverty-stricken. These foolish things are going on.
Therefore śāstra says:
- yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ
- brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
- samatvenaiva vīkṣeta
- sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam
- (CC Madhya 18.116)
These rascals says that Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Śiva, and all other, so many demigods, I, you, everything is equal, all, all the same, on the level. This is rascaldom. Nārāyaṇa is asamordhva. Nobody can be equal or greater than Him. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). "There is no more superior thing above Me." Neither equal to Him, asamordhva. Asama, asama means no equal, and na ūrdhva. Everyone is down. That is the position. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8).
So these are all foolish theories that with Nārāyaṇa everyone can be equal. The lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge. That is not... Therefore śāstra has forbidden: "Don't do this. Don't equalize anyone, even Brahmā and Rudra." Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Lord Śiva, they are actually sitting on the same platform. Still Viṣṇu is the Supreme. Nobody should equalize Brahmā, Rudra even. What to speak of others? So if one does so... Yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ samatvenaiva vīkṣeta (CC Madhya 18.116), equalize, sa pāṣaṇḍī. This is the meaning of pāṣaṇḍī. Pāṣaṇḍī means nonbeliever, atheist, demon. That is called pāṣaṇḍī.