Lord Krishna's Explanation of the Vedic Path

Verse 1 (bhagavata.11.21.1)

श्रीभगवानुवाच य एतान् मत्पथो हित्वा भक्तिज्ञानक्रियात्मकान् । क्षुद्रान् कामांश्चलैः प्राणैर्जुषन्तः संसरन्ति ते ॥ 21.1 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca ya etān mat-patho hitvā bhakti-jñāna-kriyātmakān kṣudrān kāmāṁś calaiḥ prāṇair juṣantaḥ saṁsaranti te

Shri Bhagavan said: Those who abandon these paths to me — consisting of devotion, knowledge and right action — and instead, driven by restless senses, pursue trivial desires, wander on through the cycle of birth and death.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.11.21.2)

स्वे स्वेऽधिकारे या निष्ठा स गुणः परिकीर्तितः । विपर्ययस्तु दोषः स्यादुभयोरेष निश्चयः ॥ 21.2 ॥

sve sve ’dhikāre yā niṣṭhā sa guṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥ viparyayas tu doṣaḥ syād ubhayor eṣa niścayaḥ

Steadfastness in one's own proper station is declared to be virtue, and its opposite is fault — this is the settled definition of both.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.11.21.3)

शुद्ध्यशुद्धी विधीयेते समानेष्वपि वस्तुषु । द्रव्यस्य विचिकित्सार्थं गुणदोषौ शुभाशुभौ । धर्मार्थं व्यवहारार्थं यात्रार्थमिति चानघ ॥ 21.3 ॥

śuddhy-aśuddhī vidhīyete samāneṣv api vastuṣu dravyasya vicikitsārthaṁ guṇa-doṣau śubhāśubhau dharmārthaṁ vyavahārārthaṁ yātrārtham iti cānagha

O sinless one, purity and impurity are prescribed even among similar things so that no doubt remains about an object — good and bad qualities are laid down for the sake of dharma, for worldly dealing, and for the sake of livelihood.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.11.21.4)

दर्शितोऽयं मयाचारो धर्ममुद्वहतां धुरम् ॥ 21.4 ॥

darśito ’yaṁ mayācāro dharmam udvahatāṁ dhuram

This conduct I have thus shown for those who bear the burden of upholding dharma.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.11.21.5)

भूम्यम्ब्वग्न्यनिलाकाशा भूतानां पञ्चधातवः । आब्रह्मस्थावरादीनां शारीरा आत्मसंयुताः ॥ 21.5 ॥

bhūmy-ambv-agny-anilākāśā bhūtānāṁ pañca-dhātavaḥ ā-brahma-sthāvarādīnāṁ śārīrā ātma-saṁyutāḥ

Earth, water, fire, air and ether — these five elements are the constituents of the bodies of all beings, from Brahma down to the immobile, and all are joined with the self.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.11.21.6)

वेदेन नामरूपाणि विषमाणि समेष्वपि । धातुषूद्धव कल्प्यन्त एतेषां स्वार्थसिद्धये ॥ 21.6 ॥

vedena nāma-rūpāṇi viṣamāṇi sameṣv api dhātuṣūddhava kalpyanta eteṣāṁ svārtha-siddhaye

Uddhava, though these elements are equal in every body, the Veda conceives different names and forms among them, so that the true good of each being may be accomplished.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.11.21.7)

देशकालादिभावानां वस्तूनां मम सत्तम । गुणदोषौ विधीयेते नियमार्थं हि कर्मणाम् ॥ 21.7 ॥

deśa-kālādi-bhāvānāṁ vastūnāṁ mama sattama guṇa-doṣau vidhīyete niyamārthaṁ hi karmaṇām

O best of the saintly, merit and fault regarding place, time and other such factors are prescribed only for the sake of regulating actions.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.11.21.8)

अकृष्णसारो देशानामब्रह्मण्योऽशुचिर्भवेत् । कृष्णसारोऽप्यसौवीरकीकटासंस्कृतेरिणम् ॥ 21.8 ॥

akṛṣṇa-sāro deśānām abrahmaṇyo ’sucir bhavet kṛṣṇa-sāro ’py asauvīra- kīkaṭāsaṁskṛteriṇam

A land devoid of the black antelope, or lacking devotion to brahmanas, is impure; and even a land where the black antelope roams, if it lacks refined culture, resembles regions like Kikata, or is barren waste, is likewise impure.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.11.21.9)

कर्मण्यो गुणवान् कालो द्रव्यतः स्वत एव वा । यतो निवर्तते कर्म स दोषोऽकर्मकः स्मृतः ॥ 21.9 ॥

karmaṇyo guṇavān kālo dravyataḥ svata eva vā yato nivartate karma sa doṣo ’karmakaḥ smṛtaḥ

A time is deemed favorable for action when, by its own nature or through the availability of resources, it is fit for the performance of duty; a time that obstructs action is considered faulty, unfit for work.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.11.21.10)

द्रव्यस्य शुद्ध्यशुद्धी च द्रव्येण वचनेन च । संस्कारेणाथ कालेन महत्वाल्पतयाथवा ॥ 21.10 ॥

dravyasya śuddhy-aśuddhī ca dravyeṇa vacanena ca saṁskāreṇātha kālena mahatvālpatayātha vā

An object's purity or impurity is determined by contact with another substance, by verbal declaration, by ritual, by time, or by its relative magnitude.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.11.21.11)

शक्त्याशक्त्याथ वा बुद्ध्या समृद्ध्या च यदात्मने । अघं कुर्वन्ति हि यथा देशावस्थानुसारतः ॥ 21.11 ॥

śaktyāśaktyātha vā buddhyā samṛddhyā ca yad ātmane aghaṁ kurvanti hi yathā deśāvasthānusārataḥ

According to their strength or weakness, their intelligence, their prosperity, and according to place and circumstance, so does the effect of the wrong men do to themselves vary.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.11.21.12)

धान्यदार्वस्थितन्तूनां रसतैजसचर्मणाम् । कालवाय्वग्निमृत्तोयैः पार्थिवानां युतायुतैः ॥ 21.12 ॥

dhānya-dārv-asthi-tantūnāṁ rasa-taijasa-carmaṇām kāla-vāyv-agni-mṛt-toyaiḥ pārthivānāṁ yutāyutaiḥ

Articles of grain, wood, bone and thread, of liquid, metal and leather, and things made of clay are purified by time, wind, fire, earth and water, singly or in combination.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.11.21.13)

अमेध्यलिप्तं यद् येन गन्धलेपं व्यपोहति । भजते प्रकृतिं तस्य तच्छौचं तावदिष्यते ॥ 21.13 ॥

amedhya-liptaṁ yad yena gandha-lepaṁ vyapohati bhajate prakṛtiṁ tasya tac chaucaṁ tāvad iṣyate

Whatever agent removes the foul odor and coating from a contaminated object and restores it to its natural state — that alone is regarded as its means of purification.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.11.21.14)

स्नानदानतपोऽवस्थावीर्यसंस्कारकर्मभिः । मत्स्मृत्या चात्मनः शौचं शुद्धः कर्माचरेद्द्विजः ॥ 21.14 ॥

snāna-dāna-tapo-’vasthā- vīrya-saṁskāra-karmabhiḥ mat-smṛtyā cātmanaḥ śaucaṁ śuddhaḥ karmācared dvijaḥ

The self is purified through bathing, charity, austerity, maturity, strength, sacraments, prescribed duty, and above all through remembrance of me; only thus purified should the twice-born perform his rites.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.11.21.15)

मन्त्रस्य च परिज्ञानं कर्मशुद्धिर्मदर्पणम् । धर्मः सम्पद्यते षड्भिरधर्मस्तु विपर्ययः ॥ 21.15 ॥

mantrasya ca parijñānaṁ karma-śuddhir mad-arpaṇam dharmaḥ sampadyate ṣaḍbhir adharmas tu viparyayaḥ

Right understanding of the mantra, purity in the act, and offering it to me — through these six factors together, dharma is accomplished; their absence constitutes irreligion.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.11.21.16)

क्वचिद् गुणोऽपि दोषः स्याद् दोषोऽपि विधिना गुणः । गुणदोषार्थनियमस्तद्भिदामेव बाधते ॥ 21.16 ॥

kvacid guṇo ’pi doṣaḥ syād doṣo ’pi vidhinā guṇaḥ guṇa-doṣārtha-niyamas tad-bhidām eva bādhate

Sometimes virtue itself becomes fault, and by scriptural sanction fault itself becomes virtue; this purpose-bound rule of merit and fault thus itself unsettles their very distinction.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.11.21.17)

समानकर्माचरणं पतितानां न पातकम् । औत्पत्तिको गुणः सङ्गो न शयानः पतत्यधः ॥ 21.17 ॥

samāna-karmācaraṇaṁ patitānāṁ na pātakam autpattiko guṇaḥ saṅgo na śayānaḥ pataty adhaḥ

The performance of similar deeds by those already fallen is not itself a sin; one already lying on the ground cannot fall further — such association is merely their natural condition.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.11.21.18)

यतो यतो निवर्तेत विमुच्येत ततस्ततः । एष धर्मो नृणां क्षेमः शोकमोहभयापहः ॥ 21.18 ॥

yato yato nivarteta vimucyeta tatas tataḥ eṣa dharmo nṛṇāṁ kṣemaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahaḥ

From whatever a person withdraws, from that he becomes free — this alone is the truly beneficial dharma for human beings, which dispels sorrow, delusion and fear.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.11.21.19)

विषयेषु गुणाध्यासात् पुंसः सङ्गस्ततो भवेत् । सङ्गात्तत्र भवेत् कामः कामादेव कलिर्नृणाम् ॥ 21.19 ॥

viṣayeṣu guṇādhyāsāt puṁsaḥ saṅgas tato bhavet saṅgāt tatra bhavet kāmaḥ kāmād eva kalir nṛṇām

From regarding sense objects as inherently desirable, a person becomes attached to them; from attachment arises desire, and from desire alone arises strife among men.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.11.21.20)

कलेर्दुर्विषहः क्रोधस्तमस्तमनुवर्तते । तमसा ग्रस्यते पुंसश्चेतना व्यापिनी द्रुतम् ॥ 21.20 ॥

kaler durviṣahaḥ krodhas tamas tam anuvartate tamasā grasyate puṁsaś cetanā vyāpinī drutam

From strife arises unbearable anger, and darkness follows close behind that anger; by that darkness a person's far-reaching awareness is swiftly swallowed up.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.11.21.21)

तया विरहितः साधो जन्तुः शून्याय कल्पते । ततोऽस्य स्वार्थविभ्रंशो मूर्च्छितस्य मृतस्य च ॥ 21.21 ॥

tayā virahitaḥ sādho jantuḥ śūnyāya kalpate tato ’sya svārtha-vibhraṁśo mūrcchitasya mṛtasya ca

O saintly one, deprived of that awareness, a creature becomes as good as nothing; his own true good is then lost to him, as though he were unconscious, or dead.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.11.21.22)

विषयाभिनिवेशेन नात्मानं वेद नापरम् । वृक्षजीविकया जीवन् व्यर्थं भस्त्रोव यः श्वसन् ॥ 21.22 ॥

viṣayābhiniveśena nātmānaṁ veda nāparam vṛkṣa jīvikayā jīvan vyarthaṁ bhastreva yaḥ śvasan

Through deep absorption in sense objects, he knows neither himself nor anything else; living a mere tree's existence, he goes on breathing pointlessly, like a blacksmith's bellows.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.11.21.23)

फलश्रुतिरियं नृणां न श्रेयो रोचनं परम् । श्रेयोविवक्षया प्रोक्तं यथा भैषज्यरोचनम् ॥ 21.23 ॥

phala-śrutir iyaṁ nṝṇāṁ na śreyo rocanaṁ param śreyo-vivakṣayā proktaṁ yathā bhaiṣajya-rocanam

These scriptural promises of fruit are not themselves the highest good for men, but mere enticement; they are spoken only for the sake of leading toward the good, just as one is enticed to relish a medicine.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.11.21.24)

उत्पत्त्यैव हि कामेषु प्राणेषु स्वजनेषु च । आसक्तमनसो मर्त्या आत्मनोऽनर्थहेतुषु ॥ 21.24 ॥

utpattyaiva hi kāmeṣu prāṇeṣu sva-janeṣu ca āsakta-manaso martyā ātmano ’nartha-hetuṣu

From the very moment of birth, mortals' minds become attached to their desires, to their vital breath, and to their kin — that is, to the very causes of their own ruin.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.11.21.25)

न तानविदुषः स्वार्थं भ्राम्यतो वृजिनाध्वनि । कथं युञ्ज्यात् पुनस्तेषु तांस्तमो विशतो बुधः ॥ 21.25 ॥

natān aviduṣaḥ svārthaṁ bhrāmyato vṛjinādhvani kathaṁ yuñjyāt punas teṣu tāṁs tamo viśato budhaḥ

The wise — themselves entering into that same darkness — how could they possibly urge back into those very desires those who, ignorant of their own good, are already wandering along the path of suffering?

Verse 26 (bhagavata.11.21.26)

एवं व्यवसितं केचिदविज्ञाय कुबुद्धयः । फलश्रुतिं कुसुमितां न वेदज्ञा वदन्ति हि ॥ 21.26 ॥

evaṁ vyavasitaṁ kecid avijñāya kubuddhayaḥ phala-śrutiṁ kusumitāṁ na veda-jñā vadanti hi

Failing to understand this settled purpose, some of perverse intelligence propagate only the flowery, fruit-promising words of the Vedas — but those who truly know the Vedas never speak in this way.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.11.21.27)

कामिनः कृपणा लुब्धाः पुष्पेषु फलबुद्धयः । अग्निमुग्धा धूमतान्ताः स्वं लोकं न विदन्ति ते ॥ 21.27 ॥

kāminaḥ kṛpaṇā lubdhāḥ puṣpeṣu phala-buddhayaḥ agni-mugdhā dhūma-tāntāḥ svaṁ lokaṁ na vidanti te

Lustful, miserly and greedy men mistake mere blossoms for fruit; dazzled by the glare of the sacrificial fire and choked by its smoke, they never come to know their own true nature.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.11.21.28)

न ते मामङ्ग जानन्ति हृदिस्थं य इदं यतः । उक्थशस्त्रा ह्यसुतृपो यथा नीहारचक्षुषः ॥ 21.28 ॥

na te mām aṅga jānanti hṛdi-sthaṁ ya idaṁ yataḥ uktha-śastrā hy asu-tṛpo yathā nīhāra-cakṣuṣaḥ

Dear one, they do not know that I dwell within the heart, and that this whole universe springs from me — content merely with hymns and mantras, they remain like men whose eyes are veiled by mist.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.11.21.29)

ते मे मतमविज्ञाय परोक्षं विषयात्मकाः । हिंसायां यदि रागः स्याद् यज्ञ एव न चोदना ॥ 21.29 ॥

te me matam avijñāya parokṣaṁ viṣayātmakāḥ hiṁsāyāṁ yadi rāgaḥ syād yajña eva na codanā

Not knowing my hidden intent, these people, absorbed in sense objects, if inclined toward violence, take that very violence itself to be sacrifice — though it is in truth no such injunction at all.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.11.21.30)

हिंसाविहारा ह्यालब्धैः पशुभिः स्वसुखेच्छया । यजन्ते देवता यज्ञैः पितृभूतपतीन् खलाः ॥ 21.30 ॥

hiṁsā-vihārā hy ālabdhaiḥ paśubhiḥ sva-sukhecchayā yajante devatā yajñaiḥ pitṛ-bhūta-patīn khalāḥ

Delighting in violence out of desire for their own pleasure, such wicked men slaughter animals and, through such sacrifices, worship the gods, the ancestors and the lords of ghostly beings.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.11.21.31)

स्वप्नोपमममुं लोकमसन्तं श्रवणप्रियम् । आशिषो हृदि सङ्कल्प्य त्यजन्त्यर्थान् यथा वणिक् ॥ 21.31 ॥

svapnopamam amuṁ lokam asantaṁ śravaṇa-priyam āśiṣo hṛdi saṅkalpya tyajanty arthān yathā vaṇik

This heavenly world, though unreal like a dream, is pleasant to hear about; cherishing the desire for it in their hearts, they lose their true wealth, just as a foolish merchant loses his in a bad bargain.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.11.21.32)

रजःसत्त्वतमोनिष्ठा रजःसत्त्वतमोजुषः । उपासत इन्द्रमुख्यान् देवादीन् न यथैव माम् ॥ 21.32 ॥

rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-niṣṭhā rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-juṣaḥ upāsata indra-mukhyān devādīn na yathaiva mām

Those established in passion, goodness or darkness, and themselves marked by those same qualities, worship Indra and other leading gods — but they do not worship me in the same way.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.11.21.33)

इष्ट्वेह देवता यज्ञैर्गत्वा रंस्यामहे दिवि । तस्यान्त इह भूयास्म महाशाला महाकुलाः ॥ 21.33 ॥

iṣṭveha devatā yajñair gatvā raṁsyāmahe divi tasyānta iha bhūyāsma mahā-śālā mahā-kulāḥ

'We shall worship the gods here with sacrifices, then go and enjoy in heaven; and when that is over, we shall be born again here as men of great houses and great wealth' —

Verse 34 (bhagavata.11.21.34)

एवं पुष्पितया वाचा व्याक्षिप्तमनसां नृणाम् । मानिनां चातिलुब्धानां मद्वार्तापि न रोचते ॥ 21.34 ॥

evaṁ puṣpitayā vācā vyākṣipta-manasāṁ nṛṇām mānināṁ cāti-lubdhānāṁ mad-vārtāpi na rocate

— thus, their minds scattered by the flowery language of the Veda, such proud and excessively greedy men find no pleasure even in accounts of me.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.11.21.35)

वेदा ब्रह्मात्मविषयास्त्रिकाण्डविषया इमे । परोक्षवादा ऋषयः परोक्षं मम च प्रियम् ॥ 21.35 ॥

vedā brahmātma-viṣayās tri-kāṇḍa-viṣayā ime parokṣa-vādā ṛṣayaḥ parokṣaṁ mama ca priyam

These Vedas, divided into three sections, ultimately treat of Brahman, the self; the sages speak in indirect, veiled terms, and such indirection is dear to me as well.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.11.21.36)

शब्दब्रह्म सुदुर्बोधं प्राणेन्द्रियमनोमयम् । अनन्तपारं गम्भीरं दुर्विगाह्यं समुद्रवत् ॥ 21.36 ॥

śabda-brahma su-durbodhaṁ prāṇendriya-mano-mayam ananta-pāraṁ gambhīraṁ durvigāhyaṁ samudra-vat

This word-Brahman is exceedingly hard to comprehend, composed of the life-breath, the senses and the mind; it is endless, boundless, profound, and, like the ocean, impossible to fathom.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.11.21.37)

मयोपबृंहितं भूम्ना ब्रह्मणानन्तशक्तिना । भूतेषु घोषरूपेण बिसेषूर्णेव लक्ष्यते ॥ 21.37 ॥

mayopabṛṁhitaṁ bhūmnā brahmaṇānanta-śaktinā bhūteṣu ghoṣa-rūpeṇa viseṣūrṇeva lakṣyate

It is expanded by me, the Brahman of infinite power, and it manifests within all beings as subtle sound, just as a single fine fiber lies hidden within a lotus stalk.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.11.21.38)

यथोर्णनाभिर्हृदयादूर्णामुद्वमते मुखात् । आकाशाद् घोषवान् प्राणो मनसा स्पर्शरूपिणा ॥ 21.38 ॥

yathorṇanābhir hṛdayād ūrṇām udvamate mukhāt ākāśād ghoṣavān prāṇo manasā sparśa-rūpiṇā

Just as a spider draws its web from within its own heart and sends it out through its mouth, so from the sky of the heart the resonant life-breath, through the mind that gives it the form of touch-sounds, brings forth the Vedic word —

Verse 39 (bhagavata.11.21.39)

छन्दोमयोऽमृतमयः सहस्रपदवीं प्रभुः । ओङ्काराद् व्यञ्जितस्पर्शस्वरोष्मान्त स्थभूषिताम् ॥ 21.39 ॥

chando-mayo ’mṛta-mayaḥ sahasra-padavīṁ prabhuḥ oṁkārād vyañjita-sparśa- svaroṣmāntastha-bhūṣitām

— that Lord, made of meter, made of nectar, unfolds the thousand-pathed Word, adorned with the consonants, vowels, sibilants and semivowels brought forth from the syllable Om —

Verse 40 (bhagavata.11.21.40)

विचित्रभाषाविततां छन्दोभिश्चतुरुत्तरैः । अनन्तपारां बृहतीं सृजत्याक्षिपते स्वयम् ॥ 21.40 ॥

vicitra-bhāṣā-vitatāṁ chandobhiś catur-uttaraiḥ ananta-pārāṁ bṛhatīṁ sṛjaty ākṣipate svayam

— and he himself creates, and again draws back into himself, that vast, boundless speech, spread through varied languages and metres each rising four syllables beyond the last.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.11.21.41)

गायत्र्युष्णिगनुष्टुप् च बृहती पङ्क्तिरेव च । त्रिष्टुब्जगत्यतिच्छन्दो ह्यत्यष्ट्यतिजगद् विराट् ॥ 21.41 ॥

gāyatry uṣṇig anuṣṭup ca bṛhatī paṅktir eva ca triṣṭub jagaty aticchando hy atyaṣṭy-atijagad-virāṭ

Gayatri, Ushnik, Anushtup, Brihati, Pankti, Trishtup, Jagati, Aticchanda, Atyashti, Atijagati and Ativirat — these are the Vedic meters.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.11.21.42)

किं विधत्ते किमाचष्टे किमनूद्य विकल्पयेत् । इत्यस्या हृदयं लोके नान्यो मद् वेद कश्चन ॥ 21.42 ॥

kiṁ vidhatte kim ācaṣṭe kim anūdya vikalpayet ity asyā hṛdayaṁ loke nānyo mad veda kaścana

What this Word enjoins, what it declares, and what it states only then to qualify or set aside — the inner heart of this Word, in all this world, no one but I truly knows.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.11.21.43)

मां विधत्तेऽभिधत्ते मां विकल्प्यापोह्यते त्वहम् । एतावान् सर्ववेदार्थः शब्द आस्थाय मां भिदाम् । मायामात्रमनूद्यान्ते प्रतिषिध्य प्रसीदति ॥ 21.43 ॥

māṁ vidhatte ’bhidhatte māṁ vikalpyāpohyate tv aham etāvān sarva-vedārthaḥ śabda āsthāya māṁ bhidām māyā-mātram anūdyānte pratiṣidhya prasīdati

It is I whom this Word enjoins, I whom it declares, I whom it presents in its hypotheses, and I alone whom it then sets aside by negation; this alone is the whole purport of the Veda — the Word, having thus posited difference in me, and having in the end shown that difference to be mere maya, finds its rest by negating it.