BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:24

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:24

 

tasmac chastram pramanam te

karyakarya-vyavasthitau

jnatva sastra-vidhanoktam

karma kartum iharhasi

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

tasmat--therefore; sastram--the scriptures; pramanam--evidence;

te--your; karya--duty; akarya--and forbidden activities;

vyavasthitau--in determining; jnatva--knowing; sastra--of scripture;

vidhana--the regulations; uktam--as declared; karma--work; kartum--do;

iha--in this world; arhasi--you should.

 

TRANSLATION

 

One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by

the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations,

one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.

 

PURPORT

 

As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, all the rules and regulations of

the Vedas are meant for knowing Krsna. If one understands Krsna from

the Bhagavad-gita and becomes situated in Krsna consciousness,

engaging himself in devotional service, he has reached the highest

perfection of knowledge offered by the Vedic literature. Lord Caitanya

Mahaprabhu made this process very easy: He asked people simply to

chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare

Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and to engage in the devotional service of

the Lord and eat the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Deity. One

who is directly engaged in all these devotional activities is to be

understood as having studied all Vedic literature. He has come to the

conclusion perfectly. Of course, for the ordinary persons who are not

in Krsna consciousness or who are not engaged in devotional service,

what is to be done and what is not to be done must be decided by the

injunctions of the Vedas. One should act accordingly, without

argument. That is called following the principles of sastra, or

scripture. Sastra is without the four principal defects that are

visible in the conditioned soul: imperfect senses, the propensity for

cheating, certainty of committing mistakes, and certainty of being

illusioned. These four principal defects in conditioned life

disqualify one from putting forth rules and regulations. Therefore,

the rules and regulations as described in the sastra--being above

these defects--are accepted without alteration by all great saints,

acaryas and great souls.

 

In India there are many parties of spiritual understanding, generally

classified as two: the impersonalist and the personalist. Both of

them, however, lead their lives according to the principles of the

Vedas. Without following the principles of the scriptures, one cannot

elevate himself to the perfectional stage. One who actually,

therefore, understands the purport of the sastras is considered

fortunate.

 

In human society, aversion to the principles of understanding the

Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all falldowns. That is

the greatest offense of human life. Therefore, maya, the material

energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always giving us

trouble in the shape of the threefold miseries. This material energy

is constituted of the three modes of material nature. One has to raise

himself at least to the mode of goodness before the path to

understanding the Supreme Lord can be opened. Without raising oneself

to the standard of the mode of goodness, one remains in ignorance and

passion, which are the cause of demoniac life. Those in the modes of

passion and ignorance deride the scriptures, deride the holy man, and

deride the proper understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

They disobey the instructions of the spiritual master, and they do not

care for the regulations of the scriptures. In spite of hearing the

glories of devotional service, they are not attracted. Thus they

manufacture their own way of elevation. These are some of the defects

of human society which lead to the demoniac status of life. If,

however, one is able to be guided by a proper and bona fide spiritual

master, who can lead one to the path of elevation, to the higher

stage, then one's life becomes successful.

 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Sixteenth Chapter of the

Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Divine and Demoniac Natures.

 

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.